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"I just can't be politic. I never learned how to do that and I don't like doing that. I think it's false."
- Harlan Ellison
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| Supercalculator | ||
| Connecting all the computing machines of the universe! |
Well, nobody ever accused science fiction writers of thinking small...
| He straightened and nodded to Dwar Reyn, then moved to a position beside the switch that would complete the contact when he threw it. The switch that would connect, all at once, all of the monster computing machines of all the populated planets in the universe—ninety-six billion planets—into the supercircuit that would connect them all into one supercalculator, one cybernetics machine that would combine all the knowledge of all the galaxies.Dwar Reyn spoke briefly to the watching and listening trillions. Then after a moment’s silence he said, “Now, Dwar Ev.”Dwar Ev threw the switch. There was a mighty hum, the surge of power from ninety-six billion planets. Lights flashed and quieted along the miles-long panel. |
| Technovelgy from Answer,
by Frederic Brown. Published by Dutton in 1954 Additional resources -
|
Thanks to @SFFaudio, here's a brief clip of Michael Crichton describing the Turing test, and Chuck Heston giving away the ending of this very short story.
Michael Crichton talking about ai - then Charlton Heston recounts the end of ANSWER by Fredric Brown pic.twitter.com/wTAmu0L4HX
— SFFaudio (@SFFAudio) May 17, 2026
Compare to metal calculator planet from Limiting Factor (1949) by Clifford Simak and gigagnostotron from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age (1965) by Stanislaw Lem.
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More Ideas
and Technology from Answer
More Ideas
and Technology by Frederic Brown
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Tech news articles related to works by Frederic Brown
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'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'
'...the spreading beam of the deranging ray struck them, and Then one toppled and fell. Then another.'
'Within seconds the material was spread out over fifty yards, in a matter of hours it might occupy several cubic miles of space...'
'The men are dead, but their acquired wisdom lives on and I am the beneficiary.'
'Young people found the driverless car admirable for petting.'
'After twenty generations of shillyshallying...'
