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"I believe in limited government, and the 20th century has been the century of government. The data is uniform. The government has failed at every single task it has set out to do, with the exception of waging war."
- Bart Kosko
 |
| Robot Watchdog | ||
| A mechanical and mostly autonomous pet. |
As far as I know, the first real use of the phrase, although you can find it earlier. See below.
| The rivets up the left side wandered a little out, but otherwise it was an impressive job. The completed robot watchdog was a squat, stubby metal box with two gleaming solenoid eyes and short ballbearing legs. When indoctrinated, it would require all visitors to the Karren house to identify themselves, and it would transmit the identification to the Karrens inside the house. It could be adjusted so members of Karren’s family and certain close friends would be passed through without question.
Karren folded up his worksmock and activated the watchdog. He had equipped it with several motion-patterns, and he set it for the one in which it would follow him obediently around. Then, triumphantly, he headed out to display it to Jennerton. The watchdog tagged along behind him, purring softly, as he crossed over and headed for Jennerton’s house. He rang the bell... He gestured for Karren to come in, and as he did so Jennerton closed the door behind him. The robot watchdog climbed the steps, batted against the closed door, and buzzed impotently outside. Karren opened the door and the watchdog shot through and came to a halt next to his trousers-leg. “What’s that?” Jennerton asked. “I’ve taken your advice,” Karren said. “I’ve done a little job of construction. Put together this watchdog the other day,” he said casually. |
| Technovelgy from The Rivals,
by Robert Silverberg. Published by Amazing Stories in 1956 Additional resources -
|
There is an earlier use for the phrase, but it is more in the abstract. In The Unforeseen (1946) by Mark Champion, the author describes a kind of drone called a Ro-Eye (robot eye) that watches over the prisoners in a facility on Mars:
When the Ro-Eye’s shadow was close to the moat, he jumped for it.
Randall slid around the radrifle tower, intently watching that flitting shadow but careful to keep the opaque steel of the tower between him and the robot watchdog.
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