2nd Variety in Bloomington, MN

2nd Variety
, "
Second Variety
", is a science fiction short story by
Philip K. Dick
, first published 1953. The story is one of the first to anticipate and warn against the rise of
Weaponized AI
military artificial intelligence arms race
" and "
offensive autonomous weapons
".
Autonomous weapons, human-robot strike teams, autonomous land mines, and covert swarms of minuscule robotic spies, have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms.
In the story, a nuclear war between Russia and the West has reduced much of the world to a barren wasteland. The war continues, however, among the scattered remains of humanity. The Western forces have developed "
killer robots
", which are autonomous self-replicating robots to fight on their side.
The story is one of
Philip Dick
's many stories in which nuclear war has rendered the Earth's surface uninhabitable. The story was adapted into the movie
Screamers
in 1995.
Other
's short stories included in this print edition include
The Eyes Have It
,
The Skull
Beyond The Door
Beyond Lies The Wub
The Defenders
The Gun
and
Mr. Spaceship
.
(1928-1982) remains one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of the last century and a looming and illuminating presence in this one.
has received unprecedented recognition for his contributions to modern literature, specifically in the area of science fiction. His 45 novels and over 210 short stories have been adapted into numerous films, including the blockbusters
Minority Report
Total Recall
, and
Blade Runner
, as well as
Impostor
Paycheck
Scanner Darkly
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