Star Trek Technology That Became Reality

[@peterwilliams6289]

Apparently Star Trek also inspired hospitals to relocate monitors to the head of the bed where medical staff could see the monitor and the patient simultaneously.

[@ryanc473]

Really? Huh, wow, I couldn't imagine any other setup nowadays, though admittedly I've only been working in a hospital for less than 10 years lol

[@andromidius]

@@ryanc473 There's a classic Monty Python sketch in a hospital ward that shows the old style setup - a big bulky machine plugged in to the vitals monitors that displayed results. It was often placed next to the patient when in use, then wheeled to the next patient after that. Essentially the doctor could view the vitals of the patient without ever actually looking at the patient - a very dehumanising experience.

[@gizfpv]

On the note of virtual assistants, Google's assistant was originally called 'Project Majel', which is a nod to Majel Barrett - the actress who played Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek, and who was also the wife to Star Treks creator Gene Roddenberry

[@surferdude4487]

And the voice of the computer in Star Trek TOS and Star Trek TNG.

[@tomricher8565]

@@surferdude4487 And she played Nurse Chapel on TOS

[@RCAvhstape]

More importantly to a virtual assistant is that she was the computer voice in most of the shows prior to her death.

[@TheFalconerNZ]

Majel was also the first officer of the Enterprise in the unaired ToS pilot which was later shown in "The Cage" episodes.

[@STSWB5SG1FAN]

@@RCAvhstape I was always hoping they could license the use of her voice for a special audio interface that you could install on your smartphone or tablet, maybe even a home PC.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

2:00 - Chapter 1 - Removable storage(floppy disks) 3:15 - Chapter 2 - Tablets 5:15 - Chapter 3 - Addictive & predatory mobile games 7:25 - Chapter 4 - Video conferencing 8:25 - Chapter 5 - Virtual assistants 10:15 - Chapter 6 - Bluetooth airbuds 11:45 - Chapter 7 - Mobile phones

[@TheCarIinist]

Honestly the best part of this channel is not just the topics but Fact Boi's enthusiasm for it. It reminds me of the old Brain Blaze videos where he would roam while he blazed and really get into it, and occasionally unplug his bionic ass.

[@antiisocial]

Lol

[@motherdragon67]

I miss the old blaze

[@AidanPatko]

I forgot about his bionic ass 😭

[@jaycenzimbeck7638]

I demand a new standing epic blaze! (Mostly joking Simon, I know your fact boi legs got tired. Would love it though!)

[@jonathanscherer7482]

And whatever happened to the space heater?

[@hightierplayers2454]

Its great how Star Trek foresaw the transporter thing and addressed it in the form of McCoy (and more afterwards) greatly preferring shuttles.

[@RCAvhstape]

Not to mention the horrifying transporter accident depicted in the first movie, which as a child seeing it in 1980, totally didn't scar me for life, honest.

[@dwaynelangerhr6985]

@@RCAvhstape Wrong again the Transporter Star Trek Stolen form the 1958 Movie "The Fly". And that Transporter accident in the movie was more Horrifying.

[@RCAvhstape]

@@dwaynelangerhr6985 McCoy wasn't worried about the teleporter in The Fly, he was worried about the ones Starfleet uses. Also, horrifying should not be capitalized unless it starts a sentence.

[@dwaynelangerhr6985]

@@RCAvhstape Ok I reread my comment again and would like to know Where in the Hell I said anything about McCoy and where he was worried about them in the Fly movie??? My comment was on how the Idea of Teleporters and Teleportation did not come from Star Trek. And as far as my capitalization of words at the end of a sentence. I still think "The Fly" was more HORRIFYING. (Happy Now?)

[@TheFalconerNZ]

l believe Star Trek books even addressed the issue that the first transporters were killers as they destroyed the original body, transmitted the data to rebuild them & used new material at the beaming site to build a new body, they "Fixed" this issue by "Sending" the original material.

[@surferdude4487]

RE portable Storage: The first floppy disks were 8 inch with 128 kByte capacity. The portable storage on Star Trek TOS resembled compact cassette tapes. Before there were floppies, compact cassettes were used for portable storage on the very early home computers.

[@barrydysert2974]

Aspen, putting Uhura's earpiece with the Trek uniform on Simon is brilliant !:-)

[@aethergasm]

Simon says "Alexa play Despacito" and suddenly my Echo goes off and plays it, full blast, startling the heck out of me! 🤣 I remember getting a PDA (personal digital assistant) in the early 90s, and as a kid I felt so much like a Star Trek character in school. (I was 5-8 years old when I had them and it was always to help organize my schedule of extracurriculars). I even got a pink Samsung Cleo which looked like a makeup compact crossed with a tricorder. I was so happy as an adult to be able to surf the web while I was taking public transit. Now with an iPad, a smartphone, even a Fitbit, it seems so underwhelming. 😄 Yeah, I am not too hot on if they decide to make a transporter either. That Voyager episode with Tuvix wrecked me as did The Prestige. I hope that never happens... 😰I'm afraid of trying to be transported to a vacation spot and ending up "Philadelphia'd" (allegedly) to a bidet or something horrible.

[@toddnolastname4485]

Bwahahahahaha. I don't have one of those devices. I love to hear when this happens to those who do. If I was a KZbinr, I'd end all my videos with instructions to Alexa or Google.

[@QBCPerdition]

The thing with transporters is that I agree, I would never use them on living creatures. But they would revolutionize cargo transport. No more shipping cars over seas on massive boats, just transport them to the dealership. Stores could get away with one of anything, and just transport a replacement when that one is purchased. And even going on vacation. Sure, you might not use the transporter, but you could beam your luggage to your hotel, and beam back any gifts you bought on your trip to your home.

[@aethergasm]

@@QBCPerdition admittedly that would be great but i would get so lazy instead of carrying stuff upstairs i'd be using it a lot lol.

[@aethergasm]

@@toddnolastname4485 It’s helpful though. I use it to freak my husband out by controlling it though my phone when I'm not home and he is. Like "Alexa play spotify haunting sounds playlist." 🤣

[@The1stDukeDroklar]

@@QBCPerdition The problem with that idea is that transporter tech is supposed to create the item out of energy using the transmitted information as the model. You would still need the massive power source at the destination to turn energy into matter. Therefore, all you really need is the atomic template which could make as many of an item as power permits, no need to have a physical item at the point of origin.

[@jaynedavies2757]

In other developments, NFC was shown in the Star Trek film with the whales, Scotty puts a pad on top of a monitor and data is exchanged, between the pad/tablet and the computer.

[@kcollier2192]

Star Trek's communicators are the reason I prefer my flip phone to my smart phone- "One to beam up Mr. Scott!"

[@zachaliles]

The Motorola Startac was my first cell phone. I remember thinking I was so cool when I'd pull out the antenna to answer a call.

[@Channelguyok]

Just found this channel and its expansion of the "Whistleverse". And it occurs to me that someone should create lore behind it all. Simon is essentially the Kang the Conqueror of KZbin at this point.

[@jerrodbroholm4338]

As soon as you said it, Simon, Alexa jumped right on it. Was not expecting to hear that song today.

[@patskyle]

This feels like Simon's favorite channel to record. Let's keep it that way and maybe factboi can finally forget Pedro Lopez

[@personzorz]

Maybe he could put Pedro Lopez through the transporter a couple hundred times

[@tommclain3335]

Dont forget the NExtel phones/radios. Inspired from the communicators from TOS, right down to the chirp. I miss those.

[@connormccloy9399]

3:31 Captain Archer refers directly to a “pad“ late in the third season of enterprise.

[@mgrids455]

Quark mentions grabbing a Pad when Sisko tells him to put his complaint into writing. I want to say “Way of the Warrior” but likely wrong

[@connormccloy9399]

@@mgrids455 makes me wonder what source they used that said pads had never been mentioned by name.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@connormccloy9399 The Star Trek fandom wiki. I figured they'd hve something like that correct, and wasn't going to watch 1,000 episode to fact check the claim. Someone else commented I had that wrong as well

[@connormccloy9399]

@@ThatWriterKevin I appreciate the reply good sir.

[@mousermind]

I think at this point Simon's fear of teleporters counts as a phobia. xD

[@mho...]

it IS scary!

[@metalspinda9594]

Watch a movie called "The Fly" with Jeff Goldboom and you will understand why.

[@phantomechelon3628]

@@metalspinda9594 A great gross-out movie! 🙅‍♂🪰

[@phantomechelon3628]

Should I be worried that I've started calling them "Ultimate Death Machines" now?

[@vic5015]

A phobia is classified as an irrational fear. Simon would no doubt argue that his fear is *very* rational and well-founded. I think that a phobia technically also has to be debilitating in some way.

[@francisjose702]

Sorry did you say PADD’s appeared in 2016? The first mention I’m aware of is Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, which was first published ~20 years before that. They’re referred to as PADD’s, and apparently you can fly the Enterprise with one

[@dontcallmebaby6927]

Thanks Simon for the fabulous video. Don't forget Dick Tracy the wrist watch radio wearing detective. 1930's he came out but apparently the watch appeared later in 1946 which inspired mobile watches today no doubt. I remember seeing this cartoon as a kid, reruns of an ancient show, but stand out was the wrist radio that we all pretended we had playing spies in the backyard. Now if I could change the name of my apple watch to Dick Tracy and have it say "Calling Dick Tracy" if it rings would be a bucket list item I could cross off.

[@PoppaLongroach]

Used to watch star trek with my dad in the mid 70s.......and yes I had to go outside and turn the antenna in the right direction to get channel 5.

[@srinivasanalagesan1826]

I really love the end screen elements where simon's head is themed with the episode's special with subscribe and like on top of it.

[@Odayian420]

I love the edits on this show. Your editors are great.

[@ButWhyWasTaken]

Simon, you should watch The Expanse, you'll love it. And since it features a lot of very realistic technology it can also provide great video topics for this channel.

[@scienceunbound460]

I was really enjoying The Expanse, and then one day, while a bit hungover I was watching a ton of it and fell asleep in front of the TV, and totally got lost of where I was, and never went back to it. Same thing happened with that show about where they put disks in peoples necks so that they can save their brains.

[@ButWhyWasTaken]

@@scienceunbound460 I know what you mean, sometimes you watch something and either you don't really care anymore or you liked it but somehow can't get motivated and just put it on hol indefinitely. Until hell freezes over. But I assure you it, it's well worth checking wiki or something to find where you were at and get back to it. Altered Carbon I never liked myself as the entire premise makes no sense.

[@AllDayBikes]

When you pause an Epic Blaze, to watch more Simon content while you eat.

[@David-p9g1l]

The first video call was in 1930 by AT&T. It developed into the picture phone that you mentioned in 1964, but the first call with video was over thirty years prior.

[@lisarenee3505]

@10:06 - Damn you Simon!🤣🤣

[@quasinfinity]

"Dr. Pulaski was right" it hurts but it's true

[@An0therR0gue]

They also did massive touch screens on the walls, which we have (touch screen tv's/monitiors). A;though you could also claim these to be similar enough to tablets to skip over.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Touch screens were a mainstay of all science fiction forever, which is sad because now we have them instead of far more efficient tactile keybaords.

[@Ken15643]

I am blown away by the production value. Great video of a great topic.

[@kamenwaticlients]

Great video. The medical bed with its scanners in Trek helped inspire things like the MRI. Also the info on the PADD is wrong. Its was mentioned in ST:TNG, ST:DS9, ST:VOY as a PADD many many times. Also it was in the star trek the next generation technical manual (Published 1991). It has it own entry on page 52. 🤓

[@antiisocial]

This is true. I remember them talking about it in the shows.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

I'm definitely willing to concede that was incorrect as I did not rewatch 1,000 episodes of Star Trek to fact check it. That tidbit came from the Star Trek fandom wiki, which seemed like it would be reliable for something so needlessly pedantic.

[@kamenwaticlients]

@@ThatWriterKevin You would think. Especially seeing that, that's their whole thing.

[@vic5015]

I saw a video with Neil DeGrasse Tuson where he pointed out that most people would *gladly* take a modern smartphone over the ToS communicator. The *one* advantage that the communicator has is that it seems to be *entirely* unaffected by weather and atmospheric conditions. Oh, and also that it does not require, and somehow doesn't use, satellites.

[@Penfold101]

2001: A Space Odyssey featured video calling on tablets before we went to the moon.

[@j.p.6932]

5:54 that’s so funny because I remember years ago, they were being an anecdote about Ashley Judd originally getting cast as one of the main girls from the facts of life, but her agent turned it down, saying, “Ashley doesn’t do TV, Ashley is going to be a movie star.“

[@EddyA1337]

They call it a PADD in a couple voyager episodes and I'm pretty sure DS9. I know cause I use captions and I've seen PADD before in CC.

[@sheila6808]

Yup i just watched an episode of Voyager where Paris called it a PADD

[@laslo67]

Damn you! Alexa just played Despacito...

[@guguigugu]

as a kid i always wanted something like a PADD and i was so happy when tablets finally became popular and affordable. i could finally get that real star trek experience.

[@user-yv4mm6bx3c]

I still have a stack of my 3.5" 1.44 MB floppies. I think I have old homework on them. At some point I would like to boot up my old computers and get those files transferred to my current PC that has 6,000,000 MB. 😀

[@joelellis7035]

"It's kinda bad!" for a series that launched a franchise that has spanned nearly 60 years.

[@amateurastronomer9463]

I here you. I like the original star trek. Shatner wasn't that bad.

[@joelellis7035]

@@amateurastronomer9463 Of. Course. He. Wasn't. 😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@Jayenkai]

Pads were definitely called pads back in the day. I remember when everyone was trying to second guess what Apple would call their tablets, they came out with iPad, and everyone was all "oh yeah, like in Star Trek.."

[@M3PH11]

3:50 They have been called padd's longer than that. It's been used in Star trek Online for over 10 years

[@socoman99]

I read a book about the making of TOS and it discussed this very topic. One invention that the show's producers predicted was the automatic door. The show got lots of inquiries from hospitals, stores and office building owners about how they made the doors open and close automatically. Unfortunately, they had to tell the inquirers that they just used two stage hands on either side of the prop door to slide the doors open or closed on cue from the director. Urban legend says that Star Trek inspired the real inventors of automatic doors to create such devices.

[@Blasthardchese72]

Simon still needs that Bajoran orb experience😁🖖

[@BradGryphonn]

I remember watching Star Trek late at night in the 80s, and when that original theme music came on, a voice in my head would say, "Are you going to sit through another hour of this bullkaka?"

[@pamelamays4186]

Star Trek inspired so many inventors and technology engineers.

[@BradGryphonn]

3:05 The 5.25 inch 'true' floppy disk (it didn't have a hard case like the 3.5) had three levels of data storage depending on how the disk was configured. 160kb single-sided, 320kb 'low density', and 1.2MB when configured as 'high density'. Fun Fact: If memory serves correctly, Windows 95 was available on a set of 13(?) 3.5 inch floppy disks. When installing, the program would prompt you to change disks during the install. 'Please Install Disk three...'. It made for a long, slow install. But then, back in the day, even with a fast computer, a CD install would take hours. I had a 2 gig hard drive, 32MB of RAM, and a very early Pentium processor. Oh, and a RAM upgrade to 128MB was in the order of 800 to 1600 dollars, depending on the vendor.

[@fuzzywzhe]

When Slackware Linux came out with version 0.99, it was 120 floppy disks. Finally, we had something to do with all those AOL disks we kept getting in the mail. I had to spend 3 days setting up the system, getting X11 to run properly was a nightmare. We had to recompile the kernel as well. It wasn't the number of disks that made it take so long to install, it was the knowledge you needed to have in order to set it up.

[@c-o-f-f-e-e1586]

Another great nerdy video. Original series is my favourite. Maybe not for the quality though 🙂

[@jeremythornton433]

I guess it's the curse of being young. Anything older than yourself generally sucks. I watched Star Trek when it came out and it blew me away! There was absolutely nothing at all on TV at the time that was more advanced.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

3:27 actually in one Star Trek Voyager episode Neelix mentions that he’ll get a PADD to write something down.

[@rogerwilco1777]

..and automatic doors.. The idea that a door would 'automatically' open as soon as you get near it was probably mind boggling at the time.. and I'm pretty sure the ones on star trek where 'pressure plate' activated, while the ones we use today are laser activated..

[@KRYMauL]

Those have been around for a long, but weren’t very reliable. Most did use pressure plates.

[@rogerwilco1777]

@@KRYMauL ..and i think the ones on star trek were operated by humans.. the pressure plate triggered a light backstage which told the stage hands to open the door.. (if i remember correctly)

[@KRYMauL]

@@rogerwilco1777 Interesting, it probably would’ve been easier to just rig up some red stone and a pressure plate. I’m kidding, but they definitely should’ve use an actual functioning system.

[@surferdude4487]

Doors activated by breaking a light beam and doors activated by pressure cells have been around since the early 60's at least. Lot's of super-markets and department stores had them.

[@Andreas_42]

Growing up in a riral area in the early 80s I remember my excitement seeing the first self opening door on a supermarket in the nearest city. I told my mother it's alike the doors on the starship Enterprise.

[@Dippedinsilver1974]

Dammit, you make my Alexa go off and play that friggin song!

[@danielreuben1058]

When doing my dissertation in the early 2000's, I broke my radial head twice which meant I couldn't type with my right hand. I got (I think it was called, 'Dragon Natural Speak'). It wasn't horrible, except I was translating Sanskrit, using many Hindu terms, and specific words from my field that the program could not figure out. It also couldn't do accent marks, so yeah, I basically got nothing written while healing.

[@jannetteberends8730]

Sometimes my iPad doesn’t react on my fingers. Not able to type I try the dictation thing. But English is not my native language, and the iPad just start to make words up because it doesn’t understand what I say. And most stupid thing is that I start yelling when it dozens understand. 😊 It is an very good way to practice your English.

[@rayceeya8659]

Actually there were consumer grade machines that could back up your data to VHS tapes. Expensive and rare but they were a thing in the early 90s. I think LGR or Techmoan has a video about it. I'm not talking about tape drives, which were far more common, but drives that used literal VHS tapes.

[@olencone4005]

And cassette tapes, the same type that music was sold on, were also used for data storage on early computer systems. Not sure how much data they could hold tho.

[@rayceeya8659]

@@olencone4005 Yeah like the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 used it.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Sure, but we were talking aboutthe 60s not the 90s

[@olencone4005]

@@ThatWriterKevin If it helps, VHS and cassette tapes were technological offsprings of the old magnetic tape reels from the mid 20th century. And technically, so were the floppy disks of the 70's and 80's. IBM began working on the development of what would eventually be known as floppy disks in 1967, just one year after Star Trek premiered -- and they began working on DRAM the year after that. They were trying to create a magnetic storage medium that was more affordable and portable than the bulky tape reels of the time. Roddenberry was quite intelligent and did his research, and simply extrapolated what the tech in development in his era might look like in several hundred years. He kinda undershot things a bit, but that's understandable.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@olencone4005 I mentioned magnetic tape reels in the episode!

[@feraldelight]

Love this channel!

[@ashleynelson1266]

Okay...my Alexa started playing Despacito after you said that.

[@twilightghost46]

That pic of Space Seed Khan on-screen was the office video presentation, and the Zoom call credit would go to Balance of Terror. But the tablets on TOS were paper...in think in The Deadly Years Kirk flips paper pages up. But the tablets may have had OCR tech to identify the document and handwriting recognition and digital archiving when the documents were signed.

[@honeysucklecat]

The original series is still, by far, the best.

[@williamguardiola7844]

You activated Alexa in my kitchen and now I’m listening to Despacito. 😂

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

Does Simon understand that without Star Trek: TOS, Star Trek: TNG wouldn't exist? 🤔😏🖖🏾

[@honeysucklecat]

TOS is the best!

[@Steven_Sims]

had to laugh when you mentioned alexa and she played the spanish song you requested lol

[@toddnolastname4485]

First, everything that Star Trek showed that we now have is because the people behind it were inspired by Star Trek, just like the mobile phone. There's a reason the iPad has pad in the name. The 5 1/4 disk was 360kb when I first started using it, with the 3 1/2 being 720kb. Actually, they already had the high density versions, but they were pricey enough that the lower density were more common. The 8 inch floppy was very rare. So much so that I had to look up how much data it held. Originally 80kb to 242kb. The only problem I see with transporters is for those who believe in souls. If you don't have a soul, since the person at the receiving end believes he's you, isn't he still you?

[@misterlau5246]

The fundamental horrendous thing i see about the transporters is they supposedly disintegrate you into little waves called particles, and that is KILLING you 😬🤓😅🖖🖖

[@RCAvhstape]

I used an old Xerox word processor many years ago that used an 8" floppy drive to store files. It was really primitive, even by 80s standards, I wish I remembered the model number so I could look it up. As for transporters and souls, that's a philosophical debate that dates back to at least the first season and probably even before Star Trek as the concept of teleportation had been thought of by other sci fi writers. This channel did a pretty good video on it recently.

[@surferdude4487]

The first 8 inch floppy I handled could hold 128 kb. It was the 2 sided medium for the Wang mini-computer.

[@pamelamays4186]

Yay, another subject I suggested.

[@arraneeno]

Star trek is also apparently the reason the US navy has its urgent battle ship bridge lay out, they say how efficient it was and decided to use it.

[@Warped9]

Yet hardly anyone thinks about TNG and everyone remembers TOS.

[@honeysucklecat]

TOS is The Best

[@kaydb42]

Lol what? 😂 Both are very highly regarded, much remembered. Right now, and the past few years, it's been TNG having the most chatter though - which makes sense, with the age range of those kids who grew up watching TNG 😊

[@j.p.6932]

6:10 looks suspiciously like Google glass

[@sethmaki1333]

The title of this vid could suit videos about any of more than a dozen techs inspired by the show.

[@ajar1900]

Simon, you said you love Stargate too, please do a Stargate episode and mention there's a Stargate room in Cheyenne mountain 😍

[@ThatWriterKevin]

What specifically about Stargate?

[@ajar1900]

@@ThatWriterKevin there's so much starting from how the Stargate ( i think there's no video so far about wormholes, not sure but in the last 8 months i watched pretty much every video Simon has done and there's none )works, going to the possibility how the prior of the Ori having abilities telekinesis, how it would be if we really dialed a black hole, an suit like the super soldiers from Anubis, is a hoktar possible. But thinking about it maybe you've done already a lot. The ring transport is basically only teleportation.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@ajar1900 Wormholes is on the shortlist of topics for sure

[@ajar1900]

Looking forward to it btw i love your work. It's really great.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@ajar1900 thanks! 💕

[@matthewwhite2155]

Lol, Alexa started playing Despacito when Simon said it. 😀

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

There's one Star Trek technology I wanted to see invented in real life, that is a Soong-type android.

[@RegisBladeStudios]

I defintiely had a StarTAC!

[@sayharris1361]

Simon dam you😂😆🤣😝😁👍🏽

[@j.p.6932]

5:00 I’m still waiting for all the clear displays portrayed in the MCU and things like Prometheus

[@mcdaysalive6586]

I think the reason pads were so abundant rather than one single device is because they could be easily replicated and dereplicated, it made the need for a dedicated workstation device less potent as you could simply make a novel or a duty report pass it around a bit, and more importantly not get distracted. Think how easily our attentions wonder in the 20th century with the likes of TikTok and KZbin being on the same device we work from.

[@nathanlandry1016]

Idea for a video. Either energy shields (like spartan armor from the Halo series.) Or Orbital Glassing (using a plasma weapon to literally turn the terrain of a planet to molten rock/glass)

[@james.w.]

So... Simon... Do you play STO and how can I join your fleet?

[@MsRmaclaren]

I still have my StarTac and it still works and connects to something somewhere...

[@cris-br7xj]

Some of the only things still missing are warp drive. Anti-gravity. Phasers. And interplanetary travel in the blinking of an eye.

[@jefferyyoung2580]

With theout first star trek , would either star trek the next generation 😮. I love the first star trek 😊

[@CashelOConnolly]

Has Mr Whistler dyed his beard? If not then he’s shaved off his real beard and got one from a Halloween/fancy dress shop. He looks like a comedy spy 😂

[@grejen711]

1.44mb! those were huge! I used 360kb 5 1/2" floppies. 720kb double sided ones were cool!

[@ShawnKirk007]

Oh damn you! Alexa immediately started playing Despacito. =)

[@jayblakely]

10:11 Alexa in the next room started to play despicato.

[@jammer2isme]

Despacito? when you could have done a GLOBAL Rick-Roll? i still laughed so hard it hurt. LEGEND.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Well the meme is "this is so sad. Alexa play Despacito". Hearing someone tell Alexa to play Rick Astley ruins the surprise of it all

[@ryanc473]

... my Alexa device actually took that command. Lol, that's actually kinda impressive and terrifying at the same time. It usually doesn't respond when like, TV commercials try the same thing, but for some reason it works when fact boy here tries it through the speakers of my phone. And nailed the command as well, doing exactly what was asked

[@cuginkcain5430]

Which means your voice is similar to simons.

[@David_J_B]

Although we don't have Star Trek style replicators...we do have 3D printers which as they improve in speed and detail are probably the next best thing :)

[@TrasherBiner]

10:06 screw you Simon, you made my alexa play despacito

[@spectresound]

Since this was made a year ago, I can forgive the exclusion of ALON, aka transparent aluminum. Star Trek 4 fans remember it was Scotty who gave the inventor the formula in 86. 27 years later, we have ALON.

[@Zaped75]

People told you what the game was for. so i rant about old star trek, lol. I love it as a kid watching reruns with my mother and father was new to me. Later they had the 25th year i think it was. seen every show, Ones i have never seen. good times. I was a fan of all the shows, voyager was the one i like best. Lost and alone, everything trying to kill or use them. Oh and 7 of 9, as teen i was hooked.

[@rayceeya8659]

I used to have a Motorola Star Tak. Damn good phone. Strange configuration though. The battery was on the backside of the screen and not the keypad.

[@reecedrury4145]

Lol, well that was a nice wake up for the kids...

[@PetrSojnek]

I think another topic that could be fun: What things in Startrek we don't have, but are theoretically possible (according to science of today)

[@ianmurphy9955]

I love sci-fi factboy, more of this please

[@SVPunk619]

Damn you fact boy, making my echo do things lol

[@bhamptonkc7]

3.5 disks were 720k before they were 1.44. My 5 1/4 was 360k and we would cut notches to use the other side.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

'Star Trek' is _definitely_ _NOT_ "crap" Simon. How very dare you. The Transporter may be a long shot but the Food replicators are surely a good thing?! ( _NOT_ 'The Replicators' of 'Stargate SG1' though... _they're_ a very bad idea!!). I am watching you on a Samsung Galaxy Tablet right now, Simon. Yay!! Lol :)

[@donovandelaney3171]

The first flip phone prototype was created in 1984.

[@DigitalChemistryBand]

Voice recognition is Asimov.... foundation trilogy

[@nicolab2081]

Weren't automatic sliding doors also a Star Trek invention?

[@MikeBaxterABC]

In the Thumbnail for this video? That is NOT a "Star Trek Zoom Call" ... it's a still picture from the library computer, a simple fact file on "Khan Noonien Singh".

[@synaesthesia2010]

Modern wireless communications is thanks to Hollywood Starlet heady Lamar who was more than an actress. She was also an inventor who in between takes will be in her trailer working on new inventions and helping the government design communication systems for submarines underwater during World War 2 back in the 1940s and her work led to the development of modern wireless and Bluetooth devices