Distraction by Bruce Sterling:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

This future Earth novel is set in 2044, and most of the government and social institutions that we think are eternal and unchangeable have gone to the dogs. Global warming, cheap computer power, increasingly irrelevant government - sound familiar? See at least one set of logical conclusions in this book. Select an invention:

Bambakias Hotel - help it come into being
A hotel that wants to exist! It just needs a little help.

Bugged Money - money rigged for surveillance
American cash with embedded listening devices.

Infowar Operation
Making use of various means to disrupt the enemy's military and civilian information networks.

Junkbot - spamachine
An automated email program that specializes in sending junk mail (spam)

Netwar - communications warfare
Making use of various means to disrupt the enemy's military and civilian information networks.

Profile Sniffers - sifting the web
A software device that sifts Internet access records for patterns associate with particular personality types.

Smart Bike
A motorcycle with sophisticated systems for steering and balance.

Talking Tape - smart as a brick
Adhesive-backed network connection, global positioning, voice synthesis and speakers.

 

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Science Fiction
in the News

Japan's AI Buddharoid Automonks
re: Ray Naylor
(1/25/2026)

MIT Computerized Bionic Leg Is Part Of The User
re: Charles Recour
(1/23/2026)

The New Habitable Zones Include Asimov's Ribbon Worlds
re: Harl VIncent
(1/23/2026)

California Governor Candidate Calls For Voting By Phone
re: John Brunner
(1/21/2026)

Robots For Hire En Masse
re: Raymond E. Banks
(1/19/2026)

China's Handheld Electromagnetic Gun
re: Richard Morgan
(1/17/2026)

3D Printing A 12-Meter Boat Hull
re: Murray Leinster
(1/15/2026)

China Still Working On Rescue Robot That Eats People
re: Various
(1/13/2026)

Lawyer AIs Create Chaos In Our Legal System
re: David Brin
(1/11/2026)

Chinese Hospital Tries Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' Cosplay
re: Kurt Vonnegut
(1/9/2026)

Robot Clerks Become A Reality In China
re: Miriam Allen deFord
(1/7/2026)

Can One Robot Do Many Tasks?
re: Robert Sheckley
(1/5/2026)

Atlas Robot Makes Uncomfortable Movements
re: James Cameron
(1/3/2026)

Boring Company Drills Asimov's Single Vehicle Tunnels
re: Isaac Asimov
(1/1/2026)

More SF in the News
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