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Friday, April 01, 2011

Azimov- A to Z Challenge







Isaac Asimov is one of the fathers of modern science Fiction.  His short stories in I, Robot were recommended to me by my mother and bridged a generational gap with equal enjoyment on both sides.  Foundation inspired and entertained us.  He is the master of the serial, giving his readers complete stories volume by volume. 

He is a man so important to science fiction that he has an award and magazine named after him.  He is even credited with coining  the term robot.  He was a prolific writer in multiple dramas and was also a doctor of biochemistry. 

I have not read all of Asimov's scifi.  I have barely scratched the surface.  I find the tales themselves are quite simple, but very enjoyable.   A little known fact is that he died of AIDS after contracting HIV through a blood transfusion.  I will end with a story that I heard about him during a screening of 2001.  When the movie was finished Clarke asked Asimov what he thought, to which Asimov in anger stated that Hal didn't follow the three laws of robotics.  I am not sure if it is true but it brings a smile to my face. 

Hopefully they programmed the 3 laws into Watson. 
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16 comments:

  1. baygirl3201 April, 2011 09:43

    day 1 of the A to Z challenge, and I've already learned something new!

    http://baygirl32.blogspot.com

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  2. Bev Hankins01 April, 2011 09:52

    Asimov is one of my favorites in science fiction. Glad to see him highlighted!

    And, actually, "robot" is first used in Karl Capek's play "R.U.R." (1921)--although Asimov did coin the term "robotics" and establish the three laws.

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  3. Trevor Peck01 April, 2011 11:40

    Thanks for the cool facts! Good luck A2Z(ing)!

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  4. Misha Gerrick01 April, 2011 12:13

    Interesting post...

    I never knew that Asimov died of AIDS.

    Such a pity.

    :-)

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  5. TS Hendrik01 April, 2011 12:55

    Huh. Yeah I had no idea that was how he died. I must confess I've never been a big fan of his. He can be a bit dry for me. So are you going to do profiles of SF writers throughout the challenge?

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  6. Budd01 April, 2011 13:07

    I plan on doing a couple. You can look forward to Richard Matheson on R day for sure.

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  7. Kal01 April, 2011 13:10

    Oh Asimov. He was a sweet kid but hopelessly naieve about the way people would REALLY program a robot. What good is a metal killing machine if it can't kill? Then once you cross that line, even once, then it's SKYNET all over again.

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  8. Unknown01 April, 2011 14:37

    I really do need to read some of his stuff. Thanks for bringing it up.

    Teresa
    http://icecoldpenguin.blogspot.com

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  9. Jan Morrison01 April, 2011 15:21

    love Asimov - I was introduced to him during my first marriage back in the ice age and he weathered well.
    Jan Morrison

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  10. alberta ross01 April, 2011 16:34

    a favourite of mine in my youth I must brush the dust of gently and ip in again - thanks for reminder - he was a great influence

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  11. Pat Tillett01 April, 2011 17:37

    Asimov is one of the big three! The others being Clarke and Heinlein... Genius, all of them!

    I used to try to read all of the books by a particular author if I liked them. I must have read 40 or so Asimov books before I realized that he had written at least a couple hundred of them. I stopped. His style wasn't the most exciting, but the things he wrote about sure were...

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  12. The Words Crafter01 April, 2011 18:58

    I can't believe I haven't read any of his stuff!!!! One day, when I have lots of time, I need to catch up on all the books I want to read. Starting with one if his!

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  13. Rachael Harrie01 April, 2011 20:45

    Great person to highlight for day 1 of the Challenge. Love Asimov's comment about the three laws of robotics!

    Hugs

    Rach

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  14. Unknown01 April, 2011 22:30

    I'd like to read his stuff someday... I never saw (nor wanted to see) the movie I, Robert... but I bet the book would be great.

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  15. Bob Sanchez02 April, 2011 08:42

    I'm in awe of Asimov, even though I don't read much sci-fi.

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  16. StuartOhQueue02 April, 2011 11:52

    Much love for Asimov. Too bad "I,Robot" wasn't given any sort of justice on screen.

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Thanks for commenting!