Traveller-digest     Thursday, October 21 1999     Volume 1999 : Number 1236



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Happy Birthday, Galileo!
Re: Happy Birthday, Galileo!
Re: Cybernetic Implants
Re:Important: The Kinunir Warrant!
Re: Ditzie's Warrant Followup
Re: Re:Important: The Kinunir Warrant!
Re: Drive DestructionSequencing
Re: Space Opera?
Vorkostigan series
Re: Vorkostigan series 
Re: Drive DestructionSequencing
Re: Re Space Opera
Re: Space Opera?
GURPS Task System Summary (was Re: Traveller Versions and a visit to the Medieval Starship)
Re: Traveller Auction Update 
Re: Traveller Auction Update
Re: Traveller Auction Update 
Re: Ditzie's Warrant Followup
Re: Amorphous Aliens

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:48:14 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Happy Birthday, Galileo!

In mail you write:

> At 06:44 PM 10/19/99 PST, you wrote:
>>In mail you write:
>>I'm not sure what the latest "space rated" CPU is, but at that time
> it
>>was the RCA 1802 (same chip used in the *ancient* "ELF" computer
>>training kits from the 70s).
>
>         My copy of SMAD* is at work, but it lists some. The only one I
> recall off the top of my head is the Rad6000--a rad-hardened, space
> rated version of IBM's R/6000 processor; 32-bit running at (IIRC)
> 33MHz. I know there are several other 32-bit CPUs currently being
> offered or in works (even rumors of somebody trying to port the
> Pentium to a more resistant technology).

Is that one of the ones they "hardened" by embedding the chip in a
block of lead? :-)

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

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:49:59 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Happy Birthday, Galileo!

In mail you write:

>> From: Robert Conley 
>> Maybe this is how you can handwave those big hulking Classic Traveller
>> Computers
>
> I thought this too.  Wouldn't it be a hoot if one of Traveller's greatest
> clunkinesses turned out to have some sort of resemblance to the truth?

Well, if it is semiconductor based, there *is* a limit on the size of
"circuit elements" if you want it to avoid random bit flips from stray
radiation. And it's *way* larger than current generation chips. More
like early 70s tech. 

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

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:55:30 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Cybernetic Implants

In mail you write:

> I have heard that  some  complex  coordination  skills  (such  as
> playing the piano) may be performed (at least partially)  in  the
> spinal cord rather the brain.  This being so would the  recipient
> of a spinal cord  transplant  from  a  concert  pianist  gain  an
> aptiude for piano playing?

What seems more likely, is that he'd have the "muscle memory" (learned
reflexes). So he could likely play any piece the pianist had known
well, but only if he didn't "think about it" much.

Data point: I've read of a case where a Vietnam vet who'd effectivly
been lobotomized by a shell fragment was still able to play his guitar.
He could play any early Stones song you could name, but couldn't learn
any new songs or even new chords. 

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

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 22:54:36 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: Re:Important: The Kinunir Warrant!

Chris Seamans wrote:
>
> The final resting place of the Imperial Warrant that was on the Kinunir
has
> been hotly debated for many years. Some say Norris used it to keep the
peace
> and stability of the Spinward Marches. Others swear that they were part of
> the adventuring party that found it and they used it mainly to circumvent
> local authorities when they got into fusion powered bar brawls.
>
> The truth is much, much more frightening. A deep cover IISS Scout was
> recently found, a victim of "spacing," in the [CLASSIFIED] Subsector. A
> small holocube was found in his stomach. Go to
> http://www.pil.net/~semo/warrant.jpg to see what was on it. Please pass
this
> on to other loyal and patriotic Imperial citizens and let them know what a
> threat to Imperial security this is.

Great pic. The Imperial money was also terrific, but I believe both should
probably have both Galanglic and Bilanidin script. Which brings up: What is
the proper Bilanidin official OTU title of the Third Imperium and how is it
rendered in Bilanidin? I'd like to post a copy of Norris's Warrant at my
website Regina Highport: http://members.home.net/carlino/ once I get the
Bilanidin rendered properly. (What better place to display a holographic
copy than the museum at Atora?)

Terry C

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

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:07:34 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Ditzie's Warrant Followup

- -----Original Message-----
From: Jesse DeGraff <fenris@slip.net>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 7:32 AM
Subject: RE: Ditzie's Warrant Followup


>LOL!
>Good series dude!


Thank you very much. I'm quite proud of the Imperial credit note. It's
actually accurate to the specs mentioned in the MT Imperial Encyclopedia!
Print it out! Pay for your food at the diner with it! ;)

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:27:54 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Re:Important: The Kinunir Warrant!

- -----Original Message-----
From: Terry Carlino <carlino@home.com>
To: Traveller Mailing list <traveller@mpgn.com>
Date: Thursday, October 21, 1999 3:02 AM
Subject: Re:Important: The Kinunir Warrant!


>Great pic. The Imperial money was also terrific, but I believe both should
>probably have both Galanglic and Bilanidin script.

There's always a critic ;)

I considered in for the bill, but I kind of dropped the idea. I'm becoming a
genuine CT purist these days, and the Vilani seem to play a different role
there. Galanglic is the lingua franca, and I'm of the opinion that it should
be the only lingua on the Franc! ;)

>Which brings up: What is
>the proper Bilanidin official OTU title of the Third Imperium and how is it
>rendered in Bilanidin?

If an answer doesn't turn up, Kenji, over at the Traveller-Culture list
might be able to help you out.

Glenn Hoppe, the fellow who came up with the fine Bilanidin font said this
of it in the included t-file:

"In constructing this typeface, I have assumed that it is the writing system
developed after the Vilani contacted other races, esp. Solomani, and was
used to transliterate Solomani documents, etc."

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 20:11:06 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Drive DestructionSequencing

In mail you write:

> Fellow Travellers:
>
> Some assistance please from the gearheads and scientific types out there.
> And another question about a certain piece of Excel Software.
>
> First:
>
> This past weekend, the players in the gaming group decided to board a
> ship.  The racial make-up of the boarded ship is immaterial at this point,
> so here goes.
>
> How long would the destruct sequence need to be set for a starship with
> size "X" engineering and an escaping crew's manuver drive "Y" ??

What destruct sequence? Seriously, there's no good reason for a ship to
routinely be equipped with such a device. And a fusion reactor should
be no more capable of going "boom" than a coal fired powerplant. In
both cases given *hours* of preparation, you could rig up a blast, but
it wouldn't be easy.

> Since the ship in question had a CT Jump 2, Power Plant 2  with 600dT, and 
> the escaping crew was in a launch with a 1g Manuver drive, I gave the 
> boarders 15 minutes to figure out what to do.  I actually gave them the
> 15 minutes, this time was used to view schematics out of the
> Starship Operators' Guide and some other I had drawn up.

> I assume that the deciding factor would be how far the escaping crew would
> need to be based upon the Power Plant size.

please note that 15 minutes is 900 seconds. At 1 g, in 900 seconds you
cover: 
	D = .5 * a * t^2
        D = .5 * 10 * 900^2
	D = 4,050 km

That gets you beyond any *blast* effects. Radiation effects are a bit
harder to escape, but assuming the launch is safe to use during a major
solar flare, you'll be safe that way too.

> Second:
>
> Somewhere out there in the past three years, I down loaded an Excel
> spreadsheet that had all of the "canon" sectors listed.  I now am
> having trouble using this because I have been transferring between
> two computers and one has Excel 95 and the other Excel 97.  Guess
> which one has the spreadsheet saved    :-( Needless to say. I'm
> looking for the owner/developer of said spreadsheet so I may download
> it to the Excel 95 machine.

Excel 97 should still support saving in SYLK format. Save in that, and
then import the resulting file back into Excel 95.

SYLK is an *old* MS format. It's even importable into their old
Multiplan program. That's because they way SYLK is organized, the older
programs can just ignore the feature settings for features they don't
have. But the data will still import.

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

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:36:52 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: Re: Space Opera?

>> I've realized that Space Opera doesn't have a very good definition.  To
>> some it is highly cinematic, soft science (banking space fighters
"Lensmen
>> type") SF.  To other is simply means that you have things that don't
exist
>> in modern society (FTL Travel, psionics, etc.).  Whether Traveller is
Space
>> Opera depends on your definition.
>
>Actually, the original definition was fairly clear. It included the
>Lensman series, the Skylark series, Campbell's later Arcot, Morey &
>Wade stories, etc.
>
>Basicly you had to have "grand sweep" (ie worrying about whole
>civilizations, not mere worlds), larger than life characters, and
>ususally escalating superweapon vs superweapon duels between the good
>guys and the bad guys.
>
>Star Wars is the only *modern* Space Opera I can think of.

There were quite a handful made in the late seventies/early eighties as Star
Wars knockoffs. The Last Starfighter is one. Ice Pirates another. There was
one with George Peppard, and the guy who played the Man from Uncle and the
actor who played John Boy from the Waltons loosely based on the Seven
Samurai, I can't remember the name.

Terry C

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

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

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 13:44:31 +1000
From: dadams@parracity.nsw.gov.au
Subject: Vorkostigan series

William F. Hostman wrote:

>VorKosigan series by Bujold: Sure, the imperium's only 3 systems, but man
>what a main character: Larger and Smaller than life, escallating
>superpolitics, the occasional superweapons, and very clear good and evil
>(For the latter, see Jackson's Whole)

Jackson Whole is not evil! Just that evil pays better.

If anything , Jackson Whole represents a true Technological Feuldal system, with
the Houses controlling people like vassels.

Actually the Vorkostigab series is a great look at societies influenced by
technology (and has almost the same communication lags). And what do they get?

Earth : High Tech balkanised world, a backwater only due to lack of wormwholes.

Beta : High Tech Californian Democracy mixed with Singaporean socal programming

Cetaganda : High Tech Caste Based Feudal system hell bent on geneticly modifying
themselves, and conquuring the galaxy to pay for it.

Barrayar : Middle Tech bootstaping itself to high tech , Caste based Neo-Feudal
evolving into something?

Athos : Low Tech with high tech biotech to support a male only population -
religous bent

Escobar : High tech , govt unknown (possably democracy).

Kline Station : High tech trading port - al la Hong Kong

Jacksons Whole : "What happens when a planet gets taken over by Libitarian
Hijackers". Anything can be bought here, as long as you can afford it. Thats the
only law.

Kommar : Occupided coperate world , with a wealth based oligarchy.


Another point is technology itself.

The way technology playes here is that technology bleeds outwards. Technology
generally appears in High tech worlds (Beta , Illyria), and gets traded outwards
to the lower tech nations (generally after a counter is developed, but not
allways). Thus an insane arms race of development and counter development where
even the lower tech planets can come out with a supprise or two (The Prince Serg
in the Vor Game). Example is the Plasma based weaponry on space ships. Long
range plasma bolts use to rule the roost, until Beta with the Sword Swollower
literlly turned the plasma against them. Then the rules get changed again with
the Grav Imploder, an again when Barrayar optamise the Grav Imploder to increase
its range by a factor of 3.

I perosnally believe Bujold has a better grasp of interstellar trade than
Traveller (Sorry Marc, Loren), where governments at war will pay through their
teeth for the bleeding edge weapons, and there a people willing to sell (Jackson
Whole, or Beta Colony if they are almost legit). Thus these cultures become
addicted to the high tech ,and begin to import the means to produce it
themselves (capital production), A lot like Japan after Re-opening conatct with
the world. The reason that planets are lower tech is due by location or choice
(Barrayar was isolated by accident during preliminary terraforming, Athos by
choice, other planets on remote wormholes would likely see less trade, but dont
forget even they would proberbly see a Kommmarian Trade fleet once every year or
so).

Darryl

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

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 00:03:49 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: Vorkostigan series 

> 
> William F. Hostman wrote:
> 
> >VorKosigan series by Bujold: Sure, the imperium's only 3 systems, but man
> >what a main character: Larger and Smaller than life, escallating
> >superpolitics, the occasional superweapons, and very clear good and evil
> >(For the latter, see Jackson's Whole)
> 
> Jackson Whole is not evil! Just that evil pays better.

Let's face it.  The wages of sin aren't taxed.

Keven
- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 22:27:38 -0600
From: "Eric T.  or  Maryann C. Holmes" <holmberg@thuntek.net>
Subject: Re: Drive DestructionSequencing

Fellow Travellers:

I asked:

How long would the destruct sequence need to be set for a starship with
 size "X" engineering and an escaping crew's manuver drive "Y" ??

Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com wrote:
>
>No, it's probably mostly based on how much warning time the designers
wanted to put into the ship, and what sort of scuttling charge the
designers used.
>
>Civilian power plants won't _have_ a destruct sequence, making the issue
irrelevant.  Military ships may well have scuttling charges, but they will
probably be extremely low power -- set them off and the ship will abruptly
lose all power and start decompressing (and be completely unstartable, and
probably require months of work in a shipyard to repair), but it won't be
destroyed, and personell on board will probably be ok if they're in
pressure suits.  A few ships might have an actual self-destruct charge,
which would be a tactical nuclear device, probably in the kiloton range for
the ship above.
>
>In any case, the time required to reach a safe distance at 1 G is 20-30
seconds.  The primary reason for a large builtin delay is to give plenty of
room for dealing with problems in the event that someone fucks up.  Note
that scuttling charges will be detonated _before_ the crew evacuates.
>

I was actually thinking along the lines of the drives overloading to
critical mass
if this is possible.  I assumed that the sinks (or capacitors) would be
where the
necessary energy would be stored, either in a reserve or in the process of
building 
up as in preparation for jump.  The difference is that the sequence is some
how
interupted or modified to go critical.  I estimated the time required to
charge up
the capacitors as the time to prepare for jump.  I WAG'd this as 10 minutes
for the
size ship and drive and added another 5 minutes as a safety factor for the
escaping
crew.  There does not appear to be anything that gives total preparation
time for
jump in any of the literature, therefore I calculated it as twice the
percentage of
the total hull displacement for the either the jump drive or power plant,
which ever 
is used.

I see the destruct sequence as similar to the events that occurred in the
movie "Alien."
I think most PC's have this ingrained in their head.  A lot of action
occurred between
the initiation of the destruct sequence and the final "blow."  I also think
that the
destructive results would be more dramatic in vacuum than on the surface of
a planet.
But I'm not a physicist.

So how much destructive force is held in a 2000 megawatt drive?  Or is
there a simple
way of calculating this?

Eric

eholmes@lanl.gov			holmberg@thuntek.net
7am to 4pm Mountain Time		6pm to Midnight Mountain Time

IMTU:  he+, tc+, tm, tne, t4, tg, tt, to, ru, ge, 3i+, c+, jt, au, st, ls+,
pi+, ta+,
	as+, va+, dr+, _sa_, kk--, hi--, so++, zh, vi, da, sy, _hu_ 
		(sa = other sapients, hu = other humani)

Lacedaemon, we have done our duty.

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:45:17 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Re Space Opera

"William F. Hostman" wrote:
> 
> >> Basicly you had to have "grand sweep" (ie worrying about whole
> >> civilizations, not mere worlds), larger than life characters, and
> >> ususally escalating superweapon vs superweapon duels between the good
> >> guys and the bad guys.
> >>
> >> Star Wars is the only *modern* Space Opera I can think of.
> >
> >Star Trek DS9?
> >  Grand Sweep - Check
> >  Larger than life Characters - Check
> >  Escalating superweapon duels - Check
> >(actual, I'd call it Space Soap Opera, but thats just me)
> >
> Sten Series by Cole and Bunch... all the above in spades
> 
> VorKosigan series by Bujold: Sure, the imperium's only 3 systems, but man
> what a main character: Larger and Smaller than life, escallating
> superpolitics, the occasional superweapons, and very clear good and evil
> (For the latter, see Jackson's Whole)

Pournelle's "Falkenberg's Legion" stories also fall into this
definition:

Grand Sweep:  Yes (both CoDominium controlled worlds and "independent"
worlds)

Larger Than Life characters:  Yes (Col. Falkenberg, Sgt. Maj. Calvin,
Prince Lysander of Sparta, Glenda Ruth Horton of New Washington, etc.)

Good versus Evil:  Yes (the Grant/Blaine faction vs. the Bronson
faction)

Superweapons:  Not quite, but there are super _units_ (Line Marines,
Falkenberg's Legion, the Spartan Brotherhoods, Meiji technoninjas, etc.)

Works for me....

- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:56:08 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Space Opera?

Here's an interesting idea:

Take one of Ayn Rand's novels (_We The Living_, _The Fountainhead_,
_Anthem_ or [especially] _Atlas Shrugged_), and change the setting to
science-fiction.  Now _that_ would be space opera!  Here are some
suggestions:

_We The Living_:  Could be set in M:0 (the new regime replacing the old)

_The Fountainhead_:  This works in the 3I, circa M:1100 (worship of the
past)

_Anthem_:  Definitely a Long Night story

_Atlas Shrugged_:  This works in either the end of the Rule of Man, or
the decline of the 3I

Given Ayn Rand's characterization and plotting, her novels would
translate well as space opera (IMHO)....

- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 99 00:03:28 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: GURPS Task System Summary (was Re: Traveller Versions and a visit to the Medieval Starship)

On 10/18/99 at 06:37 PM,  "Paul Campbell" <kemitixanzantix@freenet.co.uk> said:

>> Well, keep in mind that a few task systems that can be grafted on to GURPS
>> have come out of the discussion, and more than a few mistaken assumptions
>> have been cleared up. It's not like the debate has been completely
>useless.
>> I have to say that I've found it rather interesting so far.
>>

>Forgive me, I'm new to the list.  Does anyone have a summary of the
>results of that GURPS task system?

I was waiting for someone to answer. I haven't seen anyone do so...

Summary:

1. Some people want a descriptive task system for GURPS

2. Some people don't think it matters

3.  Several suggestions were made for a possible Traveller like Task
System for GRUPS, all shared the idea of adding or subtracting fixed
numbers from the appropriate skill for named difficulty levels.  I
can't do them all justice, but these are the ones I remember as I
remember them and how I think of them.

In all cases, determine the Difficulty, add the associated modifer
to the skill, and roll lower on 3d6 with 3 an automatic success and
17+ automatic failure.

"This stuff is a piece of cake!"

 +4 Easy
 +2 Routine
  0 Difficult
 -2 Formidable
 -4 Staggering
 -6 Impossible

 EX:  Skill 14, Task Staggering,  Roll <= 10 (50%)
- --------------------------------------------------

"It's a Hard, Hard World!"

  +5 Easy
   0 Routine/Average
  -5 Difficult
 -10 Formidable
 -15 Staggering
 -20 Impossible

 EX:  Skill 14, Task Staggering, Roll <= -1 (<1%)
- -------------------------------------------------
  
"A little BITS of heaven!"

  +6 Easy
  +3 Routine
   0 Difficult
  -3 Formidable
  -6 Staggering
  -9 Impossible   <-- I reverse
 -12 Hopeless     <-- these two, myself
 
 EX:  Skill 14, Task Staggering, Roll <= 8 (26%)
- ------------------------------------------------

The third of these Task Systems seems like the best *to me*, but of
course, YMMV.


Eris
- -- 
- -----------------------------------------------------------
"Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>    using MR/2 ICE #245
- -----------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:24:14 -0700
From: shudson@lightspeed.bc.ca (Steven Hudson)
Subject: Re: Traveller Auction Update 

>From: Keith Johnson <keithalanjohnson@home.com>
>Subject: Re: Traveller Auction Update 
...
>miniatures it might be a stupid idea to release them now.  There really
>isn't much out there for Traveller miniatures right now, and the Cardboard

  IIRC, the technical term is "Sweet F.A.".  However, you can still find 
stuff that's both far cheaper and better than the crap from GW - and not
in the ever so popular 28-30mm heroic scale. One product line I find works
fairly well is "Denizen", from Stone Mountain Miniatures:     
        http://www.HistoricalMiniatures.com/

  They're maybe a teensy bit smaller than the old Grenadier 25mm Trav
mini's, but that's simply not an issue for most people.

  Supposedly you can still get 15mm mini's that might mix well with 
the old Citadel Traveller 15's, but I can't prove that yet.

        Steven Hudson

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

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 19:27:52 +1300
From: "Frank Pitt" <frankie@mundens.gen.nz>
Subject: Re: Traveller Auction Update

> > "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn fnord."
> 
> Careful.  I just seen the fnord.

Wait until you start pining for 'em.

Frankie

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

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 02:39:49 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller Auction Update 

> > > "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn fnord."
> > 
> > Careful.  I just seen the fnord.
> 
> Wait until you start pining for 'em.

That's pining for the *fyord*, not pining for the fnord.

Oy, vey...

Keven

- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

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

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 23:08:40 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Ditzie's Warrant Followup

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

>> Make sure "show graphics" is on in your browser.
>> Jesse
>
>Oh, I got that on. And all other sites come through fine, with pictures and
>everything, it's just the warrant and credit 3 that are hiding behind some
>fat byte somewhere. Strange.

This may work - when Netscape doesn't display on my Mac (v4.06 Navigator,
OS8.5) I usually try iCAB (from http://www.icab.de/) The demo is free,
stable, small and does everything bar javascript (not implemented yet).
Usually it works. YMMV.

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: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 20:02:50 +1300
From: "Frank Pitt" <frankie@mundens.gen.nz>
Subject: Re: Amorphous Aliens

> Frankie mentioned "The Green Brain" by Herbert.  I haven't read that one,
> could you fill me in?  Let me guess, I've been scooped, right? :-)  Well,
> there's nothing new under the suns...

Yeah, basically.

It's a sort of an eco-disaster novel where a hive of intelligent insects in
the Amzon area realizes that humans are destroying the planet, so it
manufactures increasingly believable replicas of humans built out of
thousands of insects in order to infiltrate the humans and figure out how to
get rid of them.

This is obvious in the first few pages of the book, so is not a problem re:
spoilers.

The story really is not about the "alien",  as all good SF it spends most of
it's time exploring the concepts of freedom and choice, as the hive-mind
starts to come to terms with the value humans place on "single units", and
why it can't seem to reliably predict  individual human actions.

I will warn people who find insects worrying psychologically not to read the
book. The concepts and things that happen make even my skin crawl and I
don't normally get worried by "icky" things. But for ickiness, Herbert's
other "insect-related" book "Hellstrom's Hive" about a "hive" of humans is
worse.

Although, like many Herbert books, it can get a little esoteric in it's
discussion between characters because it's quite small, only 150-odd pages,
it doesn't get over the top as it does in "The White Plague" or "God Emperor
of Dune". That being said, Herbert has always explored the "cultural"
effects of technology quite well, and I actually like "God Emperor", as it
discusses how to maintain interstellar empires over time in more detail than
any other book I can think of.

Hebert has wonderful concepts to mine for SF games, from things like the
nerve runners in "The Jesus Incident" to the Tleilaxu Face Dancers from
"Dune".

Frankie.

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1236
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