Halting State by Charles Stross:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Excellent book goes deep into near-future Scotland in layers; the city and its people, the augmented realities anchored thereon, and the virtual worlds hosted in its infrastructure. The story starts with a theft of virtual goods from a very secure virtual bank and proceeds from there.

This novel does the best job of combining virtual worlds and real life of any sf novel I've ever read; for those of you who got tired of this device in the 1980's, rejoice, because Stross got it totally right. Highly recommended book. Select an invention:

Airboarding
Typing in thin air to input characters into a computer.

Blacknet - antisocial networking
An antisocial networking site.

CopSpace - MySpace for police, and then some
A virtual location for police lifelogs, official communications, paperwork, informational databases and evidence of all kinds.

Driverless Drones - AIs assist
One remote supervisor can drive a half-dozen drones, with some computer assistance.

Lifelog - life record
A life record made constantly.

Overlay Specs
Glasses that provide an additional feature; an overlay that lets you see information and graphics along with the real-world view.

SPOOKS - go on a LARP for a lark
A live-action role playing (LARP) game that lets ordinary people play at being secret agents.

Virtual World Theft - faux thievery
A method of stealing or reassigning ownership to items of value in virtual worlds.

 

Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New.
Find new authors and technologies - Shop for yourself, your library and your lab.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction
in the News

FTC: Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers
re: Pournelle and Niven
(4/1/2026)

Switzerland May Cap Population At Ten Million
re: Jack Vance
(3/29/2026)

Project Silica Offers 'Long-Term' Digital Storage
re: EE 'Doc' Smith
(3/27/2026)

Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
re: Frank Herbert
(3/25/2026)

Crystalline Structures In Space, You Say?
re: Gene Roddenberry
(3/23/2026)

Garçon! A Menu For Artemis II, S'il Vous Plaît
re: Jules Verne
(3/21/2026)

Amazing Photonic Crystal Light Sail
re: Cordwainer Smith
(3/19/2026)

Blue Collar AI Goes To Work To Mine Its Own Crypto
re: Harry Harrison
(3/17/2026)

Rogue AI Replicated Itself
re: Gregory Benford
(3/15/2026)

HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano
re: Herbert Goldstone
(3/13/2026)

Woven Fiber Electronic Skin For Robots
re: Harl VIncent
(2/11/2026)

When AI Takes Its First Breath
re: Various
(2/9/2026)

Chinese Aircar Light And Airy, Not For Blade Runners
re: Ridley Scott
(2/7/2026)

The Morphing Wheel And The Smartwheel
re: Neal Stephenson
(2/5/2026)

More SF in the News
Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™
Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.