Deja Vu-type story

[Brightonian]

As you probably know, the movie Deja Vu features a gizmo that can display events from anywhere within a specific area exactly 4 1/2 days in the past.

I recall a story about a similar device which was supposed to be limited to centuries rather than days in the past. A scientist on the project discovers that there is no such limitation and breaks the news that the device can display images from any time in the past at any spatial location. What he doesn't realise is that this will destroy privacy: if you can see what e.g. your spouse was doing one nanosecond in the past, you can effectively spy on them in real time.

Anyone recognise it? I think it was by a pretty high-profile writer.

[SoulThief]

I'm sure you posted this thread somewhere before.

Now where was it.....



ST

[shrike522]

Hello I think the story you are looking for is titled I See You by Damon Knight. Simply written it tells the story of a man who perfects a device that can see thru time and space and how it affects society. Nowadays such a wonderful idea would be turned into a novel.
First published in 1976 I have it in The Best Science Fiction of the Year#6 from 1977.
Damon Knight is underappreciated by fans I think because a lot of his early stories are humorous. He wrote the excellent story To Serve Man among others and was first president of the SFWA.
shrike522

[admin]

Damon Knight has written a number of short stories that a lesser author would probably have expanded into a novel. One thing I notice about modern sf is that it is much longer than sf from the forties and fifties, and contains a lot of chapters of people getting out of bed, eating breakfast, riding the subway, chatting with people at work, and so on. This is, I suppose, characterization, and I have to admit it goes down easy -- like bottled water. But with rare exceptions, it is the plot, not the characters, that stays in my mind. Yes, LeGuin and Wolfe draw interesting characters, but most of the other writers should cut to the chase.

[Brightonian]

Thanks to shrike for the reference; I'll see if I can track down that story. And I agree with admin that many novels nowadays, not just SF, tend to be unnecessarily fat. Though I'm not sure what we can do about it ...

[admin]

Thanks to shrike for the reference; I'll see if I can track down that story. And I agree with admin that many novels nowadays, not just SF, tend to be unnecessarily fat. Though I'm not sure what we can do about it ...

Buy thin books!

[Brightonian]

Buy thin books!

Now you tell me, when I just went out and bought the Illuminatus! trilogy.

[admin]

You can redeem yourself by buying The Ladies of Grace Adieu.

Rick