Quote:
Originally Posted by theducks
Doc Smith had Vacuum tubes and bus bars on his space craft
C J Cherryh had 'wire' (preceded tape)
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But EE Doc Smith practically invented Space Opera, and I think Skylark was 1928!
Public Voice broadcasting only 7 years old.
You only need one vacuum tube, a transformer and a mechanical windup timer for a microwave oven. It's a funky direct filament 2500V vacuum tube diode with clever bits of metal and a magnet. The "power control" on modern ones simply changes a several seconds on/off duty cycle.
Your main fuse cabinet still has bus bars.
Tapes still exist for backup, but now only LTO and IBM 3592.
SF isn't about predicting the future. Mostly it's entertainment, though may have a message.
When did C J Cherryh write "wire" for tape?
The first tape based magnetic recording was demonstrated in 1934.
I think 1946 was the first portable one using miniature 90V valves and a wind-up motor for play. Hand crank for FF and Rew.
Sony's first transistor portable tape was maybe 1960 and also used a windup motor, though the 1959 portable Grundig Cub had a battery motor.
It's best to not explain technical stuff in SF writing and then it's not jarring to read 30 years later.