"ALAN 3 Is Willing to Break ALL THREE LAWS to Solve a Truly Reprehensible Crime"

(Post-Hurricane Michael Edition)

"RAM Shift Phase 2."
By Greg Bear (born 1951).
Illustration by JACEY.
First appearance: Nature/Futures, 15 December 2005.
Reprints page (HERE).
Short short short story (1 page).
Online at Nature.com (HERE; PDF).

     "RAM SHIFT PHASE 2 begins with the fatal breakdown of a shining, chromeplated Rorabot Model 34c nicknamed LULU 18 in a room with no windows and whose door is locked."

In this week's book review: ALAN 3, "a highly RAM-engaged robotic dysfunction investigator," probes the inexplicable nonfunctionality of LULU 18, "an extremely 
desirable machine still well within its operational warranty" . . .

Resources:
- Gregory Dale Bear is an old pro in SFF circles who's been selling science fiction stories for more than fifty years; see all that Wikipedia (HERE), the SFE (HERE), his own website (HERE), and the ISFDb bibliography (HERE) have available.

- For what is meant by "The Fourth Law, and beyond," see Wikipedia (HERE) and especially (HERE).
- Our latest run-in with robots, John D. MacDonald's "Nicky and the Tin Finger," is (HERE).

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