h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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The positronic brain was the type of brain used in all of Asimov's robots (as far as I am aware). Bicentennial Man was a short story written by Asimov (at least, it was called that in England), and then adpoted and expanded on by the film industry. I have it in the book 'The Complete Robot', which features many of Asimov's short robot stories, including the ones in 'I, Robot'. I assume that the book 'Bicentennial Man and Other Stories' is a collection brought out to cash in on the film...
And why not?

"The Bicentennial Man" was always a book of short-stories that was published in the late 70s - I've got a battered copy I've had for years on my shelf at home. Isaac Asimov later re-wrote the story with Silverberg and re-titled it "The Positronic Man" (not brain) and turned it into a full length novel, but neither version is anywhere near what the film made it - which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Not as good as the novel, true, and several awful moments, but I was expecting far worse.

Strange how Asimov only wrote it because he was among many authors asked to write a short-story called The Bicentennial Man to celebrate America's bicentennery...

Just quoting from the video myself, and I'd assume they knew what they based it on.

Strange... Perhaps they re-titled it in the UK?

"The positronic man" is the title that struck a cord with me. of course I would be totally stunned if "Hollywood" got it wrong ~grin~

*feeling humbled*

Watched it again today, and concur fully with what Bluebottle said (if you see the size and style of writing used in the titles, you'll appreciate my temporary eyesight failure)

'Based on the short story 'Bicentennial man' by Isaac Asimov, and the novel 'The Positronic Man' by Asimov and Silverberg.'

I'm not in the habit of watching the same film twice within 48 hours, but this one was just as good second time around.

~A~

No, it isn't. THe Bicentenial Man and other stories came out while Asimov was stil alive, about the same time that the Bicentenial Manwon a Hugo for Best Novella. The movie came out in about 2000, after Asimov was dead.

Which is what we had agreed on. No-one is arguing that "The Bicentennial Man" was made before Asimov died - the point we agreed is that the film is very roughly, in a Hollywood sort of way, based on the novel & short story written by Isaac Asimov, and that the collection was released in the late 70s.

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