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"The science fiction method is dissection and reconstruction. You look at the world around you, and take it apart into its components. Then you take some of those components, throw them away, and plug in different ones, start it up and see what happens."
- Frederik Pohl
 |
| Autonomous Crane Truck | ||
| Multipurpose self-actuated truck with crane and chain. |
| A little "leading machine" whizzed by. It was a
curious vehicle, a tiny motorcycle, too small for anyone
to ride in or to carry a load. There was a good deal
of complicated mechanism about it, little gear-wheels
like the works of a watch, and many busy little rods
and cams. In front were two bright, staring headlights.
As it sailed whirring down the road, I stared after it,
wondering what could be the possible use of the thing.
A truck came up behind me. From the sound of its
machinery, it seemed to be slowing down. I glanced
back and found this indeed to be the case; and furthermore, it was at the edge of the road, directly behind
me. I edged as far as I could into the thicket.
"This is no place for pedestrians," I thought.
Of course, there was no sidewalk. There could not
have been much, if any, travel on foot between the two
cities.
 (Autonomous crane truck from 'Paradise and Iron' (1930) by Miles J. Breuer) The approaching truck was a light one, of half-ton capacity. The curved arm of a crane projected from it, high above the road, from the side nearest me. It passed very slowly, and uncomfortably close to me. I crowded close to the bushes. If there had been a driver, I would have had something to say to him. A sudden clatter above my head made me look up in surprise. A loop of chain whipped out cleverly from the crane, like the circle of a lasso. It fell neatly over my head, and while I stared in open-mouthed astonishment, it tightened about my arms and shoulders. It happened so quickly, such an amazing, undreamed of thing, that before I realized what was going on, I was swung off my feet and hoisted up off the ground. My arms were pinioned to my sides, and I was helpless as a trussed turkey. At first, I was stunned with surprise. It was too strange - too far beyond anything I could have foreseen. Then I was overwhelmed by anger and chagrin. I had been taken in as easily as а new-born babe. For a moment, I was beside myself with rage. |
| Technovelgy from Paradise and Iron,
by Miles J. Breuer. Published by Amazing Stories Quarterly in 1930 Additional resources -
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'...I saw a nice black heavy-looking cloud sailing by just now, and I can get the electrical machine out in five minutes to draw it down.'
'From a distance it could resolve the cosmic rays reflected from various substances.'
'The answer to the dumb student's prayer.'
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'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...'
