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"One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection."
- Arthur C. Clarke
 |
| Wearable White-Noise Generator | ||
| A device worn when the wearer preferred not to be the subject of audio recordings. |
Normal means paranoid, in Gibson's works; always assume that the other guy has better tech than you, but use what you've got just in case. Just hope your lawyer doesn't advise you to get one, as Laney had on his last day at work.
| It had been a weeknight, a Wednesday, when Laney had last seen Kathy... She'd stood there in the Cage, screaming as he cleared out his locker... He knew that she was screaming because her mouth was open, but the syllables of her rage couldn't penetrate the seamless hissing surf of the white-noise generator provided by his lawyers. He'd been advised to wear the generator at all times, during this last visit to the Slitscan offices. He'd been instructed to make no statement. Certainly he could hear none. |
| From Idoru,
by William Gibson. Published by Putnam in 1996 Additional resources -
|
As far as I know, this is the only mention in the book; certainly, it infuriates those who have choice words for him. Gibson is an expert at urban nomadics. He knows what today's city dweller needs. And can you get a personal white noise generator? Yes you can; see the AI-680 Active White Noise Generator at EnsurePrivacy. This device gives you the added bonus of protecting yourself from laser transmitters aimed at your windows. As they say at EnsurePrivacy:
Speaking with confidence and knowing your private conversations are private has never been easier when you are equipped with our White Noise Generator.
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'THE red tennis robot scooted desperately across the court...'
'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...'
