From Technology on Wikipedia: The word technology comes from Greek τεχνολογία (technología); from τέχνη (téchnē), meaning "art, skill, craft", and -λογία (-logía), meaning "study of-". The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical ...
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Why did the Gnurrs come from the Voodverk Out? [closed]
Please identify the name of the main character and how the brought the Gnurrs from the Voodverk out and with what instrument?
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0answers
73 views
I have a slight need to discuss my latest work … [closed]
http://www.nicholaslawson.com is a place where my latest science fiction piece has been posted. If it is within the scope of this forum I want to share my work with you otherwise please down vote the ...
8
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1answer
454 views
How can Geordi see screens?
Geordi La Forge's visor can be used to see different electromagnetic fields. This lets him see people as glowing fields, as well as other fields. How can he see monitors and other interfaces? A screen ...
2
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2answers
224 views
Kinetic Barriers in Mass effect
Prevalant in the Mass Effect Universe are the kinetic shields. These are able to protect the wearer by absorbing the damage caused by high velocity particles from lets say, an assault rifle for a ...
8
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7answers
385 views
Why would a slug thrower be more effective against a lightsaber/Jedi than a blaster?
From this question about gunpowder in the Star Wars universe it is quoted that the shot from a slug thrower is not completely deflectable by a lightsaber. This seems to be listed as an advantage ...
9
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1answer
201 views
Why don't they use gunpowder in the Star Wars universe?
Especially in the Republic era when the use of the lightsaber was more common, why didn't anybody use chemical propellants (real life modern guns)? A modern-day assault rifle has at least 10 times the ...
2
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1answer
68 views
How did the return “mirror switch” work in the episode Mirror Mirror?
In the episode Mirror Mirror the landing party get sent to a mirror universe during a transporter malfunction while beaming back to the Enterprise. They conclude that they must have switched places ...
6
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2answers
192 views
Have any of Heinlein's (then) fictional inventions been developed into actual ones?
I'm not a smoker, but I thought that Heinlein's self-lighting cigarette idea is a darn good one. Are any of his fictional inventions actually being produced or researched in the real world?
4
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1answer
133 views
What functionality does a tricorder have?
I've gleaned from a previous answer that a tricorder is named such due to it's three main scanning functions:
The word "tricorder" is a portmanteau of "tri-" and "recorder", referring to the ...
2
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5answers
151 views
Concept of Invisibility [closed]
From the various sci-fi movies & games, Are there any logical theories for the concept of invisibilty?
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0answers
47 views
Films featuring dysfunctional technology? [closed]
After watching the film Brazil (1985) I realized that there are not many movies that portraying technology in a unsuccessful way, specially Psy-fi movies, where most of the time technology dominates ...
2
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1answer
144 views
In the Alien franchise is there ever an explanation for the simplicity of the computers?
Beyond the limits of the technology of the real-world at the time the first film was made, has the seemingly low complexity of the computer interfaces ever been effectively retconned?
For example, in ...
4
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1answer
96 views
Could Star Wars deflector shields prevent non-weaponized energy signals?
Star Destroyers do have deflector shields. The "ray shield" deflector types are designed to prevent energy based attacks, such as blaster or laser cannon fire. But what about other types of energy ...
7
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2answers
124 views
How long do naquadah generators last?
In Stargate Atlantis, the naquadah generators power parts of the city under (what assume is) a constant and heavy load. They would have to last at least a few months, if not longer. Is there any ...
3
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3answers
169 views
How are Aluminium objects made in the first Mistborn Trilogy?
In the third mistborn book the main characters get their hands on some Aluminium from a set of cutlery from a noble's house.
It is stated that is is incredibly rare and valuable, much more so than ...
20
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2answers
4k views
How long did it take for the Death Star (1) to reload?
In the battle of Yavin, the Empire wants to destroy a moon that is hidden behind the planet Yavin. They circle around the planet because the moon is hidden. Again: They are on a space station that can ...
3
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1answer
56 views
In “They Live”, could the human collaborators see through the illusions?
In They Live, the world is filled with hidden messages, as well as aliens and alien technology hidden from normal human sight. The rebels had "Hofmann lenses" available as sunglasses and contact ...
4
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1answer
166 views
Identify this movie - a robot with a hypodermic needle that causes hallucinations
I am looking for the name of a movie. One of the scenes involves a robot that possesses a kind of hypodermic needle, which injects a substance that causes very intense hallucinations, eventually ...
9
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2answers
302 views
Is There Any Science Behind the Magic in Harry Potter?
Hearing a friend recently mention Clarke's Third Law (Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.) and me thinking about how portkeys seem to act like opening possible ...
18
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3answers
566 views
Why doesn't technology advance in fantasy settings?
In High Fantasy settings it always seems like centuries and sometimes millennia go by with no technological advancement. Is there any reason why?
9
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2answers
135 views
What is the earliest instance of a SciFi work describing a massive universal database of knowledge?
What is the earliest instance of a SciFi work describing a system satisfying the following criteria (basically a massive computer database coupled with the networking system to access it available to ...
11
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3answers
254 views
How could the Tollans get through the SGC iris with their phase shifting technology?
The Tollans possessed phase shifting technology that allowed them to walk through solid matter.
Stargate Command's Iris forms a barrier less than 3 μm from the event horizon, preventing matter from ...
26
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3answers
892 views
What are illegal/forbidden uses of the Holodeck?
I remember the episode where Laforge's engineer, Reginald Barclay, uses the holodeck to strengthen his self confidence by creating holodeck clones (Musketeers) of the Enterprise crew, to fight against ...
12
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2answers
390 views
How did Star Trek characters detect being unconsciously tricked into a simulated Holodeck reality?
In several episode and movies the Holodeck plays a huge role. I remember Prof. Moriarity, Riker kidnapped by Romulans, Insurrection Movie.
In what ways did the Star Trek characteres realize in ...
9
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2answers
617 views
How are weapons in Mass Effect powered?
In the Mass Effect universe, there used to be limited need for ammo, since it was explained that each weapon used a large block of metal from which it would actively 'shave' off tiny pieces to use as ...
12
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4answers
648 views
Is the IP address used realistically in the book “REAMDE”?
I understand that IP addresses are not reliable in pin-pointing a person's
physical location. The inaccuracy is attributed to multiple factors. The
IP could be from the DHCP pool and shared between ...
8
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1answer
214 views
How are transporters able to transport energy?
It has always been my understanding that Start Trek transporters were an elaborate form of replicator. That is, when a person or thing is being transported, only a data stream is really being ...
7
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2answers
201 views
How can the Doctor be poisoned?
In Let's Kill Hitler, an episode from the 11th Doctor, the Doctor and his companions encounter the usual assortment of difficulties and obstacles.
However, the biggest difficulty contains something ...
29
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2answers
723 views
In Star Trek - What's the Point of the Transporter Room?
I hope this isn't a silly question but I've been watching TNG and this bothers me.
The transporter 'pad' area is relatively small. As a guess, maybe 12 people can fit on it. But the vast majority ...
20
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3answers
877 views
Why can latinum not be replicated?
According to Memory Alpha, Latinum cannot be replicated. What is the reason for that?
20
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1answer
406 views
What are the markings in the transporters in Star Trek for?
There are always these circular spots in the transporter rooms on which the teleported people appear and where they wait for the teleportation to happen.
(Image from Ex Astris Scientia).
These ...
20
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3answers
1k views
Did the Iron Man suit come from HYDRA's technology?
In Captain America, HYDRA is shown to have a great deal of advanced technology that was only feasible due to the extremely advanced Cosmic Cube-derived power source. HYDRA's Dr. Zola is credited as ...
35
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4answers
1k views
What keeps a lightsaber from going on infinitely?
Is there a reason ever given that explains why a lightsaber (which I assume/was made to assume is a sort of laser) doesn't go on infinitely like a normal laser (excluding atmospheric conditions)?
...
27
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5answers
801 views
Why was life support so time-critical in Star Trek ships?
In Star Trek, the loss of life-support for any time—minutes or seconds—seems like an extremely time-critical problem where people must be immediately transported out or every system is ...
4
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1answer
189 views
If Bender can survive as a ghost, why the concern for the lack of backup units?
In the Futurama episode, Lethal Inspection, it's revealed that Bender has a defect where he lacks the ability to upload himself to backup bodies in the case of his body being destroyed. But in Ghost ...
17
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5answers
1k views
Can spaceships really explode in space?
Take for example the opening of Revenge of the Sith. We see spaceships fighting with other spaceships using laser canons and missiles. Then when one spaceship is destroyed, we see fire and heavy black ...
8
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2answers
431 views
How much volume is there in the 'hollows' of human bones?
Since the Extremis storyline, Tony Stark stores a portion of the Iron Man armor inside the hollows of his bones. My really basic understanding of biology knows that inside our bones is marrow, which ...
14
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3answers
922 views
What is the difference between a phaser and a disruptor?
What is the Star Trek "physics" difference between phaser and disruptor technologies? It seems that only Star Fleet possessed 'phased energy' technology while all aggressive aliens in the Star Trek ...
12
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6answers
521 views
Is there a name for this fictional technology?
In the movie Super 8, there's a sort of technology that I don't think I've seen before. Part of the plot of the film revolves around an alien. Some of this alien's technology I don't think I've seen ...
22
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3answers
633 views
Why did the Tollan get wiped out?
In SG-1 we met the Tollan. They never went through a 'Dark Age' after being transplanted from Earth, and are thus at least 200 years ahead of us, technologically.
In their first appearance they ...
12
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2answers
297 views
Technology behind the ZPM and Gravity Gun
Does anyone know if the Zero Point Energy gun and the Zero Point Module are related? Do they operate on similar technologies? (I think they both use gravity, but in different forms) It would also be ...
10
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2answers
269 views
Planet with hexagons with either magic or technology
I read a good book a while ago and can't remember the title.
It is the story of people stuck on a planet made of hexagons where the level of technology is set: some have high level tech, others have ...
18
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4answers
695 views
Where does Q technology come from and where did it orginate?
In a Star trek Universe we discover that the Q power's are optional and not a part of the actual race (they can be taken away from a particular Q and can be taken away as a whole doing a huge ...
9
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2answers
397 views
Why did the Tau'Ri need ZPMs when they had the technology to contruct a power-booster device?
During my re-watching of some of the early SG-1 seasons, I came across a classic episode, "The Fifth Race". During this episode, using purely Terran technology, O'Neil constructs what is discovered ...
34
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6answers
1k views
Why is there a lot of low-tech in Battlestar Galactica?
On one hand, residents of the Twelve colonies perfected travel in spaceships and FTL jumps, but on the other hand, they have some really low-tech technologies, such as disconnecting a network by ...
11
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2answers
273 views
Earliest story about civil nuclear power
Does anybody know which is the earliest SF story about the civil uses of nuclear power (possibly, power generation)?
The best I can find is a 1940 short story by Robert A. Heinlein, “Blowups Happen” ...
6
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1answer
705 views
Mass Effect - Technology Explanation - %could be real, %impossible?
In the popular video game Mass Effect on Xbox, you can find explanations about the technology that is used in the game. It seems that some of the technology is based on things that could be realized ...
49
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11answers
5k views
Why don't muggle-born wizards use Muggle technology to fight Death Eaters?
We know that wizards in Harry Potter universe are subject to regular physical harm (e.g. witness injuries from being hit by Bludgers or just colliding with things when playing Quidditch).
Therefore, ...
9
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1answer
216 views
Technological discrepency in Connie Willis's The Doomsday Book
In Connie Willis's Nebula and Hugo winning novel The Doomsday Book, published in 1992, there seems to be major technology discrepancies that don't make sense to me. This is a novel about historians ...
7
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2answers
188 views
What happened to the Doll disruption tech?
In Dollhouse, what happened to the Doll disrupter? That device Topher builds in the middle of season 2 that drops any Doll "in a 10 ft radius." crash "Make that a 50 ft radius."
Why didn't Topher ...
