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"I can remember when the first pulsars were discovered. I was able to go and sit down and listen to graduate students talking about what their theories, to explain what pulsars really were."
- Vernor Vinge
 |
| 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. |
| 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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and Technology from Say Goodby to the Wind
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'In your days they showed you a fashion-plate,' said the tailor, 'but this is our modern development.'
'If there's anything in here worth looking at, these pups'll find it.'
'They will have flung great arches and domes of glass above the wider spaces...'
'The figure seemed to be swimming toward the surface.'
'...Men don't want real women anymore. You and I are behind the times...'
