Halting State by Charles Stross:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Excellent book goes deep into near-future Scotland in layers; the city and its people, the augmented realities anchored thereon, and the virtual worlds hosted in its infrastructure. The story starts with a theft of virtual goods from a very secure virtual bank and proceeds from there.

This novel does the best job of combining virtual worlds and real life of any sf novel I've ever read; for those of you who got tired of this device in the 1980's, rejoice, because Stross got it totally right. Highly recommended book. Select an invention:

Airboarding
Typing in thin air to input characters into a computer.

Blacknet - antisocial networking
An antisocial networking site.

CopSpace - MySpace for police, and then some
A virtual location for police lifelogs, official communications, paperwork, informational databases and evidence of all kinds.

Driverless Drones - AIs assist
One remote supervisor can drive a half-dozen drones, with some computer assistance.

Lifelog - life record
A life record made constantly.

Overlay Specs
Glasses that provide an additional feature; an overlay that lets you see information and graphics along with the real-world view.

SPOOKS - go on a LARP for a lark
A live-action role playing (LARP) game that lets ordinary people play at being secret agents.

Virtual World Theft - faux thievery
A method of stealing or reassigning ownership to items of value in virtual worlds.

 

Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New.
Find
new authors and technologies - Shop for yourself, your library and your lab.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction
in the News

Wearable Energy Harvester
re: Frank Herbert
(11/23/2023)

Drones Participate In Buddhist Rites
re: Roger Zelazny
(11/21/2023)

Anna Indiana AI Singer-Songwriter
re: William Gibson
(11/19/2023)

Video Manicuring ala Schismatrix
re: Bruce Sterling
(11/17/2023)

'Feel the AGI' OpenAI Leader Now OpenWorship
re: Miles Breuer
(11/15/2023)

NASA Tests Prototype Europa Lander
re: Various
(11/13/2023)

Tailsitter Drone Aircraft For SAR
re: RH Roman
(11/11/2023)

Forward CarePod The AI Doctor's Office
re: Robert Silverberg
(11/9/2023)

Mika The Robot-Boss
re: David C. Cooke
(11/7/2023)

Yamaha Motoroid 2 No Handlebars Self-Balancing Motorcycle
re: Bruce Sterling
(11/5/2023)

San Francisco Autobus
re: Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum
(11/3/2023)

Should Your Car Decide If You Can Drive?
re: Philip K. Dick
(11/1/2023)

Lucid Dreams On Demand From Prophetic and Card79
re: Clifford Simak
(10/29/2023)

Honda UNI-ONE Hands-Free Wheelchair Follows 100 Year-Old Design
re: David H. Keller
(10/27/2023)

More SF in the News

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.