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"I am first of all not a science fiction writer … I write, I suppose, what the Latin Americans call magic realism."
- Harlan Ellison
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| Protophason Amplifier | ||
| Detects brain activity of those in half-life. |
In Ubik, a technology called "cold-pac" allowed people to exist in a kind of life after death. Called "half-life" it slowly diminished over time, but you could still talk with your loved ones. Sort of.
| "Twill only be a moment," Herbert made his way back to the cold-pac bins to search out number 3054039-B.
When he located the correct party he scrutinized the lading report attached. It gave only fifteen days of half-life remaining. Not very much, he reflected; automatically he pressed a portable protophason amplifier into the transparent plastic hull of the casket, tuned it, listened at the proper frequency for indication of cephalic activity. Faintly from the speaker a voice said, "... and then Tillie sprained her ankle and we never thought it'd heal... Satisfied he unplugged the amplifier and located a union man to perform the actual task of carting 3054039-B to the consultation lounge, where the customer would be put in touch with the old lady. |
| Technovelgy from Ubik,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Doubleday in 1969 Additional resources -
|
Compare to the brain-case from Murder in the Void (1938) by Edmond Hamilton.
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Tech news articles related to Ubik
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Protophason Amplifier-related
news articles:
- Facilitated Communication With Coma Man Bogus?
- Measuring Awareness In Comatose Patients
- Can Patients In A Vegetative State Communicate?
| Huawei Pura X Folding Phattie Phone |
| Positioned Cybertrucks With Free Starlinks WiFi In LA |
| Will Whales Be Our First Contact? |
| NYC/Dublin Portal Fails To Meet 'Guardian Of Forever' Standards |
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'He found a barber shop which, he thought, would be good for an idle hour.'
'Thirty rounds of fighting is tough work. Even for machines.'
'...the excavations were already in progress, for he saw gray slopes of rubble.'
'...the walking mills of Puffy Products began to tread delicately on their centipede legs across the wheat fields of Kansas.'
'Here is a Clerk that would work incessantly, and neither eat, sleep, want payment, or grumble.'
'ZARNAK, YOU'RE TO COMMAND A SCOUTING EXPEDITION --- FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!'
'These are your rudimentary seed packages... Some will combine in place to form more complicated structures.'
