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

"...there's a great affinity between writing poetry and SF."
- Dan Simmons

Finger Watch  
  A ring that contains a working timepiece and a display.  

This is one of my favorite pieces of technovelgy; why can't I buy one of these? The idea is simple enough; a ring that contains a small read-out of the current time.

Crayn glanced at his finger watch as his aide fastened the cloak he had brought hurriedly after him. It was three-forty-seven, Galactic Time.
Technovelgy from Key Decision, by H.B. Fyfe.
Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1951
Additional resources -

Robert Heinlein mentioned the same idea in his 1951 novel The Puppet Masters; however, Fyfe published his story in May of 1951, but Heinlein's story wasn't serialized in Galaxy until September-November of 1951.

"Seventeen hours" - The Old Man glanced at his finger watch and added - "and twenty-three minutes ago an unidentified space ship landed near Grinnell, Iowa."

Keith Laumer used it in Placement Test (1964):

Dean Wormwell’s eyes, blurry behind thick contact lenses, strayed to his fingerwatch.

Now, wouldn't that be handy? I'm a person who does not like to wear watches or other jewelry. I could have a little timepiece built into my wedding ring; that's all I'd need.

There have been various versions of an actual finger watch reported; it appears as though Fila has introduced a version for runners:


(Fila Fingerwatch)

Comment/Join this discussion ( 15 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Key Decision
  More Ideas and Technology by H.B. Fyfe
  Tech news articles related to Key Decision
  Tech news articles related to works by H.B. Fyfe

Finger Watch-related news articles:
  - Calendar Ring
  - Remember Ring From Goldsmith's
  - Apple Ring: Finally, Engineers Want To Make My Finger Watch
  - Samsung's Smart Ring
  - The Ring Clock IS Heinlein's Finger Watch

Articles related to Lifestyle
Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport
Amazon Blimp Parent Drone Concept
Tortoise Mobile Smart Stores
Sony Pocket Air Conditioner Is Phil Dick's Idea!

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

Robotic Barber Programmed With a Number of Styles
'He found a barber shop which, he thought, would be good for an idle hour.'

Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout!
'Thirty rounds of fighting is tough work. Even for machines.'

Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
'...the excavations were already in progress, for he saw gray slopes of rubble.'

Centipede Robots Down On The Farm
'...the walking mills of Puffy Products began to tread delicately on their centipede legs across the wheat fields of Kansas.'

Anthropic's Claude AI Creates Legal Citation From Whole Cloth
'Here is a Clerk that would work incessantly, and neither eat, sleep, want payment, or grumble.'

Students Vie For Lunar Regolith Mining Robot Prize
'About time you got here,' the astronaut said.

'They Erased My Memory' Says Ariana Grande
'...using a neutralizing electronic impulse.'

Solitary Black Hole Wanders In Space
'...the Hole is something like a vortex or a whirlpool?'

Spaceplane From Virgin Atlantic
'ZARNAK, YOU'RE TO COMMAND A SCOUTING EXPEDITION --- FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!'

DARPA Wants 'Large Bio-Mechanical Space Structures'
'These are your rudimentary seed packages... Some will combine in place to form more complicated structures.'

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.