The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

You can hardly believe that this novel was written in the 1950's. Bester created a society which is forced into a renaissance by the discovery of jaunting, the natural ability to teleport. All of our carefully built institutions have crumbled; hilariously, brand name identities remain. Fabulous book.


('The Stars My Destination' by Alfred Bester)

Select an invention:

Analogue - devolution through chemistry
A combination of a drug and a particular mental state allow a person to devolve to an animal level of their choice.

Dental Switchboard - tongue switching
A control device tied in with teeth and nerve endings.

Internal Body Power Pack - AAAAAAAA size
A tiny battery used to power implants.

Jaunte Stage - a little space to teleport
A cleared space that existed to serve the needs of people who would jaunte (teleport) into that space.

Landing Pit (Drydock and Construction)
A cylindrical hole with anti-gravity screens for use in spacecraft landings and repair.

Living Advertising Character - meet Mr. Presto
Modifying an ordinary person to create a living likeness of a company's brand symbol or character.

PyrE - thought explosive
A thermonuclear explosive that is detonated by thought alone.

Refurbished Nervous System - rewired for speed
Your nerves are rewired for 5-10 times the speed of a normal person.

Retinal Light
An internal flashlight.

Robot Bartender - early mention
An automated, mechanical bar tending robot.

Sargasso Asteroid - scavenger planetoid
A planetoid built from natural rock and the salvaged wreckage of space craft.

Sympathetic Block - psychological privacy
A way to keep certain mental contents from being spoken or revealed.

Whisper Line
A means of communication between prisoners held in wide separation.

 

Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New.
Find
new authors and technologies - Shop for yourself, your library and your lab.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction
in the News

Kolors Virtual-Try-On Predicted, And TRIED, By Harry Harrison
re: Harry Harrison
(9/11/2024)

Detecting Drones In Ukraine With Candy (Sukork)
re: Frank Quattrocchi
(9/9/2024)

Nevada Will Use AI To Decide Worker Benefits
re: Marshall Brain
(9/7/2024)

Tether Cryptocurrency Flow Rate US$190Bn Per Day
re: Bruce Sterling
(9/5/2024)

First Trips To Mars Announced By Elon Musk
re: Percy Greg
(9/3/2024)

WaPOCHI Micro-Mobility Robot Follows Like A Pet With Your Bags
re: John Brunner
(9/1/2024)

Ultra-Realistic Robotic Arowana Robo-Fish
re: Charles Fonenay
(8/29/2024)

GITAI R1 Lunar Rover Like NASA Robonaut Centaur
re: Robert Heinlein
(8/27/2024)

Meshworm Soft Robot, With Peristaltic Crawling, Is Getting Better
re: Harry Harrison
(8/25/2024)

Mushroom 'Robot' Is Just A Start
re: Vernor Vinge
(8/23/2024)

Tesla Electric 'Giga Train' Operational In Germany
re: John Jacob Astor IV
(8/21/2024)

DOTPad Braille Device Offers Live Access
re: Various
(8/19/2024)

Biohybrid Robot Combines Living Muscle With Artificial Materials
re: Jack Vance
(8/17/2024)

Biohybrid Robots Made Of Living And Synthetic Materials
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(8/15/2024)

More SF in the News

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.