9Aug 07
Muggle magic
Posted by Sheryle Moon @ 13:54 1 comments
Harry Potter should have remembered the words of Arthur C Clarke, who once said that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".
Marauders' maps, deluminators and sneakoscopes have their place, but Harry could have solved most of his problems by turning to Muggle technology.
In the final instalment of JK Rowling's series, Hermione pours over old manuscripts and tomes, when she could have solved the riddle of the Deathly Hallows in a few simple clicks on the Internet.
When Ron was separated from Harry and Hermione, he didn't need the magic deluminator -- he could have turned to a GPS. CCTV equipment would have been a much less intrusive means of protection than the Shrieking Shack. Surely a quick SMS to Voldemort would have been preferable to pressing the Dark Mark? And why weren't the Order of the Phoenix using mobile phones to communicate?
My point is that modern technology is magical. Many of Rowling's magical "technologies" are available to us now, and some are only a few years away. Rita Skeeter's quick quotes quill is already unnecessary with voice recognition software. Omnioculars -- binoculars with a replay function -- are available at a price. The Marauders' Map, which tracks students and staff at Hogwarts, is a reality, with RFID technology already helping us monitor employee movement in high-security facilities.
In a matter of years, our newspapers will look like issues of The Daily Prophet, with multimedia-rich tablet PCs that allow us to read online news at the breakfast table. Scientists are developing smart clothing that will tell you when they need a wash (just like the socks that scream when they become too smelly).
And of course, the Pensieve that stores thoughts and memories for later retrieval is perhaps only years away, as BT scientists work on a computer chip that could be implanted behind the eye to record a person's every lifetime thought and sensation.
What other examples of Potter magic have you found to be supplanted by technology?
3%
2%
The jewels that track house points (outside the Great Hall) are really just an intranet status page displayed on a flat panel display. Professors telephone ("Five points to Gryffindor!") the computer that controls this screen in order to add/subtract house points and voice recognition technology does the rest. They could also use a secure, dedicated hand-held radio communication system instead.
The Hogwarts High Inquisitor's (Umbridge's) notices could also have been uploaded to the intranet. A touch screen system next to the house points screen would enable you to scroll through all of them easily.
Photographs that move aren't here yet but they are basically LCD photo frames that play video instead of rotating through a group of images. Future ones might even have audio.