It may seem odd for a science-fiction author to complain about technological change (though I remember Ray Bradbury before he died, complaining about ebooks), but that’s what I’m thinking about today. Sometimes I love technological change, like when I want a new iPad and I need an improved model to convince my wife that I need to upgrade. Other times it’s a pain, like when I’m trying to write.
Somewhere I have a sheet of German Postage Stamps printed in the early thirties. They were 1 Mark stamps, but as soon as they came off the presses, they had to be sent back in to be printed over with 100 Marks, because of the horrible inflation that Germany was experiencing at the time. It was changing so fast that they literally couldn’t print stamps or money fast enough to keep up with it.
I kind of have that feeling today. Some of the technology I describe in His Robot Girlfriend and His Robot Wife seems quaint now, and some of the stuff in the new book is already sounding antiquated. I’m going back and making some changes, particularly to how processes are processes. I already know I’m not going to get too far in front of the change, but I at least want my story to be up-to-date with present technology.
Specifically in this case, Mike pays with a cash card. Credit cards and debit cards are already facing extinction. It won’t be long before apps on telephones replace making a purchase at a cash register or a store counter. Think of it– scan your item, press pay, authenticate (probably with a thumbprint) and walk out of the store. No more standing in line, no more waiting, no more identity theft. It’s a lot closer than you think– much closer than 2037, when my story takes place.
Okay, so at the pace I’m writing now, it’s five days to finish a chapter. I just finished chapter twelve.
City of Amathar 