Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* MeaningfulName: "Lenny" is also the name of the mentally challenged {{Deuteragonist}} from ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''. Like Lenny, LNE has DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength, is mentally handicapped, and unknowingly breaks inviolable laws.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* ThreeLawsCompliant: The climax comes from the fact that the [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] prototype may have actually broken the First Law. It ''did'' break a man's arm.
to:
* ThreeLawsCompliant: The climax comes from the fact that the [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] prototype may have actually broken the First Law. It ''did'' break a man's arm. Susan argues that because of Lenny's reduced intelligence, it interpreted a minor threat that a more functional robot would have ignored as something that must be responded to under the Second Law, and because Lenny DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength due to that same reduced intelligence, he defended himself more forcefully than necessary.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) from:
Bogert and Lanning want to dismantle the useless construct, but Dr Calvin decides that she needs to run tests on the robot, and takes the prototype to her personal laboratory. Despite her insistence that there is something to be learned from the broken Lenny prototype, the otters don't believe her, and things come to a head when it breaks the arm of another employee.
to:
Bogert and Lanning want to dismantle the useless construct, but Dr Dr. Calvin decides that she needs to run tests on the robot, and takes the prototype to her personal laboratory. Despite her insistence that there is something to be learned from the broken Lenny prototype, the otters don't believe her, and things come to a head when it breaks the arm of another employee.
Changed line(s) 12 (click to see context) from:
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dr Susan Calvin is the ''only'' robopsychologist at United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, and Director Lanning would ''love'' to fire her, due to [[IronLady perceived transgressions]] such as her decision to investigate and experiment on a robot that is so broken it cannot perform any work. However, he acknowledges that she is too valuable to fire, as she has personally saved the company millions of dollars.
to:
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dr Dr. Susan Calvin is the ''only'' robopsychologist at United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, and Director Lanning would ''love'' to fire her, due to [[IronLady perceived transgressions]] such as her decision to investigate and experiment on a robot that is so broken it cannot perform any work. However, he acknowledges that she is too valuable to fire, as she has personally saved the company millions of dollars.
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* DramaticIrony: After Lanning declares that no harm can come of letting Dr Calvin work with the LNE prototype, the narration specifically takes time to point out how he was wrong, explaining that the [[KillerRobot 'Robot out of control']] alarm has been activated for the first time in the history of U. S. Robots.
to:
* DramaticIrony: After Lanning declares that no harm can come of letting Dr Dr. Calvin work with the LNE prototype, the narration specifically takes time to point out how he was wrong, explaining that the [[KillerRobot 'Robot out of control']] alarm has been activated for the first time in the history of U. S. Robots.
Changed line(s) 17,21 (click to see context) from:
* InSeriesNickname: The robot in this work is the LNE model, so Dr Calvin nicknames it Lenny.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Although Dr Asimov's robots aren't strictly masculine, it is nevertheless common for his characters to refer to them as "he" and to give them masculine [[InSeriesNickname nicknames]]. In this story, however, because the LNE prototype isn't even capable of normal conversation, the characters say "it" when talking about [[SecondaryCharacterTitle Lenny]].
* KillerRobot: U. S. Robots has an alarm for 'Robot out of control'. This story is the first time it is ever used, and at first nobody recognizes what it is for.
* NoAntagonist: The conflict in this story is between Lanning (Research Director) and Calvin (Robopsychologist). Lanning is dealing with two problems; the fact that the LNE model has violated the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] by [[AIIsACrapshoot breaking someone's arm]] and that they aren't getting enough high-level job applications. Calvin is insistent that [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] has not violated First Law, and rationalizes her work with the prototype in a way to help Lanning encourage high-level job applications by appealing to people's sense of danger. Once she's left, Bogart points out to Lanning that Calvin is trying to MotherBear the prototype, having taught it to call her "Mommie".
* RoboSpeak: Most robots in Dr Asimov's robot series speak with a mechanical intonation, but when LNE-prototype is manufactured, it is described to speak with "the chimes of a low-pitched celeste". Its [[AvertedTrope beautiful voice]] shocks the first technician to test its responses. Alfred Lanning wishes they knew how to get the other robots to sound like it, too.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Although Dr Asimov's robots aren't strictly masculine, it is nevertheless common for his characters to refer to them as "he" and to give them masculine [[InSeriesNickname nicknames]]. In this story, however, because the LNE prototype isn't even capable of normal conversation, the characters say "it" when talking about [[SecondaryCharacterTitle Lenny]].
* KillerRobot: U. S. Robots has an alarm for 'Robot out of control'. This story is the first time it is ever used, and at first nobody recognizes what it is for.
* NoAntagonist: The conflict in this story is between Lanning (Research Director) and Calvin (Robopsychologist). Lanning is dealing with two problems; the fact that the LNE model has violated the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] by [[AIIsACrapshoot breaking someone's arm]] and that they aren't getting enough high-level job applications. Calvin is insistent that [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] has not violated First Law, and rationalizes her work with the prototype in a way to help Lanning encourage high-level job applications by appealing to people's sense of danger. Once she's left, Bogart points out to Lanning that Calvin is trying to MotherBear the prototype, having taught it to call her "Mommie".
* RoboSpeak: Most robots in Dr Asimov's robot series speak with a mechanical intonation, but when LNE-prototype is manufactured, it is described to speak with "the chimes of a low-pitched celeste". Its [[AvertedTrope beautiful voice]] shocks the first technician to test its responses. Alfred Lanning wishes they knew how to get the other robots to sound like it, too.
to:
* InSeriesNickname: The robot in this work is the LNE model, so Dr Dr. Calvin nicknames it Lenny.
* ItIsDehumanizing: AlthoughDr Dr. Asimov's robots aren't strictly masculine, it is nevertheless common for his characters to refer to them as "he" and to give them masculine [[InSeriesNickname nicknames]]. In this story, however, because the LNE prototype isn't even capable of normal conversation, the characters say "it" when talking about [[SecondaryCharacterTitle Lenny]].
* KillerRobot: U. S. Robots has an alarm for 'Robot out of control'. This story is the first time it is ever used, and at first nobody recognizes what it isfor.
for.
* MotherlyScientist: Dr. Calvin is notorious for being detached and unemotional. But in this story, she becomes very attached to Lenny under the pretext of studying his learning capabilities, and the end of the story reveals that she has taught him to call her "Mama".
* NoAntagonist: The conflict in this story is between Lanning (Research Director) and Calvin (Robopsychologist). Lanning is dealing with two problems; the fact that the LNE model has violated the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] by [[AIIsACrapshoot breaking someone's arm]] and that they aren't getting enough high-level job applications. Calvin is insistent that [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] has not violated First Law, and rationalizes her work with the prototype in a way to help Lanning encourage high-level job applications by appealing to people's sense of danger. Once she's left, Bogart points out to Lanning that Calvin is trying toMotherBear [[MotherlyScientist raise the prototype, prototype]], having taught it to call her "Mommie".
"Mama".
* RoboSpeak: Most robots inDr Dr. Asimov's robot series speak with a mechanical intonation, but when LNE-prototype is manufactured, it is described to speak with "the chimes of a low-pitched celeste". Its [[AvertedTrope beautiful voice]] shocks the first technician to test its responses. Alfred Lanning wishes they knew how to get the other robots to sound like it, too.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Although
* KillerRobot: U. S. Robots has an alarm for 'Robot out of control'. This story is the first time it is ever used, and at first nobody recognizes what it is
* MotherlyScientist: Dr. Calvin is notorious for being detached and unemotional. But in this story, she becomes very attached to Lenny under the pretext of studying his learning capabilities, and the end of the story reveals that she has taught him to call her "Mama".
* NoAntagonist: The conflict in this story is between Lanning (Research Director) and Calvin (Robopsychologist). Lanning is dealing with two problems; the fact that the LNE model has violated the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] by [[AIIsACrapshoot breaking someone's arm]] and that they aren't getting enough high-level job applications. Calvin is insistent that [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] has not violated First Law, and rationalizes her work with the prototype in a way to help Lanning encourage high-level job applications by appealing to people's sense of danger. Once she's left, Bogart points out to Lanning that Calvin is trying to
* RoboSpeak: Most robots in
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
* ThreeLawsCompliant: The climax comes from the fact that the [[InSeriesNicknam Lenny]] prototype may have actually broken the First Law. It ''did'' break a man's arm.
to:
* ThreeLawsCompliant: The climax comes from the fact that the [[InSeriesNicknam [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] prototype may have actually broken the First Law. It ''did'' break a man's arm.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
removed duplication
Changed line(s) 23 (click to see context) from:
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Lenny, the InSeriesNickname for LNE models, was built for mining boron from asteroids. However, due to
to:
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Lenny, the InSeriesNickname for LNE models, was built for mining boron from asteroids. However, due to an accident during the initial planning, it doesn't work correctly.
Deleted line(s) 25 (click to see context) :
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The title is based on the InSeriesNickname of the LNE prototype (Lenny), which is the [[MonsterOFTheWeek cause of this story's problem]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Page Creation
Added DiffLines:
First published in ''Magazine/InfinityScienceFiction'' (January 1958 issue), by Creator/IsaacAsimov, this is another Susan Calvin ShortStory, and features a robot that [[AIIsACrapshoot is capable of breaking]] the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law of Robotics]].
During a tour of United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, a visitor [[WhenItAllBegan plays with the computer]] and ruins the program for the prototype LNE model. The three company experts, Peter Bogert (Senior Mathematician), Alfred Lanning (Research Director), and Susan Calvin (Robopsychologist) discuss the matter.
Bogert and Lanning want to dismantle the useless construct, but Dr Calvin decides that she needs to run tests on the robot, and takes the prototype to her personal laboratory. Despite her insistence that there is something to be learned from the broken Lenny prototype, the otters don't believe her, and things come to a head when it breaks the arm of another employee.
"Lenny" has been republished several times; ''Literature/TheExpertDreamers'' (1962), ''Literature/DodiciVolteDomani'' (1964), ''Literature/TheRestOfTheRobots'' (1964), ''Literature/AndroidsTimeMachinesAndBlueGiraffes'' (1973), ''Literature/VisionsOfTomorrow'' (1976), ''Literature/TheCompleteRobot'' (1982), ''Literature/RobotVisionsCollection'' (1990), and ''Literature/TheCompleteStories, Volume 2'' (1992).
----
!!"Lenny" contains examples of:
* AIIsACrapshoot: Due to a visitor [[WhenItAllBegan playing around with]] the computer responsible for programming positronic brains, the titular LNE model ended up with a ruined positronic brain, unable to properly process even the most basic parts of its programming, [[ThreeLawsCompliant the Three Laws of Robotics]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dr Susan Calvin is the ''only'' robopsychologist at United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, and Director Lanning would ''love'' to fire her, due to [[IronLady perceived transgressions]] such as her decision to investigate and experiment on a robot that is so broken it cannot perform any work. However, he acknowledges that she is too valuable to fire, as she has personally saved the company millions of dollars.
-->Lanning nodded. He had lost count of the many times it would have done his soul good to have fired Susan Calvin. He had also lost count of the number of millions of dollars she had at one time or another saved the company. She was a truly indispensable woman and would remain one until she died-or until they could lick the problem of finding men and women of her own high caliber who were interested in robotics research.
* DramaticIrony: After Lanning declares that no harm can come of letting Dr Calvin work with the LNE prototype, the narration specifically takes time to point out how he was wrong, explaining that the [[KillerRobot 'Robot out of control']] alarm has been activated for the first time in the history of U. S. Robots.
-->In that, if in nothing else, he was wrong.
* InevitablyBrokenRule: The titular [[RobotNames LNE model]] ended up with a [[AIIsACrapshoot ruined positronic brain]], unable to properly process even the most basic parts of the Three Laws. It ends up accidentally breaking someone's arm.
* InSeriesNickname: The robot in this work is the LNE model, so Dr Calvin nicknames it Lenny.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Although Dr Asimov's robots aren't strictly masculine, it is nevertheless common for his characters to refer to them as "he" and to give them masculine [[InSeriesNickname nicknames]]. In this story, however, because the LNE prototype isn't even capable of normal conversation, the characters say "it" when talking about [[SecondaryCharacterTitle Lenny]].
* KillerRobot: U. S. Robots has an alarm for 'Robot out of control'. This story is the first time it is ever used, and at first nobody recognizes what it is for.
* NoAntagonist: The conflict in this story is between Lanning (Research Director) and Calvin (Robopsychologist). Lanning is dealing with two problems; the fact that the LNE model has violated the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] by [[AIIsACrapshoot breaking someone's arm]] and that they aren't getting enough high-level job applications. Calvin is insistent that [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] has not violated First Law, and rationalizes her work with the prototype in a way to help Lanning encourage high-level job applications by appealing to people's sense of danger. Once she's left, Bogart points out to Lanning that Calvin is trying to MotherBear the prototype, having taught it to call her "Mommie".
* RoboSpeak: Most robots in Dr Asimov's robot series speak with a mechanical intonation, but when LNE-prototype is manufactured, it is described to speak with "the chimes of a low-pitched celeste". Its [[AvertedTrope beautiful voice]] shocks the first technician to test its responses. Alfred Lanning wishes they knew how to get the other robots to sound like it, too.
* RobotNames: The LNE series gains the InSeriesNickname of "Lenny".
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Lenny, the InSeriesNickname for LNE models, was built for mining boron from asteroids. However, due to
* ThreeLawsCompliant: The climax comes from the fact that the [[InSeriesNicknam Lenny]] prototype may have actually broken the First Law. It ''did'' break a man's arm.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The title is based on the InSeriesNickname of the LNE prototype (Lenny), which is the [[MonsterOFTheWeek cause of this story's problem]].
* WhenItAllBegan: There are weekly tourists that come through the robot-design room, and one of the technicians forgot to lock the keyboard. So when Mortimer, one of the visitors, toyed with the console, it caused a portion of the positronic brain design for the LNE-prototype to be [[AIIsACrapshoot hopelessly jumbled]], making it the intellectual equivalent of a newborn baby.
* {{Zeerust}}: The character who gets injured by the LNE-prototype is a computer, meaning a human being employed as part of a team to do complex calculations by hand. Because this story was written in the late 1950s, it ''also'' begins to use the word computer to mean an electric machine capable of complex processing.
----
During a tour of United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, a visitor [[WhenItAllBegan plays with the computer]] and ruins the program for the prototype LNE model. The three company experts, Peter Bogert (Senior Mathematician), Alfred Lanning (Research Director), and Susan Calvin (Robopsychologist) discuss the matter.
Bogert and Lanning want to dismantle the useless construct, but Dr Calvin decides that she needs to run tests on the robot, and takes the prototype to her personal laboratory. Despite her insistence that there is something to be learned from the broken Lenny prototype, the otters don't believe her, and things come to a head when it breaks the arm of another employee.
"Lenny" has been republished several times; ''Literature/TheExpertDreamers'' (1962), ''Literature/DodiciVolteDomani'' (1964), ''Literature/TheRestOfTheRobots'' (1964), ''Literature/AndroidsTimeMachinesAndBlueGiraffes'' (1973), ''Literature/VisionsOfTomorrow'' (1976), ''Literature/TheCompleteRobot'' (1982), ''Literature/RobotVisionsCollection'' (1990), and ''Literature/TheCompleteStories, Volume 2'' (1992).
----
!!"Lenny" contains examples of:
* AIIsACrapshoot: Due to a visitor [[WhenItAllBegan playing around with]] the computer responsible for programming positronic brains, the titular LNE model ended up with a ruined positronic brain, unable to properly process even the most basic parts of its programming, [[ThreeLawsCompliant the Three Laws of Robotics]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dr Susan Calvin is the ''only'' robopsychologist at United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, and Director Lanning would ''love'' to fire her, due to [[IronLady perceived transgressions]] such as her decision to investigate and experiment on a robot that is so broken it cannot perform any work. However, he acknowledges that she is too valuable to fire, as she has personally saved the company millions of dollars.
-->Lanning nodded. He had lost count of the many times it would have done his soul good to have fired Susan Calvin. He had also lost count of the number of millions of dollars she had at one time or another saved the company. She was a truly indispensable woman and would remain one until she died-or until they could lick the problem of finding men and women of her own high caliber who were interested in robotics research.
* DramaticIrony: After Lanning declares that no harm can come of letting Dr Calvin work with the LNE prototype, the narration specifically takes time to point out how he was wrong, explaining that the [[KillerRobot 'Robot out of control']] alarm has been activated for the first time in the history of U. S. Robots.
-->In that, if in nothing else, he was wrong.
* InevitablyBrokenRule: The titular [[RobotNames LNE model]] ended up with a [[AIIsACrapshoot ruined positronic brain]], unable to properly process even the most basic parts of the Three Laws. It ends up accidentally breaking someone's arm.
* InSeriesNickname: The robot in this work is the LNE model, so Dr Calvin nicknames it Lenny.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Although Dr Asimov's robots aren't strictly masculine, it is nevertheless common for his characters to refer to them as "he" and to give them masculine [[InSeriesNickname nicknames]]. In this story, however, because the LNE prototype isn't even capable of normal conversation, the characters say "it" when talking about [[SecondaryCharacterTitle Lenny]].
* KillerRobot: U. S. Robots has an alarm for 'Robot out of control'. This story is the first time it is ever used, and at first nobody recognizes what it is for.
* NoAntagonist: The conflict in this story is between Lanning (Research Director) and Calvin (Robopsychologist). Lanning is dealing with two problems; the fact that the LNE model has violated the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] by [[AIIsACrapshoot breaking someone's arm]] and that they aren't getting enough high-level job applications. Calvin is insistent that [[InSeriesNickname Lenny]] has not violated First Law, and rationalizes her work with the prototype in a way to help Lanning encourage high-level job applications by appealing to people's sense of danger. Once she's left, Bogart points out to Lanning that Calvin is trying to MotherBear the prototype, having taught it to call her "Mommie".
* RoboSpeak: Most robots in Dr Asimov's robot series speak with a mechanical intonation, but when LNE-prototype is manufactured, it is described to speak with "the chimes of a low-pitched celeste". Its [[AvertedTrope beautiful voice]] shocks the first technician to test its responses. Alfred Lanning wishes they knew how to get the other robots to sound like it, too.
* RobotNames: The LNE series gains the InSeriesNickname of "Lenny".
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Lenny, the InSeriesNickname for LNE models, was built for mining boron from asteroids. However, due to
* ThreeLawsCompliant: The climax comes from the fact that the [[InSeriesNicknam Lenny]] prototype may have actually broken the First Law. It ''did'' break a man's arm.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The title is based on the InSeriesNickname of the LNE prototype (Lenny), which is the [[MonsterOFTheWeek cause of this story's problem]].
* WhenItAllBegan: There are weekly tourists that come through the robot-design room, and one of the technicians forgot to lock the keyboard. So when Mortimer, one of the visitors, toyed with the console, it caused a portion of the positronic brain design for the LNE-prototype to be [[AIIsACrapshoot hopelessly jumbled]], making it the intellectual equivalent of a newborn baby.
* {{Zeerust}}: The character who gets injured by the LNE-prototype is a computer, meaning a human being employed as part of a team to do complex calculations by hand. Because this story was written in the late 1950s, it ''also'' begins to use the word computer to mean an electric machine capable of complex processing.
----
