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

Latest By
Category:


Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work

"I went back to science fiction to try a few experiments …and my first experiment was a disaster…"
- Alfred Bester

Alibi Archive  
  A recording made of transmissions from a personal implant that perceived everything that happened to that individual.  

On this alternate Earth, everyone had a Companion implant that constantly transmitted the minutia of your life to an archive.

"Since the day you were born, you've had a personal recording cube in the alibi-archive pavilion adjacent to this very Council building. And it has recorded everything you've done, every moment of your life, as transmitted by your Companion. "And ... every day of your life, you enjoy the peace and safety made possible by that very recording... You know that as you walk at night, the chances of you being the victim of robbery or murder ... are almost zero, because there's no way to get away with such a crime."
Technovelgy from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax), by Robert J. Sawyer.
Published by Analog Science Fiction in 2003
Additional resources -

The images and other data flowing from an implant into the alibi-archive could also be "tapped" or viewed by someone else.

"...the transmissions from Scholar Huld's Companion are being monitored directly by a living, breathing human being as they are received at the alibi-archive pavillion..."

Thanks to Chris Johnston for pointing this one out.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 1 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax)
  More Ideas and Technology by Robert J. Sawyer
  Tech news articles related to Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax)
  Tech news articles related to works by Robert J. Sawyer

Articles related to Surveillance
Goodness Gracious Me! Google Tries Face Recognition Security
Live Stream With Meta-Ban Multimodal Smart Glasses
Brin's 1990 Novel Earth Still Full Of Predictions
Amazon One Is Frank Herbert's Palm Lock

Want to Contribute an Item? It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add it here.

<Previous
Next>

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 Science Fiction 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

Science Fiction in the News

Biohybrid Robots Made Of Living And Synthetic Materials
'If the biological robots were not living creatures, they were certainly very good imitations.'

Drug Induces Hibernation-Like State In Humans
'... drugged and chilled and stowed in sleep tanks.'

Poul Anderson's 'Brain Wave'
"Everybody and his dog, it seemed, wanted to live out in the country; transportation and communication were no longer isolating factors."

AI Note-Taking From Google Meet
'... the new typewriter that could be talked to, and which transposed the spoken sound into typed words.'

Qore IcePlates Are Personal Cooling Suits
'... underneath they consisted of networks of cooling tubes against the skin.'

Waymo Cars Shout At Each Other, Autonomously
'My cars talk to one another. I have no doubt about it...'

Seeing Faces On Grains Of Sand (AI Pareidolia)
'... the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell.'

More SF in the News

More Beyond Technovelgy

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

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.