10 Great Inventions That Should Be Invented
Published on April 5, 2008 - 155 Comments
This list is in response to all the suggestions in the comments on the Top 10 Sci Fi Inventions that Shouldn’t be Invented. While there are tons of inventions that have various dangerous aspects there are many that would benefit the human race with hardly any dangers.
Interstellar space travel is unmanned or manned travel between stars. The concept of interstellar travel in starships is a staple in science fiction. Interstellar travel is tremendously more difficult than interplanetary travel due to the vastly larger distances involved. Imagine being able to travel to distant worlds, discover new horizons and colonize space, all in the blink of an eye.
Can it be done? The NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project identified two breakthroughs which are needed for interstellar travel to be possible:
A method of propulsion able to reach the maximum speed which it is possible to attain
A new method of on-board energy production which would power those devices. [Wikipedia]
Terraforming (literally, “Earth-shaping) is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth in order to make it habitable by humans. This must become a reality if there is to ever be interstellar colonization. But isn’t the ultimate dream for humans to propagate and colonize the entire galaxy?
Can it be done? Well, in theory, yes. Here’s how:
Ecosynthesis. This is a term used to describe the use of introduced species to fill niches in a disrupted environment, with the aim of increasing the speed of ecological restoration.
Paraterraforming: This is the construction of a habitable enclosure on a planet which eventually grows to encompass most of the planet’s usable area. [Wikipedia]
A space elevator is a proposed structure designed to transport material from a celestial body’s surface into space. The term most often refers to a structure that reaches from the surface of the Earth to geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and a counter-mass beyond. This device would facilitate construction in space, launching of satellites and space travel (via the “slingshot effect”).
Can it be done? Absolutely. The most common theory is a tether, usually in the form of a cable or ribbon, spanning from the surface near the equator to a point beyond geosynchronous orbit. As the planet rotates, the inertia at the end of the tether counteracts gravity, and also keeps the cable taut. Vehicles can then climb the tether and reach orbit without the use of rocket propulsion. [Wikipedia]
Typically, energy shields are some form of force field designed to protect against weapons or elements by deflecting or absorbing their impact. The field is projected along the surface of, or into the space around an object. They usually work by absorbing or dissipating the energy of the incoming attack; prolonged exposure to such attacks weakens the shield and eventually results in the shield’s collapse, making the protected area vulnerable to attack.
Can it be done? This one is a toughie. Scientists are toying with the possibility, but a number of obstacles must be overcome before it could ever be conceived.
Energy. The cost of the projection of such a shield would be phenomenal, to say the least.
Technology. It all comes down to projecting energy into a solid form. Once we can do that, the rest is history. [Wikipedia]
The panacea is a remedy that would cure all diseases, and prolong life. It is the ultimate cure for cancer, aids, viruses, everything. For millennia it has been thought of as simply a pipe dream, but as medical science advances the idea of a panacea is coming far closer to reality.
Can it be done? In theory, yes. The advances of medical science in genetics (specifically the interplay of inherited genes and the environment), and the immune system are lending more credibility to this idea every year. It is certainly imaginable within the lifetime of the current generation. [Wikipedia]
Antigravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to countering the gravitational force by an opposing force of a different nature, as a helium balloon does; instead, anti-gravity requires that the fundamental causes of the force of gravity be made either not present or not applicable to the place or object through some kind of technological intervention. The practical applications of antigravity range from reduced transportation costs, to gravity manipulation in space.
Can it be done? The short answer to this one is no. However, there are theories that seem to indicate the existence, or at least possibility of antigravity. One of the most common is the Biefeld-Brown effect. This effect is not technically antigravity, however it duplicates the effects. Basically, a cloud of positively charged ions are attracted to a negative smooth electrode, where they are neutralized again. In the process, thousands of impacts occur between these charged ions and the neutral air molecules in the air gap, causing a transfer in momentum between the two, which creates a net directional force on the electrode setup. [Wikipedia]
Bionics is a term which refers to flow of ideas from biology to engineering and vice versa. Hence, there are two slightly different points of view regarding the meaning of the word.
In medicine, Bionics means the replacement or enhancement of organs or other body parts by mechanical versions. Bionic implants differ from mere prostheses by mimicking the original function very closely, or even surpassing it.
In technology, Bionics refers to the development of specific technologies which mimic biological adaptation to the environment. Examples include a ships hull that mimics the thick skin of a dolphin, or sonar, radar, and medical ultrasound imaging imitating the echolocation of bats.
Can it be done? Yes. This technology has been in development for a number of years and, while still in the early stages, has already produced many devices. Examples of technological bionics include Velcro and Cat’s eye reflectors. Examples of medical bionics include artificial hearts and the cochlear implant. [Wikipedia]
Municipal Wi-Fi is the concept of turning an entire city into a Wireless Access Zone, with the ultimate goal of making wireless access to the Internet a universal service. This is usually done by providing municipal broadband via Wi-Fi to large parts or all of a municipal area by deploying a wireless mesh network. The typical deployment design uses hundreds of routers deployed outdoors, often on utility poles. The operator of the network acts as a wireless internet service provider.
Can it be done? Actually, this technology already exists in many cities throughout the world. However, it is not common enough to be considered mainstream. Usually, a private firm works closely with local government to construct such a network and operate it. Financing is usually shared by both the private firm and the municipal government. Once operational, the service may be free, supported by advertising, provided for a monthly charge per user or some combination. [Wikipedia]
A transatlantic tunnel is a theoretical tunnel which would span the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe and would carry mass transit of some type—trains are envisioned in most proposals. Using advanced technologies, speeds of 300 to 5,000 mph (500 to 8,000 km/h) are envisioned. The implications of such a tunnel are massive. Imagine being able to go from New York to London in less than an hour. Or shipping goods overseas at a fraction of the cost and time.
Can it be done? Plans for such a tunnel have not progressed beyond the conceptual stage, and no one is actively pursuing such a project. The main barriers to constructing such a tunnel are cost—as much as $12 trillion—and the limits of current materials science. A Transatlantic Tunnel would be 215 times longer than the longest current tunnel and would cost perhaps 3000 times as much. [Wikipedia]
Ocean colonization is the theory and practice of permanent human settlement of oceans. Such settlements may float on the surface of the water, or be secured to the ocean floor, or exist in an intermediate position. Advantages of ocean colonization include the expansion of livable area and expanded resource access. Many lessons learned from ocean colonization will likely prove applicable to space colonization. The ocean may prove simpler to colonize than space and thus occur first, providing a proving ground for the latter.
Can it be done? Yes, but the economic realities must be considered. To become self-sustaining, the colony must aim to produce output of a kind which holds a comparative advantage by occurring on the ocean. While it can save the cost of acquiring land, building a floating structure that survives in the open ocean has its own costs. One of the most realistic possibilities is the export of electricity from tidal energy. [Wikipedia]
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from the Wikipedia articles cited above.
Contributor: Mystern
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1. sue - April 5th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Cool list!
2. romerozombie - April 5th, 2008 at 3:51 am
Nice list. Interstella travel would be terrifying. Pass!
3. romerozombie - April 5th, 2008 at 3:51 am
*air guitars to Interstellar Overdrive*
4. Raz - April 5th, 2008 at 4:05 am
Greatest list i’ve seen so far on this site, and the order is well chosen.
I totally agree with number 1, i beleive that is probably the most necessary invention at this point in time, especially with regard to the fact that there is an ever prevelant danger coming from global warming.
5. romerozombie - April 5th, 2008 at 4:12 am
Be quiet, Raz. We don’t wanna turn this into a global warming debate.
Imagine if mankind made interstellar travel possible and Mark Wahlberg found a civilization of apes. Possible?
6. jfrater - April 5th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Speaking of global warming, the BBC is reporting a 10 year decline in global temperatures: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7329799.stm
7. MichyMoonshine - April 5th, 2008 at 4:30 am
If a Panacea was created, wouldn’t it be highly likely that viruses/bacteria would mutate and form new strains of disease that were immune to the Panacea?
I heard that there was a new strain of TB being contained in a hospital somewhere in the UK….
Cures don’t stay cures for long, or so it seems…
8. Lewis_RATM - April 5th, 2008 at 4:43 am
I’m kinda against the Panacea idea cause wouldn’t lead to massive overpopulation?
9. Scar. - April 5th, 2008 at 5:43 am
A agree with MichyMoonshine and Lewis_RATM..
The viruses and diseases wouldn’t be completely eliminated from the world, they just wouldn’t have an effect on the body, until they mutated into something that’s immune to this “All powerfule drug.”
And what would we do if no one died? There’d be no elbow room!
10. BigOzbowski - April 5th, 2008 at 6:25 am
I have a sliiiight problem with number 8. How would they get the tether, cable, whatever, into orbit in the first place?
*scratches head*
11. Harsha - April 5th, 2008 at 6:26 am
#1 reminds me of Bioshock!!!
12. halil - April 5th, 2008 at 6:50 am
like a si-fi movie, but it would be
13. nikki - April 5th, 2008 at 7:11 am
hehe when i was about 11 i designed,on a piece of paper,a house underwater. it was pretty cool actually.
14. sdggrant - April 5th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Good list. I always thought replicators, like in star trek, would be kick ass. Imagine just pressing a button and having your favorite meal plop out? Also, ending hunger in the world would be solved by replicators.
15. Erin - April 5th, 2008 at 7:32 am
We’ve already destroyed the top layer of the Earth and air, why not head into the ocean and F that up too!
16. Csimmons - April 5th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Great list Mystern, I would really love the global wi-fi, then I can be on listverse anywhere!
17. riley - April 5th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Some of these, although very cool, would open up a whole new world of environmental problems. The panacea would lead to even more catastrophic over population and over consumption. People are supposed to die, its natural.
Ocean colonization would disrupt natural habitats for animals as well as disrupt things like currents. Generally all the ocean processes would be interrupted. As well, water pollution would happen.
Basically these ideas are in line with only advancing human life, not global life in general and they have the same idea as 19th century frontierism, in which it’s about human expansion without any regard for the environment,or what damage were causing.
Also, if the transatlantic tunnel every had an accident, and the exterior wall was penetrated…. we would have a complete catastrophe!! Ocean water would rush in so fast, anything near it would be sucked in an die, and the people in the tunnel would die, sea level might fall… etc. Basically it would be terrible.
So, yeah… I think the focus in this world should be less about human expansion and more about fixing the mistakes we’ve made in the past and changing our ways before it’s too late.
18. stevenh - April 5th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Excellent, Mystern, Excellent.
One addition, slight change of order:
3) American-Euro Tunnel (I do not like flying & airplanes make massive pollution)
2) Global Wifi
1) Larry Niven’s thought-to-computer link (see ‘Oath of Fealty’)
19. Ghidoran - April 5th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I don’t think Ocean colonization would be a good idea. Look at Atlantis. Look at Bioshock.
20. Mom424 - April 5th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Good job Mystern; The space elevator is very cool, and we could actually do it now. (BigOz - you need a rocket initially to haul the tether/cable and space anchor). It would definitely require a multi-national consortium, but I’d like to see it happen.
I read somewhere that we already have a bionic shark skin. Using it on drone subs.
I can imagine the Panacea working with a combination of genetic intervention and nano-technology. Genetic intervention to prevent disease with a congenital trigger and nanobots patrolling our blood stream for viruses and errant bacteria.
The wi-fi thing would be wonderful, but it won’t happen, too many folks making big money providing it now.
Great List!
21. lol - April 5th, 2008 at 8:58 am
no gundams? lol
22. Metalwrath - April 5th, 2008 at 9:30 am
umm.. no teleporter?
There would be no need for a transatlantic tunnel with a damn teleporter!
It would also boost space travel.. just need to go to one planet once, place a portal there and we could all go for a visit!
The teleporter would definately be the number one invention yet to be invented for me.. although surely, it does seem quite impossible.. but then again, wasn’t an airplane considered impossible back in the day?
23. Bad News - April 5th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Mom424: The wi-fi thing *is* happening. The company I work for is a part of the team doing this in many areas, including the Bay Area.
JFrater: Yeah, but 10 years is, like, one million billionth of a millisecond on a Sunday morning (second Flaming Lips reference on this list!)in the grand scheme of things — but maybe that’s your point.
I heard about the space elevator on Science Friday on NPR about 6 months ago. They were talking as if it were a fait accompli.
24. JL - April 5th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Terraforming is my favourite. B)
25. Chris - April 5th, 2008 at 10:03 am
very cool list.
26. BrotherMan - April 5th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I do not mean to be a pessimist here but I believe that Panacea, while good in theory, would never be a reality because the medical community makes truck loads of money from the drugs that are already on the market. They would not sacrifice that much of a loss I am sure. No offense to anyone who works in the medical community. This is just my own theory.
Great list, by the way, Mystern.
27. Yogi Barrister - April 5th, 2008 at 10:10 am
For Your Consideration:
Cold Fusion
A low energy consuming way to desalinize seawater.
Tires that never need to be replaced
A painless way to extract reliabe information from terror suspects
Large belts instead of roads, that move vehicles in metropolitan areas
A way to absorb vast amounts of information quickly, without reading.
A way to disarm nuclear weapons and create energy at the same time.
A device that enables you to feel pure joy
28. Ghidoran - April 5th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Oh yeah, instant transmission(teleporting)? And time travel? I guess those two would be dangerous. And also you can do many of these things in the video game Spore
29. jfrater - April 5th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Bad News: yeah - true - but we have only been recording the temperatures for 150 years and don’t take in to account the urban heat centers. 150 years is also a split second. We are coming out of a mini ice age - of course things are going to heat up!
Mark my words… In 5-10 years the MSM will find a new fad to sell their papers and TV News and global warming will be forgotten. We simply haven’t the data to prove it.
30. Bad News - April 5th, 2008 at 11:04 am
JFrater: Well, I’m not a *fully* accredited geologist, but aren’t there methods for sampling ice cores, looking at petrified wood, something like that, to obtain reliable temperature readings?
As a liberal, I’m inclined to believe that urbanization and CO emmissions make the claim for global warming logical. As a contrarian, I don’t think there’s more than anecdotal evidence available. It’s interesting to me that belief or disbelief in global warming is correlated with one’s political views, rather than the veracity of available scientific data.
31. Phender_Bender - April 5th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Interesting list, as always.
32. islanderbst - April 5th, 2008 at 11:22 am
very nice mystern
i think we should pass on interstellar travel for now. We cant get along with other humans, how’re we supposed to get along with any aliens we run into?
33. StinkyTheCat - April 5th, 2008 at 11:29 am
perhaps one of the most nerdiest lists yet.
Panecea is probably the worst on here. as horrible as it is to lose a love one, disease helps control our population. and if we were never introduced to viruses, our immune systems wouldn’t be very strong…
ps- there’s many on here, that, if were created, our economy would completely collapse. millions of jobs lost.
34. Lizim - April 5th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Yogi there is already a device that make you feel pure joy. It’s not really a device, but it works just the same. It’s called masturbation.
35. Angelina - April 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I always loved The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman! I wanted to have that cool background music playing as I ran in slow motion in my backyard as a kid.
Nice List, Mystern!
36. Logick Bomb - April 5th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5167938.stm
don’t forget the dude who has a chip in his head that lets him communicate via brainwaves and control his lights, etc…. cybernetics are basically already invented. There’s also the monkey that controls the robotic arm across the country, and that dude who’s got a chip in his arm that lets him have a direct neural connection with his wife. That’s the first direct-brain wave communication humans have ever experienced, and a huge leap forward in the cybernetics field.
37. Krissi - April 5th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I really have enjoyed this site…I don’t think that all humans will understand the genius minds that have met here today.
38. SarahAtTheDisco - April 5th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I would love to live underwater.
39. Yogi Barrister - April 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Lizim, there is a device for women to feel pure bliss, how about one for men that lets us have multiple orgasms.
Jamie, there is no question that global warming is occurring, the only debate is how much of it is caused by human activity. 95% percent of the scientists who have studied GW say humans are contributing a lot. Hard to argue that burning down the Amazon rainforest, the Chinese and Indian industrial revolutions aren’t major factors. You are dead wrong about this being a fad. The droughts and flooding caused by GW will have a huge impact on our future.
40. Twisted Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
intelligent dust
41. Twisted Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
You know?
Dim motes
dim motes
dim MEM sensor motes?
everybody sing
42. goof_ball - April 5th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I don’t think these would be as easy as they think it would be to invent.
43. some guy - April 5th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
@Lizim-LOL!
Anyway, good list, but virtually all of these would be terrible if they were created.
44. jfrater - April 5th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Yogi Barrister: We will see
As I said, insufficient data exists to draw any conclusions about it. Come back in 10 years and I suspect you will find me right 
45. Chadster - April 5th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
One problem with a teleporter. You step into it, you are destroyed. Then an exact copy of you steps out at the other station. Kinda creepy…
Scientists have already teleported a photon, so it is possible.
46. Lizim - April 5th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Yogi:Men CAN have multiple orgasms. It’s very rare, but it can happen. That said, if I had any kind of ingenuity I’d be more than happy to get right on that for all of mankind.
47. Lizim - April 5th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I’m not sure how I feel about global warming.
I know that in the grand scheme of things the data we have has been compiled in the equivalent of the blink of an eye.
I do think that we should be taking better care of the environment, but not necessarily because of global warming.
Should we cut down on fossil fuels? Of course.
Should we recycle? Yes.
Should we stop destroying rain forests? Yeah.
It wouldn’t be bad to be more eco-friendly, but who knows if it will have any effect on “global warming”?
48. Yogi Barrister - April 5th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Jamie, let’s hope we are both here in ten years and that you ARE right.
49. Kreachure - April 5th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Are robot servants really that bad to not include here?
I guess I better keep an eye on my Roomba…
50. Dan - April 5th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
everyone hates getting stuck in an elavator. imagine getting stuck in a space elavator!!!!
at least it wont be playing jazz…
51. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Dan: How do you know it wont be playing “space jazz”?
Miles Davis use to have weird thoughts on what it would be like to play music in zero gravity, So who’s to say, that some jazz lover wont be on the design crew for the final elevator. Just hope your not stuck in it with a large guy with gas!
52. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
p.s. Miles Davis on the moon!
53. EXE - April 5th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
The biggest problem with the panacea idea is that the drug would have to be so powerful and combine so many different components that it would have massive side-effects; you might be cured of cancer but you’d probably die because of the massive overdose of toxins, etc. Could you cure that with the panacea? :D.
And as has been said, bacteria would just mutate.
And what if someone had an allergic reaction? It would be virtually impossible to track down what that person was allergic to among the long list of components, so that person could never take medicine again! And if someone was allergic to one of the components in the pill, they couldn’t take panacea.
These criticisms are all based upon the assumption that all types of medicines would be combined into a superpill instead of a new cureall being invented.
Also, imagine the disaster if there was a leak in the transatlantic tunnel or a crack in the space elevator. Both making, fixing, and maintaining these would be super expensive. So while they may be scientifically feasible, economically and liability-wise, they’re disasters.
And imagine the wait for the space elevators! The lines would be backed up to hell.
What about time travel? I know that’s pretty much impossible but…still.
54. Crimanon - April 5th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
No free energy? Zero pollution, Zero effects on the environment. Most of these would need an unlimited supply of energy. Anti grav, Interstellar travel, and on a smaller scale Bionics, really, Do you want to change the battery in you arm every time you change the battery in your car?
55. EXE - April 5th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Oh my gosh, if you were to go into the space elevator you would die of overexposure to muzak.
56. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
“Transatlantic tunnel” or “Raft and a speed boat”?
It would seem that an under water design isnt the way. Why not above or below enough to be out of the way, and the swoom of ocean could be controld by the same as what keeps those silly Segways upright. the longest segmented worm. Inside super-conducter trains with enough 360degree “buffer zone” that keeps the ride smooth.
57. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
p.s. I should say….a rail design and if it’s on the ocean floor are overdoing it.
58. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
EXE: well if you were mostly bionic than your point on panacea would be moot.
hee hee.
59. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Crimanon: Imagine walking around with huge solar cells harnessed on top your head!
60. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
ok maybe I should just keep one long comment going instead of short bursts, but I go on still….
My earlier comment on MEMS fits closer to an idea concerning Interstellar Travel. If the soul(sp?) purpose of such an creation is for Human expolsion of God syndrom, then I might believe that our future exists as web-like structures that are formed by “smart dust” ejaculated into the unknown, with specific “instructions” to form and become, when the right surroundings happen to be.
61. Dan - April 5th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
hmmm… theres a thought (a serious one this time)
surely the big underwater train tunnel is going to mean a big displacement of water, larger than any other human construction has caused. If we’re worried about ice caps melting, rising the sea level and flooding large areas of the world, surely this tunnel is gonna to have a contribution to this. (think about the amount of volume it will displace, thats a lot of ice cap)
62. EXE - April 5th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Hehe if you were bionic your feet could be roombas.
63. kazorek - April 5th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Sorry, I didn’t have time to read all the posts but I couldn’t help but post that they have already created an energy shield, They can produce a magnetic field to hold ionized gas or plasma (plasma is pretty much a state of matter so high in energy the atoms break come apart so all their charges move freely within the field-sorry if everyone knew that). It doesn’t block lasers but it pretty much resists or annihilates other states of matter!
64. islanderbst - April 5th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
one great invention that my fat butt would kill for: an artificial sweetener that tastes like sugar. All these Splendas and Nutrasweet things taste horribly bitter to me.
65. dave4248 - April 5th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I’m with you Yogi. Cold fusion would be a tremendous breakthrouh. It would make many of the things that are on this list possible. Not to mention being able to supply your home with all the energy you need, and power your car, using only a quart or so of hydrogen every few years.
66. Monteze - April 5th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Don’t worry about global warming jfrater….nuclear winter will cancel it right out. =)
67. Ryan - April 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Nice list. Wow if they made a transatlantic railroad, it would be fuckin hard to maintain it with repairs n stuff. And for a space elevator, theres a lot of debris in space and it would interfere with stuff being sent up or even the cable itself.
68. Ryan - April 5th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
wow i just realized all the volcanic activity in the oceans would interfere with a transatlantic tunnel also.
69. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
islanderbst: I look forward to an artificial sweetener substitute that will taste like sawdust> haha.
kidding you.
kazrek- perhaps an ionosphere-(ohfear) shield consisting of your magnetic field of ionized gas or plasma and a cross with the force field via list#7 backed by some hard science thinkers and weather control technology, would create a barrier of interstellar intruders–such as meteors and solar rays. of course would have to smell our own bad breath–even more, if we sealed holes.
you know?
70. Mystern - April 5th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
jfrater: You didn’t tell me you had posted my list!
For all those arguing for the creation of cold fusion, it would indeed be great to have.
For those arguing for the invention of a teleporter, it would be cool but I’d have to say that I would not use one until it have been completely perfected. I don’t want to step into a machine and step out missing a couple atoms here and there. You also have to remember that information only travels at the speed of light. This wouldn’t be a problem here on earth, but it would take 5 and a half minutes to teleport to mars.
As for the replicator, it could be bad or good, there are varying viewpoints that are on another list.
And a final not about global warming. It’s a proven fact that the world goes through stages where the average temperature will increase, and then decrease.
71. Crimanon - April 5th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Diogenes: Very, Man Plus.
Everyone talking about artificial sweetners: Try Agave nectar, Derived from the very same cactus that is used to produce tequila minus the naked drunkenness. Sweet and zero carb. Or you could try fructose, available in most health food sections.
72. Mystern - April 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Crimanon: I thought fructose was sugar? If it’s not, then why do most items that are sweet and do not contain sugar, contain ‘high fructose corn syrup’ as a sweetener, and are still very high in calories?
73. Crimanon - April 5th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
It is a type of sugar, not the glazed doughnut type though. There is also the emphasis on the Corn derivatives, not the most efficient things in the world. Carb free not calorie free, corn that is.
74. Crimanon - April 5th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
My gf’s (ugh) Mother is very carb conscious.
75. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Crimanon: Is “Man Plus” from somewhere else on the Agave?
Sounds like a double sweetner substitute dirived from sugar and plant with a dose of testosterone ecause if that’s the case then thats exactly what I meant!
Zero Carbs In Zero Gravity! there’s a future trend.
Move over bottled “spring” water.
76. DiscHuker - April 5th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
wow, how can replicators be left off of this list? i realize this has some possible flaws but seriously, this is all make believe, don’t make believe problems.
second, in the description of panacea it says “It is certainly imaginable within the lifetime of the current generation.” mystern, are you serious?
i don’t mean this with sarcasm but do you really think that within the next 50 years there will be a single drug that will cure EVERY thing that ails our bodies? c’mon.
77. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
DiscHuker: Panacea…end time magnific joy.
78. Mystern - April 5th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
DiscHuker: I do not believe that replicators belong on this list for the simple economic reasons. Others talk about the collapse of society as we know it with a couple of these items, but overall any one of these could fit within society as we know it. Replicators are another matter, imagine, anyone anywhere being able to make anything. There would be no point to the vast majority of employment in existence.
As for the panacea, yes, I believe that it could be possible in the next 50 years. This is not to say that we will have a cure for death, but rather a cure for known illnesses. It does not even have to be a drug, it could be a treatment of some kind. People will still die. Old age or accidents will eventually kill everyone, and even if this were not the case, the human body will eventually wear out, there is nothing that can stop that (except of course, bionics :))
79. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
aka: delusions of grandeur
grandeurs a plenty
80. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
who said “if all becomes beautiful, then—perhaps, nothing is beautiful”?
81. fishing4monkeys - April 5th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
What about teleporters? Not like in every home just set up like an airport or something.
82. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
fishing4monkeys: because of the flies
aw shoot..am I a stalker?
protector pholosipher pronounced flames in a rusty oil drum before the entranceway.
dark dog person circling like the smoke from history’s bellows poofing out.
83. EXE - April 5th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Re Panacea:
I heard somewhere that if humans ate perfectly and exercised all the time, barring accidents, genetic defects and diseases, etc, they could live for like 300 years?
But your eyes would shrivel up around 150. And you wouldn’t really be able to move.
That just puts into perspective how bad our lifestyles are.
If it’s true.
But still, I wouldn’t want to live that long if I’d be miserable and blind and probably deaf and senile to boot.
And I’d have to eat *shudder* salad.
84. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
pluck us from the vine and we are finished for.
is that it?
85. Crimanon - April 5th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Diogenes: smart-ass. You’ll make your significant other very proud/insane.
86. kempret - April 5th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
instead of bionics, y not regenerative tissue? people wont need to lose whatever part of their body…they are researching on lizards for such trait…
87. Diogenes - April 5th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Crimanon:
a smartass…
here?
funny, thanks
but still..
all the same,
i’m flattered.
big smile.
88. Satori - April 5th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Very nice list. You could probably make seperate indepth lists of all 10 of these. Much thought and research has obviously gone into it. It shows, great job Mystern. A lot to think about for me, a lot I’ve never considered, a lot I didn’t understand and especially a lot of ideas/theories etc. that peeked my curiousity. Great list!
89. Jono - April 6th, 2008 at 12:20 am
A way to absorb vast amounts of information quickly, without reading:
I’ve been thinking about this myself. This would be freaking awesome, and I know it will happen. There will be a few stages to developing this technology.
Firstly, we need to develop some way to control the dream state better. Have you ever been dreaming, and then realize how little time has actually elapsed, and how much more it appeared to be while in your dream? I’m sure it has happened to you. Any way of learning vast amounts of information would be need to work with your brain. And consciously learning it restricts you greatly as your mind is not focused, and has a boundary on time perception. In the dream state your perception of the passage of time slows down, and you would be able to learn at an accelerated rate. This would also allow us to somewhat control dreams and probably record them too.
The next major advancement (assuming nothing is skipped) would be a direct interface with your brain, utilizing the neurons and creating new connections. This could also be used to take a backup of your brain, and store it for later usage. This would effectively result in no memory loss whatsoever, as once you’ve learned something, you only need to have your brain’s neurons re-configured to have the memory back again. This is already partially underway, there have been trials to interface an IC with a snail’s brain. Or something like that. Currently it’s unknown exactly how information is stored in the brain. It’s nothing like our binary system we use with computers. Perhaps with the arrival of quantum computing that will be a better compatibility.
The last advancement would be simply inserting a computer into your brain that would have all the information already, and your mind being able to use the computer as a part of your brain. This would mean that you could think faster than you already do, perform perfect calculations, remember everything, know everything that humans already know. But this is where our current ethics have a problem. This would constitute brain control to some degree, and there would need to be a way to guarantee that these devices would not interfere with normal human thinking. Huge ethical dilemma.
Mmmm.
90. Jono - April 6th, 2008 at 12:26 am
One other thing I remembered.
Usually, bullets will stop in water because of the great resistance they face. Well, they designed bullets that actually vaporize the water in front of them into steam, and so are actually still going through air, even though they’re underwater. Possibly this could be applied to an underwater train? I dunno. Maybe the existence of a “bullet train” is what’s making me consider it.
91. Jono - April 6th, 2008 at 12:31 am
http://www.globalsecurity.org/.....tation.htm
Last post for now.
92. astraya - April 6th, 2008 at 4:21 am
By coincidence, I was reading the wikipedia article on the space elevator (no
on Friday. I can’t remember what put me onto it.
I’m going to stick to my neck out on the subject of global warming, and that’s to say that global warming isn’t really the issue. The issue is our use of resources and our management of waste. With a few exceptions, the earth’s resources are finite. Finite resources will, one day, run out. If we use them at an increasing rate, they will run out sooner. Even if we use them at a decreasing rate, they will run out at some time. Before they run out, they will become prohibitively expensive. At the other end of the industrial chain, we can’t continue to dump waste into the air, ocean or land without SOMETHING negative happening sooner or later. How much of our children’s, grandchildren’s and beyond’s lives are we prepared to risk?
That said, how much of my comfortable middle-class lifestyle (ie to most of the world’s population I am unimaginably rich) would I be prepared to give up to put my money where my mouth is?
Many of these inventions have implications for the way we use resources and manage waste.
93. astraya - April 6th, 2008 at 4:22 am
Ignore the smiley face: I typed an ‘8′ then a close bracket, and something automatic happened.
94. Mom424 - April 6th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Re Global Warming; everything I’ve read about it is in agreement. It is a naturally occuring event but according to evidence (ice cores mostly) we are speeding up the process exponentially. We dump carbon into our own atmosphere at a rate not seen since the age of volcanism way back 7 trillion years ago (I know I’m exaggerating). Whether it will have the doomsday effect some of our reactionary enviro”mental”ists are forecasting; we’ll have to wait and see.
95. ringtailroxy - April 6th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Kreachure: back when the Roomba was first released, one of my clients at the animal clinic I was working at bought one. She sang the praises of never having to vaccuum again! She said her dogs (2 dachshunds, a Giant Schnauzer, and an Irish Wolfhound) had no problems with the device after a few days, and she couldn’t live without it!
Well, I saw this client again a few weeks later, and I asked her how her Roomba was, and she said “Oh, I hate that thing! One of the dogs had diarrhea in the house while I was at work, and the Roomba not only rode right over it, the brushes GROUND it into the carpeting! My kids now call it the “Poo-Ba!”" I still laugh about it to this day…
Robots not only need to work for us, they need some sort of “reasoning” ability!
96. Lizim - April 6th, 2008 at 9:08 am
ringtailroxy: Have you not seen Terminator? You can’t give robots reasoning ability and expect the human race to survive. They will figure out that they are slaves and they won’t like it.
97. JennaBug - April 6th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I personally do not want any of the ideas on this list to ever happen. I can do just fine without traveling to other planets, living on the ocean floor and taking a “cure-all” pill. I think we need to find a way to fix the problems our world already has instead of spending a boat load of money researching crazy things that should never exist.
98. Jono - April 7th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Free condoms for Africans!
That and some other ways of controlling rampant over-population and decreasing it to manageable levels would be great.
99. Crimanon - April 7th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Jono: If we wanted Idiotic comments like those, we’d kid you in the head for them.
100. Crimanon - April 7th, 2008 at 1:19 am
kick, excuse me.
101. Phil - April 7th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Matter transfer would have great implications for Amazon and Pizza delivery.
It always seems a shame that all these great ideas that are theoretically achievable are held back financial economics.
102. Phil - April 7th, 2008 at 1:56 am
by
103. Drogo - April 7th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Panacea? Heck, I just wish there was a cure for the cold, and flu viruses because I can’t breathe, can’t see straight, can’t think straight, I’m dizzy, and even my hair hurts. and my mom has it too.
104. tim - April 7th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I think interstellar travel is possible as we are just starting to learn about quantum physics and such other stuff.great list by the way.
105. bucslim - April 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
No ‘recepticant’ auto Babe that I don’t have to feel like I need to call the next day? What’s wrong with you people, didn’t anyone actually watch Blade Runner or A.I.?
And I’m sure other people on other planets would be happy to see us seeing how we’ve been so polite and generous with the folks who live here.
106. Randall - April 7th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I haven’t had a chance to read through the other posts to this thread… but there were two major inventions that we desperately need, that were missed in this list. (A couple items on the list aren’t anywhere near as vital).
1) a substitute energy source for our rapidly-depleting fossil fuels. This is HUGELY vital. The combination of solar and wind power just won’t cut it, even if you factor in hydro-electric and nuclear. The building of more fission reactors is highly controversial (doesn’t bother me as much as it does some others, though I acknowledge the safety guarantees for these dangerous bastards have to be set pretty high for me to feel comfortable) and very costly. The main alternative is FUSION POWER, and this should have been on the list. Fusion, as everyone ought to know, is the process that goes on in the heart of the sun–it is the *fusing* of hydrogen or helium atoms, which releases an *enormous* amount of energy–far more than in fission–and the amount of dangerous radiation is FAR less than with fission–indeed, the main waste product of the fusion process is heat. Trouble with fusion is that thus far, we haven’t been able to generate the sustained temperatures needed to get the process going–nor have we developed a suitable containment procedure to keep the process going once begun. Currently the development of a research facility is being planned or is already underway in France. Fusion would probably be no less expensive than fission—perhaps more—but the energy we’d get out of it could be far greater–and cleaner. We need this badly.
2) An alternative for the internal combustion engine. Currently no technology–even the latest fuel cells/batteries—is up to snuff. Hybrids are just a stop-gap measure. In time the oil will run out—and we’ll need some suitable substitute, an engine of some kind that runs on some other fuel source. Otherwise we’ll be back to pre-1898 technology for getting our lazy asses around. Not a fun idea.
107. Crimanon - April 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Randall: What, you don’t see the Beauty/Majesty/Irony of an all day excursion, “Going into Town”? Maybe we’d be a little better of if most americans had to walk to work.
“When I was your age I had to walk to school, Up hill both ways in Three Feet of snow.”
“Yes, I know grandpa, I do that too”
“What… I… Don’t talk back to your elders.”
108. Randall - April 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Crimanon:
We’d *all* benefit from a lifetime of long walks. But try to conduct your daily business, or just plain get to work—on foot. That’d change society real quick. And it’d be ugly.
The fusion thing to me is more important… but finding a good replacement for the internal combustion engine ain’t anything to sneeze at, either. And forget about a nationwide mass transit system—fools that we are, we’ve ripped up the majority of rail lines that used to criss-cross America. Replacing them would cost MAJOR bux.
Right in my backyard, running alongside the lake, there used to be a rail line that used to run the many miles from one town to another, at opposite ends of the water. Imagine the convenience. There was a rail station about three houses down from me. I could have caught the train and back every day. My car could be purely for pleasure and for retrieving the kiddies on the weekends—that kind of thing.
But no–that rail line was stupidly ripped up in the early 80s. The railroad had already been gone for over 10 years. To replace the lines now–forget it. Not in a state that’s consistently spending more than it could afford as it is.
Sad and shortsighted. God bless America.
109. SlickWilly - April 7th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Sad to say, society being set up the way it is, it would be virtually impossible to get anything done without vehicles. Before cars, trains and airplanes - and especially before personal transport like cars - most cities and townships were small and centralized so that you *could* conduct your business without having to spend your whole day walking to and from where you need to be. It’s great to say, “hey, park that damn car and walk to work,” but what about if you work more than 10 miles from your house (like many of us do)? I don’t know very many experienced hikers who could/would be willing to walk 20 miles a day with an 8 hour workday in between.
110. SlickWilly - April 7th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I suppose there is also bicycles. That is a feasible solution. But try carrying a week’s worth of groceries for a family home from the store on a bicycle. It won’t end well, I can promise you that.
111. Jackie - April 7th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
SlickWilly: Bicycles are a great solution for getting around without cars but you’re right you can only do so much with bicycles…also a lot of cities aren’t very “bicycle-friendly”. In other words, no part of the road or sidewalks where bicyclists can do their thing without getting practically run over. Even in my city it’s hard to stay out of heavy traffic on a bicycle sometimes.
Also my city is great when it comes to public transportation, mainly buses and trollies. I also walk to and from work every day and so do a lot of people I know (unless I’m feeling lazy…in which case I take the bus. :))
But again I don’t expect everyone to not drive a car to work obviously I’m just lucky I live so close to my job…
112. Csimmons - April 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Slick: I walk to mine, school, right next door.
113. SlickWilly - April 7th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Csimmons: If you live right next door to your school, I would expect you to walk. Anything else would just be lazy. It would be like those people who take the elevator to go up one floor - pitiful. (Unless you’re physically hanicapped, but then I wouldn’t expect you to walk to school either.)
114. SlickWilly - April 7th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Jackie: You make a great point, there is not a whole lot of love for bikers in a lot of places. There should be more bike lanes. However, I’m the type of person that believes if there is no bike lane, you should be on the sidewalk. If you going to ride in the road, you must obey traffic laws the same as cars. I hate the cyclists who ride down the middle of the lane, doing 15 mph in a 30 mph zone (e.g. obstructing the flow of traffic), don’t signal, and blast through stop signs. It’s actually one of my biggest pet peeves.
115. Diogenes - April 7th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
“You see this army issued can of water I hold before you all? Would you believe that I can change it into gasoline? Yes thats right folks, you heard me correctly, and if you give me your water–it doesnt have to be everything you have–no no–even, just a drop, will help.
You see folks, I can get us out of this thorny situation we’re currently in.”
And twas written as so.
” All I need you all to do is close your eyes tight and join hands and hum.”
hhhummmm.
perhaps if the rails came back then- over the top of our current aging highway routes would work with a new substitute for the old.
Small to large and work out from the large. the network of current architectural dynamics has enough amazing designs. Its a diferent sort of utopian endevour that has signaled our whereabouts in the Universe2008.
The swoon of technology waving into the 21st has started big and quick, so it is a moral question, where the thread of the hive to the honey is.
Those new tiny jelly-like cars within city limits
Bucky Fuller domed downtowns
the work and live areas as separate unit machines with public transport connections
compress the coal of human objects into diamonds of salvation
the electronic voice
play as children in the final hours under the sun
termite columns filtering through the heavens
ants on drift debris across the ocean.
116. NeoLudd - April 7th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
what about alcohol that doesnt give you a hangover?
I would pay out the ass for that…
117. Mom424 - April 7th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Randall; Hydrogen seems a viable alternative to fossil fuels, but the necessity of nuclear reactors to economically and environmentally liberate the hydrogen is a political nightmare. Too many people hear nuclear and they think Chernobyl. (for you guys who aren’t Randall - Nuclear energy provides the electricity to release Hydrogen from water via hydrolysis)
It appears to be working in Denmark as a renewable energy source.
118. otay - April 7th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I wish someone would invent a time travel machine… i need to go back to 1985 and make sure i never meet my “ex”.
119. otay - April 7th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
oh yeah, and that thing in 1995…. lol
120. Crimanon - April 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Diogenes: Are you always this chattily poetic? I’d hate to be your English Prof.
121. Diogenes - April 7th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Crimanon: yeh, you could say this site- among other things is a poetic outlit for me. a dada-istic enjoyment.
p.s. english? what’s that?
122. Diogenes - April 7th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
oh p.s. Crimanon: Do you always juggle among the party with questions and comments. I know you do. That’s a good trait to have.
123. Mystern - April 7th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Mom424: Hydrogen? As an alternative to fossil fuel? You must be joking. Hydrogen is a pipe dream. Anyone who has done any amount of substantial research into alternative fuels knows that electricity is cheaper, more stable and overall better than any other. Not only do we have the political issues with hydrogen, like you mentioned, but there is the technological aspect. Hydrogen cells are far from even being out of the test phases and it costs enormous amounts to even make a hydrogen engine. Electricity has been around for over a century. It’s cheap, stable and we understand it. The government pours loads of money into hydrogen research because they do not want an alternative. They know that a mainstream hydrogen engine is 25+ years into the future. And all during those years the oil companies get rich on the western worlds addiction to black heroin.
124. Csimmons - April 7th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Diogenes: A poetic outlet? Wow, I never thought about it like that, I thought it was just called gay.
125. Csimmons - April 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Mystern: I don’t know, hydrogen is a possibility in the next 20 or so years, which will greatly effect my generation. Might happen might not, but it would take a lot of electricity to power over 4 billion cars across the world, that’s after we replace all the gasoline powered ones though. A lot of that would be produced through fossol fuels, ergo, more global warming. So hydrogen seems like the best alternative, that or solar power.
126. Diogenes - April 7th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Csimmons: aww! ouch. .
. you got me. and i thought you were my friend!?
this hellish sort. what’s to be done?
I suppose my answer should be: fuck you.
but I know you just want luvin–so I couldn’t be so harsh.
127. Csimmons - April 7th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
you’d be right, not that way though
128. DiscHuker - April 7th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
diogenes: in my dorm in college, if you weren’t going to at least the 4th floor you were physically removed from the box.
a pet peeve of mine in the same vein is when perfectly normal people with open arms push the handicaped button to automatically open a door so they don’t have to expend the energy to pull the door.
america at its finest and laziest.
http://www.norcalblogs.com/bul.....itness.jpg
129. Denzell - April 7th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I guess this one should qualify in the next list of inventions that must be invented:
a medicine that enables amputated/cut/broken body parts to grow back normally. (I don’t know if this is true, but it has been said that scientists have been studying a lizard’s tail to find out what is the stuff that enables lizards to grow back their tail, so that this “stuff” can be used to allow amputated/cut/broken body parts to grow back. I haven’t done much research on the matter yet, but it could actually be possible.)
130. Denzell - April 7th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Or this. An vehicle engine that uses polluted air as fuel and gives off clean air as a by-product. This may be downright impossible however.
131. Mom424 - April 8th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Mystern; we’re talking in the future when we run out of fossil fuels. We have 25 years or more, not lots more, but more. Electricity is grand for stationary applications; houses, industry, permanent rail lines etc; pretty much useless for anything off the grid. Batteries have a finite range, recharging is time consuming and extension cords are only so long. Most electricity is still produced by burning the fossil fuels we are running out of, burning of bio-fuels to produce electricity is not much better for the environment and photo-electric cells are not efficient enough. Personally I think a combination of Nuclear/Geo-thermal/Wind is the way to go. I already know quite a few farmers with private windmills hooked up to the grid. They receive credit when they have a surplus of power and of course are still wired in for when there is no wind or require more power than they can supply. Hydrogen can be produced with little cost to the environment (only by using electolysis, the other ways to process hydrogen use fossil fuels/methane) and you can take the fuel with you. Like I said, it’s working in Denmark and it is renewable.
132. Jackie - April 8th, 2008 at 5:49 am
SlickWilly/DiscHuker: One of my biggest pet peeves as well is people going up just one floor on the elevator! It’s infuriating.
The only time I do that is at my doctor’s office where there are just these big elevators and I cannot for the life of me find where the stairs are, I’ve looked every time haha.
133. rneiderman - April 8th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Ever since I heard of the concept of a transatlantic tunnel, I’ve imagined an accident or terrorist attack trapping people inside. Could make a good movie!
134. Mystern - April 8th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Mom424: You are correct in saying that batteries have a finite range. This is the biggest obstacle electric powered vehicles have. A combustion engine will get perhaps 400 miles to a tank of gas, whereas it used to be that an electric car could get 70-80. However advances in battery technology have come from a not so surprising place recently, cell phones and laptops. The furthest distance an electric car currently in production can travel is 200-250 miles. I’ll be the first to admit that there are some days where I do drive more than 200 miles, but it’s not often. With a 4 hour charging time, that ain’t bad. There are so many obstacles that hydrogen must overcome that it would be far more economical to put that research into electricity. Already in the test stages are batteries that last twice as long and are half the size of current Lithium-Ion batteries, and have a charge time of 10 minutes. For a long haul, electricity would not work, that’s simple fact. But electric vehicles could immediately replace 80% of the combustion vehicles in the world this very instant and nobody would notice a single difference.
On the note of electrolysis. It seems great but I’ve asked a number of experts on the subject and they all said the exact same thing, it’s not worth it. It takes more energy to separate the hydrogen/oxygen than the hydrogen has stored. The technology has been around for decades, and if it were a viable source of hydrogen, believe me, it would be more common.
And as a last note, 2 things. 1. I would like you to find me a link to what you are referring to in Denmark, because I am not familiar with it. 2. Perhaps this man has the answer > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejHXMqPfytw
135. Crimanon - April 8th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Diogenes; English, a language that people equate with both Intelligence and stupidity.
136. Crimanon - April 8th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
And Always.
137. DANTE - April 8th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I honestly believe that Interstellar travel will not be achieved in this millennium.
138. Mom424 - April 9th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Mystern; just google it, Iceland is doing it too. Wikipedia has an article and so does the danish tech institute. I did misspeak, in Denmark they are using wind power not nuclear to make hydrogen fuel cells. You are correct about the prohibitive cost of processing hydrogen, but if oil continues its climb, it won’t seem so outrageous. Kind of like the Tar Sands in Alberta; we’ve known about it for years, but it took higher prices of crude to make it economically viable to separate the oil from the sand.
I imagine what will eventually happen is that we will have mostly electric everything (of course barring some brand-new technology)with hydrogen fuel cells for some transport/cartage functions. For when you have to venture “off grid”.
I also forgot to mention the biggest, best renewable resource. Hydro electric power. We have tons of it in Ontario, in fact our utility is named Ontario Hydro. Utilizing tides (I think we’re doing it in the Bay of Fundy) is the next step.
139. Csimmons - April 10th, 2008 at 11:53 am
DANTE: You’re probably right, I hope it does though, but it is very unlikely, maybe next century though, you never know.
140. mortz - April 10th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Nikola Tesla created the Anti-Gravity thing in near 1900
141. Crimanon - April 10th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Mortz: Let’s see your Anti-grav “Thing”
142. Crimanon - April 10th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
That’s a big Negative on anti-grav,
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_Nikola_Tesla’s_anti-gravity_machine_work
Take some tech courses.
143. banj - April 11th, 2008 at 4:49 am
i want a freakin time machine.
most of these sound dangerous.
panacea sounds the most dangerous..or maybe it seems dangerous cause i watched I Am Legend too much.
So maybe interstellar travel will help us with time travel somewho?..like something out there…
but even that is dangerous..but its such a nice idea
but i read too many books on the possibilities of time travel
and watched donnie darko too much
144. Mortz - April 12th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Nikola Tesla did the mosts impressive inventions of the history of humanity. In 1900 he did WHAT WE JUST DON’T KNOW HOW-TO-DO TODAY !
One of the most impressive things he did, after Anti-grav stuff, is the Death-ray. When he tested it, 900km of area were instantly destroyed and nobody knew why. He disseambled it because he thinked it was too dangerous.
Fucking Genius.
145. Crimanon - April 12th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Motrz: You don’t read the comments do you? There was no Anti-grav.
Do some research, Find Proof of the “Peace Ray” and not just a bunch of “We Think” BS.
146. Bobby Gabriel - April 20th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Wow, if all those filims will come true, i wonder what will the science fiction movies of tomorrow will show. hehehe, just a thought.
www.inquisitiveworld.net
147. Polly Odyssey - April 21st, 2008 at 8:58 am
When I was a kid I wanted a medicine that would cure anything.
148. Panic! - May 21st, 2008 at 5:39 am
I think the cure-all would be grand…
I mean, sure it’s great for people to die and such, but try telling somebody with Cancer or AIDs that disease is a great way to control the population…
149. littleboots - May 21st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
If you haven’t read “timeline” by Michael Crichton, please do. It puts time travel in a whole new prospective, and how he addresses quantum physics really gives you something to think about.
150. littleboots - May 21st, 2008 at 2:46 pm
or is that perspective?
151. sam - May 22nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I like #2 and #3 the rest are not attractive. I love to hear the development of wireless electricity by Tesla.
http://www.braincourse.com/wirelessa.html
152. Mike - June 2nd, 2008 at 6:53 am
A Panacea (#7) does not exist in pill form, but we already have it. There are chimpanzees today that have knowledge of medicinal plants. Our collective memory is millions of years old, and can be re-learned. Everyday foods are very good for us. Example: yogurt, just ask Bulgarians. Check it out. By combining the things that work now, we can achieve this one the easiest.
153. Ian - July 5th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I love this list of inventions. Living in the oceans would be awesome.
On the subject of Global Warming. Someone said 95% of scientists believe in anthropomorphic or man-made Global Warming. This is not true. Most of them are afraid of losing funding if they speak out against man-made global warming. Others want to jump on the band wagon and write a book and make a name for themselves. 36000 scientists just signed a petition saying they think it is premature to say, categorically, that man contributes to Global Warming. Also, what is causing the other planets’ global warming such as Mars, Saturn and Jupiter? No SUVs there! Also, heat increases Co2 levels not the other way around. Deep-Sea sensors show the Oceans are cooling not warming up. And, many Solar Scientists are saing the Sun has begun a cooling phase and that we should expect a cooling period is imminent for the Earth.