A steel-haired couple dining out with his shrunken mother. The man’s posture rigid, emphasizing his gut. He orders his meal and his mother’s with the tone of one used to being in charge. His wife talks of baking. She says that she will not bake peanut butter cookies because only he will eat them. The old woman mumbles through a sudden glimmer of a smile; her son shrugs a reply, his eyes on his uneaten salad.

Left to right: blade mace, split vanilla bean, cardamom seed, peeled lemon zest. Steep in freshly boiled simple syrup (2 cups sugar in 1 cup water) until cool, strain, and add to seltzer for the best cream soda ever.

So computer scientists want to design a machine that is more complex and intelligent than a human being but less of a pain in the ass? Good luck with that.