The Shockwave Rider
The man in the bare steel chair was as naked as the room's white walls. They had shaved his head and body completely; only his eyelashes remained. Tiny adhesive pads held sensors in position at a dozen places on his scalp, on his temples close to the corners of his eyes, at each side of his mouth, on his throat, over his heart and over his solar plexus and at every major ganglion down to his ankles.
The Crucible of Time
Now the sun was down, the barq was growing tired. The current opposing her was swift, and there was a real risk she might be driven against the rocks that beset the channel and puncture her gas-bladders. After countless attempts to sting her into more vigorous activity, the steersman laid by his goad and grumpily tipped into her maw the last barrelful of the fermented fish and seaweed which served to nourish boat, crew and passengers alike. Waiting for the belch that would signal its digestion, he noticed Jing watching from her saddle of lashed planks, as anxious as though his weather-sense were predicting storms, and laughed.
A Stand on Zanzibar
Stock cue SOUND: "Presenting SCANALYZER, Engrelay Satelserv's unique thrice-per-day study of the big big Scene, the INdepth INdependent INmediate INterface between you and your world!"
Stock cue VISUAL: cliptage, splitscreen, cut in bridge-melder, Mr. & Mrs. Everywhere depthunder (today MAMP, Mid-Atlantic Mining Project), spaceover (today freefly-suiting), transiting (today Simplon Acceleratube), digging (today as every day homimage with autoshout).
Autoshout cue: "It's happening it's happening! SCANALYZER SCANALYZER SCANALYZER SCANALYZER SCANALYZER SCANALYZER - "
Stock cue VISUAL: cliptage, wholescreen, planet Earth turning jerk-jerk-jerk and holding meridians for GMT, EST, PCT, Pacific Conflict Zone Time.
Live cue SOUND: "And it's six poppa-momma for the happening people keeping it straight and steady on that old Greenwich Mean Time - how mean can time get, you tell me, hm? Zee for zero, bee for base, counting down to one after ess ee eks - sorree - ess EYE eks! We know what's happening happening HAPPENING but that piece of the big big scene is strictly up to you, Mr. and Mrs. Everywhere - or Mr. and Miss, or Miss and Miss, or Mister and Mister, take your pick, hah-hah! Counting down to one after one poppa - momma for that good old Eastern Standard tie-yum, one after ten anti-matter for the Pacific Coast, and for all of you fighting the good fight in lonely midocean one after seven anti-matter - PIPS!"
Clock cue: 5Xl-sec. countdown pips on G in alt, minute signal on C in alt.
Plug cue: "No time like the present for things to happen in, no better way to keep time straight and steady than by the signal from General Technics' critonium clock, so accuright it serves to judge the stars."
Script cue VISUAL: cliptage, splitscreen, excerpts from day's news.
Live cue SOUND: "And no better way to keep abreast - pardon - than with SCANALYZER!"
Cut autoshout cue. (If they haven't made it by this time they've switched off.)
Plug cue: "SCANALYZER is the one single, the ONLY study of the news in depth that's processed by General Technics' famed computer Shalmaneser., who sees all, hears all, knows all save only that which YOU, Mr, and Mrs. Everywhere, wish to keep to yourselves."
Script cue: the happening world.
John Brunner
