Global media has called inventor and author Ray Kurzweil everything from ‘restless genius’ and ‘the ultimate thinking machine’ to ‘rightful heir to Thomas Edison’ and ‘one of the 16 revolutionaries who made America.’ His list of inventions is long—from flat-bed scanners to synthesisers and reading machines for the visually-impaired. He has over 20 honorary doctorates, and has founded a string of successful companies.