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View Poll Results: Poor farmers or robots? Vote for your choice.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov 19 38.00%
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 31 62.00%
Voters: 50. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 11-29-2012, 01:29 PM   #46
Hamlet53
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Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
Too bad. I'd read Ethan Frome if it had no words.
I would read I, Robot if it only consisted of Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics."


Spoiler:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Later revised by Asimov to include a zeroth law:

0. A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Sort of like the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamic being added to the other three.


That would get everything of merit in without having to read all the dated and silly stuff.

Then a lively discussion could ensue.
Asimov’s Laws of Robotics Are Total BS Alert, link contains "Robotic Laws" spoilers.


Last edited by Hamlet53; 11-29-2012 at 02:14 PM.
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Old 11-29-2012, 01:32 PM   #47
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Lurkers get to vote. I'm sure there are lurkers voting for I, Robot, too. If you have a preference and will be encouraged to read a book or follow the discussion, why not?
Yes, I have observed that the ratio of voters to those who participate in ensuing discussions seldom exceeds 20-30%. Those who either read the selected book, are at least made aware of it, or enjoy the discussion is no doubt much higher.
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Old 11-29-2012, 05:53 PM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hamlet53 View Post
I would read I, Robot if it only consisted of Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics."


Spoiler:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Later revised by Asimov to include a zeroth law:

0. A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Sort of like the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamic being added to the other three.


That would get everything of merit in without having to read all the dated and silly stuff.

Then a lively discussion could ensue.
Asimov’s Laws of Robotics Are Total BS Alert, link contains "Robotic Laws" spoilers.

That article is BS. It debunks the laws buy giving real world examples which don't mean a thing because this is science fiction, not non-fiction. The author is full of BS and has his head firmly entrench up his ass.

We could start a thread on Ethan Frome entitled. "Ethan Frome is severely depressing and poorly written (spoilers unfortunately)"
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Old 11-29-2012, 06:27 PM   #49
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We could start a thread on Ethan Frome entitled. "Ethan Frome is severely depressing and poorly written (spoilers unfortunately)"
I think Ethan Frome is grim but also a small gem. Why, specifically, do you think it's poorly written?
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Old 11-29-2012, 09:08 PM   #50
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Originally Posted by issybird View Post
I think Ethan Frome is grim but also a small gem. Why, specifically, do you think it's poorly written?
Because it's a lousy read. It's one of those books that once you read it, you want that wasted part of your life back.
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:19 AM   #51
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Because it's a lousy read. It's one of those books that once you read it, you want that wasted part of your life back.
Not sure about Ethan Frome, but I felt that way about Dostoyevsky and some Hardy... Even Grapes of Wrath was a story I was relieved to finish.

Life's too short (and my TBR list too long!) to read books that bum me out. (higher tolerance if it's historically accurate and informative historical fiction)

I wouldn't say they're bad or poorly written based on that, though - just not my cup of tea. Neither is SF, dystopian, or depressing fantasy.

I'll give Ethan Frome a chance, especially since it's so short. I'll sandwich it between Georgette Heyer and Julie Garwood romps, just in case.
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:41 AM   #52
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I have prepared an epub version of Ethan Frome with some corrections, which you can find here.
Thank you.
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Old 11-30-2012, 06:11 AM   #53
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I can't tolerate Hardy...not after a lengthy paper involving several of his works. Please tell me Ethan Frome is not as bad as Hardy....would much rather read I, Robot for the month of December, even if I do have to pay for it.
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Old 11-30-2012, 06:26 AM   #54
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I hope I won't forget it until we finally reach the December vote but I think I will propose Short Fiction then. It's a little bit sad to see that our decision this time mostly depends on the length of the book. I'm not criticising at all, I understand all the reasons very well, but Classics deserve better (at least many of them)!
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:20 AM   #55
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The vote is now 29 to 19 in favor of Ethan Frome. I've already started reading I, Robot because I believe those areas in which the polls have not yet closed are solid Classic Sci-Fi Party districts.
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:36 AM   #56
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The vote is now 29 to 19 in favor of Ethan Frome. I've already started reading I, Robot because I believe those areas in which the polls have not yet closed are solid Classic Sci-Fi Party districts.
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:56 AM   #57
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I hope I won't forget it until we finally reach the December vote but I think I will propose Short Fiction then. It's a little bit sad to see that our decision this time mostly depends on the length of the book. I'm not criticising at all, I understand all the reasons very well, but Classics deserve better (at least many of them)!
It's not just December. People were complaining last month about the length of Cloud Atlas. I would hate to see a major criteria for monthly book selection become that the book be short and up beat. Perhaps another possibility for December in 2013 would be to make that the comedy month? That is if comedy is retained as a category.
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:57 AM   #58
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The vote is now 29 to 19 in favor of Ethan Frome. I've already started reading I, Robot because I believe those areas in which the polls have not yet closed are solid Classic Sci-Fi Party districts.
Carl Rove is that you?
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:59 AM   #59
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I can't tolerate Hardy...not after a lengthy paper involving several of his works. Please tell me Ethan Frome is not as bad as Hardy....would much rather read I, Robot for the month of December, even if I do have to pay for it.
Frome is pretty bad and very depressing. Not a good choice for December when there is a lot of depression and suicide.
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Old 11-30-2012, 09:06 AM   #60
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It's not just December. People were complaining last month about the length of Cloud Atlas. I would hate to see a major criteria for monthly book selection become that the book be short and up beat. Perhaps another possibility for December in 2013 would be to make that the comedy month? That is if comedy is retained as a category.
I did read Cloud Atlas and the length was not an issue. It was a very easy read. That's one thing I don't see people taking into account. I, Robot is longer, but it's going to be an easier read then Ethan Frome.

People, please don't vote for something because it's shorter. Frome is actually longer in some ways due to it not being an easy read. It's boring, depressing, and written in a way you may not be used to. So it may very well feel like a chore to read where as I, Robot will be a breeze to read even though it is longer.
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