dougsmith - 15 October 2010 04:09 AM

Point to point beaming would change the world a huge amount: no privacy, no security. Star Trek never took it seriously, IMO.

(Not clear if its drawbacks would outweigh its benefits, but it would completely change society).

There was a sci-fi story about teleportation technology being developed. It required a sender/receive unit. In the story when the technology first came out people put the units in their house. They would then return to find they’d been thoroughly robbed.

Teleportation (even if only non-living items) would so radically change the world. You could live pretty much anywhere and have access to pretty much anything. Trucking, shipping, air freight, all would be obsolete. (Granted those industries would most likely fight tooth and nail to hamstring the technology.)

ESP would be scary. On the plu side, it might drastically reduce crime, as the truth about who committed a crime would be easy to determine. Provided of course that the guilty part was present to have their mind read. Hmm… It might also prevent innocent people from going to jail.

(Just think what ESP would do for marriage counseling. )

Take care,

Derek

I’m thinking magic would have the most drastic effect on our world.  Though I’m not sure whether it would be for the better or the worse.  Possibly both.  Can you imagine being able to bend and break the laws of physics, and reality in general, with but a thought?  It would be chaos.

Dead Monky - 15 October 2010 02:26 PM

I’m thinking magic would have the most drastic effect on our world.  Though I’m not sure whether it would be for the better or the worse.  Possibly both.  Can you imagine being able to bend and break the laws of physics, and reality in general, with but a thought?  It would be chaos.

Problem is that ‘magic’ is such a large topic, it’s hard to know what to say about it. It depends on what kind of magic it would be.

I was thinking the typical fantasy game kind.  You know, teleportation, fireballs, levitation, lightning bolts, scrying, the grab-bag kind.

harry canyon - 15 October 2010 10:55 AM

There was a sci-fi story about teleportation technology being developed. It required a sender/receive unit. In the story when the technology first came out people put the units in their house. They would then return to find they’d been thoroughly robbed.

Teleportation (even if only non-living items) would so radically change the world. You could live pretty much anywhere and have access to pretty much anything. Trucking, shipping, air freight, all would be obsolete. (Granted those industries would most likely fight tooth and nail to hamstring the technology.)

Right, and people would have access to you as well. Murder, rape, assault, theft, all would become frighteningly easy. You could rob the bank in a flash.

If you can remember the name of the story, I’d like to take a look. (I’m sure this all must have been dealt with a million times in SF stories).

...and if there was FTL travel, they could get far, far away very fast.

Wow, with teleportation, imagine the affairs I could have! I could rendezvous with my lover on my lunch break! We could meet in Paris, have a nice romp in the hay, and I would be back on time to go to work again!! 

Until a terrible transporter accident merged you together into a single, horrific monster that would terrorize the night streets of Paris for years to come.

Rocinante - 15 October 2010 07:48 AM

I think the the Zombie Apocalypse would be a big change…for the better!

Lots and lots of target practice.

Truthfully, I think the biggest myth that would change the world if it were true is the one about non crazy mother in laws, or even (hehe) the one about there being mother in laws that aren’t haters. I know it would have the biggest impact of them all anyway. Now if were talking about Zombie mother in laws, (they’re half way there anyway) well that changes things completely. Or is it just me?