Here's the conclusion to my
"NTSSF" - Near Term Speculative Science Fiction - story.
If you're just tuning in, be sure to read Part 1 of the story first:
May, 2027; "Free To Move About The World," Part 1 - by Duncan Cary Palmer
Dreaming of near-term "Buck Rogers" possibilities based on combining existing and forseeable technology helps keep my juices flowing. Enjoy!
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (source)
A Day In My Life, Ten Years from Now - Part 2
by Duncan Cary Palmer
2:15 P.M., Conway, New Hampshire
Inside Jon's shop, we set the still-crated NanoFab on the bench Jon has prepared for it. Max raises his nose in the air, sniffing at the new arrival.
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Max Wonders About The Package (source1) (source2)
Removing an ampoule from my pocket, I inject the foam crate with a shot of catalyst, and it begins shrinking. Within two minutes, the packaging has shrunk by 90% and sluffed off, revealing the new NanoFab in all its glory.
"Sweet!" Jonathan exclaims.
Twenty years my junior, Jon was our family's "surprise bonus," showing up about nine months after Mom and Dad went on an extra-long vacation. Skillful and creative, I couldn't ask for a better partner in crime than Jonathan.
Though Jon and I are too enthralled by our new toy to notice, Max whimpers a little bit when he hears the PGT fly away. As a member of a global shared ownership co-op, I only need pay for actual time and distance charges. "Owning" a Personal Global Transport is actually less expensive than it was to own an SUV a decade ago!
Autonomous PGTs are dispatched to my location as needed, tremendously reducing the cost of ownership - not to mention eliminating the need for vast parking lots. Paige, my A/I, lives in the distributed cloud. She shows up in whichever PGT I happen to occupy at the time.
The NanoFab is lit-up,
already running through its initial self-test. It is internally powered, as are most machines today. The same ultra-capacity battery technology that enables the Waters-Musk PGT runs the NanoFab. Both charge themselves wirelessly whenever they are in range of a compatible power source. While the NanoFab completes its system checks, Jon and I catch up a bit.
"Jon, you should really spend a little more time in San Diego. If you were to ask me nicely, I could probably arrange for you to take Stacy out to dinner." Last time we were both at the FabItNow offices, I noticed Jon's gaze lingering on Stacy more than once.
I noticed Jon's gaze lingering... (source)
"Quit trying to fix me up, bro." he replies. "You know I can't just abandon my confirmed bachelor ways."
"Ha! You can't kid me; I've seen how you look at her!"
Before I can continue, all indicators on the NanoFab go green, and we turn our full attention to setting it up for a test run.
The plan is to fab a couple of test pieces to verify that the new NanoFab is, indeed, fully functional. If we can produce a few 100% operational products with our new "factory in a box," then several things can happen.
First, we'll pay FabItNow, LLC the balance of what we owe on the machine. Next, we'll go into production on our new, top-secret consumer product. Finally, we'll "laugh all the way to the bank."
The Amazing NanoFab (source)
"So, let's get rolling."
I say to Jonathan. "You've got all the materials and supplies, right?"
In answer, Jon opens a nearby cabinet and starts setting bottles and boxes on the bench next to the NanoFab. I can see that this is really happening, and so I flip my visor down, log in to our blockchain-based enterprise cloud, and fling the encrypted factory file at the NanoFab.
Within a few seconds, the file has transferred and been cryptologically authenticated. Assorted hatches, doors, funnels, and access ports begin to swing open.
One at a time, I feed the filament, resin, powder, and pellets into their appropriate receptacles. I mount a couple of reels of chips, a solder paste tube, some silver wire, and a few glue tubes.
A Portion of the NanoFab Block Diagram (source)
Most of the fab supplies are in keyed and coded cartridges.
A few of the supplies need to be transferred from bulk containers into custom cartridges, and Jon sets about doing that after closing the supply cabinet. I stick to installing the pre-packaged materials.
As long as I remain bright enough to avoid putting a square peg in a round hole, the NanoFab is smart enough to compare the collection of materials that I plug in with the materials requirement specified by the factory file I fed it a few minutes ago.
NanoFab Supplies (source)
I don't expect better than NanoFab until we can engineer devices at the molecular level,
and that may still be a few years from now.
Once we're sure the fab is fully operational and our flagship product is starting to be produced, our thoughts turn to dinner.
We Have Dinner At The BirdSong Chinese Restaurant (source)
We head for Birdsong, a place I like to eat when I'm in town. Jon takes me south on the back of his classic BMW shaft-drive motorcycle. I've always wanted one myself. Maybe, just maybe, if our enterprise takes off, I'll be able to afford one of my own.
6:05 P.M., West Ossipee, New Hampshire
Over dinner, it's just small talk. New Englanders are a tight-knit lot, and in a small New Hampshire town, even the comings and goings of family members seem to make the news. I get Jon to promise not to tell Harriet, the local gossip columnist, that I was in town today.
A Toast with Sinkiang Black (source)
After sharing a celebratory toast to future success with a couple of Sinkiang Blacks, we head back to Jon's shop. There we find that the NanoFab has completed our first two production units, and a third is in process.
I summon my PGT, and during the ten minutes we wait for it to arrive, Jon and I run the units through the preliminary pre-defined systems check that we've developed up to this point. We'll be collaborating remotely to flesh out the diagnostic and burn-in programs during the next couple of weeks. However, with what we have so far, it's a real confidence booster to see our first two production-level items pass muster.
Bidding Jon and Max goodby, I climb into the PGT again, my production unit in hand. After no more than a "Home, Paige," and a quick systems check, we're ready for the westbound trip.
It's now 8:10 P.M. EDT, and I'm airborne again.
Although the sun set a while ago, at this latitude twilight lasts for a while. A few stars are visible, along with a crescent moon. As we go transsonic, I white-out the scenery and catch up on some correspondence and miscellaneous paperwork.
And, yes, I have seen the sun rise in the west often enough that by now it is no longer a novelty. I'd far rather be done with my work day by the time I get home.
Heading Back Towards San Diego (source)
Before I know it, we're touching down in Southern California. I remove my headset and climb out of the PGT. As the sun dips behind the hills to my west for the second time today, I grab my briefcase. With the first item off our production line under my arm, I head on into the house. It has certainly been a busy day.
7:03 P.M. PDT, and I'm done for the day.
I fix myself a drink, pick up the Heinlein novel that I'm re-reading for the fifteenth time, and settle in for a relaxing evening. The future is looking bright.
To Be Lived, a Decade From Now...
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*FIN*
NOTE: Throughout my posts, you may notice hyperlinks like this one that lead to supplemental material. Most images are also hyperlinked. While not essential to the enjoyment of my writing, you may find the linked background information enlightening (or at least mildly interesting).
ALL IMAGES are either my own, derived from open source material, or used with permission.
