Philip K Dick's replicants
In the 1982 film Blade Runner, the replicants are driven to desperate actions through being designed with all the promise and awareness of fully functioning humans, but with a very short lifespan. They return to Earth to seek out their creator and forcefully demand more life; when this can't be done, it's curtains for everyone.
IT moral
What would you do if your carefully installed and mission-critical system suddenly starts displaying accelerated decrepitude — and the support and upgrades you need aren't available? The army has a good saying: no man is indispensable. The same should be true of your systems; no component, big or small, should be able to hold you to ransom by breaking, and if a supplier exits your market, you should be able to plug in another. Also, has anyone ever given Steve Jobs a Voight-Kampff test?
(Credit: Warner Bros)
Gary Numan?