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

AI Operates An Excavator
re: HG Wells
(5/19/2026)

US Army IBEX Exoskeleton Walks Troops Out Of Danger
re: Iain M. Banks
(5/17/2026)

Boy Makes Biomimetic Turtle Robot
re: Poul Anderson
(5/17/2026)

Elon Musk Wants Data Centers In Space
re: Iain M. Banks
(5/15/2026)

Origin F1 Humanoid Robot's Facial Skin
re: Rog Philips
(5/13/2026)

Grok And The City Fathers From 'Cities In Flight' By James Blish
re: James Blish
(5/11/2026)

Why Not Move A Warehouse District?
re: Jane Webb Loudon
(5/9/2026)

Will An AI Found A New Religion?
re: Frank Herbert
(5/7/2026)

Terraformer Industries Make Methane
re: Jack Williamson
(5/5/2026)

I Need An Outdoor Spherical Display
re: Iain M. Banks
(5/3/2026)

Worm Disrupts Physics Simulations Undetected For A Decade
re: Philip K. Dick
(5/1/2026)

Muxcard Redditor's DIY Credit Card-Sized Computer
re: Various
(4/29/2026)

'Soft Assembly' Fashions That Fashion Themselves On The Wearer
re: JG Ballard
(4/27/2026)

Orwell's Nightmare Of AI-Written Novels Comes To Pass
re: George Orwell
(4/25/2026)

More SF in the News

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