Well, I decided to provide an interesting link from KurweilAI.net Weekly Newsletter, because the link is titled: “How to create a large-area visible light-invisibility cloak”. Since Fishing for Light is a satire, obviously, I was having a bit of fun creating Professor Quan’s Skin Sensor machine that he used to alter his appearance, as in the last chapter when he appeared a lot like a Colonel Sander’s like character hanging out at a General Beauregard’s 24-Hour Fried Chicken restaurant waiting for Ms. Prosperina to attack him.
In the scene I wrote below, it is the first time I introduced the Skin Sensor machine, and it happened just after Professor Quan discovered how to solve Erectile Dysfunction. It is an ‘old school’ approach, but as you will note from the newsletter link below and after the novel’s excerpt, you can read for yourself that I heavily researched the speculative science that I created within the novel.
And I quote from the article, “But UCF assistant professor Debashis Chanda and fellow optical and nanotech experts were able to achieve visible-light cloaking over a large area by using a multilayer 3-D open-mesh (fishnet) metamaterial to control the material’s refractive index** and thus control bending of light.”
So, now you know that I did not just “make all” the science up, a lot of the science is quite real, although I modified it to make a metaphorical point, and I did not randomly chose the words, ‘gravitational lensing’ from an earlier scene within the novel.
From ~ Fishing for Light:
““A cowboy with a slow Texas drawl,” Professor Quan whispered. “I always wanted to have a reason to wear my white Stetson Hat and lizard skin boots, let me think.”
He left the cold room and went to inspect his Skin Sensor machine; it had a teak wood frame with twelve tiny vermillion lotus hooks. The triangular shaped mirrors pointed inward. Each mirror spaced a half inch apart. Across the frames interior, the hooks held micro-thin carbon based pink spider web like sheets. Two 220-volt electrical cords connected to the bottom left vertical panel, just below an oval shaped rubber knob. Above the knob, there was a panel that appeared to be a keyless garage door opener. It had backlit green buttons with a digital timer. It did not appear to have any load bearing member to support the heavy frame. It was steadied by a guide wire screwed into the top center of the nine foot cross beam. It was pulled taught into the steal ceiling joists with the angled beams resting on two square mouse pad couplings bolted into the spongy rubberized floor.
Professor Quan stepped in front of the roll top desk. He studied a laminated world map hung behind the desk. He memorized several number sequences taped to regions within Texas.
Professor Quan decided the red state ink should mix with red state ink sub-region to create the typical voice inflections and accent. He pressed a black button on the right side of the desk; it disengaged the green leather desktop cover. It popped up, and revealed rows and trays of self-inking stamps. Each numbered with a red, blue and black sequence. As he pulled up on a red lever, rows and trays rotated until he located the correct section, and glided his fingers across to select the stamps. He snapped them together like puzzle pieces. He locked them into a square tray, and then flicked a switch and the device began to vibrate. After he flicked the switch, the Skin Sensor machine started to hum as the strong electrical current coursed through the machines circuits. The device swayed, the teak wood frame began to move as if a light breeze was blowing drying bed sheets in the backyard behind a mid-western farmhouse.
“Almost forgot,” Professor Quan said. He scampered back into his laboratory. He unhooked the Hope Diamond from its magnetic coupling. He slipped on white nylon gloves and gently grabbed the diamond with his fingertips. He went back to his Skin Sensor machine, unscrewed the center porthole beneath the frame, and locked the big blue diamond inside a cushioned chamber that resembled a grocery store bar code box scanner. It was nestled between the two black diamonds that would offset each other with positive and negative energy. His system was now in total balance.
Brilliant reflected laser blue light emerged from the box top like a communist party disco lounge. It bounced off the frames mirrors. It caused the machines mesh sheets to liquefy, but not one drop hit the floor. Each node levitated, as if balanced in a zero gravity vacuum.
“Excellent,” Professor Quan said. He smacked his hands.
Back inside the adjacent room, he snapped his fingers as he remembered a spy from Texas who had died in a Russian gulag. He had been a nice fellow, with a smooth Houstonian drawl with each word understandable and soft.
“Now where is he?” Professor Quan said. He studied his vast collection of conical flasks.
Captain Lovins opened the cold room door.
“What’s up?” Captain Lovins asked.
“Road trip,” Professor Quan said. “Let’s get the Roadmaster warmed up.”
“I’m confused?” Captain Lovins said. “Road trip?”
“Yeah, I figured it out, this spray canister, let’s find some candidates to start this experiment,” Profess Quan said.
“Far out,” Captain Lovins said. “Let me call the business office, let them know I’ll be out for a few days.”
“I’m going as a Texas business man,” Professor Quan.
“I don’t hide,” Captain Lovins said. “But, this will be interesting, you’re never boring, I’ll give you that.”
“Well, let’s start by boosting some IQ’s,” Professor Quan said, “And maybe, some other things.” – ” End – excerpt from Fishing for Light.
NS
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