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"The SF approach: an awareness that things could have been different, that this is one of many possible worlds, that if you came to this world from some other planet, this would be a science fiction world."
- Neal Stephenson
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| Holo-Printing | ||
| Errors introduced in data storage media when recording under improper conditions. |
This phenomenon (on computer tape drives and disk drives) was probably known by the time Dick wrote the novel, but he makes epic use of it.
In this scene, Fred is watching holographic surveillance data and notices a problem.
| And then, as Fred watched, Connie's hard features melted and faded into softness, and into Donna Hawthorne's face...
Standing, Fred walked into the holo-cube, into the three-dimensional projection, and stood close to the bed to scrutinize the girl's face. Halfway between, he decided. Still half Connie; already half Donna... ...maybe it's a visual interruption or breakdown electronically, he pondered. What they call printing. Holo-printing: from one section of the tape storage to another. If the tape sits too long, if the recording gain was too high initially, it prints across. Jeez, he though. It printed Donna across from a previous or later scene, maybe from the living room. |
| From A Scanner Darkly,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Not Known in 1977 Additional resources -
|
It's interesting to compare what Philip K. Dick describes in the novel with actual software used to retrieve images from damaged hard drives. This from a document on using Symantec Norton Ghost:
In the novel, Dick finishes manipulating the reader by having Fred continue watching the hologram. Arctor watches Donna sleeping, then watches her face turn into Connie's. It was not technical interference.
Incorrect operation and use of the Ghosting programs may lead to very serious consequences, as the data previously held on the hard disk that is to receive the image will often be completely overwritten. This is not always the case though, as sometimes the disk receiving the image may be considerably larger than the original disk. Ghosting to a disk of this type will almost certainly destroy the file system and root directory structure but some of the data that was previously on the hard disk may still be recoverable. Other problems exist too, such as Ghosting in the wrong direction, unexpected program termination or system crash...
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'A worker replaced by a nubot... had to be compensated.'
'... forcing the energy transfer which allowed him to regrow his lost fingers.'
'The car surged and lifted, clearing its top by a negligible margin.'
Science fiction authors are serious about sleep, too.
'I had explained," said Nessus, "that our civilisation was dying in its own waste heat.'
'Just what did I want Flexible Frank to do? - any work a human being does around a house.'
SF writers have thought about this since the 19th century.
