Things you've always wondered about in sci-fi movies

[The Goon]

The delorean has 135hp, it takes forever for her to get up to speed, as long as you stay in the rpm power band it’s a fun car, but getting there takes forever...

Wow, someone has finally spoken publicly about the dirty little secret behind the DeLorean--they're slow. Like, Ford Pinto slow (at least the one I drove was). Also, if you're over 6' tall, they're not particularly comfortable to drive or ride in, and those stupid gull wing doors are a pain-in-the-you-know-what.

 

[Krel]

One review I remember stated that the most unbelievable part of the movie was the Delorian reaching 88 MPH.

The Delorian suffers from the design problem that most gull-wing door cars have, with putting the driver and passenger below the frame of the car. This makes it hard to enter and exit the car because you have to either climb down, or climb up to get over the car frame. They claim it makes the car safer, I don't know, but making your car difficult to enter and exit is not attractive to most people.

 

[The Goon]

One review I remember stated that the most unbelievable part of the movie was the Delorian reaching 88 MPH...

Can't argue that. The one I drove was a customer's car and there were no freeways nearby, so I did the best I could. Fastest I got it going was 63 mph on an empty surface street, and if I remember correctly it took nearly half a mile to get it there. So, neither fast nor quick, not particularly comfortable, and a pain-in-the-backside to get into and out of. Oh, yeah, that's the car I want for my daily driver!

 

[sbaxter]

I have another. How come that you never see sweat stains on super hero costumes? I'm not a super hero but I do a lot of courier service, so I know how fast your shirt may get wet when you wear a suit. But they wear full body armour, do all the acrobatics, fighting and then later they party in the same outfits without sweating to death. I'm looking at you, Tony, Cap, Thor..!

Because nobody wants to see that. In the rare cases where such things are shown, it tends to be all I can focus upon.

SSB

 

[somerset fox]

How come in Star Trek, whenever they beam someone out of a shuttlecraft, from a sitting position, they are recomposited in a standing position. Is this some fancy AI in the transport system Recognising they are sitting. Just once I’d like to see someone materialise in a seated position and gracefully fall to the side!

 

[Krel]

Can't argue that. The one I drove was a customer's car and there were no freeways nearby, so I did the best I could. Fastest I got it going was 63 mph on an empty surface street, and if I remember correctly it took nearly half a mile to get it there. So, neither fast nor quick, not particularly comfortable, and a pain-in-the-backside to get into and out of. Oh, yeah, that's the car I want for my daily driver!
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There are photos out there of Delorians where the owner has done something to try and get more performance out of the engine, only to have the engine catch fire, and melt down!

 

[Krel]

I have another. How come that you never see sweat stains on super hero costumes? I'm not a super hero but I do a lot of courier service, so I know how fast your shirt may get wet when you wear a suit. But they wear full body armour, do all the acrobatics, fighting and then later they party in the same outfits without sweating to death. I'm looking at you, Tony, Cap, Thor..!

Roger Moore said that while in Egypt filming a fight scene for "The Spy Who Loved Me", they were changing his shirt every couple of minutes so you wouldn't see any sweat stains. He said that it wouldn't do to see Bond sweat.

David.

 

[The Goon]

There are photos out there of Delorians where the owner has done something to try and get more performance out of the engine, only to have the engine catch fire, and melt down!

These auto makers seem to get so fixated on the amount of weight they'll save by using lighter materials that they don't take other factors into consideration. For example, the melting point (temperature) of aluminum is slightly less than half the melting point of carbon steel. "Hey Bill, y'know, with all of that friction these engines sure generate a lot of heat. Are you sure it'll be okay to make the cases out of aluminum?" "Oh sure, Jim. Those aluminum engines will last at least until the warranties expire."

 

[Riceball]

These auto makers seem to get so fixated on the amount of weight they'll save by using lighter materials that they don't take other factors into consideration. For example, the melting point (temperature) of aluminum is slightly less than half the melting point of carbon steel. "Hey Bill, y'know, with all of that friction these engines sure generate a lot of heat. Are you sure it'll be okay to make the cases out of aluminum?" "Oh sure, Jim. Those aluminum engines will last at least until the warranties expire."

But this fails to take into consideration that automakers have to have weight as best as they can because consumers want better and better fuel economy. To add to that, there are also regulations, at least in the US that are requiring automakers to meet certain minimums in terms of MPG. So it's not necessarily the automakers trying to cheap out so much as doing all they can to make their cars as fuel efficient as possible.

 

[batguy]

But this fails to take into consideration that automakers have to have weight as best as they can because consumers want better and better fuel economy. To add to that, there are also regulations, at least in the US that are requiring automakers to meet certain minimums in terms of MPG. So it's not necessarily the automakers trying to cheap out so much as doing all they can to make their cars as fuel efficient as possible.

This.

The auto industry is going to increasingly stupid lengths to improve gas mileage without letting the customer notice the slightest compromise anywhere. It's mainly weight reduction and more complexity in the drivetrains.

But the cars keep getting heavier anyway. That's because the demands on the cars keep increasing at an even faster rate. Customer expectations, federal crash safety regs, etc.

 

[modelerdave]

it was about getting it concentrated into the right parts of the ecology at the same time. the same amount of water was out there, but it was spread in a way that it wouldn't create mass greenery.

the planting of greenery by the fremen over long periods of time allows for there to be a mechanism that "traps" the released water into a cycle of plant life. just a little nudge in the right direction was stated as being enough to get dune to click over into a cycle of greenery.

The sandtrout have trapped all of the water far below the surface to make a friendly environment for the sandworms (later-stage sandtrout). The Fremen want to release this trapped water. It's pretty well explained in Children of Dune.

 

[The Goon]

But this fails to take into consideration that automakers have to have weight as best as they can because consumers want better and better fuel economy...

Well, I was trying to stick to the topic of possible reasons that an automobile engine might melt--a matter of thermodynamics and metallurgy. Less weight equaling more economic fuel usage is an engineering problem, and above my pay grade.

 

[clonesix]

Every future city is perfect and shiny. Every building is brand new and in the same style as every other building. Was the whole city built at once? Aren’t any buildings older? Under repair? Every city that I have seen has tower cranes building and repairing structures.

Does Superman have super hair? How does he fly at hundreds of mph (kph for the rest of the world) and it never messes up his hair?

As long as we are on the subject of flying humans (ie: Superman, iron man, etc) does anyone understand how uncomfortable that position is?? If you were to stand in your feet and stare at the ceiling, you neck would be so sore! Imaging flying from Malibu to Afghanistan. Oh, that would be a Crick in the neck!

And what about super speed in the atmosphere? How does the Flash not leave a flaming trail for everyone to see?

 

[somerset fox]

Every future city is perfect and shiny. Every building is brand new and in the same style as every other building. Was the whole city built at once? Aren’t any buildings older? Under repair? Every city that I have seen has tower cranes building and repairing structures.

Does Superman have super hair? How does he fly at hundreds of mph (kph for the rest of the world) and it never messes up his hair?

As long as we are on the subject of flying humans (ie: Superman, iron man, etc) does anyone understand how uncomfortable that position is?? If you were to stand in your feet and stare at the ceiling, you neck would be so sore! Imaging flying from Malibu to Afghanistan. Oh, that would be a Crick in the neck!

And what about super speed in the atmosphere? How does the Flash not leave a flaming trail for everyone to see?

For once, you want Superman To land and pick bugs, seagulls, leaves out of his gleaming white teeth!

 

[JPH]

How come in Star Trek, whenever they beam someone out of a shuttlecraft, from a sitting position, they are recomposited in a standing position. Is this some fancy AI in the transport system Recognising they are sitting. Just once I’d like to see someone materialise in a seated position and gracefully fall to the side!

Meanwhile...

any other position gets preserved in the transporter. Especially if you are reaching out to save someone or in an at-the-ready combat pose

 

[JPH]

Wow, someone has finally spoken publicly about the dirty little secret behind the DeLorean--they're slow. Like, Ford Pinto slow (at least the one I drove was). Also, if you're over 6' tall, they're not particularly comfortable to drive or ride in, and those stupid gull wing doors are a pain-in-the-you-know-what.

Aren't Humvees "zero to sixty in five miles"?

The limits put on new cars for gas mileage and safety are helping to make cars more throwaway. The engine that shuts off during every stop, compartments designed to collapse on impact, lighter, less robust materials for the inner workings. Twnety years from now, prolly far lower percentage of twenty year-old cars on the road than today.

 

[userd1402]

-.-

 

[joberg]

For once, you want Superman To land and pick bugs, seagulls, leaves out of his gleaming white teeth!

They bounce off Same with the eyes

 

[joberg]

Already that way with a lot of makes. When was the last time you saw an old Fiat?
My wife runs a garage and the mechanics there have a saying; ALL cars are s**t. Some are just more s**t than others.

There are people in the Insurance Industry/banks, talking about those "Gas Cars" and not insuring them or getting a loan to buy them.
You know...climate change and all And since a lot of car manufacturers have announced their next few years of production (not set in stone mind you) every single model will be hybrid or EV.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Never wondered about the real capabilities of the Delorean. If Doc pimped out the rest of the car, why not also the engine? Or... is it shown with the original engine in the movies?