James Blish:
Science Fiction Technology and Ideas
James Blish was born in New Jersey in 1921; he died in 1975. He had a BA in microbiology and served as a medical technician in WWII. He won a Hugo in 1959 for A Case of Conscience.
Invention/Technology Source Work (Publication Date)

Accelerated Schooling
Knowledge force-fed directly into the brain.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Accelerated Schooling Helmet
A device that stimulates the brain and imparts knowledge directly.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Anti-agathic drugs
Drugs that indefinitely postpone death from old age.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Battle Tank Display
Three-dimensional display showing tactical information for space battles.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Bethé blasters
Powerful enough to destroy a flying city.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Brood Assembly - first self reproducing automata
Artificially intelligent computers that can replicate themselves.

Cities in Flight (1957)

City Fathers - AI with centuries of experience
A set of computer systems which run every mechanical system in a city.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Crop Algae
Growing algae in tanks as a source of basic food stock.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Dirac Transmitter (also Tranceiver or Communicator) - instant communication
A device that provides instantaneous communication anywhere in the galaxy.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Eavesdropper - check if it's safe
Device to detect the presence of recording devices.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Gas Giant - coined a phrase
Large planet consisting primarily of gas with a solid core.

Solar Plexus (1952)

Gravity-Polarized Explosive (TDX)
A chemical explosive that acts at an angle to the local gravitational field.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Inter-Universal Messenger
A device intended to travel to another dimension.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Machine Psychologist - computer psychiatrist
A computer that understands and uses its knowledge of human psychology to benefit human users.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Machine Surveillance - first mention of idea
The use of artificially intelligent computer systems to learn by monitoring all human interaction within a city.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Message Tree - communication standard for a world
A tree growing out of a huge cliff of crystal provides communication for a world.

A Case of Conscience (1953)

Panatrope - mutation for survival
A device that modifies human dna to ensure survival in harsh alien environments.

Surface Tension (1952)

Proselytizing Robot
A robotic preacher; designed for use where believers are unwelcome.

Cities in Flight (1957)

Selektrogel
An over-the-counter gel to choose the sex of a child at conception.

And All The Stars A Stage (1971)

Space Armor
Armored space suits for use in vacuum.

Cities in Flight (1957)

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