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"I identify with the weak person; this is one reason why my fictional protagonists are essentially antiheroes."
- Philip K. Dick
 |
| Robot Pope | ||
| An artificially intelligent robotic cardinal ascends to the Throne of St. Peter. |
It can often be difficult to choose a new pope; factions within the Vatican argue with passion. Sometimes, a compromise candidate is the only answer.
| "If he's elected," says Rabbi Mueller, "he plans an immediate time-sharing agreement with the Dalai Lama and a reciprocal plug-in with the head programmer of the Greek Orthodox church, just for starters..."
"What does he look like?" Miss Harshaw asks. Rabbi Mueller removes his sunglasses... "I can tell you that his Eminency is tall and distinguished, with a fine voice and a gentle smile..." "But he's mounted on wheels, isn't he?" Kenneth persists. "On treads," replies the rabbi, giving Kenneth a fiery, devastating look. "Treads, like a tractor has. But I don't think treads are spiritually inferior to feet, or, for that matter, to wheels..." |
| Technovelgy from Good News From the Vatican,
by Robert Silverberg. Published by Unknown in 1971 Additional resources -
|
Some people hope that a robot pope will encourage technologically-minded young people to join the Church.
Compare to the clericomotor from The Clericomotor (1884) by an anonymous author, the padre booth from Galactic Pot-Healer (1960) by Philip K. Dick and the proselytizing robot from Cities in Flight (1951) by James Blish.
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and Technology from Good News From the Vatican
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Tech news articles related to Good News From the Vatican
Tech news articles related to works by Robert Silverberg
Robot Pope-related
news articles:
- Robot 'Minister' Performs Wedding Ceremony
- I-Fairy Robot Minister Performs Wedding Ceremony
- Texas Couple Married By Computer
- Robots Converse, But Should They Count In A Minyan?
- Minister Wants To Convert Artificial Intelligences To Christianity
- BlessU-2 Robot Priest Celebrates 500th Reformation Anniversary
| Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing Runs With His G1 Robot Army |
| Blue Collar AI Goes To Work To Mine Its Own Crypto |
| HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano |
| Woven Fiber Electronic Skin For Robots |
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'It diverts integers of the data, the fundamental message-units, so that they no longer agree.'
'Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color and texture that can approximate only crudely to the vagrant human figure...'
'Books were just a commodity that had to be produced, like jam or bootlaces.'
'...it rears and spreads its fan. It can pick one man out of a crowd.'
'...a new plastic with the characteristics of an avian eggshell.'
'It was a pushpot, which could not possibly be called a jet plane because it could not possibly fly. Only it did.'
