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Original post by Edtharan Plausible technologies: Universal Translator The UT would be a device that consist of 2 parts. The transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter would be implanted in the throat (or other voice producing organ) and would pick up a sub vocalisation of the users language. It would then connect to a small portable computer (which may be part of the implant, but could be wirelessly connected to another computer). The computer would then translate your sub vocalizations in real time into the language of the recipient (through a small speaker). The receiver would reverse this, by taking the incoming speech of another language and converting it in real time into your native language. These two devices would also be able to listen to an unknown language and formulate a translation of it, by its self. They would be able to learn a language. If two people with UTs that didn't have a translation cipher for each others language would be able to transmit the appropriate ciphers to each other wirelessly. This is a very plausible technology and the basics of it are currently in existence. We have translator devices that you can speak into and it will translate your words into the selected target language (some of them in real time). A sub vocalization translator is in development, and translators that learn new languages are also being developed (and they do have a working prototype). So this technology might even be in public use in less than 10 years.

Definitely not. No foreseeable technology would allow such a device.

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Original post by Edtharan Computers able to reproduce a functioning Human brain This kind of technology would allow a person to "downloadupload" their brain into a computer. The computer would need the memory capacity to store all this data and also need the processing capacity to accurately "run" the emulation.

Fixed. Confusion between "download" and "upload" is one of my pet peeves.

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Original post by Edtharan If Moore's Law holds true we should see the first computer with this kind of capacity (both memory and processing power) in about 15 to 20 years time. It might be around 20 to 25 years before it becomes cheap enough for the average person to afford. But if Moore's Law keeps holding true, then in 18 months time we will have a single computer that could emulate 2 brains, then 18 months time 4 brains, and so on. Within another 20 years the processing capacity of a single computer might be able to emulate the entire world...

Moore's Law will eventually not apply. There is a limit to how much you can shrink transistors. Although, quantum dots will likely eventually replace transistors and they can be shrunk further than transistors (in fact, in general, quantum dots work better when they are smaller). Additionally, no one really knows how consciousness works, so there wouldn't be a way to know if someone's consciousness is transfered.

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Original post by Edtharan Laser/Plasma Weapons This is not your simple Laser as in the type of laser used in a CD player. This weapon uses a laser to Ionise (turn into a plasma) a stream of air between the "Gun" and the target. This stream of ionized air is capable of conducting electricity. This can then be used to deliver an electric shock to the victim. This kind of weapon has already been demonstrated, but it is not yet practical for field use (and the safety has not been fully investigated). This kind of weapon is plausible as it has already been shown to work. It is just that the power source and laser needs to be reduced in size and weight before it could be useful as a real weapon (at the moment it must be mounted on a vehicle - but this usage would be currently practical).

Coilguns (possibly even railguns, if they can find a better way to make the rails) will likely become practical before any sort of pure energy weapon.

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Original post by Ezbez Quote: Original post by Roboguy Quote: Original post by Ezbez Alternate dimensions that you can travel to is unbelievable to me. You mean alternate universes or traveling along alternate dimensions? Traveling to alternate dimensions. You know, like the cheesy '5th dimension' from old movies which doesn't actually have an extra dimension, just more fog. Well, anything like that. Pocket dimensions. You get the point I hope. If not, it really doesn't matter that much.

"Traveling to alternate dimensions" does not make any sense. You can travel along a dimension or travel to an alternate universe.

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Original post by Ezbez Quote: Quote: Original post by Ezbez Time travel is unbelievable to me. Slowing down time Matrix-style is also unbelievable. Anything relating to time basically confuses me, and so makes me not believe it (even if it really does happen in reality, but I wouldn't know). Actually, in some cases this could be realistic (see time dilation and related topics). Note the little parenthesis comment. But I still don't believe it, regardless of whether or not it really does happen.

It really does happen, we have empirical evidence of it, so I don't see why you wouldn't believe it.

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Original post by T1Oracle Quote: Original post by Raghar Lasers are not silent. There is ionization of air and vaporization of water on the skin. When is the last time you heard air ionize???

Last time I heard thunder.

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Original post by T1Oracle Quote: Original post by Raghar Saying divert that few MJ from its engines is rather overextragation. Hopefully I have translated this correctly.... Anyway, railguns that are effective require a good deal of power and superconducting materials. The one that I read about was a faily powerful example, and yes it can redirect 100% of the engines power (of course I am not considering thermal losses) to the railgun. This is no exaggeration. Regardless, none of the militarily effective designs out are anywhere close to being man-portable. Future weapons may be better, but that particular post was about what I have read.

Railguns don't require superconductors. Also, railguns are probably more practical.

I propose that such a futuristic game have no weapons. We have evolved (degraded?) into a peaceful race, singing and playing in the daytime sun.

Except at night, we have to watch out for our dark evolutionary offshoot, else they take us away to their cruel machines far below the surface...

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Original post by MatrixCubed I propose that such a futuristic game have no weapons. We have evolved (degraded?) into a peaceful race, singing and playing in the daytime sun. Except at night, we have to watch out for our dark evolutionary offshoot, else they take us away to their cruel machines far below the surface...

Sounds quite a bit like H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine." Maybe a bit too much like it.

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Universal Translator The UT would be a device that consist of 2 parts. The transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter would be implanted in the throat (or other voice producing organ) and would pick up a sub vocalisation of the users language. It would then connect to a small portable computer (which may be part of the implant, but could be wirelessly connected to another computer). The computer would then translate your sub vocalizations in real time into the language of the recipient (through a small speaker). The receiver would reverse this, by taking the incoming speech of another language and converting it in real time into your native language. These two devices would also be able to listen to an unknown language and formulate a translation of it, by its self. They would be able to learn a language. If two people with UTs that didn't have a translation cipher for each others language would be able to transmit the appropriate ciphers to each other wirelessly. This is a very plausible technology and the basics of it are currently in existence. We have translator devices that you can speak into and it will translate your words into the selected target language (some of them in real time). A sub vocalization translator is in development, and translators that learn new languages are also being developed (and they do have a working prototype). So this technology might even be in public use in less than 10 years. Definitely not. No foreseeable technology would allow such a device.

We have voice recognition technologies. We have language translation technologies. Combine both of these and you have a Universal Translator.

As for a UT that can learn. Well all you need to do is use a voice recognition software and then parse the resulting speech into words. There are only a limited number of ways that a language can be constructed (not the words, the syntax, etc).

So now you have a set of words (from the voice recognition). You can then start sorting through the potential syntaxes and start matching the pattern of words to these syntaxes. Once you have the syntax sorted out, it will give you clues to certain words (joining words like "and" or "or", pronouns, etc). From these you can start to make a matrix of what other words might mean, usually from the context. If you can then repeat the sentence in a known language, you then start to build a translation matrix dictionary.

This will not occur in a few seconds like in something like star trek, but given sufficient time and language to translate (and matching examples), you will be able to construct the translation matrix. It is not impossible, it is just not yet feasible in real time yet.

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Moore's Law will eventually not apply. There is a limit to how much you can shrink transistors. Although, quantum dots will likely eventually replace transistors and they can be shrunk further than transistors (in fact, in general, quantum dots work better when they are smaller). Additionally, no one really knows how consciousness works, so there wouldn't be a way to know if someone's consciousness is transfered.

One aspect of cup design that has not even begun to be explored is that if 3D chips. At the moment we use a 2d chip, where all the transistors are layer out on a flat plane. the biggest hurdle to 3D chips is cooling, but advances in layout and cooling system designs. There is a cooling system being designed that does not use any pumps or external power to push the coolant around - it uses the heat its self as the power and the shape of the pipes causes the coolant to move around.

With advances like these you will be able to have massive amounts of transistors on a chip. Because if you take the current amount of transistors that are on a single 2D chip and add another layer, this will effectively double the number of transistors on the chip. Just by adding layers to the chip you can multiply the number of transistors on it.

When this technology matures, we will see a massive leap in processor power and memory capacity. This could be in as little as 10 years time (as most of the tech exists today, its just a matter of scaling up to commercial/mass production).

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Coilguns (possibly even railguns, if they can find a better way to make the rails) will likely become practical before any sort of pure energy weapon.

I agree, coil guns are much more feasible than rail guns. But the tech for the laser/plasma/electric weapon is already existent and usable. It is just a problem with making the power supply more portable and getting the safety requirements fulfilled. If the weapon was not being touted as a Less than Lethal weapon, it could be manufactured today.

Coil Guns could also be manufactured today, but the power requirements for these are far greater than the power requirements of the Laser/Plasma/Electric weapon (some power supplies capable of operating the Laser/Electric weapon can be worn as a backpack, but only have a limited amount of shots.

Plus the Laser/Electric weapon can be put on constant steam and you can "hose" a crowd with it (there have been test that demonstrate this - but the footage is not released to the public AFAIK for security reasons). This makes it a far better crowd control weapon than a rail or coil gun.

The rail or coil guns would not be used in the same situations (coils would be used for "hard" targets like tanks etc and the Laser/Electric gun would be used on living targets like people).

Speaking of human culture in the future, I believe most of the human races will be completely mixed. There will be hardly any question about racial identity, or probably, even religions.

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Original post by Edtharan The rail or coil guns would not be used in the same situations (coils would be used for "hard" targets like tanks etc and the Laser/Electric gun would be used on living targets like people).

From what little I understand about coilguns, wouldn't it be easier (take less energy) to build armor (especially in heavy metallic objects like tanks) to stop such a projectile than it would to propel it?

The magnetic pull would have to be pretty massive to get that thing launched at any decent velocity. But to drive/repell it away or slow it down considerably, you would just need a big flat magnetic layer with minimal power capacity.

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Original post by frus Speaking of human culture in the future, I believe most of the human races will be completely mixed. There will be hardly any question about racial identity, or probably, even religions.

I theorize the same. That we will indeed be mixed up enough to remove distinguishable features. But I think it will be less because of us all being the same and more because of us all being different. I think there will be too many differences between all individuals to acknowledge any importance in them. Somewhat like trying to identify someone today by the number of freckles on their nose. There will be so many degrees of variation, there will no longer be anywhere to draw solid lines, other than on the extreme ends.

You can't deflect projectile launched from coilgun by magnetic field, because it has no charge.

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Original post by Roboguy Moore's Law will eventually not apply. There is a limit to how much you can shrink transistors. Although, quantum dots will likely eventually replace transistors and they can be shrunk further than transistors (in fact, in general, quantum dots work better when they are smaller). Additionally, no one really knows how consciousness works, so there wouldn't be a way to know if someone's consciousness is transfered.

Even if it was possible, you would either require the scanning device to get a blueprint of the original living object in either no time, like a nano-second snapshot, or completey freeze all body functions (including the brain's) at the time of scanning. Otherwise, molecules and even neurons moving inside the body during the scan might cause irregularities.

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Original post by Kest Quote: Original post by frus Speaking of human culture in the future, I believe most of the human races will be completely mixed. There will be hardly any question about racial identity, or probably, even religions. I theorize the same. That we will indeed be mixed up enough to remove distinguishable features. But I think it will be less because of us all being the same and more because of us all being different. I think there will be too many differences between all individuals to acknowledge any importance in them. Somewhat like trying to identify someone today by the number of freckles on their nose. There will be so many degrees of variation, there will no longer be anywhere to draw solid lines, other than on the extreme ends.

Don't worry, there will always be class/genetics/affluence/breeding to discriminate by. [smile] Go re-watch Gattaca.