Category Archives: Could this Happen?

sci-fi, science fiction, s-f, science, technology, fantasy, inventions, space, robots, rockets, innovation, future, futuristic, future casting, stars, star, star wars, star trek, battlestar galactica, harry potter, babylon 5, artificial intelligence, AI, computers, spaceships, ship, ships, moon, jupiter, saturn, universe, galaxy, sun, research, researcher, scientists, physics, physicists, astronauts

Who Needs Fingers?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by jrenstro

This blog’s for you. Welcoming couldthishappen.com’s first guest blogger, Spanky! You’re involved in a high-stakes poker game of epic proportions. Your entire life savings sits in front of you on the table (approximately $55). You’ve got what could be a … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged bionic, contacts, display, emissions, eye, eyeball, governator, hands free, information, lens, pixel, pupils, radio wave, robot, smartphone, terminator | 7 Comments

Is That a Nightstick in Your Pocket or are You Just Happy to See Me?

Posted on December 2, 2011 by jrenstro

So we’re not fighting a war against the cylons or any kind of AI just yet. Nor do we have armies of robots fighting for us, yet. But we’re getting there. South Korea has announced that it will begin using … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged armies, dalek, guard, hubo, humanoid, OFRO, r2d2, robot, robot theme park, robotland, soldiers, south korea, warden | Comments Off

Take That, Tryptophan

Posted on November 25, 2011 by jrenstro

Everyone knows what it’s like: you eat your weight in turkey, go to sleep Thursday night, fall into a Tryptophan-induced coma, and wake up bleary-eyed, thinking that it must be days later because somehow, even though you swore you’d never … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged adenosine, alien, cell activity, cryogenics, ellen ripley, hibernation, hypothermia, metabolism, orson scott card, somec, suspended animation, torpor, tryptophan, Tucson trauma center | 2 Comments

I Think, Therefore I Do

Posted on November 17, 2011 by jrenstro

When the Nintendo Wii first came out, I was baffled. I kept trying to play it like any other video game, using just my thumbs. You mean, I have to actually turn the joystick like it’s a wheel? Swing it … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged ai, Asimo, Babylon 5, BMI, brain chip, brain wave, brain-machine interface, chip, cognitive enhancement, DARPA, Honda, implant, neural implant, prosthetic, telekinesis, telepathy, Toyota, Wii | 1 Comment

Installation Complete

Posted on November 9, 2011 by jrenstro

What if you could download information directly to your brain instead of interfacing with phones, computers, and televisions? What if you could install a brain implant that would allow you to speak perfect Chinese, as in Neuromancer? What if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged boost, borg, brain enhancement, brain pal, brainpower, cognitive enhancement, designer brain, download, matrix, mental steriods, neural plug-in, neuromancer, scalzi | 7 Comments

Make Your Next Car a Beamer

Posted on November 4, 2011 by jrenstro

Ever taken a much-needed break and found yourself thinking that a beer would be the perfect thing–if only you didn’t have to get up and get it? There might be a solution…in space. We may not be ready to beam … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged beam, Bessel beam, electric, electromagnets, IAC, lasers, magnetic field, me up, millennium falcon, NASA, optical tweezers, optical vortex, particles, rings of light, solenoid beams, space, spacecraft, star trek, star wars, tractor beam, vacuum | Comments Off

I Know What You Saw Last Summer

Posted on October 26, 2011 by jrenstro

One afternoon at the end of freshman year of college, I got called into the President’s Office where an icy administrator confronted me about a food fight that my friends and I had been planning over email. He knew everything. … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Comments Off

Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads

Posted on October 22, 2011 by jrenstro

Wouldn’t it be great if all it took to time travel was reaching a speed of 88 miles an hour and harnessing 1.21 gigawatts of energy? I won’t be greedy. I’d settle for a hoverboard. Maybe the hoverboard won’t be … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged back to the future, discrete flux tube, electro-magnetic, flying car, friction, hoverboard, levitation, liquid nitrogen, magnet, magnetic field, Minority Report, quantum levitation, quantum locking, quantum trapping, superconductor | Comments Off

In Event of Cosmic Radiation, Please Take the Stairs

Posted on October 13, 2011 by jrenstro

Even though the privatization of space flight might make it possible for (extremely rich) people to realize their dreams of travelling to space, I’m waiting for the day when I can step into an elevator and push the button for … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged arthur clarke, carbon, carbon nanotubes, elevator, foundations of paradise, macromaterial, NASA, space, space elevator | 3 Comments

Anime Killed the Hollywood Star

Posted on October 2, 2011 by jrenstro

Jumpstarted by Milli Vanilla’s Grammy-sized betrayal and carried on by scads of “artists” since, voice alteration and reproduction, be it lip-synching or Auto tune, has become a mainstay of the entertainment industry. If you’re one of those people who think … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged AKB48, animation, anime, auto tune, avatar, character, computer-generated, Connie Willis, digital, Hatsune Miku, Hollywood, holograms, images, Japan, remake, video game | 1 Comment