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Message no. 1
From: William Monroe Ashe <wma6617@*******.tamu.edu>
Subject: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 22:30:08 -0500 (CDT)
To fulfill my desire for a new thread I submit the following ...

The Grimmy says that for a thesis to be valid it must exist
physically. It cannot be just stored electronically. It also says that
a thesis provides a ritual link to the magician.
So here's the question;
Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage can
delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker prints
out this final version so that it exists physically will another ritual
link to the author be created.


I'm curious as to what other people think.

regards
Bill
Message no. 2
From: Russ Myrick <rm91612@****.net>
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 22:47:31 -0700
William Monroe Ashe wrote:
>
> The Grimmy says that for a thesis to be valid it must exist
> physically. It cannot be just stored electronically. It also says
> that a thesis provides a ritual link to the magician.
> So here's the question;
> Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
> waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
> thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage
> can delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker
> prints out this final version so that it exists physically will another
> ritual link to the author be created.
>
> I'm curious as to what other people think.
> I would think so, in the instance of the printing before deletion anyway.
In the case of the undeleted one, no. The file will have been corrupted
with the trace of the decker reconstructing the file ... it would provide
an inacurate link or maybe even a simultaneous link to both the decker
and the mage.
Message no. 3
From: Hairy Smurf <ab130f92@*******.adelphi.edu>
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 01:04:57 -0400 (EDT)
At 22:30 5/19/96 -0500, you wrote:
>
> The Grimmy says that for a thesis to be valid it must exist
>physically. It cannot be just stored electronically. It also says that
>a thesis provides a ritual link to the magician.
> So here's the question;
> Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
>waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
>thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage can
>delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker prints
>out this final version so that it exists physically will another ritual
>link to the author be created.
>
>
>I'm curious as to what other people think.
>
>regards
>Bill
>
>
I was always on the opinion that the thesis had to be hand written. That
would create a link between the pages and the mage. Printing it out does
\n't seem like it would act as a link. IMHO

Sasquatch

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Message no. 4
From: Robert Watkins <robertdw@*******.com.au>
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Mon, 20 May 96 17:22:26 +1030
> Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
>waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
>thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage can
>delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker prints
>out this final version so that it exists physically will another ritual
>link to the author be created.

A) Most home computers aren't on the Matrix.

B) A physical copy, which serves as a link, sounds just a LITTLE more
complex than a simple printout. I've always gamed this as the mage must
HANDWRITE the thesis.

Oh, and C) Only the original, prepared by the author, is a link.


--
*************************************************************************
* .--_ # "My opinions may have changed, but not the fact *
* _-0(#)) # that I'm right." -- Old Fortune Saying *
* @__ )/ # *
* )=(===__==,= # Robert Watkins <---> robertdw@*******.com.au *
* {}== \--==--`= # *
* ,_) \ # "A friend is someone who watches the same *
* L_===__)=, # TV programs as you" *
*************************************************************************
Message no. 5
From: "A Halliwell" <u5a77@**.keele.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 10:29:07 +0100 (BST)
|
|
| The Grimmy says that for a thesis to be valid it must exist
|physically. It cannot be just stored electronically. It also says that
|a thesis provides a ritual link to the magician.
| So here's the question;
| Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
|waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
|thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage can
|delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker prints
|out this final version so that it exists physically will another ritual
|link to the author be created.

I would say... YES!
The mage has his hard copy. The decker prints out another. Both are valid
because they both exist physically.
The Thesis is a kind of magical formula. In a similar way that the magical
formula of a spirit is the thing that grants you power over the spirit.
Think of it as the Mages true name (or in Earthdawn speak, his pattern
item.)
--
______________________________________________________________________________
|u5a77@**.keele.ac.uk | |
|Andrew Halliwell | "ARSE! GERLS!! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!!!" |
|Principal subjects in:-| "THAT WOULD BE AN ECCLESIASTICAL MATTER!...FECK!!!!|
|Comp Sci & Visual Arts | - Father Jack in "Father Ted"
|
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|X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can't say F**K either now! >*SULK*<|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 6
From: "Gurth" <gurth@******.nl>
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 11:41:36 +0100
Russ Myrick said on 22:47/19 May 96...

> In the case of the undeleted one, no. The file will have been corrupted
> with the trace of the decker reconstructing the file

Depends on the hows and whys of the OS, doesn't it? If someoen's used Del
[filename] in DOS, you're bound end up with at least a slightly corrupted
copy when you undelete it. It all he's done is dump it into the bin (as
per Win95, for example), the file is still there and 100% okay. It's just
that Windows doesn't show it anymore, making you *think* it's been
deleted.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
I can feel it coming back again.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Character Mortuary: http://huizen.dds.nl/~mortuary/mortuary.html <-

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Message no. 7
From: ratinox@******.gweep.net (Stainless Steel Rat)
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 15:19:01 GMT
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

On Sun, 19 May 1996 22:30:08 -0500 (CDT), William Monroe Ashe
<wma6617@*******.tamu.edu> wrote:

> Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
>waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
>thesis.

You cited it yourself; a thesis must exist physically, not in electronic
form. As a material link, the electronic 'copy' is useless for anything.
Printing it out will not alter this fact; a hardcopy of an electronic copy
is as useless as the electronic copy as far as magic is concerned.

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--
Oh, your standard-issue Big Gun. Equipment Division made it, and now it's
part of my private collection. I was late because I... had to get it.
Message no. 8
From: Ubiquitous <weberm@*******.net>
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 12:53:13 -0400 (EDT)
At 10:30 PM 5/19/96 -0500, you wrote:

> Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
>waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
>thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage can
>delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker prints
>out this final version so that it exists physically will another ritual
>link to the author be created.

I think the thesis has to be hand-written by the author himself for this to
work.
Message no. 9
From: wilsonpj@******.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU (Peter)
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 18:39:54 -0600
Bill wrote:

> The Grimmy says that for a thesis to be valid it must exist
>physically. It cannot be just stored electronically. It also says that
>a thesis provides a ritual link to the magician.
> So here's the question;
> Suppose that a resourceful decker is hanging out in the matrix
>waiting on a real dumb mage who's used a word processor to write his
>thesis. The decker boosts a copy of the final version before the mage can
>delete it, or uses disk utilities to undelete it. If the decker prints
>out this final version so that it exists physically will another ritual
>link to the author be created.
>

You seem to be assuming that every computer is hooked up to the matrix.

This is not so. Computers with a continual link to the matrix are
exclusively used by groups that have to give members acces to the
information from remote locatins. If a group doesn't need to have
this type of axcess, or is paranoid about the dangers of marauding
deckers, their computer network can be set up with no connection to
the network. For the most part, individuals do not have their computers
hooked up to the matrix all of the time. (BTW I would be interested to
hear about any shadowrunnung deckers who have established a _permenent_
presence in the matrix)

So, if the (wage) mage in question was writing his thesis on the computer
at work, there is a possibility that a decker could copy it (after
penetrating the corp's security). But if the same mage was writing the
thesis at home, there is no way of a decker getting it.

Piatro
Message no. 10
From: wilsonpj@******.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU (Peter)
Subject: Re: electronic copies of a thesis
Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 18:40:16 -0600
Sasquatch wrote:

>I was always on the opinion that the thesis had to be hand written. That
>would create a link between the pages and the mage. Printing it out
>doesn't seem like it would act as a link. IMHO
>

I agree. Any copies would have to be handcoppied by the writer in order
maintain the link.

Piatro

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