Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Didn't John W.Campbell Write This Already?

Implausible though it once seemed, researchers say they're closing in on invisibility[1]. BTDT, thanks to a yarnspinner named Don A. Stuart, who turned out to be John W. Campbell in a funny hat. Or have I remembed the story wrong? --Oh, well, or perhaps Wells: it was already an old topic even that long ago.

Radar invisibility, I get. Optical? Quite the dark, dark art and probably never as good as we can imagine; but ask any sniper school grad if there is an attainable good enough -- their lives depend on it. And that's without scifianium to help!
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1. a. Thanks to the wire-service-not-to-be-named for the story -- luckily another outfit covered it, too.
1. b. Invisibility? Oh, I've got your "invisibility;" ask any gal engineer. You make a technical suggestion and the boys sit there like warts; two minutes later, one of them says the exact same thing and oh, boy! It's the best thing since sliced beer or canned bread. Invisiblity's overrated.

3 comments:

  1. I've been invisible to women under 30 for many a year now. and there are those who would contend that this is a good thing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always strove to fairly evaluated whatshernames ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You must be working in the wrong place. Most of our developers and project managers are women.

    ReplyDelete

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