NEWS: Calling All Jedi!

GEEK: Calling All Jedi!

For as long as I can remember, when it comes to turning science fiction into actual science fact, the go-to source material has been Star Trek. The list of technology that’s been influenced by Star Trek is pretty extensive: Cell phones and PDA’s. MRI’s and medical imaging technology. Translating Shakespeare into Klingon. Creating lizard-human hybrids and teaching them how to kick William Shatner’s ass. Scientists are even working on Star Trek-inspired transporters. Yes, thanks to our pal science, a good chunk of Gene Roddenberry’s 1966 vision of the distant future has arrived a few centuries early.

But what about loyal fans of that other well-flogged science fiction franchise, Star Wars? What has science done for us? How come I can’t hurl bolts of blue lightning out of my fingertips or throttle some motherfucker without having to go through the hassle of getting up and walking all the way across the room? Why aren’t our armed forces using incredibly large, incredibly slow, easily-toppled mechanical elephants to transport soldiers into battle? Why is the parsec still a measurement of distance and not speed?

Most importantly, where’s my goddamn lightsaber?

(And no, I don’t mean a balloon attached to a flashlight, no matter how fancy you make it.)

It seems like the world of science has finally decided to throw Star Wars geeks a bone, as researchers at the University of Melbourne and the University of Cambridge recently announced that (theoretically) light can be turned into a solid.

Normally particles of light, or “photons” don’t interact with eachother, and even pass right through eachother. But these researchers claim that, at least in theory, with a little help from a thin sheet of diamonds (and really, who doesn’t have one of those lying around the house?) photons could be made to interact with eachother, causing them to coalesce into a crystal-like state. Science types call that a “phase transition”, such as when liquid water freezes into solid ice.

This research is even more impressive considering that previous attempts at turning light into crystals went so horribly, horribly wrong.

Apparently the scientists involved are impressed as well, with one of them claiming that

Look, egghead, if you’re going to make crystals out of solid light, I don’t want technology from this lousy century, I want you to finally build me some technology from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

And could you hurry it up? That walrus-looking dude by the bar is starting to get on my nerves.

And suddenly, the gun control debate becomes obsolete!

Of course, they had better use this to make blaster rifles and lightsabers

We're really not that far away from using light as a weapon...or as a matter of fact, ray guns for weapons.

By the year 2010, the Army has plans to release their new ray gun that makes people feel like they are on fire.

Here is another link.

And here is a picture.

Oh dear, I'm in love with this photo!

A. Crystal Light is delicious.
B. Han Solo, when referring to completing the Kessel Run in less then twelve parsecs, was speaking of finding the shortest route through the Maw cluster of black holes. The path he used was short, but also incredibly dangerous. A longer, and thus slower, route would have been safer. Thus, making the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs indicates that Han and Chewbacca are very skilled, and very brave, pilots/navigators. One can survive being attacked and boarded by Imperials. One cannot survive getting too close to a black hole.

I mean, really.

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

It should come built-in with a lightsaber hum.

I always thought of Star Trek as futuristic, but not Star Wars...It does, after all take place a long time ago...

You mean this isn't futuristic Star Wars technology?



Dammit eh!

N.

Having glanced over the article I think you have misinterpreted these findings. They're talking about making computers that use light instead of electricity to store and process information. Thus making it possible to build computers out of crystals.

This means it's technology from Superman not Star Wars...

oops...double post

holy shit!


I'll repeat that again for added emphisis.

Holy SHIT!

That is _REALLY_ cool

Yes, as you can tell, I'm REALLY technological

I want a lightsaber made of Tauntauns!

meh. Star Wars is fantasy, not SF.

Space opera.

Pfft. Blasters are random and clumsy, everyone knows that. I'd prefer more elegant weapons from a more civilized age.

Now we just need someone to work in a Monty Python line and this will be the nerdiest, geekiest thread I have ever read here. I mean that in a good way, ya grok?

As am I.

<3 for squirrels with lightsabers.

DAMN!!

Or Stargate

"Do or Do Not, There are no Pants"

I found it here and there was an old video of a scientific show where two dudes and a girl discussed the possibility of a lightsaber in real life.

Basically, the heat would melt the hilt and you couldn't control the length of it, forget about deflecting blaster fire from Imperial Stormtroopers.

But the advanced technology of the Ewoks is now being studied, in costly studies to determine whether or not throwing rocks from a distance might actually do harm to enemy combatants.

I don't see how this makes light a solid. The analogy with ice and water makes no sense to me, but the explanation is a bit vague. At best all you're doing is using crystals to direct the flow of photons the way that we currently direct the flow of electrons to create electricity. I don't see how this makes anything solid, particularly since photons have no mass.

add me to the list of "squirrels with lightsabers" lovers.

Crystal Light is delicious

fuck lightsabers...I want a time machine disguised as an old British police callbox and a ridiculously long scarf

btw, fuck those squirrels too.