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Science Fiction
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"I'm strictly an ivory-tower person. I can explain things but I can't do things."
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![]() As far as I know, the first use of this word in science fiction.
Harl Vincent made good use of this new expression in his 1929 story War of the Planets:
“Connections have now been established with the great reflector at Castle Mountain. If you darken your rooms, you will find that the newly discovered phenomenon is dimly visible in the disc of your instrument.’’
Walter switched off the lights and drew two chairs close to the videophone.
Thelda joined him there and the two gazed intently at the disc.
The view was very indistinct at first, but, as their eyes became accustomed to the darkness, a small group of weird objects became visible in the center of the disc...
At this juncture their individual call sounded from the videophone and Walter flipped back the news lever to permit the incoming personal call to be made. The disc flashed brightly and the face of his father appeared.
“Hello, folks,” spoke the cheery voice of the man they both loved, “Why in the world are you sitting in the darkness? Oh. I know — you have been listening to the absurd reports of some menace from the skies...
"All right, dear. I’ll be home in ten minutes, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to keep an eye on that son of ours this evening,” grinned Roy, “So long.”
The disc went dark and the voice was gone.
A videophone could also have a huge screen so many could see, again from The War of the Planets:
In case you're wondering why videophones had a circular screen, it's because the mechanical scan version of television technology of the Twenties made use of a disc:
![]() (1929 advertisement) A.E. van Vogt used this same term in 1945 in The World of Null-A:
He closed the door, fastened the three plasto-windows and put a tracer on his videophone. For an earlier version of this idea, see the telephot from Hugo Gernsback's classic 1911 novel Ralph 124c 41 +. Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This | Additional
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Science Fiction
Timeline
'Courier Commons' By Tomorrow Lab, From Karl Schroeder (and Bruce Sterling?)
'The pokkecon rang again. *The coffee’s for him?* Tsuyoshi said.'
Jetson-Style Clockwork Robot Nail Salon Coming To Target Near You
The Jetsons imagined so much future.
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'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
Hotels Turn To Robots As Human Workers Regroup
'Chain of hotels that specialized in non-human service.'
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'But then... not every bulldozer operator works on the Moon.'
Tongue-Controlled Tong Wearable Mouth Computer
'Griff found the white and pink map distracting and switched it off using his tongue mouse.'
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