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" I sometimes suspect that we're seeing something in the Internet as significant as the birth of cities. It's really something new, it's a new kind of civilization."
- William Gibson
 |
| Chirpsithra Supercomputer | ||
| An alien race thoughtfully provides mankind with blueprints for the most intelligent computer ever made. |
This terrific short story by Larry Niven gives a somewhat less rosy view of the logical future of computing than you'll read in the typical PC magazine.
The chirpsithra are an alien race who have been around, well, practically forever from a human standpoint. They are regulars at the Draco Tavern, a watering hole (pub) built for humans and aliens right here on Earth. They're not easy to talk to, though, and you're never quite sure what they mean.
| One slow afternoon I asked a pair of chirpsithra about intelligent computers. "Oh yes, we built them," one said. "Long ago." "You gave up? Why?" One of the salmon-colored aliens made a chittering sound. The other said, "Reason enough. Machines should be proper servants. They should not talk back. Especially they should not presume to instruct their masters. Still, we did not throw away the knowledge we gained from the machines."
 (Chirpsithra Supercomputer from 'The Schumann Computer' by Larry Niven) |
| Technovelgy from The Schumann Computer,
by Larry Niven. Published by Destinies in 1979 Additional resources -
|
The Chirpsithra have great knowledge but are also inveterate practical jokers:
Td like that,” I said.
She came back the next morning without her companion. She carried a stack of paper that looked like the page proofs for the Brothers Karamazov and turned out to be the blueprints for a chirpsithtra super-computer. She stayed to chat for a couple of hours, during which she took ghoulish pleasure in pointing out the trouble I’d have building the thing.
Gifts, like the blueprints for this computer, are especially suspect. This short quote is from a short story worth reading - it is a 1979 short story called The Schumann Computer, found in the collection cited below. The collection features a number of stories set in the Draco Tavern.
"...If you are seriously interested in this subject, I can give you designs for the most intelligent computer ever made.”
(Chirpsithra with computer plans from 'The Schumann Computer' by Larry Niven)
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Schumann Computer
More Ideas
and Technology by Larry Niven
Tech news articles related to The Schumann Computer
Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven
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news articles:
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| AI Operates An Excavator |
| Grok And The City Fathers From 'Cities In Flight' By James Blish |
| Will An AI Found A New Religion? |
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