# what technilogical advancements did you hope for as a kid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 3, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113 "2002-11-03T14:09:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/1 "2002-11-03T14:09:53Z")
Here’s a few that I remember: - Moving sidewalks. I constantly wanted moving sidewalks in summer camp. Thought they just made sense. - I had an idea for some sort of drinking device that would change the flavor of the water inside to whatever flavor you chose. - Somehow I thought, and it really seemed to make sense at the time, that the problem with the 5 1/4 " floppy disks was that they were square (obviously I was a good kid, because if I had opened one up, I would have seen otherwise). I figured that square meant you could get an exact measurement of the sides. But if it was a _circle_ then you could never get an exact measurement of the surface area (I guess because of the irrational nature of pi), always allowing you more room to put a little bit more on the disk. Made sense at the time. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2002, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/2 "2002-11-03T14:12:52Z")
Safe, efficient nuclear-powered spaceflight to the outer parts of the Solar System. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/3 "2002-11-03T14:23:07Z")
Life-like self inflating blow-up Farrah’s. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/4 "2002-11-03T14:25:17Z")
Flight. Now I just hope for faster internet speeds 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/5 "2002-11-03T14:26:12Z")
The elimination of multiposts? A shoot 'em up type video game in which you controlled the action _as if you were looking through the protagonist’s eyes_! Apparently, the pinnacle of my imaginary technology peaked at **Castle Wolfenstein**. [sub]Well, that and personal jet-packs so practical they’d eliminate cars altogether.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/6 "2002-11-03T14:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*The elimination of multiposts? > \*\* That, and a spell checker for post subjects. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/7 "2002-11-03T14:55:31Z")
A more personalized mass transit system - like little tram cars just big enough for 4 people or so. You get in put in your destination and it would calculate the best route on a track system. High speed trains - I guess were getting to that now. a bridge from LI to CT Start of space colonies unlimited energy source (fusion?) energy weapons and tools ---
**Author:** ![Stccrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Stccrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stccrd)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/8 "2002-11-03T16:11:33Z")
I always wished for, and still do, something a bit odd. I call them molecular cubes. They would be small glass cubes about 1 inch on all sides, that would be translucent. You would be able to “Capture” anything in them for later use. Like i could put my car in there, and then transfer to wherever I would like, and then by some mechanism, have the object contained therein return to its original shape, size, etc. In other words, I think it would be cool to shrink stuff. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/9 "2002-11-03T16:19:32Z")
Immortality. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/10 "2002-11-03T16:51:42Z")
[ul][li]A bridge from Alaska to Siberia.[/li] [li]Space colonies[/li] [li]Phasers[/li] [li]Lightsabres[/li] [li]Self-Aware Computers[/li] [li]Flying Cars[/li] [li]Self-Piloting Cars[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/11 "2002-11-03T17:20:31Z")
I’m still waiting for the water fueled internal combustion engine! ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/12 "2002-11-03T17:35:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by k2dave \* > \*\*A more personalized mass transit system - like little tram cars just big enough for 4 people or so. You get in put in your destination and it would calculate the best route on a track system. > > \*\* How funny, I also wanted this. I think it was from watching _The Jetsons_. I also wanted a record player for cars, so you could play your records in a car. Only rich\* people had 8-track players in their cars, so I figured record players for cars would bring music on demand to us common folk. \*as determined by a five year old’s view of “rich” Underwater cities. Just seemed like a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/13 "2002-11-04T13:19:43Z")
Specifically, automatic sliding ones that would _whoosh_ open and shut when you waved your hand at a panel in the wall. If they slid up or irised open or broke into two diagonal halves with big interlocking teeth, so much the better. I used to slap the wall and go “whhoosh” under my breath when I walked through a door. _shrug_ too much Star Trek and Dr Who as a kid, I guess (oooh, and STARLOST…they had cool doors on that show…) sci-fi’vark ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/14 "2002-11-04T16:17:28Z")
[Flying cars.](http://www.moller.com/skycar/) [Jet packs.](http://www.solotrek.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/15 "2002-11-04T23:26:04Z")
Circa 1963: Flyin’ Cars Time Travel Computer Simulations 30 hour work week Grass that stopped growing at the height you would have cut it Housepaint and carpet that self-maintained its newness forever Chicago to Grandma’s house (275 miles) in the blink of an eye Video telephone Colonies on the moon Less pollution No asthma Food, clothing and shelter for everyone who wanted it ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/16 "2002-11-05T01:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by haardvark \* > \*\* > > I used to slap the wall and go “whhoosh” under my breath when I walked through a door. > > _shrug_ too much Star Trek and Dr Who as a kid, I guess (oooh, and STARLOST…they had cool doors on that show…) > > sci-fi’vark \*\* Heh. I did the very same thing when I was a kid. Of course, I also made the “Di-di-di-di-di” noise from The Bionic Woman when I ran. And that’s what I wanted when I was a kid. To be the Bionic Woman. Or at the very least have a bionic arm. I truly thought that by the time I was an adult that sort of thing would be readily available to whoever wanted to become bionic. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/17 "2002-11-05T04:33:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*[ul][li]Self-Piloting Cars[/li][/ul] \*\* A school book I had at one point in early elementary school (84’ or 85’ )said we’d get those, and I’m still waiting for them. Especially since I grew up to be someone who hates to drive. Of course, the book also said we’d run out of fossil fuels within 30 years, which is the figure I’m still hearing people use nearly two decades later… I also wanted driveways and walkways that would not allow snow to stick to them- and still be affordable. I’ve been a snow-hater most of my life 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/18 "2002-11-05T11:34:08Z")
- Fusion power - Space colonies - Manned flights to other stars - Undersea cities ---
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/19 "2002-11-05T18:03:56Z")
A Food-erac-o-Cycle \ from the Jetsons ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113/20 "2002-11-05T20:51:32Z")
Transporters, ala Star Trek. My dad is from Massachusetts and my mom is from Louisiana. Where to live was a constant battle when I was a kid, which nearly caused my parents to divorce a couple of times. I wanted us to be able to live wherever we wanted to, visit both families without driving for 3 days, and go to school in Alief, Texas where my friends (and the good schools) were. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technilogical-advancements-did-you-hope-for-as-a-kid/135113.md?page=2)