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"[Science fiction is] anything that turns you and your social context, the social you, inside out."
- Gregory Benford
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| Information Sharing (Watchbird Network) | ||
| Watchbird drones can see and learn and then share new information, methods and definitions. |
| "...Well, I'm really damned. Those watchbirds work!"
He stared until the wings disappeared in the sky. Then he telephoned the police. The watchbird returned to his search curve. His thinking center correlated the new facts he had learned about murder. Several of these he hadn't known before.
 (Watchbird from 'Watchbird' by Robert Sheckley) This new information was simultaneously flashed to all the other watchbirds and their information was flashed back to him. New information, methods, definitions were constantly passing between them... The watchbird stood on guard, fluttering in mid-air — Making sure no murder was done. New data flashed along the watchbird network. Unmonitored, independent, the thousands of watchbirds received and acted Upon it. |
| Technovelgy from Watchbird,
by Robert Sheckley. Published by Galaxy in 1953 Additional resources -
|
Compare to the robot language from Frankenstein - Unlimited (1936) by H.A. Highstone, the Talk Between Robots from The Midas Plague (1954) by Frederik Pohl, the Robot-Control Wave Band from Rex (1934) by Harl Vincent, mentanical communication from The Mentanicals (1934) by Francis Flagg and Autonomous Car Intercommunication from Sally (1953) by Isaac Asimov.
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'This was their world, their planet — this swift-traveling, yet seemingly moveless vessel.'
'Gaines and Harvey mounted tumblebugs, and kept abreast of the Cadet Captain...'
Accompanied by a small selection of similar ideas from science fiction.
'...war-balloons, or, as it would be more correct to call them, navigable aerostats.'
