This starts with a tiresome premise: drink releases the subconscious and the genius within. That part I no longer like because it's so common. Likewise the follow up premise: That even though this person is a social misfit he's the only one that can solve the problem. This is such a cliche in Hollywood movies -- The Dirty Dozen being just the first example that comes to mind.
But the writing style is nice and the egotistical robot is fun.
And, there's an interesting prediction of what TV is going to be like before TV is developed. That part is fun. Padgett doesn't come up with the free to viewers, advertising-supported model that did evolve in America. He sees paying a monthly subscription -- the British model. But he does correctly predict the competition between movie theaters and home TV.
Ahh... I'm getting more interested in this story as I get beyond the cliche elements. This is actually a fairly decent prediction of future lifestyle and that's much of what the story is about. It's much in line with my Child Champs stories!
Interesting... I'd forgotten this element of the story completely from my previous readings. That's not good. It means that whomever reads Child Champs will likely completely forget the future-predictions parts of those stories, as well. Ouch! It's a dated story rather than evergreen. <sigh>
What he gets right is that the robot can have interesting special abilities. What's wrong is that it is mostly about gears, not electronics. He does envision a swifter justice process. This I find a nice touch of social engineering. There is a nightclub which uses technology to become more lavish than current, and it is patronized by people who want to be seen. That seems to be an enduring human constant.
The human motivations and the human interactions with new technologies are well described. There are winners and losers and surprise uses of technologies.
Once again, it's interesting that I found that aspect of the story so forgettable. I hope it's just that young minds aren't sensitive to these issues like old minds are. Regardless of why, it's an important lesson.