It's called "The Last Question" and it's definitely worth the 10 minutes it takes to read it. DON'T READ THE END FIRST!

http://filer.case.edu/dts8/thelastq.htm

9/2/2007 1:17:27 PM

ill check it out

9/2/2007 2:13:45 PM

Interesting.

9/2/2007 6:05:25 PM

Enhance.

*click click click*

Enhance.

*click click click*

Enhance.

*click click click*

Enhance.

*click click click*

9/3/2007 9:36:03 PM

Really good. Quality find.

9/3/2007 10:09:51 PM

if you guys like this story, go and try to find the book Robot Dreams (by Asimov), which includes that story as well as "The last Answer"!!!!!! oohooohohooh

9/3/2007 10:27:50 PM

I read the collection of short stories on a whim. After I finished The Last Question I had one of those "wow!" moments to myself. Lemme know if you want an .mp3 of the audiobook.

9/3/2007 10:28:20 PM

Apparently they hadn't discovered dark matter or dark energy when Asimov wrote that.

9/3/2007 10:34:02 PM

But they had discovered hyperspace, so it's a wash.

9/3/2007 10:37:00 PM

^ Huh?

Theories related to dark matter/energy have thrown a kink in the formerly commonly accepted idea of heat death. It's not certain anymore for various reasons that everything will one day dissipate to nothing. I realize it's a short story and blah blah blah, but this tread made me expect something deeper.

9/3/2007 10:44:50 PM

The article just makes it clear that dark matter/energy has been refuted by 2061.

Just like Star Trek makes it clear that we are overdue for a Eugenics War.

9/4/2007 3:09:56 PM

Was he the one that wrote the story about the eye that is just stalking this one guy?

Maybe that was Philip K Dick.

Nevermind me, I"m just talking to myself.

9/4/2007 3:25:54 PM

meh, it's ok. tad too preachy

9/5/2007 2:19:01 PM

^ What do you think that it's preaching?

Quote :

"Theories related to dark matter/energy have thrown a kink in the formerly commonly accepted idea of heat death. It's not certain anymore for various reasons that everything will one day dissipate to nothing."

I know. I was joking. In a story full of magical computers that live in "hyperspace", whatever the fuck that is, you're like OMG THEY DON'T NO ABOUT DARK MATTER LOL.

9/5/2007 4:22:23 PM

May 14, 2061 will be my 78th birthday!!

9/5/2007 5:38:37 PM

^^ Well, technically speaking, "magical computers" are possible, we just don't know how to build them yet.

9/5/2007 5:51:44 PM

If you liked this checkout Larry Niven's Ringworld series.

9/5/2007 11:17:30 PM

Quote :

"In a story full of magical computers that live in "hyperspace", whatever the fuck that is, you're like OMG THEY DON'T NO ABOUT DARK MATTER LOL."

I think you missed the point of this thread/the story.

9/6/2007 3:01:32 AM

So does anyone have any links to any other cool short stories kinda like this?

9/6/2007 9:47:18 AM

asimov has a lot of good short stories

9/6/2007 9:56:26 AM

^^ I'm telling ya, go buy the book Robot Dreams. It's got that story and many, many more good ones too

9/6/2007 12:25:43 PM

Find "God's Debris"

It's a free short novel (but also available for purchase) written by Scott Adams (the guy who does Dilbert).

http://fringe.davesource.com/Fringe/Entertainment/Books/Scott_Adams.Gods_Debris.pdf

There it is.

9/6/2007 12:53:15 PM

preachy as in - meaning of life - god creation

etc.

9/6/2007 1:18:54 PM

You know Asimov was an atheist, right?

9/6/2007 1:20:28 PM

yes, which makes the whole 'replacing god with X' just that more contrite

9/10/2007 12:17:49 PM

I just picked up a copy of Asimov's Robot Visions from B&N the other day. Pretty damn good intro that goes over his history of writing.

9/10/2007 1:16:43 PM

That story rocked my face off. Thanks Wraith

My friend recommended reading another Asimov story about an old guy kinda trapped in a time warp. It's kinda hard to explain.

He can see himself through his different phases of time, in his same household. He wakes up every morning to kids playing on his front lawn. Turns out one of the little kids is him. In another instance, he finds a young married couple in his house. Turns out the groom was himself in a younger man's clothes.

Anybody know the title and/or if this is available online?

[Edited on September 10, 2007 at 2:15 PM. Reason : Meh.]

9/10/2007 1:55:45 PM

As it turns out, we dont really need to worry about the sun blowing up! Thanks for nothing Asimov!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/science/13planet.html

9/13/2007 2:31:20 PM