 |
Jaunte Stage
A cleared space that existed to serve the needs of people who would jaunte (teleport) into that space. (Read the full article)
| "This actually works, saw it firsthand in late 1966. Some notes: there isn't any "pop" sound when it happens." (harrylime 12/16/2006 10:24:37 PM ) |
| "'The Stars My Destination'= possibly the most brilliant SF novel ever written, and I do not say that lightly. Possible flaw with jaunting as presented therein = 2 people appearing in same space would cause huge explosion, but OK to jaunte into air-filled space. It's still matter; is the state all-important? What about liquids? Plasma? More please harrylime! What is the sound of air rushing into a suddenly-empty human-shaped space? Did they have to threaten the jaunter with imminent death to unleash the ability? :)" (sryan 3/23/2007 7:17:02 AM ) |
| "It's one of those novels I've read and reread - I don't do that lightly, either. The novel sort of recognizes the possibility; jaunte stages in large cities are the size of a football field to handle capacity. Also, if you recall, there are cases where prisoners try to jaunte out of secure, underground facilities and materialize inside solid rock - it causes an explosion. They call 'em Blue Jauntes." (Bill Christensen 3/23/2007 1:08:50 PM ) |
| ""L-E-S, gentlemen. Location, Elevation, Situation!" Robin was always concerned with keeping her students off even the big public stages during rush hour. Blue jaunte - KABAAAMM! The travel industry must have still existed (Greyhound of Greyhound, the [upstart] USAir clan), because you couldn't jaunte to or from a place unless you had been there. Exercise: Imagine the appearance of a major metro jaunte stage at rush hour if one's clothes didn't automatically make the jaunte too. Some interesting technical and social adaptations would have to be made...
I read STARS when I was ten, and it rocked my life. It's still rewarding to reread endlessly - that book was written in one solid blast of genius. Bester threw off ideas in every page so brilliant that lesser writers would have built whole books around them. " (sryan 3/24/2007 2:31:48 PM ) |
| "The thought that really gets to me about Bester is this - 'What would it be like to have a mind capable of writing this book in 1956 - and then be forced to live four more years in the Fifties?'" (Bill Christensen 3/24/2007 7:12:29 PM ) |
| "We know the sad result of that, Bill ... he spent most of his career (20 yrs) as an editor for the travel magazine Holiday. A huge loss to SF for all that time. But remember the $ factor - even in 1968 an incredible (and very thick) novel like John Brunner's *Stand On Zanzibar* earned him the princely sum of $1,500 - which he was happy to get. Look Alfie up in Wikipedia for more astounding Bester trivia. Still not mentiond is his pioneering use of exotic embedded typography to describe synesthesia and the lovely complex interweaving riff-patterns of party conversations among the telepaths. Most of his richly-deserved honors were posthumous. Hey, how about a Technovelgy entry on that devastating harmonic vibrational shattergun in *Demolished Man*? "Quick - jump up and hang from the chandelier!" " (sryan 3/26/2007 5:44:31 PM ) |
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned. So, send me your comments to bill at the site name (be sure to mention the page) and I'll post them. Thanks!
Current News Articles
JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
Robot Bricklayer Or Passer-By Bricklayer?
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'
Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'
Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!
Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?''
Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship
'There was no wheel, and no steersman!'
