 |
Metal Calculator Planet
A planet covered entirely with machinery to a height of twenty miles and covered with a metal roof. (Read the full article)
| "I'm guessing way before New Detroit: http://www.wcnews.com/newestshots/full/marcnewdetroit1.jpg" (Sabre Runner 11/1/2007 10:33:50 AM ) |
| "Trantor was conceived by Asimov in the early 1940s so Simak's metal-covered planet might have been inspired by Asimov's?" (Adam 11/9/2007 1:32:27 PM ) |
| "E.E.Smith conceived an artificial planet-sized "Brain" in his book "The Skylark of Valeron" - a 1,000 km wide computer/spaceship designed to handle unimaginable forces. It was also composed of essentially self-replicating seed components and thus used exponential growth to build itself to large size rapidly. The ship-computer used brain-machine interfaces to take commands from its occupants, with automatic protective circuits to ignore random thoughts." (Adam 11/9/2007 1:34:05 PM ) |
| "I should have realized that what you said about Asimov was true; I own the Astounding Science-Fiction issue that contains Asimov's short story "The Mule," and that was published in 1945. I corrected the article. The reference from "The Skylark of Valeron" is great - I haven't read that book and didn't know that. How about sending in a quote? However, it looks like the idea of using a planet as a calculator still rests with Simak. As Holmes once remarked to a chastened Watson (me) "It is good not to be proven wrong on all points."" ( 11/9/2007 1:43:31 PM ) |
More info on Metal Calculator Planet
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned. Please send your comments to @technovelgy and I'll post them. Thanks!
Current News Articles
Prairie Madness - And Space Sickness
'Space-sickness is one of the most unpleasant sensations that a human being can experience. Not all are subject to it...'
Can Stratospheric Aerosol Injection Control The Weather?
'...I saw a nice black heavy-looking cloud sailing by just now, and I can get the electrical machine out in five minutes to draw it down.'
SETI Suggests Prospecting The Solar System Without Landing
'From a distance it could resolve the cosmic rays reflected from various substances.'
Wolfram Alpha Mathematica Predicted by Science Fiction in 1948!
'The answer to the dumb student's prayer.'
Cislunar Space And The Space Lanes of Golden Age Science Fiction
'He had travelled the space-lanes of the solar system for the greater part of his life...'
NASA Moonbase Update
'The dinner was excellent. It was completely vegetarian — grown in specially prepared gardens in this Moon base...'
Neuralink Will Allow Humans To Communicate With ... Animals?
'Telepaths had their sensitiveness enlarged to an immense range by the pin-sets, which were telepathic amplifiers adapted to the mammal mind.'
Special Lights For Driverless Cars!
'That light is actually the Anamorphic Equalizer...'
'Old People Began to Cross The Continent In Their Own Cars'
'It was a relief to enter one of the comfortable autos, whisper a direction down the tube, and just know that you would be taken to your destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest manner.'
Harrison Bergeron, Illustrated And Practiced
'But he didn't get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts. George winced...'
Starfall Manufacturing Drugs In Space
'The vast spinning sphere of Factory in the Sky loomed above and ahead of us, gleaming white against the unfathomable jet depths of surrounding space.'
The Solar Oberth Slingshot
'And if it doesn’t work,' inquired Lazarus, 'what does that make us? Sunspots?'
