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Help me identify the author and title of this sci fi story

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  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 13:46:31 23,448 posts
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    A colleague is desperate to find out and it sounded kind of familiar to me, I think it's been mentioned here at some point. What he remembers is this:

    A man is the last employed man on Earth. His job is to push a button randomly, because they haven't got a machine that can do that, unlike all the other jobs.
    They eventually invent a machine that can push the button randomly and he's put out of a job.

    Anyone know what that is and who it is by?

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • LeoliansBro 13 Aug 2012 13:47:23 35,097 posts
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    Sounds like an Asimov short story.

    This is mainly because 'sounds like an Asimov short story' is my default response. But it does ring a bell.

    LB, you really are a massive geek.

  • muttler 13 Aug 2012 13:50:35 3,209 posts
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    Probably a Ray Bradbury short story.
  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 13:52:40 23,448 posts
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    Bradbury, Asimov or Ellison seem likely, but ... which one?

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • glaeken 13 Aug 2012 13:56:39 10,366 posts
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    Piano Player by Kurt Vonnegut has a similar theme but not quite to the level where there is only one employee left.
  • LeoliansBro 13 Aug 2012 13:57:40 35,097 posts
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    I bought a book of Asimov's short fiction in a church book sale Friday before last, for £1. I owned it for all of 5 hours before I left it in a pub :(

    LB, you really are a massive geek.

  • heyyo 13 Aug 2012 14:06:18 14,308 posts
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    Strikebreaker by Asimov?
  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 14:23:57 23,448 posts
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    Piano player most likely contender so far... I'll wave the summary under his nose

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 14:25:41 23,448 posts
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    I'll send him the summary of Strikebreaker too. Memory is a funny thing, but the summaries should provide a clear yes or no from him.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 15:51:55 23,448 posts
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    Nope, neither of those, although he says he's going to read the Vonnegut for sure now.

    Any other contenders? Button pushing job he is firm upon remembering.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • disusedgenius 13 Aug 2012 15:56:16 4,840 posts
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    MetalDog wrote:
    A man is the last employed man on Earth. His job is to push a button randomly, because they haven't got a machine that can do that, unlike all the other jobs.
    I know it's not the point of this thread - but I'm going to say it anyway:

    Sounds like a slightly unfortunate outline for a story - doing something truly randomly is actually waaaay easier from machines and next to impossible for us.

    Carry on! :)
  • neilka 13 Aug 2012 15:56:22 12,019 posts
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    Is it Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear?

    if you have nothing intresting to say then you might as well just throw your bags on the truck and drive away

  • Salaman 13 Aug 2012 15:56:27 16,583 posts
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    Enemy Mine?

    /runs
  • glaeken 13 Aug 2012 15:58:35 10,366 posts
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    It does sound vaguely familiar but I doubt that helps. All I can suggest is maybe also consider Phillip K Dick as it sounds like the sort of thing he might have written.
  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 15:58:42 23,448 posts
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    Machines don't really do random though. They just fake randomness - although they're reaching a point where the method of fakery is so complex it makes next to no odds. It used to be quite hard to coax a random number out though and I suspect this story is getting on in years.

    If it helps at all, he reckons its a short story.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • disusedgenius 13 Aug 2012 16:01:03 4,840 posts
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    MetalDog wrote:
    Machines don't really do random though. They just fake randomness - although they're reaching a point where the method of fakery is so complex it makes next to no odds. It used to be quite hard to coax a random number out though and I suspect this story is getting on in years.
    They can though, usually they use something like static to produce the numbers rather than the pseudo-random stuff, iirc. Either way, we're supremely shit at it.
  • Rusty_M 13 Aug 2012 16:01:42 3,606 posts
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    You wait all day then two come along at once.

    The world is going mad. Me? I'm doing fine.

  • Bremenacht 13 Aug 2012 16:03:09 11,167 posts
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    It's not one of the I, Robot stories is it?

    This post is unsuitable for those with a high rumour-sensitivity.

  • CosmicFuzz 13 Aug 2012 16:04:40 18,809 posts
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    Interesting job, brother.
  • Deckard1 13 Aug 2012 16:05:45 18,051 posts
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    One million two hundred and twenty one thousand four hundred and seventy two.


    Take that machines!!
  • MetalDog 13 Aug 2012 16:06:52 23,448 posts
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    Not I Robot, I would remember if it were. Also rules out 'The Rest of the Robots'.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • Salaman 13 Aug 2012 16:13:32 16,583 posts
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    Rusty_M wrote:
    You wait all day then two come along at once.
    He even put in the author and beat me by 5 seconds. :-(
  • MightyMetalMonkey 13 Aug 2012 16:16:50 598 posts
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    glaeken wrote:
    It does sound vaguely familiar but I doubt that helps. All I can suggest is maybe also consider Phillip K Dick as it sounds like the sort of thing he might have written.
    It's a bit like the start of 'Galactic Pot Healer' by PKD.
    The main character is stuck in a meaningless job, but gets offered the opportunity to do something that will really matter...

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