Правдоподобные небылицы, или Странствование по свету в двадцать девятом веке

Falling over the side of the boat, the main character loses consciousness and wakes up in another time and in another place: in the city of nadiin, which, according to local residents, in Siberia, in the Cape Nose. According to the local master, the hero found "in the Cretaceous cave, wrapped in a precious herb radix vitalis (vital root), which we use to return to life drowning, sudakshina and all accidents that have life force stopped from cessation of breathing, without disorder of bodies".

The author describes in detail the world of the future, predicting many technical achievements such as cars:

I saw gentlemen and ladies in brocade and velvet dresses, bimetallic street or harrying with baskets to the market in small two-wheeled single vosko, like the seats: they rolled themselves without any harnesses by the cast iron gutters the pavement with amazing speed. Soon a large truck with various supplies, moving without horses. Under hearse was fastened a cast-iron boxes, of which the surface was rising pipe: the smoke leaving them, made me guess that it is a steam engine.

The tomorrow people operate using the kind of trucks:

...twelve-year-old boy, through a simple lever attached to the spire, lifted a lot of weight and have forwarded them to the Dormer window where another car (in the form of weights fixed to the block, also operated boy) down goods on the floor.

In the future there are analogs of planes, balloons with wings, similar to the blades of the windmill:

As soon as we reached the terrace he saw in the distance a huge ball to which was tied a large plasket, in the form of a bird, waving his wings and tail is of extraordinary value. Black smoke curled stream behind the vessel and at first glance, I identified the existence of the steam engine.

Meanwhile, the balloon approached, rolled fenders, dropped anchor on the terrace, and time, attaching the anchor rope to a vertical wheel, by the spring brought it in motion and pulled the stagecoach to the surface of the pier. To a hundred persons men and women came out of plaskota, each with a special parachute in his hands.

These "planes" are used for military purposes. There is also a description of the air defense forces:

... a company of soldiers, without guns, quivers behind and samopaly in his hands. The chief commanded, and they started throwing arrows Kongresowy missiles, from which the balloons immediately burst in the air.

Ship the author describes as a self-propelled machine:

In the middle part, between the bilge and the deck was arranged like a huge machine, which was wound with a key and – in case of calm or scuba-diving – led ship in motion through four wheels attached to the axles on the outside. The mast was collapsible and light.

The ship, if necessary, can turn into a submarine, instantly changing their structure. Under water in the future not only sink ships: diving suits are used for diving in the water and collecting food:

They were dressed in fabric that is impervious to water; the face had a transparent horn mask with hood. Each of them sitting astride a narrow bench with four curved legs, which was fastened with one tin ball filled with air. Under the bench was attached to the wheel, which instead of oars had driven it. At the feet of the Vodochody was tied blades to control the car when cornering. Each bench was floating on a rope a large tin ball. If one had to sink to the bottom of the sea, the ball was filled with water, and then the weight of his fascinated man down, when it was becoming to rise, then by the Archimedean screw attached to the ball, poured the water from it, and a bench with a man again floated to the surface. At both ends of the bench were two leather bag filled with air for breathing underwater through tubes.

The people of the future even organized underwater settlements. This city is located under the dome, the entrance to which is equipped with a gateway; it established the necessary air circulation, and the whole city is completely adapted for a long stay in it.

Technological progress has evolved in the direction of space exploration. For example, the Moon was inhabited by people.

Also in this fantastic future there is the possibility to eavesdrop on conversations at any distance from the speakers. This is made possible with the help of special devices:

The Prince ordered his auditory tube, after trigonometricheskie measured the distance between the ship and the garden, between me and a talking pair made several rings in the auditory tube, stopped at a known number of degrees, in the middle of the pipe lit some alcohol, told me to put your ear to the narrow end, and I few minutes he felt that the sound is coming and, finally, comes clearly to my ears.

There is a way to determine exactly whether one loves another person or not. It turns out with the help of a special device that monitors the flow of blood:

For example, if you speak in love and your sweetheart rushes blood to the heart, pouring out of it gradually and producing a light thrill in the nerves, is a sign that you are loved. A quick outpouring of blood from the heart means anger, and the natural rolling – indifference. If the blood is in a person begins to worry at the sight of precious stones, it is a sign of greed. The narrative about the great deeds, on high street in the noble man is so much concerned about blood, even shocking hungry nervous system, in the other not the slightest change. In short, the inland movement of blood is very easy to learn that are not detected by face and words.

The piece describes a kind of computer with artificial intelligence that can write a correct and balanced poetry and prose. The level of semantic loading of these compositions corresponds to the works of authors of the time, from which came the main character. Such a machine operates as an encyclopedia, giving the information requested.

Despite technical progress, the structure of society practically have not changed. In it there are still the bar and their servants (not surprisingly, because of the time of writing the story before the abolition of serfdom in Russia it would be another 37 years), while servants dressed as lavishly as the upper light in the contemporary time ("in brocade and velvet"). The gentleman, who was a Professor of history and archaeology at the University, was dressed very simply ("in a simple and easy clothes, like mine"). Women also dress very simply:

Dressed in tunics of Rohozec, woven very skillfully and painted in iridescent colors. [...] Every woman in his left arm had a leather shield coated with impermeable varnish to hide from prying eyes armed with spectacles with telescopic glasses, which were in great fashion.

The Professor says that "destruction of forests, drainage of bogs, the transition of the internal heat of the earth to the North, a backward movement ravnonogih points (Praecessio aequinoctio-rum, precession des equinoxes) and finally, many unforeseen events change our climate; now the frost has reigned in the Indies and in Africa, and polar regions have become the most luxurious and fertile."

Silver and gold here are a lot of ordinary people, and precious materials are oak, pine and birch wood. The wood was valued very highly due to the excessive destruction of forests by people of the past.Interestingly, trendy Arabic language in the future, as in the days of the author was French, and nowadays English.

The whole world turned on its head: soup and buckwheat are culinary delights, and chocolate, coffee and tea – food of the common people. Such changes in the book associated with climate change.

Interested in the content of soldiers ' rations:

... in Sumy, instead of gunpowder, contained food, namely: one silver box with a strong broth, boiled from various plants and meats, which a few crumbs enough to feed a whole family for at least a month; the other box was filled with a nutritious meal of sago, for making unleavened bread, and finally, every soldier had a pneumatic machine for the transformation of air into water in case of need, and the machine works of kilocore, and from this fire for cooking food.

One of the main foods consumed by residents of the future – the gifts of the sea. The Professor explains that many animals and plants were destroyed by previous generations, and those that remained began a faithful man with friends and not eaten.

The piece mentions the Smoking of a certain herb, whose action is the opposite of tobacco and does not cause adverse health effects.

Home in this fantastic future built of cast iron: cast component parts in factories, fasten them in place with screws and solder. This material gives the buildings an unprecedented strength and durability, and also gives the possibility to transport them from place to place. In connection with the abundance of steel buildings and structures almost everywhere are lightning-rods; people wear them even in the clothes inside the hat:

Remove your hat – you been charming Professor.

I took it, and he showed me under the bunch of feathers folding a thunderous challenge and the tangle of chains splive electrical matter to the earth.

– That's all right, 'said I,' but for all that the thunder can deafen a person.

– Look in your side pocket, the Professor said, smiling.

I took out three small elastic ball of a beautiful box, and the Professor told me that it is air-baffles, which should be put in the mouth and ears during a thunderstorm.

Scientific disciplines taught at the University of the future, modern man (even contemporaries of the author) may seem strange and even funny, but maybe their study is not such a bad idea:

in the legal charge before the Sciences of jurisprudence and justice were three new category, namely, a good conscience, selflessness, and philanthropy. Added to philosophy was common sense, self-knowledge and humility. In the category of historical Sciences, I noticed a special Department under the title: the moral use of history, statistics and geography were added to the branch: the accuracy of the readings. The Philology category took the first place of the domestic language. A special science under the name of: the application of all of human knowledge for the common good – was a separate faculty.

The tomorrow people mostly educated; instead of playing at cards or gossip they read the Newspapers, discuss the news, share their experience.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»