 |
Dictionary of Communication Terms in Science Fiction
(Technovelgy items at top: skip
down to News)
Name |
Author (Publication Date) |
Adjustable Television A television that allowed viewers to adjust the content of political speeches. |
Philip K. Dick (1964) |
Adnix A device that muted the television to lessen the impact of commercials. |
Carl Sagan (1985) |
Aerial Telegraph Communication between individuals in spacesuits. |
Garrett P. Serviss (1898) |
Angel Music Player A device that beams music directly into your brain, without wires. |
Stephen Baxter (2008) |
Ansible - the ultimate long distance phone Faster-than-light communication. |
Ursula LeGuin (1966) |
Argento-Platinoid Dispatch Box Impenetrable message carriers. |
Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) |
Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) Hand-held device responds intelligently to military intelligence requests. |
John Ringo (2000) |
Artificially Produced Speech Speech produced by mechanical means, rather than with vocal chords. |
Raymond Z. Gallun (1938) |
Atomician Sign Language Specialized sign language used by those who work with atomics. |
Leo Zagat (1948) |
Audio Relay - personal RFID transceiver A communication device implanted behind the ear; also used as an alarm for wake-up calls. |
Robert Heinlein (1951) |
Automatic Commercial Deletion - no more commercials Device automatically detects commercials and turns off the set for the duration. |
Arthur K. Barnes (1938) |
Autosecretary (Autosec) - clipping service for the net A software agent able to accept your query and then seach the public net for related information. |
David Brin (1990) |
Avatar - godlike poseurs A computer-enhanced doppelganger; a computer-generated image that takes your place in a three-dimensional online encounter. |
Neal Stephenson (1992) |
Babble Machine - you know Not just television - this describes what we call 'the idiot box' (technology and media). |
H.G. Wells (1899) |
Babel Fish - improbable translator A living fish which, when placed in your ear, will live there and translate any form of language for you. |
Douglas Adams (1979) |
Battle Language A special-purpose language designed for both clear communication of information related to war, and difficulty of translation. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Biosoft A biography that includes actual life experience from the subject; a biographical download. |
William Gibson (1986) |
Black Cube Teaching Machine A device that offers recorded images, teaching the user. |
Jack Williamson (1934) |
Black square A device for secret communication. |
Frank Herbert (1981) |
Boob Cube - 3D TV is no better Device for showing three-dimensional news broadcasts. |
Larry Niven (1998) |
Bugged Money - money rigged for surveillance American cash with embedded listening devices. |
Bruce Sterling (1998) |
Caleban Contact - listen to the stars A form of telepathy based on the use of unimaginably enormous amounts of energy. |
Frank Herbert (1977) |
Call Notification Unit A small portable device that let you know that you had a phone call at your home. |
Roger Zelazny (1982) |
Caller Contact List - very early use A list of callers kept on the phone instrument. |
Frederik Pohl (1966) |
Cellphone Voice Mail - very early use of concept Callers speak into their instrument, and the content of the call is stored by the network for the user to replay at will. |
Frederik Pohl (1966) |
Chalf (Quick-Scribe Powder) - wave the stick A special powder that forms itself into words and symbols. |
Frank Herbert (1964) |
Chalf-Memory Stick Device that organizes special dust in the shape of words and symbols. |
Frank Herbert (1964) |
'Chatterbox' News-Receptor An appliance for listening to the news that lacked content controls. |
Robert Heinlein (1941) |
Chest Disc - speak clearly A voice activated wireless transmitter. |
Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) |
Claim Beacon A electronic device that proclaims that a planet has been claimed by a given party. |
Keith Laumer (1969) |
Comlink Short for communications link; a small portable communicator. |
George Lucas (1976) |
Command Microphone - for Battle Commanders A cloak that served as a microphone and public address system. |
Keith Laumer (1982) |
Command-Disk A device that sends out audible tones to control flesh-monsters. |
Edmond Hamilton (1931) |
Commercial Fly An autonomous, fly-sized manufactured creature that presents commercial advertisements. |
Philip K. Dick (1964) |
Communicate with Extraterrestrials - first use of concept Early plan to communicate with life on planets removed from the earth. |
Jules Verne (1867) |
Communication Disk A wearable device that told the time as updated from a central source. |
Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) |
Communications Implant - I think therefore I network A surgically implanted device enabling the user to communicate with computer networks. |
Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven) (1981) |
Communicator A small device that works to communicate over large distances. |
E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) |
Communinet A public data network.i |
Brian Herbert (1965) |
Companion Implant - life monitor Electronic device placed within the body; it has a wide variety of uses. |
Robert J. Sawyer (2003) |
Compulsive Subsonics - ads dodge your cortex An advertising agency works with every part of the audience's brain. |
Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) |
Cosmic Teletype A device that utilizes the fourth dimensional continuum to achieve communication at great distances. |
Carl Jacobi (1938) |
Daisy Projector Beam of energy penetrates the Heaviside layer to enable communication from planet to planet. |
John W. Campbell (1932) |
Dattoo A data exchange device worn on the skin like a tattoo. |
Greg Bear (2009) |
Diabological Armory A set of verbal tools based on a higher form of reasoning. |
Eric Frank Russell (1955) |
Dictatel A thought-based dictating machine. |
Frank Herbert (1981) |
Dirac Transmitter (also Tranceiver or Communicator) - instant communication A device that provides instantaneous communication anywhere in the galaxy. |
James Blish (1957) |
Discorporaphone For speaking with the electronic dead. |
Samuel R. Delany (1966) |
Distrans - talk to the animals Device produces a temporary neural imprint on the nervous system of Chiroptera or birds. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Dog Pod Grid - aerostat defensive maneuver A swarm of quasi-independent aerostatic devices. |
Neal Stephenson (1995) |
Eccentric Projection Remote manipulation of a body not your own. |
James Tiptree, Jr. (1974) |
E-Document Distribution - step up to the kiosk A method of wirelessly distributing a document to a large group of people in an ad hoc setting. |
David Brin (1990) |
Electrosecretary - automatic transcription machine An automatic transcription device. |
Arthur C. Clarke (1961) |
Emissarial Projection - almost an a.i. An expert system able to converse and act in the capacity of ambassador. |
Iain M Banks (2004) |
EPR Phone Telephony that uses quantum effects for transmission - and is therefore the ultimate in anti-eavesdropping technology. |
Greg Bear (2009) |
Etherphone Receiver A special earpiece to hear coded updates. |
Raymond Z. Gallun (1938) |
Ether-Traffic The communications spectrum of the solar system. |
P. Schuyler Miller (w/D. McDermott) (1932) |
Fatline - FTL communication A communications technology that provides immediate communication between star systems; faster-than-light communication. |
Dan Simmons (1989) |
Filament Paper Book - small for space travel Very small book, made for space travelers in an era when the smallest added weight was costly. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Filmag A video magazine. |
Leo Zagat (1943) |
Fixed Star Advertising In which the positions of the fixed stars are changed to form advertising. |
Frederic Brown (1945) |
Fossil Shell Coin The use of rare natural shells of an extinct species, for money. |
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1871) |
Free Telephone Call All telephone calls are free - in exchange for short commercials. |
J.G. Ballard (1963) |
Generate New Phone Number A software program that creates a new phone number for each call. |
John Varley (1984) |
Geosynchronous Satellite - invention of idea A communications satellite that appears to "hover" over one spot on the earth's surface; it goes around the earth in twenty-four hours. |
Arthur C. Clarke (1945) |
Ghostsmoke An advertisement projected onto a fine mist. |
John Varley (1977) |
Green Bullet - carry your mentor with you A very compact (for 1950) radio transceiver, worn in the ear like a hearing aid. |
Ray Bradbury (1953) |
Hearing Aid - someone to listen A service that allows people to anonymously talk with another person who only listens. |
John Brunner (1975) |
Hive-Sign Specialized sign language developed by an offshoot of humanity. |
Frank Herbert (1972) |
Home News Printer - news hot off the press A device that prints out the newspaper of your choice right in your own home. |
Edward Page Mitchell (1879) |
Humming-Code A personal communication. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Hush Corner - noise reduction A space made private by canceling sound waves in that area. |
Robert Heinlein (1956) |
Hush-a-Phone - noise suppression for telephones A special kind of telephone that reduced noise while talking. |
Robert Heinlein (1940) |
Implanted Comlink Transceiver inserted below the skin. |
Nancy Kress (2004) |
Implanted Tranceiver - totally hands free phone Device enables two-way communication with needing to carry a device. |
Frank Herbert (1972) |
Ingestible Communication Capsule - only in emergencies A tiny transmitter that can be swallowed, which makes possible voice communication. |
E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) |
Interplanetary Communications Center - sol system switchboard The backbone for a solar system-wide communications system. |
George O. Smith (1942) |
Kinagram - moving letters Small print-size icons that presented a moving image. |
Neal Stephenson (2008) |
Lecton - be read to A device that would read aloud an electronic text book. |
Stanislaw Lem (1961) |
Librareome Project Blasting libraries into bits to create a library of perfect digitized electronic books. |
Vernor Vinge (2006) |
Live Memo - it reads itself to you A paper memo or short letter that reads itself and can even argue with or exhort its reader. |
Philip K. Dick (1964) |
Living Book A small creature that is used to contain and play back information. |
Sydney Fowler Wright (Collins So) |
Logics Service A networked service that retains all of your personal information, schedules and phone messages online. |
Murray Leinster (1946) |
Mail-Post Letter-Ball A system of sending mail quickly from town to town via steam-cannon-powered hollow spheres. |
Jane Webb Loudon (1828) |
Maximum-security Booth - high security phone system A special phone booth for receiving high-security, scrambled telephone calls, calls which included 3D visuals. |
Robert Heinlein (1956) |
Mechanical Newsmachine An automated device that delivers on-the-spot news. |
Philip K. Dick (1955) |
Menograph (Mind-Writer) Direct translation of thought to paper. |
Hugo Gernsback (1911) |
Menslator - mental translation A translator that works by examining the mental image of what you are trying to say. |
George O. Smith (1952) |
Mentophone A device that facilitates long-distance telepathy. |
Clifford Simak (1950) |
Message Cylinder - locked capsule A small metal object containing some form of message media and a mechanism for either playing or extruding the medium; secured communication device. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Message Cylinder (Message Bomb) A means of sending dispatches from space via a small projectile dropped from orbit; effectively a message rocket. |
Bruno H. Burgel (1931) |
Message Tree - communication standard for a world A tree growing out of a huge cliff of crystal provides communication for a world. |
James Blish (1953) |
Messagecraft An autonomous spacecraft and drone that serves as a communication node in a network that spans star systems. |
George Scithers (1969) |
Metal Message In Space A message sent to other worlds, inscribed on metal. |
John Edwards (1934) |
Monobloc Dating System - advanced dating software A kind of pub with unique hardware and software for computer dating. |
Larry Niven (1998) |
Moratorium A place that kept people in cold-pac after death, providing them a kind of half-life. |
Philip K. Dick (1969) |
Multiple Sample Voice - sound mixing 30's style The use of multiple voice samples to create a single, smoothed voice. |
Nat Schachner (1937) |
Neck-Phone An implanted telecommunications device. |
Philip K. Dick (1955) |
Needlecast - tightbeam transmission of being A tightbeam transmission of your very being. |
Richard Morgan (2003) |
Networked Telephone Answering Machine A device that would accept verbal messages and store them for replay from any remote station. |
H.G. Wells (1923) |
Networked World Very early description of our dependence on technology and communication. |
H.G. Wells (1899) |
Newsbox (News-Receptor) - better than Google news plus Tivo Also referred to as a microviewer; could search media programming for news on a particular words used in the broadcast. |
Robert Heinlein (1941) |
News-Dispenser Audio news ready when you are. |
Francis Flagg (1932) |
Newstaper Gear The devices used by a person who serves as a reporter, cameraman and story finder. |
Larry Niven (1972) |
Open-Air Moving Picture Shows Public news outlets |
Victor Rousseau (1917) |
Optic Television An eye that "sees" more than just its surroundings. |
Bruce Sterling (1984) |
Opti-Phone Yet another name for a videophone. |
Eando Binder (1939) |
Optophone (Opto) A video call system. |
Harl Vincent (1931) |
'Pape Machine - name your news Yet another name for the homeostatic newspaper; this one has special features including news search. |
Philip K. Dick (1969) |
Pay Per View TV The broadcast of games and matches to private televisions for a fee. |
David H. Keller (1929) |
Phased Acoustical Array - hear it all An music system implanted right on your eardrum. |
Neal Stephenson (1995) |
Phonotelephote - earliest reference to videophone A means of transmitting and receiving both voice and picture for a personal conversation. |
Jules Verne (1889) |
Photophone A device that provided a view of the other booth. |
Homer Eon Flint (1918) |
Picphone A small telephone that has a screen to show pictures. |
Philip K. Dick (1974) |
Planetary Telegraphing A method for communicating with dwellers on other planets in the solar system. |
George Parsons Lathrop (1897) |
Pocket Phone (or pocketphone) - invention of the cell phone A telephone that is not hard wired to the network; a mobile or cell phone. |
Robert Heinlein (1953) |
Pocket Receiver An early visualization of the smartphone. |
Stanislaw Lem (1955) |
Pocket wireless phone An entirely portable, pocket-sized, telephone. |
Harry Stephen Keeler (1915) |
Pocket-Caller Private communication device that fits in your pocket. |
Manly Wade Wellman (1940) |
Pokkecon A device tied into a good will network. |
Bruce Sterling (1998) |
Polycarbon Phone Screen A telephone that provides videophone capability using a very thin screen that is folded away when not in use. |
William Gibson (1986) |
Polyceltron Iconoscope Televisor A portable camera and microphone setup that could broadcast on-the-spot news. |
Harl Vincent (1939) |
Portable Telephone - early reference The essence of a cell phone. |
Robert Heinlein (1948) |
Portal Sensory experience of a data network. |
Vernor Vinge (1981) |
Post Office - special package delivery A vault used to store time capsules left by travelers to the past; not your usual delivery service. |
John Varley (1983) |
Pray-Machine - megawatts of prayer A kind of energy receiver that could retrieve a soul from the radiation belt surrounding a planet. |
Roger Zelazny (1967) |
Precrime Sleeve Communicator A device for communication worn as part of the uniform jacket. |
Steven Spielberg (2002) |
Preserved Brains Preserving a brain, and then communicating with it. |
Edmond Hamilton (1938) |
Projection - be in two places at once A means of projecting your image to a distant place. |
Alfred Bester (1974) |
Protophason Amplifier Detects brain activity of those in half-life. |
Philip K. Dick (1969) |
Psychode A device that enables communication by thought alone. |
Jack Williamson (1938) |
Psycho-Phone A device that recorded and played back the thoughts of the user. |
David H. Keller (1928) |
Quantum Communications Hub - EPR rules A communications satellite that permits immediate communication between planets and ships in the solar system. |
Sean McKee (2004) |
Radio-Facsimile Receiver A device that prints a newspaper in your home. |
Don Wilcox (1939) |
Reciprocal Name - cellphone nickname A nickname or familiar name used to specify a more completely defined full name and telephone number. |
Frederik Pohl (1966) |
Relay - the total experience of mankind A central information system used to coordinate all of human culture and technology. |
Philip K. Dick (1954) |
Reserve Bracelet A means of sending a message via tiny shocks in code, delivered to the wrist. |
Murray Leinster (1944) |
Robot Voice A voice box for a robot that is an analog of the human voice system. |
Isaac Asimov (1944) |
Runcible - every page an LCD screen A book made of smart paper; every page is a flexible LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. |
Neal Stephenson (1995) |
Screening Software Rules-based software trained to eliminate spam email. |
Greg Egan (1991) |
Seashell Radio (Thimble Radios) - original walkman (or ear buds) Small radios that fit into the ears like hearing aids or ear buds. |
Ray Bradbury (1953) |
Signal Skin Natural communication form for this species; skin that can spell out text. |
Iain M Banks (2004) |
Sniggertrance - caught between the stars The state of a person receiving a call mediated by a Taprisiot; interiorized consciousness accompanied by spastic, jerking body movements. |
Frank Herbert (1969) |
Soft Speaker - focus sound like a spotlight A device that sends a tightly-controlled beam of sound. |
L. Sprague de Camp (1940) |
Sono-Induction Coils - buried speaker technology A public address system consisting of buried coils. |
Nat Schachner (1937) |
Sound Analysis Improving language teaching by showing the waveform of a spoken word or phrase, and comparing it to standard speech. |
Robert Heinlein (1953) |
Sound-Transposing Machine A device that scans a printed page and reads it out loud. |
David H. Keller (1934) |
Spacegram - solar system telegram Telegrams of the space lanes. |
J. Harvey Haggard (1931) |
Space-Phone A device for communicating with space ships, both ship-to-ship and ground-to-ship. |
David M. Speaker (1930) |
Speakwrite - transcription of tyranny A dictation machine that also transcribes the speech into typed words. |
George Orwell (1948) |
Speedtalk A constructed language that uses a single sound to stand for a word, achieving great improvements in communication speed. |
Robert Heinlein (1953) |
Spotcast A new form of one-to-many communication. |
Henry Kuttner (1946) |
Spot-Wavex Scrambler - personalized mass media Provides a more personalized experience of television, by letting the announcers talk to you personally. |
Ray Bradbury (1953) |
Stereo Tank - 3D TV receiver A receiver for three-dimensional televised images. |
Robert Heinlein (1961) |
Stereovision Tank - 3D TV tank (and first screen saver) Three dimensional mass media (the grandson of television). |
Robert Heinlein (1961) |
Stratovideo (Television Plane) - line-of-sight communication An aircraft with studios that continuously broadcast line-of-sight television. |
E.B. White (1950) |
Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic - better range than your thumb A device which senses passing spacecraft; essential tool of interstellar hitchhikers |
Douglas Adams (1979) |
Suction Mail Tube An evacuated tube system carrying mail to residences. |
Ray Bradbury (1951) |
Sun-Telephone Receives transmissions from the sun itself. |
George Parsons Lathrop (1897) |
Talking Pamphlet - maybe too convenient An instructional pamphlet that instructs you through ordinary speech. |
Harlan Ellison (1974) |
Talking Tape - smart as a brick Adhesive-backed network connection, global positioning, voice synthesis and speakers. |
Bruce Sterling (1998) |
Taper - interstellar portable A device that records details about a visit to a distant planet. |
Clifford Simak (1961) |
Taprisiot - galactic long distance calling A kind of symbiote, which attuned itself to the user, allowing an expansion of consciousness - telepathic communication anywhere in the galaxy in real time. |
Frank Herbert (1977) |
Taprisiot Monitor Bead - last chance to surveil A small bead to be swallowed that allowed the thoughts of a person to be transmitted and recorded during a specified interval. |
Frank Herbert (1977) |
TBR (Talk Between Robots) Circuit A special means of communications used by robots to speak with each other. |
Frederik Pohl (1954) |
Telaudiogram An interplanetary communication method. |
Edmond Hamilton (1942) |
Telautograph First fictional reference to a fax machine. |
Hugo Gernsback (1911) |
Tele-Audiovized Meeting Teleconferencing done right. |
Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) |
Telepath Transmitter A device for long distance communication that makes use of telepathy. |
James Schmitz (1949) |
Telephonoscope A device that effectively transmits pictures and sound over long distances. |
Albert Robida (1882) |
Telephot - early videophone A device that combined the functions of telephone and television; a phone with a screen. |
Hugo Gernsback (1911) |
Telephotography Sending pictures over a distance, displaying them on a vast screen. |
Bruno H. Burgel (1931) |
Telescribe Creates a written record of distress signals and other reports. |
Malcolm Jameson (1939) |
Teleview A device for seeing at a distance. |
Bob Olsen (1929) |
Televisiophone A device that combines picture with sound for personal communication. |
John W. Campbell (1931) |
Televisor A viewing screen. |
Bob Olsen (1929) |
Telucid A holographic projector. |
R.F. Starzl (1931) |
Third Eye An output device that uses the skin of the user. |
Daniel Suarez (2006) |
Thumper - rhythmic vibration A short stake with a spring-driven clapper at one end; used to call sandworms. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Tiered Internet The idea that some forms of Internet network traffic should be given priority over others. |
John Brunner (1975) |
Tik-Talker A method of scrambling spoken speech for encoded transmission. |
Alan Nourse (w/Meyer) (1958) |
Time Capsule - time traveler's use them A hollow block of metal, impervious to the elements, used by time travelers to send messages to the future. |
John Varley (1983) |
Translation Program A computer program that translates speech from one language to another, in real time, to aid in conversation. |
Bruce Sterling (1993) |
Translatophone A device that performs mechanical translation of one language into another. |
Frank Stockton (1901) |
Translator Discs Wearable devices that wirelessly connected to a speech translation computer. |
Larry Niven (1970) |
Transmit-Paper - first use of this idea Paper form with a built-in capability to transmit the information written with a stylus to a remote computer network. |
Frank Herbert (1972) |
Transmitter Eyes Closed circuit cameras that provided sight and sound to remote viewers of the Courtarena who wish to remain anonymous. |
Frank Herbert (1977) |
Trans-Space Transmission A curious method of communication between worlds. |
Jack Vance (1976) |
Trumpaphone A loud, brassy instrument. |
Don Wilcox (1940) |
Trumps Magical Tarot cards that permitted both communication and transportation. |
Roger Zelazny (1970) |
Ullran Enunciator Special prosthesis needed to aid humans in speaking an alien language. |
H. Beam Piper (1952) |
Ultra-Communicator A communication system that transfers voice commands from one person to selected others. |
E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1937) |
Ultraphone Ear-Disc - no need for Bluetooth Wireless receivers that fit directly over the ears; they also offered noise reduction. |
Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) |
Ultraset (Ultrawave Set) - fast comm A device that used ultrawave faster-than-light (FTL) communication. |
Lester del Rey (1939) |
Ultrawave - FTL communication A means of faster-than-light (FTL) communication. |
E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) |
Ultrawave Relay or Hyperwave Relay - first use of FTL communication Instantaneous, faster-than-light communication system. |
Isaac Asimov (1951) |
Ultrophone - FTL communication A means of communication that transmits and receives simultaneously. |
Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) |
Vibrowriter - automatic transcription A device that translated speech and typed it out for you. |
David H. Keller (1934) |
Video Communicator A device that carried both voice and image, letting the two parties see each other. |
E.M. Forster (1909) |
Videophone A person-to-person communication device offering sight as well as sound. |
Harl Vincent (1928) |
Visiphone Visual as well as audio communication. |
David M. Speaker (1930) |
Visual Report Screen A device that allows a robot nanny to let the owners view what the robot sees from a remote location. |
Philip K. Dick (1955) |
Voder Device that produces speech by purely mechanical means. |
D.L. James (1940) |
Voice Dialing Speak the name of the person and call them on the phone. |
Frederik Pohl (1966) |
Voicecorder A device that records verbal output and determines truth or falsehood. |
Brian Herbert (1969) |
Voice-Enabled Smartphone - I talk, it listens A smartphone capable of complete voice-enabled operation. |
Frederik Pohl (1966) |
Voxcoder - secret comm Device for secure communication. |
Chris Wooding (2006) |
Wearable White-Noise Generator - urban isolation gear A device worn when the wearer preferred not to be the subject of audio recordings. |
William Gibson (1996) |
Web (Data Network) - remarkable first use An information network. |
Philip K. Dick (1954) |
Webcast - first use A broadcast accomplished over a data network. |
D.K. Moran (1987) |
Whisper Line A means of communication between prisoners held in wide separation. |
Alfred Bester (1956) |
Whispering Gallery A means of communication in specifically shaped spaces. |
Jules Verne (1864) |
Wireless Access Point Infrastructure that provides power and wireless communication. |
H.G. Wells (1923) |
Wireless Wrist Intercom - like a cell phone A portable wireless intercom, worn on the wrist. |
H.G. Wells (1936) |
Word Tab - find out more info. A feature of an e-paper document; touch the word tab and get more information. |
Philip K. Dick (1964) |
Wrist Command - very trek A wearable communications device; the logical endpoint of mobile computing. |
Gregory Benford (1989) |
XV - share your thoughts Allows anyone to directly experience another person's conscious awareness. |
John Barnes (1994) |
Zoom Call Visaphone System An amazingly early description of a modern zoom call on a big screen monitor. |
Harry Stephen Keeler (1915) |
Related Science Fiction in the News
Will Whales Be Our First Contact? 'He had piloted the Adastra to its first contact with the civilization of another solar system.' - Murray Leinster, 1935. (re: Murray Leinster, 5/14/2024 ) |
NYC/Dublin Portal Fails To Meet 'Guardian Of Forever' Standards I am the Guardian of Forever. (re: Gene Roddenberry, 5/10/2024 ) |
Holobox? Who Doesn't Want A Home Hologram? '...there appeared standing upon the disk, the image of a man...' - Edmond Hamilton, 1928. (re: Edmond Hamilton, 1/12/2024 ) |
EBS-260 Handjet Free Hand Dot Matrix Printer 'McKie held a chalf-memory stick over the dusted surface.' - Frank Herbert, 1964. (re: Frank Herbert, 10/25/2023 ) |
CD, DVD Bit Rot And PKD's Civic Notification Distorter '...copy two of the original document no longer can be superimposed on copy one.' - Philip K. Dick, 1965. (re: Philip K. Dick, 8/29/2023 ) |
Zoom Education Idea Is 100 Years Old '... the frosted glass squares began, one by one, to show the faces and shoulders of a peculiar type of young men.' - Harry Stephen Keeler, 1915. (re: Harry Stephen Keeler, 8/11/2023 ) |
'A Sign in Space' Gives Practice In Decoding ET Messages '... it will be easy to form an alphabet which shall enable us to converse with the inhabitants of the moon.' - Jules Verne, 1867. (re: Jules Verne, 5/21/2023 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 4/17/2023 ) |
'Courier Commons' By Tomorrow Lab, From Karl Schroeder (and Bruce Sterling?) 'The pokkecon rang again. *The coffee’s for him?* Tsuyoshi said.' - Bruce Sterling, 1998. (re: Bruce Sterling, 1/25/2023 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 4/25/2022 ) |
True Crime Live Podcasting In Fiction 'And loving it too, those millions. Bloodthirsty to the last one of them.' - Harl Vincent, 1939. (re: Harl Vincent, 4/15/2022 ) |
Zoom Adds Real-Time, Live Translation 'He immediately turned the small shining disc of the Language Rectifier..' - Hugo Gernsback, 1911. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 9/9/2021 ) |
Will The Super Bowl Go To Pay Per View? '...this afternoon’s football game cost each person who had one of the television screens one dollar for the privilege.' - Dr. David H. Keller, 1929. (re: Dr. David H. Keller, 7/19/2021 ) |
SpaceX Requests Starlink For Starship '... sweating, heat-blistered engineers at every interplanetary radiograph station on three planets.' - Harry Gore Bishop, 1907. (re: Harry Gore Bishop, 4/3/2021 ) |
Drones Communicate With Each Other Using Quantum Encryption 'the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits...' - Frederik Pohl, 1954. (re: Frederik Pohl, 1/29/2021 ) |
Will ATT Offer Ad-Subsidized Cellphone Service 'For long-distance calls the ratio of commercial to conversation was as high as 10 to 1...' - JG Ballard, 1963. (re: JG Ballard, 9/11/2020 ) |
Rid Thyself Of Ads On The Newsbox 'Can't we scramble that commercial?' - Robert Heinlein, 1941. (re: Robert Heinlein, 8/25/2020 ) |
Google's Remixed 'Your News Update' ala Heinlein, Clarke, Pohl 'Perhaps we had better use the soundtrack and let it hunt.' Robert Heinlein, 1941. (re: Robert Heinlein, 8/21/2020 ) |
5G Will Be Crucial Backup For Self-Driving Cars '... some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life in his hands.' - Charles Stross, 2007 (re: Charles Stross, 8/3/2020 ) |
Olfactory User Interfaces - Judith Amores Dissertation Awakened with a whiff of lemon. (re: Frank Herbert, 7/25/2020 ) |
I Want My 1928 Telestereo Hologram Now 'Instantly there appeared standing upon the disk, the image of a man...' - Edmond Hamilton, 1928. (re: Edmond Hamilton, 5/9/2020 ) |
FCC Asks For Feedback On Repeal Of Net Neutrality '... the machines had been instructed to give them low priority.' - John Brunner, 1975 (re: John Brunner, 2/15/2020 ) |
Realistic Translation With The Waverly Labs Ambassador 'The speech patterns you actually hear decode the brainwave matrix which has been fed into your mind by your Babel fish.' - By Douglas Adams, 1979. (re: Douglas Adams, 1/17/2020 ) |
Soli Gesture Tech Will Be In Google Pixel 4 'I enjoy watching this way, but - He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.' - Philip K Dick, 1955. (re: Philip K. Dick, 8/1/2019 ) |
Lost Language Meanings Found By Machine Learning 'The autopilot would need data before it could begin a translation...' - Larry Niven, 1970. (re: Larry Niven, 7/23/2019 ) |
The Future Of Elon Musk's Neuralink 'Cerebral Electromagnetic Emmission Amplification and Relay System — call it artificial telepathy, if you like.' - Richard Meredith, 1969. (re: Richard Meredith, 5/19/2019 ) |
Researchers Make You Say Anything in Videos '[It] caused his televised image... to mouth the vowels and consonants beautifully.' - Ray Bradbury, 1953. (re: Ray Bradbury, 5/17/2019 ) |
BloxVox Mutes Cellphone Convos 'had he not been talking into a hush-a-phone which he had plugged into the telephone jack...' - Robert Heinlein, 1940. (re: Robert Heinlein, 2/1/2019 ) |
Sonitus Audio Interface Positioned Beyond The Noise '... an instrument having relatively small bit pieces adapted to be gripped between the teeth.' - Hugo Gernsback, 1923. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 11/28/2018 ) |
FlexPai Foldable Phone By Royole '...A paper thin polycarbon screen unfurled.' - William Gibson, 1986. (re: William Gibson, 11/5/2018 ) |
BrainNet Social Network Of Brains 'I used my implant to tell MILLIE what we wanted and she took care of it' - Pournelle and Niven, 1981. (re: Pournelle and Niven, 9/25/2018 ) |
Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) Workshop SF writers have thought about this since the 19th century. (re: Jules Verne, 6/5/2018 ) |
Burner Generates Temporary Phone Numbers 'Interesting phone system he's got, by the way...' - John Varley, 1984. (re: John Varley, 3/26/2018 ) |
HushMe Bluetooth Device Reinvents The Hush-A-Phone 'Talking into a hush-a-phone which he had plugged into the telephone jack...' - Robert Heinlein, 1940. (re: Robert Heinlein, 3/3/2018 ) |
Ubiquiti FrontRow Camera Records Your Life Why be choosy? Just upload your whole life to the Internet, and be done with it. (re: Roger Zelazny, 11/1/2017 ) |
SmileCloud Bubloons Are Custom Clouds 'Spurgle kicked at the letter G... It was a monstrous white thing, ten feet thick, half a city block long...' - Alan Nelson, 1953. (re: Alan Nelson, 10/29/2017 ) |
Fog Computing (AKA Edge Computing) Ad Hoc Networks 'The tiny devices chirped their impulse codes at one another...' - Vernor Vinge, 1999. (re: Vernor Vinge, 10/11/2017 ) |
Biggest HiSeas 'Mars Mission' Problem? No Internet I think sf writers have this covered! (re: Harry Gore Bishop, 9/16/2017 ) |
Sansar Social Virtual Reality Platform In 2017? 'And just as a daydreamer forgets his actual surroundings, and sees other realities...' - Vernor VInge, 1981. (re: Vernor Vinge, 7/16/2017 ) |
Publishing Technologies In Science Fiction In response to a reader question, a set of links related to publishing technologies in science fiction (re: Various, 7/8/2017 ) |
Advertising Drones Hover Over Traffic In Mexico 'Blurbflies are allowd to travel the streets, buzzing their adverts alive and direct...' - Jeff Noon, 2000. (re: Jeff Noon, 10/11/2016 ) |
Audiobooks - Fastest Growing Format In Publishing 'The public preferred lectons...' - Stanislaw Lem, 1961. (re: Stanislaw Lem, 7/2/2016 ) |
Douglas Adams Your Babel Fish Is Ready - The Pilot By Waverly 'You'll need to have this fish in your ear.' - Douglas Adams, 1979. (re: Douglas Adams, 5/12/2016 ) |
Face2Face Is Bradbury's Spot-Wavex Scrambler 'A special spot-wavex scrambler also caused his televised image... to mouth the vowels and consonants beautifully.' - Ray Bradbury, 1953. (re: Ray Bradbury, 4/6/2016 ) |
Cortana Clip - The New In-Ear Wearables 'And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight...' - Ray Bradbury, 1953. (re: Ray Bradbury, 4/2/2016 ) |
FlexEnable OLED Bracelet SmartPhone Concept 'The tiny screen in the bracelet's center...' - Roger Zelazny, 1980. (re: Roger Zelazny, 3/8/2016 ) |
The 'Internet Of Touch' For Telemedicine 'Immediately an enormous apparatus fell on to her out of the ceiling...' - EM Forster, 1909. (re: EM Forster, 1/3/2016 ) |
Deep Speech 2: Mandarin and English Recognized 'the words came to the ear in perfect English...' - Frank Stockton, 1901. (re: Frank Stockton, 12/20/2015 ) |
Netflix Smart Socks Know When You Doze Off 'Presently the speed control slipped out of her relaxed fingers, the lights went out and she slept.' - Robert Heinlein, (re: Robert Heinlein, 12/13/2015 ) |
Tesla Suit Gives Haptic Hugs 'Then a pressure on the lips...' - Frederik Pohl, 1965. (re: Frederik Pohl, 11/10/2015 ) |
Surreal iPhone Ad Video Parody Channels Dick, Heinlein '... the audio relay is buried surgically...'- Robert Heinlein, 1951. (re: Robert Heinlein, 5/4/2015 ) |
Periscope App Signals End Of Journalism 'Jerry berry... panned the camera...'- Larry Niven, 1972. (re: Larry Niven, 3/20/2015 ) |
Students Control Lab Experiments Remotely Via App 'Hello, Europa... Is this your robot I'm looking at, in sector 94?'- James Blish, 1957. (re: James Blish, 2/25/2015 ) |
OMOTE Face Hackers At Work Video '...a video-manicuring program came on line.'- Bruce Sterling, 1985. (re: Bruce Sterling, 1/26/2015 ) |
SETI Workshop On Communicating Across The Cosmos '...heard every word, not only locally, but wherever in the whole universe that there's a Dirac transceiver'- James Blish, 1957. (re: James Blish, 11/2/2014 ) |
High Fidelity Produces More Expressive Avatars! 'They are the audiovisual bodies that people use to communicate with each other...'- Neal Stephenson, 1992. (re: Neal Stephenson, 10/24/2014 ) |
Nexus 6 Phone Vs. Nexus-6 Android Comparison 'Ten million possible combinations of cerebral activity'- Philip K. Dick, 1968. (Includes a preview of Nexus-7!) (re: Philip K. Dick, 9/26/2014 ) |
India's Commuters Face Philip K Dick's 'Sales Pitch' Future 'All around him the vague half-defined echoes of ads glittered and gibbered...'- Philip K. Dick, 1954. (re: Philip K Dick, 7/1/2014 ) |
Secret Service Wants Sarcasm-Detection Software There must be some website able to help them. (re: Matt Groening, 6/4/2014 ) |
Skype's Translator Like Gernsback's Language Rectifier 'He immediately turned the small shining disc of the Language Rectifier on his instrument till the pointer rested on French.'- Hugo Gernsback, 1911. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 5/29/2014 ) |
Thailand's Chatterbox Social Media App Influences Content 'He adjusted the n, the r and b knobs, and hopefully anticipated a turn for the better in the dire droning-on of the speech...' Philip K. Dick, 1964. (re: Philip K. Dick, 5/5/2014 ) |
Dolphin Whistle Translator 'Louis could hear the other translator discs whistling softly in Puppeteer, snarling quietly in the Hero's Tongue.'- Larry Niven, 1970. (re: Larry Niven, 4/1/2014 ) |
Multi-Party Quantum Communication Possible 'The cops have heard every word... wherever in the whole universe that there's a Dirac transceiver.'- James Blish, 1957. (re: James Blish, 3/26/2014 ) |
USC Google Glass Journalism - As Seen On Star Trek: Generations 'Jerryberry talked rapidly to himself while he panned the camera...'- Larry Niven, 1972. (re: Larry Niven, 3/25/2014 ) |
Can You Detect The Robot Journalist? '... A vast complex electronic organism buried deep in the ground.'- Philip K. Dick, 1963. (re: Philip K. Dick, 3/11/2014 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 1/27/2014 ) |
Transparent Smartphone Prototype From Polytron See through this future phone in a video. (re: H.G. Wells, 7/8/2013 ) |
Not Going To Google IO 'Those who could not come in person would watch these proceedings via the glittering transmitter eyes...'- Frank Herbert, 1977. (re: Frank Herbert, 6/26/2013 ) |
Dead Cellphone? Try Solar-Powered Public Charging Stations 'Then he saw the geek ... leaning against one of the slender stalks of a sunshade-photocell collector...'- David Brin, 1990. (re: David Brin, 6/15/2013 ) |
Rats Communicate Brain-to-Brain 'Very useful gadget, but you can communicate with a computer about as well with a good briefcase console.'- Pournelle and Niven, 1981. (re: Pournelle & Niven, 3/1/2013 ) |
Microsoft Demos Spoken English To Chinese 'Universal Translator' Researchers at Microsoft Research and the University of Toronto made a breakthrough using a technique called Deep Neural Networks. (re: Gene Roddenberry, 11/9/2012 ) |
Tony Stark's Transparent Phone Possible With Graphene? A nearly unbreakable smartphone - based on graphene. (re: Various, 10/16/2012 ) |
Needle Beam Propagates Without Spreading 'Direct needlecast from here into a shielded stack...' (re: Richard Morgan, 9/8/2012 ) |
Together Anywhere, Together Anytime The telephote! Here is another great triumph of modern science. (re: Jules Verne, 6/10/2012 ) |
The Hopper - with Carl Sagan's Adnix! 'It wasn't at first a context-recognition device.' (re: Carl Sagan, 5/30/2012 ) |
Google Patents 'Spy In Your Pocket' Smartphone 'Franklin waited impatiently as the five-second commercial break cut in...' (re: J.G. Ballard, 5/18/2012 ) |
Kyocera Speakerless Smartphone (ala Gernsback) For once, an sf author filed a patent on a great idea - Hugo Gernsback saw this one coming. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 5/10/2012 ) |
Wavii Follows Your Selected News SF writers have been fascinated with the idea of personalized news for a long time. (re: Arthur C. Clarke, 4/23/2012 ) |
Kissenger The Kiss Messenger Robot Spreads Your Love 'Sensory stimulation through the tactile net, Man Forrester...' (re: Frederic Pohl, 2/1/2012 ) |
Little Printer Like Dick's Homeopape SF greats Philip K. Dick and Hugo Gernsback both thought of this idea. (re: Philip K. Dick, 11/30/2011 ) |
Project Black Mirror Thought-Controlled iPhone Think and communicate - with Siri on your iPhone. (re: Pournelle & Niven, 11/19/2011 ) |
NTT DoCoMo Auto Japanese - English Translation Close to real time translation service lets you converse in either language. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 11/12/2011 ) |
Smart Textiles For Wearable Communicators 'Antenna clothing' for all occasions. (re: Murray Leinster, 11/2/2011 ) |
How Smart Is Siri? Another Pohl prediction comes true, right on time. (re: Frederik Pohl, 10/7/2011 ) |
BBC's iPhone App For Field Reporters The BBC is adapting the iPhone for their own journalistic purposes. (re: Larry Niven, 6/13/2011 ) |
Origami Phone Like Ultraviolet This lightweight, foldable phone concept might come to a kiosk near you. (re: Various, 6/1/2011 ) |
Newstweek Notification Distorter This small device allows the hacker to subtly distort web page information. (re: Philip K. Dick, 5/31/2011 ) |
Kiss Transmission Device Latest In Electro-Communication Actually, based on the video, I'd have to call it a 'French kissing' device. (re: Frederik Pohl, 5/9/2011 ) |
PaperPhone Uses Bend Gestures Fascinating prototype uses a unique gestural interface. (re: William Gibson, 5/7/2011 ) |
PocketCop Data Warehouse From Verizon Bringing police work into the 21st century. (re: Charles Stross, 4/10/2011 ) |
Location History Dashboard By Google Make a map of your steps and check the statistics. (re: Jack Williamson, 4/7/2011 ) |
The Interplanetary Internet This idea is going to get off the ground sooner or later - Vint Cerf thinks sooner would be better. (re: Harry Gore Bishop, 2/20/2011 ) |
'The Daily' iPad App Is A Padloid Slick, understandable user interface, lots of content and (finally) an aggressive price model makes this app worth a look. (re: John Varley, 2/2/2011 ) |
Ad-Supported Free Telephone Calls To make a free international call, just listen to a short ad or two. For now. (re: J.G. Ballard, 1/12/2011 ) |
Wet Kissing Cell Phone Prototype Skip all that texting and smiley faces nonsense; these cell phone prototypes deliver the emotional goods. (re: Frederik Pohl, 12/15/2010 ) |
Army Wrist Display Uses 4.3 Inch OLED Field trials of this thin, lightweight and ruggedized communications device are underway. (re: Roger Zelazny, 10/15/2010 ) |
When Do I Get My Language Rectifier? Two giant corporations, each with their own approach to the problem, each with vast resources. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 10/13/2010 ) |
NEC Billboard Minority Report-Style John Anderton - I'm a billboard, and I can guess your gender, age and ethnicity while you walk by, and show you an appropriate ad. (re: Steven Spielberg, 10/5/2010 ) |
VW Talking Newspaper Ad The newspapers have finally started talking back. (re: Greg Bear, 9/21/2010 ) |
Apple Live Streaming Fail In which Apple makes a promise and then fails to deliver. (re: Edmond Hamilton, 9/1/2010 ) |
M-Dress Has Phone, SIM Card And Antenna Embedded This dress is a wearable phone. (re: Murray Leinster, 8/21/2010 ) |
Murdoch To Create Digital News-Paper In which Rupert Murdoch demonstrates his mastery of future technology. (re: Arthur C. Clarke, 8/15/2010 ) |
'Intuitive Navigation' Augmented Reality For Smartphones Find your way around the natural, intuitive way. With your smartphone. (re: Various, 8/2/2010 ) |
Amazon Sells More Ebooks Than Hardcovers 'I spent the afternoon in a bookstore. There were no books in it.' (re: Stanislaw Lem, 7/19/2010 ) |
NTT Real-Time Voice Transcriber Note-taking in long boring meetings will be a thing of the past, thanks to NTT. (re: David H. Keller, 7/7/2010 ) |
Google Android Language Rectifier Hugo Gernsback wrote about it a century ago; now a major phone platform offers it for free. And it works! (re: Hugo Gernsback, 5/20/2010 ) |
Cellphone Inventor Cooper Trails Heinlein Again RAH called this one too, almost sixty years ago. (re: Robert Heinlein, 4/26/2010 ) |
Make Way For The Padloids Sure, we've been shown the high-concept version of news on a tablet computer. But what about bringing the real news stand into the digital age? (re: John Varley, 2/21/2010 ) |
Tweeting Tree Like Blish's Message Tree I've heard of whispering pines, but twittering trees? Sony Ericsson does it again. (re: James Blish, 2/17/2010 ) |
Robust Automatic Translation Of Speech DARPA's Universal Translator I am fluent in six million forms of communication. I am a small yellow fish. I also work for DARPA. What am I? (re: Hugo Gernsback, 2/16/2010 ) |
Google Translator Phone Is Ralph 124c 41 + Approved Although the technology could take many years to perfect, Hugo Gernsback's 1911 dream of talking in English to French girls may yet come true. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 2/10/2010 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 2/5/2010 ) |
HDTV Videophone From LG And Panasonic I'm not sure whether marketing departments have asked whether people really want to be seen in high definition on their videophone. (re: E.M. Forster, 1/14/2010 ) |
Nozzl Real-Time Local News Interesting experiment in real-time, localized automated news. (re: Robert Heinlein, 1/7/2010 ) |
Mendeley Research Tool Like iTunes Genius If this site can bring interactive social networking and iTunes-style genius recommendations to the scientific community, it could be the biggest thing since the Royal Academy was founded. (re: Various, 9/20/2009 ) |
Polaris Robot Mobile Phone Prototype Unveiled Sometimes I'm too lazy to find my cell phone cradle, but I don't know if it needs to find me. Besides, the Cellular Phone Robot (2007) prototype has more functionality. (re: Various, 9/10/2009 ) |
LG Watchphone Now Available You read about it last year, but now you can buy one - if you live in Britain. (re: Chester Gould, 8/22/2009 ) |
Android Glass Desk Phone I'm really in retro gadget heaven now; this is totally an update for one of my favorite work phones at Northern Telecom back in the 1980's. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 8/21/2009 ) |
In-Flight Wi-Fi Gives Me Clarke Moment Actually, yes, Arthur C. Clarke's vision of checking the news on a tablet computer while in flight can be improved upon... (re: Arthur C. Clarke, 8/10/2009 ) |
Facial Expression And Mannerism 'Cloning' By Computer The cloning of facial expression and mannerisms can now be accomplished in real time; better be careful who (or what) you are doing that video chat with. (re: Robert Heinlein, 6/1/2009 ) |
Google Wave Tide Of Collaboration Now Ashore Google introduces a new kind of computer mediated conversation today in San Francisco. (re: Frederik Pohl, 5/28/2009 ) |
iRobot Ember Crawling Microbot Paperback book-sized microrobot will serve as a mobile platform for a variety of applications, including ad hoc networks. Just toss and boot up. Video included. (re: Various, 5/18/2009 ) |
Navman Spirt TV Satellite Navigation Dashboard TV So how come I can't watch TV on the display in my hybrid car? What's wrong with having a dashboard TV? (re: Philip K. Dick, 5/17/2009 ) |
Silent Talk 'Telepathy' For Soldiers DARPA seems determined to provide soldiers with the ability to communicate with thoughts alone. (re: L.F. Stone, 5/16/2009 ) |
ETICA Already Missed These SF Comm Predictions Boffins form group to predict the next Twitter; they're already too late to predict these communication breakthroughs, since sf authors have already done so. (re: Various, 4/16/2009 ) |
Interactive Digital Billboards Controlled By Phones I had some thoughts about this variation on the Minority Report-style billboard that takes your info whether you want to share or not. With video. (re: Stephen Spielberg, 3/25/2009 ) |
'Virtual Cocoon' Virtual Reality Helmet When you think virtual reality, whom do you think of? Clarke, Bradbury, Dick, Roddenberry? This helmet engages all five senses. (re: Arthur C. Clarke, 3/5/2009 ) |
Newspapers Doomed - SF Writers Do you think that newspapers have a future? SF writers aren't so sure; Cory Doctorow is just the latest. (re: Cory Doctorow, 2/24/2009 ) |
Skynet Now Generating Paralinguistic Phenomena Via Markup In Text-to-Speech Syntheses New IBM speech tech simulates human speech so well, you may not be able to judge by voice alone whether it is your mother - or a Terminator. (re: Various, 2/3/2009 ) |
NTT Billboards Are Watching You Look When every surface is covered with ads, how can a business see if passersby are looking at their particular ad? (re: Various, 12/18/2008 ) |
Kickbee Fetal Twitter Posting I was thinking of calling this article 'Tweets from Web 3.0' but it's just a prototype anyway. Nothing ever came of prototypes... (re: Various, 12/12/2008 ) |
TroopTube: YouTube For Military And Families The U.S. military takes a cautious step into interactive social media for use by troops and families. (re: Varioius, 11/13/2008 ) |
Vlingo Voice-Enabled Blackberry Smartphone This company seems to think the same way that Frederik Pohl did in 1965; voice is the best interface for a smartphone. (re: Frederik Pohl, 11/8/2008 ) |
Mobile Satellite Ventures Hybrid Satellite Network MSV is starting to move into areas outlined by engineer and sf writer George O. Smith two generations ago. (re: George O. Smith, 11/8/2008 ) |
Lower Limit Of Quantum Communication Speed Interesting work determines a lower limit for the impossible communication that Einstein called 'spooky action at a distance.' (re: E.E. 'Doc' Smith, 9/4/2008 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 8/27/2008 ) |
Our Futuristic Data-Net Is In Trouble Several articles have come out recently about how the U.S. is falling behind the most advanced nations in the area of Internet broadband. Our sf was more advanced, anyway. (re: Murray Leinster, 8/13/2008 ) |
MEDUSA Controls Crowds By Talking Inside Their Heads Device uses microwave audio effect in a manner similar to that proposed by the Overlords from Clarke's Childhood's End. (re: Arthur C. Clarke, 7/7/2008 ) |
Citysense Nightlife Indicator Interesting cellphone app will let you find out where the wild things are - the places where the most people are congregating in a city. (re: Larry Niven, 7/3/2008 ) |
Sqish Alt Sat Dish Vanishes With Sqishoflage Interesting camouflaged satellite dish is not a dish - it's a Sqish. (re: Various, 6/30/2008 ) |
Acoustic Time Reversal Underwater Broadband New technology advances the science of transmitting data underwater; will this lead to free WiFi in Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park? (re: Rockne S. O'Bannon, 6/27/2008 ) |
'Skin-Tenna' Signal Broadcast By Largest Human Organ Interesting concept uses a 'creeping wave effect' to broadcast signals sideways along the surface of your skin. (re: Various, 6/19/2008 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 5/2/2008 ) |
Disappearing Ink On Self-Blanking Paper Amazing invention has me completely baffled; or maybe I've just been reading too much Philip K. Dick lately. (re: Various, 4/29/2008 ) |
MIT 'Quickies' RFID Transmit Paper These nifty post-it notes can communicate to your computer world. (re: Frank Herbert, 4/25/2008 ) |
Universal Translator, Babelfish Possible The idea of a real-life universal translator is usually applied to a human language translator. But what about translating actual alien communication? (re: Larry Niven, 4/24/2008 ) |
NTT's Firmo Body Network Touch Communication NTT gets a jump on everyone by releasing its Firmo human body networking hardware. (re: Various, 4/24/2008 ) |
DoCoMo Cell Phones Mobile Fragrance Equipped Believe me, sending a list of fragrances over the phone is only the beginning. (re: Frederik Pohl, 4/10/2008 ) |
When Slamhounds Attack Pretty good video not only presents sfnal inventions from the past two generations, but tells you how to solve any problems arising from the use thereof. (re: William Gibson, 4/9/2008 ) |
High Technology In Vintage Ad Style Here's an idea - what would it look like if you tried to sell cellphones and Segways at the end of the 19th century? (re: Various, 4/7/2008 ) |
Modu Cell Phone Module Adds Connectivity To Everything The remarkable Modu is a transformational cell phone concept; use it to add connectivity to practically anything - with the right sleeve. (re: Various, 3/15/2008 ) |
Audeo Neckband Voiceless Phone Calls The new neckband allows you to 'think' and speak. This will really mess up the 'Can you hear me now?' cell phone pitch; you'll just watch the guy sitting there. (re: David Brin, 3/14/2008 ) |
Should Website Advertisers Know Your Name? John Anderton! Your future ads are ready for you now, John Anderton. We do all this for you, John Anderton! (re: Steven Spielberg, 3/12/2008 ) |
Mars Phoenix Lander On Wide World Of Mars This is an amazing use of resources - who knew we had so many resources on Mars? (re: Harry Gore Bishop, 3/3/2008 ) |
iPhones For Freshmen At ACU This video shows some near-future applications for iPhones that will be used by freshmen at ACU this fall. (re: Frederik Pohl, 2/28/2008 ) |
Nokia Morph Cell Phone Concept The funny thing about this advanced concept is that parts of it are already available from other cell phone makers. (re: Robert Heinlein, 2/26/2008 ) |
Readius Cell Phone 5-Inch Fold Out Display This Philips product will actually be available this year (re: William Gibson, 1/21/2008 ) |
'Inaudibility Cloak' Is Theoretically Possible Can you think of some good uses for a cloaking device that hides you, or an object, acoustically? (re: Various, 1/11/2008 ) |
KissPhone Misses First By Forty Years This particular cell phone concept is too late to claim the prize for a cell phone through which one can exchange a kiss. (re: Frederik Pohl, 1/8/2008 ) |
Fingersight Synesthesia Machine Fascinating haptic interface device lets you feel what you can see; Rudy Rucker wrote about something quite similar about twenty years ago. (re: Rudy Rucker, 1/3/2008 ) |
Mobile Social Networking Near You Interesting networking software tries to bring useful information about that person right over there to your cell phone. (re: Larry Niven, 12/26/2007 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 12/5/2007 ) |
NEC Translator Cellphone Turns Japanese To English This is a very cool translator technology; can you think of additional sf references? (re: Larry Niven, 12/4/2007 ) |
Robo-Rucksack: Six-Year-Old Designs Talking 'Smart Backpack' This clever and innovative backpack (or rucksack, as they say in the UK) was designed by an elementary school child. (re: Frank Herbert, 11/10/2007 ) |
NEC Develops Wideband Wearable Antenna Many science-fictional gadgets depend on being tiny, and yet they can easily receive transmissions from great distances. Now, we know where the antenna is. (re: Various, 11/1/2007 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 10/23/2007 ) |
Bone Conduction Cell Phone Who would think of a bone conduction phone. Besides Pantech - RAH, that's who. (re: robert Heinlein, 10/19/2007 ) |
Avatars To Walk Between Virtual Worlds In Hindu theology, avatars can pass freely between worlds; soon, computer avatars may do the same. (re: Neal Stephenson, 10/11/2007 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 10/10/2007 ) |
Cell Phone Tower Equipment Sheds Way Station-Style I'm reaching a bit for this one, but I still think it's cool. (re: Clifford Simak, 9/10/2007 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 8/23/2007 ) |
Gesture-Controlled TV Update Now you can control your TV with gestures, not just make gestures at your TV. (re: Various, 7/16/2007 ) |
Web Photos Now Have Zero Credibility Now anyone can rewrite history, taking only seconds for each precious photo. (re: George Orwell, 7/11/2007 ) |
Internet Routing In Space Now, Venus Equilateral Station Later Sooner or later, there's going to be a real communications network up there - George O. Smith knew it in 1942. (re: George O. Smith, 4/15/2007 ) |
Remote-Controlled Pigeon Could Enable DSL Cyborg pigeons fill the skies! Okay, there is one prototype pigeon, but it seems to work. (re: Frank Herbert, 3/11/2007 ) |
Internet Kiosks Around The World Everywhere you go, there you are - on the Internet. (re: Various, 1/24/2007 ) |
Motorola AUDEX Jacket With Sleeve Controls Love those Leinster sleeve controls; the jacket does have a 1940's appeal to it. (re: Murray Leinster, 1/19/2007 ) |
Advertising-Funded Cellphone Content Free phone service may be coming whether you like it or not. The system depends on it. (re: J.G. Ballard, 1/17/2007 ) |
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. (re: Frederik Pohl, 1/17/2007 ) |
Butterfly Wing Phone Screen This unusual design has the virtue of being realizable with today's technology. (re: William Gibson, 12/8/2006 ) |
Earth Barcoded For Alien Convenience A seemingly innocent art project meant to get you thinking about our real and virtual worlds is so much more, if you know how to look at it. (re: Jules Verne, 12/7/2006 ) |
BluScreen Minority Report Ads Minority Report-style ads are back again; we may not be able to avoid this one. (re: Steven Spielberg, 9/13/2006 ) |
Nokia Silence Booth - Shh! If only someone would install these everywhere... (re: Robert Heinlein, 9/1/2006 ) |
Sea-Eye Underwater Broadband Wireless Network Undersea broadband wireless may get better soon. (re: Various, 6/28/2006 ) |
K-NFB Portable Text To Speech Inventor Ray Kurzweil has portable text to speech ready - how long ago did sf writers think about this idea? (re: David H. Keller, 6/27/2006 ) |
Wrist Phone Sighted One day, we'll have Dick Tracy's wrist radio. This isn't quite it, but it's got a cool look and a nice display. (re: Various, 6/23/2006 ) |
The Future Of Cell Phones The cell phones of the future - probably still drop calls, but they will look extremely cool doing it. (re: Frederik Pohl, 6/20/2006 ) |
Chant Disruptor At Stadium Near You? Here's how to cut that disruptive audience down to size. (re: Various, 5/15/2006 ) |
RFID Sensor Tag Shower For Disasters A snowstorm of RFID tags could help save lives in a disaster. (re: Robert Silverberg, 3/20/2006 ) |
Eurotech Zypad Wrist Wearable PC Beats Tracy's Calling all cars - the Zypad is available now! Not just a radio, but a Linux or Windows CE device. (re: Chester Gould, 3/14/2006 ) |
LongPen By Unotchit: Margaret Atwood's Telautograph For Book Signing Science fiction writer Margaret Atwood has created a device that makes real one of Hugo Gernsback's dreams of almost a century ago. (re: Hugo Gernsback, 2/19/2006 ) |
MASTOR Provides Real-Time Speech Translation Real-time speech translation from one language to another; is the world ready for one of Gernsback's 1911 language rectifiers? (re: Hugo Gernsback, 1/26/2006 ) |
Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator On eBay (Again!) I couldn't resist checking out yet another working Star Trek communicator for sale on Ebay. (re: Gene Roddenberry, 8/1/2005 ) |
Cellphone Towers: Modern Day 'Message Trees' Cellphone towers disguised as trees? Sounds like the message tree from a 1958 James Blish novel. (re: James Blish, 5/1/2005 ) |
Siemens Communicator Badge: Trek-style Communicator The device can be worn like a badge, or on a lanyard around your neck. Commands from the user are transmitted via Bluetooth to a central home communications server. The server uses proprietary voice recognition software to convert your voice commands (re: Star Trek, 3/17/2005 ) |
Speegle Serves Up Verbal Search Results Let Speegle read your search results in a restful voice. (re: Harlan Ellison, 1/19/2005 ) |
Toshiba Ubiquitous Viewer Lets Phones Control PCs Toshiba says it has developed software to let users control computers in their homes or offices from their mobile phones. (re: William Gibson, 1/19/2005 ) |
Saudi Arabian Mobile Phones The Islamic Saudi Mobile Phone has a number of unusual, built-in features to serve the religious needs of its intended audience - faithful Muslims. It will provide Qibla direction as well as prayer times in over 5,000 cities worldwide. (re: Roger Zelazny, 1/12/2005 ) |
Bring On The Hush-A-Phone! We've all read about the studies being conducted on the airlines, that perhaps one day soon we will all be forced to sit cheek-by-jowl with people who will conduct loud conversations on their cell phones. Isn't there some way to fend off this disaste (re: Robert Heinlein, 1/3/2005 ) |
Universal Whistling Machine - The Future Of Non-Verbal Communications Canadian artists Marc Bohlen and J.T. Rinker want to change the way that you interact with your favorite electronic devices. Tired of tiny keyboards, poor speech recognition or incomprehensible interfaces? (re: George Lucas, 12/8/2004 ) |
AlertBox Wireless Device Warns The Neighbors A wireless device called an AlertBox is going on sale in the United Kingdom this week; it allows neighbors to warn each other about "dodgy characters" on their street. (re: Jack Vance, 11/1/2004 ) |
Slow Light Will Speed Communications Physicists at the NIST believe that a new class of light soliton may help speed up communications networks. (re: L. Sprague de Camp, 10/29/2004 ) |
Sky Ear: Mobile Phones and Helium Balloons Sky Ear on May 4th - a glowing "cloud" of mobile phones and gauss meters attached to helium balloons with lights is released into the air so that people can dial into the cloud and listen to the sounds of the electromagnetic sky. (re: Roger Zelazny, 4/9/2004 ) |
Digital Squab Line (DSL) Has High Bandwidth Which is faster - ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) or DSL (Digital Squab Line)? If you're thinking pigeons are faster - you're right. (re: Frank Herbert, 4/5/2004 ) |
Bradbury's Green Bullet Made Possible With Bluetooth The new Nextlink Bluespoon 5g cell phone headset is so small, Captain Beatty may not notice it if you wear it while driving the salamander back to the firehouse. (re: Ray Bradbury, 4/2/2004 ) |
Futureme.org: Contact Your Future Self Have you got something to say to yourself - next year? Futureme.org lets [the present day] you give [the future] you a piece of your mind. (re: John Varley, 3/26/2004 ) |
LingoPhone Provides Mobile Translation LingoPhone now provides mobile, on-the-spot translation services via cellphone. The service works with any mobile phone equipped to send and recieve text messages. (re: William Gibson, 11/21/2003 ) |
Categories:
Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Output Devices
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Output Devices
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
