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"We're about 20 minutes away from the point where Clarke's law kicks in and technology becomes indistinguishable from magic."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Inert Resin | ||
| A special coating that eliminates maintenance on marine structures. |
This novel has a number of very well-realized technologies for taking care of problems related to daily wear-and-tear.
| [Maintenance] is not a problem, with the modern polymers," Andrei said smoothly. "Inert resins… we paint them on … reduce corrosion almost to nothing…" Laura could see the thick painted sheen of polymer on the great load-bearing pipes and struts. There were no barnacles at the water line. No seaweed, no slime. Nothing grew on this structure. It was slick as ice. |
| From Islands in the Net,
by Bruce Sterling. Published by William Morrow in 1988 Additional resources -
|
What strikes me as interesting is the swing from a squeaky, ultra-clean future to a grimy, grainy future where everything is worn down. This kind of technovelgy will let us move back from worn and grimy back to perfect.
See also smart material, from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson.
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More Ideas
and Technology from Islands in the Net
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Tech news articles related to Islands in the Net
Tech news articles related to works by Bruce Sterling
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| Orbital Manufacturer 'Made in Space' Gets $73 Million NASA Contract |
| CNSILK Robotic Spider Builder |
| NASA 3D Printed Habitat Challenge Won By AI SpaceFactory |
| Superfast Replicator: Volumetric Additive Manufacturing |
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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 Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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'But when Old Father Sun departs, the chromoplastic reverts to transparency in the dark.'
'It extended three of its tiny arms sideways to lock onto the registration pins...'
'The grey gas not only cut off his vision, but also his other senses...'
'Mass-produced in the orbiting factories...'
'I enjoy watching this way, but - He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.'
SF writers popularized and elaborated on this idea a generation before the first patents were filed.
'The autopilot would need data before it could begin a translation...'
'Sealed to the ground along all the sides, Honey, he growled...'
