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"in 1974 I experienced an invasion of my mind by a transcendentally rational mind, as if I had been insane all my life and suddenly I had become sane."
- Philip K. Dick
 |
| Modded Dog | ||
| A canine whose ancestors were genetically modified for higher intelligence; the trait breeds true in offspring. |
In the town of Precipice, the human residents get lots of help from dogs that have higher intelligence than usual. And the visitors get extra attention.
| ...something moved, emerging from shadow beside the workbench. A dog. A vast, slow-moving graceful dog whose ancestry might have included Great Dane, Irish wolfhound, possibly Husky or Chinook... plus something else, something strange, for its skull was improbably high-domed and its eyes, deep-set, were disturbingly uncanine.
"No need to be alarmed," the man rumbled... "Never met a dog like this before? You're in for an educational experience. His name is Natty Bumppo. Hold still a moment while he reads you. Sorry, but this is S.O.P. for any visitor. Nat, how do they rate? Any hard drugs - excessive liquor - anything apart from being a bit scared? The dog curled his wrinkled upper lip and inhaled a long slow breath, then gave a brisk headshake and a faint growl. Elegantly, he lowered his massive hindquarters to the floor, keeping his eyes on the newcomers. "He says you're clear... I understand this poker pretty well. Not as well as he understands us humans, but there you are. |
| Technovelgy from The Shockwave Rider,
by John Brunner. Published by Harper and Row in 1975 Additional resources -
|
Dogs have about 25 times more olfactory receptors than humans. They can sense odors at concentrations 100 million times smaller than people can. When a dog breathes normally, the air does not pass directly over his smell receptors. That's why dogs take a deeper sniff; the air travels to the receptors, near the back of the snout.
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Shockwave Rider
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and Technology by John Brunner
Tech news articles related to The Shockwave Rider
Tech news articles related to works by John Brunner
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- Gene-Edited Muscle Dogs From China
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| Machete-Wielding Philodendron Isn't Going To Take It Anymore |
| Tsunami Forecasts Improved By Ionosphere Signals |
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'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
'We had discovered that metal was relatively impervious to the telepathic effect.'
'Detailed plans for the construction of the Gundstetter-Halone warp drive were flowing.'
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'
'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
