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"One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection."
- Arthur C. Clarke
 |
| Marvin the Robot | ||
| Another fine robot from the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation |
This is one example of what happens when you give a robot a personality.
“Look Zaphod,” she said, patting his arm, “don't worry about the aliens. They're just a couple of guys I expect. I'll send the robot down to get them and bring them up here. Hey Marvin!” In the corner, the robot's head swung up sharply, but then wobbled about imperceptibly. It pulled itself up to its feet as if it was about five pounds heavier that it actually was, and made what an outside observer would have thought was a heroic effort to cross the room. It stopped in front of Trillian and seemed to stare through her left shoulder. “I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed,” it said. Its voice was low and hopeless. “Oh God,” muttered Zaphod and slumped into a seat. “Well,” said Trillian in a bright compassionate tone, “here's something to occupy you and keep your mind off things.” “It won't work,” droned Marvin, “I have an exceptionally large mind.” |
| Technovelgy from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
by Douglas Adams. Published by Harmony Books in 1979 Additional resources -
|
Compare to the robot cab driver from A Present for Pat (1952) by Philip K. Dick.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
More Ideas
and Technology by Douglas Adams
Tech news articles related to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Tech news articles related to works by Douglas Adams
Marvin the Robot-related
news articles:
- Robot Suicide Ad Changed By GM
- PALRO Companion Robot
- Japanese AI Forms Suicidally Depressed Personality
| Robot Bees 3D Printed By Festo |
| DIY Robot Scorpion Crushes It |
| How To Settle An Argument Between Two Robots |
| Satyress Centaur Robot Horror Reminds Everyone Of Something |
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'Wandering mines, you took them out on the edge of the desert, set them down and activated them.'
'Once in the very first weeks of the war, before everyone had been evacuated from the surface...'
'For a while your colonists will have to come up to the [orbital] Hospital...'
'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.'
'Henry... assumed the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits.'
'The king, an old hand in the running of tyrannies, instantly grasped the directions...'
