The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Stunningly original book by Dick in which weapons designers enter a drug-induced trance to design outlandish weaponry. The weapon designs are then "plowshared" into harmless civilian applications (this book was originally published as Operation Plowshare). Highly recommended. Select an invention:

Autonomic Interviewer - pape's proxy
A robotic reporter.

Battery-Powered 3D Comic Book
A comic book the pages of which were animated by battery power.

Cephalic Pattern Door
A door that only opens for specific people.

Civic Notification Distorter - bit-rot weaponry
A device that subtly damages databases full of government information.

Death-rattle File
A cache of information set to destroy itself upon the death of its owner.

Garbage-can Banger
An elaborate noise-based weapon.

Handicloset - self-organizing
A self-organizing closet

N-e (Needle-eyeification) Weapon - absolute positioning precision
A class of weapons that had the most precise effect imaginable.

Sheep Dip Isolator
A non-lethal malodorant weapon.

 

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