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Traveller-digest      Friday, December 3 1999      Volume 1999 : Number 1437<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
(R)1996. Traveller is a registered trademark of FarFuture Enterprises.<BR>
All rights reserved.<BR>
<BR>
The following topics are covered in this digest:<BR>
<BR>
Re 3d Mapping reaches<BR>
[none]<BR>
Re: Why Visit Other Worlds?<BR>
Re: Atlas of the Imperium<BR>
Re: Farscape<BR>
Re: One of our worlds is missing!<BR>
Re: 3D Star Maps<BR>
Re: 3D to 2D mapping<BR>
RE: Bribery Skill<BR>
Re : Professional Stereotyping <BR>
RE: Antimatter<BR>
Re: Brilliant Lances <BR>
Culture Idea (longish)<BR>
Re: Brilliant Lances (was Re: Hello and TNE question)<BR>
Re: One of our worlds is missing!<BR>
Re: Re 3d Mapping reaches<BR>
Re: Professional Stereotyping <BR>
Re: Why Visit Other Worlds?<BR>
Re: Farscape<BR>
<BR>
----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 10:58:02 -0900<BR>
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net><BR>
Subject: Re 3d Mapping reaches<BR>
<BR>
>I've already used a lot of bandwidth for a single post, so I'll stop here.<BR>
>Remember - these numbers are for Jump-6.  If we limit the jump capability,<BR>
>the results get much more interesting (and encouraging, ...and shorter,<BR>
>too).  So, anyone interested in seeing this same table at max Jump-3?<BR>
><BR>
>Kurtis<BR>
<BR>
I'd be interested in seing the full tables (Preferably off list) for<BR>
J0.5-J6 by increments of 0.5... Send to my alternate e-mail:<BR>
wilh@alaska.com, if you would.<BR>
<BR>
William F. Hostman  |  "Smith & Wesson: THe original Point and Click<BR>
interface!"<BR>
Aramis 0602 C55A364-C S kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge-<BR>
533<BR>
Mailto:aramis@gci.net http://home.gci.net/~aramis mailto:wilh@alaska.com<BR>
ICQ:14640742          AIM:AKAramis	ARM 1.0: 3 R H++ P+<BR>
IMTU 1.0: tc tm++ tn- t4-- tt+ to- tg-- ru+ ge 3i+ c+ jt-() au+ st- ls<BR>
pi+() ta+ he+(-) kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge- pi+<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 10:52:41 -0900<BR>
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net><BR>
Subject: [none]<BR>
<BR>
>> Is this hyperbole? Are you serious, or guessing, or jesting? I mean, I<BR>
>>love Traveller, but there's no way that the DGP Trav product line, no<BR>
>>matter how good the material, is anywhere near the "commercial<BR>
>>value" of D&D. He Who Is Spoken Of While Spitting sounds, not only<BR>
>>greedy, but stupid. And as I've heard other's say, the value of the<BR>
>>material *depreciates* the longer it remains unavailable.<BR>
><BR>
>I would hope that Doug was exaggerating just a little. After all, the D&D<BR>
>franchise likely has a value in the tens of millions. As far as greed or<BR>
>sheer stubborn pigheadedness goes, personally I'm not going to really pass<BR>
>judgement because I don't know enough of what's going on. He did burn Robert<BR>
>Prior, who seems to be a rather good egg, and that, in itself, is a heinous<BR>
>crime.<BR>
<BR>
Uh, last I heard, Sanger was asking high 6 figures to sell the materials<BR>
(all plus the incometed manuscripts), and was willing to pay 5% if<BR>
liscenced. MWM offered him high 4 figures, or asked 10% plus an initiation<BR>
fee (undisclosed) for the liscence.<BR>
<BR>
Rodge seems to be a nice enough guy, but *CLUELESS* about the value of<BR>
money. And about typical buisiness practices. And Common Sense.<BR>
<BR>
William F. Hostman  |  "Smith & Wesson: THe original Point and Click<BR>
interface!"<BR>
Aramis 0602 C55A364-C S kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge-<BR>
533<BR>
Mailto:aramis@gci.net http://home.gci.net/~aramis mailto:wilh@alaska.com<BR>
ICQ:14640742          AIM:AKAramis	ARM 1.0: 3 R H++ P+<BR>
IMTU 1.0: tc tm++ tn- t4-- tt+ to- tg-- ru+ ge 3i+ c+ jt-() au+ st- ls<BR>
pi+() ta+ he+(-) kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge- pi+<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 12:09:54 -0800 (PST)<BR>
From: Glenn Goffin <gmgoffin@yahoo.com><BR>
Subject: Re: Why Visit Other Worlds?<BR>
<BR>
>From: "Luther Martin" <tml@ksarul.com><BR>
>Subject: Re: Why Visit Other Worlds?<BR>
>We all know from watching movies that *all* races <BR>
>find human females attractive. Its one of the few <BR>
>truly universal elements to all of the known <BR>
>races. It may be the most important motivator for <BR>
>space travel.<BR>
<BR>
We have seen this phenomenon even as long ago as the<BR>
covers of Amazing and Astounding and other science<BR>
fiction magazines (let alone comic books).  <BR>
<BR>
- --Glenn<BR>
<BR>
__________________________________________________<BR>
Do You Yahoo!?<BR>
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.<BR>
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 15:14:08 -0500 (EST)<BR>
From: Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca><BR>
Subject: Re: Atlas of the Imperium<BR>
<BR>
	Given that this product is so difficult to find and does not<BR>
contain any world data, I would suggest instead getting a copy of Jim V's<BR>
Galactic 2.4 (did he get 2.5 out yet? I haven't checked the website in a<BR>
while).  It contains maps of the entire official Imperium and lots of<BR>
unofficial stuff too.  The interface takes a little getting used for a GUI<BR>
gopher like myself, but overall the prog is really great.<BR>
<BR>
Charles C.<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 15:16:57 -0500 (EST)<BR>
From: Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca><BR>
Subject: Re: Farscape<BR>
<BR>
I've watched a couple of episodes and really liked them.  It's pure space<BR>
opera in the sense of how "realistic" it is, but I gotta give'em credit<BR>
for not always having happy endings, and giving us a group of really<BR>
interesting characters.  <BR>
<BR>
BTW, anyone know when/where this show is on in Central Canada?  I've had a<BR>
hard time pinning it down, so have only caught a few episodes by chance.<BR>
It's on YTV, no?<BR>
<BR>
Thanks,<BR>
Charles C.<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 13:07:29 -0700<BR>
From: scharlto@ifsna.com<BR>
Subject: Re: One of our worlds is missing!<BR>
<BR>
Ahem ... photocopied, COLORED and taped together wall map!<BR>
<BR>
Steve Charlton<BR>
still trying to wash off the highlighter stains in my fingers<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com><BR>
At 10:15 PM 12/2/1999 -0800, you wrote:<BR>
<BR>
>> Question for the list, particularly someone with access to<BR>
_Atlas of the<BR>
>> Imperium_:<BR>
><BR>
>I've not heard of this product, who published it, when, and<BR>
where could I<BR>
>get a copy? Or is it one of those hard to acquire Traveller<BR>
treasures?<BR>
<BR>
Not hard.. bloody near impossible.<BR>
<BR>
Atlas was just that.  Maps of each sector of the Imperium.  On;y<BR>
high-pop<BR>
worlds were named, no real information.. but it was fun to look<BR>
at.<BR>
<BR>
Anybody else photocopy all the maps and tape together a wall map<BR>
of the<BR>
Imperium?<BR>
- - --<BR>
<BR>
Douglas E. Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com<BR>
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 12:06:58 -0800<BR>
From: Keith Johnson <keithalanjohnson@home.com><BR>
Subject: Re: 3D Star Maps<BR>
<BR>
Excellent!<BR>
<BR>
I would love to be able to use this for a future game I plan on <BR>
running.  What software are you using to sort all of the data?  Is it <BR>
possible to get a copy of your sorted data after you are finished?  This <BR>
sounds like a *great* tool for future sci-fi GM's.  A destinations table <BR>
(star X on this column and Star Y on this row means they are 52 LY away) <BR>
and a map with earth at 0,0,0 would probably be the most useful tools I can <BR>
think of right now.<BR>
<BR>
If you can't tell, I'd love to see the data for Jump 2 and 3. ;)<BR>
<BR>
On humble request:  Please don't take the computer program route for <BR>
exclusively displaying the data.  I am looking for something functional in <BR>
a game.  I mean, I own a laptop, I just don't use it in my games.<BR>
<BR>
_________________________________________________________<BR>
Rev. Keith Johnson      /\     keith@sjgames.com<BR>
Assistant Webmaster    /()\    keithalanjohnson@home.com<BR>
Steve Jackson Games   /____\   reverendkeith@hotmail.com<BR>
  IMTU tm+ t4+@ tg++$ ru- ge-@ st+ pi+ he+ dr+ hi-@ zh+<BR>
_________________________________________________________<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
At 04:17 AM 12/3/99 -0500, you wrote:<BR>
>Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 03:18:06 -0600<BR>
>From: "Kurtis Rodgers" <kurtis@fastlane.net><BR>
>Subject: 3D Star Maps<BR>
><BR>
>I've been poking around with one of the "bad penny" Traveller issues, the<BR>
>star mapping system.  Certainly not one of the hot button issues, but one<BR>
>that pops up on the list occasionally in various forms (a 3D mapping thread<BR>
>appeared recently).  Every Ref who questions the artifice of the rectangular<BR>
>A4 subsector hex maps may wonder if there isn't a "better" way.  Of course,<BR>
>"better" depends entirely on what you value in a system.  In my opinion,<BR>
>anyone wanting to run a Spinward Marches campaign, for example, would be<BR>
>more than amply rewarded for accepting the old hex maps due to the wealth of<BR>
>available source material in that setting.  It certainly never bothered me<BR>
>in high school when I first played the game.  In those days, the paperwork<BR>
>required to use a three dimensional system, or even a simple non-hex<BR>
>determinate grid, was simply not worth the trouble.<BR>
><BR>
>In some ways, mapping is only an issue if you contemplate the Way of the<BR>
>Heretic, and are starting with a relatively clean slate.  After looking at<BR>
>the existing map data, I decided that for my own campaign, I would need to<BR>
>redo most of a sector or two.  This opens the door to speculation about<BR>
>other changes to the mapping scheme.  Also, the casual power of the software<BR>
>at my fingertips today is quite a bit different than it was in 1980.<BR>
><BR>
>I am familiar with the practical problems with attempting 3D star mapping<BR>
>for Traveller.  (Anyone who isn't should refer to the sidebar on page 47 of<BR>
>GT:First In for a good summary.)  Still, the idea holds some fascination,<BR>
>and has a certain 'cool factor'.  Another way of thinking about this<BR>
>problem, aside from geometric issues, is the degree to which real-world<BR>
>astrography can be used.  When I create an Earth-like planetary setting<BR>
>(i.e., a fantasy world), the first 'world builder's handbook' I reach for is<BR>
>a World Atlas.  There's nothing like using the real thing, at least in bits<BR>
>and pieces.  I am sure I'm not alone in this practice.  I wondered what the<BR>
>results of applying Traveller jump travel to a 'real' star map would be.<BR>
><BR>
>["Go for it!" says the little red guy with the fork on my shoulder.  "It'll<BR>
>never work," says the bored cherub, opposite.  "A hopeless quagmire!"]<BR>
><BR>
>So I decided to at least explore the possibilities of a 3D TU, roughly based<BR>
>on real astronomy data.  : P<BR>
><BR>
>What would be the real practical problems, rather than merely the speculated<BR>
>ones that get discussed?  How 'dense' would star travel be in this<BR>
>environment?  Do stars naturally occur in J1-2 mains, and are there really<BR>
>rifts or other distribution phenomena that might 'stretch' out travel and<BR>
>political boundaries?<BR>
><BR>
>Since I happen to have both tools and skills that can be applied toward<BR>
>these questions, I am spending a little time on it.  Unless I get a Big Yawn<BR>
>from the list, I'll share my results with the TML.  Anyone let me know if<BR>
>I'm reinventing the wheel here.<BR>
>_____<BR>
><BR>
>Source Data<BR>
><BR>
>I'm currently using the Hipparcos star catalog for my source data.  I have<BR>
>only imported the data from hip_main.dat file, which contains 118,218<BR>
>records.  A *very* few of these records lacked parallax data, and were<BR>
>discarded.  The rest were plotted into a Cartesian coordinates table, with<BR>
>Sol at 0,0,0.  A record was added for Sol at 0,0,0.  : )<BR>
><BR>
>A destinations child table was compiled from the main Cartesian reference<BR>
>table.  Due to the projected processing time required for finding J1-6<BR>
>destinations for every star in the catalog (well over 30 hours on my P300<BR>
>server), I decided to limit myself (for now) to a sample set of data: all<BR>
>the catalog stars within 60 parsecs of Sol.  This comes to 9946 records, a<BR>
>very reasonable sample data set (just under 10% of the total catalog).<BR>
>_____<BR>
><BR>
>Destination Counts<BR>
><BR>
>In order to get a feel for Traveller-style interstellar travel in this<BR>
>setting, I am running queries against this database that count the available<BR>
>destinations from each star in the sample.  These destination counts can<BR>
>then be compared to those in the OTU (for amusement only - please, no<BR>
>wagering!)  : P<BR>
><BR>
>For the purposes of this model, all stars are assumed to be useful refueling<BR>
>points, and thus potential destinations for star travel.  (This is *not* an<BR>
>assumtion I would make in an actual campaign.)<BR>
>_____<BR>
><BR>
>Total Destinations at J6 or Less<BR>
><BR>
>Let's cut to the chase and see just how bad the destination-inflation is in<BR>
>3D Traveller.  This result set is rather long, so I have snipped portions of<BR>
>it for brevity.  There's enough here to get a feel for the data.  The first<BR>
>result column is the count of destinations available to a star at Jump-6 or<BR>
>less.  The second column is the number of stars to which the destination<BR>
>count applies.  The third column is the percent of the total sample that the<BR>
>star count makes up.<BR>
><BR>
>Destinations Star Count  Percent<BR>
>- ------------ ----------- -------<BR>
>1            17           0.17<BR>
>2            86           0.86<BR>
>3            195          1.96<BR>
>4            363          3.65<BR>
>5            550          5.53<BR>
>6            611          6.14<BR>
>7            714          7.18<BR>
>8            685          6.89<BR>
>9            643          6.46<BR>
>10           587          5.90<BR>
>11           488          4.91<BR>
>12           429          4.31<BR>
>13           354          3.56<BR>
>14           296          2.98<BR>
>15           299          3.01<BR>
>16           226          2.27<BR>
>17           188          1.89<BR>
>18           194          1.95<BR>
>19           161          1.62<BR>
>20           149          1.50<BR>
>...<BR>
>40           26           0.26<BR>
>...<BR>
>60           22           0.22<BR>
>...<BR>
>80           21           0.21<BR>
>...<BR>
>100          13           0.13<BR>
>...<BR>
>110          4            0.04<BR>
>111          6            0.06<BR>
>112          1            0.01<BR>
><BR>
>These numbers are pretty bad, as expected.  Can you image fueling up your<BR>
>J-6 Yacht and having 112 possible jump destinations to choose from?  Yikes!<BR>
><BR>
>I've already used a lot of bandwidth for a single post, so I'll stop here.<BR>
>Remember - these numbers are for Jump-6.  If we limit the jump capability,<BR>
>the results get much more interesting (and encouraging, ...and shorter,<BR>
>too).  So, anyone interested in seeing this same table at max Jump-3?<BR>
><BR>
>Kurtis<BR>
><BR>
>------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 12:18:36 -0800 (PST)<BR>
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com><BR>
Subject: Re: 3D to 2D mapping<BR>
<BR>
Charles Collin writes:<BR>
<BR>
> <BR>
> -Mapping between 3D and 2D is complex, though there are (As I understand<BR>
> it) and infinite number of solutions to the problem, mathematically.<BR>
<BR>
There are an infinite number of solutions, but no solutions that don't result in locations which are very close together in 3d being extremely separated in 2d.<BR>
> <BR>
> So, what we need is a scheme that satisfies all these things and relates<BR>
> 2D jumpspace to 3D real space in a relatively simple manner.  A<BR>
> possibility I was considering recently is that jump-space constitutes a<BR>
> ripple-pattern with its origin at the galactic center. Picture a "rock<BR>
> dropped in water" kind of ripple, but tighter, with a wave amplitude of<BR>
> about 2 subsectors and a frequency of about 1 parsec.  Thus, you get a<BR>
> picture of realspace by folding your sector maps up like an accordion<BR>
> along the spinward-trailing lines between every odd subsector.  This would<BR>
> only be the general pattern, there would be disruptions and "noise" in the<BR>
> system (due to high-gravity objects like black holes perhaps).<BR>
<BR>
I'd probably increase the scale to 2 parsecs, the real density of stars is well under .5/cubic parsec.  The problem here is that your 'ripple pattern' may go all the way out from the core, but it's only taking a 16 parsec disk out of the galaxy.  If you go beyond that (rather narrow) disk, either jump drive becomes impossible, or you are suddenly on a who _new_ jump-space, which would be many thousands of parsecs away by jump routes (if we assume they meet at the core).<BR>
<BR>
Oh, another problem I just thought of.  Jump to the edge of a 'ripple'.  Take a week to cross (normal-space) into the next 'ripple'.  Jump again, to the other edge of that ripple'.  With a jump-1 drive, every 2 weeks you can move 32 parsecs.... (this also works for the problem above, letting you jump thousands of parsecs in a couple weeks).<BR>
<BR>
You can resolve both problems by having big chunks of space which can't be jumped into, but this has its own weird problems.<BR>
> <BR>
> The advantage of this is that it allows jump space to move through normal<BR>
> space and occupy all points in normal space.<BR>
<BR>
Unfortunately, it doesn't occupy all points.  In addition, any sort of 'real-space to jump-space' mapping is going to wind up with the problem that at real star densities you can fit the entire imperium in a box some 60 parsecs on a side, which suddenly means that there _are_ new frontiers, if you're willing to take a fairly short normal-space hop.<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 15:25:28 -0500<BR>
From: Ian Ferguson <ian@vax2.concordia.ca><BR>
Subject: RE: Bribery Skill<BR>
<BR>
Thom Harris writes:<BR>
<snipped><BR>
>What I most use "streetwise" for is the collection of information.<BR>
>I find that this is the one thing that bribery makes the smallest<BR>
>impact on too. The streetwise person goes on the street and starts<BR>
>collecting tidbits and eventually will be guided to the source.<BR>
>He/she knows how to ask questions, seems to fit into the environment<BR>
>and doesn't trigger alarms when asking questions. They will<BR>
>occasionally resort to bribery, if necessary, but never start out<BR>
>with bribing as the intended way of getting results. As anyone who<BR>
>plays the game knows, you can never have enough information.<BR>
<BR>
	This is pretty much how I use it.  I don't see paying someone<BR>
	for information as Bribery per se, so even if the use of<BR>
	Streetwise involves the transfer of funds, I don't treat it as<BR>
	Bribery.  When it is time to bribe someone, the roll may be<BR>
	modified for Streetwise if appropriate, or Admin, SoS, rank<BR>
	and service experience, etc.<BR>
<BR>
Peez<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 12:30:03 -0800 (PST)<BR>
From: Glenn Goffin <gmgoffin@yahoo.com><BR>
Subject: Re : Professional Stereotyping <BR>
<BR>
>From: "Robert O'Connor" <robocon@idx.com.au><BR>
>Subject: Re : Professional Stereotyping (was : The<BR>
perils of television)<BR>
<BR>
>My apologies to the lawyers on the list, but :-<BR>
>Generally the problems laywers are asked to solve are<BR>
>not immediately life-threatening, but are <BR>
>sufficiently complex to require many hours in their <BR>
>solution (human nature being what it is).<BR>
<BR>
No apology needed.  There should be no dispute that<BR>
what you said is true.  A small amount of the legal<BR>
work that is done involves threats to life -- death<BR>
penalty work, some immigration/deportation cases, some<BR>
family law situations (spouse/child abuse).  A smaller<BR>
amount involves immediate threats.  So we tend to sit<BR>
and stew over problems, do research, talk to<BR>
colleagues, write letters and motions, etc.  So tv<BR>
totally mischaracterizes the length of time needed to<BR>
resolve legal issues.<BR>
<BR>
>Medicine, especially in my current area of <BR>
>employment, has lots of problems that need fixing <BR>
>within an hour or two. In fact, most of them<BR>
>need solution within five to ten minutes.<BR>
<BR>
And "need" is not a rhetorical device in those two<BR>
sentences.  If the problem isn't fixed, the person<BR>
with the problem may die or suffer some grievous<BR>
physical harm.  <BR>
<BR>
Ob Traveller (you guys were waiting for the ob<BR>
Traveller, weren't you?):  I think tv is misleading<BR>
about the career of a space traveller.  Some problems<BR>
will have to be solved in minutes or an hour ("we have<BR>
major damage to life support systems"), but others<BR>
will take much longer ("if Ensign Smith makes a pass<BR>
at me one more time, I'm going to report her ... or<BR>
accept it; I haven't decided").  We won't get rich<BR>
easily.  We won't all have cool spaceships.  Alien sex<BR>
partners will be plentiful, but they'll be really<BR>
weird.  <BR>
<BR>
- --Glenn<BR>
__________________________________________________<BR>
Do You Yahoo!?<BR>
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.<BR>
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 15:32:56 -0500<BR>
From: Ian Ferguson <ian@vax2.concordia.ca><BR>
Subject: RE: Antimatter<BR>
<BR>
Charles Collin writes:<BR>
<snipped><BR>
>The thing is that anything that can produce AM the "old-fashioned<BR>
>way"  is going to be producing gobs of energy already, so you<BR>
>might as well use that as your power-plant technology (unless<BR>
>there are limitations to use aboard ships, such as size,<BR>
>radiation or whatever). <BR>
<snipped><BR>
<BR>
	I've always gone with the limitations: AM power plants are<BR>
	small, highly efficient and reliable, and use iddy biddy<BR>
	amounts of fuel.  That being said, I see large vessels with<BR>
	AM also having a fusion back-up system (can you say "impulse<BR>
	engines, Mr. Scott"?), so that the AM fuel can be ejected in<BR>
	extremis.  Perhaps AM could even be generated on board.<BR>
	The next question might be: Do you still need all that jump<BR>
	fuel?  IMTU, TL 17 jump drives do not.<BR>
<BR>
Peez<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 12:32:32 -0800 (PST)<BR>
From: Glenn Goffin <gmgoffin@yahoo.com><BR>
Subject: Re: Brilliant Lances <BR>
<BR>
>From: Kristian Miller <travellerne@3rd-imperium.com><BR>
Subject: Re: Brilliant Lances (was Re: Hello and TNE<BR>
question)<BR>
<BR>
>Brilliant Lances is pretty good.  My only little<BR>
> complaint is that the movement record keeping is a <BR>
>little hard to pick up quickly.  We can set up a game<BR>
<BR>
>when you and Glenn are done pulverizing the planet <BR>
>Mongo in the 5FW.<BR>
<BR>
Sounds good; I'd never played Brilliant Lances,<BR>
either, and would like to.<BR>
<BR>
- --Glenn<BR>
__________________________________________________<BR>
Do You Yahoo!?<BR>
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.<BR>
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 15:36:47 -0500<BR>
From: "Bob Sanders" <bsanders@amghome.com><BR>
Subject: Culture Idea (longish)<BR>
<BR>
This is an idea in response to a question by Feed magazine<BR>
http://www.feedmag.com/invent/dibbell.html about the future.  Interesting,<BR>
more so at the end, and I may use it as cultural flavor (pun intended) in a<BR>
game.<BR>
<BR>
Julian Dibbell<BR>
I'd like to see money grow on trees. Here's how it might work:<BR>
<BR>
You would buy your money tree at a licensed nursery or other financial<BR>
institution. You could pot it and stand it in a sunlit hall, or you could<BR>
plant it in the backyard, as space and landscaping plans allowed. A money<BR>
tree would be an intricate and lovely thing.<BR>
<BR>
The product of intense genetic engineering, the tree would bear fruit<BR>
according to precise, chemically coded commands released from a sealed<BR>
plant-food box buried in the midst of its root system. The box would have a<BR>
network connection to your bank, which would fund the tree at your request<BR>
by transferring money from your account to the food box. A logic chip inside<BR>
the box would translate dollar amounts into plant-food doses, stimulating<BR>
the tree to produce fruit proportionate in total biomass to the money vested<BR>
in it.<BR>
<BR>
Once harvested, the fruit could be taken to any nearby genetic-assay machine<BR>
(found in bank lobbies, supermarket produce sections, etc.), which would<BR>
pulp it, analyze it for DNA markers identifying it as a financial instrument<BR>
backed by your bank, and convert it back into cash. Seedless and difficult<BR>
to clone, the fruit could also be offered directly to others in exchange for<BR>
goods and services. It would be legal tender for all debts, public and<BR>
private. It would be money, and it would grow on trees.<BR>
<BR>
The money tree would also be an investment, of sorts. Food doses would be<BR>
calculated so that the value of the fruit when ripe would, with any luck,<BR>
exceed the amount transferred into the tree earlier in the year, perhaps by<BR>
as much as eight percent annualized. Typically, though, weeds, bugs, birds,<BR>
bad weather, or the like would limit returns to four or five percent (tree<BR>
bankers would make their cut on the spread between the maximum possible<BR>
return and the average actual return). Also, you'd probably want to buy the<BR>
bank's insurance against blight, fruit rustlers, and other such<BR>
catastrophes, thus further cutting into your upside.<BR>
<BR>
As an investment, therefore, the money tree would be no great shakes. As a<BR>
status symbol, however, it would shine. Its fruit would have a distinctive<BR>
look -- I imagine a smooth, intensely glossy skin, colored in deep, mottled<BR>
greens and yellows, with variations in hue and shape depending on the<BR>
denomination. There would be no mistaking a $100-a-gram tree (commonly known<BR>
as a Benjamin tree) from its $10-a-gram cousin (Monetaria sawbuckus), and of<BR>
course it would be 10 times as beautiful to behold.<BR>
<BR>
The tree would thus instantly project its owner's wealth, but more than<BR>
that, it would project a stylishly organic relationship to that wealth. In<BR>
an age at last grown weary with the increasing speed and abstraction of its<BR>
money, the money tree would symbolize patient investment in things of<BR>
concrete, human value. It would stand in contradiction to the usual<BR>
connotations of money growing on trees, suggesting instead that money does<BR>
not come easy -- that its growth requires thoughtful nurturing, daily care,<BR>
and a thorough grounding in the earthy realities of physical existence. It<BR>
would be especially popular with derivatives traders, software moguls, and<BR>
others whose wealth in fact rests entirely on electronic blips and<BR>
lightning-fast turnarounds.<BR>
<BR>
The money tree would be a great conversation piece. And many who might find<BR>
an outright gift of cash distasteful would accept its fruit with pleasure.<BR>
Recipients could tastefully display the fruit on mantelpieces and coffee<BR>
tables; they could savor its beguiling scent (said merely to hint at the<BR>
deliciousness of the flesh itself) as they carried it to the bank for<BR>
deposit.<BR>
<BR>
And for the superrich, the money tree would open up a whole new dimension in<BR>
after-dinner entertainment. In ancient Mexico, where cocoa beans were<BR>
currency, chocolate was a drink enjoyed exclusively by the nobility; so too,<BR>
in a world where money trees were de rigueur, it would be the privilege of<BR>
postindustrial aristocracy to serve up slices of one's net worth with the<BR>
cheese and port.<BR>
<BR>
Guests might be tempted, of course, to wrap up their dessert in a napkin and<BR>
slip it into a purse or pocket; but only the hopelessly gauche would<BR>
succumb. The proper guest would chew on the fruit lingeringly and,<BR>
especially if he or she had never tasted money before, with a look of<BR>
knowing appreciation. And if the flavor were in fact not all it was cracked<BR>
up to be -- well, who at the table would dare to say so?<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Julian Dibbell is the author of My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual<BR>
World<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 1999 09:31:38 +1300<BR>
From: "Rupert Boleyn" <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz><BR>
Subject: Re: Brilliant Lances (was Re: Hello and TNE question)<BR>
<BR>
On 2 Dec 99, at 22:12, Kristian Miller wrote:<BR>
 <BR>
> Brilliant Lances is pretty good.  My only little complaint is that the<BR>
> movement record keeping is a little hard to pick up quickly.  We can set<BR>
> up a game when you and Glenn are done pulverizing the planet Mongo in the<BR>
> 5FW.<BR>
<BR>
I'd forgotten all about that. We just used BR's system (which comes <BR>
from Mayday, IIRC).<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
- --<BR>
Rupert Boleyn <paradise.net.nz><BR>
Wellington, New Zealand<BR>
<BR>
A pessimist is an optimist with a sense of history.<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 13:39:58 -0700<BR>
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu><BR>
Subject: Re: One of our worlds is missing!<BR>
<BR>
Douglas E. Berry wrote:<BR>
> <BR>
> At 10:15 PM 12/2/1999 -0800, you wrote:<BR>
> <BR>
> >> Question for the list, particularly someone with access to _Atlas of the<BR>
> >> Imperium_:<BR>
> ><BR>
> >I've not heard of this product, who published it, when, and where could I<BR>
> >get a copy? Or is it one of those hard to acquire Traveller treasures?<BR>
> <BR>
> Not hard.. bloody near impossible.<BR>
> <BR>
> Atlas was just that.  Maps of each sector of the Imperium.  On;y high-pop<BR>
> worlds were named, no real information.. but it was fun to look at.<BR>
<BR>
All of this data, btw, is readily available online; these are known as<BR>
the Genie files, as in ancient times, B.C.I. (Before Common Internet)<BR>
they were available on the Genie information service.<BR>
<BR>
IIRC, the Traveller archives at MPGN had them. I have a set at:<BR>
<BR>
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~bjohnson/archives/sectors.zip<BR>
<BR>
I have source code for a postscript subsector map generator, and<BR>
utilities to chop the sector files into something usable with the<BR>
mapping program at:<BR>
<BR>
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~bjohnson/tprogs.html<BR>
<BR>
Note: the Genie files are rough, there are a number of places where the<BR>
data must be cleaned up before importing it into various other usable<BR>
formats (such as Galactic). I printed out subsector maps of the Solomani<BR>
Rim and taped them together. A map that scale of the entire imperium<BR>
would have been huge!<BR>
 <BR>
> Anybody else photocopy all the maps and tape together a wall map of the<BR>
> Imperium?<BR>
> --<BR>
> <BR>
> Douglas E. Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com<BR>
> http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html<BR>
<BR>
- -- <BR>
Bruce Johnson<BR>
University of Arizona<BR>
College of Pharmacy<BR>
Information Technology Group<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 12:41:25 -0800 (PST)<BR>
From: Terry Mixon <tlmixon@yahoo.com><BR>
Subject: Re: Re 3d Mapping reaches<BR>
<BR>
- --- "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net> wrote:<BR>
<BR>
> I'd be interested in seing the full tables (Preferably off list) for<BR>
> J0.5-J6 by increments of 0.5... Send to my alternate e-mail:<BR>
> wilh@alaska.com, if you would.<BR>
 <BR>
<BR>
As would I at tmixon@ghg.net please!<BR>
<BR>
Thanks in advance.<BR>
<BR>
Terry<BR>
__________________________________________________<BR>
Do You Yahoo!?<BR>
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.<BR>
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 13:02:41 -0800<BR>
From: "Luther Martin" <tml@ksarul.com><BR>
Subject: Re: Professional Stereotyping <BR>
<BR>
Glenn the lawyer wrote:<BR>
<BR>
> <stuff deleted>So we tend to sit<BR>
> and stew over problems, do research, talk to<BR>
> colleagues, write letters and motions, etc.  So tv<BR>
> totally mischaracterizes the length of time needed to<BR>
> resolve legal issues.<BR>
<BR>
Does this explain why lawyers bill by the hour?<BR>
<BR>
TV also grossly mischaracterizes engineering. Instead of immmediately<BR>
reconfiguring the sensor array to zap the bad guys, we need to show the<BR>
creation of<BR>
specification documents, design reviews, the quality assurance process, and<BR>
so on. You certainly can't do this with the BEMs firing some sort of death<BR>
ray at you.<BR>
<BR>
For the Traveller connection, consider how much software that a character,<BR>
or even a small team,<BR>
can produce within reasonable game constraints, say weeks to months. How<BR>
complex can it really get ? How good will his quality assurance process be?<BR>
Would you trust the functioning of your 100 ZCr ship to it, particularly if<BR>
you are the bank which owns the mortgage? Are there strict regulations<BR>
governing the adding/deleting/upgrading of ships' software due to safety<BR>
concerns (f nothing else)?<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 13:14:48 -0800<BR>
From: shudson@lightspeed.bc.ca (Steven Hudson)<BR>
Subject: Re: Why Visit Other Worlds?<BR>
<BR>
...<BR>
>> races. It may be the most important motivator for space travel.<BR>
><BR>
>Yes, but not in OTU!  It's clean family fun!<BR>
<BR>
Precisely. Now quit your whining and design a weapon of mass destruction.<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 13:16:56 -0800 (PST)<BR>
From: Mark Cook <markc@peak.org><BR>
Subject: Re: Farscape<BR>
<BR>
Doug Berry <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com> writes:<BR>
<BR>
> At 12:20 PM 12/3/1999 -0600, you wrote:<BR>
> >What does John have to hide?<BR>
> <BR>
> That he really, *really* likes Rigel...  <g,d,r><BR>
<BR>
ROTFLMAOASTC!!!  You finally did it, Doug.  After *YEARS* of restraint<BR>
and self-control, you make me nork Starbuck's all over my monitor! :^)<BR>
<BR>
        - Mark C.<BR>
          Instructor, Willamette Small Arms Academy<BR>
          EOD, U.S.M.C. 1st MarDiv (Camp Pendleton), Class of '75<BR>
          Full-Auto Director, Albany Rifle & Pistol Club, Albany, OR<BR>
          NRA (Life), SAF (Life), CCRKBA (Life)<BR>
          Front Sight First Family member #1<BR>
<BR>
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
 mark f. cook   *   shoestring graphics & printing   *  markc@ssgfx.com<BR>
 7160 n.w. somerset dr. * corvallis, or, 97330  *  http://www.ssgfx.com<BR>
 Phone: 541-745-5709                                  Fax: 541-745-5818      <BR>
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
   "Remember that a government big enough to give you everything<BR>
    you want is also big enough to take away everything you have."<BR>
    --Col. David Crockett; member of the Tennessee legislature<BR>
    (1821-1822/1823-1824); member U.S. House of Representatives<BR>
    (1827-1831/1833-1835); and Texas Hero of the Alamo (1836) <BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1437<BR>
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