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Subject:   Traveller-digest V1996 #205
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Traveller-digest           Wednesday, 3 July 1996       Volume 1996 : Number 205

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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

         1. Re: SDG-313F
         2. Re: Mathematics in Traveller
         3. Re: Virus Flame War, et. al
         4. Visio(was Re: Deckplans)
         5. Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #201
         6. Marines vs Army
         7. Re: BL vs. BR
         8. Re: Virus Flame War, et. al
         9. Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #201
        10. Re: Miscellaneous thoughts
        11. Re: Sylean Exploration Corp.
        12. Re: Virus Flame War, et. al
        13. Re: Miscellaneous thoughts
        14. Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #190
        15. Re: Miscellaneous thoughts

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

From: Jeffery.M.Miller@Dartmouth.EDU (Jeffery M. Miller)
Date: 03 Jul 96 08:19:54 EDT
Subject: Re: SDG-313F

- --- Paul Walker wrote:
OK, I know I'm gonna get the royal flame treatment for this, but I got a
good laugh out of Sneaks and Geeks.  I, for one (and from what I've seen
only one), was glad to have a bit of humor thrown into all the facts!
- --- end of quoted material ---
Is there no humour left? Is this game we play SO inportant that giggles can't
be built in? sad.

I never saw the reference, but it IS a hoot!

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

From: Andrew Pickford <pickford@d1.ph.gla.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 14:23:59 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Re: Mathematics in Traveller

On 07/02/96 at 07:18 PM,  jlindsay@direct.ca (James Lindsay) said:

[does 2d6+6 or 4d6 ignoring the lowest roll higher on average?]

And eris@pen.net (Eris Reddoch) said:

> ...2d6+6 has an ev of 2(3.5)+6 = 13, and a range of 8 to 18
>
> ...4d6 has an ex of 4(3.5) = 14, and a range of 4 to 24 (I know that
> wasn't what you asked, but I included it anyway. <g>)
> 
> Now for your second method.
> 
> ...4d6 (drop lowest roll)
>
> I don't know the statistical function, off the top of my head, but
> *logically* it would go like this.  You have a 2d6 + [the better of 2
> 1d6's].  The 2d6 gives you an ev of 7.  The *best* the better of 2
> 1d6's could give you is 6, and that would only be (1/6 + (5/6)(1/6))
> of the time..I think.  So the ev would have to be 13 OR LESS.

The 4d6 dropping the lowest is a pain to calculate so I took the easy
way out and wrote a little program to roll some virtual dice 10,000
times. There are two bar charts available showing the results at

http://ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk/~pickford/traveller/dice.html

the methods are pretty similar, but the 4d6 dropping the lowest is
slightly poorer in that you can still get very low rolls. The averages
over the 10,000 rolls are very similar: 12.9855 for 2d6+6 and 12.2156 
for 4d6 drop the lowest.


- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Pickford                               pickford@physics.gla.ac.uk
                                   http://ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk/~pickford/


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

From: Wes Payne <n9548326@cc.wwu.edu>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 07:59:42 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Virus Flame War, et. al

Thus spake Larry Hadley <lhadley@knet.knet.flemingc.on.ca>:
> On Tue, 2 Jul 1996, Wes Payne wrote:

> > It may be stupid, but it's canon, unless you want to find and burn every 
> > extant copy of "Survival Margin."  Keep in mind that, despite other 
> 
>    (Pointing flamethrower)  "Hold up your copy, please" :)
> 
>    YOU bear in mind that all this business about the trasnponders STILL
> doesn't explain how the TL6 agro-world's D spaceport traffic control
> computer (without transponder, b/c it's not a starship) is infected by
> Virus through the radar dish.

Through the radar dish?  You mean, like, a SENSOR?  That darn "Survival 
Margin" book that I've been waving around like it's a trick I've learned 
says that such a silly thing cannot happen.  It also makes quite clear 
that a TL-6 agro-world's D spaceport traffic control computer is hardly a 
viable host for an active virus, although it could end up having an 'egg' 
burnt into it if linked (via radio, land line, or having some nasty piece 
of machinery just stomp up and plug into it) to an 'infected' system for 
any length of time.  Come to think of it, is it unreasonable to expect 
that a starport's traffic control system might include equipment for 
querying those tricky Deyo transponder suites?

Did I forget anything else?

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wes Payne, known to you as:  n9548326@cc.wwu.edu
Western Washington University -- Bellingham, WA -- The Great Northwet!  
"What is FUN?  Why is it usually colored BRIGHT PINK, and where does
 it go when JESSE HELMS comes around?" 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------


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

From: "Peter  H. Brenton" <pete@cummings.uchicago.edu>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 10:09:06 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Visio(was Re: Deckplans)

On Mon, 1 Jul 1996, David J. Golden wrote:

> At 11:46 am 7/1/96 -0500, you wrote:
> >For ye Windows folks (3.1 or better) the program Visio allows one to not
> >only draw lines and such on a nice grid, it's main feature is the ability
> >to draw 'objects' and use them over and over.  I have made objects for all
> >the standard features of a starship (iris valves on floor, ceiling, wall;
> >chairs, bunks, turrets, desks, etc.  Some were already in the
> >office/layout object set)
> >
> >Unfortunately (and this is a big problem!) it saves files in a .vsd format
> >which does not convert to .gif, .jpg, or anything else nice.
> 
>         Does it save to *anything* other than .vsd? Most Windows programs
> will let you export to .wmf. And I'm *sure* it'll let you cut a drawing and
> paste it into another program that DOES export to wmf.
> 
>         As for getting GIFs or JPGs, you can use something like LView to
> capture the windows to a gif file.
 
I tried again to make sure, Visio does not have hardly any options under
the "Save As" command, only three forms that Visio itself uses.  I tried
highlighting the whole thing and Copy'd and Paste'd it into Paitbrush (the
only other drawing program I have at the moment) somewhat successfully.
Somewhat because Paintbrush took only a portion of the original.  I will
try to tweak it after my Holiday (American Independence Day tomorrow, for
all you far'ners out there), but the copy and paste thing is
encouracging.  If I only had another "real" Windows drawing program I'd be
all set.  

If I captured the whole drawing window that might work, I remember lview
being shareware right?  I'll go look for it.

Pete


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

From: Wes Payne <n9548326@cc.wwu.edu>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 08:12:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #201

Thus spake Craig Berry <cberry@hollywood.cinenet.net>:

[previous discussion(s) snipped]

> There's no need to ask forgiveness, btw.  This list is all about learning,
> exploration, and mutual support of a hobby we all enjoy.  There's no
> reason at all for issues of guilt or blame to come up. 

But I feel guilty, and I also feel this overwhelming need to point 
fingers.  Maybe if I just blame myself I'll feel better...

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wes Payne, known to you as:  n9548326@cc.wwu.edu
Western Washington University -- Bellingham, WA -- The Great Northwet!  
"Guinan is Yoda on stilts.  Yoda is Kermit on drugs."
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------


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

From: Vanya <dmoody@bridge.com>
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 10:14:36 -0500
Subject: Marines vs Army

>    Note that quite a bit of the difference in defining how Marines are
>    elite is based on the type of *mission* they get, so different mission,
>    different training and organization. 
> - -- DLH "Warhammer"                           
>lhadley@knet.flemingc.on.ca

something my dad ( a 25-yr Army vetran) said to me:

The Navy shells the beach;
The Marines take the beach;
The Army secures the beach and builds barracks;

The Air Force lives in the baracks.
- -- 
 _____
|* * *|	-Vanya
|  ^  |	 "Conquering Russia is a
 \/ \/	steppe by steppe process."
  \ /

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

From: Wes Payne <n9548326@cc.wwu.edu>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 08:30:15 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: BL vs. BR

Thus spake jlindsay@direct.ca (James Lindsay):

[original question and my hemming and hawing snipped]
 
> Ok... then perhaps I can pry this information out of you guys in a
> different way.  I own a copy of Fighting Ships for MT but don't actually
> own the game.  In it battleships and riders have armour 90-120, cruisers...
> 57-100, and escorts... 40-60.  How do these values rate compared to CT or
> TNE armour values?  In HG, too much armour could make a ship virtually
> invincible.  I'm clueless to what is a formidable armour rating in TNE
> (without going overboard).

I'm not sure that there is any distinction made about armor values using 
the CT design system.  It didn't really become a factor (heh) until High 
Guard came out.  Of course, I could just be Dead Wrong...

As far as comparing MT and TNE (FF&S) armor values, I'm gonna have to do 
some more head scratching, because I only dimly remember how space combat 
went in MT.

Basically, in TNE, if you've got any armor factor over 70, you're doing 
okay.  If the TL*50 rule is followed as regards to laser discharge 
energy, then no laser manufactured at TL-15 or below will penetrate it 
(although nuke detonation lasers can).  I may be off by a few factors, 
but there is a point near 70 where the only thing you'll suffer is damage 
to your surface fixtures (which isn't necessarily inconsequential).  Any 
armor factor over 100 probably puts you in the One Bad Dude category, 
until you remember than particle accelerators often come in sizes large 
enough to punch through such a skin.  In fact, many capital ships will 
carry spinal mounts (PAWS or MG) that'll have a damage factor somewhere 
in the hundreds.

This answer probably sheds more heat than light, because many factors are 
not taken into consideration, such as other defensive systems 
(sandcasters, meson screens, etc.).  In other words, it's probably not a 
good idea to arbitrarily rate ships depending on their armor factor.  As 
I recall, most system defense boats have mind-bogglingly high armor 
factors relative to other ships their size simply because, not lugging 
around a jump drive, they can carry lots of extra stuff.  Still, you 
wouldn't go about calling a 400-ton Dragon SDB a battleship just because 
it had an armor factor in the 90-120 range, would you?

Darnit!  After all that, I still didn't provide a meaningful comparison 
between MT and TNE armor values.  I need to be slapped...
 
> BTW, who is "Jesse Helms"?  Any relation to Uncle Jesse from Dukes of
> Hazzard?

It's possible.  I believe the quote (shamelessly lifted from Bill 
Griffith's "Zippy" comic strip) refers to the honorable Republican 
senator from ... oh, heck, I forget -- some state south of the 
Manson-Nixon line (North Carolina?).  He's also notably for being/having 
been the chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts during the time 
when they wanted to sponsor all of those nasty Mapplethorpe exhibits.  
Kinda like having a pit bull in charge of the chicken coop (which is 
somewhat better than putting a fox in charge of it).

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wes Payne, known to you as:  n9548326@cc.wwu.edu
Western Washington University -- Bellingham, WA -- The Great Northwet!  
"What is FUN?  Why is it usually colored BRIGHT PINK, and where does
 it go when JESSE HELMS comes around?" 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------


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

From: Wes Payne <n9548326@cc.wwu.edu>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 08:36:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Virus Flame War, et. al

Thus spake shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson):
 
> Wes Payne <n9548326@cc.wwu.edu> writes:
> 
> > that could not be spoofed.  The Imperium wanted little electronic 'honest 
> > brokers' to be sure that no (civilian) ship misrepresented itself.  To 
> > this end they not only developed the SDG-313F chips, which were more or 
> > less immune to unauthorized alteration (the 'black box' in which they 
> > were contained would fry itself if ever opened or disconnected).  In 
> 
> Y'know, it just occured to me that booby trapping those transponders
> was a violation of Imperial law! Remember, those chips are *sentient*
> lifeforms! So frying them is murder. 
> 
> There are ways around this, but they get rather weird and convoluted.

Besides, any one who knew of their true nature, and had the authority to 
publicly admit it and therefore guarantee their protection, would have 
rather gnawed on rusty razor wire than do so.  If word had ever gotten 
out, it's certain that more than a few lawyers (either paid by people 
who'd like to see the transponder system defeated, or pro bono) would 
petition for the little Deyo chips to receive their full citizenship 
rights and be freed from an existence which forced them to have thermite 
charges permanently wired to their little foreheads.
 
> > It may be stupid, but it's canon, unless you want to find and burn every 
> > extant copy of "Survival Margin."
> 
> It's a tempting thought.... :-)

Oh, right!  First, it starts out with something innocent like burning 
books, and then the next thing you'll know they'll be arguing about who 
is and who isn't Solomani!

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wes Payne, known to you as:  n9548326@cc.wwu.edu
Western Washington University -- Bellingham, WA -- The Great Northwet!  
"What is FUN?  Why is it usually colored BRIGHT PINK, and where does
 it go when JESSE HELMS comes around?" 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------


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

From: Derek Stanley <dstanley@direct.ca>
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 07:12:43 -0700
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #201

Paul Walker wrote:

>>  However in the case where none of the easy access ports are 
>>available, Transponder, Radio or Passive Sensors in that order.  Active 
>>Sensors could be used asa method of infection.
> 
>Virus used three main porst of entry: Physical contact, Transponder, and
>Routine Computer controlled communications.  Virus wasn't patient enough 
>to wait around for the time it would take to infect through sensors, so 
>it just executed plan number two: "If I can't have it no one else will 
>either!" (Plan number one being: "I want this starship/starport/computer 
>/whatever!")

Okay I won't argue with you on active sensors.  It's just way to 
difficult an there are easier ways to infect a starship.  But if Virus 
can infect a ship through radio communications.  Remember in the New Era 
all Communication systems are seperate systems not in anyway connected to 
the computers, why could Virus not infect via passive sensors?  All 
passive EMS is, is a really sophisticated radio system.  In fact if you 
think about it this is probably how the initial infection occurred.

Dulinors strike team, breaks into the facility and beams the info out to 
Dulinor's ship.  Assume the Strike team is using the cheapest radio 
system available, why?  No one know's who's going to survive the battle 
so get the info to as many ships as possible.  They beam this info out on 
a broad band transmission.  What are the odds that all of Lucan's and 
Dulinor's ships are listening to the same radio frequency?  Unless it's 
top 40 I'd say the odds are slim and none, and slim just left town.  

	According to the tome "they began spewing high-speed data 
transmissions which were picked up by several of Dulinor's ships as well 
as Lucan's."  Okay let me revise what i've just said in light of this new 
evidence.  Tight Beam Transmissions, only picked up by ships in a certian 
area of the sky.  But again what are the odds given the vastness of the 
radio spectrum that both Dulinor and Lucan's men were listening to the 
same radio frequency?  If I though they were good I'd run out and start 
buying lotto tickets now.  So how did Lucan's ships get initally 
infected?  Passive EMS, it's the only plausable explanation.
 
>>Given that you assume the basic the nature of Virus as presented
>>in Survival Margin to be true, "silicon lifeform able to parasitize 
>>chips at a distance, blah blah blah yakity shmakity..." is this not a
>>possibility?
> 
>I would have a hard time buying this possibility because of the whole
>data/code issue.  BTW, Virus was only able to parasitize chips at a very
>short distance IIRC.  The primary means of infection was to "convince 
>the Deyo chip to alter its own circuitry."  This is how Virus evolved.  
>If all it did was chew up old silicon and "poop" out a chip just like 
>itself, would it have evolved like it did? No, I think not.  Instead, 
>Virus convinced the Deyo chip to alter its own circuitry thus creating a 
>new being, not just a clone or copy of the original.

I agree with you for 90% of the Virus infections out there, but it is 
clearly evident from the passages in "Survival Margin" that the initial 
infection of Lucan's and Dulinor's starships did not involve the standard 
starship transponder unit.  They involved radio communication.

Derek Stanley

 __________________________________________________________________
|      There are Three types of people in this world:              | 
|  1) There are the, "Glass is half full" people.                  |     
|  2) There are the, "Glass is half-empty" people.                 |     
| and then there's the,                                            |
|  3) "Who the hell's been drinking out of my glass!" people.      |     
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
| Derek Stanley | dstanley@direct.ca | On the left coast of Canada |
- --------------------------------------------------------------------



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

From: Derek Stanley <dstanley@direct.ca>
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 08:28:22 -0700
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous thoughts

Joe Walsh wrote:
> 
>4) Is it just me, or does it seem that a lot of skills were lost in only
> 70 years?  The book talks about societies that are comprised of people
> unable to read and write.  Literacy is that easy to loose?  Hmmm.

All it takes is one generation.  And when that generation's primary 
concern is trying to stay alive in a hostile envrionment and trying to 
figure out how to plant and grow crops, something most Imperials haven't 
done for a 1000 years, I can see how literacy would become something of a 
sideline pastime.  There are more important things to do than teaching 
your kids to read.

Derek Stanley



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

From: Derek Stanley <dstanley@direct.ca>
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 08:33:56 -0700
Subject: Re: Sylean Exploration Corp.

Darryl Adams wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 2 Jul 1996, Derek Stanley wrote:
> 
> > Leonard Erickson wrote:
> > >> I'm assuming that you're writing from the States and Canada is
> > >>generally considered up from the US of A. Where did you think I was
> > >>writing from?
> > >
> > > Sorry, I thought you were one of the Aussies.
> >
> > Well at least you didn't think I was a Columbian.  "Vancouver Blend?"
> > Hey it's a Columbian Coffee."  "That's BRITISH COLUMBIA!!"
> >
> > Derek Stanley
> 
>He he. You are all wrong. WE ARE THE TOP OF THE WORLD!! TIS US WHO LAY 
>TO THE NORTH OF YOU!!
> BWAAA-HAA-HAA-HAAAA!!

Only if you read your map upside down.  Try that, it makes the planet 
look really strange.  We're so used to north being up it takes our brain 
a few seconds to figure out whats going on.  There's another really neat 
map where someone reversed the topographical features, land became sea 
and vice-versa, that's pretty wierd to look at too.

Derek Stanley


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

From: Wes Payne <n9548326@cc.wwu.edu>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 09:06:04 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Virus Flame War, et. al

Thus spake Paul Walker <tiger@datasync.com>:
 
[Paul Walker (quoting "Survival Margin") says it's all but impossible for 
sensors to be a path of Virus 'infection.'  Derek (whose last name I've 
forgotten) says that Passive EMS sensors can 'cause they pick up all EM 
radiation]

> Sorry to cut out on you like this Derek, but I think I have to side with the
> ANIT-VIRUS crew on this one.  I don't see it as being possible that Virus
> can be transported as anything other than code.  The code that virus
> transmits would be a program that modifies the Deyo Chip that actually
> "creates" the Virus in the receiving ship.  I don't think sensors can "pick
> up" Virus and infect a ship

Whoops.  Looks like we've been hit with the "Virus = Data" thing, with a 
side order of "Virus = Program."  Although FF&S says that, in a pinch, a 
passive EMS system could be rigged to act as a radio receive, this is not 
its default operating mode.  If you broadcast the Junkie MBR virus (to 
cite a contemporary example) over a digital radio link and a passive EMS 
picks it up, it doesn't go "Oh, hey, let's download this incoming radio 
transmission."  It merely notes the bearing (and, given time to build up 
a target track, distance) to a source that is emitting EM radiation in 
the radio wave spectrum.  Receiving, demodulating, and decoding that 
emission is nominally the job of the ship's communications suite (which 
was typically all too happy to lock in the signal and eventually get 
kaboshed by the Virus-infected equipment effecting the transmission).  In 
"Survival Margin" it is admitted that it is slightly conceivable that a 
Virus infection may have been transmitted by modulating an EM source 
until a receiving EMS sensor was affected, but also states that such an 
infection had never occurred.
 
[more of the same, snipped]
 
> Virus used three main porst of entry: Physical contact, Transponder, and
> Routine Computer controlled communications.  Virus wasn't patient enough to
> wait around for the time it would take to infect through sensors, so it just
> executed plan number two: "If I can't have it no one else will either!"
> (Plan number one being: "I want this starship/starport/computer/whatever!")

This is probably the paradigm you should be using when considering 
Virus.  It does no good to consider Virus to be a wierd chunk of data or 
a malicious program, because it is neither of these things.  Any 
Virus-infected computing device of sufficient power becomes your meddling 
eight-year-old nephew or younger brother, who will attempt to gain access 
to your computer and play hob with it while you're not looking, until 
such time as he's gained complete control of it and everything hooked up 
to it, at which time he uses it to massacre you, your entire family, and 
anyone else who happens to be around.  When any other explanation or 
hand-waving falls short, I prefer to use the above "Virus = Death Monkey" 
paradigm.

Now, if it's to a Virus-infected computer's advantage to use a wierd 
chunk of data, or cook up a malicious program, it'll probably do so.
 
I am now transfixed by this irregular, though round, shadow which is 
steadily growing larger and larger.  What's that whistling sound?  
Where's my umbrella?

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wes Payne, known to you as:  n9548326@cc.wwu.edu
Western Washington University -- Bellingham, WA -- The Great Northwet!  
"What is FUN?  Why is it usually colored BRIGHT PINK, and where does
 it go when JESSE HELMS comes around?" 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------


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

From: Joe Walsh <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 11:13:27 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous thoughts

On Wed, 3 Jul 1996, Derek Stanley wrote:

> All it takes is one generation.  And when that generation's primary 
> concern is trying to stay alive in a hostile envrionment and trying to 
> figure out how to plant and grow crops, something most Imperials haven't 
> done for a 1000 years, I can see how literacy would become something of a 
> sideline pastime.  There are more important things to do than teaching 
> your kids to read.

It's very true that the priorities shift in that situation.  Plus, the 
mortality rate would be worse, so those who had been trained to read 
prior to the collapse would be mostly dead after 70 years.  I guess 
I didn't think it through.

- -Joe
______________________________________________________________________________
Joseph E. Walsh      |  Atari 8-Bit User and Programmer Since 1982
ransom@iconnect.net  |  Classic Traveller Referee Since 1983
Stuck in the '80s    |  Microsoft-Free and Loving It! :)



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

From: Bill Garmer <bgarmer@tst.com>
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 07:56:07 -0700
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #190

>
>On Tue, 2 Jul 1996, Bill Garmer wrote:
>
>> True - they train to do it because you can never be certain to get a chance
>> at the center of mass.  Military snipers will aim for the center of the body
>> when possible but take a head shot if necessary (like taking out an OP).
>> Police snipers operate at much closer ranges and need the head shot to
>> prevent the target from doing anything after being hit (like shoot the
hostages)

At 06:02 PM 7/2/96 -0400, Charles Pratt wrote:

>For someone in the know..I recall reading that a shot above the eyebrows
>will result in immediate muscle tension (i.e. shot the target, he shoots
>the hostage/presses that little button--BANG,etc.), and anything along the
>plane of the eyes will cause the muscles to relax immediately...?
>
Yes - it is only in the movies where someone will take a shot at someone
holding a gun at the head of a hostage because of the problem of muscle
tension (and any good terrorist will have a deadman switch on the
explosives).  A sniper (or more usually in a hostage situation a team of
snipers) will wait until the target(s) relax before engaging.  Snipers have
waited for days to get the "right" shot.

Bill
     | Torrey Science Corporation            William R. Garmer
     |                                       Member Technical Staff
- -----+------------------------------------   CA PE Registration Number E-014776
     | 10065 Barnes Canyon Rd - Suite B      Voice: 619-552-1052
     | San Diego, CA 92121                   Fax:   619-552-1056
                                             e-mail: bgarmer@tst.com


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

From: Derek Stanley <dstanley@direct.ca>
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 09:51:16 -0700
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous thoughts

Joe Walsh wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 3 Jul 1996, Derek Stanley wrote:
> 
>>All it takes is one generation.  And when that generation's primary
>>concern is trying to stay alive in a hostile envrionment and trying to
>>figure out how to plant and grow crops,something most Imperials haven't
>>done for a 1000 years, I can see how literacy would become something of 
>>a sideline pastime.  There are more important things to do than 
>>teaching your kids to read.
> 
> It's very true that the priorities shift in that situation.  Plus, the
> mortality rate would be worse, so those who had been trained to read
> prior to the collapse would be mostly dead after 70 years.  I guess
> I didn't think it through.

Quite all right.  Just don't let it happen again or I'll be forced to 
drop a rock on your head.  8)

Seriously, its just something that all of us on the Internet take for 
granted, Literacy.  Remember even today there's a huge chunk of the 
earth's populace that are totally illiterate (and then there's the rest 
of us who can't spell worth shit so we may as well be illiterate 8)   ). 
 Imagine how much the mortality rate would have climbed during the 
collapse, it's a pretty staggering thought.

Derek Stanley


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

End of Traveller-digest V1996 #205
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