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Message no. 1
From: Damion Milliken dam01@***.edu.au
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 18:20:58 +1100 (EST)
Josh writes:

> they do because these superconductive pathways pick up boielectric current

Here's something I've often wondered about Shadowrun. They have fusion
technology, and room temperature superconductors. Both of these things have
long been viewed as "Holy Grails" of the scientific community. Both have
astounding implications on the way technology works and on the way resources
are used in the world. They are, literally, world altering scientific
discoveries. However, there seems to be little effect in the SR world as a
result of these technological marvels being available. I sometimes wonder
why there isn't "free power from fusion plants being piped everywhere with
no loss via room temperature superconducting cables". It seems that about
the only impact of fusion power in SR is that most coal fired and fission
power plants have been replaced with fusion plants (OTOH, considering fossil
fuel reserves and greenhouse effects, that kinda is a significant world
change I suppose). The only effect of room temperature superconductors
seems to be reaction enhancing cyberware. There's got to be a whole host of
better uses for that technology than merely making freaky cybergoons react
.2ms faster.

Oh well, enough of me ranting. I suppose that I'm just whinging that FASA
writers sometimes don't seem to think through the implications of things
that they, seemingly often arbitrarily, include in their work.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au
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Message no. 2
From: NeoJudas neojudas@******************.com
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 15:43:48 -0500
From: "Damion Milliken" <dam01@***.edu.au>
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)


> Here's something I've often wondered about Shadowrun. They have fusion
> technology, and room temperature superconductors. Both of these things
have
> long been viewed as "Holy Grails" of the scientific community.

And of course note that one man's "Holy Grail" is another man's stepping
stone to something more realistic.

>Both have
> astounding implications on the way technology works and on the way
resources
> are used in the world. They are, literally, world altering scientific
> discoveries.

World Altering, yes. World Shaking... not necessarily.

>However, there seems to be little effect in the SR world as a
> result of these technological marvels being available. I sometimes wonder
> why there isn't "free power from fusion plants being piped everywhere with
> no loss via room temperature superconducting cables". It seems that about
> the only impact of fusion power in SR is that most coal fired and fission
> power plants have been replaced with fusion plants (OTOH, considering
fossil
> fuel reserves and greenhouse effects, that kinda is a significant world
> change I suppose).

This is a VERY simple answer actually, especially in light of a world
virtually dominated/ruled by the Megacorporations. Economics. If you build
these super-huge, super-expensive, power plants and then charge nothing for
what they are producing, you are effectively getting back nothing to
compensate for the capital that has been invested... let alone for the
maintenance/overhead costs of said hardware.

>The only effect of room temperature superconductors
> seems to be reaction enhancing cyberware. There's got to be a whole host
of
> better uses for that technology than merely making freaky cybergoons react
> .2ms faster.

Actually, the superconductors are likely to have nothing to do with reaction
enhancing cyberware.. or at least only a little. Micro/Nano- level
miniaturization probably had a bigger impact upon that, and since that
technology is "relatively new" to the age of Shadowrun even (at least on a
scale that would allow for quick/fast/cheap implantation)... it still is
taking some time to fully impact the world of Shadowrun.

> Oh well, enough of me ranting. I suppose that I'm just whinging that FASA
> writers sometimes don't seem to think through the implications of things
> that they, seemingly often arbitrarily, include in their work.

I think that often times they *are* thinking about what is going on into the
books, but what one individual knows/realizes and/or even believes is
fitting for the world of Shadowrun... is hotly disputed/debated by other
people with alternative viewpoints and/or knowledge bases.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
J. Keith Henry ("K" "NeoJudas")
THREEH.COM (www.threeh.com)
Hoosier Hacker House (www.hoosierhackerhouse.com)
Message no. 3
From: Damion Milliken dam01@***.edu.au
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 17:56:01 +1100 (EST)
NeoJudas writes:

<Snip economics of fusion power>

I thought about this, and I suppose that if the capital investment and
maintanance required for a fusion power plant were sufficient to offset the
saving made by no longer needing any natural resources to produce power,
then the status quo in power costs and distribution would essentially remain
the same. I see your point.

> Actually, the superconductors are likely to have nothing to do with
> reaction enhancing cyberware.. or at least only a little. Micro/Nano-
> level miniaturization probably had a bigger impact upon that, and since
> that technology is "relatively new" to the age of Shadowrun even (at least
> on a scale that would allow for quick/fast/cheap implantation)... it still
> is taking some time to fully impact the world of Shadowrun.

Oh this is probably true, yes. The point I was trying to get across,
however, was that room temperature superconductors were incidently mentioned
both in the description of how Reaction Enhancers achieved their effects, and
in how cyberware in general captured and stored power. I just felt that
these applications were, um, more than a little esoteric, for a technology
that if available today would have dozens of instantly fairly widespread
applications.

> I think that often times they *are* thinking about what is going on into
> the books, but what one individual knows/realizes and/or even believes is
> fitting for the world of Shadowrun... is hotly disputed/debated by other
> people with alternative viewpoints and/or knowledge bases.

<grin> I guess this is right. It seems that many people on this list have a
bit of a hang up with suspension of disbelief (myself included). We always
seem to be striving for ever more realistic rules, and an ever more
realistic game world. Maybe we should just play D&D :-).

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au
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Message no. 4
From: J. Keith Henry neojudas@******************.com
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 04:54:47 -0500
From: "Damion Milliken" <dam01@***.edu.au>
Subject: Re: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)


> <grin> I guess this is right. It seems that many people on this list have
a
> bit of a hang up with suspension of disbelief (myself included). We
always
> seem to be striving for ever more realistic rules, and an ever more
> realistic game world. Maybe we should just play D&D :-).

(*Image of K walking up and beating profoundly Mr. Milliken with a
ClueBAT(TM) of unknown origin and obviously magical nature... leaving
numerous stinging welts upon his embarrassed personage :-) *)

No.no no no no no... I think personally we all just strive for the best
gaming opportunities and mechanics we can. I think at our core, most gamers
are perfectionists to one extent or another.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
J. Keith Henry ("K", "NeoJudas")
Hoosier Hacker House (www.hoosierhackerhouse.com)
Message no. 5
From: Hahns Shin hlshin@*****.edu
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 10:03:02 -0500
>>The only effect of room temperature superconductors
>> seems to be reaction enhancing cyberware. There's got to be a whole host
>of
>> better uses for that technology than merely making freaky cybergoons
react
>> .2ms faster.
>
>Actually, the superconductors are likely to have nothing to do with
reaction
>enhancing cyberware.. or at least only a little. Micro/Nano- level
>miniaturization probably had a bigger impact upon that, and since that
>technology is "relatively new" to the age of Shadowrun even (at least on a
>scale that would allow for quick/fast/cheap implantation)... it still is
>taking some time to fully impact the world of Shadowrun.
I think the reference is to the Reaction Enhancer, which specifically states
the use of room temperature superconductors in the spinal column to
increase reaction (totally bogus, btw, but a cool idea... human reaction
just doesn't work that way). I'm sure room temperature superconductivity
has made an impact in many places, such as transportation (super maglev
trains), Maglocks (why can't you just shoot the damn things off? Room
temperature superconductors... okay, that's just a theory, but it works).,
etc.

Hahns
Message no. 6
From: Sebastian Wiers m0ng005e@*****.com
Subject: RT Superconductors & Fusion (WAS Re: EMP vs. Cyberware..)
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 19:24:36 -0600
:>>The only effect of room temperature superconductors
:>> seems to be reaction enhancing cyberware. There's got to be a whole
host
:>of
:>> better uses for that technology than merely making freaky cybergoons
:react
:>> .2ms faster.

Like, say, gridlink power? Or even simply the tech needed to make
useful electric vehicles and distribute the power they need? Or how about
solar powered trans oceanic transports that make global resource
exploitation a flexible enough industry to survive without government
subsidy and protections? Power distribution within skyscrapers is a
specialized construction method that is already strained to meet demands-
scale those demands up to an arcology, and RTS technology becomes a very
signifigant breakthrough.
Just because there's not a piece of gear called "economic and urban
infrastructure", doesn't mean it doesn't exist...

-Mongoose

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