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"...if you want to know what your future looks like, don't waste your time on Analog; read Time magazine. We are already saturated in the future. "
- Peter Watts
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| Variable Modifier | ||
| Provides the capability of altering standard jokes to fit new circumstances. |
Lester the Jester designs a robot comedian to help him with the creation of off-the-cuff jokes.
| "...your order said for him to be able to be able to work out twists on the gags in the file - so they rassled up a new gimmick, what they call a variable modifier..." |
| From The Jester,
by William Tenn. Published by Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1951 Additional resources -
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| DARPA Funding AI Fighter Pilots |
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Science Fiction
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'Webb Foster had built his space laboratory... It was a great crystal sphere, a thousand feet in diameter.'
'It's illegal to hold back information during a psyche test,' the machine said peevishly.'
Perfect for exploring ancient artifacts on distant planets.
'a walking balloon proceeded with long strides of its aluminum legs over a slant of steep upland.'
'This was as close as a robot could get to a cop in uniform.'
