Techno Lust

Cravings for things I just gotta have.

TechnoLust has, I'm sure, other manifestations, like ToolLust? (TimTaylor), CarLust? (hot rod fans), StyleLust? (some ladies I know), and so on.

I have certain particular gadgets that I lust after. Some of them even exist.

An incomplete list (feel free to add your own):

DONE: high-speed high-resolution digital camera (exist, can't afford)
DONE: That camera with built-in GPS ... think about it (common but kind of a luxury, the GPS is for putting coordinates on the JPEG EXIF data)
Long range cordless phone (20 or more miles) (Samsung is marketing something that's almost right) (2 years?)
DONE: PDA-type gadgets with head-spinning processing power (3 years?) (February 2013 has the Samsung Galaxy S3 SmartPhone which is literally more powerful than my Pentium Dual Core-powered home computer and can run videogames with high quality 3D graphics!)
DONE: GPS mapping display built into my phone (2 years?) ago --
KINDA DONE: really long range high-speed wireless networking (coming soon) HSDPA+ and 4G count?
low-latency high-speed satellite broadband networking (waiting for LEO array)
DONE: Laptop/notebook computer with 12 hours or more of battery life (still waiting) You can buy aftermarket batteries. They're heavy and bulky, but some of them last for 12 hours. You can also buy a MacBook that costs an arm and a leg but has a super long-lasting battery.
all-ceramic double-walled thermal coffee mug (several near-misses, someone call Corning)
access to the over-protective ignition system on my new truck so I can override the need for that idiotic electronic-fob key that costs $100 to replace (yeah, like that'll happen)
KINDA DONE: LED headlights for my car (when?) (anytime you want to blind all oncoming traffic) The Honda Civic 2012 has white position LEDs, and right now LED taillights are par for the course for mid-to-upscale cars.
solar cell array built into top of my car/truck that will charge my battery or anything I bring along
DONE: All-in-one PDA, GPS, phone, music-pod, and web-browser that runs Linux and uses only OpenSource software to drive them for under $250. --top (Sans the all-open source part, that would be a modern day AndroidOs? SmartPhone :3)
augmented reality (can be done now, but not yet marketably - it's VR with motion-tracking and alpha'd display so that virtual objects are overlaid over real-world objects)
DONE: audio-only handsfree PDA-like device that could (but shouldn't) be used while driving/biking. SiRi?, AppleIpod Touch, Samsung Galaxy Player.
biodegradable, disposable car or horselike animal that can run 50+mph
KINDA DONE: one single password for the entire internet. Right now we're at about 4 passwords for our everyday internet: Facebook, Google, OpenID and Twitter.

There's more, but the safety circuits in my brain are shunting ...

-- GarryHamilton

You know WikiIsDead when half the things on the "Things I dream about having someday" lists have been available for years already.

I miss analog alarm clocks. They made it real easy to tinker with the alarm time because of the nice analog twirl knob. The increment keys don't cut it (unless they offered more ranges such as 10+- in addition to 1+-). For example, on Fridays the morning traffic is usually lighter so that I can wake up later and still make it to work on time.

The fix for this is not analog alarm clocks, it's starting work later on days when there's more traffic

a slow discharge/fast charge super capacitor, with discharge/charge ratio of say 3600:1.
a vehicle with this could travel 30 minutes and recharge in 30 seconds.
visualize a retractible "trolly" pickup like a "bumper car", spaced every 20 miles or so
drive through the charge zone at reduced speed. Fee paid with RF-ID.

-- John Payson

Uh, you don't mean a GrapheneCapacitor?, do you? --PhlIp

Contributors: MartinZarate, John Payson, GarryHamilton