A Logic Named Joe
A Logic Named Joe by Lewis Padgettby Lewis Padgett
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend this 1946 story as a short science fiction novel that anticipated the internet and AI long before they existed.
People recommend this 1946 story as a short science fiction novel that anticipated the internet and AI long before they existed.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Anticipates the internet and AI
“The internet and AI long before the internet and AI.”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?” Worth rereading today
“It's time to re-read "A Logic Named Joe" (1946) [1] We're there.”
Comment from 10 Jun 2026 in “Cybersecurity researchers aren't happy about the guardrails on Anthropic's Fable”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| A Logic Named Joeby Lewis PadgettThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's time to re-read "A Logic Named Joe" (1946) [1] We're there.”
“The internet and AI long before the internet and AI.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.