Questions tagged [technology]
For questions about the creation, use, and application of all types of technology.
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Could underwater living organism create technology?
Could underwater creatures with the intelligence of human cave men or possibly the intelligence of apes create technology (that is, more complex technology comparable to what we have now rather than ...
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Hard Sci-fi energy shields
I'm making a fairly hard Sci-Fi story, and I was wondering what the most scientifically plausible 'energy shield' (for ships and stations) would be. My world tries to remain true to basic physics, but ...
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Could medieval people produce automatic firearms if they had access to the schematics?
Assume you traveled back in time to the middle ages, and you brought with you the schematics of a fully automatic firearm. Could a group of experienced smiths and jewelers reproduce it? What would the ...
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How would an aquatic race develop computers?
Following on from this question and assuming the race in question had developed the ability to create tools how would they approach the need for mass calculation.
Our early computers were used to ...
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If magic is real, can it be true that rational scientific thought should exclude it?
"Magic and science coexist." A tired phrase by now, because it's found in so much fiction. But can it make sense?
Assume a world broadly parallel to our own. It has experienced its Age of ...
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Must magic be tied to medieval tech?
Most settings with a magical component, whether this means wizards, magical races, or something similar, seem to be parked at a medieval level of development in terms of technology and society. Is ...
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Concealing my earth-changing invention
Imagine it. I've invented the single greatest thing since Fire. A machine that can turn matter into energy and energy into matter with almost absolute efficiency. Sure, it violates a couple of the ...
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How would an aquatic civilisation forge tools?
One of the first steps in technological is the ability of a civilisation to forge tools* humans achieved this by using fire and creating forges.
There are obviously underwater heat sources but I don'...
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Rail Transportation with Races Described Below - Specifically, Seating
I'm currently building a world for a D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) set in the far future, where humans have escaped from a nuclear war roughly 100 years from 2020. Humans have started coming back 200 ...
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Speedrun to the moon in one lifetime?
Imagine you have a large population of adolescent humans (as large as you need) on a completely uncultivated Earth, initially containing no artificial structures whatsoever, only natural resources. ...
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How long can a power plant continue to generate electricity without maintenance by people?
The situation is as follows: there is a city with different districts, each provided with electric power from a different power plant:
Thermal power plant
nuclear power plant
Hydroelectric power ...
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How much technological regression is plausible?
I'm working on a post-apocalyptic world for a game and the more I think about it the more unsure I get about the technological development of the setting being believable.
So I'm asking how likely a ...
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How to solve the old 'gun on a spaceship' problem?
The problem: If somebody fires a (kinetic) gun on a spaceship, the bullet is likely to penetrate the hull and cause a host of problems.
I want to incorporate spaceships and fighting on them and in ...
user6415
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Realistic Santa and Reindeer
With advanced technology would it be possible to make something like the Santa in the story as well as the reindeer? If so could a realistic Santa be a human or would him and his reindeer have to be ...
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A small group recreating modern technology
Suppose a group of people get transported back in time (say 2500 years). Then, in a manner reminiscent of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, they try to re-design modern technology. Assume ...
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Why would a magic world be stuck in medieval times?
This is related to Must magic be tied to medieval tech?, but not the same.
So the setup:
There are two worlds, one is Earth, as it is now, with all its history. The other is a magic world, with an ...
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Is there any way to truly hide a spaceship?
Space is two things: empty and (mostly) dark. This makes it really, really hard to hide in it, because to do anything in it, chances are, you'll be shining a big bright light through it.
Even if you'...
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How to make the development and use of Steam Engines preferred over that of Combustion Engines?
Intro: I have gone some way to make airships more preferable over land-based transport in my beautiful conworld. E.g. making tunneling harder & making flying easier. Though there's plenty left to ...
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How might you detect a "life sign"?
It's a common trope in science-fiction: "scanning for life signs". A few taps on the screen, and you get an instant population count, often with the ability to distinguish species, and even personal ...
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How to get rid of all the heat in my spaceship?
Spaceships are a peculiar thing. We've got them in all forms, sizes & colours. They run on nuclear fusion, creating loads of power driving all sorts of shenanigans... but they still generate lots ...
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Science, Religion, Magic: Can they be maintained in equal and parallel opposition?
This has been a burning question of mine for many years:
If magic is real, can it be true that rational scientific thought should exclude it?
In the course of discussing it, I've realized I need to ...
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What if an Earth-like planet had no axial tilt? (climate and technology) [closed]
Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions and answers - here's a more streamlined question - presently focused on implications on climate and technology. I've also added a little more explanation in the ...
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Hacking the universe
Imagine the whole universe is a simulation. This should include also the people living in the universe (so more Simulacron than Matrix). And now imagine there's a group of hackers who knows (or ...
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How do you solve the copied consciousness conundrum without killing anyone?
What do digital immortality, teleportation, the show Doctor Who, and a horror game released in 2015 have in common?
The idea of copied consciousness.
Each of these examples relies on copying the ...
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With current technology, what would be the best way to store energy for future generations?
Let's say that the world has successfully converted and only depends on renewable resources for our home energy needs. In fact, we have a massive surplus - currently in the form of raw electricity ...
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How might it be possible to move a star?
I'm imagining a super-powerful spacefaring race which has the capability to build or modify a star system or even galaxy by moving stars around, but I wonder if it's really feasible.
Is it ...
user10287
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How fast could a civilization advance if given access to information from future?
Suppose a civilization from the past was suddenly given access to a huge database of information from modern times. How fast might such a civilization develop, compared to how they otherwise would ...
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How big can we make a telescope?
I've mentioned in earlier posts that it will be much cheaper to build immense space-based observatory instruments than to even come close to launching an interstellar expedition.
There are several ...
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Realism of Solid light?
In the game Portal, there are glowing light platforms. These platforms are (supposedly) made of solid, compressed light. How can these realistically be made?
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A big primitive computer in orbit, very big, powerfull but old technologies from 80's, what is a potential fiat money value for its use? [closed]
This question about the economy of technological solution, there 800 of such on wb
Was looking for materials for the answer to the question
Semiconductor foundries are a thing of the past. Rebuild the ...
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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 ...
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How can I hide my island?
I'm a supervillain. I have no name, but you can rest assured my intentions are dubious and always result in general harm.
My biggest problem these days are these pesky superheroes keep finding my ...
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How can I build a Nuclear Reactor in my backyard? [closed]
In my world, having a nuclear reactor at your own house is legal, in fact government donates money in the form of subsidies ( So no constraints of funds). This might have been practical because of ...
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How would humans adapt if low-wage labor was done by robots?
Background: Nearly all low-wage labor is done by humanoid robots (retail, factories, transport, sanitation, construction, mining, and similar fields). These robots have all the physical capabilities ...
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Could a technological society develop without wood?
Imagine a world things evolved slightly different: plants never evolved into trees. There are bushes, herbs, mosses, etc, but no trees. Thus no wood to make planks, nor for building.
Given abundant ...
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How could ghosts be explained without an afterlife?
I've always loved well-done ghosts. However, I've always hated the afterlife-speculation that they engender if used in a story. So I need a way to get ghosts without the fluffy spiritualistic bits. ...
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How to bootstrap technological development from one man in the forest, to building a spaceship? [closed]
The last human alive is on the Antarctic continent and needs to find a way to leave the planet before Earth becomes unsustainable for life. (He would look for a planet orbiting a younger star. That ...
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How close can we get to heated blades?
In many sci-fi scenarii, most often when mechs are involved, it is not uncommon to see such a technology, usually called heated blade. Supposedly, it would make the blade even more efficient at ...
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If all our technology disappeared, how long would it take to make a smart phone?
Suppose all of technology in existence disappeared overnight, except for the clothes everyone is wearing. No houses, man-made structures of any kind, just the land as it was say 60,000 years ago. All ...
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A post-apocalyptic industrial revolution
It's been a couple of thousand years since humanity bombed itself back to the stone age. Most places are now safe to travel through but there's barely any sign of the old cities, new ones have sprung ...
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How do you establish identity when people can change their appearance at will?
Building on the universe established in this question, what happens to identity verification when someone's physical appearance and genetic code are modifiable at any time?
Review of universe rules:
...
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Reverse engineering electronics
I haven't found this question anywhere else so I don't think it's a duplicate. So here it goes, some background information of the world.
Suppose there is a civilization with access to magic which ...
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How can my ancient Roman civilization develop effective steam power for use in ships?
Following on from this question which specifically asks about the consequences of aeolipile development, how can my ancient Roman civilization develop effective steam power for use in their ships?
I ...
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End-user experience and prominent use cases of robust interplanetary internet
Having recently learned about the Interplanetary Internet in development by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and inspired by Kim Stanley Robinson's novel 2312, I began to wonder about the actual ...
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Technology developing in a different order - nukes without gunpowder?
We always think of some technology as being more advanced than others, e.g. (space rocket) > (aeroplane) > (car). To what extent is such a scale absolute, and to what extent does it just come from the ...
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How hard is it to build a generator if you've jumped to the distant past?
In this question:
How far can a time traveller go into the past before his electrical equipment becomes unchargeable?
@Mark assures us that "Building a generator can be done at any time:" (just wind ...
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How to maintain large ships in hostile atmosphere?
The simplest effective method for maintaining large flying vessels is needed
My society is a pirate haven which has low technology and resources. They have jury-rigged some system to keep the fleet ...
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Feasibility of a Synthetic Buoyancy Bladder, Used in the Air
Many fish have specialized organs called buoyancy bladders which allow them to control their buoyancy - effectively rising or sinking in the water.
What if humans adapted this to use in the air? I'm ...
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Could a percussion rifle be produced in the 15th-17th century?
Could a percussion rifle such as the springfield m1861 be made somewhere between the 15th-17th century? If so how would it be made?
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Could a photonic engine actually work?
I have a very specific aesthetic in mind for my science-fantasy setting, technology is largely pneumatipunk supplemented with weired phonotic devices;for "reason" there are few electrical devices in ...
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