# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/41 "2003-06-27T03:41:41Z")
About the HUD displays in cars, I’d heard that they were having a serious problem with drivers who kept staring at the display instead of the road… How about foam filled fuel tanks on cars like race cars and military fighters have? I’m sure plenty of former Pinto owners would have liked such a feature… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/42 "2003-06-27T04:17:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*MC- That was odd. Not counting one car meant as a roadable plane, every 3 wheeled car design I’ve seen places the single wheel in the rear. \*\* [The Davis](http://www.suarezweb.com/davis/) was built in a similar manner. ---
**Author:** ![Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Planet_of_the_Shapes)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/43 "2003-06-27T14:19:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by X~Slayer(ALE) \* > \*\* 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. > \*\* Something like this is already here in a primitive form, and is being developed, in the UK anyway i think. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3012170.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3012170.stm) ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/44 "2003-06-27T14:32:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sock Munkey \* > \*\*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. \*\* It’s much more convenient to have one that uses Clapper technology. You clap, the remote beeps. That way even if it’s waaaay under the couch, you’ll find it. And if it’s waaaaay under the couch, the fact that it’s Day-Glo green won’t help you. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/45 "2003-06-27T16:03:04Z")
Cars with desmodromic valvetrains. ---
**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 27, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/46 "2003-06-27T20:52:46Z")
I had to google desmodromic, it’s an excelllent idea. ---
**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 28, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/47 "2003-06-28T08:28:10Z")
Fire hydrants that require special equipment to open. Every summer, folks with wrenches turn on hydrants to cool off. Why not some kind of system so that they can only be opened with specialized equipment? It would have to be something that was low-tech, and unlikely to break during an emeregency. But I think it could be done. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/48 "2003-06-28T10:09:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*Fire hydrants that require special equipment to open. Every summer, folks with wrenches turn on hydrants to cool off. Why not some kind of system so that they can only be opened with specialized equipment? It would have to be something that was low-tech, and unlikely to break during an emeregency. But I think it could be done. \*\* They are designed to be opened by pentagonal shaped wrenches. But anybody with a strap-wrench can bypass that. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/49 "2003-06-29T05:11:58Z")
Car headlights that move when you turn the steering wheel, pointing in the direction of the turn, so you can see where you’re about to go. [sub]And for the one other person that gets the reference here, this post is a bit of an in-joke.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/50 "2003-06-29T07:33:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gunslinger \* > \*\*Car headlights that move when you turn the steering wheel, pointing in the direction of the turn, so you can see where you’re about to go. > > [sub]And for the one other person that gets the reference here, this post is a bit of an in-joke.[/sub] \*\* You do know that Lexus has such a feature on one of it’s new SUV’s, don’t you? And the idea _didn’t_ originate with Preston Tucker, BTW. They first appeared as an after-market item for Packards back in the 1920s. Tucker just happened to be a Packard salesman at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/51 "2003-07-02T02:16:53Z")
I want a screen-saver featuring Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny fighting Matrix-style. ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/52 "2003-07-02T03:00:10Z")
One single remote that controls the TV, VCR, DVD player, receiver, Tivo, and satellite TV service. What a pain it is to have to juggle up to six remotes ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/53 "2003-07-02T03:53:02Z")
You can get learning remotes that do this, can’t you? Well, okay, it’s a seventh remore for your coffee table, but then you can hide all the other ones in a drawer… The industry should have gotten together back in the eighties and standardised the protocols and codes for remotes… ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/54 "2003-07-02T04:07:18Z")
Learning remotes? I’ll have to look into that. ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/55 "2003-07-02T05:03:47Z")
Paintbrushes that are easy to clean, even when left overnight in oil-based latex paint! ---
**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:** [July 2, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/56 "2003-07-02T06:17:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Soup\_du\_jour \* > \*\*Paintbrushes that are easy to clean, even when left overnight in oil-based latex paint! \*\* Perhaps the fibers could be made of teflon? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/57 "2003-07-02T14:14:06Z")
[Beststuff.com on learning remotes](http://www.beststuff.com/articles/4723/). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/58 "2003-07-02T18:30:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sock Munkey \* > \*\*Why not have them come in a variety of colors so you can pick the one you like? \*\* Mine’s [blue](http://www.epinions.com/514105_RCA_RCU300WB_Universal_Remote_Control). ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/59 "2003-07-02T20:26:54Z")
1. A solar-powered mini air cooler for cars… so, in the middle of a Texas summer, your car’s not nine hundred degrees. Come on- we’ve got all that wasted roof space! If it cools enough, it’d save a goodly amount of pet lives, at least. 2. A Bluetooth-enabled watch that can be configured to read info from a similarly-enabled PDA, GPS, cell phone… in other words, you wouldn’t have to remove those items from your backpack or whatever, you’d just leave them where they are, and you’d interface with them using the watch on your wrist. Damn, that’d be handy on a hike. 3. A cell phone keeps your address book on the phone company’s servers- so when you get a new phone, all you have to do is basically “sync up” with the server, over the phone line, and get all your data back. 4. Cell phones that keep your info on a smart card- including your phone’s UIN. That way you could have multiple phones (one for camping, one that’s a PDA, one that matches your business suit), and all you’d have to do is transfer the smart card between them. 5. A photovoltaic fabric- use it to make a jacket or backpack that recharges your battery powered items while you’re in the sun. 6. A UPS device that stores, say, 256 meg or so- and an operating system that interfaces completely with it. It’d store your personal settings for your email and the program settings you use, as well as email and shortcuts for your browser, that sort of thing. When you sit down at a new computer, you’d plug it in- and it’d be like you’re working at your personal computer again. Remove it, and nobody can access your personal stuff like passwords, etc. You wouldn’t be able to save the programs you use to it, but you’d be able to save your settings IN those programs. 7. A file compression program and an antivirus program that are actually built into, and work seamlessly with, your operating system. Why these haven’t been standard for years, I can’t understand. I’ve been waiting for this for years, though I understand Microsoft is finally getting into the AV field. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/60 "2003-07-02T21:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _ **Lightnin’** said:_ > Cell phones that keep your info on a smart card- including your phone’s UIN. That way you could have multiple phones (one for camping, one that’s a PDA, one that matches your business suit), and all you’d have to do is transfer the smart card between them. All GSM (in the USA: AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, Cingular, plus smaller companies) phones can do this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470.md?page=4)