Can machines be conscious?

Would you sell your soul on eBay? Right now, of course, you can't. But in some quarters it is taken for granted that within a generation, human beings-including you, if you can hang on for another 30 years or so-will have an alternative to death: being a ghost in a machine. You'll be able to upload your mind-your thoughts, memories, and personality-to a computer. And once you've reduced your consciousness to patterns of electrons, others will be able to copy it, edit it, sell it, or pirate it. It might be bundled with other electronic minds. And, of course, it could be deleted.