Traveller-digest       Friday, August 6 1999       Volume 1999 : Number 924



(R)1996. Traveller is a registered trademark of FarFuture Enterprises.
All rights reserved.

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Planetology 102 Part 4
OOP?
Re: First In subsector listing
Re: Hi!
Re: Spacecraft Combat ratings question
Re: Tholins: oopsie
Ecosystem Productivity
Re: FW: Auroral Lights On Io
Re: GT Alien Races 2
Re: Hitchhikers Guide on CD
Re: Habitable worlds in the Spinward Marches (long)
Re: FW: Auroral Lights On Io
Re: Atmospheres : #1 Introduction (long)
Re: Planetology 102 Part 4
website test
Re: Hi!
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #922
Re: How many lists???/Vilani law
Re: Real life Flywheel Energy stores (AKA HPGs)
Re:First in subsector listing

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 10:31:26 -0400
From: Thad Coons <Sapience@compuserve.com>
Subject: Planetology 102 Part 4

5. Magnesium
     This is the most abundant of the metals. Magnesium belongs
to the chemically reactive alkaline earth family, and like
silicon, it is not found free in nature. It is an important
industrial metal because it is lightweight, and fairly easy to
separate from its compounds. On the downside, the pure metal is
not very strong. 
     Magnesium does not naturally combine with hydrogen. It
combines quite well with oxygen forming the oxide MgO. (TL 5-6
photography uses it for flashbulbs). The hydroxide Mg(OH)2
(brucite) occurs in hydrothermal deposits, since it is mostly
insoluble in water; but it reacts too well with acids for there
to be much of it. (Milk of magnesia is a suspension of magnesium
hydroxide)
     Even the oxide is chemically reactive. Nearly all of it is
found in combination with silica as the minerals enstatite
(Mg2SiO6, 2 units MgO, 2 units SiO2), and forsterite (Mg2SiO4, 2
units MgO, 1 unit SiO2). There is in fact slightly more magnesium
than silicon, more than enough to combine with all of it as
enstatite, but not enough to saturate it as forsterite. These
minerals tie up nearly all of both elements.
     Magnesium silicates are common throughout the solar system.
They are not especially abundant on the earth's continental crust
for reasons partly to be discussed later. One reason is that they
are (slowly) attacked by water. First, they are converted to
hydroxide minerals such as serpentine and talc, and then the
magnesium dissolves, leaving silica behind.  There is an
inexhaustible supply of magnesium dissolved in seawater, so there
is no need to go to space looking for it. (Seawater is already
the major commercial source, weathering can replace it faster
than human industry can extract it, and there's a whole planet
full of it.)  In vacuum, dry, or high temperature environments,
the magnesium silicates remain stable.
  

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 09:48:44 -0500
From: Loren Wiseman <lkw@io.com>
Subject: OOP?

Gentles,

I have just had to re-assure a panicked fan that GURPS Traveller is only
TEMPORARILY out of print, because the first printing sold out before we
could get the 2nd edition back from the printers. He went to the web page
and saw that it was no longer available for order -- this is because we
have _none_ at the warehouse, although there are some in the distribution
chain still, I imagine)..

For some reason, Traveller fans are a little gunshy of the words "out of
print" -- dunno why...:  )

The printer assures us that the 2nd edition will be delivered in early
September, and you can order it then. The hardback edition, however, is
gone, except for whatever happens to be in the distributors' warehouses --
we have none left here in Austin.



Loren Wiseman
     Art Director  / Traveller Line Editor
     Traveller Guru-in-Residence
     SJ Games
     LKW@IO.COM
     (512) 447-7866 VOX
     (512) 447-1144 FAX

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 09:58:46 -0500
From: "Bont" <felix@felixcafe.com>
Subject: Re: First In subsector listing

>   a. Leave as is...

Its your program.  Sometimes you just have to put your foot down.  

One other thing you need to take into account ... when you get this 
licensed with SJG (which you need to do before you can distribute 
it), they are going to have the final say on what the output looks like.  
Does it pass their muster?  I would stick to their format first and then 
give an optional printout that is more than 80 columns.



- - - -
FELIX (Thomas L Bont)

- - Encrypt your messages!
  That way only the government knows what you wrote!

- - It is truly the wise man that knows what he doesn't!

- - With your shield or on it ... (Old Spartan Blessing)

- - Fidelitas super omnia, honore excepto

- - Help Stop Forest Fires.  Outlaw Matches.

Be sure to visit The FELIX Cafe at
     http://www.felixcafe.com/

- - - -

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 08:08:07 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
Subject: Re: Hi!

Kiri Aradia Morgan wrote:
> 
> Hi!  This is an intro... and a big "Hi" to an old friend of mine if he's on
> here.
> 
> My name is Kiri Aradia Morgan, and I played Traveller in West Virginia in
> the early 80's.  Is Mike Layne, our old ref, on these lists anywhere?  ::me
> waveth::  I should probably be on Xboat most as I don't think I've ever seen
> anything post Mega-Traveller...

As you've been told, the Xboat no longer exists (which is a good thing, as it
was a relic of a Dark Chapter in this lists history, IMHO) The place to go to
find out all sorts of things is the _excellent_ TML FAQ at:

http://www.vectis.demon.co.uk/traveller/faq/tml-faq.html

Or browse the Traveller Webring at:

http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=traveller;list

> Arigatou gozaimashita...

Howdy y'all!

(see I can speak a furrin language too! I can communicate in Texin! ;-)

<ducks near-C cowboy boots hurtling my way>

Bruce Johnson

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 10:13:47 -0500 (CDT)
From: Steven Bonneville <bonnevil@ima.umn.edu>
Subject: Re: Spacecraft Combat ratings question

Black ICE <wombat@premier.net> wrote, on TML:

> I haven't tried designing battleriders using HG2 (AuricTech Shipyards is
> firmly committed to the design and production of expensive jump-drive
> ships), but I would think that a battlerider with a capital ship spinal
> mount would need to be in the 30-50 kdton range (assuming agility of 6,
> and appropriate secondary mounts).
>
> I might try to design a battlerider (using HG2) with a TIGRESS-class
> spinal mount, just for the experience.  If I can pull it off, I'll post
> it.

Been there, done that.  :)  This one was worked up from a design in MT's
Fighting Ships (with bugs fixed) which had its silhouette used in Battle
Rider.  

 -----

(Islands Cluster Defence Bulletin)

ZUFLUCHT, 30 Jan 5636

With the conclusion of the recent naval review held by the Imperium in
the nearby Tobia/Tobia system, much new intelligence on Imperial naval
capabilities have come to light.  In particular, the Bulletin may now
release for the first time detailed information on the Imperial Navy's
ultramodern GALLANT-class battle rider.

  Gallant        BR-M206EJ3-F49900-409T9-0    MCr 29343     30 ktons
  bearing                    J     J 71A                       TL=15
  batteries                  L     L 81B                    Crew=379
  Agility=6 EP=1818 Fuel=4200 Low=380 Cargo=280 Skim Purif AuxBridge
  6x 40-ton Pinnace.                         (MCr 23474 in qty.)
  [adapted from FSOTSI, p. 34]

  The Gallant-class battle rider is perhaps the most powerful in the
  Imperial service.  Mounting the most energetic spinal meson weapon
  available, backed up by an amazing array of secondary weapons, and
  packaged in the most maneuverable, heavily armored and defensively
  screened hull that Imperial technology can build, battle riders of
  this class are meant to defeat the best ships the enemy can field.

EOT

  -- Steve Bonneville

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 09:28:52 -0700
From: "Bruce Macintosh" <bruce.macintosh@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Tholins: oopsie

>It was curious, since I did a search for tholen on the web, and one of
>the first hits turned up one David Tholen, a planetary scientist who got
>his degree here at the UA, who is working at the U Hawaii Institute of
>Astronomy...


Oops. It's "tholins", not "tholens"; Dave's name must have subconsciously
confused me.

If you're looking for references, do a search on tholins at
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
(NASA's electronic abstract service of pretty much all papers published
in astronomy in the last zillion years) for "tholins".

(I'm very embarrassed.) Fortunatley ADS is smart enough to fix my spelling.

Bruce

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 12:34:10 -0400
From: Ian Ferguson <ian@vax2.concordia.ca>
Subject: Ecosystem Productivity

I came across the following table of typical primary productivity of
Terra's biomes, which I thought some of you might be interested in (in
relation to Robert O'Connor's excellent series of posts). Net Primary
Production (NPP) is the dry weight of new living tissue produced (in
g/m^2/yr), Biomass is the dry weight of living tissue present (in kg/m^2),
and the Biomass Accumulation Ratio (BAR) is the average time that biomass
remains in the system before being eaten (in yrs).

			NPP	Biomass	BAR
tropical forest	1800	42		23
temperate forest	1250	32		26
boreal forest		800	20		25
shrubland		600	6		10
savanna		700	4		6
temperate grassland	500	1.5		3
tundra/alpine		140	0.6		4
desert scrub		70	0.7		10
cultivated land	650	1		1.5
swamp/marsh		2500	15		6
open ocean		125	0.003		0.02
continental shelf	360	0.01		0.03
algal beds/reefs	2000	2		1
estuaries		1800	1		0.56
lakes/streams		500	0.02		0.04

- - from The Economy of Nature by Robert E. Ricklefs

Ricklefs also notes that, generally, terrestrial communities have no more
than 3 trophic levels (plants, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and
tertiary consumers). Some carnivores may occasionaly act as quaternary or
even higher consumers, but they must get the bulk of their diet at the
tertiary level or lower. Aquatic communities may be deeper, with 1 or even
two more levels than is typical for terrestrial communities.

Kozlovski's rule (that each trophic level has about 10% of the biomass of
the next lower level) has been mentioned, and it is a good rule of thumb.
Somebody asked about "cold-blooded" animals vs "warm-blooded" animals with
regard to this rule. According to Recklefs, the "ecological efficiency"
generally varies between 5% and 20%, with "warm-blooded" animals tending
towards the lower values and "cold-blooded" animals tending towards the
higher values. There are, of course, many factors that influence ecological
efficiencies, but this should give a good range for realistic numbers.

Peez

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 09:35:14
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: Re: FW: Auroral Lights On Io

At 08:53 AM 8/6/99 -0500, you wrote:

>Images and further information are available at URL:
>   http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/hiips/Science
>
>(Let's hear it for the Galileo probe!)

<Standing Ovation!>

One question:  I was under the impression that Io's volcanoes were very
transitory phenomina, lasting only a matter or weeks.  I see on this page
that they seem to be named features.  Was I mistaken on that point?
- -- 

Doug Berry
dberry@hooked.net
http://www.hooked.net/~dberry

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 09:42:40
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: Re: GT Alien Races 2

At 12:28 AM 8/2/99 +0100, you wrote:
>Has anyone actually got this (GT Alien Races 2) yet, and if so would
>someone be good enough to post a review? I don't expect it here in the UK
>for at least a week, maybe two. I'm interested what people think of Dave
>and Andy's work....

I picked it up last week, and have either been too busy or ill to really
get into it in depth.

My first impression was that I hated the minor races presented.  Seriously
ick.  With all the great minors mention through the years, why these
kludges?  The space would have been better used on the Ael Yael, the
Githsanko, or the Jgd-ll-Jaq.

There are also some changes to the K'Kree timeline, mostly surronding the
War against the G'naak, but I'll have to sit down and cross check to really
nail it down.

So far, I give it a three out of five.
- --

Douglas E. Berry, dberry@hooked.net
Inquisitor Maximus
Reformed Canon Church of Sylea
http://jump.to/SyleaDownport

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 14:01:09 -0400
From: "Jory Earl" <j-man@iname.com>
Subject: Re: Hitchhikers Guide on CD

Well, Phil, that isn't so bad..At least I didn't waste my money.  I can now
save up and later get the other set and I'll have all I wanted in the first
place.  :)

I just swutting well want my Hitchiker's CDs!!  But Belgium, man, they are
spendy!
___________________________________________________________
 J-Man
 ICQ# 2843475
 New Hampshire - U.S.A.
 Email : j-man@iname.com
 Home Page : http://www.geocities.com/~jman037/
___________________________________________________________

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 14:30:28 EDT
From: GypsyComet@aol.com
Subject: Re: Habitable worlds in the Spinward Marches (long)

Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com>
 writes:

>Bruce Johnson writes:
>> I defined a 'habitable' world as having a thin, standard or dense ATM,
>> basically one that we can breathe unaided, and having 1 or greater
>> HYD..ya gotta have free water.
>
>
>One of us is making a math error... from my numbers, people seem to flock to
>uninhabitable worlds.  Of course, this is mostly because of 140 billion 
people on
>Junidy, Enthrope, Rethe, and Louzy

 in one case (Junidy), "roughly half" (according to the Traveller Adventure) 
of the
listed populace is the native race, and they think their homeworld is quite
inhabitable, thank you. You may find or determine IYTU that this is the case
elsewhere as well...

GC
http://member.aol.com/gypsycomet/index.html (and follow the essays link to
the "Llellewyloly" article...)

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 11:05:37 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: FW: Auroral Lights On Io

In mail you write:

> Thought I'd send this NASA email to the list. It details some
> of the aspects of Io's surface environment which could be used
> for an adventure on a gas giant's moon...or a reason for PCs
> to *not* land on that moon. 

No kidding!

> In addition, a powerful electric current flows from Io to the poles
> of Jupiter, caused by an enormous electrical potential some 400,000
> volts generated by the motion of the jovian magnetic field past Io.

<snip>

> begins to recondense in the absence of sunlight during eclipse. More
> surprisingly, the blue glows associated with volcanic plumes appear to
> intensify while Io is in darkness. This may indicate that some of the
> current flow between Io and Jupiter is conducted through the interior of
> Io, particularly during periods when the atmospheric conductivity is low.

Gee, I wonder what would happen to a ship that accidently flew thru
either of the current "paths" in the radiation belts? <eg>

- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 11:19:36 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Atmospheres : #1 Introduction (long)

In mail you write:

> There are several units of pressure measurement.
> The two units from the S.I. system are the pascal (Pa) and the bar.
>         One pascal is equal to one newton of force applied to an area of one
> square metre. It's a pretty small unit. Most pressures are quantified in
> terms of kilo- or megapascals.
>         One bar is equivalent to one standard atmosphere (atm) of pressure.
>         This is equal to 101.3 kPa, 760mmHg or Torr, or 14.5 psi. The latter
> two measurements are sometimes encountered in physiology or industry and
> variously refer to the force exerted by a column of mercury of the given
> height, or pounds force per square inch in 'Imperial' units.

According to my CRC "bible" there's not just "atm" there's also
"atm(tech)". The later has the rather interesting definition of "1
kg-force per cm^2". Thus making it 9.8 newtons per cm^2. 

I can see why it exists. It's a *very* convenient unit for a lot of
things, and within a percent or two of the "std. atm.".

>       Compounds available are restricted generally to those from the 'Cosmic
> Top 30' list of elements. This still gives us a lot of room to move in
> :-
> H2, He, N2, O2, F2, Cl2, Ne, Ar and compounds of B, C, Si, P and S.
>
> * Some definitions :-
>         * Melting point :- the temperature at which a substance changes state
> from solid to liquid (typically at one atmosphere ambient pressure).
>         * Boiling point :- the temperature at which a substance changes state
> from liquid to gas (typically at one atmosphere pressure).
>         * Critical temperature :- the temperature at or above which a gas
> cannot be returned to a liquid state.

Should "Critcal pressure" be in the list? It's the pressure required to
liquefy a gas at its critical temp.

> 2. Mountain sickness
> This is a pathological adaptation to altitude.
> (very likely with atmospheres rated 'thin' - adaptation is possible
> during the week of jump). Most people will pass a lot of urine for the
> first two to three days, some will notice that they are hyperventilating
> [The depth of ventilation *doubles* with every 0.007 atm fall in the
> partial pressure of oxygen!]., and that's about it.

> Onset is 8-24hr after arrival, and acute mountain sickness lasts 4-8
> days.

It can also take much longer. For example, Robert Heinlein and his wife
lived in Colorado Springs (~1600 m) for a number of years before they
finally *had* to move to lower altitudes. His wife just couldn't handle
the altitude on a *long term* basis.

And I've heard of other cases. So I assume there's a spectrum of
adaptability here. Some can adapt. Some can partially adapt, and handle
the lowered pressure for varying periods before they need to return to
higher pressurers. And some can't adapt at all (those being the ones
you described).

If you can find some info on the population percentage breakdown for
various periods before folks start having problems, it'd be *very*
useful. 

Picture a character who can handle the low pressure for a couple of
weeks to a month. He takes a trip to a low pressure planet to make a
quick business deal. Then gets not only stranded, but cut off from the
port. He's got days to a few weeks before he's in *real* trouble. And
the rest of the party may have others who are susceptible, but don't
know it yet. :-)

Also, there are *limits* to how adapted you can get. Most "lowlanders"
*cannot* adapt to 2000+ meter altitudes well enough to have children at
those altitudes. That was a big problem for the Spanish in the Andes.
They had to keep the women at lower altitudes. 

> 3. Features of chronic adaptation.
> The main physiological changes seen are an increased red cell mass (to
> maximise oxygen carrying capacity), enlarged hearts (blood is more
> viscous, so it's harder to pump around) and chests (more work of
> breathing being done - relative hyperventilation compared to
> 'low-landers').

Expect worlds with thin atmospheres and that were settled by Solomani
to have a disproportionate number of Tibetan/Andean Indian type people.
This is because *they* can survive pregnancy at low pressures without
massive medical intervention.

> * Oxygen excess (hyperoxia)

Looks like we *can* have those planets with atmospheres only
breathable/usable at high altitudes merely by having high pressure and
"normal" percentages of oxygen. Only problem will be explaining why
everything doesn't burn at the lower altitudes.

> **Ozone
> Data : Formula O3, molecular weight 48, melts at -193C, boils at -111C.
>
> A much more reactive species than O2, ozone is commonly found in the
> upper regions of standard atmospheres, where it helps attenuate stellar
> ultraviolet radiation.
>
> It is typically produced when O2 absorbs ultraviolet light or electrical
> energy ; atomic oxygen (O) is formed which then combines with other O2
> molecules to form ozone.

Ozone is also *damned* reactive. It won't last long without *continual*
replenishment. That pretty much means that any planet with more than
"trace" an\mounts at ground level has other *real* problems. Like
*nasty* levels of UV. 

- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 12:04:40 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Planetology 102 Part 4

In mail you write:

> 5. Magnesium
>      This is the most abundant of the metals. Magnesium belongs
> to the chemically reactive alkaline earth family, and like
> silicon, it is not found free in nature. It is an important
> industrial metal because it is lightweight, and fairly easy to
> separate from its compounds. On the downside, the pure metal is
> not very strong. 

It's also somewhat important biologically. You see, this "unimportant"
compound called "chlorophyll" contains magnesium. :-)

- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 21:31:32 +0100
From: "Peter  Scarrott" <peter@myhelliconia.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: website test

Hi all

Sorry to disturb your threads/days, but could anyone have a look at my site
(URL in Sig below) using a browser other than Explorer 4 or 5, I've made
some changes and can't test them on other browsers.  Any comments please
Email me off list.

Peter
http://www.myhelliconia.freeserve.co.uk
peter@myhelliconia.freeserve.co.uk

IMTU: tc+ tm tn++ ru+ !3i+ c+ jt- au- ls ta- hi++ ith++ va+ as- so  zh+ vi-
      And life is harsh and rarely fair.

Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors......and
miss.
  Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love (By Robert.Heinlan)

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 13:32:09 -0700
From: Keith Johnson <kejohnson@2xtreme.net>
Subject: Re: Hi!

At 05:44 AM 8/6/99 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 15:33:38 -0700
>From: "Kiri Aradia Morgan" <tiamat@tsoft.com>
>Subject: Hi!
>
>Is there anyone playing Traveller in San Francisco now?

North of you in San Rafael, I play GURPS Traveller.  I am also going to be
at ConQuest '99 and runing a GURPS Lite/Traveller game to introduce people
to the system.  Check out www.con-quest.com or drop me an email.


>I haven't done any gaming in years, but I miss Traveller.  It was my first
>RPG and will prolly always be my favorite...

I can't imagine not gaming. ;)


_____________________________________________________________
Rev. Keith Johnson      /\     keith@sjgames.com
Assistant Webmaster    /()\    kejohnson@2xtreme.net
Steve Jackson Games   /____\   reverendkeith@hotmail.com
             http://www.sjgames.com/

"I don't practice what I preach, because I'm not the kind
of person I'm preaching to." - J.R. "Bob" Dobbs in Newsweek
_____________________________________________________________ 

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 21:05:54 GMT
From: jzeitlin@cyburban.com (Jeff Zeitlin)
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #922

On Fri, 6 Aug 1999 05:44:45 -0400 (EDT), "Kiri Aradia Morgan"
<tiamat@tsoft.com> wrote:

>My name is Kiri Aradia Morgan, and I played Traveller in West Virginia in
>the early 80's.  Is Mike Layne, our old ref, on these lists anywhere?  ::me
>waveth::  I should probably be on Xboat most as I don't think I've ever seen
>anything post Mega-Traveller...

Actually, there is no XBoat any more; that closed a few years
back, right around the time that Traveller: The New Era (a.k.a.
Traveller: The New Error, to some) bit the dust. Its original
charter was "Traveller discussion, and 'Traveller' means 'Classic
Traveller Only'".  This list, the Traveller Mailing List, has
always been all Traveller versions.  Welcome aboard.

>Thanks to Jeff Zeitlin for telling me about the lists!

ĄDe nada, chica!  Always glad to point a fellow Traveller fan in
the right direction!

- --
Jeff Zeitlin
jzeitlin@cyburban.com

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

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 21:19:40 GMT
From: jzeitlin@cyburban.com (Jeff Zeitlin)
Subject: Re: How many lists???/Vilani law

On Fri, 6 Aug 1999 05:44:45 -0400 (EDT), "Kiri Aradia Morgan"
<tiamat@tsoft.com> wrote:

I had written:

>>This is an ideal discussion for the Traveller-Culture list; feel
>>free to post it there.

>How many lists do we have?  I tried to sub to xboat because I have mostly
>played the game as found in the little black books, but it didn't work.  Are
>you automatically subbed to all of them?  Confusion is...

No, the lists are independently operated, and maintain their own
subscription databases.  Traveller-Culture is my baby, hosted at
OneList.  Its mission is to develop source material for cultures
that would be encountered in a Traveller campaign; right now, our
focus is on the Vilani; eventually there will also be work done
on the other major races and societies, and probably some of the
interesting minors as well.

There are several other lists; checking my website, I see that I
have listings for eight other mailing lists (including
Traveller-Culture, but not including the Traveller Mailing List),
focussing on various "specialty" topics, including (but not
limited to) specific eras, technical development, and starship
design.

This list, however, is _the_ Traveller Mailing List - the central
meeting-place, if you like.

>>I would expect that Vilani law would focus more on research of precedent,
>>and where precedent couldn't answer the question, a mediation panel would be
>>convened to decide it, with due consideration given related case law. Law
>>libraries would, naturally, be _very_ complete, and once technology gets to
>>a high enough level, linked together. The question before the house becomes
>>"What is the composition of the mediation panel?" This can be answered
>>several ways, ranging from a joint panel composed of members of all parties
>>to the dispute to a panel composed of specifically-trained "historical
>>researchers" to a panel composed of individuals selected on a basis similar
>>to Aslan earleatrises- or any sort of combination or intermediate form.

>I rather expect the parties concerned would not be on the panel, rather that
>it would be composed of mediator/counselors, experts on the matters at hand,
>and legal research experts.  And possibly psychological people in the case
>of family law.  After 3 divorces it seems obvious to me that this would be
>the most graceful and orderly (hence, the most Vilani) way to do things.

Well, to some extent, you're correct - but remember that the
Vilani don't have the same kind of background as Terran cultures
- - even given the diversity of culture that we have.  Vland was an
entirely different kind of environment, and the general consensus
seems to be that cooperation and consensus rather than
competition was a primary motivating factor in their development
- - because it was necessary for even minimal survival. So, with
that in mind, surely it's reasonable for the involved parties to
be at least heavily involved with the "solution committee".
- --
Jeff Zeitlin
jzeitlin@cyburban.com

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 15:59:52 +0100
From: Martin Hardgrave <martin@deira.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Real life Flywheel Energy stores (AKA HPGs)

In message <199908021523.IAA03438@sword.lightspeed.bc.ca>, Steven Hudson
<shudson@lightspeed.bc.ca> writes
>>From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
>>Subject: Re: Real life Flywheel Energy stores (AKA HPGs)
>...
>>Gearhead challenge: Why is the flycylinder arrangement inherently more safe
>>than the flywheel (disk arrangement)?
>
>  For a given energy storgae requirement the unit will be more
>structurally reliable? (i.e., does the cylinders greater single
>volume provide more cohesion if a flaw exists or develops?)
>
I don't know if anyone has pointed out (I'm a bit behind in the posts)
that you get interesting effects if using a single flywheel to power
moving vehicles - especially the first time you try and turn a corner.
- -- 
Martin Hardgrave

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

Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 18:29:36 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: Re:First in subsector listing

>I have never been a fan of codified data and the UWP/UPP. I would prefer a
more
>descriptive output, column headings, and a key (e.g. what the letter codes
mean

Even though I use GT I generally start with UWP/UPP data, but I never
present it to my players. A UPP is a great way to list the attributes for
hundreds of worlds in a Survey Document, and maybe a Scout or an
Astro-Cartographer might use them, but the run of the mill spacer will look
up plain language information in his pocket-size hand computer.

Terry C

All that is Gold does not glitter
Not all who travel are lost

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #924
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