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Science Fiction in the News Articles
Related to material in The Age of The Pussyfoot
by Frederik Pohl

"Forrester had made his mind up. He was going to adjust to this mad new world even if it killed him - again!"

('The Age of the Pussyfoot' by Frederik Pohl)

This is an amazing and prescient novel, set in 2527 A.D. Charles Forrester died in a fire in our time; he was frozen and brought back to life when technology (and his accumulated assets) permitted. Every aspect of life is mediated by Joymakers, remarkable PDAs that really are indispensable personal digital assistants. Great read. (Note that this novel appeared in a shortened version in Galaxy magazine in 1965 and 1966; the quotes are taken from the book version, which appeared in 1969.)

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:

Aroxo Intelligent Agents Negotiate For You
   Technology startup ready to put its software agents to work for you.

Kissenger The Kiss Messenger Robot Spreads Your Love
   'Sensory stimulation through the tactile net, Man Forrester...'

Spraytect Self-Defense iPhone Case
   '... the joymaker in his hand hissed and sprayed him with something...'-Frederik Pohl, 1965

Her Majesty's 'Web Robot' Catches Tax Dodgers
   Gadzooks! Loyal subjects concealing e-commerce income from Her Majesty caught by intelligent search agent.

The Future Of Cell Phones
   The cell phones of the future - probably still drop calls, but they will look extremely cool doing it.

Virtual Piano Keyboard
   Much easier to carry up and down stairs to your new apartment.

Rity - Sobot Longs To Be Near You
   This remarkable experiment demonstrates that a computer program can download itself into objects to serve you.

Cellular Phone Robot And iPhone - Joymaker Wannabes
   Pohl's amazing joymaker from his 1965 novel still exceeds the vision presented for cellphones - but not by much.

Pay With Your Cellphone
   All you really need is your joymaker - I mean, cellphone.

Web Services Wizard And Frederik Pohl's Joymaker
   For better or for worse, Pohl's vision from The Age of the Pussyfoot is coming closer.

Google Determined To Provide Joymaker Infrastructure
   Google knows that the key to whatever mobile device you buy lies in the back-end computer architecture.

GOOG-411 Google's Free Talking Phone Search
   This new beta service from Google gets you your 411 free of charge, thanks to advanced voice recognition and local search.

Wellness Mobile Phone Personal Trainer In A Cellphone
   If it wasn't so personal and polite, I might think that having a personal trainer connected to the phone company is a bit intrusive.

DoCoMo S0703i Smellular Phone Makes Scents
   This is one phone that lets you smell the ... well, maybe not roses, but at least you can smell something as you go through your day.

Klausner iPhone Voicemail Suit Neglects SF Prior Art
   I'm no patent lawyer, but I think that Frederik Pohl described a system like Apple's iPhone voicemail in 1965, and I don't hear him asking for money from Apple.

Ribbit Amphibian Cellphone Internet Mashup
   Ribbit is an interesting cell phone start-up from those people in Silicon Valley. Why did it take so long for them to start a phone company?

iPhones For Freshmen At ACU
   This video shows some near-future applications for iPhones that will be used by freshmen at ACU this fall.

DoCoMo Cell Phones Mobile Fragrance Equipped
   Believe me, sending a list of fragrances over the phone is only the beginning.

Scented Text Messages - Imagine The Possibilities
   Oh, it's coming alright. To a cell phone near you. And you will remember with fondness the days when you only had to LISTEN to the person's conversation.

Owada's Freezing Method Vs. Carbonite
   Flash frozen body parts may result from this method of freezing that seems to work with a variety of materials.

What Apple Could Learn From SF: iPhone As Mediator
   There is a lesson for Steve Jobs and Apple regarding iPhone success; science fiction fans already know it.

Touchable Holography Display
   Video presentation shows that it is possible to touch a three-dimensional holographic object.

SIRI Virtual Assistant Like Pohl's Joymaker
   If this iPhone app actually does what it says on the tin, this really is Frederik Pohl's joymaker come to life.

Google Seeks Pohl's Joymaker Voice Recognition
   In which Google's Vic Gundotra describes the pursuit of the perfect smartphone - which is starting to sound a lot like Frederik Pohl's joymaker.

KrioRus Brain Freeze Technology
   Frozen head buffs take heart from Russian firms ready to save them.

Re Google: William Gibson, Read More SF
   It turns out that sf writers have imagined Google and Google's future plans rather precisely.

First Cashless Society - In Somaliland?
   Leave your wheelbarrow of cash at home.

Kiss ME Device For Kiss Communication
   A novel hi-fidelity physical interface for transferring a remote and mediated kiss in real-time.

MobilePay USA Credit Card App For Smartphones
   Frederik Pohl called this one in 1965 - just one of the characteristics of his prescient joymaker concept.

Wet Kissing Cell Phone Prototype
   Skip all that texting and smiley faces nonsense; these cell phone prototypes deliver the emotional goods.

Kiss Transmission Device Latest In Electro-Communication
   Actually, based on the video, I'd have to call it a 'French kissing' device.

Google Wallet Makes Your Phone Your Wallet
   Tap to pay by Mastercard or Google Prepaid Card.

How Smart Is Siri?
   Another Pohl prediction comes true, right on time.

Google's Voice Recognition Sweet In Jelly Bean
   '...Translating most normal variations of voice, idiom, accent... into the mathematical expressions on which the computers operate.'

Google Wallet Like Pohl's Joymaker Credit Card
   You must know the institutional designation and account spectrum ...

Thumb Kiss On Pair App For iPhone
   'What he got was indeed a kiss. It was disconcerting. No kissing lips were visible...'- Frederik Pohl, 1965.

Fujitsu Touchscreen Mixes Real And Virtual Worlds
   'His hands flashed over the keyboard - it had not been there a moment before, but it was operative...'- Frederik Pohl, 1965.

AIREAL Lets You Feel Virtual Objects In The Open Air
   'Startled, he touched his mouth. 'How the devil did you do that?' he shouted.'- Frederick Pohl, 1965.

Pop Secret Pop Dongle Lets You Smell The Corn A Poppin' On Your Smartphone
   'The joymaker in his hand hissed and sprayed him with something...'- Frederik Pohl, 1965.

Cortana, Your Personal Assistant
   'If I were you, Man Forrester, which is to say, if I were human...'- Frederik Pohl, 1965.

Flying Defibrillator Ambulance Drone
   'The death-reversal equipment is on its way...'- Frederk Pohl, 1965.

Tesla Suit Gives Haptic Hugs
   'Then a pressure on the lips...' - Frederik Pohl, 1965.

Sophie, Your Virtual Assistant
   'What would you do, right now, if you were me? ...The joymaker answered without hesitation.' - Frederik Pohl, 1966.

Drowning? Lifeguard Drones Overhead!
   'The death-reversal equipment is on its way...'- Frederk Pohl, 1965.

Google Home Continues Implementation Of Pohl's Joymaker
   'It is a transponder connecting you with the central computing facilities of the city in which you reside on a shared-time, self-programming basis.' - Frederik Pohl, 1966.

Medical Drones Hover Like Angels Near You
   'The death-reversal equipment is on its way...'- Frederk Pohl, 1965.

Feel Virtual Reality In Mid-Air!
   '...a pressure on the lips - warm and soft, moist and sweet.' - Frederick Pohl, 1965.

AirTouch Panels Means No More Dirty Touchscreens!
   Useful interfaces now appear in thin air.

Telehealth Drones To The Rescue
   'A shadow passed over him, and he looked up.' - Frederik Pohl, 1965.

Facebook's Algorithmic News Feed Knows Better Than You Do
   'Their playmates were not “real,” but they were a lot realer than, say, a Betsy-Wetsy doll.' John Brunner, 1966.

Mouth Haptics Invented By Frederik Pohl In 1965, CMU Now Has Prototype
   'What he got was indeed a kiss. It was disconcerting. No kissing lips were visible.' - Frederik Pohl, 1965.

MyManu Titan 'Screenless Smartphone'
   '...the programmed software includes procedures for translating most normal variations of voice, idiom, accent, and other variable modalities into a computer-oriented sim-script.' - Frederik Pohl, 1966.

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