Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"Cyberspace is a metaphor that allows us to grasp this place where since about the time of the second world war we've increasingly done so many of the things that we think of as civilization."
- William Gibson
 |
| Shigawire | ||
| A very fine wire, used as a recording medium (among other things). |
Wire recorders were the precursor to tape recorders; the concept was first demonstrated in the 1870's using piano wire. The military used wire recorders very successfully during World War II and they were the first commercially successful form of recording device available to the public. See the Wire Recorder Transfer page for more information.
| "Muad'Dib," the man said. "I failed you in . . . " "The failure was mine, Korba," Paul said. "I should've warned you what to seek. In the future, when searching Sardaukar, remember this. Remember, too, that each has a false toenail or two that can be combined with other items secreted about their bodies to make an effective transmitter. They'll have more than one false tooth. They carry coils of shigawire in their hair -- so fine you can barely detect it... With Sardaukar, you must scan them, scope them -- both reflex and hard ray -- cut off every scrap of body hair. And when you're through, be certain you haven't discovered everything." |
| From Dune,
by Frank Herbert. Published by Putnam in 1965 Additional resources -
|
See the entries for solido projector and minimic film for other uses of shigawire. See also microwire from Between Planets, a 1951 novel by Robert Heinlein.
Helpfully, the glossary for Dune provides us with this information about shigawire:
For those who have obtained a sample of shigawire and wish to experiment, read more at Tensile Strength Test - Stretching Wires.
SHIGAWIRE: metallic extrusion of a ground vine. (Narvi narviium) grown only on Salusa Secundus and III Delta Kaising. It is noted for extreme tensile strength.
"Tensile" comes from the latin word meaning "stretched out" - a material has good tensile strength if it resists being stretched out. The tensile strength of a material is the maximum resistance to fracture. Engineers also may refer to yield strength, the point at which the material begins plastic deformation (it begins to stretch or bend, and does not snap back).
Comment/Join this discussion ( 1 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Dune
More Ideas
and Technology by Frank Herbert
Tech news articles related to Dune
Tech news articles related to works by Frank Herbert
Shigawire-related
news articles:
- Nanowire Memory Cells: Compact Data Storage
- Flexible Nanowire Data Storage
| TIKAD Armed Drone Ready To Fight |
| LaWS Laser Can Take Out Rogue Drones |
| Keith Laumer's Bolo Autonomous Tanks Right On Schedule |
| Railguns For Surface Ships |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'Everyone was aware that the damned platform was wandering around in its own orbit...'
'In the crimson darkness, stewing warm on their cushion of peritoneum and gorged with blood-surrogate and hormones...'
'They plop down on the Red and if the dust is deep enough ... they burrow in...'
Little robots cooperating can do big tasks. Eventually.
Ever wonder how you look when you enter a new part of a spacecraft?
