Virtual Light by William Gibson:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Set in California (well, NoCal and SoCal) in 2005, there is a lot of social upheaval (homeless people seize the San Francisco bay bridge for living space, television worship). A bicycle messenger turned pickpocket steals a set of high-tech sunglasses that can see into a special dataset; DatAmerica corporate types pursue. Select an invention:

Canola Oil - a cob in your tank
Vegetable oil refined for use as fuel

Chunker - non-violent weapon
A device that fires small cubes of rubber; a non-lethal form of riot control.

Fractal Knife - more cutting surface
The blade uses a fractal geometry to increase its cutting surface.

Hood Hologram
A hologrammatic display on the outside surface of a car.

Separated At Birth Database
Missing persons database uses similarity to famous people.

Stealth House - toxic dwellings
A home that is entirely sealed, leading to toxic buildup.

 

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Science Fiction
in the News

SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
re: L. Ron Hubbard
(4/6/2024)

Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
re: Louis Tucker
(4/4/2024)

NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
re: Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum
(4/2/2024)

Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
re: Miles J. Breuer
(3/30/2024)

Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
re: Hugo Gernsback
(3/28/2024)

Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
re: William Gibson
(3/26/2024)

No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
re: Robert Heinlein
(3/24/2024)

Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
re: John Baker Hopkins
(3/22/2024)

Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
re: EE 'Doc' Smith
(3/20/2024)

Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
re: Vernor Vinge
(3/18/2024)

Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
re: John Edwards
(3/16/2024)

Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
re: Raymond Z. Gallun
(3/14/2024)

AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
re: Stanley G. Weinbaum
(3/12/2024)

Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
re: Robert Heinlein
(3/10/2024)

More SF in the News

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