Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"I feel like I've been very fortunate in that I've stuck like a burr to the dog-leg of the next generation of nerdism. I've been carried into the XXIth century on Bill Gates' pants-cuff."
- William Gibson
 |
| Machine Masters | ||
| Humans did less and less, and machines did more and more, until machines became the masters. |
Early story by Hamilton lays it out for us - how the machines came to dominate the world of men - the men who made them!
| “We never saw your city and its cells, or you either, before now!” Grant Perry told it. He found it hard to talk to this metal shape as to an intelligent being. “We’re certainly not any slaves of you who call yourselves Masters !”
 (The Machine Masters) “It is evident that your mental apparatus is out of order,” said the Master. “All humans serve the Masters and all humans have their assigned cells and serial numbers...” '...But tell us, are there not any traditions among your people of a time when humans had no machine Masters?” Eda frowned thoughtfully. “There are legends that tell that,” she admitted, “but only very foolish people believe them. Grant.” “But what are they?” pressed Loring. “They say,” Eda recalled, “that ages ago men themselves made machines. Is it not foolish to think that humans could ever make the great, wise machines? But the legends say that they did make machines to do more and more of their work for them and that in time the machines themselves made other machines. “Then say the tales, the machines came to have more and more of power and intelligence and men less and less. And so there came a day when the machines seized power altogether and made of men their slaves, constructing their great cities of cells below ground to hold themselves and their human slaves. “So run the legends,” Eda concluded, “but only very witless people can credit these absurd stories of a time when men were the Masters and machines the slaves. |
| Technovelgy from The Reign of the Masters,
by Edmond Hamilton. Published by Wonder Stories in 1931 Additional resources -
|
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Reign of the Masters
More Ideas
and Technology by Edmond Hamilton
Tech news articles related to The Reign of the Masters
Tech news articles related to works by Edmond Hamilton
| Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing Runs With His G1 Robot Army |
| Blue Collar AI Goes To Work To Mine Its Own Crypto |
| HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano |
| Woven Fiber Electronic Skin For Robots |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Chris, the City Fathers are not interested in your welfare; I suppose you know that. They're interested in only one thing: the survival of the city.'
'Drake was the young spatial engineer he employed to terraform the little rock...'
'It diverts integers of the data, the fundamental message-units, so that they no longer agree.'
'Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color and texture that can approximate only crudely to the vagrant human figure...'
'Books were just a commodity that had to be produced, like jam or bootlaces.'
