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"Money to me is freedom, and freedom is essential. Money allows me to say that I will now devote my life to being me, rather than putting on my shoes and tie, and going to an office every day."
- Robert Silverberg
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| Automatic Speeding Fine | ||
| An automated device that not only computes the speed of a vehicle, but registers and then issues an electronic citation. |
Kerry Dale was in a hurry, so he told the gyrotaxi driver to step on it.
| ...out on the street Dale hailed a swift little gyrotaxi. "Gem Saloon!" he snapped. "And never mind the speed limits..."
"Here y'are, buddy." The gyrodriver came to a halt. "The Gem Saloon in four minutes flat. And I got me a fine, too. Doing a hundred an' twenty on a city street. See up there!" Kerry looked obediently at the little oblong screen above the dashboard. On it, flashing neatly, was imprinted a summons for violation of the traffic laws. The photoelectric eyes at each crossing had clocked the gyro's speed. As it passed the legal limit, the automatic mechanism recorded the offender's license, sent out the impulses that printed the summons in the offender's cab. |
| Technovelgy from Old Fireball,
by Nat Schachner. Published by Astounding Science-Fiction in 1941 Additional resources -
|
Being a basically fair guy (the broad-shouldered, straight-talking protagonist of this space yarn), Dale paid the fare and the fine.
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More Ideas
and Technology from Old Fireball
More Ideas
and Technology by Nat Schachner
Tech news articles related to Old Fireball
Tech news articles related to works by Nat Schachner
Automatic Speeding Fine-related
news articles:
- Satellites To Limit Your Driving Speed
| Pivotal Blackfly Electric Aircraft Lifts And Hovers |
| Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram |
| Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable |
| Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship |
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Science Fiction
Timeline
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'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
'We had discovered that metal was relatively impervious to the telepathic effect.'
'Detailed plans for the construction of the Gundstetter-Halone warp drive were flowing.'
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'
'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
