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

"SF looks towards an imaginary future, while fantasy, by and large, looks towards an imaginary past."
- Frederik Pohl

Fottengill Process  
  An early mention of the idea that energy can be derived from random noise.  

Prof. Otto WolfStammer, a comparative musicologist, wrote an elaborate report on the music of the natives of planet Lamruth, who had been given an air raid siren for the purposes of making music.

The paper was read by a scientist on earth, who used it as the point of departure for theoretical study in the latent energy and soundwaves. An engineer saw the study and published a speculation on the amount of on harnessed energy released hourly in the noise of the average large city. Other scientists and engineers became interested in eventually they you've all the now famous Fottengill process, by which all major cities of Earth have free electrical power conveniently processed from their own noise.
Technovelgy from Gypped, by Lloyd Biggle, Jr..
Published by Galaxy Science Fiction in 1956
Additional resources -

Compare the science-fictional idea of the Fottengill Process with these real-life technologies:

Compare to the transkin from Parasite Planet (1935) by Stanley Weinbaum. See also Harvest Power From Stray Energy from The Golden Girl of Munan (1928) by Harl Vincent.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Gypped
  More Ideas and Technology by Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
  Tech news articles related to Gypped
  Tech news articles related to works by Lloyd Biggle, Jr.

Fottengill Process-related news articles:
  - Computers Powered By Harvested Environmental Energy
  - Road Noise Charges Electric Cars With Peugeot Piezoelectric Billboard

Articles related to Engineering
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees

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

SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'

Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'

NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'

Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'

Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.

Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'

No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.'

Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
'On went the electric-yacht faster and still faster.'

Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
'...the huge vessel had spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, the instant the power was reversed.'

Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
'...he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it.'

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.