Key Item Isaac Asimov

Published: Oct. 28, 2022, 5:44 a.m.

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Multivac has problems. It does not respond to commands, and isn\\u2019t following its built-in program to self-diagnose the cause. As the global economy depends on Mulitvac, this could result in panic across the world. Teams of technicians have been trying to identify what is wrong for three days. Finally, a scientist discovers the \\u201ckey item\\u201d needed to fix the problem. It is a simple thing that we are all taught to use as children.  Jack Weaver came out of the vitals of Multivac looking utterly worn and disgusted.  From the stool, where the other maintained his own stolid watch, Todd Nemerson said, \\u201cNothing?\\u201d  \\u201cNothing,\\u201d said Weaver. \\u201cNothing, nothing, nothing. No one can find anything wrong with it.\\u201d  \\u201cExcept that it won\\u2019t work, you mean.\\u201d  \\u201cYou\\u2019re no help sitting there!\\u201d  \\u201cI\\u2019m thinking.\\u201d  \\u201cThinking!\\u201d Weaver showed a canine at one side of his mouth.  Nemerson stirred impatiently on his stool. \\u201cWhy not? There are six teams of computer technologist roaming around in the corridors of Mulitvac. They haven\\u2019t come up with anything in three days. Can\\u2019t you spare one person to think?\\u201d  \\u201cIt\\u2019s not a matter of thinking. We\\u2019ve got to look. Somewhere a relay is stuck.\\u201d  \\u201cIt\\u2019s not that simple, Jack!\\u201d  \\u201cWho says it\\u2019s simple? You know how many million relays we have there?\\u201d  \\u201cThat doesn\\u2019t matter. If it were just a relay, Multivac would have alternate circuits, devices for locating the flaw, and facilities to repair or replace the ailing part. The trouble is, Mulitvac won\\u2019t only not answer the original question, it won\\u2019t tell us what\\u2019s wrong with it\\u2026 And meanwhile, there\\u2019ll be panic in every city if we don\\u2019t do something. The world\\u2019s economy depends on Mulitvac, and everyone knows that.\\u201d  \\u201cI know it, too. But what\\u2019s there to do?\\u201d  \\u201cI told you, think. There must be something we\\u2019re missing completely. Look, Jack, there isn\\u2019t a computer bigwig in a hundred years who hasn\\u2019t devoted himself to making Mulitvac more complicated. It can do so much now \\u2014 it can even talk and listen. It\\u2019s practically as complex as the human brain. We can\\u2019t understand the human brain, so why should we understand Mulitvac?\\u201d  \\u201cAw, come on. Next you\\u2019ll be saying Multivac is human.\\u201d

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