Sci fi short story title search, on computers and being human

November 17, 2015 7:33 PM

I am trying to think of the title/author of a science fiction story I read and loved from a couple of decades ago...

In the story, a woman is going about a normal day of running errands, going to a doctor's appointment, etc. We learn that in her world, computers/robots take care of humans' every need and protect them from harm. On this day, for example, our heroine is really hungry, but since her weight was up that morning, the lunch that is delivered to her is very low-calorie. There is no need for currency in this world -- everything is electronic -- so she can't even bribe the kid she sees eating some sweet treat on the street. At the end of the story, an automated message is delivered to her with her results from her doctor's appointment -- notifying her she is pregnant -- along with a dish of ice cream for added calcium. The story ends with her eating the ice cream and screaming (perhaps it's "nyaah, nyaah!") at the computers around her.

Any thoughts? I was telling my fellow book clubbers about it and would love to share the identifying details (and re-read it myself!)

posted by lgandme0717 to Writing & Language (1 answer total)

I read a compilation once called "Future City" with several stories in this vein. Here it is. Even if it doesn't have your specific story, you might enjoy it.
posted by JimN2TAW at 10:03 AM on November 18, 2015