Asteriod Man

Work Title: Asteriod Man
Medium: Novel
Episode Title:
Year: 1966
Writer(s): R.L. Fanthorpe
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

"There has been much enthusiasm generated when it comes to telepresence, tele-operation and virtual reality in [science fiction in] general - in the "Asteroid Man" by R.L. Fanthorpe (1960), in ..." (from http://www.itsf.org/brochure/virtual-reality.html)

Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

It is the year 2260. Planetary travel is common. Earth is allied with the other life forms in our solar system. it the the future as envisioned from the 1960s.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: robot
  • Description of the technology: A large robot, bigger than a man, guards the main control room of an asteroid ship. Its mission is to protect, but it is not that intelligent. It is agressive, strong, and violent.
  • Nature of task or activity: Greg, the protaganist, encounters the robot while trying to escape and defeat the evil master of the ship - asteroid man.
  • Performance of the Technology: It works well, but greg defeats it using his gun.
  • Description of creator(s): The asteriod man, Ulitmus. An ageless man, who drank the elixer of life, extremely intelligent, arrogant, paranoid. He is the ruler of the asteroid, and has created everything on it.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): To entertain himself, prove that he is the greatest, smartest. To prove that he could. To eventually take over the galaxy.
  • Description of users of technology: Greg defeats the robot - he is an astronaut, and adventurer. White, male, British, follows his instinct.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: The experience is scary and harrowing, a violent encounter. They physically battle, using weapons, and greg wins.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: yes
  • Valence of experience: unpleasant
  • Specific responses: greg is frightened, but must kill or be killed. Also, by gaining control of the control room, he can defeat asteroid man.
Long-term consequences:

Asteroid man is defeated, the princess is saved, greg lives. very happy ending.

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University