Feminine Intuition — Isaac Asimov

Feminine Intuition -- Isaac AsimovYou can find this in The Complete Robot, The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories and Robot Visions.

Susan Calvin has finally retired and handed over to one of her best understudies, Clinton Madarian.   Clinton decides that what the world needs is a girl robot, so he gets one built, Jane.

Clinton and Jane are travelling back to U.S. Robots with very important information when their air car gets destroyed by a meteor.   But it seems that Jane told one other person and they then have to get Susan back into the office to find out who.

Another good story.

Next story is . . . That Thou Art Mindful of Him

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

The Evitable Conflict — Isaac Asimov

The Evitable Conflict -- Isaac AsimovYou can find this in The Complete Robot, Robot Visions and I, Robot.

The Earth is now divided into regions, each with a “Machine” managing their economies.   However, things aren’t playing out as one would expect and the Machines are all doing very odd things with their respective economies.

Stephen Byerley, who is now World Coordinator has invited, a now very old, Susan Calvin around for a fireside chat about what’s going wrong.

This is another good story giving us a premonition of the Zeroth Law that is to come in the future.

Next up is Feminine Intuition.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Galactic Empires — Anthology

Galactic Empires -- Anthology

Winning Peace • [Jackaroo] – 2007 — Paul J. McAuley
Night’s Slow Poison – 2012Ann Leckie
All the Painted Stars – 2012 — Gwendolyn Clare
Firstborn – 2005 — Brandon Sanderson
Riding the Crocodile – 2005 — Greg Egan
The Lost Princess Man – 2009 — John Barnes
The Waiting Stars – 2013Aliette de Bodard
Alien Archeology • [Polity Universe] – 2007 — Neal Asher
The Muse of Empires Lost – 2006 — Paul M. Berger
Ghostweight – 2011 — Yoon Ha Lee
A Cold Heart – 2014 — Tobias S. Buckell
The Colonel Returns to the Stars – 2004 — Robert Silverberg
The Impossibles • [Retrieval Artist] – 2011 — Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Utriusque Cosmi – 2009 — Robert Charles Wilson
Section Seven – 2003 — Jack Campbell
Invisible Empire of Ascending Light – 2008 — Ken Scholes
The Man with the Golden Balloon • [The Great Ship Universe] – 2008 — Robert Reed
Looking Through Lace • [Looking Through Lace • 1] – 2003 — Ruth Nestvold
A Letter from the Emperor – 2010 — Steve Rasnic Tem
The Wayfarer’s Advice • [The Imperials Saga] – 2010 — Melinda M. Snodgrass
Seven Years from Home – 2010 — Naomi Novik
Verthandi’s Ring – 2007 — Ian McDonald

#scifi #paulmcauley #annleckie #gregegan #aliettedebodard #robertsilverberg #naominovik

Risk — Isaac Asimov

Risk -- Isaac AsimovYou can find this in The Complete Robot.

Another interesting look at a use case for human vs robot.   Yes, even in the future with all the great advances in AI, there are some things which only a human can do.

But the water gets muddied in that is the human being asked to do it because a human life is then considered to be of cheaper value than a robot, or is there a genuine reason why only a human can do it and a robot truly couldn’t?

The future is going to be filled with lots of conundrums like this, me thinks.   The future is going to be so much fun.

Next up in our robot journey is Escape!.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Little Lost Robot — Isaac Asimov

Little Lost Robot -- Isaac AsimovYou can find this in The Complete Robot, Robot Visions, I, Robot and Robot Dreams.

A robot with a modified first law is told in the most strongest terms to “get lost”.   And, so, that’s exactly what it does do, in amongst 62 normal first law robots.

Susan Calvin is called in to identify the robot, and she’s very unimpressed when she finds out that US Robots have been making dodgy robots with dodgy first laws.

Great little story.

Next robot story will be Risk.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Galley Slave — Isaac Asimov

Galley Slave -- Isaac AsimovYou can find this in The Complete Robot and Robot Visions.

US Robots is getting sued after a proof reading robot that they placed at a university allegedly destroys a professors reputation.

Another good little story concerning the application of the “Three Laws of Robotics” in the real world.

And our next robot story will be “Little Lost Robot”.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Satisfaction Guaranteed — Isaac Asimov

Satisfaction Guaranteed -- Isaac AsimovYou can find this in The Complete Robot.

The U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men corporation are finally allowed to carry out a secret trial of a humanoid robot on Earth, and one of their employees volunteers his wife so he can hopefully get a promotion.

And so the wife is left with a robot housekeeper/man-about-the-house for 10 days while the husband is away trying to impress his bosses for said promotion.   Once again, the “Three Laws of Robotics” throw up some interesting behaviour.

Another good story getting us used to the quirks of the “Three Laws of Robotics”.

Next up in the robot stories is Lenny.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov