[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
photoelectric eyes glowing intently, ran through the entire set of Aleph
Nine parameters while Mansky listened, nodding.
"Very good, Andrew. Code check: Epsilon Seven."
Andrew gave Mansky Epsilon Seven. He gave him Omicron Fourteen. He gave him
Kappa Three, which was one of the most elaborate checks of all, embodying the
parameters that contained the Three Laws.
"Well done," said Mansky. "One more, now. Code check: the entire Omega
series."
Andrew recited the Omega codes, which governed the pathways dealing with the
ability to process and correlate newly acquired data. That set took quite a
while also. Throughout the long recitation Sir looked on in puzzlement.
Elliott Smythe seemed scarcely to be listening.
Mansky said, "He's in perfect working order. Every parameter is exactly as it
should be."
"As I told Mr. Smythe," Sir began, "the question isn't one of Andrew's failure
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
to perform. It's that his performance is so far beyond expectation."
"Beyond your expectation, perhaps," said Mansky.
Sir swung around as though he had been stung. " And what is that supposed to
mean, may I ask?"
Mansky frowned all the way up to the top of his bare scalp. The heavy lines in
his forehead were so pronounced that they might have been carved by
Andrew. He had drawn features and deep-set weary eyes and pallid skin, and
generally looked unhealthy. Andrew suspected that Mansky might actually be a
good deal younger than he seemed.
He said, "Robotics isn't an exact art, Mr. Martin. I can't explain it to you
in detail, or, rather, I could, but it would take a great deal of time and
I'm not certain you'd get much benefit from the explanation, but what I mean
is that the mathematics governing the plotting of the positronic pathways is
far too complicated to permit any but approximate solutions. So robots of
Andrew's level of construction often turn out somewhat unexpectedly to have
abilities somewhat beyond the basic design specifications. --I want to assure
you, though, that simply because Andrew apparently is a master carpenter
there's no reason whatever to fear any sort of unpredictable behavior that
might jeopardize you or your family. Whatever else is variable about a robot's
performance, the Three Laws are utterly incontrovertible and undefeatable.
They are intrinsic to the positronic brain. Andrew would cease to function
entirely before he committed any violation of the Laws."
"He's more than simply a master carpenter, Dr. Mansky," Sir said. "We're not
just talking about some nice tables and chairs here."
"Yes. Yes, of course. I understand he does little trinkets and knickknacks
too."
Sir smiled, but it was a singularly icy smile. He opened the cabinet where
Little Miss kept some of the treasures Andrew had created for her and took
something out.
"See for yourself," he said acidly to Mansky. "Here's one of his trinkets. One
of his knickknacks."
Sir handed over a little sphere of shining ebony: a playground scene in which
the boys and girls were almost too small to make out, yet they were in perfect
proportion, and they blended so naturally with the grain that that, too,
seemed to have been carved. The figures appeared on the verge of coming to
life and moving about. The boys were about to have a fistfight; two girls were
intently studying a necklace of almost microscopic size that a third girl was
showing them; a teacher stood to one side, stooping a little to answer a
question that a very short boy was asking her.
The robopsychologist stared at the tiny carving for an extraordinarily long
while without saying anything.
"May I look at it, Dr. Mansky?" Elliott Smythe said.
"Yes. Yes, certainly."
Mansky's hand trembled a little as he passed the little object across to the
U. S. Robots executive.
Now it was Smythe's turn to stare in solemn silence. Andrew, watching him,
experienced a new little burst of the sensation that he had come to identify
as enjoyment. Plainly these two men were impressed with what he had carved.
Indeed they appeared to be so impressed that they were unable to express their
appreciation in words.
Mansky said, finally, "He did that?"
Sir nodded. "He's never seen a school playground. My daughter Amanda described
this scene to him one afternoon when he asked her to tell him what one was
like. He spoke with her for about five minutes. Then he went upstairs and made
this."
"Remarkable," Smythe said. "Phenomenal."
"Phenomenal, yes," said Sir. "Now do you see why I thought I ought to bring
this to your attention? This kind of work goes well beyond the standard
Page 19
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hardwired capacity of your NOR series, does it not? I hate to use a cliché,
gentlemen, but what we have here is a bit of a genius robot, wouldn't you say?
Something that might be considered to verge almost on the human?"
"There is nothing human whatsoever about NDR-113," said Mansky with a kind of
prissy firmness. "Please don't confuse the issue, Mr. Martin. What we have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
photoelectric eyes glowing intently, ran through the entire set of Aleph
Nine parameters while Mansky listened, nodding.
"Very good, Andrew. Code check: Epsilon Seven."
Andrew gave Mansky Epsilon Seven. He gave him Omicron Fourteen. He gave him
Kappa Three, which was one of the most elaborate checks of all, embodying the
parameters that contained the Three Laws.
"Well done," said Mansky. "One more, now. Code check: the entire Omega
series."
Andrew recited the Omega codes, which governed the pathways dealing with the
ability to process and correlate newly acquired data. That set took quite a
while also. Throughout the long recitation Sir looked on in puzzlement.
Elliott Smythe seemed scarcely to be listening.
Mansky said, "He's in perfect working order. Every parameter is exactly as it
should be."
"As I told Mr. Smythe," Sir began, "the question isn't one of Andrew's failure
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
to perform. It's that his performance is so far beyond expectation."
"Beyond your expectation, perhaps," said Mansky.
Sir swung around as though he had been stung. " And what is that supposed to
mean, may I ask?"
Mansky frowned all the way up to the top of his bare scalp. The heavy lines in
his forehead were so pronounced that they might have been carved by
Andrew. He had drawn features and deep-set weary eyes and pallid skin, and
generally looked unhealthy. Andrew suspected that Mansky might actually be a
good deal younger than he seemed.
He said, "Robotics isn't an exact art, Mr. Martin. I can't explain it to you
in detail, or, rather, I could, but it would take a great deal of time and
I'm not certain you'd get much benefit from the explanation, but what I mean
is that the mathematics governing the plotting of the positronic pathways is
far too complicated to permit any but approximate solutions. So robots of
Andrew's level of construction often turn out somewhat unexpectedly to have
abilities somewhat beyond the basic design specifications. --I want to assure
you, though, that simply because Andrew apparently is a master carpenter
there's no reason whatever to fear any sort of unpredictable behavior that
might jeopardize you or your family. Whatever else is variable about a robot's
performance, the Three Laws are utterly incontrovertible and undefeatable.
They are intrinsic to the positronic brain. Andrew would cease to function
entirely before he committed any violation of the Laws."
"He's more than simply a master carpenter, Dr. Mansky," Sir said. "We're not
just talking about some nice tables and chairs here."
"Yes. Yes, of course. I understand he does little trinkets and knickknacks
too."
Sir smiled, but it was a singularly icy smile. He opened the cabinet where
Little Miss kept some of the treasures Andrew had created for her and took
something out.
"See for yourself," he said acidly to Mansky. "Here's one of his trinkets. One
of his knickknacks."
Sir handed over a little sphere of shining ebony: a playground scene in which
the boys and girls were almost too small to make out, yet they were in perfect
proportion, and they blended so naturally with the grain that that, too,
seemed to have been carved. The figures appeared on the verge of coming to
life and moving about. The boys were about to have a fistfight; two girls were
intently studying a necklace of almost microscopic size that a third girl was
showing them; a teacher stood to one side, stooping a little to answer a
question that a very short boy was asking her.
The robopsychologist stared at the tiny carving for an extraordinarily long
while without saying anything.
"May I look at it, Dr. Mansky?" Elliott Smythe said.
"Yes. Yes, certainly."
Mansky's hand trembled a little as he passed the little object across to the
U. S. Robots executive.
Now it was Smythe's turn to stare in solemn silence. Andrew, watching him,
experienced a new little burst of the sensation that he had come to identify
as enjoyment. Plainly these two men were impressed with what he had carved.
Indeed they appeared to be so impressed that they were unable to express their
appreciation in words.
Mansky said, finally, "He did that?"
Sir nodded. "He's never seen a school playground. My daughter Amanda described
this scene to him one afternoon when he asked her to tell him what one was
like. He spoke with her for about five minutes. Then he went upstairs and made
this."
"Remarkable," Smythe said. "Phenomenal."
"Phenomenal, yes," said Sir. "Now do you see why I thought I ought to bring
this to your attention? This kind of work goes well beyond the standard
Page 19
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hardwired capacity of your NOR series, does it not? I hate to use a cliché,
gentlemen, but what we have here is a bit of a genius robot, wouldn't you say?
Something that might be considered to verge almost on the human?"
"There is nothing human whatsoever about NDR-113," said Mansky with a kind of
prissy firmness. "Please don't confuse the issue, Mr. Martin. What we have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]