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"As opposed to illiteracy, where you can't read, aliteracy means that you can but you just can't be bothered. They say aliteracy is on the rise these days."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Steam Rifle | ||
| A gun that propels projectiles with steam. |
| The heat chamber of his rifle flared as it built up pressure. His hands had been doing the right things automatically, as though they were more eager to kill than he was. It only took a few seconds for the steam to form - seconds that seemed very long, right now - but after that the rifle was good for service limited only by the aim of the marksman and the quantity of ammunition. |
| From Omnivore,
by Piers Anthony. Published by Ballantine in 1968 Additional resources -
|
The idea of a steam cannon dates back to Leonardo da Vinci at least (and possibly as far back as Archimedes); take a look at this web page at MIT regarding a very successful steam cannon.
Thanks to an anonymous reader for sending in this item.
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