The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
<https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:

Isaac Asimov, "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
<https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44203>

A. E. van Vogt, "All the Loving Androids"
<https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?63444>

In the Asimov, Tony is very handsome, but the husband knows full
well that it's not a rival. In the van Vogt, the husband provided
an android that was a copy of him to keep his wife occupied.

But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
imagine stretching it out to novel length.)

--
Michael F. Stemper
Economists have correctly predicted seven of the last three recessions.

"Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> on Sun, 25 Sep 2022
08:11:56 -0500 typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
>The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
><https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
>bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:
>
>Isaac Asimov, "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
><https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44203>
>
>A. E. van Vogt, "All the Loving Androids"
><https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?63444>
>
>In the Asimov, Tony is very handsome, but the husband knows full
>well that it's not a rival. In the van Vogt, the husband provided
>an android that was a copy of him to keep his wife occupied.
>
>But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
>imagine stretching it out to novel length.)

I recall a story in Heavy Metal (ircc) - they both made a robot to
take care of their SO. Last panel, the robots are having a good time
while both humans are working away.

Reminds me of the old joke about whether it is better to have a
wife or a girlfriend, and the engineer says "both. That way you can be
in the shop and both of them will think you are with the other one."
--
pyotr filipivich
This Week's Panel: Us & Them - Eliminating Them.
Next Month's Panel: Having eliminated the old Them(tm)
Selecting who insufficiently Woke(tm) as to serve as the new Them(tm)

In article <tgpk2s$3b120$1@dont-email.me>,
Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
>The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
><https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
>bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:
>
>Isaac Asimov, "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
><https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44203>
>
>A. E. van Vogt, "All the Loving Androids"
><https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?63444>
>
>In the Asimov, Tony is very handsome, but the husband knows full
>well that it's not a rival. In the van Vogt, the husband provided
>an android that was a copy of him to keep his wife occupied.
>
>But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
>imagine stretching it out to novel length.)

"Robot duplicates of spouses" came up a few times in X Minus One.
The generally feeling I got from them was that 1950s America was
in dire need of no fault divorce laws.

--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

In article <tgpqod$ha$1@reader2.panix.com>,
James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
>In article <tgpk2s$3b120$1@dont-email.me>,
>Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
>>The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
>><https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
>>bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:
>>
>>Isaac Asimov, "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
>><https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44203>
>>
>>A. E. van Vogt, "All the Loving Androids"
>><https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?63444>
>>
>>In the Asimov, Tony is very handsome, but the husband knows full
>>well that it's not a rival. In the van Vogt, the husband provided
>>an android that was a copy of him to keep his wife occupied.
>>
>>But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
>>imagine stretching it out to novel length.)
>
>"Robot duplicates of spouses" came up a few times in X Minus One.
>The generally feeling I got from them was that 1950s America was
>in dire need of no fault divorce laws.

The same was true in Canada, large parts of which lacked formal
divorce laws until 1968, IIRC.

--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On 9/25/2022 8:05 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> In article <tgpk2s$3b120$1@dont-email.me>,
> Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
>> The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
>> <https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
>> bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:
>>
>> Isaac Asimov, "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
>> <https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44203>
>>
>> A. E. van Vogt, "All the Loving Androids"
>> <https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?63444>
>>
>> In the Asimov, Tony is very handsome, but the husband knows full
>> well that it's not a rival. In the van Vogt, the husband provided
>> an android that was a copy of him to keep his wife occupied.
>>
>> But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
>> imagine stretching it out to novel length.)
>
> "Robot duplicates of spouses" came up a few times in X Minus One.
> The generally feeling I got from them was that 1950s America was
> in dire need of no fault divorce laws.
>
You probably got that feeling because 1950s America was in dire need of
no fault divorce laws.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 25/09/2022 10.02, pyotr filipivich wrote:
> "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> on Sun, 25 Sep 2022
> 08:11:56 -0500 typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
>> The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
>> <https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
>> bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:

>> But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
>> imagine stretching it out to novel length.)
>
> I recall a story in Heavy Metal (ircc) - they both made a robot to
> take care of their SO. Last panel, the robots are having a good time
> while both humans are working away.

That does sound like something one would see in _Heavy Metal_.

--
Michael F. Stemper
Nostalgia just ain't what it used to be.

On Monday, 26 September 2022 at 13:58:24 UTC+1, Michael F. Stemper wrote:
> On 25/09/2022 10.02, pyotr filipivich wrote:
> > "Michael F. Stemper" <michael...@gmail.com> on Sun, 25 Sep 2022
> > 08:11:56 -0500 typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
> >> The first two panels of today's Dilbert:
> >> <https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-09-25>
> >> bring to mind, with minor difference, two stories:
> >> But, close enough. Other stories on this theme? (I can't
> >> imagine stretching it out to novel length.)
> >
> > I recall a story in Heavy Metal (ircc) - they both made a robot to
> > take care of their SO. Last panel, the robots are having a good time
> > while both humans are working away.
> That does sound like something one would see in _Heavy Metal_.

I think I saw something like it elsewhere that I didn't give
full attention to - Black Mirror, or The Outer Twilight Minus One
or... Where the replacements get on better with each other
than with the originals. I have an inkling that the one I saw
may have had both of the humans intending to /murder/
the other human partner and live with a compliant duplicate,
which I don't THINK they did. That may narrow it down.