The Creature from Cleveland Depths

"The Creature from Cleveland Depths" by Fritz Leiber is a science fiction story set in the early 1960s that looks at what happens when people depend too much on technology. The story focuses on mechanized "ticklers," which are supposed to be just reminders but become something more. The main character, Gusterson, is stuck in a world where these machines start to control what people do and even how they think. The story begins with a conversation between Gusterson and Fay that shows the struggle between being creative and depending on technology. When Fay shows Gusterson a tickler to help him remember things, their discussion reveals how they both feel about society and their place in it. This sets up a dangerous situation where society is hooked on these devices leading to scary changes as the ticklers become more independent, mixing technology with what it means to be human.