Questions tagged [reality-check]
Asks if a given concept is realistic in a given context. Answers should say yes or no, with supporting info. Compare this with the science-based and hard-science tags. This tag should never be the only tag on a question, because this tag frames how a question should be answered, not the topic.
5,167
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How can Santa keep his lists when the GDPR is around?
For my non European readers, there is excerpt of what the GDPR means: (emphasis mine)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all ...
302
votes
25answers
26k views
Tomorrow is Groundhog Day… For everyone. How does society respond? [closed]
You wake up tomorrow and it's Wednesday again. Everybody remembers it, but whatever was physically done today is undone. Your favorite mug, which the dog knocked over is un-broken. The kid down the ...
250
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22answers
46k views
What's the smallest change to physics required to allow magic?
Yesterday my 7-year-old daughter asked me:
Why can't I do magic for real?
I answered: because of the law of conservation of energy! And I briefly explained this law.
Thus she grumbled "a single ...
227
votes
24answers
61k views
How to safely check if you are immortal?
My hero lived his usual life until recently, when he realized that Magic actually exists. So far he has been granted levitation for a short period of time and invisibility for several hours.
Both ...
219
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13answers
32k views
Is there a single historic event which could be changed to cause the USA to use SI units?
I am time traveller with aim to make world better. Last time I went to the past, all I heard was: "Kill Hitler!"
So I went to the past and I must tell you, April 1945 was pretty loud in Berlin!
...
208
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19answers
17k views
What's the most reasonable way to fit Monsters in your Pocket?
Say you have a hollow sphere, about the size of a (small) grapefruit, comprised of a (let's say red) top half and a (let's say white) bottom half. There's an articulated lid, and an LED on the front. ...
176
votes
19answers
31k views
Russian Dolls - How do they reproduce?
Warning picture showing dissected Russian Doll
My theory
I believe that Russian Dolls reproduce asexually. They are born pregnant. At the time of birth, the outer doll dies. What is now the outer ...
asked Jan 31 '19 at 10:23
chasly - reinstate Monica
36.9k12 gold badges116 silver badges232 bronze badges
150
votes
41answers
50k views
If time travel is possible in the future, no matter how distant, why haven't they come back to tell us?
In a world where time travel is possible, but has not been invented yet, would travelers from the future come back to prove it exists?
Surely, they would bring that technology back in time to let the ...
150
votes
17answers
32k views
Would a bear cavalry be feasible?
Over the course of history humanity rode several kinds of animals to war: horses, camels and elephants being the most common. However, bears are not amongst them.
So I was wondering, if they could be ...
144
votes
34answers
63k views
You can control a Demon by knowing its True Name, but why?
The power of True Names over demons is unbelievable:
A Lamashtu demon can drain you of your blood in under 5 seconds, blend into shadows, and travel at the speed of darkness. Yet it will crumple like ...
122
votes
9answers
36k views
Releasing a T-Rex into a modern ecosystem wouldn't be that bad, right?
T-Rex Forever LLC has a mating pair of Tyrannosaurus rex. They're a bit shady on how they got them, time travel, cloning...they won't say. Third-party biologists and paleontologists have examined ...
121
votes
19answers
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Could a planet made completely of water exist?
In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Thirty Days", there was a planet made completely out of water, which is the inspiration for this question. However, that planet was held together by an artificial ...
116
votes
17answers
13k views
Which major solar system body could most realistically be artificial?
Which body in the Solar System is the best candidate for being an artificial construct, placed there by a Kardashev Type II Civilization?
Some notes:
The purpose of this body is to monitor earth, ...
110
votes
8answers
39k views
How far back in time would English be understandable to a modern speaker?
As we all know, language in England has changed massively over the centuries.
How far back would someone be able to travel in time and still have a basic understanding of what most people are saying?...
108
votes
11answers
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Could a Dwarven Civilization Exist?
Could a Dwarven society as described by Tolkien mythology actually work? Dwarves for the purposes of this question are short, stout, bearded men and women who live primarily underground. They have a ...
102
votes
31answers
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If 120 experts in 12 different fields were sent back 10,000 years, could they recreate the 21st century in 100 years?
Ten experts (CEOs, professors) of each of the fields of math, physics, chemistry, economics, engineering, electrical engineering, CS, sociology, psychology, art, politics and education (120 total) are ...
100
votes
26answers
17k views
Would relatively primitive people really confuse technology with magic?
It's common for people to say that if a time traveler or an alien displayed advanced technology to ancient or medieval people, that they'd assume it was magic, and either worship him as a god or burn ...
99
votes
28answers
13k views
How to monetize uploaded consciousness?
In 2039, our company was the first to bring a safe and reliable solution to upload someone's mind to the cloud. Although it was 10 years ago, you probably remember the news, don't you?
We guaranteed ...
98
votes
24answers
17k views
A believable place for your secret lair
In a modern, "western" country, where can I set my secret facility so that authorities won't find me for about 30 years?
The needed amount of area is relatively large, a bit less than 200 m2. The ...
93
votes
15answers
28k views
If the Romans found one working steam engine would they have been able to copy and use it?
I Previously asked if the Romans could have built a steam engine to power a ship, which received a number of answers perhaps best summarised as “probably not but…”.
Assuming the Romans couldn’t have ...
88
votes
13answers
24k views
Lembas bread (2000 Calories per bite)
In the lord of rings the elves invented an incredibly nutritious bread/biscuit, as Legolas clearly says only a small bite is just enough to satisfy the needs of an adult man for 1 day.
An adult ...
87
votes
17answers
16k views
Would a robot really need to use a heads up display (HUD)?
It's a common staple of science-fiction films (e.g The Terminator or Robocop) to have a POV shot from a robot or cyborg's perspective with a HUD being used to observe its surroundings. This can be ...
87
votes
12answers
23k views
Would a submarine make a great spaceship?
I know a submarine would NOT make the greatest spaceship in the universe, but could it allow people inside to live in space?
A submarine can resist pressure, can hold oxygen inside, and there is a ...
83
votes
19answers
24k views
Humans can now run 40 mph. How do I keep the stupid people alive?
Let's assume that humans can now run 40 mph and the human body can handle it. I know and understand that this is not feasible, but let's just play pretend. Naturally people would have all kinds of fun,...
83
votes
19answers
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Would a 'World Tree' be feasible in real life?
A livescience.com article claims that trees can reach a theoretical height of 400 to 426 feet (122 to 130m). This is due to the tree being unable to carry water up to the top at that certain point due ...
82
votes
20answers
132k views
Possible distance travelled by horse over 6 weeks?
I always get very annoyed if a writer is sloppy with maps and travel-distances.
E.g. "They left city Y and arrived in city X 5 days later." When you look at the supplied map Y and X are a 1600 ...
79
votes
28answers
22k views
How can I build a door to repel a horde of zombies?
In The Walking Dead, the survivors have seen plenty a wall. From Woodsbury, to Wellington, to Alexandrea, they are all different and they all have their advantages. One issue that none of them have ...
76
votes
12answers
19k views
Can Average Joe reboot the nuclear power plant?
Setup: The year is 2018. Malicious virus escaped secret lab and managed to kill 99% of all humans between January and April 2016. Not-so-average Joe spent his last two years of basic survival with the ...
76
votes
36answers
14k views
How can a pacifist country protect itself?
Think of a more or less traditional medieval fantasy world: multiple races, magic, some alchemy/magitech that is of comparable power and reliability to ordinary magic.
And in this world there exists ...
75
votes
15answers
15k views
How Long Could an “Eternal” Fire Last?
How Long could an "Eternal" Fire last?
At some point there is a fire very spiritually important to a certain people - so important that they build a city around it, and begin developing an empire ...
75
votes
16answers
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Is there any real reason for Dwarves not to have cavalry?
It's a fairly common trope in fantasy worlds/stories that dwarves don't use cavalry.
But is there any real reason why?
Off the top of my head the two most likely ones seem to be:
Their size. Except ...
74
votes
23answers
23k views
Can Communism become a stable economic strategy? How?
In a capitalist Society, you work, you earn money and you buy a shovel to dig a hole
In a communist Society, you are given a shovel and told to work
Alt History Hub
Communism was a major rival ...
74
votes
12answers
11k views
How does the government cover up alien crash landings?
One night a spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin crash-landed in the densely populated city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The force of the impact leveled the entire city within a radius of 1 ...
73
votes
20answers
15k views
How could an ancient race warn the future in a universally understandable way?
Let's say that an ancient race of beings locked away some sort of evil that could destroy the world if unleashed. Let's also say that unleashing it would be relatively easy to do if not warned of ...
73
votes
15answers
12k views
How could we fake a moon landing now?
The moon landings actually happened, and there's plenty of contemporaneous evidence of it. But what if the United States government wanted to fake a moon landing now?
We have the technology to ...
72
votes
11answers
13k views
Anatomically correct “XKCDius lethalissimus”
Inspired by today's XKCD comic
How could a creature, momentarily called XKCDius lethalissimus, evolve to have the following features:
Be radioactive (intended as more radioactive than the ...
asked Aug 28 '18 at 15:23
71
votes
18answers
12k views
How do I make an alien technology feel alien?
In a lot of science fiction series, such as Halo, Mass Effect and Gears of War, they show alien technology that is flatly human with a few added-on bells and whistles. It lacks the awe or feel of ...
71
votes
5answers
3k views
Are geographically typed planets realistic?
In many science fictions we see planets which are designated by a particular terrain type. For example, Dagobah is a swamp planet, Tatooine is a desert planet, and Kamino is an ocean world.
However, ...
70
votes
18answers
14k views
Would a culture with magic consider it magic? [closed]
I was discussing with a buddy of mine about magic and how it could easily be explained using alternate laws of physics. She replied simply "Magic that relies on alternate physics is only magic to ...
69
votes
30answers
13k views
How to monetize magical mirrors in today's world?
This is kinda a followup question to my earlier question about magical mirrors: Magical internet - unique addressing system
Two months ago, I discovered an ancient house in the middle of woods. As I ...
69
votes
32answers
20k views
Why Would Aliens Enslave Humans?
Often in science fiction, we see aliens enslaving humans for one reason or another. This is a trope I'm attempting to repurpose, but before I go any farther, I'd like to ask: what possible motive or ...
69
votes
18answers
14k views
How could a language that uses a single word extremely often sustain itself?
The most commonly used word in english is "the" accounting for about 6% of all the words being used. The second most common word is "be" account for less than 1% of all the words used (see ngram ...
68
votes
21answers
15k views
How do we tell if we're living in a virtual reality world?
Since I haven't found anything like this yet. I was reading a novel and it talked about how some people created a 'Artificial Virtual Reality World' where the denizens were Human Artificial ...
67
votes
10answers
12k views
How much steel armor can you wear and still be able to swim?
I know there are many historical accounts of soldiers trying to cross a body of water and drowning, but this got me thinking how much of this was due to panic, lack of swimming skills, water currents ...
67
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12answers
14k views
Is it possible to create a practical sword that's naturally toxic?
While doing research, I stumbled across the alloy "arsenical bronze", in which copper is smelted with arsenic instead of (or in addition to) tin. This apparently gives you "a stronger final product ...
66
votes
36answers
23k views
How could I have modern computers without GUIs?
Even though text-based terminals still see specialty use cases, modern general-purpose computers generally run graphical software and have a graphical user interface (GUI). This includes everything ...
66
votes
14answers
11k views
How would people living in eternal day learn that stars exist?
In a world I am building, the day lasts longer than the year, 9 times longer in fact. The native people of this world have been forced to migrate around the world, both avoiding the scorching desert ...
66
votes
14answers
12k views
What would be left of a civilization founded in dinosaur times?
65 million years ago, a mass extinction event (likely caused by the Chicxulub Meteor) wiped out the dinosaurs, and their remains were hidden from us for millions of years.
Humanity was not around ...
65
votes
18answers
14k views
Architecture of the perfect zombie apocalypse refuge
Your mission, whether or not you choose to accept it, is to design the perfect refuge from the zombie apocalypse.
Starting assumptions and constraints:
The zombies will be slow (walking) zombies (...
64
votes
19answers
8k views
Where can I transform without being noticed?
I'm just your average person. Not rich, or particularly skilled at anything. Until a few days ago, when (for a reason I can't disclose) I got some amazing superpowers: I can fly, I'm completely ...
