Message-ID: <70@rti-sel.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Jan-85 11:24:27 EST
Article-I.D.: rti-sel.70
Posted: Thu Jan 17 11:24:27 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Jan-85 10:32:05 EST
References: <280@topaz.ARPA> <4237@ucbvax.ARPA>
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, NC
Lines: 25

> >   The main character repeatly gets drunk and suffers from blackouts.
> > During his blackout periods he manages to invent machines.
> 
> Your friend may be thinking of "The Proud Robot" by Henry Kuttner.

I don't think that is it. I remember the story as being about an inventor
who during his last blackout made a machine that eats dirt through a hose
and produces an almost invisible clear cable. He had three contract:

	excavate a lot without disturbing the surrounding area and not
		trucking off a lot of dirt.
	make a manual control system wire that would not wear and break
		with a lot of usage and bending.
	make a 3-d television system.

the machine does all 3. it eats the dirt and produces the cable that is
much lower in volume and weight than the dirt for problem 1. the cable 
is monomolecular and so will not break from repeated twisting. (#2 
taken care of) And the optical properties of the cable will make for
a perfect 3-d system. (#3 taken care of) Unfortunately, I don't remember
the author or title either.

					Randy Buckland
					Research Triangle Institute
					...!mcnc!rti-sel!rcb