1y ago

What super power would be impractical in real life?

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Teleportation. Unless truly instantaneous, you need to account for the fact that the earth moves 18 miles per second relative to the sun.
- And isn't the solar system moving at like 500000 miles an hour around the milkyway too?
  Teleportation and timetravel both have this issue where you have to take a fuckload of moving parts we don't even completely understand yet, into account.
  
  Time travel would have to imply teleportation as well. If teleportation is actually instant or ftl, it would also be at least some level of time travel as you would be able to move outside your causal envelope.
  
  Why would you teleport relative to the sun or the center of the milky way? Wouldn't it be easier to teleport relative to the nearest surface?
  
  The universe doesn't care what you think is easier.
  It moves, you moving from one point in the universe to another needs to take into account where all the moving parts are going.
  Only instant teleportation, where nothing has had time to move, would work. But that would be akin to traveling back in time.
  
  The Universe doesn't give a damn about the Sun or the Milky Way, either, idiot. There is no defined central point for all coordinates. Everything is relative to something else or might as well be staying perfectly still for all intents and purposes.
- Inertial systems are all equal in a certain relevant here sense, if there is no need for account for your movement relative to Sun, Galaxy, CMB, or anything else. Yes, in this sense, Sun also rotates around Earth.
- On top of that you need to account for the fact that the earth's surface is moving at different speeds depending on latitude and elevation. Even if you can do the calculations to hit your mark, there is most likely to be some energy mismatch that needs to be accounted for.
  
  Very nicely addressed in the Jumper novels by Steven Gould.
- This doesn't make sense. The earth moves at very different speeds depending on what you compare it to. The only thing that makes sense is for the teleportation to be relative to the teleporter. Maybe it would still require taking into account rotation, instead of linear momentum. idk, still seems complicated.
  
  But if it takes time, there's a moment where you're not there, and thus, the reference is lost.
  Instant teleporting no problems though. I would even be okay with nightcrawler/Minecraft nether-like teleport where you travel through another locked in dimension.
- What if you could "lock on" a target like in star trek?

137 comments