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"One can see the free software movement as a precusor for a "free hardware" or "free wetware" movement--one that will provide free libraries of designs for biological or nanotechnological products that replicators can be programmed to churn out."
- Charles Stross
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| FTL | ||
| Abbreviation for "faster than light". |
As far as I know, this is the first use of the abbreviation FTL.
| “You fly fast, Elven.”
“Faster than any of your hunters,” Elven agreed softly without looking around, and added, “FTL” —meaning Faster Than Light. “You fly far, Elven. Tens of light years,” the wounded voice continued. “Scores,” Elven corrected. “Yet I speak to you, Elven.” “But you don’t know where I am. I came on a blind reach through deep sub-space. And your FTL radio can take no fix. You are shouting at infinity, Fedris.” sisted, “you must finally go to ground, and then we will search you out.” |
| Technovelgy from The Enchanted Forest,
by Fritz Leiber. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1950 Additional resources -
|
Compare to faster than light from Islands of Space (1931) by John W. Campbell, which is (as far as I know) the earliest use of the phrase "faster than light".
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'...they moved with the ease of dandelion puffs.'
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'These pods were programmed to hang in space in a hexagonal grid pattern...'
'...the meteor caught and halted just as a small boy catches a swift ball in his cap.'
'We have decided that it shall be but one ship... it must contain everything needed to take us through the generations.'
'You’re the robopsychologist of the plant, so you’re to study the robot itself...'
