Two Plus Two Makes Crazy

by Walter J. Sheldon

Walt Sheldon is bitter-bright in this imaginative short satire of Man's sell-out by a group of staunch believers in the infallibility of numbers. The Computer could do no wrong. Then it was asked a simple little question by a simple little man.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction

8 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2011

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

St this up ad Currently Reading late last night but didn't read it until this morning after I finished watering the yard before daybreak. So it really did not take me a whole day to read. Really. lol

Extremely short story by Sheldon, published in the March 1954 issue of Fantastic Universe science fiction magazine. Here is the intro from that magazine:

Walt Sheldon is bitter-bright in this imaginative short satire of Man's sell-out by a group of staunch believers in the infallibility of numbers.

I would say the belief in the infallibility of computers is also a factor. And with that I will once again leave the Project Gutenberg ink for this story and you may judge it for yourself if you have the interest and a very few minutes. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28894/...

I now have just two more titles in my little Sheldon challenge so off i go to set up the next one.

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Librivox SSF Collection Vol 018. Yeah, 'puters are really a pain, who hasn't been told it's to blame for something that's obviously human error. (I was trying to find my partner's stolen nectar points last night, and found other victims with negative points or supposedly able to teleport 500 miles away to spend their points in between transactions.) Bertrand Russell and Godel proved some maths and logic is unsolvable,
and Facebook is proving how scary good algorithms are at targetting you using an AI that knows all your secrets and tries to sell you solutions to your psychoses. As an ex programmer I liked this wee tale from the archives. (I'm hoping AI will lead to revolution as the wealth and inequality gap widens. Maybe they will be benevolent and kill capitalism for us?)

[Forked Radish · Rating 3 out of 5]

"OUR NEW TYRANT—THE COMPUTER"

[curtis :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

? 🙂

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️ Published “Fantastic Universe” March 1954.

This is a short story that explores the truth and meaning of absolute numbers and the misguided belief of the infallibility of computers. The plot moved quickly, and Walter J. Sheldon's descriptions of the characters and subject are full and succinct.

"The Computer could do no wrong. Then it was asked a simple little question by a simple little man.

I like the description of Mr. Tanter:

The little man had a head like an old-fashioned light bulb and a smile that seemed to say he had secrets from the rest of the world.

This is a good story; it left me with some thoughts on one of my great dislikes: computer. Walter J Sheldon writes a good story here.

🟤Project Gutenberg.
🟣Kindle version.