The Future of Inflation

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Pakona
The Future of Inflation

I'll admit this is a bit of a silly topic but for the fun of it, I'd like to ask anyway.

I believe that our humble, little inflation community is doing quite nicely but every once in a while, I've wondered what inflation would be like 10, 20, even 100 years from now.

I've came up with a few questions. For instance, would our interests ever spread to another form of media, possibly one that exists in the upcoming future and surpasses even the internet? or will new technology one day allow for people to inflate like balloons, providing easy travel to work without the need for cars or having to fuss over traffic?

Other, more realistic questions come to mind as well. Will DA continue to accept inflation art or will the pleas of the haters finally be answered? Will the works of our favorite artists be carried on throughout the decades and continue to inspire?

What about the rest of you? What kind of questions would you have for the future of inflation? And what would be your ideal inflatable future?

Vertigo

My hope for the future? Holodecks.

DeviantART!: http://baphometdisciple.deviantart.com/

doubleintegral
doubleintegral's picture

I just hope that after 10 years some new ideas are born. Whether those new ideas lead to a change in the presentation of content (different medium/format) or a change in the content itself (different drawing/writing techniques), or both... I don't know.

Think about it... in 2017, the BI community will effectively be 20 years old. Hopefully we will not be doing the same things then that we are now, or that we were 10 years ago.

No one can doubt that inflation art has come a looong way since this community began. The advancements made with Photoshop and other drawing tools have vastly improved the overall quality. However, stories have really not changed all that much... there are some writers pushing the envelope, but many stories follow a pretty basic formula that hasn't changed much in the last 10 years. (Insert "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" argument) If I'm still following that formula in 10 years, I'll probably hang it up... if not before then.

Anyway, that may be outside the scope of the question posed, but that's my take.

Mentalyinsane
Mentalyinsane's picture
Vertigo wrote:
My hope for the future? Holodecks.

Amen to that, brother.

The name's Noitalfin, http://noitalfin.deviantart.com/

Pakona
doubleintegral wrote:
I just hope that after 10 years some new ideas are born. Whether those new ideas lead to a change in the presentation of content (different medium/format) or a change in the content itself (different drawing/writing techniques), or both... I don't know.

Think about it... in 2017, the BI community will effectively be 20 years old. Hopefully we will not be doing the same things then that we are now, or that we were 10 years ago.

No one can doubt that inflation art has come a looong way since this community began. The advancements made with Photoshop and other drawing tools have vastly improved the overall quality. However, stories have really not changed all that much... there are some writers pushing the envelope, but many stories follow a pretty basic formula that hasn't changed much in the last 10 years. (Insert "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" argument) If I'm still following that formula in 10 years, I'll probably hang it up... if not before then.

Anyway, that may be outside the scope of the question posed, but that's my take.

Not at all. Actually I think I might've been a little too vague with my opening topic. Sorry about that. I took a few minutes to add a little more detail.

Inflate123
Inflate123's picture

Honestly, 10 years ago, we were doing much the same thing--writing stories, drawing pictures, and talking to each other. The places have changed but the topics and interests are largely the same. Unless there's a breakthrough in holodecks, I would expect the same thing going forward -- maybe we'll see some easier consumer-oriented 3D modeling tools (Poser was not prevalent 10 years ago, but now many more people use it) or perhaps an offshoot from gaming toolsets that will make custom animations easier.

I don't doubt that if there is a way to inflatably exploit a technology, we will be there to do so. :)

Omoikane

Well... I think the means on communication will change abit, but our community will still be the loving open bunch that we are now. We will still share stories and artwork, but 3d art will probably be common. Let alone, 3d chat rooms will probably help with all the RPs, with the amount people using IMUZ (I think that's how it goes), and SecondLife now.

However, technologically, I remember a company trying to reinvigorate the zeppelins for cargo and leisure trips.

And DA won't. If DA does, it'll start banning all other content viewed as inappropriate, and then there will be no art on it.

Mentalyinsane wrote:
Vertigo wrote:
My hope for the future? Holodecks.

Amen to that, brother.

I can second that motion. ^_^

darth_clone19
darth_clone19's picture

Holodecks, yes!! lol

I think Inflate is right.

I think even if it were possible that DA banned inflation, there's always gonna be somebody who will take it upon themselves to do another inflation site where people would be invited to post all the material they posted on DA.

 -   Read my stories: darth-clone19.deviantart.com 

deleted_20091014

I don't think 'holodecks' are necessarily that far into the future. It is already possible to induce lucid dreaming in people using special equipment (which means you have control over your own dreams, (I've never experienced it but it happens naturally sometimes and I would hope that you could go round inflating people)

Scientists are already quite good at reading people's brainwave patterns and even affecting them. Perhaps a machine which can put you into a virtual world in your mind where inflation will really exist isn't all that far off.

The real great thing would be if you could communicate with other 'lucid dreamers' while in this state, so that you are all in the same world, then RP would move on up to a whole new level

kuumuzu

First of, Pakona... Great topic.
*thumbs up*

Holodecks would be fantastic... ^_^

Um, what was I going to say...
Oh yeah! With the way 3D chatrooms are advancing and such I'm sure it won't be too long before one of our companions writes a private inflation chat program.
(any programmers out there?)

I also like they idea of this dream control technology. Though... if you've seen Paprika or plan to see it anytime soon you'll probably find that controlling dreams or sharing/entering other peoples dreams could cause quite a bit of a head f**k... ^_^;

Lastly,
deviantART...
Unless they find good reason or the haters start a war they will not ban inflation artwork. If they did, it'd mean they'd have to ban a lot of things.

Although they could do with a clean out over there...

Too many Emo related photos and...
I hate to say this (it'll probably get me beaten with a big stick) Furries...
Quote "Furries, everyones problem"

As for the future.
It's not what will happen or what it could be... It's what WE make of it.

Lets work hard and with gusto! ^_^

Fairia
Fairia's picture

I might sound pretty dumb for asking this, but what are 'holodecks'?

darth_clone19
darth_clone19's picture

Great point kuumuzu, that last bit about the future we make :) And I do think theres too many friggin emos there too.

Thats great Carnatic, way to get one's hopes up lol Though Id be afraid of any technology like that at first.

Fairia, guess you are not a trekkie :) lol Holodecks are these rooms in Star Trek where one can run programs that create a virtual reality around the person, even with people you can interact with.

 -   Read my stories: darth-clone19.deviantart.com 

nineteenthly

Fairia, holodecks are from Star Trek. They are rooms where real-seeming scenes can be created which are solid and can be interacted with. See this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodeck

The problem with inflation in virtual reality, assuming something like 3-D images, a suit with tactile feedback and the like, is that whereas a simulated character could be inflated, role-playing would be less authentic. Although it would be possible to simulate an inflating body with an inflatable suit with images and sounds, the actual tactile sensations we imagine the inflatee having would be mainly on the inside of their bodies or on the skin itself, which can't be simulated.

I thought about this with lucid dreaming. If you dream yourself being inflated, how far does the sleep paralysis go? You can still breathe when you're asleep, so if you imagined you were inflating by swallowing air, would you really become bloated? How far could you go before you woke up, and what state would you be in by then?

http://www.youtube.com/user/nineteenthly

 

Fairia
Fairia's picture

Aah, I see now. Yes, it would make it more plausible for holodecks given the bugs were worked out and how well the reality and fantasy of sensations and reactions work without harm.

darth_clone19
darth_clone19's picture

Fairia, thats the kind of thinking the writers of the show have actually lol Once a bug or something made holodeck images come to life.

 -   Read my stories: darth-clone19.deviantart.com 

klaeresource

TNG spent far too much time on that holodeck -- one of the five staple stories used in the series (along with time travel, exploring Data's emotion chip, sparring with the annoying Q, etc.). They were supposed to be exploring the frontiers of the universe, not becoming the ultimate couch potatoes. The writers also pushed the concept of the holodeck too far. Perhaps with transporter-like technology to project solid objects, one might fill the room, but how was it possible to expand the volume of the room, as many stories called for?

There's always "wire-heading," a sci-fi idea that's been around for ages and explored in such stories as REALTIME INTERRUPT and movies TRON and THE MATRIX. If you pop in the Matrix, what happens to you in real life? What if Yori ran into Dig-Dug? Oh yeah, that game hadn't been written yet.

darth_clone19
darth_clone19's picture

Now, I wont let you bad motuh TNG lol Every episode couldn't be about finding an uncharted planet. Come on. Theres some sci in scifi, so it all can't be just finding planets and strange civilizations. Science has other problems too, that sci fi also deals with (like in Babylon 5)

I never saw it as if the room physically expanded. It was as if the boundary of what happened in your mind was blurred. Like a virtual reality in a larger scale. Besides, its alien. You can justify anything, even the faster than light travel in Star Wars just by saying "its alien, go with it".

 -   Read my stories: darth-clone19.deviantart.com 

LutherVKane
LutherVKane's picture

When I think of the future of inflation, my mind goes to places far more mundane than holodecks :). I'm thinking more in the ten year time frame.

There will probably be a lot more advances in terms of computer generated images and videos. As software and hardware increase in power and decrease in cost, lots of things that are impractical now become practical. Ten years ago, I had a 90 Mhz PC with a few hundred megs of drive space. Today I have a 2GHz machine with 160 Gb of space that was about a quarter the cost. In terms of power, it completely demolishes the professional rendering workstations of ten years ago.

Ten years ago, if you wanted 3D modeling software you had to pay big bucks or stick with something extremely primitive. Today you can get Blender or Daz Studio for free, and professional grade commercial software costs hundreds rather than thousands of dollars.

The main limiting factors will be skillset. The tools for drawing and writing are cheap and widely available. Anyone can learn the basics, and with practice many can become quite skilled. Digital 3D animation is different. People haven't been doing it for thousands of years.

3D inflation animations are few and far between today. But what's being made now would have only been feasible for professional production houses ten years ago. Ten years from now we'll have our first generation of geeks who grew up with free modeling tools and the computing power to make rendering feasible on consumer grade hardware. That should be interesting.

nineteenthly

What about surgery? If "inflatable" breast implants are possible, with liquid, i can't see any reason why the type of inflation described in a couple of stories i've read wouldn't be, with a bladder implanted in a body cavity or between fascia, which can then be connected to the outside and inflated with a pump. I can't think of any reason why that wouldn't be possible even now. People do rather extreme body modifications already.

http://www.youtube.com/user/nineteenthly

 

darth_clone19
darth_clone19's picture

It wouldn't be because only we would have thought of it. People do extreme modifications, but not THAT extreme.

 -   Read my stories: darth-clone19.deviantart.com 

nineteenthly

It only needs a cosmetic surgeon and someone with enough money to pay for it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/nineteenthly

 

doubleintegral
doubleintegral's picture

Getting off topic here...

klaeresource wrote:
TNG spent far too much time on that holodeck -- one of the five staple stories used in the series (along with time travel, exploring Data's emotion chip, sparring with the annoying Q, etc.). They were supposed to be exploring the frontiers of the universe, not becoming the ultimate couch potatoes.

Q episodes were hardly a staple - he was in 8 episodes out of 176. Personally, I don't think they used Q as much as they could have, he was one of my favorite characters. Time travel wasn't a staple either - only 13 episodes, 14 if you count Encounter at Farpoint.

I will agree, though - the holodeck was overused as a main plot device, e.g. the Professor Moriarti episodes, Barclay's neural interface, Orient Express, etc.

Quote:
The writers also pushed the concept of the holodeck too far. Perhaps with transporter-like technology to project solid objects, one might fill the room, but how was it possible to expand the volume of the room, as many stories called for?

The TNG Technical Manual describes the holodeck experience as similar to walking on a treadmill... the physical size of the room doesn't actually change, but you're not actually moving around in it; rather, the holodeck is moving around you. So theoretically you would never reach the physical walls of the holodeck.

Zepylin
nineteenthly wrote:
What about surgery? If "inflatable" breast implants are possible, with liquid, i can't see any reason why the type of inflation described in a couple of stories i've read wouldn't be, with a bladder implanted in a body cavity or between fascia, which can then be connected to the outside and inflated with a pump. I can't think of any reason why that wouldn't be possible even now. People do rather extreme body modifications already.

Bladder or no bladder, the human skin can only stretch so far. Plus you'd probably do a lot of damage to internal organs that might get pushed around or squashed with a big, rubber inflatable stuck near them.

InflatedState

I'm really into Ghost in the Shell, so I'm up for any kind of virtual experience.
But people would need cyberbrains and the like to be able to use them... :(

The holodeck sounds quite good. I never really watched Star Trek but I know what people are talking about. ;)

There's nothing like air to give you that inflated sense of self esteem.

nineteenthly
Zepylin wrote:
nineteenthly wrote:
What about surgery? If "inflatable" breast implants are possible, with liquid, i can't see any reason why the type of inflation described in a couple of stories i've read wouldn't be, with a bladder implanted in a body cavity or between fascia, which can then be connected to the outside and inflated with a pump. I can't think of any reason why that wouldn't be possible even now. People do rather extreme body modifications already.

Bladder or no bladder, the human skin can only stretch so far. Plus you'd probably do a lot of damage to internal organs that might get pushed around or squashed with a big, rubber inflatable stuck near them.

Pregnancy already pushes the organs around quite a bit. I think it would work if the surface of the bladder was smooth enough and it was inflated over a period of weeks or months. In fact, if it was inflated slowly enough, it could potentially be made absolutely huge because the skin would gradually stretch and adapt. For all i know, someone could end up the size of an elephant (probably wishful thinking).

http://www.youtube.com/user/nineteenthly

 

LittlePumpkin

I hope there will be made a perfect inflation suit for us. A suit were you can feel pressure and can be inflated to a fully spherical shape. But wich scientist is so crazy to invent/make it? :(

Also, I hope there will be made a special movie for us. A whole movie about inflation! :D Ofcourse very realistic, and exiting...Not just a few minutes in other movies like Willy Wonka. Some documentairy will do to I think. *sigh*

Those 2 things are possible!(contrary to the holodeck)But filmmakers and smart people are busy with other things or ashamed (like me, I want to make an animation)*sigh again*