Virtual Light by William Gibson:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Set in California (well, NoCal and SoCal) in 2005, there is a lot of social upheaval (homeless people seize the San Francisco bay bridge for living space, television worship). A bicycle messenger turned pickpocket steals a set of high-tech sunglasses that can see into a special dataset; DatAmerica corporate types pursue. Select an invention:

Canola Oil - a cob in your tank
Vegetable oil refined for use as fuel

Chunker - non-violent weapon
A device that fires small cubes of rubber; a non-lethal form of riot control.

Fractal Knife - more cutting surface
The blade uses a fractal geometry to increase its cutting surface.

Hood Hologram
A hologrammatic display on the outside surface of a car.

Separated At Birth Database
Missing persons database uses similarity to famous people.

Stealth House - toxic dwellings
A home that is entirely sealed, leading to toxic buildup.

 

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Science Fiction
in the News

Quaise Uses Beams Of Energy To Dig Geothermal Wells
re: Frank Stockton
(7/1/2025)

Robots Repair And Modify Themselves
re: Harry Harrison
(6/29/2025)

Waymo And Tesla 'Autonomous Cabs' Are Piloted By Remote Drivers
re: Philip K Dick
(6/27/2025)

Robot Janitors Get To Work
re: Philip K. Dick
(6/25/2025)

Robots Learn To Install Charged Batteries Into Themselves
re: Not known.
(6/23/2025)

Robot Rabbits Entice Pythons
re: JW Groves
(6/21/2025)

LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
re: Philip K. Dick
(6/19/2025)

Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
re: Robert Heinlein
(6/17/2025)

Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
re: Brian W. Aldiss
(6/15/2025)

When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
re: Clifford Simak
(6/13/2025)

China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
re: Daniel Suarez
(6/11/2025)

Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
re: Neal Stephenson
(6/9/2025)

Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
re: Anthony Boucher
(6/7/2025)

Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
re: Ray Cummings
(6/5/2025)

More SF in the News

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