# Things That DON'T Exist, But Could **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 26, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470 "2003-06-26T06:25:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/21 "2003-06-26T18:21:43Z")
Good god, that’s hideous! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/22 "2003-06-26T18:25:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by X~Slayer(ALE) \* > \*\* > I know they can make a Heads-Up Display for cars so that i dont have to look down to check may guages. \*\* Have you got a cite for that? The military has been looking for a way to build HUDs into windshields, visors etc for awhile now but AFAIK they still don’t have a working prototype. > [@](#): > > \*\* > I want to have small cell phones that you can dial in a password and it will send you the exact location of the cell phone via GPS. Good for stolen cars and teenagers. \*\* Lojack works fine on cars. IIRC it’s about the size of a cigarette pack. I’m sure incorporating it into a cell phone would reduce the size of the Lojack. But how much would it increase the size of the phone? > [@](#): > > \*\*SCREW thsi flakey mouse! I want to look at a screen and the cursor follows where I am looking at. \*\* ``` They've had this for years. I'm sure one of the medical Dopers has more info on it. It ain't fast and it ain't cheap. If a patient can't move anything except their eyes, they can use this technology to communicate. ``` ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/23 "2003-06-26T18:47:00Z")
> [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* \*\*quote: > > ## Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor I’ve seen Remotes with noisemakers built into 'em, so they can be found. How pointless is that? Blasted gearheads! > > Which is simpler/cheaper/more convienent–a noisemaker thast helps you find the thing, or changing the color so you don’t lose it? :rolleyes: :smack: \*\* Right, because if your remote control were, say, under your sofa, the fact that it was dayglo green would be such an asset. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/24 "2003-06-26T18:48:17Z")
If you know how to operate masking tape and a spray can, you can make your remote any color you want. Bumble-bee stripes? Use clear office tape for crisp lines. The brake light that gets brighter as you brake harder was available a long time ago as an aftermarket item, but it never caught on. IIRC it was a row of lights, and harder braking made more light up. It had an accelerometer, so it started when you let off the gas, before you touched the brake. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/25 "2003-06-26T18:48:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > \*\*I’ve got [one](http://www.indemand.com/sports/incar2k3/remote/index.jsp) 🙂 \*\* I can’t find a site with a pic. But, I own Remote By The Slice, a univeral remote made to resemble a slice of pizza. The mute button is a mushroom. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/26 "2003-06-26T18:53:36Z")
**Doc** , my old Pontiac Bonneville used to have one (I think it was a '90?). Had a HUD for speed and RPM. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_B.Goode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Johnny\_B.Goode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_B.Goode)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/27 "2003-06-26T18:58:47Z")
Completely rust-proof cars. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/28 "2003-06-26T18:59:45Z")
Zoid-Could you give more details? ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/29 "2003-06-26T19:40:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Right, because if your remote control were, say, under your sofa, the fact that it was dayglo green would be such an asset. \*\* Yes it would because then I could spot it in the little bit of light that gets under the couch instead of having to dig out the flashlight, move the couch, or drag my hand through the mating grounds of the great north american mutant dustbunnys. ---
**Author:** ![modro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@modro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/modro)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/30 "2003-06-26T19:49:02Z")
Doc, New Caddies also have HUD’s. In fact, not only a HUD, but a nightvision HUD for at night. [http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/deville/nightvision.html](http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/deville/nightvision.html) Variable intensity brakelamps have been done before also: [http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/details/bmw033series/325xisportwagon/trim\_specs.html?refsrc=autos/make](http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/details/bmw033series/325xisportwagon/trim_specs.html?refsrc=autos/make) Scroll down to the lighting specs, variable intensity taillamps are installed on some BMW’s. HUD’s aren’t really that difficult, all they do is just shine whatever they want to display on the windshield up at it, and it just reflects back up to the driver. Like the Cadillac Night Vision. Before mentioned, adaptive cruise control is in use on some cars too, where radar is used to change vehicle speed to match cars around if they are going slower than you. What should be done, IMO, is some kind of alert if you try to lane change and there is a car in your blind spot. A means of waking sleeping truckers or other drivers would be good also. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/31 "2003-06-26T20:01:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sock Munkey \* > \*\*Yes it would because then I could spot it in the little bit of light that gets under the couch instead of having to dig out the flashlight, move the couch, or drag my hand through the mating grounds of the great north american mutant dustbunnys. \*\* Meh. I still say the auditory locator system is better. Dayglo green really clashes with my decor. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/32 "2003-06-26T20:12:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by modro \* > **HUD’s aren’t really that difficult, all they do is just shine whatever they want to display on the windshield up at it, and it just reflects back up to the driver. Like the Cadillac Night Vision.** It isn’t quite that simple. A properly-designed HUD will incorporate optics into the system so that the displayed information appears focused at infinity, so you can focus on the road ahead and still see the display sharply, without the strain of having to adjust your focus in and out. Ok, a minor nitpick, but there you have it. ---
**Author:** ![Wearia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Wearia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wearia)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/33 "2003-06-26T20:42:43Z")
I’d like to see a space hotel or at least a moon colony. I would be great just to know that any one time you look at the moon, someone could be looking back. Decent eye controlled computer mice. They suck right now, but if Microsoft started seriously looking into them, I could see them on shelves within 5 years. Guitars that use lasers instead of strings, a novelty more than anything else, but still kind of cool. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/34 "2003-06-26T20:52:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by X~Slayer(ALE) \* > **I want REAL x-ray vision glasss so that I CAN see thru womens clothing! 😃** There may be a job with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration in your future! From this article, [Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030626/ap_on_re_us/see_through_security_12) > [@](#): > > EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A scanner the government is testing for airport screening reveals much more than meets the eye to be comfortable for most passengers. > > Susan Hallowell, director of the Transportation Security Administration’s security laboratory, sacrificed a large measure of her own modesty Wednesday to demonstrate the problem. > > She stepped into a metal booth that bounced X-rays off her skin to produce a black-and-white image that revealed enough to produce a world-class blush. There’s a photograph accompanying the article that, I must say, is one of the most graphic I’ve ever seen of a federal bureaucrat. If you’ve ever wondered which of Ms. Hallowell’s breasts is the larger, you now have your answer… ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/35 "2003-06-26T21:47:49Z")
Thanks for the link, Q.E.D. I think I can justify the $100 to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/36 "2003-06-26T22:07:01Z")
How about some sort of futuristic container-like device that can keep perishable foods cool for an extended amount of time? I’m convinced this would end a lot of our food storage problems. Spoiled molasses, moldy cheese, expired pheasant… all of them could be things of the past. We could call it **the Refrigerizer**. Come on, science… how about it!!! ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/37 "2003-06-26T22:09:14Z")
Thanks for the link **chukhung**! but good golly! couldnt they have tested that thing on Haley Berry or Byonce or something?! …didnt expect the hair to disappear… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/38 "2003-06-26T23:06:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Meh. I still say the auditory locator system is better. Dayglo green really clashes with my decor. \*\* Why not have them come in a variety of colors so you can pick the one you like? That kind of thing has worked well with dozens of other products. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/39 "2003-06-26T23:27:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spoons \* > **A cable plan where you can pay for and receive only the channels that you want, rather than having to pay for a package of channels that has one or two you want, and five or six that you never watch. The technology to customize channel availability must be there somewhere…** # I never really took the time to commended him, but **bjohn13** (who works in the cable industry) did take alot of time and effort to explain why cable tier service exists in a very fair, even tempered and well written manner in this [Pit Rant.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176680) I myself would love to see an architect / engineer design a hotel with modern dumb waiters in each room. Imagine the possibilites: Room service orders (champagne / sliced fruit platters / breakfast) sent right up roomwith out the intrusion of a hotel employee - no need to even throw on a robe. No disgusting trays on carts with half eaten food & dirty dishes left out in the hallway. A huge convenience for guests and a huge payroll savings for the hotel. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/40 "2003-06-26T23:30:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chukhung \* > …She stepped into a metal booth that bounced X-rays off her skin to produce a black-and-white image that revealed enough to produce a world-class blush. Blush or Bush? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470.md?page=3)