Japan is building a solar energy collection satellite to beam power back down to Earth, much like they did in SR (though on a larger scale in SR).

That. Is. Awesome.


Now, if only Elves and Dwarves would start being born...

It's about time someone tried that.

Too late for us. Though I guess I wouldn't mind being an ork.

The US has already tested the microwave beaming technology on the ground, and will likely beat the Japanese to an orbital power station as well:
Solar Power from Space

And of course, if one can send electricity back to earth, one can focus the beam into a Thor shot... Might be even easier as it can use a lower orbit.

Need to wait another three years for that, chummer.

And, as has been pointed out, too late for us! I wouldn't mind being a troll, though, as long as I get to keep my Intuition and Logic scores

Well, UGE might give us some luck, huh?
Or the awakening. Though I like the world roughly as it is now - could do without all the horseshit the sixth world seems to be mired in (giant scary wizard lizards, evil mages, massive racial bias and genocide, exploding presidents that happen to be the aforementioned wizard lizards)...

I can tell you from personal experience that metatype troll is not all it's cracked up to be. In any case this theory has beena round for a while. Personally I think it will be neat if they can pull it off.

Imagine if a bunch of humanity did turn into Orks and Trolls...

You'd have millions of people panicking, thinking it's some deathly illness, while the Shadowrun fans just sit around going "S'cool... What's the big deal?"

This would be awesome except in SR it's orbital microwave energy that enables Japan to return to it's aspirations of global imperialism. What this really means is if you live in the philipines, the pacific islands or San Francisco you're fuct.

And I thought the whole idea behind the thor shot was that it was an orbital mass that decimates a surface target based on sheer kinetic energy. I'm not sure what microwave energy has to do with it?

I was thinking about orbital lasers, which could employ close technology to this plant. But we won't be reading it in the news.

This is all pie-in-the-sky nonsense. All these companies are doing is some basic research into microwave transmission at longer distances, and Japan is notoriously bad at space projects. They can't even get a small LEO orbital launcher operational after 40 years of trying.

Next to te guy holding a "The end is nigh" sign, there would be a Shadowrun fan holding "Sixth World has arrived" sign...
I for one don't think I would like so much the Shadowrun world, I would probably be banished from my homeland by a bunch of amerindian shamans, feathered serpents and photossintetic elves.

The satellite gun idea reminds me of the one from AKIRA!

Not to late for me, I'm 15 and I was born with pointed ears (ok ear). I kid you not, it was ruled of as a birth defect but I suspect that I'll never age.
I'll snap a pick later and post as proof.

What if they miss the receptor?

Ever played sim city 3000?

I'm pretty sure they are referring to elves and dwarves being born, not spontaneously changing.

Pre-spike-half-elf. Not as popular at Star trek conventions as one might think.-

Which half is the elf half?

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is probably what beacme Mitsuhama Computer Technologies in the 6^th World, and for a reason. People don't seem to grasp (outside Japan) just how HUGE that company is.

Mitsubishi is gargantuan to quote the game that shall not be named. They were huge during WWII and became gargantuan during post-war. It truly is a megacorp, they have their fingers on all the pies they can see.

Drake for me, thank you~

What a breath of boreal-forest-scented air you are, Lok1:)!

But... what if only the pointy-eared half of you doesn't age?

Than my right side will outlive you all and 50-60 years from now I'll pined down in a firefight with a shiawase securty team with you all neatly burried away either from old age or VITAS. (If my left side age's I'll just cyber it up.

Heh, I would not be surprised to find myself an elf. Granted, I'm 34 now but if I shave, I look like I'm in my early to mid 20s. I have rounded tip but otherwise rather pointy ears. All my kids have even pointier ears than I do. I'm rather tall too (much taller than a typical human male).

My luck, I'll probably SURGE into an Elf.

But honestly, it's not surprising to find that reality is borrowing from fiction. The good fiction is based on sound realistic principles. Hence we have Star Trek communicators and tricorders (cell phones & PDAs anyone?). Tesla and others like him were doing things that are all but magical by current understanding.

Don't forget that Star Trek invented black holes. Mostly. They were predicted by Einstein (who said that they couldn't possibly exist, even if his equations said they could) but Star Trek named them.

Conversely, there is a short story out there about how to solve the depletion of fossil fuels called The Roads Must Roll (the roads themselves moved, moving people who stood on them at 40, 60, and 80 mph--no reason is given as to how the roads are powered).

I'm thinking that life doesn't imitate sci-fi, but both imitate the human imagination and human desire.

The energy that is being sent down is basically harmless, once it is received it is then converted into something useful. At least that is how it was explained in an article last year when the US military was looking into using the technology to be able to focus energy into remote locations. They said it was finally financially viable (as a military option, the know how to do this has been around for decades) so if they ever get that working eventually it will be viable commercially.

Powersat by Ben Bova

VERY old idea, check out some of Robert Heinlein's "World as Myth multiverse" books. I can't remember all the ones that have this in them, but, I do remember that "To Sail Beyond the Sunset" does mention them, as well as the fact that they would be VERY LOUD.

You missed the obvious issue: standing up in an 80 MPH wind.

No, I didn't, because in my experience with the idea, the rolling roads were something you drove your car onto.

No no, see, the earth doesn't have any more fuel to power the car, so instead the roads move and you just kinda stand on them ah la Moving Sidewalk.

Breaking News, Trode-Net/DNI has become Gaming-Equipment!
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/ocz_...mpulse_actuator

SHIT! I want one of those....
If only I had the 100$

only 100$?
That's like 50€ O.o
Damn that is CHEAP!
Combine with P5 Glove and Cinema-Glasses or maybe REAL Virtual-Gove/Helmet-Combo and it should be pretty sweet i imagine o.O

Wow, that's the cheapest I've seen that type of device.

However, I do know that they aren't terribly accurate yet. One company has something like 63 different output signals and they only know what about 5 of them are.