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Why Don't We Invent That Tomorrow?

Posted by Zonk on from the because-we-invented-it-last-week dept.

museumpeace writes "In the NYTimes book review blog, David Itzkoff takes a look at a new book devoted to predicting which 'science fiction' technologies may really fly some day. The author is Michio Kaku, one of the inventors of string theory, so he bears a hearing. His picks include light sabers, invisibility and force fields." Which sci-fi tech do you think needs to get invented over the weekend?

14 of 439 comments (clear)

  1. Teleporters by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Duh. Anyone who has to drive to work on Mondays will want one.

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  2. Re:That's an easy one! by EEPROMS · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The problem with time travel is although it may be possible to travel in time it would not be a good idea. Let me explain, if have an actual time machine and travel back lets say 1 week you would materialize millions of miles away from earth in the middle of deep space. The reason for this becomes obvious when you realise earth is actually moving through space faster than a speeding bullet thus totally stuffing up the usefulness of traveling through time.

  3. Re:That's an easy one! by The+Ancients · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think if we can work out the logistics of time travel, the other three dimensions shouldn't provide too much of an issue.

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  4. Linkage. by urcreepyneighbor · · Score: 5, Informative
    If anyone's interested in learning more about Dr. Kaku, here are some links to start with:
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  5. My pick by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    unaging.
    Physically staying 27 until I die from something other then natural causes.

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  6. Re:That's an easy one! by The+Ancients · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's worse than you thought - you're mom was real cute when she was younger ;-)

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    The Mothership
  7. Re:Kaku bears a hearing? by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I had a similar response to Hyperspace (although my specific irritations are lost in the mists of bad memory and over a decade of time). Honestly, I'm not really inclined to give a special weight to an inventor of String Theory anyway; I'm very unimpressed with the scientific merits of that theory and I rather feel it borders on a non-science.

  8. Been Done by my+$anity++0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    We are sexy, sexy von Neumann Machines

  9. Re:That's an easy one! by TheLazySci-FiAuthor · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's worse than you thought - you're mom was real cute when she was younger ;-)


    That sounds like something my Dad would say....hey wait a minute!
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  10. Re:bears a hearing? by PiMuNu · · Score: 5, Funny

    The author is Michio Kaku, one of the inventors of string theory, so he bears a hearing.

    After all, an inventor of string theory must be an expert on science fiction...

  11. Re:"Mr Fusion" by Weaselmancer · · Score: 5, Funny

    How about an identical accordion 180 degrees out of phase with the offending accordion?

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    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
  12. Re:bears a hearing? by proxy318 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, well I've got a friend who's a fisherman, and he bears a herring. I've also got a friend who's a pirate, and he wears an earring. I could do this all day.

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  13. Moved and seconded... by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I vote with the two above. Wake me up when the String Hypothesis actually earns the name "theory"!

  14. Re:That's an easy one! by Fred_A · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, maybe you could use the earth's gravity then; you would step into your time travel vehicle, move back a second, fall back to earth, move back another second, fall back to earth again (or reposition yourself). If you do it quickly, you wouldn't notice, and you'd still be on earth when you arrived. That's pretty much the system I'm using, except I'm moving forward in time, not back, and it takes a second to move a second. But it's very reliable so I'm confident I'll get there eventually.

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