These Strange Worlds

Smart Suits

·        Smouch

·        Sinclairs

Smart suits are clothing that incorporate advanced materials, portable electronics, and ultimately nanotechnology. Smart suits were first developed by NASA and deployed in 2016, just in time for the SpacePort Wars. They were soon mass produced were used by the military, CURBIT Tech Cops, and ultimately consumers.  Smart Suits continued to be deployed on two tracks: increasingly inexpensive, full featured versions for the public and even more advanced versions for the military or CURBIT.

A basic Generation 2 Smart Suit is a transparent film with several equipment hard points (at least a button to activate or deactivate). When activated, they "self deploy" and flow around the user's body (including hands and feet). They have catheters for waste removal and have "hoodies" that can be completely pulled over the head to form a seal. They are selectively permeable to breath and sweat so it is possible to breathe when the hoodie is fully deployed.  This permeability is eliminated when used in outer space. In this case, a helmet, air supply, and magnetic boots and maneuver jets are added.

The activation button is usually positioned on the user's wrist and may be either decorated or nearly invisible.

Features for this basic model include:

• Filters out particulates and many airborne poisons, including spores and bacteria (but not viruses, nano, or prions)
• Environmental control (default is 50 degrees F or above 80 degrees F)
• Prevents rapid changes in pressure (useful for diving and high altitude work. Especially useful for moving from the sea level air pressure of a Strange World tunnel to a reality with low or high air pressure -- if the hoodie is on.)
• Protection against low intensity radiation including sunburn -- if the hoodie is left down, a distinctive "hoodie tan" is likely.
• Civilian versions reduce and spreads some of the impact from bullets and help turn dull knives, bludgeons, or punches and kicks. They are far from bullet proof however.
• Because they are self sealing Smart Suits act as pressure bandages when punctured.

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When worn under normal cloths, Smart Suits are nearly invisible. The hoodie flattens most hair styles more elaborate than a crew cut. This can result in a distinctive "hoodie hair day."

Smart suits seem to be a purely human invention. Even advanced races never independently invented anything beyond the Earthly prototype or simple Generation 1 model. Many individual aliens quickly see the advantages of Smart Suits and thereafter routinely use them. Neo-Animals and even magical sentients and animals (especially Trodons but even giants and dragons) are known to wear specially-designed Smart Suits. Smart suits are also readily available for many animals including horses, camels, dogs, and cats.

A kind of Smart Suit can be designed for aquatic creatures. This allows dolphins, squids, mermaids, Panzerscorps, and many aquatic aliens to comfortably move on dry or even arid land. Some groups like CURBIT Tech Cops, Zone Pioneers, and Elite Hundred Suns citizens invariably wear Smart Suits.

Accessorized Generation 2, Militarized or Generation 3 Smart Suits typically include non-transparent hard points that contain extensive portable product suits. Just about any portable electronic product is possible, but typical functionality includes:

• Email, voice, and text communications
• Video, text, and music library (entertainment, education, reference, professional, etc.)
• Access to news and entertainment channels (pay per view, free, or ad-based)
• Timepieces (Alarms, time zone tracking, adjustable to various planets, etc.)
• Computer productivity applications (at a minimum, calculators but potentially covering any profession -- including military)
• Cameras (still, motion and in some cases 3-D), including zoom, light amplification
• Medical monitors
• Banking and transaction

These accessorized suits are often not transparent and indeed can be heavily decorated. Militarized models include reactive camouflage that shifts to match ambient conditions. (This never works as well as users wish it would).  These accessorized Smart Suits can be worn instead of clothing.

"Smouch" is a somewhat informal game wherein a player attempts to press an opponent's Smart Suit deactivation button  while avoiding having their own button being pressed. When the suit flows away from the wearer's body, the person who pressed the deactivation button yells, "Smouch" and grabs the suit. Of course, it is possible that the original smoucher may lose their suit while waiting to grab the opponent's suit. (It takes a few seconds for a Smart Suit to withdraw after the deactivation button is pressed).  If they a player gets away with an opponent's suit, they earn a point.

Team play is typical, and there are even intramural rules. Some Smouch contests have reportedly been running for decades, with extra points awarded for smouching in embarrassing places or circumstances.  Some players keep smouched Smart Suits as trophies and try to collect Smart Suits from exotic or celebrity opponents.

Normally, Smouch is played using transparent Smart Suits worn under clothing. It is considered vulgar and unsportsmanlike to Smouch somebody wearing an accessorized Smart Suit (especially is that is all they are wearing!)

In some tightly controlled 27th century locations, Smart Suits are too expensive for most consumers. In this case, they may use functionally equivalent wearable computers called Sinclairs.  These are hard plastic or ceramic arm bands, leg bands, or helmets with portable product suites with many of the same kinds of features as Generation 2 Smart Suits.

The name "Sinclair" refers to Sir Clive Sinclair.  Sir Clive Sinclair is a real man, a real British knight, and a real inventor. He developed a working portable computer and electric car for instance. Neither was widely adopted, but they came close. If things had gone just a little differently, we'd all be using Sinclair Spectrums instead of iPhones or Blackberries and we'd all be driving Sinclair C5s instead of Priuses and Volts.

The word "Smouch" is old American Slang for "steal" (or borrow for an extended period of time).