Friday 11 April 2008

GIZZMO

This is a little something that I was inspired to write at Christmas 1991. I thought at the time that it was quite futuristic:


15th February 1992

The Department of appraisal,
Victor Gollancz Ltd.,
14 Henrietta Street,
London,
WC2 8QJ



Dear Sirs,

Would you please give me your valued opinion on this work. I would
very much like to know if I am heading in the right direction.

This work is designed to be the basis for a series of short Sci-Fi stories
set around GIZZMO.

The idea lends itself to various plots involving con-artists,
fraudsters, adventure adinfinitum.

Although the GIZZMO itself is pure scientific fantasy, each of the
applications that I have ascribed to it is possible (just) in the
present day. I suspect that if ever it becomes available at Dixons,
it will create their biggest SALES ever.


Yours Faithfully,

Anthony Winston Allsop.

Future date: Thursday 29th February Circa 2024



GIZZMO By Anthony W. Allsop.

General Information and Selective Service MOdual.


It is compulsory for all citizens over the age of 10 to be issued with and to carry at all times a personal identity and locating package consisting of one GIZZMO duly issued and registered free of charge at your local Post Office on production of form: BT/293840623. Each GIZZMO is issued with its own identification number. Please keep the reg. document in a safe place.

GIZZMO is a hand held, paperback sized, computer and satellite oriented tool that has been designed to be of invaluable help in the world of today. The times that we live in are fast becoming flooded with specialising electronic gadgets for doing this that and the other and our pockets and handbags just cannot cope. Calculators, telephones, radios, TVs and the like are all portable in their own right but together will put a strain on even the best designed suit.

We may also be burdened with cash & credit cards, identity cards, cheque books and notebooks etc. GIZZMO is about to free up much your pocket space. It is powered by an extra long-life and rechargeable-in-situ battery pack. In the unlikely event of battery failure, all personal data will be retained in bubble memory and backed up on the main central computer. A solar power cell is incorporated in the lid to facilitate emergencies.

On first being acquainted with your GIZZMO you will be given access to its Retina Scanning Security System. Choose an eye to be scanned and close the other one. Look towards the top right hand corner of the screen at the small Auto-Focazoom lens. Press any key when ready and the light above the lens will flash briefly. If all has gone well you will see the message "SCAN OK" and then "PLEASE VERIFY".

At this point close the case and open it again. The screen is now completely black and apart from monitoring systems is, to all intents and purposes, switched off. When you are ready, close one eye and look at the lens again. Press any key, the light will flash and, if you have kept open the correct eye, you will have gained access to your GIZZMO and the screen will light up with "READY!" at the top. Try it once again, but with the other eye, and you will see that after the light has flashed the screen will light up and state "RSSS NOT ACCEPTABLE, PLEASE TRY AGAIN OR ENTER CODEWORD. (Codeword operation is described later on).
Each time you access GIZZMO using the RSSS means of identification, your previous scan is relegated to backup and the new one takes its place. This is to compensate for relatively small changes to the pattern on the retina due to ageing.

Once you get GIZZMO on its own you should locate the "Code word mode." At "NEW CODEWORD" enter an easily remembered sentence or phrase that only you should know. (I chose a line from one of Shakespeare's works and just reversed the spelling of one of the words). Press Return and you will be asked to verify the password. If all is well you will get the message "OK!" and then "READY!" This password is to be used as a stand-by should you suffer damage to the eye. You, or anyone trying to gain access by using code mode, will be allowed only three attempts before GIZZMO locks up. When this happens, your GIZZMO can only be opened using the RSSS or at the place of issue by using the master code.

Should anyone try to gain illegal access to or steal a GIZZMO, that person shall be liable to prosecution under the PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION ACT as laid out in the International Government Manifesto. The penalty is a maximum 10 years VDU servitude or a fine of up to 1M ICU, or both.

Your GIZZMO can receive World Wide Multiband TV/Radio and has accessing capability for Video Disc Broadcasting Systems. (This system runs banks of laser video disc players each with multiple pick-up heads. You can join any video you wish and then go to any point on that disc, slow it down, speed it up, freeze frame etc. Thousands of paying customers can watch the same disc at the same time).

Access to public information pages is made easier. Just ask GIZZMO to download the lot into its database then use search mode to get what you want very quickly. Parity is 99.9% guaranteed thanks to high-power orbiting relay stations and UHF microwave transmitters. Needless to say it is a scientific programmable calculator, and it can also be used for programming and compiling in any one of a dozen different computer languages.

With its stereo socket and built in MIDI system, it can be used in a limited way as a music studio and with such classics as "COMPOSITRON MUSIC PUBLISHER" available, you can produce your own symphonic compositions. So Come'on yor'l, boogy on down!

Most of GIZZMO's applications can be summoned from its fully comprehensive computer style keyboard. Complete with function, numerical and qwerty keys, it converses with the user through its inbuilt High Definition LCCVDU screen or, using its Oratormax Voice Recognition Initialising and Emulation System, you can just talk to it. (Once you have given it a sample of your voice). Note: children and a few asthmatics, may have difficulty with this mode and to date it is not the most reliable of communication mediums.

Its inbuilt modules and input/output sockets allow GIZZMO to be plugged into external peripherals such as large screen displays, printers and of course other computers. (Even most of the remaining PC non-compatibles). Finding your way around GIZZMO couldn't be easier. Its fully integrated WILCO system combined with GEM, allows the user to access many of the applications directly from its own - more than ample - ROM and RAM (About 1 gigabyte at the last count, with upgrades available). The displays and windows can be also be negotiated by controlling cursor movements with caress-pad (just stroke your finger in the direction that you wish to move the cursor), or light-pen that can be unclipped from its flush fitting housing.

Just highlight the icon item or file required by touching it with the pen. Files can also be dragged to and from folders using the pen. (Research is still under way trying to perfect the "Eye Movement Controlled Cursor" using a stereoscopic version of the Auto-Focazoom lens system.

When trials are finalised, your GIZZMO will be upgraded to take advantage of this wonderful facility.)

Any application, game or whatever that is not held in GIZZMO's memory, can be downloaded from the central computer in just a few seconds. The download operation involves the worldwide network of ISSI (International Satellite Systems INC.) Any communication with this system is automatically charged to your GIZZMO account at the current rate. The currency for all transactions is the standard ICU. Banking and Stockbroking can be carried out using GIZZMO as you have direct access to the international stock market.

Your salary can be paid directly to your account as can any other money promised. Just bring up your bank account. It will ask for your account number. It will then ask what sort of transaction you wish to make. Type CREDIT followed by the amount. It will then ask who's account. Here you enter the name of the payee. Finally you let the payee enter his/her account number. If the transaction is valid then GIZZMO OK's it and asks if there is any other business. Paying out is a similar process. Standing orders or direct debits can be taken care of also and you always have an up-to-date record of transactions.

GIZZMO comes fully equipped for multi-tasking.

A limited number of applications can be downloaded to GIZZMO and kept in separate compartments of memory at the same time. They can then be mixed or merged and generally used at will.

Maps of anywhere on Earth can be called up and zoomed into for more detail. A "Direction Indicator", the small LCD arrow on GIZZMO's lid, guides you to your chosen destination. It works on a similar principle to a magnetic compass, but instead of a magnetic field it employs the use of interlacing satellite beacons. If GIZZMO detects a need to deviate from a straight course because of a river for example, then it will direct you to the angle of the first dog-leg first, then the angle of the second, and so on. It matters not which way GIZZMO is facing.

Using this facility to get around on foot in strange locations, major cities etc., is like a dream come true. Navigator plots routes from "A", which is where you are located, to "B", your chosen destination. Making best use of up to the minute traffic and road reports, trade winds and ocean currents etc. Ideal too for sailing. High/low tides. This information can be accessed for anywhere on earth for any time in the past, present or future. It can even predict coastal erosion and sand bar movement. It also houses a micro locating device, it works on the same wavelength as the motion sensing ones that we use for protecting our property and other valuables, in case you or it get separated.

Each GIZZMO has its individual registration number as well as the password that only you should know. If your GIZZMO is stolen or lost you must contact the Retrieval Unit (Number on home page). Inform them of your loss and they will locate it in no time at all.

Reading matter such as books, magazines, newspapers etc. can be called up from list and downloaded inclusive of graphics, to be read at leisure. As with the viewing of video and such nature, all reading matter is censored according to the age of the recipient. Variable sized print can be summoned up to aid the poorly sighted. GIZZMO will even read it out to you if required with its extraordinarily lifelike simulated voice. Full intonation and expression has been added to the new version of Oratormax making it ideal for getting the young ones off to sleep. Just choose a bedtime story to be down loaded.

GIZZMO is an ideal learning and teaching tool. You can leave your children safely in the hands of GIZZMO and its main computer. With its concept of Languages, Mathematics (even higher), Geography and English etc., and with its capacity for full interaction, the kids love it. And you have no need to worry about the children slacking as GIZZMO keeps record of their progress and adjusts its teaching to suit the individual. It also suggests ways of helping those who may start to fall behind before it is too late. Homework can also be set on GIZZMO allowing extra tuition for students attending the state schools.

GIZZMO is also programmed to deal with adult further education up to optional university standard.

You can do the shopping from the comfort of your own home using GIZZMO in a number of ways. If you do most of your shopping at MULTIMART then select MULTIMART from the main menu using the search mode. You can converse either verbally or via keyboard etc. Even if you spell the store name incorrectly, GIZZMO will make enough sense of it to home in. Right, so now you are inside the superstore.

You want soup? You ask for soup. A menu of soups is listed in front of you complete with ingredients, additives, size, price etc. Pick which you require and then cancel that menu.

Vegetables? do the same sort of search. If you require something like a fridge or washing machine, after calling up that particular department you can select an item and be shown around it in full colour. Using the pen or caress-pad you can open its doors lift the lid or switch it on. (Plug GIZZMO into your home hologrammer and it feels as if you are there except, that there are no salesmen). Play about with it as long as you like until you are satisfied that that is what you want, then order.

A trip to the dress department at C&A via GIZZMO can be quite entertaining. When you have finalised your shopping the items are automatically dispatched to your home or if you wish, to anywhere designated by you. Your account is then debited the total cost of the items, less any discount.

Reservations for any sporting occasion or theatre etc. can be booked in this way. Your GIZZMO is your entry ticket to the venue.

The "view prior to purchase" feature really comes into its own when you are trying to decide on a holiday destination. You are allowed to browse around the chosen holiday apartment block, the local shops and restaurants and even the beach. (Turn up the brightness on your screen and you may even get a tan).

This shopper mode can also be used for buying and selling second hand items. There is a charge for your own advertising until the article is either sold or the ad. is removed. The charge depends on how involved the ad. is. Using this mode I found a front fender for a 57 Chevy and sold 450 reclaimed house bricks. It can be used for job hunting too on a grand scale. After you have located the vacancy that you feel would be suitable, you can be initially interviewed by your prospective boss using via GIZZMO.

For those of us who appreciate a bargain, GIZZMO can be asked to find the best bargain on offer whether it be a round trip to the moon or a pair of Y Fronts.

World clock. The inbuilt clock is kept correct to the millisecond by being updated every time you access the main computer. All the world's time zones are defined.

A large number of alarm and appointment settings are available. These settings can be used to warn of coming events hours, days, months, even years ahead. You need never forget a birthday or an anniversary ever again. And of course IF YOU DO you can order a last gasp present.

GIZZMO is multilingual and can translate any documentation into any given language by selecting from its main menu that language. This makes foreign correspondence as easy as pi.

GIZZMO has an on-board word processor with phonetic dictionary which includes personal update facility, grammatical correction modes, thesaurus and like words, plus definitions. With a printer attached, and via voice recognition, your document can be dictated to GIZZMO,
processed, correctly transposed and then printed out or sent electronically.

Various word games are also included in ROM. It can also tackle DTP if connected to suitable monitor and printer.

A personal telephone directory and appointment book are standard. Any other number required can be found using GIZZMO's main computer DATASEARCH facility available from the desktop. Numbers are dialled merely by highlighting them and then pressing send.

One of the games and pastimes that can be downloaded is a very good chess program.

It has 10 levels of play, 9 of which are played off line. That is, once the chess game is stored in GIZZMO's RAM, you may play any number of games for any length of time without accessing the main computer terminal again. Level ten however is a different game altogether. Select this and GIZZMO asks how much you wish to play for over the best of three game Match. You can play for any amount that you can safely afford to lose. GIZZMO will credit your account at odds of 1000 to 1 if you can beat the computer or 10 to 1 if you can force a draw. These might seem generous odds. However - apart from one or two Grand Masters of chess - very few players have managed a win. The main computer learns very quickly by experience. If it should lose, it dissects the game play and never makes the same error twice.

With thousands of games under its belt it has become a most awesome opponent. It's better than the old fashioned and now illegal football pools type of gambling, though. You may also play a human opponent using your individual GIZZMO's. The chess men are moved simply by touching the piece that you wish to move with either cursor or pen, and then touching the opponents piece that you are about to take or the vacant square of your choice. If it is not a legal move then GIZZMO will inform you. (On level 10 GIZZMO may insist that you move that piece so touched if it is a legal move so to do.)

Please note that air time when playing in this way - as when playing GIZZMO's central computer - is cut to a minimum as the only time that you are on air is when each individual move is sent. (About 1.3 seconds per move on average)

Other games run on a similar basis include - Backgammon, various card games, checkers and Scrabble. The winning odds vary.

Security. An on-board heat sensor working in conjunction with a loud audible alarm that acts as an intruder alarm or fire warning. The alarm systems can also be activated remotely by the Pulser Doorbell or the Pulser Burglary Alarm System. (GIZZMO can monitor either audibly or
audio visually. Callers at your properties whilst you are not in attendance can be scrutinised remotely. Ideal for shops left unattended for a few minutes.) It is also equipped for the detection of smoke, movement, gases and radiation.

Health. You will find a small receptor each side of the space bar. Bring up Med Check onto your screen and then place your thumb on one receptor and a finger on the other. After a few moments GIZZMO will inform you of your blood pressure, heartbeat and body temperature. This information is also recorded on your central health records. You will be notified through GIZZMO if you should require medical attention.

GIZZMO is a fully equipped telephone, answering machine and Faxing tool. Documents and graphics can be read using the scanner that is located on the hinge side of the set. Once in memory they can be sent to any other receiver in the world. Caller's number is logged
automatically so that even if they don't leave a message, you know they have called. GIZZMO's slimline remote handset fits snugly at the side of the screen in the lid. Call charges are the same for whichever part of the world you wish to dial. There is however a band of charges for the type of connection required. "Personal Davidson", a sort of assistant. The most expensive and calls have to be booked in advance.

Next comes Speech only. Then there's Faxing, Message Store & Relay, Answercall and finally, Display Text at the very bottom of the scale. DT is cheapest because you can send up to 30k of text (compressed of course), in about 2 secs flat. A personal telephone directory and appointment book are standard. Any other number required can be found using GIZZMO's main computer DATASEARCH facility available from the desktop. Numbers are dialled merely by highlighting them and tapping.

Automotion. Any traffic violations that you are observed to be guilty of, are recorded automatically by GIZZMO along with the statutory fines that are imposed and that are debited from your account. Appeals can be made but the evidence usually weighs too heavily against you. After all, the GIZZMO should be with you at all times - it is a legal requirement -and tracking of GIZZMO is just a matter of course.

GIZZMO incorporates a very extensive manual to help you find your way around its many and varied applications. Should any problem arise that cannot be solved using this manual then you are advised to contact the Post Office where it was issued.

- - - - - - - - -
GLOSSARY

DT - Display Text.
DTP - Desktop Publishing.
GEM - Graphic Environment Manager.
GIZZMO - General Information & Selective Service MOdual.
ICU - International Currency Unit.
LCCVDU - Liquid Crystal Colour Visual Display Unit
MIDI - Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
RAM - Random Access Memory.
ROM - Read Only Memory.
RSSS - Retina Scanning Security System.
VDU - Visual Display Unit.
WP - Word processor.
WILCO - Windows Icons Light-pen Caress-pad Oratormax.

Enjoy!

Copyright Anthony W Allsop 1991.

1 comment:

White Charcoal said...

Well, thank you. It isn't often I get comments on this site. I tend to use it as a base for copy.

MySpace hosts my white_charcoal blog. If you Google:

white_charcoal you'll see what I mean.

Hugs?

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