Dimension X: Almost Human adapted from a story by Robert Bloch
This is a truly terrible story, by someone who is normally perceived to be a great author, Robert Bloch. I suspect Bloch chose the pseudonym for this one because it is so bad. Indeed, I suspect this is precisely the kind of story Isaac Asimov was trying to defeat with his Three Laws of Robotics. But beyond the dangerous robot trope it also features, at least to my ears, the most creepily lascivious robot ever!
Junior is oily, immoral, and oversexed.
Ewww!
Dimension X – Almost Human
Adapted from the story by Robert Bloch; Adapted by George Lefferts; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 29 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: May 13, 1950
A gun moll answers an ad to be a nursemaid to a baby robot, things are fine until her boyfriend, a professional thief, shows up and teaches the robot a few things. First published in Fantastic Adventures, June 1943.
UPDATE:
Here’s Robert Bloch’s introductory essay to Almost Human (as written for My Best Science Fiction Story a 1949 anthology edited by Leo Margulies and Oscar J. Friend):
Posted by Jesse Willis
Molle Mystery Theatre: The Beckoning Fair One (adapted from the novella by Oliver Onions)
Molle Mystery Theatre – The Beckoning Fair One
Adapted from the novella by Oliver Onions; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 31 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: June 5, 1945
Source: Vintage Horror Radio
Posted by Jesse Willis
The Roads Must Roll by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein’s short story The Roads Must Roll features a future in which a small union of engineers seize control of the nation’s vital infrastructure. This replacement for the highway and railroad systems is a series of massive conveyor belts allowing for the flow of goods and people around the country.
Here’s the synopsis from ISFDB:
Set in a future where the automobile has been replaced by The Roads, a gigantic set of parallel conveyor belts. The belts run at different speeds allowing a pedestrian to enter the Road at slow speed, and make his way to the center, where speeds are in excess of 100 MPH. Follows the exploits of Gaines, the Transport Commissioner, as he tries to put down a strike by the Rolling Roads Guild.
Dimension X – The Roads Must Roll
Adapted from the novelette by Robert A. Heinlein; Script by Ernest Kinoy; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: September 1, 1950
The more complex, the more integrated a civilization is, the more fragile it becomes to – sabotage! First published in Astounding, June 1940.
X-Minus One – The Roads Must Roll
Adapted from the novelette by Robert A. Heinleinl; Script by Ernest Kinoy; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: January 4, 1956
The more complex, the more integrated a civilization is, the more fragile it becomes to – sabotage! First published in Astounding, June 1940.
Posted by Jesse Willis
Worldcon HUGO Ceremonies coverage pulled from Ustream after showing clips from BBC and NBC
A live video of this year’s Worldcon Hugo Awards (Chicon 7: The 70th World Science Fiction Convention), held in Chicago, was being streamed on Ustream until shortly after clips from three Doctor Who episodes, an episode of Community, and a clip from last year’s Hugo Awards ceremony were shown. Neil Gaiman was giving his acceptance speech, for The Doctor’s Wife, when he was suddenly cut-off and replaced by a black screen and the words “Worldcon was removed due to violation of terms of service.”
Speculation by viewers, in the chat room associated with Ustream included surmises such as “Well, someone DCMA’d the Hugo live webcast” – and yet another chatter rightly pointed out that the clips used were “clearly FAIR USE.”
Things are clearly fucked up south of the border when a private “TERMS OF SERVICE” acts in place of copyright.
The next Hugo Awards ceremony should be released via torrent.
Update:
“Samuel Montgomery-Blinn Official announcement from @Chicon7 says that Ustream won’t be bringing this back online.”
Update II:
Posted by Jesse Willis
There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
Set in either 2026 or 1985, this story – the tale of a lonely house in California is the first that sprung to mind after I heard about Ray Bradbury’s death this morning.
Part of The Martian Chronicles, but first published in the May 6th, 1950 issue of Collier’s Weekly, the entire text of Ray Badbury’s classic There Will Come Soft Rains is viewable at UNZ.org:
Here’s a printable |PDF|.
Audiobooks:
There Will Come Soft Rains
By Ray Bradbury; Read by Burgess Meredith
1 |MP3| – Approx. 18 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Lively Arts
Published: 1962
Product #: LA 30004
There Will Come Soft Rains
By Ray Bradbury; Read by Leonard Nimoy
1 |MP3| – Approx. 15 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Caedmon
Published: 1975
Radio dramatizations:
Dimension X – There Will Come Soft Rains
Adapted by George Lefferts; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 29 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: June 17, 1950
X-Minus One – There Will Come Soft Rains (and Zero Hour)
Adapted by George Lefferts; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: December 5, 1956
There’s only a snippet from the beginning of this one…
There Will Come Soft Rains
Adapted by Malcolm Clarke
1 |MP3| – Approx. 2 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: May 11, 1977
Wally Wood’s depiction of the house from the comic adaptation in Weird Fantasy #17:
Video adaptations:
There will fall soft rains by DublinBen
There Will Come Soft Rains from Peter Cotter on Vimeo.
Fallout 3 homage:
The original poem:
And finally, part of the inspiration for the story, here is the Sarah Teasdale poem as read by Ruth Golding for LibriVox: |MP3|
Posted by Jesse Willis
The Defenders by Philip K. Dick
Did you know that Philip K. Dick’s fifth published story, The Defenders, is public domain? It is!
Like many of Dick’s tales The Defenders this is a post-atomic war story. The planet’s surface devastated, flushed with radioactivity, and has been abandoned. The population now lives in vast underground cities. In their place intelligent robots fight in their place.
I’ve put together a |PDF| from the original publication in Galaxy Science Fiction, which includes terrific illustrations by Ed Emshwiller. And there’s a complete ETEXT version available through Project Gutenberg. And LibriVox has the audiobook edition. Enjoy!
The Defenders
By Philip K. Dick; Read by Gregg Margarite
1 |MP3| – Approx. 50 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: May 21, 2009
No weapon has ever been frightful enough to put a stop to war—perhaps because we never before had any that thought for themselves! From Galaxy Science Fiction January 1953.
And here’s the radio drama adaptation:
X Minus One – The Defenders
Based on the story by Philip K. Dick; Adapted by George Lefferts; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 28 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: May 22, 1956
Provider: Internet Archive
East and West make war above ground with robots while both sides live underground … or do they?
Cast:
Lydia Bruce
Warren Parker
Grant Richards
Mike Ingram
Stan Early
Here’s the X Minus One adaptation that I’ve put together with the original art from its publication in the Galaxy Science Fiction, January 1953 issue:
Posted by Jesse Willis
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