Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"I love that computer science has made mathematics into something like an experimental science. I was never all that good at proving things, but I love doing computer experiments."
- Rudy Rucker
 |
| Motorized Combat Boots | ||
| Russian army-surplus self-propelled footgear. |
It's important to have an edge when you're on the street; Spring-Heeled Jack is somewhat more fleet of foot than the average chelovek.
| Spring-Heeled Jack runs blind, blue fumes crackling from his heels. His right hand, outstretched for balance, clutches a mark's stolen memories. The victim is sitting on the hard stones of the pavement behind him. Maybe he's wondering what's happened; maybe he looks after the fleeing youth. But the tourist crowds block the view effectively, and in any case, he has no hope of catching the mugger. Hit-and-run amnesia is what the polis call it, but to Spring-Heeled Jack it's just more loot to buy fuel for his Russian army-surplus motorized combat boots. |
| From Accelerando,
by Charles Stross. Published by Ace in 2005 Additional resources -
|
Readers should note that Spring Heeled Jack is a well-known character from English folklore from the Victorian era. Spring Heeled Jack is also a great example of a very early urban myth spread by racy news accounts - yes, even in 1837.
Thanks to Armchair Anarchist for the tip on this one.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Accelerando
More Ideas
and Technology by Charles Stross
Tech news articles related to Accelerando
Tech news articles related to works by Charles Stross
Motorized Combat Boots-related
news articles:
- Russian Power Boots Can Use Biofuels
| AutoX Sets Up Asia's Largest Robotaxi Center |
| Einride Remote Operator Controls Multiple Vehicles |
| Hardt Hyperloop Fast Transit In A Can |
| Drone Swarm Lifts Truck - Not! |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'The tiger stripes on Jim's mask... made the young people easy to identify.'
I have no mouth and I must scream.
'If he sent out two or three of the small tele-operated devices... [he] could see machinery and construction details in real time from both above and below.'
'THEY sent A SLAMHOUND on Turner's trail in New Delhi...'
'...the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but little cases of glass.'
'A man could carry AIs or complete planetary dataspheres in a Schrön loop.'
'They call 'em culture tanks. They have bugs -- germs -- growing in them.'
