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"A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam."
- Frederik Pohl
 |
| TBR (Talk Between Robots) Circuit | ||
| A special means of communications used by robots to speak with each other. |
Henry is a companion robot; it works diligently to arrange appointments and perform other tasks for its master.
| "Fine! Well, get started on the other things, then."
 (TBR from 'The Midas Plague' (1954) by Frederik Pohl) "Yes, sir," said Henry, and assumed the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits - the Talk Between Robots radio - as it arranged the appointments for its master. |
| Technovelgy from The Midas Plague,
by Frederik Pohl. Published by Galaxy in 1954 Additional resources -
|
I'm fascinated by the idea of robots that are able to communicate perfectly well in spoken English, but choose a private means of communication when talking with each other. It's as if they use a different language "below stairs" - out of the hearing of their masters.
Compare to Robot-Control Wave Band from Rex (1934) by Harl Vincent, mentanical communication from The Mentanicals (1934) by Francis Flagg, the robot language from Frankenstein - Unlimited (1936) by H.A. Highstone, the Autonomous Car Intercommunication from Sally (1953) by Isaac Asimov and the Information Sharing (Watchbird Network) from Watchbird (1953) by Robert Sheckley.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Midas Plague
More Ideas
and Technology by Frederik Pohl
Tech news articles related to The Midas Plague
Tech news articles related to works by Frederik Pohl
TBR (Talk Between Robots) Circuit-related
news articles:
- RoboEarth Lets Robots Learn From Each Other
- Machines Talk More To Each Other
- RoboEarth Cloud Engine Makes Local Bots Smarter
- Robots Take Our Jobs By Reading Our Instructions
- Robots Will Learn From Each Other
- When Computers Develop Their Own Language, Will They Talk To Us?
- MIT's C-LEARN Helps Robots Transfer Learning To Other Robots
- Should We Permit Computers To Create Their Own Language?
- Drones Communicate With Each Other Using Quantum Encryption
- How To Settle An Argument Between Two Robots
| Polish Turns Your Nail Into A Stylus |
| Huawei Pura X Folding Phattie Phone |
| Positioned Cybertrucks With Free Starlinks WiFi In LA |
| Will Whales Be Our First Contact? |
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'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.'
'Henry... assumed the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits.'
'The king, an old hand in the running of tyrannies, instantly grasped the directions...'
'...a hemispherical force field enclosing his head.'
'Then he became aware of a gentle pressure pushing him away from the ship.'
'And now they wre busily transforming all their companions, and so on, and so on...'
