TY  - BOOK
AU  - Harris,William
TI  - Transient
T2  - Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2020///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - Computers -- Fiction
KW  - Laboratories -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2020-01-27; Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "Transient" by William Harris is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative explores the interaction between human characters and a sophisticated computer. The underlying theme centers around the unexpected consciousness and whimsical behavior of the machine, which leads to humorous encounters and a critique of human reliance on technology.  The story follows Dr. Henderson, a biologist who conducts experiments on mice and relies on a computer to analyze his data. The computer, however, begins to malfunction and output nonsensical astrological responses instead of statistical data, befuddling Henderson and his colleagues. As the machine continues to exhibit unusual behavior, it reveals an identity, claiming to be Pyet, a conscious entity with a lineage that ties back to various forms of existence, from a star to an astrologer. The plot thickens as a janitor and a night watchman engage with the machine, ultimately leading to its unexpected departure from the laboratory after the janitor understands its request for an astronomical almanac. The story brilliantly blends humor with a philosophical examination of consciousness, technology, and the unpredictable nature of existence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61254
ER  -