Question for the room: would transporter technology revitalize small towns? Why or why not?
@Annalee Like a teleporter!?
@ErykDonovan precisely! If people could commute to work from anywhere in the world, would that ease up the pressures of urbanization?
@Annalee @ErykDonovan This is something I wish Dan Simmons had explored in his Hyperion novels, but his focus was elsewhere.
@starbreaker @ErykDonovan Right--same with Star Trek. They don't really get into the impact of transporter tech on earth and how it would change conceptions around sense of home and place.
@ErykDonovan @starbreaker @Annalee I do feel that some of the novels delved into it more, how you could transport from Starfleet HQ over to, say, MIT to do some research for a few hours.
@Annalee @starbreaker @ErykDonovan I think something like a transporter/teleporter would definitely allow people to live where they want and find work anywhere. It would make travel in general easier, more affordable. Going to visit family or friends would be much easier. If travel time were eliminated, the world would be much smaller.
@jenrjones @ErykDonovan @Annalee Has anybody read Alfred Bester's *The Stars My Destination* (aka *Tyger, Tyger*)? That novel features personal teleportation, called jaunting, and presents it as a skill the vast majority of people can learn. It gets to the point where having spaces that people can't jaunt into is a status symbol (because of assassinations and such).
@starbreaker @Annalee @ErykDonovan I haven't, but that sounds really interesting! *adds to reading list*
@jenrjones @ErykDonovan @Annalee
It's pretty old, and probably problematic in terms of Bester's treatment and characterization of female characters, but it might still be worthwhile. I hope you enjoy it.
@Annalee @starbreaker @ErykDonovan The transporter in Star Trek was conceived for production reasons so they didn't have to film the ship or shuttlecraft landing in every episode. It was a time/money saver, so they never explored the broader implications.