Skytopia > Projects > Mysteria Onera - Technology of Dreams

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: Light Saber Description: A universal cutting tool similar to the light saber used in Star Wars.
Conditions: A glowing razor sharp edge (about one carbon atom in width) with variable length up to 50 metres. Safety can be guaranteed with an (optional) 'repelling' resistance to human and animal life.
Price: §1600

Just like the Star Wars Lightsaber, this baby will slice through anything from diamond and jadeite (tougher, but not as hard as diamond), to more exotic materials such as ultrahard fullerite and even prometheum at a push, though it stops short at being able to cut through scrith and other lightsabers. Useful applications include instant shaving, hedge trimming, paper guillotines, dueling, coconut opening, onion chopping, mad tree chopping sprees, and another way to destroy spare AOL CDs. Less useful purposes may include sculpting, engineering and precision building on the micro and macro scale. Materials which currently need to be expensively heated to melting point before cutting, would benefit from such a tool. As would waste disposal - just align many such sabers in parallel, dump the rubbish in, and let gravity do the rest. Finally, it would become trivial to flatten land, and dig holes to build roads, houses, caves, bridges, new rivers - you name it.

State of the art: Difficult to say. I suppose the 6 billion dollar NIF laser could pose as one candidate, though it's not going to be easy to duel with /that/ (it's big). Alternatively, there's the Spallation Neutron Source. Here's a quote from TMS:

"As far as building a lightsaber, it has already been done by the folks at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The code name for it is the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The real problem is miniaturizing it to something that you can hold in your hand. The lightsaber project is not a high priority since the expected cost of miniaturization is 100 times that of the full-size version."

If you want something you can hold and which doesn't need any power to run, then the best you're gonna get is a diamond coated blade such as the Ultrathin Diamond Knife or the histo saw from Delaware. But even those will wear out after a while, and don't expect them to 'melt' through steel or anything. Powered options include Laser and ultra high pressure water jetting as explained here.
Future prediction date: 2350
Worst case scenario: The safety features fail.....       [Index]


: Sight and Sound Restorer Description: Cures all humans (and creatures) of visual and aural impairments.
Conditions: Includes eye or ear illnesses, such as cataracts or tinnitus. Plus 4x night vision.
Price: §1900

The only glasses people will ever wear after this will be sunglasses. The deaf, blind, shortsighted, longsighted and cataracted are instantly cured of their condition. What's more, everyone's given eagle-standard 20/5 vision, which is good enough to read a newspaper from 20 feet away (only 0.1 percent of the population is even blessed with 20/10 vision). Tinnitus, or the 'the ringing in the ears' is also a thing of the past (presently, 1 in every 6 people suffer from tinnitus, and 1/24 suffer bad enough to seek medical help).

As a bonus, we'll throw in 4x night vision!

State of the art: A cure for shortsightedness is possible with LASIK or the new Wavefront technology. However, there are risks, and around 1% of people will develop complications as a result of the surgery (though the exact figure heavily depends on the experience and skill of the surgeon). 07/2005: Of those who qualify for Wavefront, 98% will gain 20/20 vision or better (up from 96% in 2003), and 74% will see an astonishing 20/16 or better. For those people not eligible for Wavefront, LASIK still gives reasonable odds of 20/20 vision or better in 80% of patients, and at least 20/40 (the minimum required for driving) in 95% of patients (up from 47% and 92% respectively from 1999). Unfortunately, Tinnitus is more tricky to solve though due to the large number of possible causes, and the way the problem is inside the ear or even the brain.
Future prediction date: 2030 (20/10 sight for myopic/hyperopia patients, no risk), 2040 (20/5 sight for everyone, no risk), 2070 (tinnitus cure).
Worst case scenario: ---       [Index]


: Infinite Data Memory Description: A device with unlimited amounts of storage to replace both memory and hard drive.
Conditions: Perfectly reliable, and uses the latest in Solid State Disk technology
Subsumes: #Solid-State Disks
Price: §2000

Ah, storage..... where the ever-increasing thirst for more space is never quenched. If you ever use Windows, then you won't get by without this gizmo. All half-kidding aside, the many advantages are obvious. Never again you would need to back up your data. Never again would you defragment your hard drive. Never again would you worry about running out of disk space. Never again would you use compressors such as ZIP or RAR. Would you like to store every MP3 in the world on your portable MP3 player? PLRs, or Personal life recorders - where you can record your whole life also become a distinct possibility.

If you choose this, you'll also want to utilize a metadata filesystem to organize your infinite data, and #lorry loads of bandwidth so the space doesn't go to waste!

State of the art: We can never reach infinite storage, but the good news is that storage is getting cheaper all the time. In 1990, a megabyte of storage would cost around $10. A quick look at Froogle show that we're now paying only $1 for every gigabyte of hard drive storage. On the other hand, SSDs (flash drives) can be bought for around 10 cents per megabyte which was the state of normal hard drives in 1998. Look for big price drops in the coming years though.
Future prediction date: ∞
Worst case scenario: If we're not careful, the vast sea of information may overload our ability to filter through it all.       [Index]


: 10,000x Processor Speedy Uppy Description: 10,000 times the speed of today's processor (07/2005 - around 3Ghz).
Conditions: ---
Price: §2200

Not just a geek's dream; everybody's life would benefit from such a speed increase. Games (particularly 3D and physics games) could become much more detailed and smooth, applications richer and more responsive (for example, it's still impossible to generate sound processing effects such as flange, reverb and proper time stretching on the fly). Software would be quicker and cheaper to develop since programmers could get away with slower, less efficient code (not that I would excuse that mind). The academic sector would enjoy such benefits, and science would almost certainly advance faster than ever before. For example, SETI will need the speed to analyse galaxies for possible signs of life. See #100,000,000x Processor Speed Up for more interesting possibilities.

State of the art: 3 GHz in 2005 :) Reaching speeds of 10,000 may not be possible unless Moore's Law lasts out for another 20-30 years. Unfortunately, it looks as though we may hit a brick wall by the year 2020, due to the ever-decreasing sizes needed for faster and faster chips. If so, then we might need to replace the basic material needed for chips - silica, or look into other technologies such as optical computing, quantum dots, spintronics, DNA computing, 3D chips, and the Nanoswitch might help too.
Future prediction date: 2030
Worst case scenario: Software bloat rising to match the speed increase       [Index]


: Internet Omega Description: Infinite bandwidth and zero latency
Conditions: ---
Subsumes: #20,000Mb Bandwidth, #Free Bandwidth Anywhere
Price: §2600

Just imagine - instantaneous transfer of terabytes, or even brontobytes of data (in fact, the only bottleneck would be the limit at which the computer could receive and store data). Due to zero latency, Quake death-matches would update in realtime - avoiding the annoying 'lag' that often plagues games players. At the moment, the theoretical limit to transmit a message from one side of the world to the other is of 0.04255 seconds. But it's worse if you wanted a conversation with someone on Mars (once we start colonizing space - think ahead!), where you would be waiting anything from 3 to 22 minutes for a response. Zero latency solves all this.

State of the art: See #20,000Mb Bandwidth. Zero latency cannot ever be achieved because of the limit on the speed of light (.....or can it)?
Future prediction date: ∞ (infinite bandwidth), 2600 (zero latency fix)
Worst case scenario: ---       [Index]


: Entire History's Information Online Description: Hear and read everything ever said and written from Earth's past 4.5 billion years.
Conditions: Includes all written information, sounds, music and conversation, but no video.
Subsumes: #Century's Information Online
Price: §2800

Same as the subsumed, but we now have access to the writings and culture of the Pythagoreans, Romans and Aztecs. Find out whether Fermat really had the solution to the theorem too big to fit inside that margin. Listen to Mozart's lost works for the first time, recover the lost knowledge contained in the Library of Alexandria, and discover the lost writings of Archimedes*. As a bonus, we'll chuck in sound, so you can hear the conversations, music and atmosphere of the lost ages. History's yours for 2800 critons!

* Erm, skip that one!

State of the art: A lot of information about various cultures has been recorded since the dawn of time, but far more remains to be discovered.
Future prediction date: ?
Worst case scenario: Having some preconceptions overturned       [Index]


: Quantum Computing Description: Full development of quantum technology to allow massive parallel processing.
Conditions: ---
Price: §3200

Instead of handling computations in a linear fashion like conventional computers do, a quantum computer would calculate them all at once. This is very useful for certain tasks which don't require the last piece of information before it can process the next.

Some day-to-day aspects of computing would enjoy a tasty speedup (particularly searching), but quantum processors probably won't ever entirely replace the classical processor, and will instead probably coexist as a co-processor. Major applications include, cracking previously unbreakable codes, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, parallel rendering (e.g. pixels in a ray-traced picture), searching, modeling, and many types of simulation including evolution and fluid dynamics. Also, we would gain valuable insight into the physics of quantum theory.

State of the art: Quantum technology has been steadily advancing, but there are a few big hurdles to overcome. First, it's vital we find easier ways of reading and writing qubits. Secondly, there's the actual number of qubits. So far, we've managed 7, and it becomes harder and harder to add more. However, for each extra qubit we effectively double the memory and processing speed (it turns out around 40 qubits will be required for supercomputer-strength, and thousands are required for a fully working quantum computer). The third issue is 'decoherence', or the amount of time the quantum superposition state lasts out before the information is lost (so far we've reached up to 1 microsecond, and the limit could be 1 second).
Future prediction date: 2025 (50 qubits worth), 2080 (>5000 qubits)
Worst case scenario: ---       [Index]


: Disintegrator Disc Description: Disc to instantly disintegrate matter. Used for waste disposal and as a cutting/sculpting tool.
Conditions: Up to 1 kilometre in diameter. Can be used 'side-on' for hole drilling. Safety features to avoid injury.
Subsumes: #Light Saber (partially)
Price: §3500

A never-ending quantity of empty vacuum - this treats unwanted garbage like my dog treats food. It's true that waste disposal costs the US 10 billion dollars every year, and the resulting pollution can be quite significant. But this device should change all that. Purchasing this item will allow unlimited quantities of Disintegrators with sizes ranging up to 1km in diameter. If something is too heavy or cumbersome to move, simply take the Disc and 'push' it through the object you wish to dispose of. What's more, the device can be used as a kind of #Light Saber to sculpt, cut and carve objects.

State of the art: Current methods of waste disposal include incineration, burial, dumping at sea, and reclaiming and recycling. Launching trash into space is a future possibility, though that requires lots of energy. There's nothing close to the convenience of the Disintegrator Disc, nor does it look as though there ever will be until the development of #nanotechnology is in its final stages.
Future prediction date: 3400
Worst case scenario: Careless or malicious use can turn the world or even the universe into dust       [Index]


: The Sky Train Description: A zero-fare, 50,000 mph sky, land or underwater train to take you from A to B.
Conditions: 50,000 miles per hour, no travel expense and free to build. NFE compliant.
Subsumes: #Missile Train
Price: §4000

In a hurry, and low on cash? These super-quiet, fast train rides will take you anywhere for no cost. Since they're free to build, there's nothing stopping you from building a vast sky or ocean network of the things. Not just for people, these trains would revolutionize the world of freight shipping.

State of the art: See #Missile Train
Future prediction date: 2450 (needs expenses to build), 2300 (10,000 mph limit)
Worst case scenario: A crash will either plunge you into deep water or off cloud number 9       [Index]


: Earth Viewer Description: A screen to directly view and hear Earth's entire enigmatic history.
Conditions: Includes console to set time and location
Subsumes: #Entire History's Information Online (partially)
Price: §4300

...That could be your own life, or someone else's more exciting life. Watch the day when Tyrannosaurus and trilobites ruled the land, and then see why they went extinct. Solve all the greatest crime mysteries, and listen to the unheard music of the Greeks. See how the Great Pyramid wasn't necessarily built by aliens, and experience the real drama of Titanic's fateful voyage. Visit the lost civilizations of the Incas, Aztecs and find out if Atlanta was for real. Watch the Grand Canyon form, humans evolve, and ultimately how life began - settling the evolution/creation debate once and for all!

State of the art: Shouldn't be too long now before we reach this state of affairs with video cameras appearing on every street corner. Seriously, short of time travel, about the only way we could see Earth's past history is if we could fly away from the Earth faster than the speed of light to recapture any ancient light rays. As well as the required warp-speed velocity, a massive telescope maybe hundreds of kilometres across would be required to capture events to such a fine level. But even then, there's no way to see behind clouds, inside buildings or through other obstructions.
Future prediction date: 28000 (view from space only)
Worst case scenario: Rewriting some history books       [Index]

Next Page

Anchor shortcuts:

: §200 - Photon Camcorder
: §240 - Sound Wallpaper
: §300 - Century's Information Online
: §350 - Solid-State Disks
: §380 - Free Bandwidth Anywhere
: §400 - Flu and Common Cold Cure
: §400 - Pseudo 3D Screen
: §450 - Death Of Spam
: §500 - Noise Blocker
: §600 - Forever Lightbulb
: §700 - 20,000Mb_Bandwidth
: §720 - Featherweight Laptops
: §850 - Missile Train
: §1,000 - Flat Screen
: §1,150 - Flying Car
: §1,250 - Zelphon Light Panels
: §1,450 - Space Travel For Free
: §1,600 - Light Saber
: §1,900 - Sight and Sound Restorer
: §2,000 - Infinite Data Memory
: §2,200 - 10,000x Processor Speedy Uppy
: §2,600 - Internet Omega
: §2,800 - Entire History's Information Online
: §3,200 - Quantum_Computing
: §3,500 - Disintegrator Disc
: §4,000 - The Sky Train
: §4,300 - Earth Viewer
: §4,600 - Age of the Deltascreen
: §5,200 - Terraformation Of Mars
: §5,700 - Universal Temperature Controller
: §6,900 - Pure Air Forever
: §7,500 - 100,000,000x CPU Speed Up
: §8,100 - Anti-sleep Pill
: §8,300 - Infinitely Powerful Telescope
: §8,700 - Gravity Blocker
: §9,100 - Xeton Microscope
: §9,900 - Omega 3D Holocube
: §12,500 - Deluxe Flying Car
: §13,500 - Flying Skate Board
: §15,000 - Grand Theory of Physics
: §18,000 - Music Analyzer
: §22,000 - Universe Viewer
: §25,000 - Infinite Water Supply
: §28,000 - Grand Theory of Visual Art
: §34,000 - Programmable Repelling Superatom
: §39,000 - The Diamond Age
: §45,000 - Double Lifetime
: §52,000 - Teleportation
: §60,000 - Dawn of Cold Fusion
: §66,000 - Grand Theory Of Music
: §81,000 - Material Duplication
: §90,000 - Infinitely Fast Processor
: §107,000 - Quadruple Lifetime
: §115,000 - Omega Battery
: §126,000 - Atomic Synthesizer
: §145,000 - The U-Atom
: §260,000 - Indefinite Life Span





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