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"In 1970 I found little difficulty staying 30 years ahead of the man in the street, and now I find it difficult to stay 18 months ahead of the man on the street."
- Vernor Vinge
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| Automaton Chess Master | ||
| A man-shaped device that plays flawless chess. |
| One of this nation of mighty conjurors created a man out of brass and wood, and leather, and endowed him with such ingenuity that he would have beaten at chess all the race of mankind, with the exception of the great Caliph, Haroun Alraschid. |
| Technovelgy from The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade,
by Edgar Allen Poe. Published by Godey's Lady's Book in 1845 Additional resources -
|
Poe here is writing about the Mechanical Turk, first displayed in 1770. It presented the public with an astonishing automaton playing chess, but which in reality concealed a chess master in its lower cavity, moving pieces with levers and magnets.
Compare to the automaton chess player from Moxon's Master (1911) by Ambrose Bierce.
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Tech news articles related to works by Edgar Allen Poe
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| Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out |
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'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'
'He wore spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.'
'... with the Master-operator all you have to do is push one! A remarkable achievement!'
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'
