Home | Glossary | Timeline | New

Science Fiction in the News Articles
Related to material in The Mote in God's Eye
by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)

Highly original book and an excellent read. Some of the best and most readable alien characters; we can understand them and yet they are alien to us. Tells the story of the Motie home world, one which is isolated from the Alderson points (wormhole entrances) that tie the far flung human civilization together. They conceal a terrible secret.

Science fiction in the News articles describe real-world events that relate to the ideas and inventions in sf novels and movies. Select a news article:

First Flight of a Laser Powered Airplane
   Today, NASA tested a laser-powered airplane: a 312-gram (11-ounce), 1.5-meter (five-foot) wingspan plane. A laser beam struck the photovoltaic cells that powered the tiny motor that turned its propeller.

HELLADS: Lightweight Laser Cannon
   Ultra-light High Energy Liquid Lasers are coming.

Algae To Clean Atmosphere
   Atmospheric cleansing by means of carefully selected algae has been suggested before.

Laser-Powered Aircraft Model Tested
   A nifty laser-powered model plane was tested in Osaka, Japan earlier this week.

Metal-like Polymer Developed In South Korea
   Who would ever think of flexible, extrudable plastic with the same properties as metal wire? SF authors, that's who.

Eye Of God Found - But No Mote
   In the Niven and Pournelle novel, a similar sight inspired the founding of the Church of Him. Himmists, take note.

Silver-Based Epoxy Makes Electronics Thinner
   Interesting technique for making memory packages smaller - I'm pretty sure I read about this idea more than thirty years ago.

HTC Magic Smartphone At Google IO
   Take a look at what they gave us at Google IO 2009; maybe the most remarkable pocket-sized computer you ever owned.

Laser Propulsion May Beam Spacecraft To Orbit
   Will spacecraft and satellites ride a beam of light into space? Aerospace engineer Leik Myrabo has been working on the technology for decades.

Laser-Powered Helicopter
   Held aloft on a beam of light.

SIlver Pen Writes Flexible Circuits
   Write your own circuits informally.

Laser Lofts UAV for Two Day Flight
   Based on an idea from a physicist and science fiction writer in the 1960's.

Looking For Local Extraterrestrials
   '...one day the Face of God awoke... He opened His single Eye.'- Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

HEL MD Laser Weapons Will Sound Like Star Wars, Star Trek
   Considering how important the film's sound track is, the sounds of Star Wars weapons are not described in the original novel.

Laser-Powered Spacecraft To Explore The Solar System
   'Whoever launched it fired a laser cannon... for about forty-five years, so the intruder would have a beam to travel on...'- Niven/Pournelle, 1974.

Reduce Hurricanes By Altering The Atmosphere
   'When yon volcanoes belch gas, the maintenance posts fire jets of tailored algae into the air stream.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

Volcanoes Terraformed Mars?
   'When yon volcanoes belch gas...' - Niven and Pournelle.

Make Space Tools On The Spot (Like Moties)
   'A moment ago it was squeezing silver toothpaste in a ribbon...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

Dim The Sun With Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment
   'Those twin volcanoes; d'ye see them, Mr. Renner?' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

Frictionless Toilet Could Save 140 Billion Liters Of Water
   'The bowl was a frictionless surface...' Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

Draw Circuits With Conductive Ink
   'It's rewiring things... squeezing silver toothpaste in a ribbon along the printed circuitry.'

MIT Wants To Catch Interstellar Visitors
   'INVESTIGATE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT ENTERING NEW CALEDONIA SYSTEM FROM NORMAL SPACE' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

Electric Vehicle Prices Will Drop To $2,890
   'the human seats took up two-thirds of the room in each'

Plasma Window Technology, Pressure Cushions and Deflector Doors
   'The Marine Gunner stepped gingerly through the invisible barrier. He had to push.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

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

More SF in the News