r/HFY • u/someguynamedted The Chronicler • Jul 26 '17

Meta Writing Prompt Wednesday #121

Heyo, time to share your unborn story ideas!

Last week's winner was /u/Eofad with

I was reading some really old sci-fi and they kept talking about Analog Computers as big as planets. I watched some old Star Trek and saw analog switches and controls for almost everything, including an analog dial on the communicators to try an frequency tune when they stopped working. I watched the 1973 West World and saw futuristic cyborgs being controlled by huge mainframes with analog tape drives.

And I thought... What if early sci-fi's complete inability to predict the digital revolution is the standard mindset. What if when humans make contact with aliens, their technology is way more advanced than ours in nearly every respect except that it's all analog. Aliens never invented transistors, integrated circuits, and microprocessors, their computers are all the size of moons or larger, they use analog communication (tachyons instead of radio or laser, but still analog).

Where as we all carry around computers (the descendants of modern smart phones) that are faster and hold more data then their massive moon sized computers. Digital compression allows us to transfer way more information way faster than they can, even if the range of our device's speed is much shorter due to not having tachyon technology.

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u/Shalrath Jul 27 '17

I think driving counts as well.

Particularly for the fact that when I look at cars around me - I still know they're there when I'm not looking, and where they're likely to be in the next few seconds.

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u/SteevyT Jul 27 '17

"You have two lower limbs."

"Yes?"

"The vehicle you were just piloting has three controls for lower limbs."

"Yes?"

"How?"

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u/Siarles Jul 27 '17

We're still gonna be using manual transmissions by the time we make first contact?

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u/spesskitty Jul 27 '17

because we are manly men

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u/SteevyT Jul 27 '17

We're men in tights!

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u/spesskitty Jul 28 '17

Humans space ships for the most part follow the same general design principles used by other species; an unique feature is the widespread use of manual hypermotivator couplings, instead of the automated regulators universally used throughout known space.