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"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it."
- Robert Heinlein
 |
| Bolognium | ||
| Very early fictional element, courtesy of metallurgists. |
See also the article for the word "unobtainium".
| ...the Sillinoise Steel company was described. In the absence of the author, the paper was read by Dr. E.Z. Dame of Never Ready Batteries (Edgar C. Bain). The author's abstract follows:
This paper describes some of the alloys of the newly discovered element Gafnium. The element is named after the famous worker in steel who has but to mention a certain steel when lo! it becomes a super-metal... The element Gafnium is very similar to the element Bolognium with which it alloys in all proportions following a series of inter metallic compounds none of which are attracted by mice at ordinary pressures. |
| Technovelgy from Transactions of Amer Soc for Steel Treating,
by Edgar Bain. Published by Amer Soc Steel Treating in 1926 Additional resources -
|
This is not really a science fiction short story, but was instead a humorous effort by diligent metallurgists and materials scientists. Compare to many entries in List of Materials in Science Fiction.
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'From a distance it could resolve the cosmic rays reflected from various substances.'
'The answer to the dumb student's prayer.'
'He had travelled the space-lanes of the solar system for the greater part of his life...'
'The dinner was excellent. It was completely vegetarian — grown in specially prepared gardens in this Moon base...'
'Telepaths had their sensitiveness enlarged to an immense range by the pin-sets, which were telepathic amplifiers adapted to the mammal mind.'
'It was a relief to enter one of the comfortable autos, whisper a direction down the tube, and just know that you would be taken to your destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest manner.'
'But he didn't get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts. George winced...'
'The vast spinning sphere of Factory in the Sky loomed above and ahead of us, gleaming white against the unfathomable jet depths of surrounding space.'
'And if it doesn’t work,' inquired Lazarus, 'what does that make us? Sunspots?'
