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"[Science fiction is] nightmares and visions, always outlined by the barely possible."
- Gregory Benford
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| Radiant Shield | ||
| A device that would effectively prevent an implanted radiant from being detected or read. |
The radiant is a chip or device that is injected into the shoulder; it provides position and information to anyone equipped with the proper viewer.
Unless, of course, you make use of available countermeasures. Aile Farr did so, when necessary.
| Everywhere that Farr went, the radiant in his right shoulder sent up a signal. On the viewer screen, Farr was as surreptitious as a lighthouse.
He went to the stereo-screen and called Kirdy... "How can I shield it?" "Stay where you are, I'll send a man down with a shield." The messenger presently arrived. Farr went into the men's room and wrapped a pad of woven metal around his shoulder and chest. "Now," said Farr grimly. "Now we'll see." |
| From The Houses of Iszm,
by Jack Vance. Published by Better Publications in 1954 Additional resources -
|
Vance's "radiant" is essentially an RFID chip, a small electronic device with a bit of memory to carry information and an antenna to transmit that information to a suitable reader.
RFID chips can be blocked or shielded with metal foil; a tightly woven mesh of metal should also work. This kind of "passive" shield is more reliable than a transmitter that jams the chip's return signal.
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'A worker replaced by a nubot... had to be compensated.'
'... forcing the energy transfer which allowed him to regrow his lost fingers.'
'The car surged and lifted, clearing its top by a negligible margin.'
Science fiction authors are serious about sleep, too.
'I had explained," said Nessus, "that our civilisation was dying in its own waste heat.'
'Just what did I want Flexible Frank to do? - any work a human being does around a house.'
SF writers have thought about this since the 19th century.
