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"It wasn't until I was past forty that it bacame clear that I was going to be quote, successful, unquote."
- Isaac Asimov
 |
| Disinto | ||
| A disintegrating ray. |
Robot AL-76 was created to take on one job - running a Disinto on the moon. The farmers of Hannaford County, Virginia were surprised to meet him.
| There exists no adequate description of what occurred afterwards, in spite of the presence of seventy witnesses... ...AL-76 pulled a switch. The Disinto worked, and seventy-five trees, two barns, three cows and the top three quarters of Duckbill Mountain whiffed into rarefied atmosphere... |
| Technovelgy from Robot AL-76 Goes Astray,
by Isaac Asimov. Published by Ziff-Davis in 1941 Additional resources -
|
This story is a lot of fun to read; you can find it in The Complete Robot.
For a similar device, see the Wunderland Treatymaker from Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven.
(Thanks to Randy for pointing this one out.)
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'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.'
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'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...'
'...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.'
