Star Trek Now - Part I

I've always wanted to be on "Star Trek." Not some guest appearance or a walk-on role, I'm talking about a full-fledged, tricorder weilding, holodeck visiting, phaser firing visit to Gene Rodenberry's world of starships, aliens and the Prime Directive. I know... it's pretty geeky. I wear that badge proudly. But honestly, wouldn't the world be better off with replicators and transporters and super intelligent computers?

In a lot of ways, Rodenberry's world has already begun to creep in upon us. Technology has taken a few leaps since the '60's, and suddenly some of Rodenberry's ideas aren't so much science fiction as just plain ol' science. This week, I begin a series of columns that focus on how Star Trek is among us!
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Check out my PADD
Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) may be set in the 24th century, but they still have a need for some means of accessing information. The ship's computer is a vast storage system, with a database crammed full of history, entertainment, novels, plays and any number of other types of knowledge. And in TNG, the way you access this info is either through some stationary terminal or on the holodeck (more on this later!). And, for those who want to carry their info on the go -- there's the PADD.

PADD is an acronym that stands for "Personal Access Display Device." It's this little table that the Federation's finest can carry around and use to access the ship's database. It can display books, lines of a play, and even photos and movies. It can also be used as a communications device in a pinch. It's a nifty little tool, and believe it or not it's avaiable right now!

We don't call it a PADD of course, but we come pretty close. We mere 21st century denizens call it a "PDA," or "Personal Digital Assistant."

PDA's have come a long way since Apple's Newton or the other early ancestors to todays modern super gizmos. Wireless access allows us to tap into the boundless information on the Internet. Bluetooth gives us the ability to communicate with any number of devices such as printers, wireless headsets and desktop computers. And the growing memory and processor speeds let us play sophisticated games, store e-books, or even watch video and listen to music, all from the palm of our hand.

Hailing Frequencies
Speaking of Bluetooth... the advent of this new universal technology opens up a whole new toy for tech-geeks to drool over. Couple a Bluetooth ear-piece with a cel phone and you're about a Vulcan Neck Pinch away from a real live Starfleet communicator badge!

Of course, today's sleek and cool looking Bluetooth headsets allow you to have a much more private conversation than the comm badges of our Enterprise counterparts. But most, like Motorola's tiny little gem, give you the same tap-and-answer ability as the inverted little gold "V" of Star Trek fame. Of course, you never see Captain Picard complaining that he's out of his comm badge service area.

And even though this next feature isn't particularly touted on Star Trek, it does pop up from time to time. The "locator" ability of the comm badge. While on ship, the computer can track where a crew member is by following their comm badge signal. Today, that feat can be accomplished by the GSP ability of some digital cel phones. Global Satellite Positioning is mostly meant to allow emergency personnel to track your location when you dial 911 in an emergency. But heck, it's just a short walk to using your computer to go online and find out where your charming 16-year-old has gotten off to with his friends. I'm sure we'll see it someday.

Taking a Holo-day
Well, if there's one piece of Federation technology that might spell the end of civilization as we know it, it's the Holodeck. Imagine being able to walk into a grid-lined room, ask for anything your heart desires, and it shimmers into being! Dating would change, that's a given.

Well, the holodeck isn't quite a reality. But Virtual Reality IS getting more complex. In fact, there are several full-emersion VR systems already on the market. Tactile response suits, 3D sound, complete 360-degree visuals, and even SMELL generators are already being adapted into systems like these. We already use technology like this in gaming, and it's just a matter of degree before we evolve to a full-on VR entertainment center.

Of course, we're missing a vital component in this system -- the aritificially intelligent computer that allows us to simply ask for what we want instead of spending hours inputing computer code or paying thousands of dollars to have something developed for us. Oh, and the interactive photonic force fields that make the whole thing take on a new level of reality. But I'm sure those are already in the works. Hey, it's probably just a 9-volt battery and a pair of rubber gloves away from being reality!

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Star Trek changed the way we look at the world. I was never a huge fan of the original series, but I do recognize that it ignited a creative fire in future engineers and inventors. It's easy to look around and see the influence of this show in our society, even in mundane things. The technology that was only dreamt of a few decades ago has become a reality, mostly because people started looking around their world and seeing possibilities.

That's it for this week's, but I'll be returning to this topic for at least one more column. I hope you'll join me, and I hope you'll enjoy it! And if you have any ideas, suggestions or comments about this topic, let me know. There's a comment button below.

J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Editor of ViewOnline.com and can be reached by e-mail at kevin@viewonline.com. He holds a Master's degree and is an award winning writer of fiction. He would like to be beamed up now.

posted by Unknown @ 4:17 PM