Machine Consciousness in Bloomington, MN

From the toaster that burns our breakfast to the video recorder that wipes out our favourite movie, we've all had that feeling that a machine is out to get us. So can a machine really be conscious? Can it have feelings? Well, even the humble thermostat knows when it gets too hot—and it can do something about it too. But can a machine think thoughts? Does it have a personality? How would you know?