Insert Knob A in Hole B
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Insert Knob A in Hole B is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was first published in the December 1957 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories.
The story is unusually short, less than 1000 words, and arose from a televised panel discussion that Asimov took part in on 21 August 1957. During the panel discussion, Asimov was challenged to write a story on the spot. He accepted, and this story is the result. In fact, Asimov suspected something was afoot before the interview began, so he did some preparatory work just in case.
[edit] Plot
Two men on a remote space station waste large amounts of time assembling the devices which are shipped to them, unassembled and accompanied by vague and confusing instructions. They eagerly await the arrival of a complex, sophisticated assembly robot that will do the job for them.
Upon its arrival, they are nonplussed to find out that the robot had been shipped unassembled and accompanied by vague, confusing instructions.
| Nightfall and Other Stories |
| Nightfall | Green Patches | Hostess | Breeds There a Man...? | C-Chute | In a Good Cause- | What If- | Sally | Flies | Nobody Here But- | It's Such a Beautiful Day | Strikebreaker | Insert Knob A in Hole B | The Up-To-Date Sorcerer | Unto the Fourth Generation | What is This Thing Called Love? | The Machine that Won the War | My Son, the Physicist | Eyes Do More Than See | Segregationist |
