Ciencia

Super-Toys Last All Summer Long                                        Nicole Colin Felix

By Brian Aldiss                                                                        A00959437

Super toys Last All Summer Long is a short story by Brian Aldiss that presents a scenario of future life. Several topics are implied in this short story, but the main topic presented in this short story is the future problems in society.

This story is based in a family that live in the future. Henry and Monica Swinton are a married couple that don’t have children. Henry is the managing director of a company that creates artificial intelligence. This company has created robots throughout the years, and is now creating thinking robots. Monica is a house wife that spends the most of her time thinking alone. In order to stop with Monica’s isolation, she has two robots that make her company, David and Teddy. David is a dreamy boy, while Teddy follows orders around the house. David has issues expressing his feelings to Monica and he is confused about life. That same day, Monica gets a notification that she is allowed to conceive a child with Henry. The news makes them really happy, but they are concerned what to do with David and Teddy now that they are having a child of their own. David and Teddy will be stay with them depending on their behavior before the baby comes. In the scenario presents, there is overpopulation and two-thirds of the world is starving. Isolation continues to grow, hence why the company Henry works for is creating robots. There is not enough space and the use of holograms is necessary in doors to make the illusion of bigger homes.

The scenario presented by Aldiss presents his idea to what the future issues that society will have to deal with: overpopulation, starvation, malnutrition, isolation, problems with artificial intelligence, among others. Birth has to be controlled by the government in order to stop overpopulation. The use of robots will be needed to end isolation. The windows of the houses are dark in order to avoid seeing the overpopulated city. This future is not the one we are looking forward to. The author presents us these issues in this short story and really makes us think about the things we are doing wrong, in order to avoid this in the future.

Bibliography

Aldiss, B. (1969). Super-Toys Last All Summer Long. AZX Publications.

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