Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"[Science fiction] is the only kind of writing that allows you to look at the world we live in and change one piece at a time."
- Frederik Pohl
 |
| Burner Modem | ||
| A connection device that can be thrown away if necessary. |
We've all heard of burner phones, intended to be cheap enough to throw away after only one anonymous use. I think there is such a thing as a burner modem, but this is the first use of it in sf that I've read.
| By their nature, unconnected computers don't need updating to comply with new laws. In turn, they don't hold software certificates for social apps, never mind traffic records. If you can link them to an external connection, you have a way to get online without checks. For Freya, this is an essential tool for information gathering - and the reason she carries a tiny burner modem, which can siphon nearby WiFi. The results can be unreliable, the connection unstable, but most of the time she can get a crude browser to run, and most of the time it does the trick.
This particular machine is definitely hit and miss. She hard resets the tower four times before it works... |
| Technovelgy from The Breach,
by M.T. Hill. Published by Titan Books in 2020 Additional resources -
|
Compare to this early expression of an idea from John Varley's 1984 story Press Enter - a telephony device that generates a new phone number every time it is used.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Breach
More Ideas
and Technology by M.T. Hill
Tech news articles related to The Breach
Tech news articles related to works by M.T. Hill
| India Ponders Always-On Smartphone Location Tracking |
| LingYuan Vehicle Roof Drones Now Available, ala Blade Runner 2049 |
| Chameleon Personalized Privacy Protection Mask |
| Spherical Police Robot Rolls In China |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
'It's so light that you can set it up in five minutes by yourself...'
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.'
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
'It is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature...'
