Rant What realistic invention or break through would total reinvigorate computing?

Zero point free energy is often flouted as some thing that would change deserts, change the world power balance and blah blah blah..

But its not realisitic, im not saying it will not one day exist, it might exist today but its not taxable and messureable and most importantly its not a safe technology which could be used with out oversight.

There are certainly people on this planet I would not trust with unlimited power.

What single invention or sciencetific break through would revolutionise, reinvigorate and enable western socity to create some global value and hence pay its debt to the rest of the world?

What would create a kick start on par with the 18th centry industrial revolution.


What would be uninversally used for good and create profit.

The wind up radio was a good one but really an industrial revolution.

 

Breaking Moore's Law (yes, I know it's already broken.)

Simply put, when computers are less commodity items and more things we buy like refrigerators or cars (with interchangeable parts and such both mass manufatured and long term supported) we can work on getting the world all to understand how to use one. As it is, there are NOW many different versions of just Windows? I mean, simply put, when the world thinks it can buy something and not update every year, then it might start adopting PCs more. That could truly usher in a universal digital age.

The world was pretty damn equal when all we had was rocks, or sticks, or swords. Please, without quoting me the Godson project, show me a developing country that has created a non-x86 derivative platform in wide usage and capable of connecting them to the Internet that we all know and love.

 

for computing id say quantum computing would revolutionize the PC world.

for just about everything - sit offers the potential to solve problems in seconds that would take a normal computer years.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/quantum-computer.htm

linky for people

 

so we got standardise on what the pc is vs what power it,

A true Quantum computer system that had AI would be pretty revolutionary, if every node on the internet was a AI compatable agent like snmp traps or what ever.

That would be a feature a service, a system, but would be kick start a new centry like the industrial revolution.

I heard once some one say that transport was very important to us, that if we had cheap fast (anti gravity?) transpot systems then the world would change?

Kayinblack, do you mean to say that if countrys became equal then we would see less progress?

 

Zero Point is a complete red herring - the amount of energy you can actually extract from it is bugger all.

QC would be utterly immense, but it's still a long way off being useful yet, let alone something you could bring home from QPC world.

I think the two most likely revolutionary bits are glass-type touchscreen large displays (in a non-holographic version of miniority report), high capacity SSD's at decent prices, and an increase in wireless connectivity.

 

No. If we had a standard computing architecture that was accessible by all the world's populace, and it wasn't going to be replaced for say twenty years, then we can start building an actual digital society. That's what I'm getting at.

 

There are obvious things I could say here like certain technologies and methods which are used in the enthuiast market and even some which are still limited to the military/ governments of developed countries going mainstream, but if I had to pick something that is viable and will probably be developed in the next 10-20 years and be widely used I would say it will be true Artificial Intelligence.

In response to what KayinBlack said about breaking Moores Law, semi organic CPUs have been discussed widely for the past few years. Something tells me we're not as far as people thinkg from achieving the goal of creating a CPU that is modelled more on the human brain and incorporates organic elements rather than just being millions of electronic switches etched on a wafer of semiconductor material.

As far as right now goes, I was on Marvell's website earlier today and was surprised to see how many great technologies they have come up with in the past year or so. Just read the first few articles on their home page and watch the demo video on the new Armada 610 microprocessor. They seem to have been almost silently blazing a massive trail in the embedded systems world, and I'd say they have much more to offer in the next few years with regard to ground breaking new technologies.

 

Smell-o-vision.

 

+1

That or Tactile holographic displays,

Or better yet, low cost space flight technology.

 

Direct brain to computer interface for input and all sensory output.
Greater wireless communication and power, for continuous mobile access.

 

I didn't disagree, I just think that wouldn't be as revolutionary to those of us that live in developed nations.

 

Fusion power.

 

Batteries that last.

 

Thread title said "realistic", dude

 

Good point. What ever happened to those fuel cells that were the next big thing in laptops?

 

The underwear bomber wasn't real, he was just smuggling one of the prototypes.

 

Maybe I should add something to do with computing. My guess would be silicon advances. Something like spintronics being used or any one of the hundreds of next possible steps to create ultra cheap computers.

 

Another vote for neural interfacing!

Not only would it speed up the entire process of using a computer it would also lead for better prosthetics and more accurate/faster operation of machines in general.

I can't think of a single other system which would transform our relationship with technology in such a drastic way.

 

Graphene wafters is a near term game changer, 200Ghz transistors and packages being able to be made out of nothing but treated Graphene wafers.

 

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