Technology in Harry Potter

[Mark S]

I've always wondered why there are no Muggle born students at Hogwarts with cell phones, digital watches, and wondering where they can plug in their laptop? How come they all seem to forsake the entire other half of their lives?

[neoolong]

Maybe it's frowned upon? By faculty, or maybe just by other students.

[DPDarkPrimus]

...Because they have to?

There is no electricity in Hogwarts.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Before some smartass says it: "Unless someone casts a Bolt+3".

[neoolong]

...Because they have to?

There is no electricity in Hogwarts.

But why is there not. Unless it would necessitate bringing in contractors and having to pay the government, there doesn't seem to be a good reason that they shouldn't have it.

[Ghost Rider]

That is odd...unfortunatly we only have Hermonie as a a true Muggle/Wizard.

She has knowledge of the phone but nothing of the computer, which would be of an incredible resource. Hmmm too bad we don't have a clearer view of the Dursley's lifestyle we might get a better view of human technological advance in the books.

They might not be up to our standards of tech?

[Stravo]

First of all I have never read any Potter book and have only seen the first movie. Now are these wizards supposed to reintergrate back into the real world? Because if so, spending your formative years in an institution without lecetricity and compueters sounds to me like a good formula for creating wizards that can't fit back into society. Maybe its their way of making sure wizards will consider themselves apart from Muggles. (an insidious system of control)

Also are there any techno mages, you know cyber space wizards, lords of logic, that sort of thing?

[Ghost Rider]

First of all I have never read any Potter book and have only seen the first movie. Now are these wizards supposed to reintergrate back into the real world? Because if so, spending your formative years in an institution without lecetricity and compueters sounds to me like a good formula for creating wizards that can't fit back into society. Maybe its their way of making sure wizards will consider themselves apart from Muggles. (an insidious system of control)

Also are there any techno mages, you know cyber space wizards, lords of logic, that sort of thing?

Nope...the closest to techno wizards are people who screw around with technology.

ASnd they have muggle studies...but it makes no sense why even someone like Hermonie is NOT exposed to computers. It's not like she's like Potter's case...her family seems well-to-do and having her no knowledge of the computer in the 90's?!

That struck me as odd.

Though at Hogwarts itself proper...who knows.

Seriously I wouldn't be amazed at some anti-tech field. But as to other then that, makes no sense why no wristwatches or other portable devices...other then to maintain a certain feel of the enviroment.

[Mark S]

...Because they have to?

There is no electricity in Hogwarts.

Sure, for things that need to plug in. But what about the little things like watches and stuff that only need batteries? Hell the place doesn't have electricity, you'd think someone's parents would make them take a flashlight.

[neoolong]

First of all I have never read any Potter book and have only seen the first movie. Now are these wizards supposed to reintergrate back into the real world? Because if so, spending your formative years in an institution without lecetricity and compueters sounds to me like a good formula for creating wizards that can't fit back into society. Maybe its their way of making sure wizards will consider themselves apart from Muggles. (an insidious system of control)

Also are there any techno mages, you know cyber space wizards, lords of logic, that sort of thing?

Nope...the closest to techno wizards are people who screw around with technology.

ASnd they have muggle studies...but it makes no sense why even someone like Hermonie is NOT exposed to computers. It's not like she's like Potter's case...her family seems well-to-do and having her no knowledge of the computer in the 90's?!

That struck me as odd.

Though at Hogwarts itself proper...who knows.

Seriously I wouldn't be amazed at some anti-tech field. But as to other then that, makes no sense why no wristwatches or other portable devices...other then to maintain a certain feel of the enviroment.

They have magic cars as well. Mixed tech and magic it seems does work. So it can't be a total anti-tech field.

[Ghost Rider]

Yeah but the car itself seemed more powered by the magic that it was infused with rather then being an amalgamation of the two.

It didn't seem to require fuel or any real maintence, and Mr. Weasley did tear it apart and reconstruct it. So it could go either way...but it seems less likely he just imbued it to fly given it nature and tracking abilities that no car has.

But I'm more wondering why no wristwatches...seriously the other stuff I can say 10 years old may not really need(though so far completel avoidence of computers and the internet is slightly astounding given the sheer nature of the beast. I mean of all of them Hermonine should be well versed in at least some tech...though we don't know). But to have not a single halfblood or muggle have any sort of 90's tech just seems....odd.

[DPDarkPrimus]

They have wristwatches... whether or not some of them are digital is never brought up...

[Mr Bean]

In the third book I belive it Hermonie mentions in the third book when disccus if Harry is being buged(The old fasion electronic way) that all muggle tech devices go nuts(Strong magic field is the explination)
After all if you want to keep somthing hidden having a magic equivlant of a few thousand volts of EMI would fuck up anything with transistors real quick

[Ghost Rider]

In the third book I belive it Hermonie mentions in the third book when disccus if Harry is being buged(The old fasion electronic way) that all muggle tech devices go nuts(Strong magic field is the explination)
After all if you want to keep somthing hidden having a magic equivlant of a few thousand volts of EMI would fuck up anything with transistors real quick

D'oh!

I do remember that.

Ah well...it explains it at Hogwarts(and I believe it's book four...with Rita about the bugs

Ah, well I think tech in Potterverse will remain somewhat a mystery as to how far it really goes for wizards(though from the looks of it they consider it archaic even though in some areas it would be incredibly beneficial).

[Howedar]

That would have been in the fourth book.

[Gil Hamilton]

According to the 4th book, there is too much magic around Hogwarts which shuts down high techology for some reason. Though what I'm nto sure is why muggle born students don't try to bring in technology anyway and put dummy enchantments on them; enchantments that are very very magical, but don't do anything. This would make what ever it was a magical item, but it would still function as normal.

[Kitsune]

Some people I have discussed with consider the books to be starting around 1990...not really sure on that date but it could point out a time where laptops at least were not real effective. I had an old 386sx-16 laptop and I don't know about the machines below that speed.

[Vendetta]

First of all I have never read any Potter book and have only seen the first movie. Now are these wizards supposed to reintergrate back into the real world?

Nope, Most are completely oblivious to the way people live without magic.

They might not be up to our standards of tech?

The setting of the books is early 90's. (first book set in '91).

Somehow, they've managed to leap ahead technologically though. Dudley managed, somehow, to get a Playstation six months or so before the Japanese release.....

[Master of Ossus]

I've always wondered why there are no Muggle born students at Hogwarts with cell phones, digital watches, and wondering where they can plug in their laptop? How come they all seem to forsake the entire other half of their lives?

Muggle technology does not work at Hogwarts, although that's pretty inconsistent. Colin's camera worked fine (albeit he was developing his film magically, at the time).

[Kitsune]

Somehow, they've managed to leap ahead technologically though. Dudley managed, somehow, to get a Playstation six months or so before the Japanese release.....

That could simply be writer error. I read a fantasy novel set in the Turn of teh twentieth century and some of the events appear to be at the wrong times. The book involves the San Francisco Earthquake, which was around 1905 and also the characetr is reading "The King of Elfland's Daughter" which was not published until 1924

[neoolong]

I've always wondered why there are no Muggle born students at Hogwarts with cell phones, digital watches, and wondering where they can plug in their laptop? How come they all seem to forsake the entire other half of their lives?

Muggle technology does not work at Hogwarts, although that's pretty inconsistent. Colin's camera worked fine (albeit he was developing his film magically, at the time).

Maybe it must be above a certain level.

Film cameras are mostly mechanical in nature, at least many of the older ones, and so might not be affected.

If the one in the movie was any indication, it didn't seem to have much electronic parts at all.

[phongn]

Muggle technology does not work at Hogwarts, although that's pretty inconsistent. Colin's camera worked fine (albeit he was developing his film magically, at the time).

For all we know, Colin's camera was completely manual. There's no reason that it had to be a modern electronic SLR.

[phongn]

According to the 4th book, there is too much magic around Hogwarts which shuts down high techology for some reason. Though what I'm nto sure is why muggle born students don't try to bring in technology anyway and put dummy enchantments on them; enchantments that are very very magical, but don't do anything. This would make what ever it was a magical item, but it would still function as normal.

I've occcasionally wondered: would something like TEMPEST-hardening work? While it wasn't available to civilians back then, it was eventually declassified (IIRC). Would such heavy shielding allow electronics to function?

[Master of Ossus]

Muggle technology does not work at Hogwarts, although that's pretty inconsistent. Colin's camera worked fine (albeit he was developing his film magically, at the time).

For all we know, Colin's camera was completely manual. There's no reason that it had to be a modern electronic SLR.

The operating mechanism for all cameras, however, is chemical. Chemicals should be affected by Hogwart's magical energy.

[SirNitram]

Can I just say I find the idea of an 'anti-tech' field one of the most ridiculous, up there with 'dur, magic and tech react violently/null each other out'?