From now until the final posting of Emperor Dad, think of a new and interesting use for the teleportation technology and post it to the comments (of any of the parts). I'll collect the best of the ideas and present a prize once the novel has ended. Here's you chance to think like a science fiction writer and come up with something new.
The idea has to be compatible with the teleportation technology as presented in the novel and not something already mentioned in the novel.
The prize isn't decided yet, and I'm open for suggestions. Previous contests awarded autographed books.
I'm looking forward to your wonderful creativity.
4 comments:
Communications: open portals in all the major
NIC points in the world, and let the companies
run a 10GB cable thru the hole. This would
increase available bandwidth tremendously, and
remove the speed-of-light latency.
Surgery: surgeons could use tiny portals to remove otherwise inoperable tumours, using a cat scan or mri scan in real time to see initial work area, then "standard" fiber-optic tools once the initial "cut" is made with the first portal.
Machining: use tiny portals to remove the unwanted material. This works even
INSIDE objects, so you could machine perfect "honeycombed" metal structures
where most of the mass is gone, but the strength remains.
Transportation: set up travel hubs which arrive at airports with permanent portals. Do this at airports for now because that's where customs entry points are. Of course, portals could be set up to mimic the train network, saving
lots of commuter time. Eventually, dialable-portals could mimic Niven's transfer booths.
Power generation by opening a ball to the deep ocean to get high pressure water.
Launching satellites: pop a rocket through portal to a well-selected higher orbit, then use relatively small burns to get satellite to final orbit.
Space probes: take great pictures of any system body you want through a portal. This also means you can get solar flare warnings, by monitoring the sun from inside Mercury's orbit.
Mineral searches: run a small sphere nderground and sample the minerals present directly. Then mine the same way (although that's in the book)
Oil and gas extraction: who needs oil wells? Same for mines.
Weapons: open a VERY small portal between the sun and a target - instant dial-a-
yield nuke. Actually, portals to the deep ocean would be almost as effective
but less radioactive.
Mine asteroids.
Like networking: power transmission. No more long transmission lines - you can open a portal between the power plant and the destination neighbourhood. This might even make DC power reasonable, I don't know...
Okay, It's clear Mike G. came in with the big guns and intimidated every one else. So, Mike, we need to decide on your prize.
Choose:
A) A hardcopy of any of my novels.
B) if you're a collector, I have a very few unused Advance Reader Copies of Roswell or Bust and Golden Girl, chose one of those, or a first edition of Emperor Dad.
C) if you're a e-Book reader, A thumb drive containing all of my novels, in either Kindle or ePub format.
and finally,
D) I'll write a Mike G into one of my upcoming novels as a minor character.
Let me know what you want.
-- Henry
Darn. I didn't mean to scare people off. It was just such a fun question.
I wish others had chimed in. I'm curious about what obvious thing I missed.
Option c sounds best - I'll send you an email.
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