AXLER%upenn-1100.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa (08/13/84)
From: Macintosh Devaluation Manager <AXLER%upenn-1100.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
The following are excerpted from The Science Fiction Encyclopedia, Peter
Nicholls, ed. (1979):
MATTER TRANSMISSION: The matter transmitter is one of several sf devices which
though purporting to have a technological explanation, have the effect of being
a pseudo-scientific analogue of various psi powers, in this instance teleporta-
tion. Both processes involve the instantaneous (or nearly so) transfer of a
person or object from one place to another without apparent traverse of the
intervening space. . . . [T]eleportation is defined as such transportation
acheived by mental power, although the term is frequently used in contexts where
the actual process is matter transmission, the mechanical accomplishment of such
a journey. This confusion of terminology is evident in Larry Niven's article
"The Theory and Practice of Teleportation" (1969), which is primarily concerned
with matter transmission, and is otherwise a useful introduction to the various
problems and paradoxes raised by this branch of imaginary science.
The earliest use of the matter transmitter in sf is probably the horrific
"The Man Without a Body" (1877) by Edward Page Mitchell. . . .Matter transmis-
sion is used for interplanetary travel in To Venus in Five Seconds by Fred T.
Jane. Early Pulp examples are "The Secret of Electrical Transmission" (1922)
by Clement Fezandia, "The Moon Menace" (1927) by Edmond Hamilton, and "Cosmic
Express" (1930) by Jack Williamson.
As the last example suggests, m.t. is primarily used in sf simply as a
convenient transportation device, esp. for overcoming the problems of travelling
interstellar distances. . . . Sometime this involves the physical disintegration
of the original body -- as in The Enemy Stars (1959) by Poul Anderson ... -- but
more often this aspect is glossed over. In Joe Haldeman's Mindbridge (1976),
the transmitter requires no receiver but its use is circumscribed by a "sling-
shot" effect. . . Matter transmitters are an aid to colonization of an alien
world in Joseph L. Green's The Loafers of Refuge (1965), and are essential to
the alien intrigues of Lloyd Biggle's All the Colors of Darkness (1963); these
are typical cosmetic uses of the device. In Clifford D. Simak's Way Station
(1963), there is a galaxy-wide network of matter transmitters of restricted
range, like a railway system. . . . One interesting artefact developed from this
notion is the 'House' in Today We Choose Faces (1973) by Roger Zelazny: a
single, huge building whose various wings are actually on different worlds,
joined together by matter transmitters.
Larry Niven has himself written a number of stories based on the assumption
of a m.t. which will revolutionize transport on Earth but will not work over
interplanetary distances, . . . [including] "Flash Crowd" (1973), . . . "The
Alibi Machine" (1973), "All The Bridges Rusting" (1973), "A Kind of Murder"
(1974), and "The Last Days of the Permanent Floating Riot Club" (1974). In the
opening chapter of Ringworld (1970), Niven describes how the existence of
matter transmitters irons out differences between cities (as the existence of
airports already does, to a limited extent). . . . An absurd but logical method
of space travel using short-range matter transmission suggested in Niven's
article is used humorously in Bob Shaw's Who Goes Here? (1977): a spaceship with
a matter transmitter at the rear and a receiver at the front repeatedly trans-
mits itself forward through itself. Other authors to have examined seriously
te implications of matter transmission include John Brunner in Web of Every-
where (1974) and Harry Harrison in One Step from Earth (coll. of linked stories
1970).
The recording of a signal which is then decoded by a receiver does not
necessarily, in theory, involve the dissolution of the body being recorded. A
matter transmitter can therefore be a matter duplicator. (There are many sf
stories about matter duplicators which are not matter transmitters but presum-
ably might be if a transmitted signal were substituted for the circuitry linking
their two halves.) This idea provides the mechanism in Algis Budrys' Rogue
Moon (1960), whereby the protagonist, having travelled by matter transmitter to
the Moon, is able repeatedly to explore and be killed by a mysterious alien
structure, while his other body on Earth, to which he is telepathically linked,
learns from his successive deaths. [Note that Chalker's 'Four Lords of the
Diamond' series derives from this mechanism, though w/o matter transmission.]
An elegant variant is Thomas M. Disch's Echo Round His Bones (1969), in which
a matter transmitter leaves behind an "echo" of anything which passes through
it, undetectable and intangible in the "real world" but actual enough to other
echoes. These stories address, indirectly, a problem which most m.t. tales
gloss over: identity. . . .
M.t.'s are familiar devices through their use in films and TV series.
"The Fly" and its sequels examine, in fairly simplistic terms, the possibility
of the signal's becoming scramblee, with horrifying consequences. . . . In
"Star Trek", m.t. (without a receiver being necessary) is used to transfer the
crew of the Enterprise from orbit to a planetary surface and back, thus
enabling the show to carry on without long pauses in the action. The creators
of the 1978 British TV series "Blake's Seven" evidently thought this idea so
firmly established with the audience that they adopted it without feeling any
explanation was needed.
[Based on the above approach, Bester's The Stars My Destination would not
involve m.t., but rather psi powers; same for Blish's Jack of Eagles and
similar novels.]janney@unm-cvax.UUCP (08/16/84)
A minor error in the Nicholls encyclopedia: > Larry Niven has himself written a number of stories based on the assumption > of a m.t. which will revolutionize transport on Earth but will not work over > interplanetary distances, . . . [including] "Flash Crowd" (1973), . . . "The > Alibi Machine" (1973), "All The Bridges Rusting" (1973), "A Kind of Murder" > (1974), and "The Last Days of the Permanent Floating Riot Club" (1974). The stories do involve interplanetary travel, and even interstellar travel. Since the m.t. conserves energy and momentum, you have to be careful about where you go: transmitting from one of the poles to the equator will leave you with a difference in velocity of about 1000 mph, not the most pleasant way to arrive. Similarly, changes in altitude consume or release energy. "All The Bridges Rusting" involves the problem of using a m.t. based ship to rescue a conventional (interstellar) rocket that is traveling at 1/7 the speed of light: getting there is easy, but what do you do about the tremendous difference in velocity? Naturally, an ingenous solution is found. Jim Janney {{ucbvax,gatech}!unmvax, {purdue,lbl-csam,ihnp4!cmcl2}!lanl-a}!unm-cvax!janney "Slowly, an icy clam descended upon him" (glom)
chris@umcp-cs.UUCP (08/21/84)
Some interesting thoughts on matter transmission can also be found in
some of Piers Anthony's novels (in particular the Cluster series and
the Tarot trilogy). In one of the Tarot books Brother Paul has a
rather odd experience during the mattermission . . . or does he? The
transmission is supposed to be instantaneous. How, then, can he be
cogitating on the experience as it happens? The world may never know.
(Oops, sorry, wrong commercial :-) ) (By the way, I happen to dislike
the Tarot books personally; I haven't reread them even once. But then
again I did find them intriguing enough to buy all three.)
--
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci (301) 454-7690
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!chris
CSNet: chris@umcp-cs ARPA: chris@maryland