 |
Jaunte Stage
A cleared space that existed to serve the needs of people who would jaunte (teleport) into that space. (Read the full article)
| "This actually works, saw it firsthand in late 1966. Some notes: there isn't any "pop" sound when it happens." (harrylime 12/16/2006 10:24:37 PM ) |
| "'The Stars My Destination'= possibly the most brilliant SF novel ever written, and I do not say that lightly. Possible flaw with jaunting as presented therein = 2 people appearing in same space would cause huge explosion, but OK to jaunte into air-filled space. It's still matter; is the state all-important? What about liquids? Plasma? More please harrylime! What is the sound of air rushing into a suddenly-empty human-shaped space? Did they have to threaten the jaunter with imminent death to unleash the ability? :)" (sryan 3/23/2007 7:17:02 AM ) |
| "It's one of those novels I've read and reread - I don't do that lightly, either. The novel sort of recognizes the possibility; jaunte stages in large cities are the size of a football field to handle capacity. Also, if you recall, there are cases where prisoners try to jaunte out of secure, underground facilities and materialize inside solid rock - it causes an explosion. They call 'em Blue Jauntes." (Bill Christensen 3/23/2007 1:08:50 PM ) |
| ""L-E-S, gentlemen. Location, Elevation, Situation!" Robin was always concerned with keeping her students off even the big public stages during rush hour. Blue jaunte - KABAAAMM! The travel industry must have still existed (Greyhound of Greyhound, the [upstart] USAir clan), because you couldn't jaunte to or from a place unless you had been there. Exercise: Imagine the appearance of a major metro jaunte stage at rush hour if one's clothes didn't automatically make the jaunte too. Some interesting technical and social adaptations would have to be made...
I read STARS when I was ten, and it rocked my life. It's still rewarding to reread endlessly - that book was written in one solid blast of genius. Bester threw off ideas in every page so brilliant that lesser writers would have built whole books around them. " (sryan 3/24/2007 2:31:48 PM ) |
| "The thought that really gets to me about Bester is this - 'What would it be like to have a mind capable of writing this book in 1956 - and then be forced to live four more years in the Fifties?'" (Bill Christensen 3/24/2007 7:12:29 PM ) |
| "We know the sad result of that, Bill ... he spent most of his career (20 yrs) as an editor for the travel magazine Holiday. A huge loss to SF for all that time. But remember the $ factor - even in 1968 an incredible (and very thick) novel like John Brunner's *Stand On Zanzibar* earned him the princely sum of $1,500 - which he was happy to get. Look Alfie up in Wikipedia for more astounding Bester trivia. Still not mentiond is his pioneering use of exotic embedded typography to describe synesthesia and the lovely complex interweaving riff-patterns of party conversations among the telepaths. Most of his richly-deserved honors were posthumous. Hey, how about a Technovelgy entry on that devastating harmonic vibrational shattergun in *Demolished Man*? "Quick - jump up and hang from the chandelier!" " (sryan 3/26/2007 5:44:31 PM ) |
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned. So, send me your comments to bill at the site name (be sure to mention the page) and I'll post them. Thanks!
Current News Articles
SpaceX Intros Extravehicular Activity Suit
'Provision had been made to meet the terrific cold which we knew would be encountered the moment we had passed beyond the atmosphere.'
Athena Smart Security Guard Robot With Face Recognition
'You are who we say you are, Dr. Dakin,' Turner said.'
The FLUTE Project - A Huge Liquid Mirror In Space
'It's area, and its consequent light-gathering capacity, was many times greater than any rigid mirror...'
Robot Preachers Found To Undermine Religious Commitment
'Tell me your torments,' the Padre said, in an elderly voice marked with compassion.
CyberCab - Tesla Renames The Robotaxi
'A cybercab dogged their heels...'
SpaceHopper Microgravity Robot Lands On Its Feet
'...a slender-legged tripod surmounted by a spherical body no larger than a football.'
Brin's 1990 Novel Earth Still Full Of Predictions
'... making the point that their likenesses, every move they made, were being transmitted.'
Gaia - Why Stop With Just The Earth?
'But the stars are only atoms in larger space, and in that larger space the star-atoms could combine to form living matter, thinking matter, couldn't they?'
'Whisper Mode' ala Blue Thunder Researched At Bristol
'Forest Lawn.'
Microsoft VASA-1 Creates Personal Video From A Photo
'...to build up a video picture would require, say, ten million decisions every second. Mike, you're so fast I can't even think about it. But you aren't that fast.'
Splendid View Of Eclipse From Orbit Visualized And Repurposed By Arthur C. Clarke
'The area affected was five hundred kilometres across, and perfectly circular.'
Bespoke Environment Music From AIs
'Call 'em Winter Mute," said the other, making it two words.'
