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"I think a lot of kids whose mental growth outruns their maturity gravitate to science fiction."
- Dan Simmons
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| Photophone | ||
| A device that provided a view of the other booth. |
| The photophone was not as handy, of course, as the portable visiphone which we now use. One stepped into a small booth, and, facing the mosaic mirror which filled one side of the room, adjusted the calling dials on the right wall. As soon as the party answered the call, one immediately saw a full- length reflection of the interior of the other booth, complete in natural colors, lighting and all; so that it was much the same as a face- to- face conversation. A similar mirror on the left made it possible for three parties to talk at once. Of course there were more elaborate booths for official business. One talked in his natural tones, there being no need to place receiver to ear or to keep near a mouthpiece. The diaphragms were conveniently located at the right. Conversation was distinct and of natural... |
| Technovelgy from The Planeteer,
by Homer Eon Flint. Published by All Story Weekly in 1918 Additional resources -
|
Another use of this term, in Dead Star Station (1933) by Jack Williamson:
"A call for me, thir?" he lisped in excited astonishment as he shuffled into the photophone room. It must have been the first in fifty years.
Vance made him sit down in front of the projection screen, and tuned his set and synchronized the scanning tube. The bright-hued geometric figures of the registration pattern vanished suddenly, and on the screen was Tonia Andros.
Vance and the other operator were inevitable eavesdroppers, for without their continual adjustments, the narrow etheric nerve between the ships would have snapped in half a minute.
Again, from Collision Orbit, by Jack Williamson, published by Astounding in 1942:
The Bellatrix, flashing onward along the flaming corridor of the passage, was still in photophone communication with us. A private call came for Gideon Clew, and Vance, our operator, sent the steward to find the old man.
He reached for the photophone receiver - out along the spatial barriers, where there was no atmosphere to carry sound or to distort and absorb a beam of modulated light, the photophone was almost the universal means of communication, from ship to ship and rock to rock.
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'... making the point that their likenesses, every move they made, were being transmitted.'
'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?'
'...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.'
'The area affected was five hundred kilometres across, and perfectly circular.'
'Hasan always pitched a Gauzy - a one-molecule-layer tent, opaque, feather-light, and very tough.'
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
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