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"The trouble with too much genre SF is that it's so obviously the product of the conscious mind."
- William Gibson
 |
| Kingdom in a Box | ||
| An entire civilization in miniature - in an interactive box. |
Trurl takes pity on King Excelsius, exiled dictator, by creating for him a tiny kingdom all his own.
| ...all of this ... fit into a box ... just the size to be carried about with ease. This Trurl presented to Excelcius, to rule and have dominion over forever; but first he showed him where the input and output of his brand-new kingdom were, and how to program wars, quell rebellions, exact tribute, collect taxes ... and explained everything so well that the king, an old hand in the running of tyrannies, instantly grasped the directions and, without hesitation, while the constructor watched, issued a few trial proclamations, correctly manipulating the control knobs, which were carved with imperial eagles and regal lions. |
| Technovelgy from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age,
by Stanislaw Lem. Published by Unknown in 1965 Additional resources -
|
A year in the life of the kingdom-box was hardly a minute for Trurl and the King. I have to give you another brief excerpt on the philosophical implications of this invention:
"You must be joking!" Trurl exclaimed. "Really, the whole kingdom fits into a box three feet by two by two and a half ... it's only a model..."
"...Not an illusion, no, since they have reality, though purely as certain microscopic phenomena, which I produced by manipulating atoms," said Trurl. "The point is, these births, loves, acts of heroism and denunciations are nothing but the miniscule capering of electrons in space, precisely arranged by the skill of my nonlinear craft..."
"And are not we as well [said Klapaucius], if you examine us physically, mechanistically, statistically and meticulously, nothing but the miniscule capering of electron clouds?"
"What, Klapaucius, would you equate our existence with that of an imitation kingdom locked up in some glass box?!" cried Trurl. "No, really, that's going too far! My purpose was simply to fashion a simulator of statehood, a model cybernetically perfect, nothing more!
Compare this to the worldcraft bubbles in Philip K. Dick's 1953 story The Trouble With Bubbles.
Will Wright, creator of The Sims, credits Lem as a major inspiration for his program.
Thanks to Yossi Preminger for suggesting this item.
"... you gave him a whole civilization to rule and have dominion over forever?"
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age
More Ideas
and Technology by Stanislaw Lem
Tech news articles related to The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age
Tech news articles related to works by Stanislaw Lem
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news articles:
- New SimCity On Global Rollout
- UK SimCity-Style Social Policy Model - A Kingdom In A Box
- The Evolution Of Spore
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| Do Aliens Have A 'Non-Interference' Prime Directive? |
| Collie Dog Suit Fulfills His Dream - Of Walking In Public As A Dog |
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'... he had tightened the chest to gain maximum pumping action from the motion of breathing.'
'...a prayer wheel swung into view and began spinning at a furious pace.'
'And are all the people willing to be governed by a machine?'
'It's an old model,' Rawlins said. 'I'm not sure what to do.'
'the robot-boss was busy at the lip of the new lode instructing and egging the men on to greater speed...'
'He rode the bike with an intense lack of physical grace...'
