publisher the cookie monster 
Artificial intelligence ( AI ) is intelligence exhibited by machines . In computer science , an ideal " intelligent " machine is a flexible rational agent that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of ___MASK97___ at some goal . Colloquially , the term " artificial intelligence " is applied when a machine mimics " cognitive " functions that humans associate with other human minds , such as " learning " and " problem solving ". As machines become increasingly capable , mental facilities once thought to require intelligence are removed from the definition . For example , optical character recognition is no longer perceived as an exemplar of " artificial intelligence ", having become a routine technology . Capabilities currently classified as AI include successfully understanding human speech , competing at a high level in strategic game systems ( such as Chess and Go ), self - driving cars , and interpreting complex data . Some people also consider AI a danger to humanity if it progresses unabatedly . Speculative fiction is a broad umbrella genre denoting any narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements ; this encompasses the genres of science fiction , fantasy , horror , alternative history , magic realism , and superhero fiction , as well as combinations of the previous genres . It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical ___MASK5___ and supernatural entities , technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships , or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements . The term ' s popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein , who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay , although there are prior mentions of speculative fiction , or its variant " speculative literature ". The Cookie Monster is a novella by Vernor Vinge . It was first published in the October 2003 issue of ___MASK80___ Magazines ' anthology publication Analog , and has subsequently been included in several science fiction anthologies . It won the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Novella . Science fiction ( often shortened to SF , sci - fi or scifi ) is a genre of speculative fiction , typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology , space travel , time travel , ___MASK91___ travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations , and has been called a " literature of ideas ." It usually avoids the supernatural , and unlike the related genre of fantasy , historically science fiction stories were intended to have a grounding in science - based fact or theory at the time the story was created , but this connection is now limited to hard science fiction . A short story is a piece of prose fiction that can be read in one sitting . Emerging from earlier oral storytelling traditions in the 17th ___MASK25___ , the short story has grown to encompass a body of work so diverse as to defy easy characterization . At its most prototypical the short story features a small cast of named characters , and focuses on a self - contained incident with the intent of evoking a " single effect " or mood . In doing so , short stories make use of plot , resonance , and other dynamic components to a far greater degree than is typical of an anecdote , yet to a far lesser degree than a novel . While the short story is largely distinct from the novel , authors of both generally draw from a common pool of literary techniques . Penny press newspapers were cheap , tabloid - style newspapers mass - produced in the United States from the 1830s onwards . Mass production of inexpensive newspapers became possible following the shift from hand - crafted to ___MASK17___ - powered printing . Famous for costing one cent while other newspapers cost around 6 cents , penny press papers were revolutionary in making the news accessible to middle class citizens for a reasonable price . Mathematics ( from Greek  " máthma ",  knowledge , study , learning ) is the study of topics such as quantity ( numbers ), structure , space , and change . There is a range of views among mathematicians and philosophers as to the exact scope and ___MASK11___ of mathematics . Time travel is the concept of movement ( such as by a human ) between certain points in time , analogous to movement between different points in space , typically using a hypothetical device known as a time machine , in the form of a vehicle or of a ___MASK21___ connecting distant points in time . Time travel is a recognized concept in philosophy and fiction , but traveling to an arbitrary point in time has a very limited support in theoretical physics , and usually only in conjunction with quantum mechanics or wormholes , also known as Einstein - Rosen bridges . In a more narrow sense , one - way time travel into the future via time dilation is a well - understood phenomenon within the frameworks of special relativity and general relativity , but advancing a large amount of time is not feasible with current technology . The concept was touched upon in various earlier works of fiction , but was popularized by H . G . Wells ' 1895 novel " The Time Machine ", which moved the concept of time travel into the public imagination , and it remains a popular subject in science fiction . Vernor Steffen Vinge ( born October 2 , 1944 ) is a retired ___MASK45___ ( SDSU ) Professor of Mathematics , computer scientist , and science fiction author . He is best known for his Hugo Award - winning novels and novellas " A Fire Upon the Deep " ( 1992 ), " A Deepness in the Sky " ( 1999 ), " Rainbows End " ( 2006 ), " Fast Times at Fairmont High " ( 2002 ), and " The Cookie Monster " ( 2004 ), as well as for his 1984 novel " The Peace War " and his 1993 essay " The Coming Technological Singularity ", in which he argues that the creation of superhuman artificial intelligence will mark the point at which " the human era will be ended ", such that no current models of reality are sufficient to predict beyond it . ___MASK42___ is an American science - fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930 . The first issue , titled " Astounding Stories of Super - Science ", was dated January 1930 , published by William Clayton , and edited by Harry Bates . Clayton went bankrupt in 1933 and the magazine was sold to Street & Smith . The new editor was F . Orlin Tremaine , who soon made " Astounding " the leading magazine in the nascent pulp science fiction field , publishing well - regarded stories such as Jack Williamson ' s " Legion of Space " and John W . Campbell ' s " Twilight ". At the end of 1937 , Campbell took over editorial duties under Tremaine ' s supervision , and the following year Tremaine was let go , giving Campbell more independence . Over the next few years Campbell published many stories that became classics in the field , including Isaac Asimov ' s " Foundation " series , A . E . van Vogt ' s " Slan ", and several novels and stories by Robert A . Heinlein . The period beginning with Campbell ' s editorship is often referred to as the Golden Age of Science Fiction . Fantasy is a fiction genre set in an imaginary universe , often but not always without any locations , events , or people from the real world . Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element , theme , or setting . Magic and magical ___MASK5___ are common in many of these imaginary worlds . Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes , respectively , though there is a great deal of overlap between the three , all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction . The Peace War is a science fiction novel by American writer Vernor Vinge , about authoritarianism and technological progress . It was first published as a serial in " Analog " in 1984 , and then appeared in book form shortly afterward . It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1985 . Its sequels are " The Ungoverned ", which was a novella published in his collection " True Names and Other Dangers ", and the novel " Marooned in Realtime ". " The Peace War " and " Marooned in Realtime " were collected in " Across Realtime " ( ___MASK15___ , 1991 ). ___MASK80___ Magazines was a company founded by George T . Delacorte Jr . in 1921 as part of his ___MASK80___ Publishing Co . ___MASK80___ is today known for its many puzzle magazines , as well as fiction magazines such as " Alfred Hitchcock ' s Mystery Magazine ", " Ellery Queen ' s Mystery Magazine ", " Asimov ' s Science Fiction ", and " ___MASK42___ ". It was sold in March 1996 by ___MASK80___ ' s successor company to Crosstown Publications , with headquarters in Norwalk , Connecticut , under the same ownership as Penny Publications , LLC , which publishes Penny Press puzzle magazines . Though the name " ___MASK80___ Magazines " is still used on some of its magazines . ___MASK45___ ( SDSU , San Diego State ) is a public research university in San Diego , California , and is the largest and oldest higher education institution in San Diego County . Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School , it is the third - oldest university in the 23 - member California State University ( CSU ). SDSU has a student body of more than 35 , 000 and an alumni base of more than 280 , 000 . A novella is a work of written , fictional , narrative prose normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel . The ___MASK75___ word "" novella " derives from the Italian " novella ", feminine of " novello ", which means " new ". The novella is a common literary genre in several European languages . The supernatural ( Medieval Latin : " superntrlis ": " supra " " above " + " ___MASK43___ " " natural ", first used : 1520  1530 AD ) includes all that cannot be explained by science or the laws of nature , including things characteristic of or relating to ghosts , gods , or other supernatural beings , or to things beyond nature .