Project Gutenberg 2016-02-27 Public domain in the USA. 87 Blomberg, Con Dillon, Diane 1933 Dillon, Diane Claire Sorber Dillon, Leo 1933 2012 Make me an offer Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Make Me an Offer" by Con Blomberg is a science fiction short story that was published in the late 1950s. The narrative presents a satirical take on urban management and the consequences of technological overreach, depicting a future where city planning and resource allocation are controlled by a highly advanced computer system known as the Civic Machine. The story explores themes of individuality, societal needs, and the conflicts that arise when human desires clash with automated decision-making. In the story, the protagonist, Ross Ro, a city manager, faces public opposition when he proposes to cover Central Park with a permanent artificial roof, believing it will enhance its appeal. However, a local activist, Mrs. Hatty Dakkon, rallies the women of the city against the project, emphasizing the importance of natural weather experiences for children. As Ro tries to control the public's demand through the Civic Machine, he inadvertently triggers an overwhelming order for gelatin molds due to a coordinated campaign by Dakkon and her supporters. In a frantic attempt to avoid financial disaster from the machine's automated supply chain, Ro ultimately abandons the roof project, illustrating the unpredictable nature of collective human behavior in the face of technological systems. The story delivers a humorous yet cautionary message about the reliance on technology and the importance of listening to community voices. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Science fiction Short stories New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction Protest movements -- Fiction City managers -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction 41911 41916 2024-09-21T12:01:30.225150 2023-09-22T09:03:54.158928 text/html text/html 38164 2016-02-27T10:13:54 text/html; charset=us-ascii 204186 2016-02-27T10:13:54 text/html; charset=us-ascii application/zip 227430 2024-09-21T12:01:32.176135 application/epub+zip 226334 2024-09-21T12:01:30.601136 application/epub+zip 82837 2024-09-21T12:01:30.398144 application/epub+zip 261655 2024-09-21T12:01:33.376179 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 254356 2024-09-21T12:01:31.964150 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 111149 2022-09-23T11:07:46.740300 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 35228 35133 2024-09-21T12:01:30.108154 2023-09-22T09:03:53.974885 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 35435 2016-02-27T10:13:54 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 13465 2016-02-27T10:13:54 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 19825 2024-09-21T12:01:33.511136 application/rdf+xml 28273 2024-09-21T12:01:30.463136 image/jpeg 4534 2024-09-21T12:01:30.430151 image/jpeg 205158 2024-09-21T12:01:30.235179 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog