I think that slidewalks was either Asimov or Clarke first, not Niven. In fact, I'm pretty positive of it. But, after a one minute web search on google "first mention of slidewalk", I found it was Heinlein (http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=352). (I guess that's kind of a duh, given he's also Mr. The Door Irised.)
On a more serious note, I'm happy to say that the campus I work for, Santa Rosa Junior College (http://www.santarosa.edu/) had a math instructor who was transgendered. Admittedly, it was his last year before retiring, and he was well-liked, but it was nice to see that he wasn't summarily fired or something similar. And from all accounts the students didn't really care, as he was a very good math instructor. I think it's possible that the campus made him continue to use the men's restroom as opposed to the women's, due to some sort of flap, but I don't really know. (The college has two campuses now, he was at the larger first campus, whereas I work in the smaller newer campus.)
I don't think that would have happened 20 years ago.
I think Dglenn is thinking of the stepping disks that were on the puppeteers planet. They were teleporters that appeared in each street intersection, and they were set up so you'd teleport from one block to the next then walk a few steps into the next teleport (or not) going whichever direction you wanted to go. Sorta like having seven league boots. :)
No, no, stepping disks would be way cool but aren't at all slide-y. I was talking about the real-world devices that I've seen in airports and at least one museum and which starandrea had been talking about. I just misremembered where I'd first read the word.
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I think that slidewalks was either Asimov or Clarke first, not Niven. In fact, I'm pretty positive of it. But, after a one minute web search on google "first mention of slidewalk", I found it was Heinlein (http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=352). (I guess that's kind of a duh, given he's also Mr. The Door Irised.)
On a more serious note, I'm happy to say that the campus I work for, Santa Rosa Junior College (http://www.santarosa.edu/) had a math instructor who was transgendered. Admittedly, it was his last year before retiring, and he was well-liked, but it was nice to see that he wasn't summarily fired or something similar. And from all accounts the students didn't really care, as he was a very good math instructor. I think it's possible that the campus made him continue to use the men's restroom as opposed to the women's, due to some sort of flap, but I don't really know. (The college has two campuses now, he was at the larger first campus, whereas I work in the smaller newer campus.)
I don't think that would have happened 20 years ago.
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I think, like "answerphone" and "cashpoint," "slidewalk" is fairly obvious after a while.
Not hugely friendly to somewhat hearing impaired people, perhaps.