computer science

When HARLIE Was One

When HARLIE Was One is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand When HARLIE Was One rather than just read about it. In short: When HARLIE Was One is a 1972 science fiction novel by American writer David Gerrold. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1972 and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1973.

Key takeaways

When HARLIE Was One belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect When HARLIE Was One to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of When HARLIE Was One from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

When HARLIE Was One is a 1972 science fiction novel by American writer David Gerrold. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1972 and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1973. The novel, a "fix-up" of previously published short stories, was published as an original paperback by Ballantine Books in 1972, with an accompanying Science Fiction Book Club release. A revised version, subtitled "Release 2.0", was published in 1988 by Bantam Books. The book is dedicated to Steven Earl Parent, one of the victims of the Tate-LaBianca murders, who was killed by members of the Manson family at 10050 Cielo Drive. “For Steven Earl Parent, with love. Sleep well, old friend. You got the job done.”

Plot introduction Central to the story is an artificial intelligence named H.A.R.L.I.E., also referred to by the proper name "HARLIE"—an acronym for Human Analog Replication, Lethetic Intelligence Engine (originally Human Analog Robot Life Input Equivalents). HARLIE's story revolves around his relationship with David Auberson, the psychologist who is responsible for guiding HARLIE from childhood into adulthood. It is also the story of HARLIE's fight against being turned off, and the philosophical question of whether or not HARLIE is human; for that matter, what it means to be human. When HARLIE Was One contains one of the first fictional representations of a computer virus (preceded by Gregory Benford in 1970), and one of the first uses of the term "virus" to describe a program that infects another computer.

Reception Theodore Sturgeon reported that the novel "carries a good freight of social and psychological insight".

In other works The HARLIE intelligence engine appears in a number of Gerrold's other works:

In the Star Wolf series, HARLIE is routinely installed as the administrating AI of Terran warships. The Dingilliad series, Jumping Off the Planet, Bouncing Off the Moon, and Leaping to the Stars. A Nest for Nightmares, the fifth book of The War Against the Chtorr.

References

External links When HARLIE Was One title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database When HARLIE Was One, Release 2.0 title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with When HARLIE Was One

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what When HARLIE Was One claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to When HARLIE Was One before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about When HARLIE Was One ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of When HARLIE Was One

In research: When HARLIE Was One appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses When HARLIE Was One in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: When HARLIE Was One is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1972 American novels, 1972 English-language novels, 1972 science fiction novels, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for When HARLIE Was One outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study When HARLIE Was One in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what When HARLIE Was One means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain When HARLIE Was One out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is When HARLIE Was One in simple terms?

When HARLIE Was One is a 1972 science fiction novel by American writer David Gerrold. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1972 and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1973.

Why does When HARLIE Was One matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study When HARLIE Was One?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on When HARLIE Was One.