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"I do think there is a link in that in both cases, writing fiction or writing a computer program, at any given moment you're focusing on a very specific and particular thing—one word, one line of code, whatever."
- Neal Stephenson
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| Police Sketch Artist Software | ||
| A tablet-style computer with sketch pad software to help identify suspects. |
At this point in the story, one of the officers has seen the bad guy. She describes him to a police "sketch artist."
(Software sketch artist from the film Runaway)
| "He had different eyes."
"Is that him?" "Face was narrower... and his eyes were squintier..." "More like that?" |
| Technovelgy from Runaway,
by Michael Crichton. Published by Tri-Star Pictures in 1985 Additional resources -
|
The sketch artist software operator would work with the controls and alter the picture based on the description of the witness.
(Police sketch artist pad detail)
Best of all, the resulting "sketch" could be animated; a moving picture of someone is a much better means of identification.
As far as I know, the earliest police sketch artist software to actually be used came out in 1995. Suspect ID by Imageware would allow an officer with no artistic background to create an image good enough to be used on the street.
This same company now offers an enhanced version of the same software, as well as face-recognition software to take images and search for suspects in databases.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Runaway
More Ideas
and Technology by Michael Crichton
Tech news articles related to Runaway
Tech news articles related to works by Michael Crichton
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| Looking Glass Display Good Enough For Science Fiction, Fantasy |
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'The pitiless M rays pierced Earth and steel and densest concrete as if they were so much transparent glass...'
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
'Nanny is different,' Tom Fields murmured... 'she's not like a machine. She's like a person.'
'We made a crude , small cell and were delighted - and, I admit, somewhat surprised - to find it worked.'
'...we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
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'At the end of each appendage's eight fingers there are tinier appendages...'
'We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence,' said lead researcher Katsu Takahashi.
