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"[Science fiction is] nightmares and visions, always outlined by the barely possible."
- Gregory Benford
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| Week Trees | ||
| Specially engineered bonsai that could grow in a week, instead of decades. |
This is sort of a great idea. Only "sort of" because most people would argue that part of the charm and appeal of a real bonsai (a stunted, ornamental tree) is that it takes decades of constant expert help for a plant to become a work of art.
| Della's second present was a little seed-packet labeled WEEK TREES. "Have you heard of these?" asked Mom. "They're bioengineered. You know the miniature bonsai trees that the Japanese used to grow? These are the same, except their whole life cycle only takes a week... They're amazing." |
| Technovelgy from Wetware,
by Rudy Rucker. Published by Avon Books in 1988 Additional resources -
|
In the novel, genetic engineering takes the place of the gardener's efforts. You could imagine these sold almost as "Chia Pets" that grow to whatever shape you want.
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| Black Fungus Blocks Radiation |
| Lunar Biorepository Proposed For Cryo-Preservation Of Earth Species |
| Let's Make Slaver Sunflowers! Engineering Plants To Reflect Light |
| Machete-Wielding Philodendron Isn't Going To Take It Anymore |
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'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
'It's so light that you can set it up in five minutes by yourself...'
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.'
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
'It is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature...'
'Briquet’s head seemed to think that to find and attach a new body to her head was as easy as to fit and sew a new dress.'
