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"In 1970 I found little difficulty staying 30 years ahead of the man in the street, and now I find it difficult to stay 18 months ahead of the man on the street."
- Vernor Vinge

Speakwrite  
  A dictation machine that also transcribes the speech into typed words.  

In the story, the effortless use of the speakwrite further emphasizes that written history is much less certain than it seems.

With the deep, unconscious sigh which not even the nearness of the telescreen could prevent him from uttering when his day's work started, Winston pulled the speakwrite towards him, blew the dust from its mouthpiece, and put on his spectacles.
Technovelgy from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four), by George Orwell.
Published by Secker & Warburg in 1948
Additional resources -

Thanks to Alex Mair for contributing this item.

Compare to the vibrowriter from The Lost Language (1934) by David H. Keller, the telescribe from A Question of Salvage (1939) by Malcom Jameson, the transcriber from Second Foundation (1953) by Isaac Asimov and the electrosecretary from A Fall of Moondust (1961) by Arthur C. Clarke.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
  More Ideas and Technology by George Orwell
  Tech news articles related to 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
  Tech news articles related to works by George Orwell

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