patc@tekchips.UUCP (06/26/84)
The story you might be thinking about is "Michaelmas" by A. Burdrys (?sp?). Michaelmas is a tv reporter and ex technofreek who has built a semi-senient computer which has tapped into a bunch of other computers and communication lines. He is using this ability to reduce the problems in the world by exposing crime and corruption before it gets out of hand. When he is away from home he communicates with the computer by using a radio disguised as a portable recorder( with video ...) as is normally used in his work. Sorry I dont have the ISBN number or copyright date its at home - and I just broke my recorder. Pat Caudill tektronix!tekchips!patc
hester%uci-750a@sri-unix.UUCP (06/28/84)
From: "Jim Hester" <hester@uci-750a> You might be thinking of Michaelmas by Algis Budrys. I hope not; it wasn't very good. Michaelmas was a news reporter who used an intelligent computer called Domino (disguised as a tape recorder) to link into and control the world's computer network. The plot was something unbelievable about aliens discovering Earth, and Michaelmas trying to drive them off without letting Earth know of the danger.
jss@brunix.UUCP (Judith Schrier) (07/04/84)
Ah, Michaelmas was a short story that was blown up into a novel. That explains what has been bothering me about it. The novel, by the way, was published 1977, by Berkley Medallion Books. It has nice characterization, and goes along quite well until some point where the author seems to realize that while he's got a nice, well-worked-out gimmick, he doesn't have a *plot*. So he tosses in some aliens with no motivation to give himself an ending. This is often a problem with otherwise good science fiction (possibly with non-science fiction, too. I don't read much of it). It is relatively easy to come up with a "what if", but much more difficult to create a plot. judith schrier brunix!jss