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Message Cylinder
A small metal object containing some form of message media and a mechanism for either playing or extruding the medium; secured communication device. (Read the full article)
| "We have had such things in real life since World War II. The British SOE used them, as we did alson in the cold war, and likely still do. They look like metal cigarette cases and contain microfilm. If you drop it or force it open, a flashbulb goes off. See reference in Tom Clancy's "The Cardinal of the Kremlin."
Asimov also included a message "cylinder" concept in the first of his Foundation novels (other than the new prequel). But this was plastic, ovoid, containing a spool of self-corroding paper similiar to a ticker-tape. I do not recall the page, but the reference can be found during one of first mentions of the character Hobber Malow, on the occasion when he is informed that he must go to the planet called Askone.
In Dune, further investigation would have revealed to the person who submitted this article that message cylinders definitely contain thin paper in all cases, and have anti-tamper acid capsules. See discussion of seized, fake message cylinder appearing to implicate the Lady Jessica (vivat! vivat! vivat!), later discovered to have been planted by the enemy." (Julian 4/11/2006 4:09:53 PM ) |
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