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"...science fiction is sort of like a sociological genome. It's a huge range of possible futures, most of them useless; some vital. You never really know in advance."
- Peter Watts
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| Bio-Fabric | ||
| Living cloth that constantly adapts itself to the personality and needs of its wearer. |
Mr. Sampson owns a beach boutique; disdaining inert-wear, he and his partner sell the latest bio-fabric fashions.
| The racks of gowns itched and quivered, their colors running into blurred pools. One drawback of bio-fabrics is their extreme sensitivity. Bred originally from the gene stocks of delicate wisterias and mimosas, the woven yard have brought with them something of the vine's remarkable response to atmosphere and touch. The sudden movement of someone nearby, let alone of the wearer, brings an immediate reply from the nerve-like tissues. A dress can change its color and texture in a few seconds, becoming more decollete at the approach of an eager admirer, more formal at a chance meeting with a bank manager.
This sensitivity to mood explains the real popularity of bio-fabrics. Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color and texture that can approximate only crudely to the vagrant human figure, but from living tissues that adapt themselves to the contours and personality of the wearer. Other advantages are the continued growth of the materials, fed by the body odours and perspriration of the wearer, the sweet liqueurs distilled from her own pores, and the constant renewal of the fibers, repairing any faults or ladders and eliminating the need for washing. |
| Technovelgy from Say Goodby to the Wind,
by J.G. Ballard. Published by Ultimate Publications, Inc. in 1970 Additional resources -
|
In these fashions, temperamental couturers were not the main concern. Temperamental dresses could destroy themselves in a panic, or become hats.
Compare to the self-cleaning gym suit from Oryx and Crake (2003) by Margaret Atwood and fabricules from The Diamond Age (1995) by Neal Stephenson.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Say Goodby to the Wind
More Ideas
and Technology by J.G. Ballard
Tech news articles related to Say Goodby to the Wind
Tech news articles related to works by J.G. Ballard
Bio-Fabric-related
news articles:
- Transformer Clothing
- Sensor-Equipped Dress Tells You How She Feels
- Smart Second Skin Dress Interacts With Wearer
- Sound Reactive Nightgown
- Protocell Running Shoes Regenerate
- Second Skin Clothing By Biologic Changes With You
- Smart Clothing From Finland
- Self-Healing Textiles! Say Goodbye To Torn Jeans
- Eighth Sense Emotion-Responsive Cloak
- Fluorescent Bacteria Fashion
- Clothes That Do Photosynthesis
- E - Ink's Automatic Self Styling Color-Changing Dress
| Skip Movewear Arc'teryx AI Pants |
| Kolors Virtual-Try-On Predicted, And TRIED, By Harry Harrison |
| Qore IcePlates Are Personal Cooling Suits |
| Fabrican Dress Sprayed Directly Onto Model On Coperni Runway |
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'You’re the robopsychologist of the plant, so you’re to study the robot itself...'
'The Consul remembered his first glimpse of the kilometer-long treeship...'
'His contract with Space Industries required him to work summers in their orbital factory.'
'The basement was huge... carved deep into the rock that folded up to underlie the ridge...'
'...the rocket’s landing-arms automatically unfolded.'
'...points and patches of light... sliding all over their faces in a programmed manner that had been designed to foil facial recognition systems.'
'...the combined Wind-Suncatcher, like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
