From: Giles Sutcliffe [giles@gws.org.uk] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 5:58 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality On Fri, 15 Dec 2000 11:03:32 +0000 (GMT), Jason wrote: > Just as an additional thought, how exactly does one >recharge the batteries on an implanted computer? I'm sure [rest of message deleted] (Disclaimer - I've only got the basic Player's Handbook here, so I could be totally out of step with the source materials.) Personally, I doubt there are batteries in implant computers - I don't think there's a need for them. The body is perfectly capable of supplying all the power you'll ever need to run an implanted computer - for example, use a biological fuel cell running on blood glucose and oxygen. If your blood has no available glucose, you've got bigger problems than not being able to access the net! I notice that dataspikes use proteins, and maincomps use DNA cores. Given that every living cell has extremely efficient machinery for handling both proteins and DNA, I can see the implant computers being as much living tissue as silicon. Upgrading your hardware would be more a case of injecting a tailored virus than surgery to plug in a new part. If you do need to recharge batteries, you've got several options. First, all implant computers have a neural jack, so you can run power lines into that. Second, you can use an induction loop under the skin to pick up power without needing a direct power connection. Thirdly, you can put solar cells just under the skin where light will get in. Another option is piezoelectrics - a solid state device that turns mechanical motion into electricity. Put piezoelectric generators into the major muscles, and off you go. Of all this, my vote goes for the fuel cell approach. It's simple, it's low tech, it's self-repairing and you don't need external hardware. I suspect it's pretty close to being done in the lab now (if it hasn't been done already), and it would be a school science project for a society where you can change sex genetically or have gills implanted. Giles -- Giles Sutcliffe Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; give him a freshly-charged Electric Eel and chances are he won't bother you for anything ever again *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Ml10@aol.com Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 5:36 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality In a message dated 12/15/00 4:46:22 PM Central Standard Time, jeboyt@hotmail.com writes: << Also, why spend the money on an implant calculator when a character could use an implant dataport to access a datacomp, portable or otherwise. >> Reliability of connection. It is easy enough to imagine situations were a physical cord would be impratical, so I'll examine the uplink jack. What if you are underwater? An uplink jack won't be much good as radio waves don't travel through water well. What if your environment contains alot of EM that interferes with an uplink jack? What if your jack is already in use, say to control a drone? Implant calcs, like all tools have their purpose. Just look at the dozen of so different kinds of hammers. There isn't any reason why you can't use a sledge hammer to point in nails. Mike, I am off to run BP now, Z *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Jeb Boyt [jeboyt@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 5:02 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality ----Original Message Follows---- From: Stephen Mutka Reply-To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 19:49:47 -0500 That's exactly my point. From what I understand, this unit is a little bit bigger than a PDA, right? In 200 years they could shrink that down to something the size of a cassette tape, if not *much* smaller. And this is something that's accurate down to a meter. How much more accuracy does anyone really need? --------------------------------- Depends on what you are doing. Survey quality GPS requires accuracies much finer than a meter. Prior to the release of the latest model GPS units, survey accuracy has been acheived by (1) taking more time to obtain the reading (or maybe it is multiple readings) and (2) accessing the correction factor which is posted daily on the web. Jeb _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: ChrisTheS [stormsurge@stormsurge.org] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 4:43 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Transhybrids? > Speaking of things everyone wants... > > Is it possible that hybrids get the Transhuman package as well and is the > increased lifespan provided by this mod cumulative with the one gained by > the immunological symbiote? RE: I think that it's the same situation as with the improved blood oxygenation mod and aquaforms; the one is included as part of the other. > > ciao, > Stephan > > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com > with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Jeb Boyt [jeboyt@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 4:39 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality ----Original Message Follows---- From: "ChrisTheS" Reply-To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com To: Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 15:21:42 -0800 The implant calc essentially confers the ability to DO large complex sums in your head without a significant chance of error. While the same sums COULD be done by a bodycomp, they would not be done at the speed of thought (as the case with the implant calc), there would be a greater possibility of input errors, and it just wouldn't be nearly as impressive at geek parties :) --------------------------------- I have seen a couple of comments about implants working at "the speed of thought." Now, I don't have FM handy, but I do not see that implants would necessarily work this rapidly. I have always seen that implants would need to be accessed through a set of distinct protocols. I realize that the cyberpunk image is that implant technology works effortlessly, but as we have all experienced, the operating system for a computer, calculator, or other device can have a significant impact on the usability and reliability of the device. Also, why spend the money on an implant calculator when a character could use an implant dataport to access a datacomp, portable or otherwise. Jeb _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Zyndryl@excite.com Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 4:12 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - [FWD] Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... It is more than a rumor. An official statement has been made, as reported by Pyramid. They also have put 'Legend of the Five Rings' up for sale and supposedly told the Last Unicorn Games folks to "move to Seattle or quit". Their parent company Hasbro is also having difficulties from a slow down in Pokemon sales as well, apparently. _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Stephan Aspridis [aspridis@gmx.de] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 3:34 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Transhybrids? Speaking of things everyone wants... Is it possible that hybrids get the Transhuman package as well and is the increased lifespan provided by this mod cumulative with the one gained by the immunological symbiote? ciao, Stephan *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Stephan Aspridis [aspridis@gmx.de] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 3:23 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality > Well, I agree that implant comps have their uses over regular bodycomps, but I'm > still not convinced about implant calculators. But hey, keep it coming! > > Steve I'd strongly recommend The novels "The Reality Dysfunction" by Peter F. Hamilton here. The bio-, nano- and cybertech used there is about en par with the tech used in BP (well, except for spaceships, that is). Anyway, it boils down to this: Everyone who can afford an implant comp has one, because they are _so_ much more convenient than regular ones. The numerous uses they have are well described in the novels as well. Wait 'til 2210 and everyone on Poseidon has one as well ;-) ciao, Stephan *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 1:19 PM To: 'blue_planet@lists.ient.com' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality > -----Original Message----- > From: Gareth Hanrahan [mailto:hanrahag@iol.ie] > Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality > > cheaper than an implant calculator - but when you're hanging > onto the frame > of half-constructed Incorporate refinery in the middle of a > gale, and your > trodes just got blown off...and you need to calculate the, > er, something technical really fast.... > The trajectory so that you can let go of the frame and land in the open hatch of the hopper they brought to rescue you. Jim *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 12:10 PM To: 'blue_planet@lists.ient.com' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - [FWD] Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... To help head off the hysteria, I just saw a post from Steve Long (a personal friend and a member of Last Unicorn and thus on the inside of this situation) which said that a good deal of this info is not *quite* accurate. I'll send his post on to this list if anyone is interested. Jim Jim Heivilin, Webmaster Biohazard Games http://www.biohazardgames.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Heivilin, Jim [mailto:banzai@missouri.edu] > Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 9:46 AM > To: 'list, blue planet' > Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - [FWD] Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: "Poh Tun Kai" > > To: > > Subject: Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... > > Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 18:23:55 -0500 > > > > OK, I've been hearing the rumors that WotC laid off about a hundred > > employees and it's mass chaos over there. Possibly fallout > > from poor Pokemon > > sales, but still...is it another nail in the coffin for RPGs? > > > > * * * > > > > From Steve Jackson Games' Daily Illuminator: > > December 15, 2000: Massive WotC Layoffs > > Wizards of the Coast employees have now privately confirmed > Thursday's *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: wlfrun [wlfrun@yesconnect.net] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 11:52 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - [FWD] Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... I think its more that a rumor. Check out http://www.gamingreport.com/. There's been a pretty active discussion about this on the topica station analysis list. >> -----Original Message----- >> From: "Poh Tun Kai" >> To: >> Subject: Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... >> Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 18:23:55 -0500 >> >> OK, I've been hearing the rumors that WotC laid off about a hundred >> employees and it's mass chaos over there. Possibly fallout >> from poor Pokemon >> sales, but still...is it another nail in the coffin for RPGs? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 9:47 AM To: 'list, blue planet' Subject: [FWd] Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Fwd: Robert Redford Movie > -----Original Message----- > From: "Poh Tun Kai" > To: > Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Fwd: Robert Redford Movie > Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 16:25:32 -0500 > > > Thanks! Now the explanation: I'm working on a scenario > entitled "The > > Greater White Whisperer". :) > > Hahahaha! I look forward to reading it. I'm mostly a lurker > on the list > these days...maybe when I start a new BP campaign I'll start > posting again. > > I'm still working at the computer game company. No time for writing BP > fiction these days. Hell, I haven't even gotten my hands on > BPv2 yet; it's > hard to find in Malaysia. > > You're still maintaining your BP fan site I see. Keep up the > good work. > > Kai > > > *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 9:46 AM To: 'list, blue planet' Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - [FWD] Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... > -----Original Message----- > From: "Poh Tun Kai" > To: > Subject: Semi-off-topic: WotC layoffs... > Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 18:23:55 -0500 > > OK, I've been hearing the rumors that WotC laid off about a hundred > employees and it's mass chaos over there. Possibly fallout > from poor Pokemon > sales, but still...is it another nail in the coffin for RPGs? > > * * * > > From Steve Jackson Games' Daily Illuminator: > December 15, 2000: Massive WotC Layoffs > Wizards of the Coast employees have now privately confirmed Thursday's > rampant industry rumors of massive layoffs at WotC; it > appears that from 100 > to 150 jobs have been lost. Last week, former employees of > Last Unicorn > Games (recently purchased by WotC) were given the option of moving to > Seattle or being laid off; some chose not to move. Still > unconfirmed are > rumors of resignations in protest by senior staff, including > well-known > hobby figures. There has been no official release yet, and > according to one > staff member, the WotC offices were under an "information lockdown" > Thursday, with no Internet access. > Hasbro, the parent company of WotC, has had a bad year, with > slumping stock > prices. Recently it agreed to sell its Hasbro Interactive and > games.com > divisions to a French company, Infogrames. For more about the woes of > Hasbro, see the CBS Marketwatch story. It reports, among > other things, that > "faltering sales of Pokemon trading cards could push the > company into the > red." > > * * * > > Has anyone else heard anything? > > Kai Poh > Malaysian Lagomorph > > *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: jh39 [jh39@ukc.ac.uk] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 5:06 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality On Thu, 14 Dec 2000 15:49:50 -0800 ChrisTheS wrote: > > I would think that the implant calc would only be used by those who want > > continuous dedicated access; it would not be that popular with the general > > public. Hard-core scientists who are running calculations in their sleep > > and in the shower would find it very attractive > > RE: Of course, then you get into the issue of whether implant calcs are > really necessary considering that an implant microcomp can do the same > things and more, for only a few thousand scrip more... Well yeah, but maybe that's the point? Not everyone can afford the "few thousand scrip more". Regardless of how significant the difference is there are going to be some people glad of the cheaper option. If all you need it for is for calculations why spend the extra money? Jason *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: jh39 [jh39@ukc.ac.uk] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 5:04 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Equipment Practicality On Wed, 13 Dec 2000 21:32:14 EST Ml10@aol.com wrote: > If you turn off a inertial nav unit then you lose your location. I'll ask > you this, > what would your reaction be if a pilot had to change the batteries for his > navigation equipment in mid-flight? Just as an additional thought, how exactly does one recharge the batteries on an implanted computer? I'm sure it has to be done sometimes, if not very occasionally. Do they have to open you up and fiddle about with something or do you get a nifty plug in your head that you just link to a power source? I'm sure this is probably in the books somewhere but I don't have mine handy at the moment. Jason *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Jerome Darmont [jdarmont@dionysos.univ-lyon2.fr] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 2:20 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Fwd: Robert Redford Movie >From: "Poh Tun Kai" > > BTW, can someone help me? I'm looking for an exact film title about > > whispering to the horses (starring Robert Redford). I know the title in > > French but not the original version. I'll tell you why later. :) > >"The Horse Whisperer" Thanks! Now the explanation: I'm working on a scenario entitled "The Greater White Whisperer". :) -- Jerome Darmont, mailto:darmont@multimania.com Webmaster http://fly.to/bleue.planete *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Jerome Darmont [jdarmont@dionysos.univ-lyon2.fr] Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 2:05 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [FWD] Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Aptitudes At 16:25 14/12/00 -0600, Heivilin, Jim wrote: > > Actually, I believe the info was deliberatly left out with > > the intention > > that GMs would determine aptitudes for NPCs in accordance > > with their own > > specific needs (i.e. power level of the campaign, importance > > of the NPC to > > the story, etc.). Weird! Is this mentionned anywhere (I must admit I haven't read the mod's guide very carefully cause it's not new stuff). BTW, can someone help me? I'm looking for an exact film title about whispering to the horses (starring Robert Redford). I know the title in French but not the original version. I'll tell you why later. :) -- Jerome Darmont, mailto:darmont@multimania.com Webmaster http://fly.to/bleue.planete *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.