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Message no. 1
From: ArkAngel <DUNN@******.BITNET>
Subject: Floating Brains...
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 11:25:00 EST
>From: ROBERSON@***.EDU
> As a tangent to this topic, how about Disembodied Brains? What if
>either an old, experienced Decker acquired some incurable disease (akin
>to Lou Gehrig's Disease) and elected to be permanently jacked in to the
>Matrix. Or if science can keep the brain alive, maintaining it after the body's
>death (natural or otherwise). Or, if a controlling consciousness can indeed
>be instilled in a brain, imagine cloning just a brain and creating the the
>closest thing to an AI in Shadowrun.
A VERY interesting idea which would probably yield a decker with an
essence of about -30... However, the possibilities sorta boggle the mind,
leading swiftly to the wetware computers I mentioned using earlier, and the
possibility of dumping something similar into a robot body. While they might
resemble the full conversion Borgs discussed a few months back in body, their
natural make up would be quite different... And also quite possibly a great
deal more powerful (ala RoboCop2) But, for the moment excepting the robots,
etc... has anyone out there actively designed a wetware computer for SR?
I mean, when I first started playing the game, I sent PCs after one,
and gave it some very interesting possibilities in the matrix (like an extra 5
initiative dice... it could out process anything a hardwired cyberdeck could)
However, such things would still remain highly experimental, and thoroughly
misunderstood using my understanding of SR tech... Then again, I don't have my
copy of ShadowBeat handy--anybody got one, and does it include the technical
explanation for brain reprogramming? Cuz if they can do it inside of a living
being, they can probably do most of it outside of one... The hardest part would
be keeping the brain alive, and that really wouldn't be as difficult as it
initially sounds... HOWEVER, I personally wouldn't give it sentience...
Then again, this might also raise the possibility of involving a spirit
of some sort to possess the disembodied brain, thus giving the brain a magic
potential, allowing for a true magical computer... Err.. nevermind, my brain
was temporarily possessed by the spirit of a munchkin... THWAP!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Dunn@******.jcu.edu-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
First law of RPG adventure writing:"In any given scenario, there are 4
possible player actions, the three reasonable ones the GM expects, and the one
the players ultimately divise and use."
>>>>>[ArkAngel.Logout]>>>>>

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