Isaac Asimov's 'The Last Question'

[Wyrminarrd]

Personally I think this would have been a better ending:

Spoiler:

The computer having all information it´s ever going to get simply answers "No, entrophy can´t be reversed." and shuts itself down.

[DigiFluid]

I can level only one, minute criticism at the otherwise supperb story: It never names the solution. The solution that puts all other things into order. Indeed, the very counter to entropy itself! The final computer, which had taken the mantle of every challenge put before it, was left with the ultimate question of the universe! And the answer was...

Spoiler:

42

Nah, the answer would have been needless technobabble. I don't want to see Asimov writing about reversing the phase variance on the nacelles while alterting the transducence of the deflector array and jerry-rigging them in tandom to correct the instability in the warp core. Hello Star Trek voyager.

Spoiler:

Besides that, I think the "let there be light!" line is its solution. Trillions and millions and billions of years of technological and human evolution to the point that their combined knowledge becomes one in the form of (what would later be believed to be) deity, working together to recreate the universe. "Let there be light" is the succicint and non-boring way to do it....

Personally I think this would have been a better ending:

Spoiler:

The computer having all information it´s ever going to get simply answers "No, entrophy can´t be reversed." and shuts itself down.

That would've been a bit of a buzzkill, no?

[Wyrminarrd]

That would've been a bit of a buzzkill, no?

Depends on your perspective, I for one would have found it very amusing and a lot more plausable.

[Anubis69]

Personally I think this would have been a better ending:

Spoiler:

The computer having all information it´s ever going to get simply answers "No, entrophy can´t be reversed." and shuts itself down.

... Probably why you're not a sci-fi writer. :-#

[Rac80]

Oh, I love this story.

ACtualyl it has a very special place in my heart for quite a silly reason - year 8 we had a big book of short stories for literature class, loads of short stories. My dad just gave me his copy of the Foundatino books tor ead because we have quite a similar taste in books (and music and television and whatnot really) and so he said he thinks I'd like it - which I really did. And then, in the boredom of class, I discovered the story on the book and went "cool, Asimov!" and read it, pretending to be studying.
IT happened more than once, they were very boring classes. And I was so happy it was there, time and again

Asimov is one of my favourite writers. This short story was an interesting read. Thanks for the link

Nah, the answer would have been needless technobabble. I don't want to see Asimov writing about reversing the phase variance on the nacelles while alterting the transducence of the deflector array and jerry-rigging them in tandom to correct the instability in the warp core. Hello Star Trek voyager.

Spoiler:

Besides that, I think the "let there be light!" line is its solution. Trillions and millions and billions of years of technological and human evolution to the point that their combined knowledge becomes one in the form of (what would later be believed to be) deity, working together to recreate the universe. "Let there be light" is the succicint and non-boring way to do it....

That would've been a bit of a buzzkill, no?

I love asimov and his writings, actually one of the funniest is the biographical sketch he wrote for his books. The man could laugh at himself! I loved this story from the first for after all what matter is intelligence! It was a great bit of understatement.

[Krisz]

Thanks for the link Digifluid. It's been a long time since I've picked up a selection of short stories and this reminded me of how much I love reading them. The thought of this endless cycle of life is mind boggling and that's what I love about Asimov's stories. The setting and language maybe of the time it was written in but the concepts and food for thought he presents are timeless.