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"Science Fiction is speculative fiction in which the author takes as his first postulate the real world as we know it, including all established facts and natural laws."
- Robert Heinlein
 |
| Panoramic Viewer | ||
| Permits observation at a distance, as well as the projection of a holographic image. |
| Rupert Boyce is a somewhat curious character," Rashaverak answered.
"Professionally, he's in charge of animal welfare over an important section of the Main African Reservation. He's quite efficient, and interested in his work.
Because he has to keep watch over several thousand square kilometres, he has one
of the fifteen panoramic viewers we've so far issued on loan - with the usual
safeguards, of course. It is, incidentilly, the only one with full projection
facilities. He was able to make a good case for these, so we let him have them." "What was his argument?" "He wanted to appear to various wild animals so that they could get used to seeing him, and so wouldn't attack when he was physically present. The theory has worked out quite well with animals that rely on sight rather than smell- though he'll probably get killed eventually. And, of course, there was another reason why we let him have the apparatus." "It made him more co-operative?" "Precisely." |
| Technovelgy from Childhood's End,
by Arthur C. Clarke. Published by Not Known in 1953 Additional resources -
|
Here's a bit more:
"What a place to live!" gasped Jean. "I thought this climate was supposed to be
controlled."
"So it is," replied George. "This was all desert once-and look at it now. Come
on-it'll be all right indoors ! "
Rupert's voice, slightly larger than life, boomed cheerfully in their ears. Their host was standing beside the flyer, a glass in each hand,
looking down at them with a roguish expression.
He looked down at them for the simple reason that he was about twelve feet tall:
he was also semi-transparent. One could see right through him without much
difficulty.
"This is a fine trick to play on your guests!" protested
George. He grabbed at the drinks, which he could just reach.
His hand, of course, went right through them. "I hope you've got something more
substantial for us when we reach the house!"
"Don't worry!" laughed Rupert. "Just give your order now, and it'll be ready by
the time you arrive."
"Two large beers, cooled in liquid air," said George promptly. We'll be right
there."
Rupert nodded, put down one of his glasses on an invisible table, adjusted an
equally invisible control, and promptly vanished from sight.
"Well!" said Jean. "That's the first time I've seen one of those gadgets in
action. How did Rupert get hold of it? I thought only the Overlords had them."
"Have you ever known Rupert not to get anything he wanted?" replied George.
"That's just the toy for him. He can sit comfortably in his studio and go
wandering round half of Africa. No heat, no bugs, no exertion-and the icebox
always in reach. I wonder what Stanley and Livingstone would have thought?"
Compare to the distance viewer from Giphantia (1761) by Charles-François Tiphaigne de La Roche.
They had left Alaska three hours before, and should have remembered to adjust
the cabin temperature accordingly.
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'The object seemed melted together like wax — nothing was distinguishable.'
'Midges have many capabilities. To the untrained eye, they look like sparrows.'
'I made disks of my own voice to the number of five hundred very carefully chosen words.'
'His sensors out and working, and the whirring of the tape that sucked up sight and sound and shape and smell and form...'
'It sounds to me as though you had invented a kind of metal earthworm.'
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors that circulate around the satellite, making it habitable.'
'The steel tortoise gave MacKinnon a feeling of Crusoe- like independence.'
