What Invention do you wish gets invented in the future 5-120 years? What is most likely?

An operating system that doesn't suck up all your RAM and hard disk space (I am looking at you Vista), doesn't disallow 3rd party software (Apple), and doesn't have over a 100 inconsistent distros floating around (thats you Linux, all 100 of you).

You're smoking something bad there... Apple doesn't disallow third party software... the majority of the software I use on my Mac doesn't come from Apple.

Oh no. This is NOT a good question to ask me. I could be here all night. Jeez, there are so many things I wanna see right NOW that aren't yet available. For just one thing, I'd like an inclinometer (?) -- this would have a digital readout that tells me what grade of incline I'm walking up or down without me having to do any calculations, and it wouldn't cost an arm and leg -- it'd have a digital readout (pedometer?) as to how many miles you've walked also. See a recent post for some software ideas -- one being a current interactive psychedelic paint program and others being all those educational software CDs I mentioned earlier on various subjects with clear voice sound, captions, and quizzes-lots of colors and illustrations. I'd like to see when you walk into a post office multiple places where you weigh your package yourself and it tells you how much you need -- it will give you change for various bills, so one does not have to wait in long human lines, or at least the long human lines can be shorter. A place for inputing your thoughts in your local supermarket as to what you would like them to order for you instead of having to do this via writing on a pad or not at all. A public transit system that is a scenic monorail above my (or any) city so one can look out the window and down instead of having to ride thru long tunnels with nothing to look at. Bring back passenger trains between cities, but WAY speedier than those now around -- with dining and entertainment like one'd find on planes. Speed UP the security at airports. I'm sure if I wasn't in kind of a hurry right now I could think of lots more...

Sorry, but this question bugs me. 5 to 120 years? Why bother setting a time period at all?

Portable, pop-open virtual reality 360 surround 3-D capsules. If you don't like where you are or the people you are with, pop it open, climb in, and take yourself somewhere else.

You know, I want to say something like an inexhaustible supply of food or whatever, but fudge it, I just want something to make my sandwiches for me.

You ever read Fahrenheit 451, or watched eXistenZ? Both (the latter especially) deal with the implications of the that idea.

Fast-food that is not bad for you, but still tastes great.

Cures for aging. I think a full cure is unlikely in that timeframe, but treatments that allow me to live until there is a cure would be nice.

Oh, and I still want a flying car.

instant matter teleportation devices

TELEPORTATION!!! Just think of it! You forgot something at home? No problem! You're lonely and want company, just beam yourself somewhere!
I wish I could live to see it...

Cure for aging off course. I totally forgot about that one.

I can one up you. I wonder if it would be possible to "RAID" ourselves. This would be the ultimate cure for death, as even if one clone of you dies as long as at least one of them is alive it counts. Off course, which one of the clones is really you?

Teleportation raises another philosophical issue. Since the molecules get destroyed and its just information being sent to reconstruct you, wouldn't it not really be you on the other end?

I dunno.

No, I haven't. What do they imply?

That humans need real interaction. It is all too easy to fall into a false or mindless fantasy but it won't solve anything and as a result such dependence is detrimental...

Oh. A capsule like that could be misused, I suppose. Some people could get addicted to it like they do with TV. I'd still like to see it as something we could jump into when we want to, and then put it away when we are done. It would be a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.

Nicely put.

I'd be happy to see cars that can drive themselves in my lifetime, as I hate driving.

With RAID, the whole thing would be you so long as it all remained connected. Like with networking, one of the hardest problems to solve is what to do with partitioning.

Yeah, teleportation has all sorts of interesting problems.

A Bullcrap Decoder. You point it at someone speaking and it will tell you if they are a lying bastard.

I'd love that! It would be great for people who tell the truth but are frequently doubted.
Point it at me! I am telling the truth. See???

Then the next awesome invention will be an anti-bullcrap decoder. And then an anti-anti-bullcrap decoder. And so on....

I'd like one that can detect if someone is harmless or if they are up to no good. That would solve the suspicion peeve of mine once and for all. But then there would be a jammer for it soon after, I'm sure.
An "I'd like to be left alone" shield would be great too.

oh golly..

If I knew, I'd invent it.

Duh.

> Cures for aging. I think
> a full cure is unlikely in
> that timeframe, but treatments
> that allow me to live until
> there is a cure would be nice.


I think this would be the worst invention ever.

Not that I don't want you here with us forever.....

I think a lot of people agree with you that longevity treatments would be terrible. I can see downsides but I think that 100,000 people dying every day from a horrible, wasting disease is even more terrible.

Whatever it is I want to keep it for myself so I can be a super hero.

mind control machine with built-in xray vision.

What about a jet pack?

That'd be fun. A flying car would be useful.

I meant in the relative sense.

In the relative non-sense...

A combination electric potato peeler and salad spinner.

Anti-aging; allows to live forever at prime health

cure for wrong...cure for crime, cure for illnesses, cure for war, etc...

A robotic husband that cooks all my meals and he fixes things around the house and he cleans and washes the dishes.

> instant matter teleportation devices

Beam me up Bill the Enterprise is about to leave orbit

> That'd be fun. A flying car would be useful.

Yea! the Jetsons have you ever seen this cartoon ? Just love that flying car and what we need these days

OK, but you'll have to set your phaser to stun first.

> OK, but you'll have to set your phaser to stun first.

It is set for kill oops mean stun