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"it slowly dawned on me that the landscape of science is maybe what interests people a great deal in science fiction."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Isolation Barrage | ||
| Device prevents eavesdropping. |
Very early example of this idea.
| In the dim metal room of Orentino, the Red Spark's manager, where Foley was waiting for us, a barrage was up. We could hear it faintly humming, and see the little line of blue-yellow sparks snapping along the angles of the walls. Now we could talk. |
| From Wandl, The Invader,
by Ray Cummings. Published by Astounding Stories in 1932 Additional resources -
|
It worked both ways:
It works on video as well as audio:
Compare to the cone of silence From Cease Fire (1958) by Frank Herbert, hush corner by Robert Heinlein in Double Star and the Fenton Silencer from an early Arthur C. Clarke story. Also, the anti-spying device from from Foundation (1951) by Isaac Asimov.
Halsey
killed our barrage to let the outside connections get through to
us. We all crowded around the
mirror-grid which stood here on
Orentino's desk.
...upon our horrified gaze the
insulated door of the room slid
closed — a blank rectangle of darkness, with the silence and invisibility of the barrage upon it!
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from Wandl, The Invader
More Ideas
and Technology by Ray Cummings
Tech news articles related to Wandl, The Invader
Tech news articles related to works by Ray Cummings
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| Small Town Wants 60 License Plate Readers |
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'The Consul remembered his first glimpse of the kilometer-long treeship...'
'Do you know what window washing used to cost by the hour?'
'Once the target is confirmed, it uses an IR laser to send a coded signal back to the parent, clearing it to attack.'
'I filled your bullet hole with flesh putty and the lattice.'
'... it will be easy to form an alphabet which shall enable us to converse with the inhabitants of the moon.'
'From the tower's huge octagonal base radiate wide silvery strips...'
'It was about five feet long... a black bullet head and red camera eyes.'
'The Law Society has strict rules on the use of pseudo-intelligent software...'
