MetaChat - Superpowers.

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15 August 2010

Superpowers. This week's episode of This American Life was exceptionally cool... it was all about the concept of superpowers, as applied to real life. John Hodgman does a great story about asking people to choose between the powers of invisbility or flight, and another story was about a woman who decided at the age of 5 to become a real-life superhero.

post by: BoringPostcards at: 19:37 | 23 comments

That's a popular re-run. I've known people like Zora. They are interesting.

posted by The Whelk 15 August | 19:41

I've heard that the invisibility vs. flight episode is (or was for some time) their #1 most frequently requested show (for repeats and podcasts)

posted by Miko 15 August | 19:44

Matt name checked it in a podcast once, it came up a lot at parties.

I always think of the TOP TEN route. Most super-powers would be totally useless, and in a world where everyone is super - well then heat-vision makes you a good short order cook.

That being said, my vote is always telekinesis. Very versatile.

posted by The Whelk 15 August | 19:49

for day-to-day and for "Oh your Aorta, let me pinch it for you"

Telekinetic Surgeons would rule the roost.

posted by The Whelk 15 August | 19:50

Teleportation. Anywhere. Anytime. Boom, I'm there.

posted by dabitch 15 August | 20:07

Yup, I'm with dabitch. Lately, teleportation seems like the best deal.

posted by richat 15 August | 20:13

One of the rules of Hodgeman's experiment was that you'd be the only person in the world with that superpower. That ups the stakes a little bit.

posted by BoringPostcards 15 August | 20:22

Almost every day, I think "Man, teleportation is going to make my life soooooooo much easier." I don't even need to teleport myself --- though that would be mighty handy, especially if I never needed to go through an airport again.

Just teleporting materials would make a huge difference in my daily life. Related: the place where I most often long for teleportation powers is, of course, at the library check-out when all my interlibrary loans have arrived at once. Some days I hump home a dozen or more oversized and fragile texts, many many pounds of research dragging down my shoulders for the entire commute. If I could just port them home and go about my day? Oooooooh.

posted by Elsa 15 August | 20:45

Oh, and for Hodgman's question, the choice between flight and invisibility: flight. Oh, flying. Oh, flyyyyyyying.

I also want to know: would flying be flying like Superman, or flying like a bird? Flying like a bird is very appealing; it looks so demanding, such hard work, but oooooooh.

I don't have any illusions that I'd be a hero, but

oooooooh, flyyyyyyying.

posted by Elsa 15 August | 21:01

Flying, as long as I don't have to flap my arms.

posted by dg 15 August | 22:30

In flying vs. invisible, I'm in the invisible camp - partly because I am not that enamored of heights, but also because I think it would be amazingly useful. In the classic discussion, aspersions tend to be cast on people who prefer invisibility - that you're maniupulative, nosy, insecure, etc. Whatever. In point of fact, if you needed a superpower, flying sounds fun and convenient for transportation, but invisibility would really deliver the goods, making you far more able to right wrongs and get the information and positioning needed to deliver justice.

posted by Miko 15 August | 22:34

Who cares about justice? Only insecure, manipulative people want a superpower to deliver justice. I just want to fly.

posted by dg 15 August | 22:52

This is where my brain goes into logistics.

Okay teleporting. how do you avoid walls? or other people? Or the rotation of the Earth? Assuming you can just teleport places (assuming this vast possibly unconscious but worldwide knowledge of places, a whole other can of worms) Do you just fade in or is there an almighty BANG as you displace your volume in air? It would get around that there is person who just BANGS into places. Also, the problem with flying. Outside of using it to found a new and exciting cult, flying would be noticed, eventually, someone would see That Person Who Can Totally Fly and then I'm guessing it's 30 full seconds before you're inside a medical tent at a camp that doesn't exist.

posted by The Whelk 15 August | 22:56

Stopping time, people!

posted by serazin 15 August | 23:21

But you wouldn't stop aging! Over time it would build up! What if you couldn't stop! you keep spending long benders and sleeping it off in the 30 seconds before breakfast. How alienating and isolating that would be!

posted by The Whelk 15 August | 23:27

My sense of smell is hormonally turned up to 11. I can tell you right now that there is a reason we've never seen a superhero with an enhanced sense of smell - it's just really irritating. I guess it's kind of cool that I can smell my cats' food from the elevator... but no, not really.

If I had to actually pick a superpower, I'd want to be able to breathe underwater. Just because I like to swim a lot and that would make it more fun. Not particularly useful otherwise.

Superpowers that would be useful in my day to day life: being able to stop tantrums on a dime. Thermal laser vision that is able to produce a grilled cheese sandwich instantaneously. The ability to stop time, take a nap, and then start it up again.

posted by grapefruitmoon 16 August | 00:04

Invisibility seems useless to me. I mean how many places could you be where you could pick up information while invisible while not having someone bump into you, or end up bumping into something, or having to open a door, or be smelled by a pet, or be able to follow someone, or risk getting trapped, and giving it all away?

If the situation is such that you can gather information while invisible then I'd guess that 98% of the time you could do it without being invisible.

My superpower wish would be to be able to get a good sleep whenever I wanted to.

posted by arse_hat 16 August | 00:13

pissing people off on an internet forum

posted by pieisexactlythree 16 August | 01:55

I obviously spend a lot of my time thinking about this.

posted by Eideteker 16 August | 10:25

Bart Ender is probably the best, though. Followed closely by "Baby Fall-down-go-boom."

You'll have to ask about that last one.

posted by Eideteker 16 August | 11:17

Bart Ender would never pay for anything ever again.

posted by The Whelk 16 August | 11:59

If someone was say ...intimate with Mr. Ender, would they become too intoxicated and pass out?

posted by The Whelk 16 August | 12:03

I hate choosing. I want invisibility *and* flight. TMI reason for wanting invisibility? Safety. I could walk at night, which I love, and feel safe. Flying sounds so energetic; I want flying if it's not too strenuous.

Can Devastating Wit be my superpower? I already pretend it is.

posted by theora55 16 August | 14:38

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