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"None of us, no matter what continent or island or ice cap, asked to be born in the first place, and that even somebody as old as I am, which is 80, only just got here."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
 |
| Toy Testing Dummy | ||
| A child-sized device used to test suspect toys. |
The Terran Bureau of Import Standards had one essential job; to make sure that toys from those rebellious outer planets and moons didn't try to sneak in some kind of weapon disguised as a toy.
| "Do you believe there's anything in this caution, or is it more paranoia about "alien milieux?"
Pinario said, "It's justified, especially where children's artifacts are concerned." A few hand-signals, and a slab of wall exposed a side room. Propped up in the center was a sight that caused Wiseman to halt. A plastic life-size dummy of a child, perhaps five years old in appearance, wearing ordinary clothes, sat surrounded by toys. At this moment, the dummy was saying, "I'm tired of that. Do something else." It paused a short time, and then repeated, "I'm tired of that. Do something else." The toys on the floor, triggered to respond to oral instructions, gave up their various occupations, and started fresh. "It saves on labor costs," Pinario explained. |
| Technovelgy from War Game,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Galaxy Publishing in 1959 Additional resources -
|
They force the toys to go through their entire repertoire; experts view the tapes if it becomes necessary.
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| Chinese Hospital Tries Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' Cosplay |
| A Remarkable Coincidence |
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'The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet.'
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
'Internally it’s made up of millions of components, but the most important ones are the thinking and memory parts of the Mind proper.'
'I could look down at that face of carefully molded synthetic rubber, tinted the exact shade of the doctor's living flesh.'
'Chris, the City Fathers are not interested in your welfare; I suppose you know that. They're interested in only one thing: the survival of the city.'
'Drake was the young spatial engineer he employed to terraform the little rock...'
