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I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov ; Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy BOM; Start Date 22 Feb, 2016
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Oops. Got wrapped up in other things and forgot about this one. I will get started tomorrow! Late to the party. :(
You guys gotta see this! My fiance (who's an engineer) was browsing YouTube and found this video. Robots taking over human jobs may be something that would happen in our lifetime. Just pair these robots up with the intelligence of Siri and imagine what we would have!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhM...
Samantha wrote: "You guys gotta see this! My fiance (who's an engineer) was browsing YouTube and found this video. Robots taking over human jobs may be something that would happen in our lifetime. Just pair these r..."That was freaky. I think I'd run if I saw that heading in my direction. ;-)
What's also crazy is they have robot "dogs" that can actually run! I didn't realize they were this advanced in robotics right now
Samantha wrote: "What's also crazy is they have robot "dogs" that can actually run! I didn't realize they were this advanced in robotics right now"Neither did I, though I'm oddly not that surprised. I guess in my answers to "that" question in the first set, I should have said more of an "on the one hand...and on the other" sort of thing. But I guess I hope that we won't see robots become household standards in my lifetime or in my nieces' lifetimes. ;-)
Samantha wrote: "You guys gotta see this! My fiance (who's an engineer) was browsing YouTube and found this video. Robots taking over human jobs may be something that would happen in our lifetime. Just pair these r..."Am I the only one that feels so bad for that robot? They kept knocking the boxes out of it's robot hands and pushing the boxes away. Then they pushed it down. It made me feel so sad to see that. :(
Samantha wrote: "What's also crazy is they have robot "dogs" that can actually run! I didn't realize they were this advanced in robotics right now"Isn't that something else? I didn't think we had that much too. I know they make little robots like robot bugs to go find people in disasters. It's just so interesting to see what technology is doing. It's kind of scary at times. The unknown of what can this lead to.
Actually, the huge advancements right now are in AI’s and especially what the call Big Data, because we now have the ability to store and analyze huge amounts of it. They use it for targeted advertising, self driving cars, recommender systems like Netflix has when it suggests films. And these are only some applications of Big Data, there are more. The more data you feed these AI’s the better they get. Creating an AI to beat the Turing test, I guess some people might want to do that, but I don’t really see the practical applications so I don’t think people would invest in something like that.
Questions Day 1 Feb 22Intro-3
Pages ix to 67
Q1. Have you read any of Isaac Asimov’s books/stories before or is this your first? Have you seen the movie ‘I, Robot’?
I began the Foundation series a few years back, but never finished it, even though I liked the first two books. The same goes to the film "I, Robot" - I've seen it and probably will watch it again after I finish the book.
Q2. In the introduction we learn of Dr. Calvin. She was born in 1982, bachelor’s degree at Columbia in 2003, grad work in cybernetics. 2008 she earned her Ph.D and became a Robopsychologist. She worked with robots for 50 year, most likely making it 2058. She is one of the pioneers of robotics. This book was published in 1950. We are not accurately at this timeline for robotics but what do you think about Asimov’s timeline of progression? Is he far off? Do you think there is more to come? What do you see in our pop culture that shows we might be on our way to having robots in our daily lives?
IIf humans were to pool all of their resources into developing robots, then definitely, it would be possible to have intelligent robots in our daily lives within 50 years. But I am rather sceptical whether we would have actually have such robots soon (definitely not in our lifetimes).
Q3. With the robots being made Dr. Calvin said, “Of course, that was when robots could not talk. Afterward, they became more human and opposition began. The labor unions, of course naturally opposed robot competition for human jobs, and various segments of religious opinion had their superstitious objections. “ If we had robots living among us like in I, Robot, how do you think our society would handle these issues? What problems do you see happening? Would you like it?
To me the most important problem would be similar to the one in the story "Reason" - if we were to create robots that are stronger, more intelligent than humans, then how would we guarantee that humans would stay the dominant race? Would the First Law of Robotics be enough or would further measures have to be taken? I think that other problems similar to the ones Asimov describes (the labour unions and religious groups) would arise, but at the same time there would be many positive things as well, which might outweigh the problems.
Q4. Robbie was made and sold in 1996 as a nursemaid to 8 year old Gloria. When they were playing hide and seek by the tree and Gloria said he was peeking when he wasn’t, he was “hurt at the unjust accusation”. Can a robot feel emotion? Is he programmed to mimic it or do you think artificial intelligence helped him with this emotion?
It is difficult to imagine a robot feeling the same emotions as people do, especially if we consider how immensely complex the human brain is. So I think that he was just mimicing an emotion he was programmed with.
Q5. In the story Robbie, which is the saddest story to me, the year 1998 is in which the story took place. We see the connection between Gloria and Robbie. We see the prejudices of Mrs. Weston and why she doesn’t want Robbie around. Did you like this story? Did it bring up anything you’d like to talk about?
Of the three stories so far, I like this one the least. But it was interesting how Robbie was at first a positive addition to the family, who was then rejected because of pressure from other members of the community.
Q6. Do you like the style of the transitions from the stories?
Yes, I really like how Asimov has created a framework for connecting all of these stories.
Q7. The second story takes place in 2015 with Donovan and Powell with the 6 big robots and Speedy the robot. Speedy’s equilibrium is off because of the laws of 2 and 3 which is making him acting drunk, which causes the problems the characters face in this story. Do you like the discussion and reasoning between Donovan and Powell about the laws applied to the robots? Does anything come to mind for you about this story?
The discussion between Donovan and Powell was great: two intelligent men trying to find a solution to a problem only by reasoning. I think it also showed how much thought Asimov had put into the three laws of robotics.
Q8. In the third story Powell and Donovan are at the space station. Cutie is very interesting. I find this story funny and scary; the humans debating with the robot. Cutie was laughing at them because he feels he is superior to them. How would you deal with Cutie saying he is the Master's prophet and manipulating the other robots to follow him?
As I was reading this story I kept thinking to myself how difficult this situation is and how similar Cutie is to people who are blindly convinced that they are right. How would I deal with this situation? Reasoning is out of the question (it didn't work with Powell and Donovan), so I guess force would be the way to go, maybe dismantling Cutie or constructing a robot as intelligent an he is and have them debate/fight it out.
Q9. Out of the three stories (Robbie, Runaround, Reason) which one is your favorite so far?
My favourite is "Reason", it was really fascinating and at the same time full of surprises.
Discussion Questions 25 February 2016: Escape – The Evitable conflict.16. This is the first story in this book that felt like science fiction. I liked the description of the space ship. Too bad for Powell and Donavan that it didn’t have a shower. What did you think of this story?
17. What do you think of the price Consolidated said they would pay U.S. Robot (100000 for no solution or 200000 + construction costs for the solution)? Do you think Consolidated got a steal or is U.S Robot better off with this deal?
18. What do you think of Brain? I thought it was more of a supercomputer than a robot. And what about its sense of humor?
19. Stephen Byerly, robot or human, what do you think he is? Do you think it matters? Do you agree with Dr Calvin that robots are better civil executives because of the Laws of Robotics?
20. What did you think of this chapter? It was more of an ethical problem than a life or death conflict?
21. In the final chapter we see what the world looks like in the future according to Asimov. What stood out for you?
22. Do you think we humans could use the help of machines to keep the peace?
23. What did you think of this book and what was your rating? Where there any lessons learned? And finally has you favorite story changed?
Discussion Questions 25 February 2016: Escape – The Evitable conflict.16. This is the first story in this book that felt like science fiction. I liked the description of the space ship. Too bad for Powell and Donavan that it didn’t have a shower. What did you think of this story?
Escape! was, for me, the story on acid. It was so fantastical that I didn't even appreciate the "science-fiction-ness" of it. Of all the stories, I think this one is actually my least-favorite. :-(
17. What do you think of the price Consolidated said they would pay U.S. Robot (100000 for no solution or 200000 + construction costs for the solution)? Do you think Consolidated got a steal or is U.S Robot better off with this deal?
I definitely think it should have been worth more, but by our standards, it would have been worth more. This was the first and only time we were given any indication for how much things cost in this world. And we weren't ever told if U.S. Robot shared the solution with Consolidated, were we? And what WAS the solution? That, yes, it works but humans don't want to know how or they'd go mad? If I were U.S. Robot, I'd have told Consolidated it could not be solved and gotten the $100,000 for the trouble. (Which seems laughably low, but maybe that was a lot of money to them? Honestly, it's a lot of money to me, but it still seems low...)
18. What do you think of Brain? I thought it was more of a supercomputer than a robot. And what about its sense of humor?
Brain was interesting. I'm not sure how much of Susan's "childlike" description I buy, though. Would a child be able to design and build an interstellar spaceship? Brain was a part of the reason why I found this seventh story so "trippy."
19. Stephen Byerly, robot or human, what do you think he is? Do you think it matters? Do you agree with Dr Calvin that robots are better civil executives because of the Laws of Robotics?
I really thought he was human, until it was shown that he was a robot. I do think that some civil executives could be better if they were robots who had to follow the Three Laws, but overall I think that the bigger roles would be problematic for a robot. There's just sooo much going on and it really seems like a robot as President, for example, would have a meltdown within the first week or month because it's impossible to be "in charge" and not hurt someone by the choices you'd have to make.
20. What did you think of this chapter? It was more of an ethical problem than a life or death conflict?
I actually liked this chapter, and the final one, the best out of all nine stories. Finally having a true robot man... Not only did I not have any struggles visualizing in this chapter, but all of the quirks and whatnots that IA gave to the earlier robots seemed to be leading up to having robot-men, don't you think? So I felt gratified that finally, here was what the earlier stories were sort-of-hinting at. And this story was great fun, too! Was Byerley a robot? Or wasn't he? And when we found out he was, how did he know that (view spoiler) Was that guy a plant? In any event, I really liked this story.
21. In the final chapter we see what the world looks like in the future according to Asimov. What stood out for you?
If anything, I enjoyed this final story even more then I did the preceding one. I found it very interesting that the world had been divided into just four regions, each with a Machine (giant robot brain?) in charge. Taking this story at face-value made it a very fun reading experience. I really loved the twist that came in the end, when Susan figured out how and why the Machines had "gone wrong." lol ;-)
I appreciated the fact that we were told that there was third (or, at least, "another") World War that preceded the stories in this book. (I can't remember what story shared this, but we were told that it was another World War that kicked off everything.) So I guess what stood out for me was that we'd need to have another, even-more-devastating, World War to come close to the sort of world Asimov has created. And that Asimov's robot-managed-future requires many fewer humans on Earth. (For the four regions, what was the total population? About three billion people? Four billion? We currently have over seven billion people in our reality, so. . . Would we have to have another World War? Or will our population growth and size mean that we'll see Interstellar Travel and Settlements as the "next big thing"? Or. . . Who knows what will happen? ;-) )
22. Do you think we humans could use the help of machines to keep the peace?
I really don't know. I sort of talked about this in answers to previous questions, but I can't see it working for us. Machines already help to a certain extent, don't they? Having an actual robot police force would I think be too black-and-white and cause more problems than it helped.
23. What did you think of this book and what was your rating? Where there any lessons learned? And finally has you favorite story changed?
I enjoyed the stories enough to give the book four stars. My review is kind of a rant, lol. But reading these stories was fun. My lesson learned is to not have another World War, hopefully. And to be tolerant/accepting of new things. ;-)
Discussion Questions 25 February 2016: Escape – The Evitable conflict.16. This is the first story in this book that felt like science fiction. I liked the description of the space ship. Too bad for Powell and Donavan that it didn’t have a shower. What did you think of this story?
I can’t say that there were stories I didn’t like. Asimov tries to write a history of the future, and the discovery of the interstellar travel is an important part of it and had to be described somewhere. Powell and Donovan have bigger problems, like the fact they were stranded in space at the mercy of a robot.
17. What do you think of the price Consolidated said they would pay U.S. Robot (100000 for no solution or 200000 + construction costs for the solution)? Do you think Consolidated got a steal or is U.S Robot better off with this deal?
It probably seemed like a lot of money in the fifties, but in our times, for the discovery of interstellar travel it seems laughable. I’m sure some people spend today more on a shopping trip. Didn’t US Robot use the data they were given to actually build the ship and I don’t remember giving anything back to Consolidated.
18. What do you think of Brain? I thought it was more of a supercomputer than a robot. And what about its sense of humor?
I don’t think Asimov differentiates between computer and robot the way we do. If it has a positronic brain, whatever that means, it’s a robot, although to us he performs like a supercomputer.
19. Stephen Byerly, robot or human, what do you think he is? Do you think it matters? Do you agree with Dr Calvin that robots are better civil executives because of the Laws of Robotics?
He is a robot, isn’t he? Well I don’t think robots with the three laws make better civil executives. More often or not leaders have to make hard decisions because there is no good choice, that would eventually hurt someone. Even if the first law is changed to benefit humanity not humans in particular, how do you decide what’s best for humanity?
20. What did you think of this chapter? It was more of an ethical problem than a life or death conflict?
I liked it, and although we are dealing with an ethical problem in this chapter, I think it does become a life or death conflict if we continue to read Asimov’s books.
21. In the final chapter we see what the world looks like in the future according to Asimov. What stood out for you?
Honestly, I hated it. A planned economy like that gives me nightmares, there is no place for individual enterprise, and it doesn’t work. History proved that it doesn’t work, because I am pretty sure I know where Asimov got the inspiration. The idea that a complex system like the world economy could be controlled to this level, regardless of how powerful a computer might be, goes against chaos theory and I don’t think it will ever happen.
22. Do you think we humans could use the help of machines to keep the peace?
Do I think soldiers and police could be replaced by robots. It’s possible, especially with soldiers. Fighting a war should have a cost, because then we have to make sure we are fighting for the right reasons. I’m actually frightened by the moment war will have no cost for one side. Presumably the advanced, rich nations could in the future do exactly that.
23. What did you think of this book and what was your rating? Where there any lessons learned? And finally has you favorite story changed?
I’m a Sci-Fi fan and Asimov is one of the greats, so I liked it and I’m going to give it five stars, although I’m partial to the Foundation series. No lessons learned, the favorite story remains the same.
Q1. Have you read any of Isaac Asimov’s books/stories before or is this your first? Have you seen the movie ‘I, Robot’? I don't think I have read anything of his before. I have not seen the movie either.
Q2. In the introduction we learn of Dr. Calvin. She was born in 1982, bachelor’s degree at Columbia in 2003, grad work in cybernetics. 2008 she earned her Ph.D and became a Robopsychologist. She worked with robots for 50 year, most likely making it 2058. She is one of the pioneers of robotics. This book was published in 1950. We are not accurately at this timeline for robotics but what do you think about Asimov’s timeline of progression? Is he far off? Do you think there is more to come? What do you see in our pop culture that shows we might be on our way to having robots in our daily lives?
I don't think we will ever have robots as they are described. I don't think they would be efficient machines to by styled after people with feet etc. the field will certainly continue to advance, but the "robots" will look different than he anticipated. We already have robotic arms that function in factories and space. And medical advances and phone technology serve us to make our live easier. Even this computer allows me to talk to all of you far away. My sister has a "robot" that sweeps and washes her floors. And now they are talking about auto pilot in cars. I think we will just see more and more technology that assists us rather than one humanlike machine to serve.
Q3. With the robots being made Dr. Calvin said, “Of course, that was when robots could not talk. Afterward, they became more human and opposition began. The labor unions, of course naturally opposed robot competition for human jobs, and various segments of religious opinion had their superstitious objections. “ If we had robots living among us like in I, Robot, how do you think our society would handle these issues? What problems do you see happening? Would you like it?
I would love it! Who wouldn't want a Rosie from the Jetsons? She could do anything I wanted and I wouldn't have to feel bad making her clean because she wouldn't be human! I like the idea that no robot could ever hurt a human. That would be smart, but when you think of military technology you know that would not last long. So things could get out of control fast, because you would be vulnerable to an out of control or malicious robot, so in that sense it could be kind of scary.
Q4. Robbie was made and sold in 1996 as a nursemaid to 8 year old Gloria. When they were playing hide and seek by the tree and Gloria said he was peeking when he wasn’t, he was “hurt at the unjust accusation”. Can a robot feel emotion? Is he programmed to mimic it or do you think artificial intelligence helped him with this emotion?
Robots in theory can not feel emotion but maybe he was programmed that way to be more relatable for Gloria. The accusation was unjust because he was programmed not to lose sight of her! My Siri apologizes when she can't help me or understand my requests, but my phone is not really sorry! (although I like to think she is so that I do not get frustrated, and it's more fun that way)
Q5. In the story Robbie, which is the saddest story to me, the year 1998 is in which the story took place. We see the connection between Gloria and Robbie. We see the prejudices of Mrs. Weston and why she doesn’t want Robbie around. Did you like this story? Did it bring up anything you’d like to talk about?
I did like the story. Robbie kept looking like the robot from Gilligan's Island in my mind. I think the mom was wrong to try to take the robot away. I think she was giving in to prejudice and should have seen that the robot was not bad because of her experiences. But she was shallow and did not form her own conclusions. She just went along with the popular trend.
Q6. Do you like the style of the transitions from the stories?
I really like that! I don't really like to read collections of short stories that have no connection.
Q7. The second story takes place in 2015 with Donovan and Powell with the 6 big robots and Speedy the robot. Speedy’s equilibrium is off because of the laws of 2 and 3 which is making him acting drunk, which causes the problems the characters face in this story. Do you like the discussion and reasoning between Donovan and Powell about the laws applied to the robots? Does anything come to mind for you about this story?
Sometimes with science fiction I can struggle when I don't understand the science. So the whole risk to the robot I kind of had to change to rust in my mind so it could make sense.
I wonder why they just didn't tell the robot earlier that they were in dire trouble if the stuff was not brought to them right away!
Q8. In the third story Powell and Donovan are at the space station. Cutie is very interesting. I find this story funny and scary; the humans debating with the robot. Cutie was laughing at them because he feels he is superior to them. How would you deal with Cutie saying he is the Master's prophet and manipulating the other robots to follow him?
I think they did everything they could. I would have tried to disable him somehow or get a message to Earth that there is a serious problem. I wonder how it will work out with the new managers. Could the robots break rule one if they thought they were serving the master?
Q9. Out of the three stories (Robbie, Runaround, Reason) which one is your favorite so far?
Robbie. It was the most relatable for me.
Allecyn wrote: "Questions Day 1 Feb 22Intro-3
Pages ix to 67
Q1. Have you read any of Isaac Asimov’s books/stories before or is this your first? Have you seen the movie ‘I, Robot’?
This is my first book by Asimo..."
Are you doing the Ninja Warrior Challenge?
10. Part 4: Catch that Rabbit... What did you think of this chapter? Did you find it plausible that Dave couldn't figure out why he has the fugue states? What did you think of Powell's diagnosis?I am liking the writing so far. It was a good story. I didn't really get it until the end. I suppose that the robots were not hurting anyone, but they were not obeying orders either.
11. Part 5: Liar!... Why is Herbie a math whiz with Calvin and Lanning, but not with Bogert? After all, both Bogert and Lanning are both mathematicians. ???
Becuase Bogert didn't want him to be.
12. Do you agree with Dr. Calvin's decision to scrap Herbie? What do you think of how she went about it? Would you have done the same in her place?
I agree that he should be destroyed. He had too much potential for harm. You could really use him against people esp. if they didn't know that he could read minds. I would have never thought about doing it that way. I am not very logical. I would have just taken him apart and thrown him away.
13. Part 6: Little Lost Robot... This story is, for me, the best so far. It and the first story are the only two where the tension was high and the outcome was truly unknowable as to whether all humans involved would survive. What did you think of it? Did you expect Nestor 10 to be found?
I liked it. For most of the story I did not understand why there were 62 and only one was modified, but I got it in the end I think, so I spent a large part of the story confused. I could have looked back to figure it out I guess. But I was too lazy. I did expect him to be found. I like the way that they tricked him. I also liked the element that he was starting to influence the other robots.
14. We've read six of Dr. Calvin's reminisces so far. Are you enjoying this book? Do you know what to make of it? Do you have a favorite story so far?
I am enjoying this book, although I'm not sure I expected to. I am glad the stories have a bridge to them, and I sometimes get lost in the science; but I love the parallels to common social problems. My favorite so far is still Robbie.
15. None of the robots have been fully described. Am I alone in finding this rather curious? I mean, this is a work of science fiction by a science fiction writer. Does it feel like science fiction to you?
He does leave a lot to our interpretation. When he tried to describe Robby he lost me anyway with "a small papallelepiped with rounded edges and corners attatched to a similar but much larger parallelepiped" What is that?
Yes it feels like science fiction because there are parts of it that are lost on me.... like the whole chemical thing in the second story about the mines. I just roll with it. That's why I loved The Martian. the character development was excellent and the science was there but not overwhelming.
Jen wrote: "February 23-24:Daily Questions for Part 4: Catch that Rabbit to Part 6: Little Lost Robot
10. Part 4: Catch that Rabbit... What did you think of this chapter? Did you find it plausible that Dave ..."
I thought Robbie had feet. When they were playing hide and seek he ran to the tree with the clump clump of his metal feet. And with Dave I imagined that the other robots were not attached. I just thought they were like his little worker driods. But I do imagine them all human like in shape. I wonder about the faces. They have "eyes" but what would they look like otherwise?
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Samantha wrote: "You guys gotta see this! My fiance (who's an engineer) was browsing YouTube and found this video. Robots taking over human jobs may be something that would happen in our lifetime. ..."I felt bad for him too. But I love seeing him walk in the woods. It made me laugh. Waling in the woods is not easy!
16. This is the first story in this book that felt like science fiction. I liked the description of the space ship. Too bad for Powell and Donavan that it didn’t have a shower. What did you think of this story? It was Ok. Kind of weird when they died. 17. What do you think of the price Consolidated said they would pay U.S. Robot (100000 for no solution or 200000 + construction costs for the solution)? Do you think Consolidated got a steal or is U.S Robot better off with this deal?
You know, I did not really follow that part. So, how is it better to sell your solution.
18. What do you think of Brain? I thought it was more of a supercomputer than a robot. And what about its sense of humor?
thought it was a super computer too. Ummm not really funny.
19. Stephen Byerly, robot or human, what do you think he is? Do you think it matters? Do you agree with Dr Calvin that robots are better civil executives because of the Laws of Robotics?
Robot. It does matter because then people are ruled by machines. I agree that the laws of robotics would make you a good person, but as we have seen the laws leave room for manipulation.
20. What did you think of this chapter? It was more of an ethical problem than a life or death conflict?
I guess.
21. In the final chapter we see what the world looks like in the future according to Asimov. What stood out for you?
The consolidation of the nations. It reminded me of the Lunar Chronicles. Also the development of the third world by the third world for the benefit of the people of the third world.
22. Do you think we humans could use the help of machines to keep the peace?
I think they would be manipulated into weapons.
23. What did you think of this book and what was your rating? Where there any lessons learned? And finally has you favorite story changed?
I liked the beginning way better than the ending. It got more political as it went on. probably 4 stars. I think Robbie is still my favorite story and yes it was packed with lessons. It was a book I would recommend!
February 23-24:Daily Questions for Part 4: Catch that Rabbit to Part 6: Little Lost Robot
10. Part 4: Catch that Rabbit... What did you think of this chapter? Did you find it plausible that Dave couldn't figure out why he has the fugue states? What did you think of Powell's diagnosis?
I suppose I can find that plausible. If you over-stress any machine, it tends to malfunction, so it kind of makes sense. It seemed like it took awhile for them to think of monitoring the robots to see what the possible trigger was... And the way they went about proving their theory was pretty idiotic, but I guess it worked in the end. This section was a bit blah, for me, as it didn't feel like much of anything actually happened.
11. Part 5: Liar!... Why is Herbie a math whiz with Calvin and Lanning, but not with Bogert? After all, both Bogert and Lanning are both mathematicians. ???
Since Herbie can read minds, I think he presents himself to each human he interacts with as what they already assume. Bogert assumed that no machine would be able to disprove his equations, so that's how Herbie acted. Lanning believed Bogert's equations were off and that no machine could out-think him, so that's what Herbie presented. He was adapting to whatever ego with which he was dealing.
12. Do you agree with Dr. Calvin's decision to scrap Herbie? What do you think of how she went about it? Would you have done the same in her place?
I don't know if Herbie needed to be scraped, per se. There was probably someway they could have fixed him to be truthful instead of trying to preserve people's feelings. She went about it in a rather cruel way, though. Of course, in her position, having just been thoroughly humiliated and hurt, I'm not sure I would have acted any differently.
13. Part 6: Little Lost Robot... This story is, for me, the best so far. It and the first story are the only two where the tension was high and the outcome was truly unknowable as to whether all humans involved would survive. What did you think of it? Did you expect Nestor 10 to be found?
I really enjoyed this story, as well. This one had suspense and mystery. It was a fun ride reading about the different techniques Dr. Calvin tried to work out which robot was Nestor 10. I expected Nestor 10 to be found since most of these stories resolves themselves in the favor of the people (with possibly Cutie as the exception), but I didn't expect Nestor 10 to attack Dr. Calvin! That added a new level of tension.
14. We've read six of Dr. Calvin's reminisces so far. Are you enjoying this book? Do you know what to make of it? Do you have a favorite story so far?
I am enjoying this book. Some of the stories I can do without, but most of them are pretty interesting. The last story with Nestor 10 has become my favorite, I think, though Robbie is still up there. Its' interesting to see the advancement in the robots and how they seem to be becoming more and more menacing as they become more and more advanced.
15. None of the robots have been fully described. Am I alone in finding this rather curious? I mean, this is a work of science fiction by a science fiction writer. Does it feel like science fiction to you?
I think the author is leaving the physical details to our imagination because he is more focused on the psychological aspect of his robots. This definitely reads like science fiction to me.
Discussion Questions 25 February 2016: Escape – The Evitable conflict.16. This is the first story in this book that felt like science fiction. I liked the description of the space ship. Too bad for Powell and Donavan that it didn’t have a shower. What did you think of this story?
I enjoyed this story a lot. It was one of the more enjoyable ones. I did feel bad for Powell and Donovan. They always seem to get the short end of the stick...
17. What do you think of the price Consolidated said they would pay U.S. Robot (100000 for no solution or 200000 + construction costs for the solution)? Do you think Consolidated got a steal or is U.S Robot better off with this deal?
I don't know. It doesn't seem like a substantial amount of money when it comes to creating a working hyperdrive. Ah well, they obviously didn't stick around because they are never mentioned again and U.S. Robot is obviously still in business.
18. What do you think of Brain? I thought it was more of a supercomputer than a robot. And what about its sense of humor?
I thought it was interesting that the Brain had the mentality of a child. I guess it's like those really smart people who lack all common sense. Or, as Dr. Calvin said, an idiot savant. I did, however, enjoy his/her sense of humor. Beans and milk for days!
19. Stephen Byerly, robot or human, what do you think he is? Do you think it matters? Do you agree with Dr Calvin that robots are better civil executives because of the Laws of Robotics?
In that story, I thought he was a robot, but after reading the last story, I'm leaning more towards human. I do agree with Dr. Calvin because the First Law of Robotics makes them incapable of harming their constituents with idiotic laws or by failing to enact good laws.
20. What did you think of this chapter? It was more of an ethical problem than a life or death conflict?
I really liked this chapter. It may have been my favorite. I liked the ethical and moral questions that it brought up. And I liked when Stephen punched that guy in the face (even if it was a set up).
21. In the final chapter we see what the world looks like in the future according to Asimov. What stood out for you?
That it was managed by so few people. I also found the way they split all the regions to be very weird...
22. Do you think we humans could use the help of machines to keep the peace?
I don't know. We use machines now to try and keep the peace by blowing shit up and it doesn't seem to be working out that well. Maybe if we had robots like the ones seen in this book it would be a different story.
23. What did you think of this book and what was your rating? Where there any lessons learned? And finally has you favorite story changed?
I gave it three stars. I liked it, but it didn't do anything special for me. Some of the stories were a downright struggle to get through, to be honest. As for lessons learned, the one that comes to mind is technology can be great, but take it with a grain of salt. Favorite story? Probably Evidence, though Robbie is a close second.
I'm late to the party, but I'm excited to start my first ever Asimov book!
Questions Day 1 Feb 22Intro-3
Pages ix to 67
Q1. Have you read any of Isaac Asimov’s books/stories before or is this your first? Have you seen the movie ‘I, Robot’?
This is my first Asimov book. I've wanted to read it ever since I saw the movie, but never got around to it.
Q2. In the introduction we learn of Dr. Calvin. She was born in 1982, bachelor’s degree at Columbia in 2003, grad work in cybernetics. 2008 she earned her Ph.D and became a Robopsychologist. She worked with robots for 50 year, most likely making it 2058. She is one of the pioneers of robotics. This book was published in 1950. We are not accurately at this timeline for robotics but what do you think about Asimov’s timeline of progression? Is he far off? Do you think there is more to come? What do you see in our pop culture that shows we might be on our way to having robots in our daily lives?
I think he's probably off by about 100 years. I definitely think there is more to come, but I don't think we'll get to the point where Machine's rule/run our lives.
Q3. With the robots being made Dr. Calvin said, “Of course, that was when robots could not talk. Afterward, they became more human and opposition began. The labor unions, of course naturally opposed robot competition for human jobs, and various segments of religious opinion had their superstitious objections. “ If we had robots living among us like in I, Robot, how do you think our society would handle these issues? What problems do you see happening? Would you like it?
I think there already are robots competing for human jobs. Many assembly lines are mostly or fully automated. People have lost jobs and changed careers, and mostly society/the economy has adjusted. I think if it were all to happen suddenly there would be a great upheaval in our society, but as it's been happening gradually, we've been able to absorb and adjust. Or we're like the frog in boiling water! :)
Q4. Robbie was made and sold in 1996 as a nursemaid to 8 year old Gloria. When they were playing hide and seek by the tree and Gloria said he was peeking when he wasn’t, he was “hurt at the unjust accusation”. Can a robot feel emotion? Is he programmed to mimic it or do you think artificial intelligence helped him with this emotion?
I would imagine it was a programmed response. Although in the later stories it seems to be possible that the robots AI helps with emotions.
Q5. In the story Robbie, which is the saddest story to me, the year 1998 is in which the story took place. We see the connection between Gloria and Robbie. We see the prejudices of Mrs. Weston and why she doesn’t want Robbie around. Did you like this story? Did it bring up anything you’d like to talk about?
I did like this one.
Q6. Do you like the style of the transitions from the stories?
Yes
Q7. The second story takes place in 2015 with Donovan and Powell with the 6 big robots and Speedy the robot. Speedy’s equilibrium is off because of the laws of 2 and 3 which is making him acting drunk, which causes the problems the characters face in this story. Do you like the discussion and reasoning between Donovan and Powell about the laws applied to the robots? Does anything come to mind for you about this story?
A little bit of the discussions between Powell & Donovan went a long way. It dragged just a little, to me.
Q8. In the third story Powell and Donovan are at the space station. Cutie is very interesting. I find this story funny and scary; the humans debating with the robot. Cutie was laughing at them because he feels he is superior to them. How would you deal with Cutie saying he is the Master's prophet and manipulating the other robots to follow him?
I found this story to be a bit disturbing!
Q9. Out of the three stories (Robbie, Runaround, Reason) which one is your favorite so far?
Runaround. :)
February 23-24:Daily Questions for Part 4: Catch that Rabbit to Part 6: Little Lost Robot
10. Part 4: Catch that Rabbit... What did you think of this chapter? Did you find it plausible that Dave couldn't figure out why he has the fugue states? What did you think of Powell's diagnosis?
I found this one to be interesting. I do think that was plausible, given the world in which the story is taking place. I think it was just a lucky guess!
11. Part 5: Liar!... Why is Herbie a math whiz with Calvin and Lanning, but not with Bogert? After all, both Bogert and Lanning are both mathematicians. ???
Bogert didn't want him to be a math whiz. Because he didn't want the robot to figure it out first.
12. Do you agree with Dr. Calvin's decision to scrap Herbie? What do you think of how she went about it? Would you have done the same in her place?
Herbie probably needed to be scrapped. He could have been dangerous in the wrong hands. But the way she went about it was due to her emotions.
13. Part 6: Little Lost Robot... This story is, for me, the best so far. It and the first story are the only two where the tension was high and the outcome was truly unknowable as to whether all humans involved would survive. What did you think of it? Did you expect Nestor 10 to be found?
I enjoyed this story. And I did expect Susan to prevail.
14. We've read six of Dr. Calvin's reminisces so far. Are you enjoying this book? Do you know what to make of it? Do you have a favorite story so far?
I think Little Lost Robot is my favorite so far. I did enjoy this book, but I think it's probably not the right book to read first in the series. Often short stories are written after the novels, but collected and placed first in the series. That's not always the best reading order.
15. None of the robots have been fully described. Am I alone in finding this rather curious? I mean, this is a work of science fiction by a science fiction writer. Does it feel like science fiction to you?
I didn't really notice that the robots weren't fully described. Probably because I saw the movie, so I just pictured them like that. It does feel like Sci-Fi to me. I read a lot of David Weber, though.
Discussion Questions 25 February 2016: Escape – The Evitable conflict.16. This is the first story in this book that felt like science fiction. I liked the description of the space ship. Too bad for Powell and Donavan that it didn’t have a shower. What did you think of this story?
I enjoyed this one. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to them, but the ending, where you find out that it was all about the Brain's sense of humor and playing pranks puts a different spin on the story.
17. What do you think of the price Consolidated said they would pay U.S. Robot (100000 for no solution or 200000 + construction costs for the solution)? Do you think Consolidated got a steal or is U.S Robot better off with this deal?
I think at the time of the writing of this, that was probably considered a lot more money than it is today. I think today it would have a few more zeroes at the end. I think U.S. Robot got the better end of the deal.
18. What do you think of Brain? I thought it was more of a supercomputer than a robot. And what about its sense of humor?
I think supercomputer is right on!
19. Stephen Byerly, robot or human, what do you think he is? Do you think it matters? Do you agree with Dr Calvin that robots are better civil executives because of the Laws of Robotics?
I think he's a robot. And it should matter! But in the context of this story, and assuming the things that Dr. Calvin believes, I don't think it matters. I just don't trust that the Laws of Robotics would never bread down, so I don't think a robot is a better leader.
20. What did you think of this chapter? It was more of an ethical problem than a life or death conflict?
I enjoyed it, and trying to figure out if he's a robot or not.
21. In the final chapter we see what the world looks like in the future according to Asimov. What stood out for you?
The way that the Regions are aligned. Some of today's allies stayed together, but some are separated.
22. Do you think we humans could use the help of machines to keep the peace?
I don't think so. I don't see Machines taking over the running of the world. I just don't think it will happen.
23. What did you think of this book and what was your rating? Where there any lessons learned? And finally has you favorite story changed?
I give it 3.5 stars. I imagine that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read any of the other books in the series. Just as I was becoming involved in this world, it was time to change to another story.
Laura wrote: "I didn't really notice that the robots weren't fully described. Probably because I saw the movie, so I just pictured them like that. It does feel like Sci-Fi to me. I read a lot of David Weber, though. ..."I saw the movie, too, but if anything, that caused me to struggle even more with the visualizations. The Nestor models were really the only ones where I think I could clearly see the movie models as the Nestors.
This was my first Asimov, too. I'm now wondering which I should read next. Do you plan to read more of his work? Which will be your next read?
:-)
Laura and Jen, this books is recommended to read as one of the fist books to read in the series. Next is The Rest of the Robots. This is an introduction to his other books and I think it's great in how he does this Robot series because when I read The Caves of Steel, I can see why they suggest with I, Robot.
You see the prejudices, fear, and the challenges with humans and robots. You see that more into play with The Caves of Steel which I loved. I like how each of the stories in I, Robot evolved deeper and deeper in the questions you'd ask.
I find the stories very cerebral.
Jen wrote: "This was my first Asimov, too. I'm now wondering which I should read next. Do you plan to read more of his work? Which will be your next read?"Jen, It's funny, I don't even remember the movie but I know I watched it.
I'm currently reading The Naked Sun because I'm going to read all the book in the recommended reading sequence. You can find that here. https://www.goodreads.com/series/4942...
Thanks for the insight, Rachel! Even though I didn't love I, Robot, I definitely want to read more in the series, so I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. :-)As for the movie, I remember it mostly because it's one I really enjoy, so I've seen it multiple times. ;-)
Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
I, Robot (other topics)The Naked Sun (other topics)
The Rest of the Robots (other topics)
The Caves of Steel (other topics)
The Martian (other topics)
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Thanks, Imke! :-) You're only the second person (I think) to reach them so I'm very relieved that they're okay. I'm nervously awaiting other responses... lol ;-)