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Post by pumblechook on Sept 6, 2010 20:55:32 GMT 1
Aircraft for instance have not changed significantly over the last few decades. I suspect many other things will reach limits beyond which they won't significantly develop.
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Post by rsmith7 on Sept 6, 2010 20:59:59 GMT 1
Very true where commercial transport is concerned. I think the yanks have made some reasonable advances in military stuff though. I agree with your sentiment on the whole - I think the human race peaked in 1990. I did anyway.  |
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Post by pumblechook on Sept 6, 2010 21:15:48 GMT 1
Mobile phones are possibly reaching a limit. Microwave ovens will always use a valve (magnetron) and satellites use valves (travelling wave tubes) because power and high frequencies don't go together in bipolar or FET..transistors unless some other devices using semiconductors are developed.
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Post by abacus9900 on Sept 6, 2010 21:31:33 GMT 1
Aircraft for instance have not changed significantly over the last few decades. I suspect many other things will reach limits beyond which they won't significantly develop. Well (and I know this is a bit off-topic) if we are to believe some people some UFOs are really advanced secret aircraft and look what they can do! |
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Post by pumblechook on Sept 6, 2010 22:25:51 GMT 1
What can they do?
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Post by lazarus on Sept 7, 2010 0:51:48 GMT 1
Agreed, and the speed of road transport hasn't change much in many years either.
But I think some of this is simply due to the human control and safety element. Both aircraft and other vehicles could go much faster if unmanned as much of the system is restricted just to protect us.
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Post by Progenitor A on Sept 7, 2010 7:32:09 GMT 1
Mobile phones are possibly reaching a limit. Disagree. In their very infancy. Max digital rate currently 1MB? Peanuts, Hopelesly slow accessing the internet and very expensive. Much faster rates lie in the future and they will become devices that you fold up like a piece of A4 paper and put in your pocket. Unfold the paper to read your daily newspaper, a book, look at HD 3D TV and cinema, video conferencing whilst on the move, control your home, such as lighting, cookers etc, inspect your home whilst you are away by linking to cameras, landline phones disappear, competition causes the price of using to fall dramatically. |
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Post by abacus9900 on Sept 7, 2010 8:07:18 GMT 1
Quite right, naymissus.
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Post by rsmith7 on Sept 7, 2010 9:59:37 GMT 1
Mobile phones are possibly reaching a limit. Why can't you buy a mobile with a fag lighter attached?  I'd pay good money for such a thing. |
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Post by abacus9900 on Sept 7, 2010 10:16:26 GMT 1
They could probably do it but that wouldn't be PC, would it?
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Post by StuartG on Sept 7, 2010 10:49:15 GMT 1
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Post by abacus9900 on Sept 7, 2010 11:01:49 GMT 1
Blimey, I wouldn't have believed it if you'd told me!
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Post by pumblechook on Sept 7, 2010 11:09:47 GMT 1
I can't see mobile phones doing much more than they do now. They predicted that a central computer would control many things in the home. That hasn't happened. All you can say with any certainty about predictions for the future is that they are likely to be 90% wrong. I don't think the massive popularity of texting which to me seems slow and inefficient was predicted. We need a landline for the Internet.
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Post by rsmith7 on Sept 7, 2010 11:50:10 GMT 1
Thanks Stuart, I'm searching for one online right away. Awesome. |
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Post by havelock on Sept 7, 2010 11:53:56 GMT 1
Presumably, one could use it to singe away excess ear hair too :-)
But, from a science point of view (bearing in mind the board we're on), a heavy smoker would soon flatten the battery I assume. Generating enough heat to light a ciggie must use quite a bit of energy.
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