			    TRAVELLER Digest 134

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: Laser Blinding & other fun things.	by chrisb@MPGN.COM (Christopher Beattie)
  2) Re: Laser Blinding 	by Eric Moore <moore@chem.cmu.edu>
  3) Sector or Subsector Maps - Diaspora, etc.	by Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
  4) RE: Sector or Subsector Maps - Diaspora, etc. 	by That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>
  5) The Mythical Jo Grant	by Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
  6) Macintosh Sector Generation & Mapping Program	by Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)

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Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 17:15:27 -0500
From: chrisb@MPGN.COM (Christopher Beattie)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Laser Blinding & other fun things.
Message-ID: <199412162215.RAA05888@Central.KeyWest.MPGN.COM>

I've been glancing over the laser blinding thing and I was not
really going to add my credit (what you won't swipe my card
because I was recently in the wolds?) but the thing about using
lasers against unprotected civilians did get me thinking.

In a recent campaign I wound up in some battle armor.  (A robotics
expert trapped in a gorilla suit desperately trying not to hit the
wrong switch.)  It was pointed out at the time that there was a laser
sight on the suit which was used for the big guns we didn't have.
We used the laser sight to get some unarmored guards to attention,
but even a low level laser like that can cause blindness when flashed
directly into the eyes.

Of course, if you are talking about unarmed civilians, and those at
a low tech level or a law level where they don't expect these things
to happen every day, there's a lot more than your laser that your
higher tech level people can do to basically put them out of comission.

Sound is a good weapon.  At low frequencies, it can produce nausea and
vomiting.  It was used by the Germans in WWII in occupied France to 
good effect.  Sound might also be used as a carrier to send subliminal
messages of dispair and hoplessness.  (Hmmm, that sounds like something
a virus should do.)

So is this really the stuff of TNE?  Well, that depends on what you want
to do and how you want to get the players motivated.  After all, there
are a lot of worlds out there where tyrants rule by the sole advantage
of having a slightly higher tech level.  (for example living on the ruins
of the local low port station)   Or maby the rebels on a planet are more
evil than the dictator himself.  It sort of reminds me of another GDW game
that they once had, "Dark Conspiracy" where a popular GM tool was to have
various NPC's get bumped off, and have it slowly approach or draw in
the players till they think they are 'next'.  After all, if you want to
explore other worlds you have to be prepared for landing in the middle
of things now and then.

|     _____         |Christopher Beattie |Tantalus Incorporated|
|  ___ |[]|_n_n_I_c |Tantalus @ Key West |        P.O. Box 2310|
| |___||__|###|____)|Development Division|   Key West, FL 33045|
|  O-O--O-O+++--O-O |chrisb@mpgn.com     |Phone: (305) 293-8100|
| Opinions expressed here belong to me!  |  Fax: (305) 292-7835|


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Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 22:40:51 -0500
From: Eric Moore <moore@chem.cmu.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Laser Blinding 
Message-ID: <199412170340.WAA24236@chopin.chem.cmu.edu>


Well, seeing as we've stumbled on to a subject I'm studying, I'll put
my two cents in.

The effect of the buckyballs in preventing laser blinding is due to
their nonlinear optical response.  "non linear" means that if you
double the amount of incident light, the amount of transmitted light
is not doubled.  There are a number of materials that exhibit this
sort of behavior.  One thing is that this effect can be instentaneous,
it's not necessarially a function of it "getting darker".  

[Exceedingly Technical bit so nobody accuses me of over simplyfing:
Basically what you need is a multi-photon absorbtion to a state that
decays non-radiatively, and quickly.  Perhaps something like a
photoelectric process something like that in chlorophyll.  (except
with 2 or three photon absorbtion)]

Also laser blinding is not all that effective as a weapon.  The reason
lasers are so effective for blinding is that the light does not
disperse.  However, this means that in order to blind someone you have
to point the laser right at their eye, which is moderately difficult.
You could just scan the laser back and forth, but if you scan too
fast, it won't spend enough time on their eye to cause significant
damage, too slow, and it becomes inefficient again.  Probably the best
way to blind lots of opponents is to set off a really bright flash
behind you.  Or wear spotlights on your hat.  The only reason lasers
are dangerous in every day life, is that there are very few other
similarly intense light sources.  (Atomic weapons and the Sun spring
to mind, but aside from that, not much.  Flash grenades?)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 23:01:54 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Sector or Subsector Maps - Diaspora, etc.
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9412162259.A26875-0100000@brahms.udel.edu>

I was curious if Sector or Subsector maps have been published for the 
sectors around the Old Expanses (Diaspora, Alpha Crucis, Hinterworlds, 
and Delphi), aside from what is in Path of Tears and Atlas of the 
Imperium.  With the shift of GDW's attention to the Regency, will 
there be future products that will cover these areas?  Thanks in advance.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 23:23:32 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Sector or Subsector Maps - Diaspora, etc. 
Message-ID: <199412170423.XAA27914@chopin.udel.edu>

In Reply to Your Message of Fri, 16 Dec 1994 23: 02:20 EST
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 23:23:32 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>

: I was curious if Sector or Subsector maps have been published for the 
: sectors around the Old Expanses (Diaspora, Alpha Crucis, Hinterworlds, 
: and Delphi), aside from what is in Path of Tears and Atlas of the 
: Imperium.  With the shift of GDW's attention to the Regency, will 
: there be future products that will cover these areas?  Thanks in advance.
: 

Well, wasn't Hinterworlds covered in a special supplement in Challenge
39 (or was that 40)?  Also, for Diaspora you've got the last of the MT
supplements--The Astrogator's Guide To Diaspora.  Charles Gannon did
this one, and I think that he also expands upon it in The Traveller
Chronicle.

If you don't have either of these, just drop me a line and I'll let you
borrow them (one of the advantages of being on the same campus).

       --Jerry

|>  Jerry Alexandratos                **  "vengo de la tierra del    <|
|>  darkstar@strauss.udel.edu         **   fuego ten cuidado cuando  <|
|>  darkstar@canary.pearson.udel.edu  **   llamas mi nombre..."      <|

------------------------------

Date: 17 Dec 1994 14:54:39 GMT
From: Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: The Mythical Jo Grant
Message-ID: <199412171603.LAA29743@noc.tor.hookup.net>

I got a message from Jo Grant last week, and replied to it, but his company's
mailer bounced my reply.  Has anyone managed to get a message through, and if
so what address did you use?  Or is Jo Grant just a program running on a
Lotus mainframe?  :-)

------------------------------

Date: 17 Dec 1994 15:06:23 GMT
From: Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Macintosh Sector Generation & Mapping Program
Message-ID: <199412171728.MAA03289@noc.tor.hookup.net>

School is out, the kiddies are gone, and after I finish just over a metre of
marking I'll have some time for programming.  So, here's some questions about
Metator (my sector generation and mapping program) for the Macintosh owners
out there.  (Please reply to me directly, rather than cluttering up the
list.)

1) What equipment do you have (model, memory, monitor, printer, hard drive)?

2) What era/rules vintage do you prefer?

3) What alien races/settings do you use?  How important is being able to
generate alien worlds?

4) What word processor and graphics programs do you prefer?  Can your
software read RTF files?  PICT files?

Even if you've responded before, please send me a note.  I'm assembling a
list of beta testers and will be sending out a test release later this month.

rob_prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 134
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