|
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 science fiction method is dissection and reconstruction. You look at the world around you, and take it apart into its components. Then you take some of those components, throw them away, and plug in different ones, start it up and see what happens."
- Frederik Pohl
|
|
|
Air-Shoes |
|
|
Footgear provides the wearer with the ability to "walk" through the air, climbing as needed. |
|
Manuel fastened to my feet the metal, disc-like devices I have before noted. Closer examination revealed
them to be quite broad on the bottom and punctured with
a score of small holes, containing a small compact atomic
motor that compressed the air beneath one and made it
as hard and resilient as rubber. The short metal rod
handed me was hollow, and at either end, like stoppers,
were what appeared to be sensitized plates. The rod was
fastened to the wrist by a flexible strap of metal. Three
keys, red, white and blue, were at the end of the rod nearest the wrist, and there were other devices whose function
I will describe later on.
(Air-Shoes from 'An Adventure in Time' by Flagg)
“But how do the shoes work?” I asked Manuel.
“By means of broadcast power,” he replied. "The rod Is
your pick-up instrument. I press this first red key—so.
Do you hear the vibration? Power is now being received
by radio. I press the white one. Peel the droning in
your heels ? Power is being communicated to the air-shoes.
Now if I were to press the blue button . . .”
“I would fly,” I said.
“Fly! No,” laughed Manuel. “Who said anything about
flying? You would generate beneath your feet a thousand
pounds of air-pressure to the square inch. This creates an
air road on which you walk. You can ascend any height
you please by merely stepping higher, as on stairs; to
descend, notice the white button can not only be pressed
but pushed forward in this notched groove—so. Each
notch represents a decrease of one hundred pounds in air-
pressure. There are ten notches, as you see. Thus by
lessening the air resistance beneath your feet you can descend as easily as you rise. But come! Let me illustrate
what I mean.”
I shall never forget that first lesson in aerial walking.
You can’t imagine the uneasy sensation of stepping on what
is invisible. At first I was timid and unbelievably clumsy.
In air-shoes one stepped differently, more from the hip.
An aerial walker had to learn to balance himself, to poise
the body so as to remain in an upright position. Several
times my head felt lighter than my feet; that is, my feet
went up faster than the rest of me. Once or twice my
heels shot out and heavenward, and the air-pressure would
have hurled me disastrously to earth if Manuel and others
of my instructors had not caught and held me safely.
However, I soon began to acquire the knack. The first day
I achieved a fair balance; the second, I essayed a journey
all by myself, keeping, however, close to earth; and on
the third, I was quite profloient.
|
Technovelgy from An Adventure in Time,
by Francis Flagg.
Published by Science Wonder Stories in 1930
Additional resources -
|
How can you figure out where you are after dark?
The roofs of buildings were
designated by symbols, letters of the alphabet, and by numbers etched in glowing phosphorus; so that a citizen knew
where he was at all times and could readily locate places
in the darkness.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from An Adventure in Time
More Ideas
and Technology by Francis Flagg
Tech news articles related to An Adventure in Time
Tech news articles related to works by Francis Flagg
Air-Shoes-related
news articles:
- Flyboard Water Jet Shoes Lift Off
Articles related to Transportation
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.
|
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Smart TVs Are Listening!
'You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard...'
More SF in the
News
More Beyond Technovelgy
|
|