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"it slowly dawned on me that the landscape of science is maybe what interests people a great deal in science fiction."
- Gregory Benford
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| Mimetic Polycarbon Suit | ||
| Clothing made from a fiber that could change colors based on either recorded images or real-time picture input. |
The world of Neuromancer is still ultramodern, nearly twenty years after the publication of the novel. Every detail of the book shows the fascination with technology demonstrated by the characters. The idea of this fiber is that, for example, it can present a picture of what you are leaning your back against on the front of the suit, so your suit is effectively invisible against the background.
| The Panther Modern leader, who introduced himself as Lupus Yonderboy, wore a polycarbon suit with a recording feature that allowed him to replay backgrounds at will. Perched on the edge of Case's worktable like some sort of state of the art gargoyle, he regarded Case and Armitage with hooded eyes. |
| Technovelgy from Neuromancer,
by William Gibson. Published by Phantasia Press in 1984 Additional resources -
|
Here's another quote, from a culture summary:
The Panther Moderns were described as "nihilistic technofetishists" in the novel; today, we might refer to them as cyberterrorists. See the entry for infowar operation taken from Distraction by Bruce Sterling.
See also the optical effect suit by Keith Laumer.
The precis began with a long hold on a color still that Case at first assumed was a collage of some kind, a boy's face snipped from another image and glued to a photograph of a paint-scrawled wall. Dark eyes, epicanthic folds obviously the result of surgery, an angry dusting of acne across pale narrow cheeks. The Hosaka released the freeze; the boy moved, flowing with the sinister grace of a mime pretending to be a jungle predator. His body was nearly invisible, an abstract pattern approximating the scribbled brickwork sliding smoothly across his tight one piece. Mimetic polycarbon.
This kind of clothing was appropriate attire for the Panther Moderns, who thrived on creating chaos from the shadows of this highly technological culture. The recording feature is also a unique element; it would provide an interesting travelogue while you were recounting the events of a recent trip to friends.
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'What would you do,' Eric asked the robot cabdriver, 'if your wife had turned to stone, your best friend were a toad, and you had lost your job?'
'those suits they wear -- call them 'stillsuits' -- that reclaim the body's own water...'
'Now, except for weight and heat, the same conditions prevail in this chamber as in space.'
'there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net...'
'Now, look, let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics...'
'..the synthetic intellects at the Place of Knowledge had far outstripped the minds of men.'
'But after washing and drying clothes had to be smooth - free from fine lines and wrinkles ...'
