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"I do think there is a link in that in both cases, writing fiction or writing a computer program, at any given moment you're focusing on a very specific and particular thing—one word, one line of code, whatever."
- Neal Stephenson
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| Flexible Sprung Boots | ||
| Boots designed to be flexible when walking, but upon a hard step, will have a spring characteristic. |
| Hunt noticed the soles of the boots were surprisingly thick.
“Sprung interior,” Danchekker supplied, following his gaze. “What’s that?” “It’s quite ingenious. The mechanical properties of the sole material vary with applied pressure. With the wearer walking at normal speed, the sole would remain mildly flexible. Under impact, however, for example if he jumped, it assumes the characteristics of a stiff spring. It’s an ideal device for kangarooing along in lunar gravity, utilizing conditions of reduced weight but normal inertia to advantage. |
| Technovelgy from Inherit the Stars,
by James P. Hogan. Published by Del Rey in 1977 Additional resources -
|
Compare to space-boots from The Passing of Ku Sui (1932) by Anthony Gilmore, magnetic boots from Salvage in Space (1933) by Jack Williamson, antigrav boots from The Day We Celebrate (1941) by Nelson S. Bond, magnetic shoes from The Dual World (1938) by Arthur K. Barnes, Steel-Lined Space Boots from Roamer of the Stars (1938) by Clyde Wilson, the neutronium slippers from Revolt on the Tenth World (1940) by Edmond Hamilton, space socks from Lost Rocket (1941) by Manly Wade Wellman, the weight shoes from The World With A Thousand Moons (1942) by Edmond Hamilton, magnetic sandals from The Warriors (1966) by Larry Niven, magnetic-soled shoes from Space Tug (1953) by Murray Leinster and the grip shoes from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Arthur C. Clarke.
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| Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside? |
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