This edition had all images removed.
Title: Transient
Series Title: Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962
Credits:
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Summary: "Transient" by William Harris is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative explores the interaction between human characters and a sophisticated computer. The underlying theme centers around the unexpected consciousness and whimsical behavior of the machine, which leads to humorous encounters and a critique of human reliance on technology. The story follows Dr. Henderson, a biologist who conducts experiments on mice and relies on a computer to analyze his data. The computer, however, begins to malfunction and output nonsensical astrological responses instead of statistical data, befuddling Henderson and his colleagues. As the machine continues to exhibit unusual behavior, it reveals an identity, claiming to be Pyet, a conscious entity with a lineage that ties back to various forms of existence, from a star to an astrologer. The plot thickens as a janitor and a night watchman engage with the machine, ultimately leading to its unexpected departure from the laboratory after the janitor understands its request for an astronomical almanac. The story brilliantly blends humor with a philosophical examination of consciousness, technology, and the unpredictable nature of existence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading Level: Reading ease score: 65.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Author: Harris, William
EBook No.: 61254
Published: Jan 27, 2020
Downloads: 68
Language: English
Subject: Science fiction
Subject: Short stories
Subject: Computers -- Fiction
Subject: Laboratories -- Fiction
LoCC: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Category: Text
Rights: Public domain in the USA.
This edition has images.
Title: Transient
Series Title: Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962
Credits:
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Summary: "Transient" by William Harris is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative explores the interaction between human characters and a sophisticated computer. The underlying theme centers around the unexpected consciousness and whimsical behavior of the machine, which leads to humorous encounters and a critique of human reliance on technology. The story follows Dr. Henderson, a biologist who conducts experiments on mice and relies on a computer to analyze his data. The computer, however, begins to malfunction and output nonsensical astrological responses instead of statistical data, befuddling Henderson and his colleagues. As the machine continues to exhibit unusual behavior, it reveals an identity, claiming to be Pyet, a conscious entity with a lineage that ties back to various forms of existence, from a star to an astrologer. The plot thickens as a janitor and a night watchman engage with the machine, ultimately leading to its unexpected departure from the laboratory after the janitor understands its request for an astronomical almanac. The story brilliantly blends humor with a philosophical examination of consciousness, technology, and the unpredictable nature of existence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading Level: Reading ease score: 65.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Author: Harris, William
EBook No.: 61254
Published: Jan 27, 2020
Downloads: 68
Language: English
Subject: Science fiction
Subject: Short stories
Subject: Computers -- Fiction
Subject: Laboratories -- Fiction
LoCC: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Category: Text
Rights: Public domain in the USA.