18 Apr '10 02:33>
Suppose peace broke out on Earth and the economy soared. The UN elects you as head of the "create new cool stuff" division. Every nation is taxed to pay for your technological wonders. Your genius is recognized.
What could you make, or accomplish? What could humanity really do?
Some ideas...
Cryogenic storage of humans and other animals a la Aliens.
Nuclear Pulse Propulsion technology for space travel
Railguns
Fusion power generators
Robots and drones
Cyborgs with various machines embedded - internal cell phones, Internet Explorer HUD, enhanced eyes with night vision, extra strength and toughness, a brain with a built in computer for calculations and information storage, remote controls for other machines, weaponry
Generation Ships for interstellar travel
Greatly elongated life
Biological "machines" which result from extensive breeding and genetic manipulation
Laser weapons
Explosive Reactive Armor with an automated reloading mechanism to replace the tiles after they go off
Video camera/projector based invisibility
Partial mind control (maybe a gun that electrically or otherwise creates intense terror, etc)
Mind reading machines
Evolved humans leading to different species e.g. War of the Worlds' aliens that were nothing but fingers, brains and sense organs because they had technology for all else, or the once-human species in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.
Kinetic Bombardment AKA Thor Shots
Actively burrowing "smart" weapons/one use suicide gopher robots
Dyson Swarms of solar energy collectors
Mind control via organism or machine that is directly linked to the spine and brain
What Isaac Asimov called "Psychohistory" - the refinement of statistical sociology/psychology to the point of mathematical precision and the ability to predict the future in a limited sense due to this
Space Elevator
Completely artificial organisms
Vortex Ring Guns
Sonic weapons
Microwave weapons
Ring shaped space stations with artificial gravity a la Niven's Ringworld or the Haloes from the Halo games.
Any other ideas?
What could you make, or accomplish? What could humanity really do?
Some ideas...
Cryogenic storage of humans and other animals a la Aliens.
Nuclear Pulse Propulsion technology for space travel
Railguns
Fusion power generators
Robots and drones
Cyborgs with various machines embedded - internal cell phones, Internet Explorer HUD, enhanced eyes with night vision, extra strength and toughness, a brain with a built in computer for calculations and information storage, remote controls for other machines, weaponry
Generation Ships for interstellar travel
Greatly elongated life
Biological "machines" which result from extensive breeding and genetic manipulation
Laser weapons
Explosive Reactive Armor with an automated reloading mechanism to replace the tiles after they go off
Video camera/projector based invisibility
Partial mind control (maybe a gun that electrically or otherwise creates intense terror, etc)
Mind reading machines
Evolved humans leading to different species e.g. War of the Worlds' aliens that were nothing but fingers, brains and sense organs because they had technology for all else, or the once-human species in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.
Kinetic Bombardment AKA Thor Shots
Actively burrowing "smart" weapons/one use suicide gopher robots
Dyson Swarms of solar energy collectors
Mind control via organism or machine that is directly linked to the spine and brain
What Isaac Asimov called "Psychohistory" - the refinement of statistical sociology/psychology to the point of mathematical precision and the ability to predict the future in a limited sense due to this
Space Elevator
Completely artificial organisms
Vortex Ring Guns
Sonic weapons
Microwave weapons
Ring shaped space stations with artificial gravity a la Niven's Ringworld or the Haloes from the Halo games.
Any other ideas?