The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Fascinating early Varley book; an alien race has taken over the Earth to care for its other intelligent life, paying no attention to the humans who are scattered around the solar system. Technology made available on a "hotline" beam of information apparently from the constellation Ophiuchi has allowed human beings to survive. Select an invention:

Antiholo Generator
Dispels intrusive hologram advertisements.

Centrifuge Room
A small room on a planetoid that is spun to create artificial gravity.

Genoprinter
A device that does a 'live capture' of a biometric skin sample.

Ghostsmoke
An advertisement projected onto a fine mist.

Gravity Train
An underground railway system that utilizes gravity for acceleration.

Holomist
A means of projecting a commercial message onto a fine spray.

Javelin
A spacer who modified herself to more easily live in space.

Life Bank
A storage facility with the genetic material that was produced by Earth's ecosystem.

Memory Recording
A means of recording the entirety of a person's experience and personality.

Nullfield
A field of energy that creates a barrier.

Null-Suit
A device that projects a field of force that acts like a space suit.

Pork Tree - long and lean
A plant that produces an analog to animal meat.

Symb
A symbiont life form that provides its human with life-giving energy.

 

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