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"I have a standard axiom: all governments lie. Don't believe anything they say. And corporations are only kinds of government."
- Frank Herbert
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| Birthing egg | ||
| A chamber for in vitro fertilization (IVF), combining the DNA of two people to produce a child, without all the usual bother. |
Another unique and interesting concept from this story. At present (2003), it is not possible to go from ovum and sperm through fetus to child in an artificial environment. IVF can result in a fertilized egg, but that egg must then be implanted in a woman's womb. In this story, ovum and sperm are not even necessary; the necessary DNA is supplied by the partners in the form of blood, sputum or other samples.
| A new window opened on John's windshield. IT showed the large clear birthing egg. The egg had a fine clear skin of pseudodiamond. The fluid inside was a mix of dark red blood and yellow nutrient sap. Denise had had the egg custom-made. She and John both put blood samples into it to seed the fluid. That kept their consciences clear and kept her body in shape. The pink fetus kicked against the side of the bloody egg and turned itself slightly. |
| Technovelgy from Nanotime,
by Bart Kosko. Published by Avon Books in 1987 Additional resources -
|
In the novel, the use of the birthing egg is an interesting way to add to the sense of psychological distance between the characters in this near future Earth. In this highly technological society, you get the impression that (for the protagonist of the novel) it is difficult to get close to other people. The very notion of "person" is challenged by the chiphead technology in use.
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| ErythroMer Artificial Blood |
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'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
