Questions tagged [communication]
For questions relating to the exchange of ideas and information between beings.
350
questions
3
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3answers
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An alphabet with alternating reading order
I am in the middle of designing a con-lang that features, among other things a letter reading order that alternates by line from left-to-right to right-to-left and back again. My justification for ...
34
votes
14answers
5k views
Moon base internet functionality
It's 2020 and I've decided the perfect location for my next villainous lair is on the Moon (Earth has too many pesky heroes after all). Fortunately, construction and transit shouldn't be too difficult,...
10
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4answers
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What is the nature of the interstellar message to be accepted by a civilization comparable to humanity at the end of the nineteenth century (19th)?
In a sense, humanity has long been capable of transmitting interstellar messages (METI (messages to extraterrestrial civilizations) - attempts to transmit interstellar messages from humanity to ...
9
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7answers
2k views
How do I announce us to the entire galaxy?
The main problem with sending interstellar messages is that with the distance traveled, their power gradually decreases due to gradual scattering ( diffraction). Imagine that you threw a stone into ...
6
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5answers
577 views
Could aliens communicate by excreting slime?
Bear with me :) The aliens in my story are gastropod-like entities and I would really like them to communicate through the mucus they excrete. What could such communication look like?
Preliminary ...
4
votes
3answers
165 views
Could two smart phones work as an intercom on an alien planet?
This question is a follow up to a previous question asked by @AvengingEarth
Would a smart phone work on an alien planet?
I'm interested in taking a step further.
All conditions are as in the previous ...
asked Sep 16 at 20:18
chasly - supports Monica
37.9k12 gold badges119 silver badges238 bronze badges
14
votes
9answers
1k views
Telex more popular than telephones
This question is inspired by the answer for another question.
What changes in technological development after the World War 2 could have led the telex machines to be more popular than telephones, ...
4
votes
2answers
126 views
Communication between City States in Giant Monster World
I'm building a world, which takes place about 300 years in the future after an event in the near future, in which giant elemental monsters started to roam around the earth. These creatures are an ...
12
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16answers
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What movies would you show aliens to show we are friendly? [closed]
Here is an idea that I wanted to play around with but unfortunately hit a brick wall with. Human explorers have found a less advanced intelligent technological species on a faraway planet. For the ...
23
votes
15answers
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A Truly Universal Listening Device?
The CGI (Cosmic Gateway Interface) System is a set of commands which (nearly?) anyone anywhere can intone in order to trigger some kind of alien tech (which exists somewhere far away), which opens a ...
2
votes
9answers
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how could an alien species with modern technology communicate at long distances when their language is made up of sign language?
Let's say that these aliens have recently sent up a manned satellite into their orbit. Let's say these aliens mainly speak through sign language. How will these alien astronauts communicate with those ...
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9answers
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A plausible explanation for the “ansible?” - FTL communications
I need FTL interstellar communication in my story. Ursula K. Le Guin first used the idea of the "ansible" as a fictional device or technology capable of near-instantaneous or superluminal ...
9
votes
3answers
324 views
Most effective form of biological communication for long distance?
I have got a idea of a eusocial species that creates huge And wide colonies that can go through different environments from underground tunnels, to a island a few miles offshore, to miles away farther ...
3
votes
8answers
248 views
How would an alien civilization transmit an SOS signal for other sentient beings to pick up on?
This question describes the kinds of signals sentient beings would transmit to let others know of their existence. The methods described are geared towards communicating the mere existence of ...
4
votes
6answers
629 views
Is it feasible to use light as a transmission vehicle?
Let's just say I'm no scientist, so my understanding of these things is all surface. Having said that, I don't write hard science fiction. But I'm not quite as "magic-like" as Star Wars.
My ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
How would caste system benefits population of hive mind?
Unlike bee population whereby the worker bee or scout bee feedback news through a complex domino style network to inform the rest of their community and then the queen bee(s) will still be busy ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
A light tower based communication system
I'm building a world with cities of extremely different technological capabilities. One has a monopoly on gunpowder and one has complete understanding of the magic system in the world.
The only ...
4
votes
4answers
434 views
Secure communications for the modern terrorist
This is my first post in this seemingly awesome forum.
I need some suggestions for mobile communications in my detective novel.
My story features a US police detective who is pitted against a group ...
16
votes
10answers
4k views
Is there any advantage to using a centralized hivemind?
Basically, there are 2 types of hiveminds: the common centralized and the uncommon distributed.
Centralized means that all units are extensions of the master entity (the badguy alien/robot stereotypes)...
4
votes
2answers
124 views
Would sound shifts be severe enough for two dialects to be mutually unintelligible after 400 years of no verbal contact?
A group of English-speaking settlers travel to the Earth-like exoplanet of Rataan, which is 5 light years away. They board the generation ship Genesis that will reach Rataan in 200 years (0.25% of the ...
5
votes
1answer
71 views
How could the connections of a hivemind work to ensure it can't be jammed or tapped?
So, Armchair Chem is an evil corporation that has access to technology some consider unnaturally ahead of its time (the correct term is anachronistic, but whatever).
One such is the Replica Forces. A ...
1
vote
3answers
256 views
Intercontinental radio broadcasting in a post-apocalyptic world
I'm in the process of planning a post-apocalyptic novel. The gist of it is that the vast majority (99.9%+) of all humans simply disappeared from the face of the earth, or so it seems. The story ...
2
votes
2answers
176 views
I want my gryphons and birdfolk to have facial expressions. How?
So, Both birdfolk and gryphons have a head structure, similar to that of birds of prey, i.e: forward facing eyes. Sure, the color of the plumage and the beak-type can vary, but one problem is still ...
6
votes
2answers
93 views
A dragon, a gryphon and a tengu are flying toghether. How can they actually communicate?
One problem, I think writers often overlook, is the problem of flying creatures communicating with each other. I call this the "I can't hear you over the sound of the f@cking headwind!"
For my world, ...
0
votes
3answers
153 views
Semi-FTL quantum communications
I'm trying to come up with idea's that have some plausibility of sending information FTL.
So we can entangle particles together. When you measure them you influence them. If you measure one up the ...
5
votes
2answers
240 views
How to build a wormhole for FTL communication? [more Engineering than Physics question]
I came to SE WB while I was researching about space radiators for my sci-fi. I don't remember where exactly I found an answer to my question (Maybe? Idr) but I stunned with this site. You all looks ...
3
votes
3answers
227 views
Facial expressions for dragons?
Though this applies to lizardfolk and most creatures with a snout as well, I'm having trouble giving more facial expressions to dragons. Sure, they can wink, bare their fangs and laugh out loud and ...
13
votes
9answers
4k views
How do you send out SOS in space if there is no absolute coordinate?
Imagine your spaceship encountered a gravitational anomaly and discovered that you are lost in space, your computer tells you that you are still inside the Milky Way galaxy but it cannot find the ...
6
votes
7answers
665 views
An effective way for interstellar communication?
Radio waves travel at the speed of light. Communication across vast interstellar distances is difficult due to weak signals and slow multi-year duration. I honestly imagine it to be like old times ...
2
votes
5answers
262 views
Are (near) instant data transfers feasible on an intergalactic scale?
Inspired partially by this comment on one of my answers, I got to thinking on what the quickest way to communicate would be on an intergalactic scale.
Say humans have colonised the galaxy, and use ...
3
votes
6answers
415 views
“Dragon amongst the sheep” How could a dragon avoid other animals registering him as a threat?
So, one of the less know abilities of dragons here is anivoice.
Anivoice allows dragons to communicate with birds, mammals, reptiles, dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
Of course, the information, relayed by ...
0
votes
6answers
445 views
Designing a safe way to share location of a secret ship
There is a secret ship and it is used by pirates as a recharging point. It has a nuclear reactor as a power source and other ships are using electricity. Let's assume in this world stealth technology ...
19
votes
13answers
4k views
Communicating the idea of danger to an unknown alien civilization
An alien automatic "beacon" tries to warn us about some imminent danger. It does so with launching a succession of large "veils" in front of their star so we can detect them via the transit method. ...
-2
votes
2answers
100 views
Inter-Planetary Communication [closed]
In my universe humans have colonized Phobos, Deimos, the moon, and Mars. However, they have no fast way to communicate with each other. I'm looking for a fast and possible way for humans to ...
6
votes
2answers
268 views
So, magic is based on swarm robotics and nanotechnology. How can I have Anti-magic fields?
So, at its core, magic is using a swarm of tiny (50-100 micrometers), naturally occuring robots to deliver substances to a given location and initiate chemical reactions that lead towards the desired ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
What factors affect how easy it is to understand a foreign language?
I'm making a homebrew D&D world where, among other things, there is no "common" tongue. I've always found that concept frustratingly unrealistic. Yes, it prevents a lot of problems for adventurers,...
5
votes
3answers
209 views
Ways for advanced civilizations to mask communications on an interstellar / intergalactic scale
Say we have a civilization on the verge of becoming Type II, and are in the process of building a Dyson Sphere. They are aware that in the process, and especially after completion, there will be ...
4
votes
5answers
253 views
Could a language based on absolute pitch develop music?
For those that are arguing that without vocabularly, it isn't considered a language:
From Wikipedia: Language is a system that consists of the development, acquisition, maintenance and use of complex ...
4
votes
7answers
2k views
Why don't military spaceships use blockchain technology for ship log? [closed]
Straight to the point, cut out the backstory:
If blockchain is so secure and difficult to hack why don't the military spaceship use it for logging important and also non essential events, navigation, ...
2
votes
2answers
315 views
How to get attention when being shrunk to size of a flea? [closed]
One evening a group of teenagers got arrested for taunting a queen's guard and was brought to a temporary holding cell, all of a sudden a radioactive mosquito seemingly escaped from a nearby lab bites ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
Could echolocated images be used for a language?
So I have this underwater echolocation using species. I'm wondering if they could have a language partly based on recreating sounds from returning echolocation waves to 'talk' images at each other. (I ...
4
votes
5answers
187 views
Is it realistic to have a sound-based naval identification system?
I have a number of sea-faring races in my fantasy story. The world is relatively mundane i.e. no magic and the races are somewhere the Graeco-Roman classical period in terms of their technology, give ...
2
votes
3answers
128 views
How would black market stock exchange in a communist country work?
I have an oppressive communist country which doesn't have any free speech, secret police, a new supreme leader every few decades and obviously, a planned economy.
But somehow, the country is still ...
4
votes
6answers
2k views
Is elastic wiring feasable?
Since wireless does not seem to be the ultra-high-broadband solution of the future (according to recent 5G cellular network results), wires seem the only way to go for a data-intensive future.
The ...
34
votes
18answers
5k views
Lighthouse Alternatives
In my pre-electricity world, fast communication is achieved by means of lighthouses, each being able to direct strong and precise beams of light towards distantly visible lighthouses.
However a ...
10
votes
9answers
711 views
Is a Language with Two Phonemes Feasible?
In one of my stories, I have a race that communicates using only two sounds: "O" and "U". This can be strung together like this:
...
4
votes
14answers
4k views
Is there a reliable way to hide/convey a message in vocal expressions (speech, song,…)
Assume Bob. Bob wants to convey the following, simple message (an example) to Cassandra:
Walk 5 feet forward, turn around 90 degrees clockwise, walk another 4 feet and dig 3 feet into the ground.
...
8
votes
3answers
451 views
If an Alcubierre Drive is possible, can you communicate FTL without a vessel?
Assume that an Alcubierre drive is feasible. In fact, assume that one has been built. A superluminal starship can propel itself through space by distorting space in front of it and behind it. However, ...
2
votes
2answers
124 views
What would be the ideal “language” to control a complex machine via a human body?
Please assume the following scenario:
A spaceship in a dense battle situation, controlled by a human beeing. The bridge is basically an empty room, consisting of screen-walls (showing the outside and ...
19
votes
9answers
5k views
Non-visual Computers - thoughts?
TL;DR
Let's say that computers were invented at a school for the blind in mid-1800s. How would today's technology, based on these non-screen-based computers, be different?
ETA: To clarify and ...
