Looking for a sci fi technobabble parody

January 3, 2023 8:13 PM

There exists a short story or essay (very short, maybe just a couple of paragraphs) making fun of golden age sf's tendency to describe futuristic technology in extreme detail; it does this by describing the process of making a phone call, possibly to order a pizza, in very technologically precise terms, using a dramatic tone. I read this a couple years ago and now I can't find it!!

I think it was written by a pretty famous science fiction author, and not terribly recently, but I'm not sure. Please help! It's on the tip of my brain and it's driving me up the wall.

posted by cheesegrater to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: Maybe it’s “How David Webber orders a pizza”? I would link it, but my device isn’t giving me the choice.
posted by xenization at 10:09 PM on January 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: "If all stories were written like science fiction stories"
posted by Rhaomi at 10:15 PM on January 3, 2023 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Perhaps this Previously on the blue is what xenization and the OP refer to?
posted by prismatic7 at 11:17 PM on January 3, 2023

Response by poster: I think "How David Weber orders a pizza" was what I was thinking of, but the other story was also a good example. Thanks!
posted by cheesegrater at 9:41 AM on February 14, 2023