Whether big or small. We all have that one thing from Scifi we wished were real. I’d love to see a cool underground city with like a SkyDome or a space hotel for instance.
I think a moon colony was possible at minimum the mid 90’s. I only think bureaucracy got in the way along with a very stunted space shuttle.
Agreed, a lot of sci-fi infastructure is technically feasable its just the logistics and our lack of organisation as a species that gets in the way. We could also technically start on a dyson swarm and a lunar space elevator (not an earth one though) with modern technology and materials.
I’m glad to see that we are moving forward with it, I just would rather it not be by Elon. But he has the tools to get it done.
There is also the cost.
The American program to go to the Moon cost several percentage points of American GDP over several years to get there. The USA could have physically had a moon base up there, but it would have been wildly expensive.
I will agree there. But the mining and manufacturing potential is rather insane. We could make money back rather quickly.
Post scarcity society
As long as shareholder value is the number one thing it just cant happen.
so kill the shareholders, then they won’t care about their value.
Technically, you don’t know that. /s
This is what frustrates me because in theory yes, you’re right. But in reality those shareholders are not who you think they are. Many of them are your relatives through 401k and RRSP managed funds.
What I’m getting at is it would be great to Luigi a bunch of billionaires but the reality is the problem is systemic and no amount of murder is going to solve that.
We go back to the Levellers and the Diggers. My gut tells me we are going to everyone screaming for change ultimately get what they want which is someone will be beheaded but then in the aftermath you all have no fucking plan and guess what? In a few years we are going to be right back here again.
I hope I’m wrong, but history has a way of repeating the same beats over and over again.
OP says, “with our current current level of technology.”
We have the technology to overcome any logistics issue pertaining to eliminating scarcity (and by extension, poverty). What we lack is the societal structure.
Rosey!
Not yet, but I think we might see age reversal drugs in the not so far future.
Finding a way to use organic matter in 3d printing so I can say “Computer…one strawberry milkshake”, similar to Picard.
Earl Gray, hot.
*strips naked* I’m ready for you, babe *flexes*
I’ve seen someone convert a 3d printer to use chocolate. Not quite the same thing, but custom chocolate bunnies are possible at least.
A moonbase.
Post capitalism.
We have automation for so much manufacturing. We have solar energy which is basically free after manufacture. We could spend a fairly small amount of time really working towards automating most resource extraction and processing.
We could have a really good standard of living not just in the west but globally and we could in the process resolve the threats of climate change but instead we have billionaires.
I think if we had the tech to make replicators (Trek), we would easily be able to go full on post-cap, as that would essentially end hunger, our over extraction of earth’s resources, landfills, recycling, people not being able to afford basics like groceries, etc. I think we have the capability to do that now without that tech, but as a species, lack the will and compassion.
From what I have read there is no physical reason that we could not all have a reasonable standard of living right now with no extra technology. The reason for poverty is not a scarcity if resources, it is a distribution problem. Some people take too much and use systems like law and governance to enforce their relative position. Ditching individual wealth would solve most of the issues which prevent a good life for everyone. Being as most wars are ultimately about wealth and the same for borders it would be revolutionary.
How about a machine that can fold your laundry after it’s washed and dried?
We’re so close. My dryer turns all my stuff inside out. I feel like if it can do that, it can fold the stuff too…
Damn, never heard that machines could do that already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C76osXtpLeM
someone was working on one years ago and it seems to never have come to market
That’s really cool, thanks. I always wondered what such a contraption would look like. Too bad it didn’t make it to market.
The real sci-fi dream is to have a machine that can take a bin of totally unsorted laundry (everything from socks to bedsheets), then wash, dry, and fold it all into a basket. I don’t know if that could be done without some very human-like arms and better AI than we have today.
for complex tasks like laundry I wonder if material recycling and on-demand manufacturing will advance far enough first that we end up “3d printing” (or Star Trek replicating) clothes and then just tossing dirty ones into a material recycling system, well before we have the tech to make a robot wash them haha
Wikipedia says they closed down in 2021, but I’m also seeing this with updates as recent as this year: [link removed]
Edit: I removed the link. There are a bunch of really legit looking Foldimate websites and they are all scams.
such a bummer. this would have been a huge win for those with dexterity/mobility issues. i bet some laundromats would have purchased some also, which could have potentially decreased the price of wash & fold service (or they may have even made some available to be rented by customers to use themselves inside the laundromat)
Brain operated electronics.
Eeg headbands detect brainwaves and are used in diagnosing mental illnesses. There is also expensive portable ones for yoga people that track your sleep cycle and give statistics.
You can VERY easily have it change the TV channel or move player in a VR game. In fact there is an old starwars toy where you lift some ball by powering a hairdryer with your brainwaves for like $40.
Alarm clock that reads my brain activity and only wakes me up at the point in my REM cycle, where i’ll feel refreshed waking up.
Similarly I want something that I can set to put me to sleep for X hours guaranteed. Insomnia is a bitch and ambien is awful. I just want to get ready for bed, set my alarm, and wake up exactly when I need to.
I just wake up a few minutes before my alarm due to my internal clock. Doesn’t matter what time I go to bed.
Along somewhat similar lines, I wouldn’t mind a fan that monitored my temperature while sleeping and adjusts its speed accordingly.
Totally possible with homeassistant. They also make temperature controlled “smart” beds.
These exist in smartwatches. Not reading your brain activity but tracking your micro movements (or macro) and vibrating on your wrist when you are in a lighter stage of sleep around your alarm time.
Sounds like a fun Hack a Day-esque project for someone out there. If you can secure it well enough to stay in place while you sleep, can probably make something with a repurposed Star Wars Force Trainer headset, an Arduino, and some means of triggering an alarm (the fact that we’re just out there selling EEG tech as a kids toy is nuts to me).
I believe this does actually exist but the most reliable one is from a company that went out of business, so you have to buy second hand
Edit: Its the Zeo Sleep Manager
The torment nexus
Just a few more billions and it’ll be complete.
I would just like complete control of my various web things. be able to restrict banking activity by source (so like lock my savings to only move between my checking and no where else), be able to make temporary credit card numbers that I can not only limit the amount of a single charge but max total that can be charged and daily charge and monthly charge and also be able to limit it to one payer. So like I make it and use it to pay for something than can go back and click on the the vendor payed and say lock it to only that vendor. Have an investment account where I can setup a variety of investments by percentage and have it keep those percentages as markets move. oh and have a local location for all my things where you can get any help including for their website although thats not exactly technology.
For the credit card thing, there used to be an app called Private that you could set up temporary numbers with. I think you could do some level of recurring payments with it too. Not sure it’s it’s been enshittified yet though
oh I guess I have to add all without apps. Some of this stuff even then exists to some degree but its kinda sad its not implemented just generally. There is so much computers could do but there just is no incentive to maximize customer capability. If anything they tend to look to monetize any feature or limit it in a way to make it shitty or make money for the company outside of their normal streams. Like schwab has this robo adviser but its way limited and forces you to keep a lot in cash yet at the same time is very slow to rebalance (the reasoning they give for the cash is to deal with rebalancing which should allow it to do it relatively quickly.)
By the way, app is called privacy. Biggest problem with it is that it uses plaid to connect to your bank so you have to trust them with your bank password.
I use it though and love it. Every card can have its own limits like per transaction, per month, per year, or total ever.
Medical Biofoam from halo, we have prototypes already
Free, unlimited energy.
We could be solarpunk. Like, right now. With everything using clean energy and plants everywhere.
That would be so nice.
