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Autofac
"Autofac" is a 1955 science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick that features one of the earliest treatments of self-replicating machines (and Dick's second, after his 1953 short story ''Second Variety''). It appeared originally in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' of November 1955, and was reprinted in several collections, including ''The Variable Man'' published in 1957, and ''Robots, Androids, and Mechanical Oddities'' published in 1984. The story was adapted by Travis Beacham for an episode of the 2017 TV series, '' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams''. Plot summary Three men wait outside their settlement for an automated delivery truck. Five years earlier, during the Total Global Conflict, a network of hardened automatic factories ("autofacs") had been set up with cybernetic controls that determine what food and consumer goods to manufacture and deliver. Human input had been lost, and the men planned disruption to try to establish communication and take over contro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electric Dreams (2017 TV Series)
''Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams'', or simply ''Electric Dreams'', is a science fiction television anthology series based on the works of Philip K. Dick. The series consists of ten standalone 50-minute episodes based on Dick's work, written by British and American writers. It premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 17 September 2017, and in the United States on Amazon Prime Video on 12 January 2018. Production Development The series was initially planned to run on AMC and Channel 4, before AMC pulled out, leading Channel 4 to announce the series. In February 2017, it was announced that Amazon Video had bought the U.S. rights to the series. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television with Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner, and Bryan Cranston serving as executive producers. Cranston also stars in one of the episodes. The episode writers include Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner, Tony Grisoni, Jack Thorne, Matthew Graham, David Farr, Dee Rees, and Travis Beacham. Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Self-replicating Machines In Fiction
A self-replicating machine is a type of autonomous robot that is capable of reproducing itself autonomously using raw materials found in the environment, thus exhibiting self-replication in a way analogous to that found in nature. Such machines are often featured in works of science fiction. In anime, comics, and manga Anime * In the anime ''Vandread'', harvester ships attack vessels from both male- and female-dominated factions and harvest hull, reactors, and computer components to make more of themselves. To this end, Harvester ships are built around mobile factories. Earth-born humans also view the inhabitants of the various colonies to be little more than spare parts. * The short OVA series ''MD Geist'' features a self-replicating robotic doomsday weapon known as the Death Force that consumes living matter in order to create more units. Comics * In the comic ''Transmetropolitan'' a character mentions "Von Neumann rectal infestations", which are apparently caused by "Shit-ticks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lights Out (manufacturing)
Lights-out manufacturing is a manufacturing methodology (or philosophy), not a specific process. Factories that employ "lights-out manufacturing" are fully automated and require no human presence on-site. These factories are considered to be able to run "with the lights off." Many factories are capable of lights-out production, but few run exclusively lights-out. Typically, in computer numerical control (CNC) machining, workers are necessary to set up tombstones that hold parts to be manufactured and remove completed parts. As the technology necessary for total automation becomes increasingly available, many factories are beginning to use lights-out production between shifts (or as a separate shift) to meet increasing production demand or to save money on labor. Going forward this concept of automation will become more popular and can support human beings. An automatic factory is a place where raw materials enter, and finished products leave with little or no human intervention. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Variable Man (collection)
''The Variable Man'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Ace Books in 1957. The stories had originally appeared in the magazines ''Space Science Fiction'', ''Fantastic Universe'' and ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' Contents * "The Variable Man", 1953 * "Second Variety", 1953 * "The Minority Report", 1955 * "Autofac "Autofac" is a 1955 science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick that features one of the earliest treatments of self-replicating machines (and Dick's second, after his 1953 short story ''Second Variety''). It appeared originally ...", 1955 * " A World of Talent", 1954 References * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Variable Man, The 1956 short story collections Short story collections by Philip K. Dick Ace Books books ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robots, Androids, And Mechanical Oddities
''Robots, Androids, and Mechanical Oddities: The Science Fiction of Philip K. Dick'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published by the Southern Illinois University Press in 1984 and was edited by Patricia S. Warrick and Martin H. Greenberg. The stories had originally appeared in the magazines ''Fantasy and Science Fiction'', ''Galaxy Science Fiction'', ''Space Science Fiction'', ''Astounding'', ''Future'', ''Orbit'', ''Science Fiction Stories'', ''Imagination'', ''Amazing Stories'', ''Rolling Stone College Papers'' and ''Playboy''. Contents * Introduction, by Patricia S. Warrick & Martin H. Greenberg * " The Little Movement" * " The Defenders" * "The Preserving Machine" * "Second Variety" * "Impostor" * "Sales Pitch" * " The Last of the Masters" * "Service Call" * "Autofac" * " To Serve the Master" * "War Game" * "A Game of Unchance" * "The Electric Ant" * "The Exit Door Leads In" * "Frozen Journey" (Title changed to "I H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galaxy November 1955
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. Galaxies, averaging an estimated 100 million stars, range in size from dwarfs with less than a hundred million stars, to the largest galaxies known – supergiants with one hundred trillion stars, each orbiting its galaxy's center of mass. Most of the mass in a typical galaxy is in the form of dark matter, with only a few percent of that mass visible in the form of stars and nebulae. Supermassive black holes are a common feature at the centres of galaxies. Galaxies are categorized according to their visual morphology as elliptical, spiral, or irregular. Many are thought to have supermassive black holes at their centers. The Milky Way's central black hole, known as Sagittarius A*, has a mass four million times greater than the Sun. As of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1955 Short Stories
Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangshan Islands: The Chinese Communist People's Liberation Army seizes the islands from the Republic of China (Taiwan). * January 22 – In the United States, The Pentagon announces a plan to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), armed with nuclear weapons. * January 23 – The Sutton Coldfield rail crash kills 17, near Birmingham, England. * January 25 – The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union announces the end of the war between the USSR and Germany, which began during World War II in 1941. * January 28 – The United States Congress authorizes President Dwight D. Eisenhower to use force to protect Formosa from the People's Republic of China. February * February 10 – The United States Seventh Flee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Stories By Philip K
Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as the Short Arts, entertainment, and media * Short film, a cinema format (also called film short or short subject) * Short story, prose generally readable in one sitting * ''The Short-Timers'', a 1979 semi-autobiographical novel by Gustav Hasford, about military short-timers in Vietnam Brands and enterprises * Short Brothers, a British aerospace company * Short Brothers of Sunderland, former English shipbuilder Computing and technology * Short circuit, an accidental connection between two nodes of an electrical circuit * Short integer, a computer datatype Finance * Short (finance), stock-trading position * Short snorter, a banknote signed by fellow travelers, common during World War II Foodstuffs * Short pastry, one which is rich in butt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and millions of books. In addition to its archiving function, the Archive is an activist organization, advocating a free and open Internet. , the Internet Archive holds over 35 million books and texts, 8.5 million movies, videos and TV shows, 894 thousand software programs, 14 million audio files, 4.4 million images, 2.4 million TV clips, 241 thousand concerts, and over 734 billion web pages in the Wayback Machine. The Internet Archive allows the public to upload and download digital material to its data cluster, but the bulk of its data is collected automatically by its web crawlers, which work to preserve as much of the public web as possible. Its web archiving, web archive, the Wayback Machine, contains hu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AI Takeover
An AI takeover is a hypothetical scenario in which an artificial intelligence (AI) becomes the dominant form of intelligence on Earth, as computer programs or robots effectively take the control of the planet away from the human species. Possible scenarios include replacement of the entire human workforce, takeover by a superintelligent AI, and the popular notion of a robot uprising. Some public figures, such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, have advocated research into precautionary measures to ensure future superintelligent machines remain under human control. Types Automation of the economy The traditional consensus among economists has been that technological progress does not cause long-term unemployment. However, recent innovation in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence has raised worries that human labor will become obsolete, leaving people in various sectors without jobs to earn a living, leading to an economic crisis. Many small and medium size busi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travis Beacham
Travis Beacham (born 1980) is an American screenwriter, best known for writing and co-writing the films ''Dog Days of Summer'' (2005), '' Pacific Rim'' (2013), '' Clash of the Titans'' (2010), and proposing the concept for the Amazon Prime fantasy TV series ''Carnival Row'' (2019-). Career Just prior to graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2005 after studying screenwriting, Beacham contributed to the independent feature ''Dog Days of Summer'' directed by fellow alum Mark Freiburger. Beacham's first spec script ''A Killing on Carnival Row'' was picked up by New Line Cinema in 2005. Characterized as "a dark neo-noir fantasy thriller," the project was in development for years with directors Guillermo del Toro and Neil Jordan. However in May 2017 it was announced that Amazon Studios had ordered an eight-episode television series based on the script, ''Carnival Row''. In May 2006, Beacham was hired to write an early draft of the Warner Bros. rem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, extraterrestrial life, sentient artificial intelligence, cybernetics, certain forms of immortality (like mind uploading), and the singularity. Science fiction predicted several existing inventions, such as the atomic bomb, robots, and borazon, whose names entirely match their fictional predecessors. In addition, science fiction might serve as an outlet to facilitate future scientific and technological innovations. Science fiction can trace its roots to ancient mythology. It is also related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres. Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Science fiction, in literature, film, television, and other media, has beco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
