If you could have invented one thing, what would it have been?

Mag-Lev trains. When I was 7 or 8, I drew up a schematic for a train that floated along a rail using magnets, and moved forward on a series of small magnetic waves.
I was very very impressed with the work, and went into a lot of detail on how to keep the thing stable, platforms for people to attach their cars onto for long distance trips, and high-speed exit and entrance ramps.

We had an engineer over for dinner at my house at once point... and when I showed him my work, he exclaimed how ingenious it was, and that it was exactly like the method a set of Japanese scientists used to make the real thing.

I was heartbroken.

Ask me anything