Bloomsbury USA
Available: 03/20/07
5.06 x 7.75 · 192 pages
978-1-59691-136-9 CDN $4.24 · cl

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Where’s My Jetpack?

A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived

Daniel H. Wilson, PhD

illustrated by Richard Horne

It’s the 21st century and—let’s be honest—things aren’t exactly as advertised. Despite predictions of a fully automated, atomic-powered, germ-free Utopia where robot servants cater to our whims, we are not living the future we were promised.

In Where’s My Jetpack?, roboticist Daniel H. Wilson takes a hilariously deadpan look at the future we imagined for ourselves. He exposes technologies, spotlights existing prototypes and reveals plans that crashed and burned on the drawing-board. Wilson leads readers beyond the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue to find cool gadgets in arcane places. And if the technology isn’t public, he’ll explain how to build, buy or steal it. The 30 entries, spanning topics such as teleportation, space vacations and x-ray specs, push the nostalgia button.

Daniel H. Wilson, PhD, (Portland, Oregon) is a columnist for Popular Mechanics and has a degree in Robotics from Carnegie-Mellon. His previous book, How to Survive a Robot Uprising, sold strongly worldwide.

Richard Horne (101 Things to Do Before You Die) provides the witty illustrations.