Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #02444
To: Bruce Robinson Bruce_Robinson@bc.sympatico.ca, beam beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Sean Rigter rigter@cafe.net
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 17:22:01 -0700
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Beam & Science fiction
Pure magic Bruce!
Short story, mechanical mice, mother robot, watches: it all rings a bell
(more like microwave background radiation by now since it was 35 years
ago when I read that Astounding Stories pulp fiction reprint) and in the
face of overwhelming evidence, I stand corrected on the author and the
details. I must refresh my dynamic memory cells a little more often or
the soft transcription errors start to creep in. I guess that is one way
in which ideas mutate/evolve. Change: if you can't beat it, join it! Any
chance of scanning that story "for research" or is the copyright an
issue?
Thank you Bruce!
A great start to linking Beam and science fiction. Any other SciFi fans
out there with similar stories?
regards
wilf
---8<--- snipped
> Wilf Rigter wrote:
>
> > ... where they had these self-assembling bug bots ...
well, not quite but _you_ got the point!
Bruce Robinson wrote:
> Anyway, for the enjoyment of beamers (if you can dredge up a copy),
> "Mechanical Mice", by Maurice A. Hugi, originally published sometime
> between 1937 and 1945 in Astounding Stories. Scientist builds "mother"
> robot (not knowing exactly what he's doing); mother produces a flock of
> tiny, specialist devices (workers, soldiers, drones); workers steal
> various devices (e.g. watches) and take them to mother; soldiers defend
> said workers; and so on. Really well written, not too many archaic
> references, and has a nice sense of humour.
>
> Don't know if this is the one you were thinking of or not, Wilf.
I'm sure of it, Bruce!
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