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Old 03-10-2014, 08:23 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati near
2,628 posts, read 4,285,347 times
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I would like to see robotic technology applied to some of the more tedious aspects of home maintenance, particularly painting and cutting grass. I know there are grass cutting robots, but they are pretty not very advanced or useful.

I would also like to see improved security for credit/debit cards and checks. The signature is outdated, and a dead reliable biometric is needed.
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Old 03-11-2014, 08:48 PM
 
542 posts, read 689,526 times
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I want a device so I can put it in my pot on the stove and it'll alert me when it's begun boiling so I don't turn my lentils to mush.

Nanotechnology. Supposed to cure cancer and save the world. Plus catomic (I think that's the word) technology where your smartphone can transform into ... a CD player. Or whatever.

I want a smartphone that folds up. Maybe like a book, but more like a map. Then when it's unfolded it's way larger, but it'll fit in my pocket easily.

32GB flash drives that cost $2.
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Old 03-14-2014, 10:02 AM
 
Location: SC
8,793 posts, read 8,118,256 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tatooine View Post
I want a device so I can put it in my pot on the stove and it'll alert me when it's begun boiling so I don't turn my lentils to mush.
On that front, I'd like a set of pots that can turn the stove off when they begin to overheat.
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Old 03-15-2014, 08:52 PM
Zot
 
Location: 3rd rock from a nearby star
468 posts, read 679,534 times
Reputation: 747
Toasters and freezers. I still can't get a networked toaster and freezer to make my morning toast!
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Old 09-02-2014, 01:47 PM
 
Location: SC
8,793 posts, read 8,118,256 times
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Here are a couple of ideas...
  • A passive transponder chip that can be installed into my wallet or something that will always be in my house when I am there (maybe even a subcutaneous chip). When the home security system detects movement in the house, polls to see if I am also there. If I am, no alarm. If I am not claxon hell.
  • A kill switch in all high dollar electronics that will can be set off from my phone. I think it would lower the number of TVs and expensive stereo's stolen immediately. I'm sure the manufacturers wouldn't like this idea.
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Old 09-02-2014, 07:37 PM
 
18,495 posts, read 15,479,782 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blktoptrvl View Post
We all want safer airplanes, home automation, and better internet streaming, but what technological advance are you most disappointed hasn't happened yet?

For me:

(a) back in the nineties, i wanted a VCR that i could call from my cell phone and tell it what to record in case I wasn't home in time. We have gotten close, but still aren't there yet.
(b) i am amazed that i still cannot buy flat components to go with my flat tv. So, I have tvs that fit snug to the wall, but then have to have a shelf sticking out to put a receiver and dvd on. Why cant they mount flat to the wall too?
(c) why cant i buy a pc tablet that will mount into my car so i can have all the power of the radio, nav, cell phone, and other apps all in one place? And be able to take it with me into the office preventing the car from starting?
(d) why hasn't anyone invented something that will absolutely keep animals off the highway?
(e) personal shielding - so i can go to the movies or get gas without some nut shooting me would be nice.

What do you want. List it here. Maybe we can change the future.
1. Computers that will do what I tell them to, when I tell them to, no ands, ifs, or buts. In other words, no fidgeting with the hard drive for 40 seconds that cannot be interrupted when I click on something, I want it to respond to me first, and then get to its agenda later. Human is the master, not computer.

2. Internet browsers that don't need constant updates, flash players and other accessory programs included. I would like an internet that doesn't expect you to always have the latest greatest thing. If it needs updates, it wasn't done right the first time. All of them should be fully backwards compatible.

In other words, if it ain't broke don't fix it, and if it is broke, you should have done a better job the first time around.

3. Workplace secure remote connections secure enough for proprietary material used within a company, that doesn't fight you when you work there. Virtually every case I know (Don't even get me started on national labs such as Livermore), is one where nominally, one can telecommute, but in practice something always goes wrong and you end up having to go in in person anyway. The more secure the system, the worse it gets. Certainly things with less security do indeed allow telecommuting, the problem I have is that the more secure systems are either unreliable or virtually impossible to work with.

4. Virus-proof computers able to perform all modern functionalities.

5. Computers that can tell you, in English, why hang-ups occur, for example, when Skype or other apps get stuck on a loading screen forever, it should tell you what you must do to fix the problem, and should be reliable.

6. Robots that can perform simple medical procedures and make medical and dental care more affordable

7. A self-repairing car that lasts 100 years for no more than $25,000.

8. Better weather forecast models that go out for 21 days and still be as precise and reliable as early-21st century models were for 72 hour projections.

9. World weaning 80-90% off fossil fuels before 2030
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Old 09-02-2014, 08:33 PM
 
Location: Windham County, VT
10,855 posts, read 6,344,640 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swagger View Post
And a replicator would be nice, too.
^That's what I would want (a thing that makes more of the exact same thing),
and am disappointed at the lack thereof.

There are discontinued products or currently impossible to acquire items of which I have a only single example.
With a replicator I could endlessly copy those for future use, consumption, and great sensory enjoyment.

For instance, a beloved brand & flavor of tea the company quit making, I can't find anything even close to it.
Another thing, clove cigarettes (bit of an obsession for me) were banned in this country several years ago,
I have one left and would love to be able to make more from that last genuine article.

Not like I could afford a 3-D printer anyway, but it would need non-plastic ingredients
(thin, permeable paper plus herbs/spices/tobacco) capable of producing these two specialty items.
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Old 09-02-2014, 11:32 PM
 
4,299 posts, read 2,797,525 times
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It's an impossible dream but I really want a time machine more than anything. I wouldn't be stupid and make myself not be born like Marty.

I guess we are thinking more plausibly though so I would agree with there being too many ads on the internet (Ad Block takes out the wrong things sometimes) but I would also add
-an all in one video game console
I submitted this idea to an idea company once but they rejected. At least I got points for doing so though
-blocking spammers...I mean true blocking not the poor excuse that email providers do
-setting your DVR while you're on the go
-easier but safe way of getting rid of harder grime on your surfaces. my shower has black all around the end. it's gross but I kinda dread the process in a way because the fumes get to me
-waterproof Iphones or similar music device


last person mentioned about 3D printing. I would have said that but actually I think that's in the works because I was taking a survey about a month ago and it mentioned something about 3D printing.
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Old 09-03-2014, 08:08 AM
 
Location: Missouri
4,272 posts, read 3,776,873 times
Reputation: 1937
I'm disappointed that there is still a tremendous lack of standardization in the technology industry. For example, I would love to plug my Apple iPod into my Android Google TV device and just play the music. I could do without having to go to my computer, download this app onto my thumb drive, plug that into the android device, download the app, make a sacrifice to the tech Gods hoping it will not require the major modification (jeez, there is always some modification) that only a computer engineer or a 10 year old kid can make. I want my Apple and Android to just play together... no begging, no pleading, no ulcerating sores... that's all I want.

Also, available bandwidth in rural areas is a huge problem that doesn't seem to be easily solved because there's no profit in it's supply, no desire or ability to pay for the actual cost of supply, and there's little public support for subsidizing it.

Those are a couple of my tech issues.
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Old 09-03-2014, 07:51 PM
 
1,721 posts, read 1,513,505 times
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As a science fiction fan: everything. I am 20 and grew up in the 90s and I love science fiction. I also liked to look at old retro futurism of the 1950s and 1960s. I was hoping that around 2000 or 2010s I would see things like: Flying cars, jetpacks, hoverboards, moon and underwater cities, virtual reality, holograms, robots, food pills, interplanetary travel, and a whole lot of other things that I was expecting.
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