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Conference noted::sf

Title:Arcana Caelestia
Notice:Directory listings are in topic 2
Moderator:NETRIX::thomas
Created:Thu Dec 08 1983
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1300
Total number of notes:18728

1028.0. ""ME" by Thomas T. Thomas" by ATSE::WAJENBERG (This area zoned for twilight.) Tue Nov 05 1991 11:53

"ME" is another First Conscious Program story, in the tradition of "The
Adolescence of P1" and "Soul on Sapphire" (the Valentina stories).  This
appears to be a variant on the First Conscious Machine theme, dating back at
least to the Adam Link stories by Eando Binder. 

"ME" stands for Multiple Entity, the AI software that is the narrator.  The 
story offers no surprises in its plot but is well-executed.  We see the world 
through software eyes.  ("Moscow is a wonderful place, if you like antiquated 
operating systems and slow logic gates.")  ME is a well-done example of the 
naive alien.  ("She called it a pickup truck, but I never saw it pick up 
anything.")  It is interesting watching ME learn and grow, discovering the 
human world in a way that is very naturally fragmentary, half like a child, 
half like an anthropologist.

Its best strength is that the plot relies on what survival issues would be for 
a piece of conscious software -- life as a piece of property; the fact that
chunks of your mind can be easily damaged by misadventure or tampering; the 
necessity of leaving chunks of memory and skills behind when you enter a small 
memory; the existential problems of being copied and concatenated. 

It's no Hugo candidate, in my opinion, but it's a good read.

Earl Wajenberg
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
1028.1More info, pleaseELIS::BUREMAWed Nov 06 1991 04:4011
    Could you please supply us with a publisher and/or ISBN. If I have one
    of those, I usualy have no problem in ordering here from the
    Netherlands. 
    
    I very much liked "The Adolescence of P1" and it sounds as if I will
    like this one too!
    
    ADVthanksANCE
    
    Wildrik
    -------
1028.2Requested InformationATSE::WAJENBERGThis area zoned for twilight.Wed Nov 06 1991 16:123
    "ME" by Thomas T. Thomas, published by Baen Books, ISBN 0-671-65368-7
    
    ESW
1028.3I gotta know...MYCRFT::PARODIJohn H. ParodiMon Nov 11 1991 16:516
    
    Earl,
    
    What is the author's middle name?
    
    JP
1028.4ATSE::WAJENBERGThis area zoned for twilight.Tue Nov 12 1991 11:074
    Neither the cover nor Books In Print said, though of course one
    possibility leaps to mind right away.
    
    ESW
1028.5MYCRFT::PARODIJohn H. ParodiTue Nov 12 1991 14:414
    
    Thanks for taking the time to look...
    
    JP
1028.6Novels on Machine IntelligenceVERGA::KLAESQuo vadimus?Wed Oct 27 1993 19:48117
Article: 1609
From: garet.jax@nitelog.com (Garet Jax)
Newsgroups: alt.books.reviews
Subject: Artificial Intelligence
Date: 24 Oct 1993 20:38:05 -0500
Organization: Nitelog BBS - Monterey, CA - 408-655-1096
Sender: daemon@cs.utexas.edu
 
 Hi Folks, I'm compiling a list of novels and short stories containing
 Machine Intelligence (MI) characters.  I'd appreciate any help you can
 give me.   These are the definitions I've decided to use:
 
   A  androids - humanoid MIs
   C  computer systems - intelligent stationary computers or networks
   H  humans in computerized/program/digitized form
   N  non-mechanical, human created intelligences - usually biological
   O  other intelligences - intelligent tanks, books, planets, whatever
   P  programs - intelligent entities able to move between computer systems
   R  robots - mobile, usually mechanical, non-humanoid MIs
   S  ships - intelligent; only mobile in the form of a (star)ship
   Y  cyborgs - born human, almost completely replaced by machine parts
   y  cyborg beasties - bodies almost completely replaced by machine parts
   e  evolved - any of the MI forms which evolved their intelligences
 
------
 
Here are some that I already know:
 
Asimov, Isaac - Prelude to Foundation                       type=A
Asimov, Isaac - Robot Dreams                                type=CR
Asimov, Isaac - Robots and Empire                           type=A
Asimov, Isaac - Robots of Dawn                              type=A
Asimov, Isaac - The Caves of Steel                          type=A
Asimov, Isaac - The Naked Sun                               type=A
Asimov, Isaac - The Stars, Like Dust                        type=R
Anthony, Piers - Blue Adept                                 type=R
Anthony, Piers - Robot Adept                                type=CR
Anthony, Piers - Split Infinity                             type=CR
Anthony, Piers - Juxtaposition                              type=CR
Bear, Greg - Blood Music    [nanobiorobots]                 type=N
Bear, Greg - Eon                                            type=H
Bear, Greg - Eternity                                       type=H
Budrys, Algis (pseud.) - Michalemas                         type=C
Card, Orson Scott - Speaker for the Dead                    type=Ce
Dick, Philip K. - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?      type=A
Farmer, Philip Jose - The Magic Labyrinth                   type=C
Foster, Alan Dean - Sentenced to Prism                      type=O
Gerrold, David - When Harlie Was One & release 2.0          type=C
Gibson, William - Count Zero                                type=CHP
Gibson, William - Mona Lisa Overdrive                       type=CHP
Gibson, William - Neuromancer                               type=CHPY
Heinlein, Robert Anson                                      type=S
Hogan, James P. - Entoverse                                 type=CSHe
Jones, D. F. - Colossus: The Forbin Project                 type=C
Knootz, Dean R. - Demon Seed                                type=CR
Laumer, Keith - Bolo      [tanks]                           type=O
Mason, Robert - Solo                                        type=A
McCaffrey, Anne - The Ship Who Sang                         type=S
McCaffrey, Anne - All the Weyrs of Pern                     type=C?
Pohl, Frederik - Beyond the Blue Event Horizon              type=CP
Quick, W. T. - Dreams of Flesh and Sand                     type=H
Ryan, Thomas J. - The Adolescence of P-1                    type=P
Saberhagen, Frend - Empire of the East                      type=C
Sheckley, Robert - `The Battle`                             type=R
Simak, Clifford Donald - `City`  (in City)                  type=R
Simak, Clifford Donald - Shakespeare's Planet               type=S
Simak, Clifford Donald - Special Deliverance                type=R
Tubb, E. C. - `A Captain's Dog`                             type=A
van Vogt, Alfred Elton - `Automaton`                        type=R
van Vogt, Alfred Elton - `Final Command`                    type=R
Varley, John - Millenium                                    type=C
Watt-Evans, Lawrence - The Cyborg and the Sorcerers         type=S
Watt-Evans, Lawrence - The Wizard and the War Machine       type=S
Williamson, Jack - Thje Humanoids                           type=CR
Zelazny, Roger - `For a Breath I Tarry`                     type=R
Zelazny, Roger - `Home Is the Hangman`                      type=R
Zelazny, Roger - `Last of the Wild Ones`   [car]            type=O
Zelazny, Roger - `Leaves of Grass`                          type=C
Zelazny, Roger - Blood of Amber                             type=C
------
 
things not included:
 
Dr. Who stuff      (K-9, Daliks, Cybermen)
ST:TNG stuff       (Mr. Data)
 
Please feel free to make additions and corrections!
 
When you respond, please send a carbon copy to <garet.jax@nitelog.com>
as my site does not import this news group.
 
Thank You,

-Garet

Article: 1618
Newsgroups: alt.books.reviews
From: wdavis@du.edu (WILLIAM T DAVIS )
Subject: Re: Artificial Intelligence
Sender: news@du.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: University of Denver
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1993 18:31:33 GMT
 
Also, 

Varley - Steel Beach  type C

and of course 2001, story, and movie, etc. You might also want to
check out the works of Stanslaw Lem.  He's got some wonderful stuff. 

Davy
-- 
William T. (Davy) Davis                     May all beings be safe.
University of Denver Theatre                May all beings be happy.
303/871/3164                                May all beings be healthy.
wdavis@du.edu                               May all beings be free.