Traveller-digest      Friday, October 1 1999      Volume 1999 : Number 1150



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: MT and TNE designs
Fw: Shiont(h)y Belt
Re: Traveller Versions
Re: And For You Shipboard Doctors...
RE: Mineable Gas Giants
X-TEK gets Virtual!
Re: WBH vs GS/GC
Re: Annic Nova
Re: Shiont(h)y Belt
Re: Linux question
Re: Military Bands (was Re: Bagpipes)
RE: Shiont(h)y Belt
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
RE: Shiont(h)y Belt
Re: Versions (I will not)
re: Traveller Versions
Re: Another graphics link
Re TNE/Nth RFW
RE: Shiont(h)y Belt
Re: Linux question
RE: Shiont(h)y Belt
RE: Military Spending and Taxation (getting OT)
Re: Acronyms

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 22:40:26 -0700
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: Re: MT and TNE designs

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Thompson <u12ct@abdn.ac.uk>
To: <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 1999 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: MT and TNE designs


> On Thu, 30 Sep 1999, Antony Farrell wrote:
>
> > While going through my old Traveller Campaign materials I came across
hundreds of MT ships and vehicle designs (mostly TL7 to 13) as well as TNE
versions of other vessels like the Regal class battlecruiser. I don't think
I have room on my web site to put these on, but if anyone wants them drop me
a line.
> >
> > Some of the TNE designs on my webpage are actually conversians from
lower tech MT designs.
> >
> I'd be intrested in the TNE designs and the MT ones if they can add to the
> history of the vessel.
> Chris T
> If I should fall to rise no more
> As many comrades did before
> Then ask the fifes and drums to play
> Over the hill and far away
>
Sure, you and a number of other people have asked for the stats, I am in the
process of re-entering them on my current PC, the originals were done on a
long since dead Commodore 64.
If you like I can post them as they are done. Some were canon like the Far
Rebel class slow trader from "Hard Times" others are designs from my older
campaigns. For example I got a bit carried away in MT and designed a TL13
mobile grav kitchen - figure.

Antony Farrell

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 22:36:04 -0700
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: Fw: Shiont(h)y Belt

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly St.Clair <kellys@efn.org>
To: <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 1999 4:43 PM
Subject: Shiont(h)y Belt


> >>> Sinothy Belt/Regina has large chunks of antimatter in it.
> >>
> >>Antimatter? Is this plausible? Or is Yaskodray to blame?
> >
> >It's in the vicinity of Yaskodray's toy universe, so perhaps the large
> >amount of antimatter is an artifaxct of the pinching off of that pocket
> >universe.
>
> I always figured that Shionthy Belt was a result of either Grandfather or
> one of the Kids pointing a big-ass Charge Reversal Ray(tm) at a planet
> (call it Shionthy) and turning it on.  Presumably only a portion of the
> planet's mass flipped from matter to antimatter... but the resulting
global
> reaction was more than sufficient to blow Shionthy into fragments.  Some
of
> these fragments later met up with their opposites and became smaller
> fragments, accompanied by a nice flash of hard gamma.
>
> Locating antimatter chunks in Shionthy Belt shouldn't be too hard.  Just
> look for the strangely eroded-looking asteroids (due to interaction with
> the solar wind) giving off radiation (ditto).  I hope you have good
> radiation shielding, especially if there's a collision-flare nearby, and
> for god's sake don't try to land on one.
>
> This, of course, ignores an entirely different sort of risk - that of
> "Imperial entanglements."  Aside from the obvious safety hazard, it seems
> the Navy doesn't like the idea of people carting off pieces of the most
> powerful explosive known to humaniti.
>
>
In Adventure 1 "Kinunir" the antimatter seemed to be found by the characters
ships hitting it. How they survived is hard to say. Also the Kinunir herself
was drifting in the belt with insufficient fuel to leave.

Antony Farrell

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 15:51:40 +0100
From: Timothy.Collinson@solent.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Traveller Versions

Stuart Ferris wrote:


>I'll repeat my previous gripe. There simply isn't enough source material
>available. I don't want rules. I want a more detailed universe rather than
a
>few subsector maps and system lists.Behind The Claw is to be applauded as
it
>is the first real attempt to detail a sector, but as the system info if
>restricted to GURPS rules it doesn't interest me.


I think 'first real attempt' is a little harsh on _Signal GK_ which was the
actual first attempt to detail an entire sector at this level.  Indeed,
given that it included UWPs and had longer entries, you could easily argue
that it had *more* detail.

However, first *single volume* attempt would be fair as _Signal GK_ took a
number of issues to cover the material.


It's Friday, we've finished showing 4000 students round the Library in a
week, I've had a pint of cider and am feeling nit-picky!

OB Trav: What do you call the encyclopedia/travel guide in Your Traveller
Universe that covers the worlds and how much detail does it given?  (I'm
granting that no-one has actually produced such a volume!)


tc

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 11:02:13 -0400
From: Ethan Henry <egh@klg.com>
Subject: Re: And For You Shipboard Doctors...

> For the treatment technique called Photodynamic Therapy,
> a surgeon uses tiny pinhead-size Light Emitting Diodes
> (LEDs) -- a source releasing long wavelengths of light
> - -- to activate light-sensitive, tumor-treating drugs...

This is agoing to be a huge, huge area of medicine in the coming years. Just
look at the performance of companies like QLT Phototherapeutics... 
http://quote.yahoo.com/q?s=QLTI&d=1y

Though treating cancer isn't something the typical shipboard doctor does. I
much prefer real-time NMR imagine combined with hyper-accurate gravitics for
non-invasive surgery... 

Doctor: hold still... hold still... I'm just going to move the intestine a
tiny bit and pop the bullet our through your anus...

Recently Wounded PC: My what?

 *PC screams*

Doctor: Great! All done! Just swallow this clot-enhancer pill and you'll be
right as rain in about 20 minutes.
- --
Ethan Henry                                            egh@klg.com
Java Evangelist, KL Group                       http://www.klg.com

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 11:06:45 -0400
From: Ian Ferguson <ian@vax2.concordia.ca>
Subject: RE: Mineable Gas Giants

David Smart writes:
<snipped>
>ObTrav:  Rather than gas giants being just huge fuel depots,
>they may also have "mineable" resources. Don't know if it
>would be worth the effort, though.

	Mining gas giants for hydrogen, helium, and hydrocarbons
	(not to mention various trace elements) has been a common 
	feature of MTU.  Most are orbital stations with "skimmers,"
	but I ran one adventure at a gas mine on the surface of a
	"gas midgit" (really a large planet with atmosphere A).

Peez

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 11:35:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: William Prankard <cmdrx@magicnet.net>
Subject: X-TEK gets Virtual!

Come and see the new X-TEK virtual showroom!

Now for the Year 1120 Catalog, Virtual displays!
Within the technical data for each item is a 3d VRML image.
See the ship or weapon  you are interested in in full 3d view.
Manipulate the object to view the craft from all angles.

Come to X-TEK website and select '1120' and from there 'Starships' or
'X-TEK Arms'.
or:
Direct URL to ships:
http://magicnet.net/~cmdrx/xtek/gurps/ships/index.html
Direct URL to weapons:
http://magicnet.net/~cmdrx/xtek/gurps/weapons/index.html

You will need a VRML browser to see the images.
CosmoPlayer2.1 is what I use, usualy comes with Netscape
Heres a download URL:
http://www.platinum.com/cosmo/win95nt.htm

The images are nothing like Jesse's (heck, NOBODY can compare to him!)
but still pretty cool.  

Also, within the weapons section you will find an X-TEK original, "Pod"
weapons.
These are just scaled down versions of bay weapons.  Warning:  these pods
could make small ships more powerful and are extreamly heretical, use of
said systems may risk your immortal soul! ;-)

Enjoy.

\\  // Commander X
 \\//  CEO X-TEK Industries of Deneb, LIC
T E K  Starship Contractor & High Energy Weapons Research
 //\\  http://www.magicnet.net/~cmdrx/xtek/xtek.htm
//  \\ 0608 D557777-A kk- va+ so+ zh+ da+ A723

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 10:39:39 -0600 (CST)
From: "Jason Kemp" <Jason.Kemp@tdh.state.tx.us>
Subject: Re: WBH vs GS/GC

On  1 Oct 99 at 10:42, Traveller-digest wrote, in "Traveller-digest 
V1999 #1149":

> Seth Kimmel wrote:
> 
> >BTW, what's the difference between WBH and First Censis/First Survey?

Seth,

I documented the differences in system generation details in a prior 
message on the TML last year, addressed to Jef Zeitlin (sp?), who was 
working on the GT: First In book at the time.

I'll try to dig it up for you, unless someone with access to their 
archive files can beat me to it.  Hopefully, tonight, if all works 
well.  There are some minor differences at various points, but both 
work well, and the results are mutually exchangable, so whatever 
works best for you, go for it.

More later as I dig up the material.

In Service,
Jason

=============================
Jason Kemp, ADS Programmer IV
(512)458-7111 ext. 3375

Internet Address: jason.kemp@tdh.state.tx.us
==============================

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 09:09:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Craig Berry <cberry@cinenet.net>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova

> Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 00:27:54 -0400
> From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
> 
> > Actually, after Adventures 2 & 3, I always pegged the Annic Nova as a
> > Droyne hand-built starship. It's an easy way to explain many of the
> > anomalies in its design and reported behaviour.
> 
> Except that they were humanoids, and it never was explained where they
> were from... 

There's no reason the most recent crew would necessarily be from the same
species as the builders.  Ships do change hands in Traveller, by (how
shall I put this) various mechanisms. :)  Also, while there was no
indication where the ship was *originally* from, there was a map chip for
the interdicted world Victoria down in Lanth (or was it Vilis?  I'm typing
this at work) subsector.  So one could posit that the ship had at least
most recently come into Regina subsector from rimward.

My major problem with making it a Droyne ship is that it seemed built for
humans.  There were no perching bars, for example, and the doorways were
all human-scaled and -proportioned.

- -- 
   |   Craig Berry - cberry@cinenet.net
 --*--    Home Page: http://www.cinenet.net/users/cberry/home.html
   |      "There it is; take it."  - William Mulholland

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 09:15:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com>
Subject: Re: Shiont(h)y Belt

Leonard Erickson writes:
> > (b) "melt" away over time?
> 
> Fairly slowly. Remember that dust impacts will tend to soften" the
> outlines of *any* asteroid.
> 
> And stellar wind "impacts" will tend to penetrate the surface before
> reacting. A single proton, reacting a few mm below the surface won't
> "soften" or melt much. 

It will gradually turn the asteroid to powder, like any sort of radiation.  The real problem is collisions, though -- a microgram of sand will produce a 90 terajoule explosion, which is enough to vaporize small asteroids and shatter objects of significant size.

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 11:41:06 -0500
From: "Ron Brown" <ronnyq@nightowl.net>
Subject: Re: Linux question

Actually, if you have Winzip and open it in classic mode, you can extract
tar balls onto your Windows machine.

- -----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Moffatt-Vallance <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Friday, October 01, 1999 8:20 AM
Subject: Re: Linux question


From:           Jeff Zeitlin <jzeitlin@cyburban.com>
Date sent:      Thu, 30 Sep 1999 17:35:13 -0400

> Linux should support any of the widely-available unix formats -
> that would be tar and gzip almost universally; you may also be
> able to get a PKZIP-compatible program.

Okay, so does anyone know where I can get a wintel utility to make tar
and gzip files? I've got something which seems to make something called
tgz, but my knowledge of linux is sadly lacking.


Andrew etc
Homepage http://users.netaccess.co.nz/amv/
Traveller http://www.downport.com/amv/
"What do you expect from a species who's females are
always in heat" Ko of the Ilui clan on Humans and honour

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 09:37:33
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Military Bands (was Re: Bagpipes)

At 01:41 AM 10/1/1999 +0100, you wrote:

>Given the size of the Imperial Armed Forces you're going to have a lot
>of military bands. Anyone have any idea how many? Or, for that matter,
>what the ratio of bands/bandsmen to frontline troops?

Each Army Division and Marine Regiment will probably have their own band
unit.
- -- 

Douglas E. Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 09:43:40
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: RE: Shiont(h)y Belt

At 02:08 PM 10/1/1999 +0100, you wrote:

>I guess we need to know Shionthy's star  type  (haven't  got  the
>books with me), and distence of  the  planetoid  belt.  Was  this
>system ever defined in expanded form?

According to the Imperial Encyclopedia, it's a M4v
- -- 

Douglas E. Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 09:46:12
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

At 06:20 PM 9/30/1999 -0000, you wrote:

>Really? Not all that different from all of the extra Books a player had to
>buy for Traveller, no? Book 4: Mercenary... Book 5: High Guard... Book 6:
>Scouts... etc. In fact, GDW pioneered the concept of adding rules after the
>game was "done." ;)

One word: "Blackmoor"  (Introduced the Monk and Assassin classes)
- --

Douglas E. Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/sylea.html
Inquisitor Maximus, Reformed Canon Church of Sylea

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 18:34:46 +0100 
From: "Trevor, Peter" <Peter.Trevor@rb.cwplc.com>
Subject: RE: Shiont(h)y Belt

Douglas E. Berry wrote:
> > I guess we need to know Shionthy's star type (haven't got the
> > books with me), and distence of the planetoid belt.  Was this
> > system ever defined in expanded form?
>
> According to the Imperial Encyclopedia, it's a M4v

Thanks.  Now given the collision problem I  think  its  a  fairly
safe bet to say the antimatter is a  recent  phenomenon,  so  its
probably left over from the  Ancient  War.  Therefore  there  was
presumeable a planet destroyed here ... and I think it  likely  a
habitable one.

Thus, the issue of detectability becomes  defined  as:  how  much
radiation "glow" will come from an antimatter object when exposed
to the typical level of solar wind from an M4 star at a  distance
equal to its habitable zone?  And more to the point, how easy  is
it to detect that level of "glow" with ship sensors?

The secondary issue ... a reality  check  ...  would  be:  is  it
plausable for antimatter objects to survive in  a  normal  matter
planetoid belt for that length of  time?  Failure  of  this  test
would suggest that:
(a) whatever created the  antimatter  is  more  recent  than  the
    Ancient War, or ...
(b) something is creating fresh 'supplies' or  antimatter  in  an
    ongoing process, or ...
(c) the destroyed planet was in the outer system, or ...
(d) something else.



Regards PLST
"Rome wasn't burned in a day."

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 18:04:51 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Versions (I will not)

 "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net> writes:

>From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
>> Ahem. If you're going to claim Traveller has six versions (actually *7*)
>> with 2300 included (CT, MT, TNE, T4, GT, T2300, 2300AD) then I feel

>No, no, no, no, no.  A thousand times no.  I will not even entertain the
>thought that 2300AD is Traveller.  I'm still not sure about TNE!  I only
>accept MT because it was done by DGP whose CT stuff was excellent.  I move
>that we adjust the names of the versions so that they comply with the truth
>in advertising laws:

IMO T:2300 and 2300AD are not "Traveller". Traveller is the universe of the
Imperium. 2300 is the universe of post Twilight 2000.

The big difference is that 2300 is *hard* SF, unlike Traveller.

<BLACK GLOBE ON>

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 18:24:29 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: re: Traveller Versions

"Stuart Ferris" <stuart.ferris@virgin.net> writes:
>I'll repeat my previous gripe. There simply isn't enough source material
>available. I don't want rules. I want a more detailed universe rather than a
>few subsector maps and system lists.Behind The Claw is to be applauded as it
>is the first real attempt to detail a sector, but as the system info if
>restricted to GURPS rules it doesn't interest me.

The Dag sourcebook for T4 died when IG folded.

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 18:00:35 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Another graphics link

 "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com> writes:

>> There are some nice SF ships here, especially if you like CJ Cherryh's work.
>>
>> http://www.valint.net/chp/imcr/real/shipyard.html
>
>Awesome pics! Well, not Jesse's, but real cool. This is how I envision
>starships in the TL A-C range. What do you suppose those long struts are on
>the first ships aft section? I thought first solar collecters, but on the
>zoom I noticed they seem to be square rods. Heat sinks?

The ships are based on CJ Cherryh's universe, so the stuts are 'Jump
Vanes', which are cycled to take the ship up to FTL speeds and back. There
is a debate on the the Cherryhlist at the moment as to their effect in
realspace. Her books imply that the vanes can produce enormous changes of
Delta-V, and there is also a debate on the reaction mass/fuel used
(currently water is the favourite)

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 14:02:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net>
Subject: Re TNE/Nth RFW

>I still can't understand why maintaining the nobility in the post-Third
>Imperium TNE universe seems so important to some people.

It is part of the feel of Traveller, especially CT. GDW *PROMISED* an area
where CT/MT's 3rd Imp CONTINUES ON, not where democracy eliminates the
nobility. GDW Lied.

>>The main beef I had when I first read TNE was that GDW seemed intent on
>>destroying everything DGP had created for the game:
>>     - no robots (one of DGP's main PCs was a robot, another a roboticist);
>
>
>TNE tried to remove robots from the setting? It didn't appear that way to
>me. Was I merely fooled by GDW's inclusion of several robots in the main
>rulebook? The addition of rules for robot creation in Vampire Fleets?

Well, upon hearing what their characters would know about virus, every PC
in my game took a shoot-first approach to even "Barking Stuffed Toys". The
ones in the rulebook, BTW, make excellent enemies, but not great tools for
PC's, and are just powerful enough to become fully virused. Add  a lack of
robot creation rules, and it sure as h*ll looks like the idea of robots as
useful tools went right out the window.

>>     - any thought of a resolution to the Rebellion storyline (designed by
>>DGP) smashed beyond repair.
>
>
>That's strange. I thought that Virus actually was the resolution of the
>Rebellion storyline, at least as the resolution was imagined by GDW.

No, it wasn't a resolution, but a means of wiping the slate clear... and
there is a difference. Hard times was a continuing resolution; it continued
the thematic elements of the civil war, the madness of lucan, the
destruction of life, and the hardships and hopes of a resored 3i.

TNE, and Virus were seen by many (effectively everyone I know FTF who's
conversant with traveller) as a way of saying "It doesn't matter who should
have won, who would have won or how, we're just going to do something
entirely new, and coopt you into buying it because it has the Traveller
name."

I remember many of us on the CT/MT based X-Boat list were lobbying for
similar treatment of New Era as 2300 had gotten: Don't kill it, just
declare it "Something other than Traveller." Hell, I'd lobbied against the
switch from MT to T2K mechanics as soon as I heard about it... sent a
"please don't" letter with some 7+ signatories to GDW. Having run TNE
(players wanted to try it), I can honestly say it was such a bad set of
rules my players DEMANDED a change of rules (The votes went 3 mt, 2 GURPS,
1 for CT, 2 abstensions... I reverse engineered the conversion back to MT
from the guidelines to convert to TNE in SM).

William F. Hostman  |  "Smith & Wesson: THe original Point and Click
interface!"
Aramis 0602 C55A364-C S kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge-
533
Mailto:aramis@gci.net http://home.gci.net/~aramis http://www.alaska.net/~mhaa
ICQ:14640742          AIM:AKAramis	ARM 1.0: 3 R H++ P+
IMTU 1.0: tc tm++ tn- t4-- tt+ to- tg-- ru+ ge 3i+ c+ jt-() au+ st- ls
pi+() ta+ he+(-) kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge- pi+

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 11:14:21 -0700
From: "Thing" <gduke@orca.esd114.wednet.edu>
Subject: RE: Shiont(h)y Belt

On Friday, October 01, 1999 10:35 AM
Trevor, Peter said,

> The secondary issue ... a reality  check  ...  would  be:  is  it
> plausable for antimatter objects to survive in  a  normal  matter
> planetoid belt for that length of  time?  Failure  of  this  test
> would suggest that:
> (a) whatever created the  antimatter  is  more  recent  than  the
>     Ancient War, or ...
> (b) something is creating fresh 'supplies' or  antimatter  in  an
>     ongoing process, or ...
> (c) the destroyed planet was in the outer system, or ...
> (d) something else.

I could see that the antimatter was surrounded with a protective membrane,
similar to a magnetic bottle to prevent it from interacting with casual
particle bombardment.  Such a protective layer could stop solar winds and
small particles but anything with the mass of a starship would
breach/rupture it.  Grandfather could have isolated the antimatter chunks in
these protective encapsulations to prevent them from occasionally exploding
and disturbing his experiments.

Then again, if grandfather could encapsulate antimatter in such a way, the
antimatter might have been deliberately placed as a sort of mine field to
interfere with and discourage people from poking around near his hiding
place.  This would explain both protecting the antimatter from minor
particle collisions and detection.  In this scenario, I would assume that
the antimatter would be replaced from time to time as needed.

G.D.D.
======
"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail." - Gore Vidal

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 06:19:55 +1200
From: "Andrew Moffatt-Vallance" <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz>
Subject: Re: Linux question

From:           	"Ron Brown" <ronnyq@nightowl.net>
Date sent:      	Fri, 1 Oct 1999 11:41:06 -0500

> Actually, if you have Winzip and open it in classic mode, you can extract
> tar balls onto your Windows machine.

I want to create a tar on my windows machine :*> I'm trying to produce a
version of my PE spreadsheet for linux.


Andrew etc
Homepage http://users.netaccess.co.nz/amv/
Traveller http://www.downport.com/amv/
 "What do you expect from a species who's females are
 always in heat" Ko of the Ilui clan on Humans and honour

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 15:10:52 EDT
From: GypsyComet@aol.com
Subject: RE: Shiont(h)y Belt

 "Trevor, Peter" <Peter.Trevor@rb.cwplc.com> asks:

>I guess we need to know Shionthy's star  type  (haven't  got  the
>books with me), and distence of  the  planetoid  belt.  Was  this
>system ever defined in expanded form?

No orbital distance is given, but we can assume that the belt is in either 
the habitable or outer zones, since the M4-V star it orbits really has no 
inner zone. An outer zone placement also improves the survivability of the 
antimatter, since the star's output is further reduced.
 GT:Behind the Claw describes the system rather well without going into hard 
numbers. The Red zoning is strictly navigational according to official 
sources, so the 70 million moon and belt miners in-system are quite 
legitimate and Imperial...

GC

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 15:30:52 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: RE: Military Spending and Taxation (getting OT)

.Walter Smith wrote:
>> You need to compare the benefits of the military build-up
>> (defense contractor jobs, people getting military pay) with the
>> opportunity costs of the military buildup. Those taxes and
>> resources spent on the military - not to mention the work and
>> effort of the people building for the military and actually
>> *in* the military - could have been developing the civilian
>> infrastructure, creating trade goods, improving the educational
>> system, etc. These opportunities that are lost could have
>> improved the general wealth and welfare of the nation, much
>> more than the improvements the military brings.
>
>
>Just to play devil's advocate for a moment ...

>There are some infrastructure projects that have  joint  military
>and civilian benefits, but which the civilian  economy  would  be
>relucant to  spend  on.  These  projects  are  those  with  large
>initial spends and either have no clearly  definable  returns  or
>have very long delays before pay back.

Sometimes such projects are purely civilian in execution and have immediate
civilian returns, but are prompted by military needs. The Interstate Highway
system in the United States was initially proposed and funded by congress as
a method by which military transport needs of the Armed Forces could be met.
In other words the interstates were built so that the military industrial
complex could easily move men and material from state to state. In the
nineteenth century some countries built railroads for the same reason. (The
French specifically chose the gauge of the railroad so as to make it
difficult for German rail equipment to use it, to deny the German military
use of this asset during an invasion. It didn't work.)

Obtrav: The Imperium, during it's expansion phase, would take possession of
existing Starports. Sometimes it would claim jurisdiction over whole
systems, like Naval Depot systems. What about strategically located systems
with only marginally habitable worlds or only belts. Does the Imperial
Government directly fund Starports and logistic support?

Terry C

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

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 13:58:43 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Acronyms

> ROFLMAO

Gotcha so far...

>ASTD!

But now ya lost me, these letters stand for?

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1150
***********************************

To unsubscribe to Traveller-Digest, send the command:

unsubscribe traveller-digest

in the body of a message to "traveller-request@lists.imagiconline.com".
If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is
coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that
address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe
"local-traveller":

subscribe traveller-digest local-traveller@your.domain.net

A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to
subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "traveller-digest"
in the commands above with "traveller".

Multi-Player Games Network http://www.mpgn.com
