Summer has arrived with a molten thud here on America’s North Coast. It’s time to retire to my porch and recline under an umbrella, sleeping dogs at my feet, to sits and thinks ...

Speaking of dogs, what’s up with the sci-fi trend of heartbreaking stories of dogs and their owners in post-apocalyptic worlds? I could barely see Jeff and Goodyear (the dog) driving toward destiny in the Tom Hanks epic Finch . Musta gotten something in my eye.

Speaking of Finch, whoever wrote the screenplay has got to be a huge classic sci-fi geek: The Three Laws of Robotics are brought up in the first 15 minutes of the movie and referenced throughout. Quiz: What famous sci-fi pioneer created the Three Laws of Robotics for which novel? Bonus: What are the laws? Answer toward the end of the column.

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