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 realized there was a heavy-duty change coming in biology, and I could write a really compelling novel about catastrophic evolution, punctuated equilibrium."
- Greg Bear
 |
| Miniaturization | ||
| Making a physical object smaller in size. |
This text excerpt is from the novelization of the Film by Richard Fleischer, story by Jerome Bixby and Otto Klement, screenplay by Harry Kleiner.
| The phrase came clearly over the communication system, as Carter watched the Proteus shrink. It did so slowly at first, so that one could only tell it was happening by the change in the way it overlapped the hexagonal structures that made up the floor. Those that were partially revealed beyond the edge of the ship's structure crept outward, and eventually tiles that had earlier been completely hidden began to show. All around the Proteus, the hexagonals emerged, and the rate of miniaturization accelerated until the ship was shrinking like a patch of ice on a warm surface. Carter had watched miniaturization a hundred times, but never with quite the effect upon himself that he was experiencing now. It was as though the ship was hurling down a long, infinitely long hole; falling in absolute silence and growing smaller and smaller as the distance increased to miles, to tens of miles, to hundreds... The ship was a white beetle now, resting upon the central hexagon immediately under the miniaturizer; resting upon the one red hexagon in the world of white ones--the Zero Module. The Proteus was still falling, still shrinking, and Carter, with an effort, raised his hand. The glow of the miniaturizer faded to a dull red and miniaturization stopped. |
| From Fantastic Voyage (Novel),
by Isaac Asimov. Published by Bantam in 1966 Additional resources -
|
"Miniaturization" has been used in these novels: Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), H.G. Wells' The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (1904), Richard Matheson's novelization of the film The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)and Richard Matheson's novelization of The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
Thanks to Connor Lawrence for contributing this item.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Fantastic Voyage (Novel)
More Ideas
and Technology by Isaac Asimov
Tech news articles related to Fantastic Voyage (Novel)
Tech news articles related to works by Isaac Asimov
Miniaturization-related
news articles:
- In Vivo Micromotors Powered By Stomach Acid
- Implosion Fabrication Shrinks 3D Objects To Nanoscale
| Envisioning Starship Earth Travel - In 1930 By Max Valier |
| Liquid Lenses Adjust Automatically, Not Quite Dune Binoculars |
| The Dune Ornithopter, Movie And Book |
| Two Towns Linked By Sculpture Portal In Real Time |
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> |
|
|
|
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
'Why must we travel ever faster in a seemingly insatiable desire to conquer space and time?'
'It was as if some invisible jet impinged upon them and flashed into white flame.'
'Electronic differentiation of the grotesque, as it says in the specifications - in man, a sense of humor.'
'And as the ball bulleted downward on a screaming slant, it shrank!'
'Hufhuf oil held in static tension... within a viewing tube...'
'The wings were at full spread-rest, their delicate metal interleavings extended.'
'A record that wouldn't get lost and couldn't be destroyed.'
