# 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:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/61 "2003-07-02T21:39:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lightnin’ \* > \*\* > 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. > \*\* These already exist, and have for some time. GSM phones store all that information on their SIM card, and putting your SIM card into another phone authorizes that phone for use on your cellular service. > [@](#): > > \*\* > 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. > \*\* Do you mean some sort of access token that customizes a computer automatically when you plug it in? The military and large corporations use smart card technology to do this. ---
**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 3, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/62 "2003-07-03T01:23:05Z")
Wristwatches, VCRs, PC internal clocks, in fact any timepiece/chonometer have installed a simple radio reciever capable of taking in a time broadcast from some atomic clock somewhere, thus the timepiece stays in synch with True Time. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470/63 "2003-07-03T02:05:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. > \*\* Not really practical at all, in a cost saving way. It doesn’t cost the cable company any extra to send you 1 or 100 channels - the infrastructure is all there. However, they can jack up the rate for premium channels, or market a low cost solution to some people, pretty easily through the use of a basic filter package. However, if they were to customize every person’s channel layout, they’d need to have someone go out there and place a custom filter set - a pain in the ass, and it’d actually cost more to do that than to just give everyone all channels. Channels aren’t really a commodity, so you wouldn’t be saving anyone money by not using those extra 6 channels they give you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-dont-exist-but-could/184470.md?page=3)