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"[Science fiction is ] That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings."
- Isaac Asimov
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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
| Your Solar Electric Paint Is Ready, Larry Niven |
| How Long Till We Have These Tattoos? |
| Taza Aya Air-Curtain Tech Protects Turkey Workers |
| CoulombFly Solar-Powered Micro Aerial Vehicle Weighs 4.1 Grams |
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Science Fiction
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'If the biological robots were not living creatures, they were certainly very good imitations.'
"Everybody and his dog, it seemed, wanted to live out in the country; transportation and communication were no longer isolating factors."
'... the new typewriter that could be talked to, and which transposed the spoken sound into typed words.'
'... underneath they consisted of networks of cooling tubes against the skin.'
'My cars talk to one another. I have no doubt about it...'
'... the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell.'
