Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Richard Pieri <ratinox@***.NEU.EDU>
Subject: encephalons and cyberdecks
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1993 19:38:07 EDT
I guess it's time to set the record straight about the encephalon's
"multitasking capabilities."

Now, there's a little line in the shadowtalk in Shadowtalk to the effect of
"the encephalon lets you multitask your cognitive abilities." What it
doesn't say is that your brain already does this. Can you walk down the
street, chew gum, kick a rock or can, while listening to a walkman? That's
your mind multitasking--performing several tasks simultaneously. What the
encephalon does is make it easier to perform technically oriented tasks
better. It also provides access multiple skillsofts simultaneously, just
like your brain has access to all of it's knowledge simultaneously--this is
the "multitasking" capability of the encephalon. It does *not* let you
handle two (or more) full sets of stimuli simultaneously, like you'd get
from the simrigs of a pair of cyberdecks (a cyberdeck without a simrig
isn't a cyberdeck, but a useless chunk of plastic and optical fibre).

Rat <ratinox@***.neu.edu> Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat
PGP Public Key Block available upon request Ask about rat-pgp.el v1.6
||||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||||
One likes to believe in the freedom of baseball. --Geddy Lee
Message no. 2
From: "Dylan Norhtup (PHY)" <norhtup@*****.CAS.USF.EDU>
Subject: Re: encephalons and cyberdecks
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1993 23:07:05 -0400
On Mon, 19 Jul 1993, Richard Pieri wrote:

> I guess it's time to set the record straight about the encephalon's
> "multitasking capabilities."
>
> Now, there's a little line in the shadowtalk in Shadowtalk to the effect of
> "the encephalon lets you multitask your cognitive abilities." What it
> doesn't say is that your brain already does this. Can you walk down the
> street, chew gum, kick a rock or can, while listening to a walkman? That's
> your mind multitasking--performing several tasks simultaneously.

This is 'multitasking' but what about holding a conversation, driving a
vehicle and touch typing a letter? This is 'multitasking but on a more
powerful leve . This is what I believe the Encephalon implied in it's
rumourmill. But this is purely subjective as it is a rumour. Until we
get specific rules from DLoH or make 'em up ourselves there are no definite
limits to what the device can do.

> It does *not* let you
> handle two (or more) full sets of stimuli simultaneously, like you'd get
> from the simrigs of a pair of cyberdecks (a cyberdeck without a simrig
> isn't a cyberdeck, but a useless chunk of plastic and optical fibre).

Maybe, maybe not.

Doc X

****************************************************************************
* Witty Remark * Dylan Northrup <norhtup@*****.cas.usf.edu> * This space *
* Here * (Yeah I know they spelled my name wrong) * for rent *
****************************************************************************
"29 Palms bathed in silent moonlight" -- Tangerine Dream and Doc X '29 Palms'
Message no. 3
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: encephalons and cyberdecks
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1993 22:46:08 -0500
I'd recommend reading Vincent Esposito's abd my rules in the most recent
NAGEE that details how to multi-task with an encephalon

{[> Robert A. Hayden ____ hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu <]}
{[> \ /__ hayden@****.cs.mankato.msus.edu <]}
{[> \/ / aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu <]}
{[> #include <std_disclaimer.h> \/ <]}
-=-=-
GEEK CODE v1.0.1: GSS d- -p+(---) c++(++++) l++ u++ e+/* m++(*)@ s-/++
n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Random Thought:

You have a tendency to feel you are superior to most computers.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Message no. 4
From: Todd Montgomery <tmont@****.WVU.EDU>
Subject: encephalons and cyberdecks
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1993 11:11:07 -0400
> From: ratinox@***.NEU.EDU (Rat)

> I guess it's time to set the record straight about the encephalon's
> "multitasking capabilities."
>

Personally I liked the stuff Vincent came up with in the last NAGEE.

> from the simrigs of a pair of cyberdecks (a cyberdeck without a simrig
> isn't a cyberdeck, but a useless chunk of plastic and optical fibre).

A deck without a simrig is a form of tortuise. A full simrig is not
necessary when you have only a flat screen view.

The multiple cyberdeck debate is, IMO, kind of trivial. If a decker would
WANT to do it, they could find a way to make something this trivial work. All
that is being done is using the deck as a gateway. But remember if it is easy
to do, then the corps have already thought of how to defeat it.

Multiple cyberdecks and multi-tasking: Who is to say I could not make
a simrig multi-tasker external to the deck which allows a decker to
control 2 or more decks/vehicles. Easy to do now. Multiple TVs,
Multiple Terminals, etc. The speed of switching would not even have to
be fast, even controlled by the decker. He could switch to the
persona in Fuchi, do some work, initiate a download, switch to the
persona in Renraku, do some other functions. He would suffer from not
knowing what exactly is going on while he is not in contact with a
persona. Riggers have been doing it for years, why not deckers. And
it would seem to me that the Encephalon, although not being what it
was made for, could be a viable tool for accomplishing this.

-- Quiktek
-- Todd Montgomery
tmont@****.wvu.edu
tmont@***.wvu.edu
un032507@*******.wvnet.edu

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about encephalons and cyberdecks, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.