Autofac
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Autofac is a 1955 science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick that features one of the earliest treatments of self-replicating machines. It is set some years after an apocalyptic world war has devastated Earth's civilizations, leaving only a network of hardened robot "autofacs" in operation to supply goods to the human survivors. Once humanity has recovered enough to want to begin reconstruction, the autofacs are immediately targeted for shutdown since they monopolize the planet's resources. Unfortunately, the ability to control the autofacs was lost in the war. This leaves the future of humanity, and the planet, in uncertainty as the autofacs consume every resource they can attain to produce what they perceive as needed. The story involves the human survivors as they try to steal the supplies they need and search for a way to take the power of production back into their own hands.
Dick was acquainted to several socialist and communist personalities in northern California, and was even under investigation by the FBI at times. Though Dick eschewed the communist community in general, this story is one the stories whose ideas connect with those socialist minds.
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| Short Stories by Phillip K Dick |
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The Cookie Lady | Stability | Roog | Project: Earth | Expendable (short story) | The Little Movement | The Preserving Machine | The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford | Beyond Lies the Wub | The Gun (short story) | The Skull (short story) | The Defenders | Mr. Spaceship | Piper In The Woods | The Infinities | The Indefatigable Frog | The Variable Man | The Crystal Crypt | The Builder | Meddler | Paycheck | Out In The Garden | The Great C | The King Of The Elves | Colony (short story) | Prize Ship | Nanny (short story) | Beyond the Door | Second Variety | Jon's World | The Cosmic Poachers | Some Kinds of Life | Progeny | Martians Come In Clouds | The Commuter | The World She Wanted | A Surface Raid | The Trouble with Bubbles | A Present for Pat | Breakfast at Twilight | Of Withered Apples | The Hood Maker | Human Is | The Impossible Planet (short story) | Adjustment Team | Impostor | James P. Crow | Planet For Transients | Small Town | Souvenir | Survey Team | Vulcan's Hammer | Prominent Author | Fair Game | The Hanging Stranger | The Eyes Have It | Time Pawn | The Golden Man | The Turning Wheel | The Last of the Masters | The Father-thing | Strange Eden | A Glass of Darkness | Tony and the Beetles | Null-O | Exhibit Piece | To Serve the Master | The Crawlers | Sales Pitch | Shell Game | Upon the Dull Earth | Foster, You're Dead! | Pay for the Printer | War Veteran | The Chromium Fence | Misadjustment | A World of Talent | Psi-man Heal My Child! | Service Call | Autofac | Captive Market | The Mold of Yancy | Minority Report | The Unreconstructed M | Recall Mechanism | Explorers We | War Game | If There Were No Benny Cemoli | Novelty Act | Waterspider | What the Dead Men Say | Orpheus with Clay Feet | Stand-by (short story) | The Days of Perky Pat | What'll We Do With Ragland Park? | Oh, to be a Blobel! | All We Marsmen | The War with the Fnools | Cantata 140 | A Game of Unchance | The Little Black Box | Precious Artifact | The Unteleported Man | Retreat Syndrome | Project Plowshare | Faith of our Fathers | We Can Remember It For You Wholesale | Holy Quarrel | Your Appointment Will Be Yesterday | Return Match | Not By Its Cover | The Story To End All Stories | The Electric Ant | A. Lincoln, Simulacrum | Cadbury, the Beaver Who Lacked | The Different Stages Of Love | A Little Something For Us Tempunauts | The Pre-persons | The Eye of The Sibyl | The Exit Door Leads In | Chains Of Air, Web Of Aethyr | Strange Memories Of Death | I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon | Rautavaara's Case | Fawn, Look Back | The Alien Mind | The Day Mr. Computer Fell Out Of Its Tree | Goodbye, Vincent | 11-17-80 | The Name of the Game is Death |
