When Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact

[CE5]

About the sat phones, that is perhaps a closer mimic example of the Star Trek, communicators operating system. Although even the sat phones rely on an infrastructure albeit an orbiting one, as the trek devices probably required some sort of infrastructure in orbit ala' the Enterprise or traditional sats. Even with our nascent communication technologies this sort of system makes very practical sense. When exploring an undeveloped planet having some sort of comsat system in orbit would be standard operating procedure.

And about more Trek tek, and modern cell phones. Let's take a look at the 'Tricorder' with the development of the smartphones, and the various 'apps' that can be installed. Some of these apps, like the EMF apps that interface with the built in magnetometers of smartphones, that can detect power sources and fields in much the same way that the Tricorders appeared to function, and the development of smartphone apps continues to advance. There is even a molecular spectrometer* app that mimics another main function of the Tricorder. And of course the built in recording suite of the average smartphone also mimics the basic principle of the Tricorder, in many similar ways. What is really kind of ironic is that the modern example of the Tricorder, (smartphone) is even more compact than the SciFi props were.

Also as an aside, This link* from the same site as the Molecular Spectrometer info, talks about the advancing research into 'Metamaterials'.

Let's revisit more web applications. There is a developing router technology that uses light sources as it's medium rather than the RF spectrum. This developing LiFi* tech utilizes the IR, spectrum. This is a very promising area of development within our existing communications capabilities. The LiFi, technology has many benefits over the existing WiFi standards.
Being that LPF, is a forum that is focused on light technology. It remains curious to me that there is not more of an interest and discussion about the communication aspects of light technology because that is most certainly the direction that the world is currently shifting towards.

And about stem cell research, genomics etc; this is again one of those grey area's where some countries and regions are more open about their foray's into it, while other countries are still forging ahead with research although in more clandestine, and covert ways. One of the more publicly disclosed countries as mentioned is South Korea. It is common knowledge that if you want to have your dog or cat cloned, this is the place to go. And this does make one wonder if there are humans, that have been cloned as well.

 

[Benm]

As far as using (IR) light goes to maintain network connection: this could work very well, but requires a line of sight connection between router and device. Such things are not practical in the average home with walls or even doors blokcing the signal. You could have a hybrid solution that offers top speed when in visual range of the router, yet reverting to RF signals if you are not.

As far as human cloning goes: it may become possible pretty soon, or even be possible today. The question would be what good ould it actually be. Given the technology i could have a twin brother created that is 30 years younger than me. What use would that be to me, or him, really?

It could be useful if there was some way to transfer my conciousness into the clone, but that does not seem feasible. And if it was possible to do so, would it actually require a
clone or could it be done between arbitrary people?


We don't really know the answers to any of this yet, but knowing it would be key to putting in in practcal use or not.

 

[CE5]

I guess it depends on which side of the security fence one is on, if the line of sight limitations? of the LiFi tech is a deal breaker or a deal maker. For those that are security conscience and aware, the added hard layer of containment that LiFi provides as a default may be more attractive to them. And the other benefit that the containment provides is that it actually doesn't have to compete with traditional WiFi's reliance on the increasingly overcrowded RF spectrum. This can actually be viewed as another advantage over WiFi's default spillover coverage in many installations including most residential and business as well as mobile vehicles like planes, trains and automobiles even to include space vehicles, as the IR is less problematic than the RF issues that have to be taken into consideration with any platform, terrestrial or otherwise.

As far as download and throughput performance characteristics are concerned the LiFi tech blows the WiFi tech out of the ether.

About the clones, it is a curious and frightening area to contemplate. Not so much with regards to direct consciousness transference as a requisite, but rather the latent psychological and physiological traits that the clone may inherit from the host. And the obvious ethical conundrums concerning the other tangibles of identity transference, the whole do clones have a same or separate soul comes to the fore. Two scenarios that quickly come to mind concerns the vanities and narcissistic tendencies of the super rich and the obvious weaponization potentials that cloning presents. Far as the weaponization aspects go, the obvious time intensive traditional martial (mental+physical) training options are one, but another perhaps more insidious option would involve the hard to detect biological pathogens up to and including some form of suicidal act for directed targeted pin point attacks from toddlers that require less time intensive developmental (physiological+mental) skill sets. Toddlers and young adults have already been used in such forms to carry out attacks even without the use of cloning technology, imagine the suicidal potentials of clones and the big nope! should be enough to deter even the most abhorrent socio/phsychopaths among us, or on the flip side serve as an irresistible attraction. So for the average Joe cloning perhaps has no apparent use, but with this area of technology the average Joe is a commodity that is normally not part of the process for potential commercialization opportunities or any other mundane considerations in the first place.