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"There's a poetry in the materials we use to construct our world of artifacts; it speaks of our long history as a technological species."
- William Gibson
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| Golden Lights | ||
| Another unusual use of the suspensor field; lights are suspended in it. |
Another aspect of the Baron Harkonnen's multimedia center and conference room (no windows for better security) was an area artfully lighted using just the bulbs themselves suspended in air.
| Light glowed in the room from golden balls hanging in mobile suspensor fields. |
| From Dune,
by Frank Herbert. Published by Putnam in 1965 Additional resources -
|
Another interesting detail is the idea that the suspensor fields are mobile, that is, adjustable. The lights could be moved, not just turned or brightened and dimmed.
Inevitably, some elements of any science fiction writer's work reflect the time in which they were written. This technovelgy item reminds me very strongly of track lighting, which was introduced in the early 1960's.
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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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Okay, sf fans. If you could have some art created from a science fiction sentence, what sentence would you pick?
'There were the cleaners, with large padded feet, who were apparently polishing their way the whole length...'
It's fascinating to me how the Apollo program forced people to think outside their usual boxes.
'Some will combine in place to form more complicated structures, like excavators or centipedes.'
'the hair-fine wire going deep into Owen's brain, down into the pleasure center.'
'There was a dim whirring, and the spheres tipped and began to rotate...'
'The houses are prefabricated units... and they sell at the flat rate of five hundred dollars a room — set up.'
