Wanted: “Star Trek” Technology for Web Workers

I’m a big fan of “Star Trek,” all the way from the original series to the most recent movie. And I spend more time than I should admit to playing “What if?” games with “Star Trek” technologies, wondering how I’d use each technology if it existed in real life. Lately I’ve started thinking about how the technologies could apply to those of us who make our living online. Here a few of my top uses for “Star Trek” technologies for web workers.

Transporter

While I love to visit new places, I hate losing an entire day on an airplane while going through the hassle of air travel. The liquid restrictions and all of the rules about what you can and cannot take with you on the airplane can be a real drag for travel in the United States. I want to be able beam directly from my house to my client’s office for all of my business travel. You could beam to the office for a morning of work, beam home for lunch, beam back for the afternoon and beam back home to sleep in your own bed. I’ll bet that I could even find a few spare minutes to beam over to mom’s house for some homemade apple pie!

Replicator

We’ve all had those times when we weren’t quite equipped for the task at hand: missing tools, missing parts, incorrect cables and more. I would love to be able to replicate any technology required at a moment’s notice. Out of ink for your printer? Replicate new ink. Low on paper or disk drive space? Replicate more. Think about how much time we would save by not making lunch or going out for lunch if we could walk up to the replicator and simply request a bowl of soup and a side salad.

Holodeck

How many times do you need a quick break during the day or want to grab a quick workout? If we had holodecks, we could have personal gyms with holographic personal trainers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no waiting for the next available treadmill or squat rack. I could save a lot of time by not having to go out to the gym, while still having an unlimited amount of equipment. I could even visit a sunny beach for a few minutes when I needed to escape the computer and take some time to relax.


http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/06/02/star-trek-technology/