Spaceflight Technologies

The incredible machines and systems that make space travel possible, from the rockets that defy gravity (barely) to the life support systems that keep astronauts alive (fingers crossed) to the spacesuits that are essentially personalized spacecraft (with limited mobility and an unfortunate diaper situation). Spaceflight technologies include heat shields that laugh at re-entry temperatures, navigation systems that find a specific spot in the vast emptiness, and communication arrays that send messages across millions of miles with the latency of a really bad Zoom call.

Example: "He bought surplus spaceflight technologies from a government auction—a actual flight-tested heat shield panel. He hung it on his wall as art. Visitors asked if it had been to space. He said yes, and also that it had survived temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun, which was more than could be said for his last relationship."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Space Technologies

The tools and instruments we use to study the cosmos, from backyard telescopes (see a blurry dot, call it Jupiter) to space-based observatories like Hubble and Webb (see the dawn of time, have your mind permanently blown). Space technologies include rovers that drive on other planets (traffic jams on Mars are not a thing yet), satellites that beam internet from orbit (thanks, Starlink, for ruining astrophotography), and the Voyager probes, which are still transmitting from interstellar space on computers with less power than your microwave.

Space Technologies *Example: "He bought a space technology—a consumer-grade telescope that promised to reveal the wonders of the cosmos. After a month, he had seen the moon (impressive), Saturn's rings (faint but recognizable), and approximately 47 airplanes that he was very excited about until he realized what they were. The universe, he learned, is mostly dark and requires patience, which he did not have."*

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime Technologies

The hypothetical or highly advanced tools that would allow us to manipulate, measure, or travel through the fabric of spacetime, from gravitational wave detectors that feel the universe's vibrations (LIGO, basically the most sensitive microphone ever built) to theoretical warp drives that would let us cheat relativity (requires negative energy, which we don't have, but wouldn't it be cool?). Spacetime technologies are either Nobel Prize-winning achievements or science fiction dreams, with very little in between. The most practical spacetime technology remains the clock, which measures our inexorable march toward the future whether we like it or not.

Example: "He read about spacetime technologies and learned that LIGO had detected gravitational waves from colliding black holes billions of light-years away. He then looked at his wristwatch, which also measured time but with significantly less drama. Both, he realized, were measuring the same universe, just at very different scales. His watch beeped. Somewhere, a black hole didn't."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime-Probability Technologies

The hypothetical devices that would allow users to perceive, navigate, or manipulate the probability dimension, effectively letting you see the paths not taken or, if you're brave enough, switch to them mid-stride. These technologies include probability goggles (showing overlays of every possible version of the present moment, which is overwhelming and deeply unhelpful when crossing the street), branch-shifters (devices that let you jump to a timeline where you didn't send that embarrassing text), and the ever-popular "quantum eraser" that claims to delete unfortunate outcomes from your personal probability tree (it doesn't work, but it sells well on late-night infomercials).

Spacetime-Probability Technologies *Example: "He bought a spacetime-probability technology headband that promised to show him all possible futures. When he put it on, he was immediately overwhelmed by 47 versions of himself making different lunch choices. One version had soup, one had salad, and one had apparently decided lunch was irrelevant and was just napping. He took the headband off and had a sandwich, hoping it was the optimal branch."*

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Interdimensional Technologies

Devices designed to access, traverse, or manipulate the spaces between dimensions, ranging from theoretical "gap drives" that would let you slip between realities to more practical tools like the "interdimensional key finder" (which doesn't work, but sounds impressive). These technologies promise to solve the problem of lost items (retrieve them from the dimensional gaps where they fall), explain mysterious noises (sounds leaking through from adjacent dimensions), and potentially allow communication with beings that exist in the spaces between. The main challenge is that interdimensional technologies have to function in spaces where normal physics doesn't apply, which makes quality control a nightmare and warranties essentially meaningless.

Interdimensional Technologies Example: "He bought an interdimensional technology device online—a small box that claimed to retrieve items from the space between dimensions. When he lost his wallet, he activated the device, which made a humming noise and then did nothing. He later found the wallet in his other pocket, which either meant the device had worked (by retrieving it from the interdimensional gap and placing it in his pocket without his knowledge) or that he was an idiot. He chose to believe in the device."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 15, 2026

Multidimensional Technologies

Devices and systems designed to operate across multiple dimensions simultaneously, allowing users to perceive, interact with, or manipulate realities beyond their native dimensional framework. These technologies include "dimensional telescopes" that can see into higher dimensions (they show static, but impressive static), "multidimensional communication devices" that let you talk to your other-dimensional selves (they mostly just echo), and the popular "dimensional blender" that supposedly mixes realities together (it just makes smoothies, but they're very philosophical smoothies). The challenge of multidimensional technology is that it must interface with dimensions that have different physical laws, different sensory modalities, and possibly different concepts of what "technology" even means.

Multidimensional Technologies Example: "He bought a multidimensional technology headset that promised to let him see in 4D. When he put it on, he saw his room, but also all the rooms he'd ever lived in, superimposed, plus a kitchen that might have been his future kitchen or might have been a dimensional error. He took it off, confused. The headset's manual said 'integration may take time.' He's been 'integrating' for three years and still can't find his keys."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 15, 2026

Hyperdimensional Technologies

Devices designed to access, interact with, or harness the power of hyperdimensional realms, where the normal rules don't apply and the possibilities are literally infinite. These technologies include "hyperdimensional computers" that compute all possible answers simultaneously (they return "yes," "no," "maybe," and "why are you asking?" all at once), "hyperdimensional communication arrays" that can reach any point in any dimension (they mostly pick up cosmic static and your mother-in-law from a dimension where she's even more judgmental), and the theoretical "hyperdimensional energy source" that would provide unlimited power (it also provides unlimited existential dread, so maybe not worth it). The main challenge is that hyperdimensional technologies have to be operated by 3D beings with 3D brains, which is like teaching a fish to ride a bicycle—possible in theory, ridiculous in practice.

Hyperdimensional Technologies Example: "He bought a hyperdimensional technology device that claimed to solve any problem by accessing infinite-dimensional solution spaces. He asked it where he'd left his phone. The device hummed, glowed, and displayed the answer: 'Everywhere and nowhere, simultaneously. Also, it's in your hand.' He was holding his phone. The device had solved the problem hyperdimensionally, which is to say, it had made him feel stupid in infinite dimensions."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 15, 2026