Contributed by
"William E. Emba"
The famed parody of Asimov and Heinlein. Amongst other issues,
the book asks what happens to all the garbage from a one city
planet (a la Trantor from FOUNDATION)? It seems to be a losing
battle down below, but the planet's topologists have come up with
an empty soda can that spontaneously deforms into a long playing
record, which the user naturally wants to keep.
I'm not sure, but I have the impression that Harrison once read
the joke about a topologist being a mathematician who cannot the
difference between a coffee cup and a doughnut, but completely
missed the topological point of the joke.
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