Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"The point sticks in your head: physics rules. Virtue does not triumph unless the physics allows it."
- Larry Niven
 |
| Finger Watch | ||
| A ring that contains a working timepiece and a display. |
This is one of my favorite pieces of technovelgy; why can't I buy one of these? The idea is simple enough; a ring that contains a small read-out of the current time.
| Crayn glanced at his finger watch as his aide fastened the cloak he had brought hurriedly after him. It was three-forty-seven, Galactic Time. |
| Technovelgy from Key Decision,
by H.B. Fyfe. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1951 Additional resources -
|
Robert Heinlein mentioned the same idea in his 1951 novel The Puppet Masters; however, Fyfe published his story in May of 1951, but Heinlein's story wasn't serialized in Galaxy until September-November of 1951.
Keith Laumer used it in Placement Test (1964):
Now, wouldn't that be handy? I'm a person who does not like to wear watches or other jewelry. I could have a little timepiece built into my wedding ring; that's all I'd need.
There have been various versions of an actual finger watch reported; it appears as though Fila has introduced a version for runners:
"Seventeen hours" - The Old Man glanced at his finger watch and added - "and twenty-three minutes ago an unidentified space ship landed near Grinnell, Iowa."
Dean Wormwell’s eyes, blurry behind thick contact lenses, strayed to his fingerwatch.
(Fila Fingerwatch)
Comment/Join this discussion ( 15 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Key Decision
More Ideas
and Technology by H.B. Fyfe
Tech news articles related to Key Decision
Tech news articles related to works by H.B. Fyfe
Finger Watch-related
news articles:
- Calendar Ring
- Remember Ring From Goldsmith's
- Apple Ring: Finally, Engineers Want To Make My Finger Watch
- Samsung's Smart Ring
- The Ring Clock IS Heinlein's Finger Watch
| Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport |
| Amazon Blimp Parent Drone Concept |
| Tortoise Mobile Smart Stores |
| Sony Pocket Air Conditioner Is Phil Dick's Idea! |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'It diverts integers of the data, the fundamental message-units, so that they no longer agree.'
'Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color and texture that can approximate only crudely to the vagrant human figure...'
'Books were just a commodity that had to be produced, like jam or bootlaces.'
'...it rears and spreads its fan. It can pick one man out of a crowd.'
'...a new plastic with the characteristics of an avian eggshell.'
'It was a pushpot, which could not possibly be called a jet plane because it could not possibly fly. Only it did.'
