Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

SkyV SkyCeiling From The Sky Factory

The SkyV from The Sky Factory is a high-definition presentation of the sky - indoors. Terabytes of HD content are presented for your overhead enjoyment; this is pretty much exactly what sf authors like Stanislaw Lem were talking about.

SkyV is intended to bring the psychological benefits of beautiful sky exposure to venues that are unlikely to have real skies available. Take a look at this SkyV video:








(SkyV sky ceiling video from The Sky Factory)

SkyV is a ceiling-mounted system of HD LCD screens integrated into a patent-pending, faux skylight framework. The system includes multi-channel graphics processors and specialized synchronization software for display of its terabytes of proprietary HD content. SkyV simulates a real skylight, presenting hours of visual content captured from beneath beautiful skies and trees world-wide.

What is the philosophy behind this kind of display? SkyCeiling owner and designer Bill Witherspoon left these sf-related SkyCeiling comments in a previous article:

As the designers of SkyCeilings™, we have had a lot of time to observe their effects and, yes the "object" SkyCeiling has appeared before in SF literature and for real (think of the old cathedral ceilings) but for us the most interesting and unique thing has become the physiological response to properly made SkyCeilings. This, from my limited knowledge of SF, has very interesting parallels and raises some fundamental metaphysical questions that have also been the subject of SF inquiry.

Consider, by way of prologue, that the Sky is our biggest and most universal experience of nature; that we (our nervous systems, consciousness, knowledge base, cultural habits etc.) have evolved under our sky.

The fact that a SkyCeiling can trigger the same psycho physiological response as the real thing is where things start to get interesting. Hasn't this been the subject of a tremendous amount of SF literature? I am thinking at the moment of Stephenson’s Metaverse or his ractives or the young lady's primer. But I know there is way more.
(Bill Witherspoon)

Stanislaw Lem's 1961 novel Return from the Stars described cavernous underground or interior spaces. But yet, the sky seemed to be visible.

"How do they work it so that the sky is visible at every level of the city?"

She perked up.

"Very simple. Television - that is what they called it, long ago. On the ceilings are screens. They transmit what is above the Earth - the sky, the clouds..."
(Read more about Stanislaw Lem's sky ceilings)

SkyV should be available early in 2009 for purchase. See also the earlier article on the original SkyCeiling Big Indoor Sky. From SkyV at The Sky Factory via dvice.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/4/2008)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 6 )

Related News Stories - (" Lifestyle ")

Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...' - Chris Boyce, 1967.

Amazon Blimp Parent Drone Concept
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...' - Daniel Suarez, 2012.

Tortoise Mobile Smart Stores
'... all round the city dozens of cars have rented out their trunks, which contain cigars and scotch and stuff.' - Karl Schroeder, 2019.

Sony Pocket Air Conditioner Is Phil Dick's Idea!
'... he went to the hall closet to get his pith helmet and his mandatory cooling-unit.' - Philip K. Dick, 1965.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

The New Habitable Zones Include Asimov's Ribbon Worlds
'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'

Can One Robot Do Many Tasks?
'... with the Master-operator all you have to do is push one! A remarkable achievement!'

Atlas Robot Makes Uncomfortable Movements
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'

Boring Company Drills Asimov's Single Vehicle Tunnels
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'

Humanoid Robots Tickle The Ivories
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'

A Remarkable Coincidence
'There is a philosophical problem of some difficulty here...'

Cortex 1 - Today A Warehouse, Tomorrow A Calculator Planet
'There were cubic miles of it, and it glistened like a silvery Christmas tree...'

Perching Ambush Drones
'On the chest of drawers something was perched.'

Leader-Follower Autonomous Vehicle Technology
'Jason had been guiding the caravan of cars as usual...'

Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out
"The robot solemnly hit a ball against the wall, picked it up and teed it, hit it again, over and again...'

Boring Company Vegas Loop Like Asimov Said
'There was a wall ahead... It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'

Rigid Metallic Clothing From Science Fiction To You
'...support the interior human structure against Jupiter’s pull.'

Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade?
'It ain't a vibroblade. It's steel. Messy.'

Roborock Saros Z70 Is A Robot Vacuum With An Arm
'Anything larger than a BB shot it picked up and placed in a tray...'

A Beautiful Visualization Of Compact Food
'The German chemists have discovered how to supply the needed elements in compact, undiluted form...'

Bone-Building Drug Evenity Approved
'Compounds devised by the biochemists for the rapid building of bone...'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.