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Message no. 1
From: K is the Symbol <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 13:25:18 EDT
In a message dated 7/25/1998 4:57:56 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
gurth@******.NL writes:

> > Under the pedestrain contact it states that 99% of the population is
> > uncybered. It was a shock to me as well, but I could see it.
>
> If you just look at the costs involved, it's easily understandable. A
> datajack cost 1000 nuyen, which about doubles if you include
> surgery and hospitalization costs. I don't think many people
> today spend US$2000 without seriously thinking about what
> they're spending it on, and whether they really need it.
>
ah, tis true except for one thing. Work-Requirements. Or at least, perceived
requirements. There is something that, at least IMO, everyone in America does
not need.

The Cellular Phone

Those things are so damndably annoying if you are in a restaurant or a movie
(and some less-than-considerate-twit doesn't turn it off or at least to
"vibrate" mode). Yet, their usage in America has exploded within the last few
years. Also, company usage for "cellular phones" and "Laptops" has
also
increased. Cell Phone billing and laptops both exceeds the $2000 a year range
without breaking a sweat. Combining the two, and that is no problem at all.

A Datajack, IMO, could easily be written off as a "business expense" in
taxation boundaries here, especially if the business you work for knows /
understands the possible increase in efficiency their employees get from their
usage. AND IIRC, a datajack does have a recognition signal, the same as
datajacks, or at the very least, could have one placed within it as well. As
such, the user could wind up having a "Datajack Access Fee", much the same way
that a Cellular Phone, or even a regular telephone does. IF the Datajack's
injector signal is not recognized, then the system simply doesn't allow for a
communications connection to occur at all.

What was that phrase I remember reading? Don't mess with the phone company,
they'll get you for sure even if the corp you are going after doesn't...

-K
Message no. 2
From: Martin Steffens <chimerae@***.IE>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 07:54:32 +0000
and thus did K is the Symbol speak on 25 Jul 98 at 13:25:

[cost effectiveness of a data jack]
> A Datajack, IMO, could easily be written off as a "business expense" in
> taxation boundaries here, especially if the business you work for knows /
> understands the possible increase in efficiency their employees get from their
> usage.

Thanks for this one, I was about to agree reluctantly with the
previous poster in that a jack is too expensive when you posted this
great analogy. It does make a lot of sense, and I wonder if people
are equally pissed of if people just "zone out" when they access they
datajack in public :).

Thanks,

Karina & Martin Steffens
chimerae@***.ie
Message no. 3
From: K is the Symbol <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 04:47:22 EDT
In a message dated 7/26/1998 1:57:35 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
chimerae@***.IE writes:

<snipped comparing the cost of a datajack to a business expense>

> Thanks for this one, I was about to agree reluctantly with the
> previous poster in that a jack is too expensive when you posted this
> great analogy. It does make a lot of sense, and I wonder if people
> are equally pissed of if people just "zone out" when they access they
> datajack in public :).
>
I can see it being extremely annoying, as unless the individual has a Display
Link or better implant in addition to the datajack, the jack is going to
completely override that individuals' sensory input in *some* manner.

For some reason, I keep getting a variation on the cell-phone while driving
arguement / discussion with this.

-K
Message no. 4
From: Martin Steffens <chimerae@***.IE>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 23:52:51 +0000
and thus did K is the Symbol speak on 26 Jul 98 at 4:47:

[datajacks]
> I can see it being extremely annoying, as unless the individual has a Display
> Link or better implant in addition to the datajack, the jack is going to
> completely override that individuals' sensory input in *some* manner.
>
> For some reason, I keep getting a variation on the cell-phone while driving
> arguement / discussion with this.

Well that's what the auto pilot is for I guess. How do you play that
thing anyway, as a driving assitant, or as something of a cyber
chauffeur? I just realised we never used the things very much.


Karina & Martin Steffens
chimerae@***.ie
Message no. 5
From: K is the Symbol <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 21:28:28 EDT
In a message dated 7/26/1998 5:54:45 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
chimerae@***.IE writes:

> > For some reason, I keep getting a variation on the cell-phone while
driving
> > arguement / discussion with this.
>
> Well that's what the auto pilot is for I guess. How do you play that
> thing anyway, as a driving assitant, or as something of a cyber
> chauffeur? I just realised we never used the things very much.
>
MOST of the time it's a chauffer, unless there is dodging and vehicle *combat*
maneuver's, then like every good little person should...

*WE SHUT THE DAMN THING OFF* :P

Mike's had fun with us in the past with regards to activate autopilots and
combat situations. Too much fun IOO...

-K
Message no. 6
From: Patrick Goodman <remo@***.NET>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 20:55:56 -0500
>Mike's had fun with us in the past with regards to activate autopilots
>and combat situations. Too much fun IOO...

Oh, come now...where's your sense of adventure? <g,d,r>
Message no. 7
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 11:12:28 +0100
Martin Steffens said on 23:52/26 Jul 98,...

> Well that's what the auto pilot is for I guess. How do you play that
> thing anyway, as a driving assitant, or as something of a cyber
> chauffeur? I just realised we never used the things very much.

I use it as a computerized driver -- you can tell it where to go and
then take all your hands and feet off the car's controls if you want
to. When/if I get to play, I use it quite a lot if my character is just
driving from one place to another.

BTW, under Rigger 2 rules, there are situations when having an
autopilot switched on is a disadvantage, and others where it helps
you out.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Hanging on to letting go.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 8
From: Mike Bobroff <Airwasp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 10:43:42 EDT
In a message dated 7/26/98 1:59:39 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
chimerae@***.IE writes:

> > A Datajack, IMO, could easily be written off as a "business expense"
in
> > taxation boundaries here, especially if the business you work for knows /
> > understands the possible increase in efficiency their employees get from
> their
> > usage.
>
> Thanks for this one, I was about to agree reluctantly with the
> previous poster in that a jack is too expensive when you posted this
> great analogy. It does make a lot of sense, and I wonder if people
> are equally pissed of if people just "zone out" when they access they
> datajack in public :).

Hey, there is another way people also get datajacks and the like ... a corp
could install it into their employees whom they offer it to for free, and in
return they give the employee and raise and other benefits, as that employees
productivity is about to increase by at least 100% (especially if they are in
the arena of number crunching for the corp).

-Herc
------- The Best Mechanic you can ever have.
Message no. 9
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 15:22:18 -0400
At 01:25 PM 7/25/98 EDT, you wrote:

>ah, tis true except for one thing. Work-Requirements. Or at least,
perceived
>requirements. There is something that, at least IMO, everyone in America
does
>not need.
>
>The Cellular Phone

I doubt it'll surprise you to know that I have a cellphone. And no, it
doesn't have a vibrate mode; few phones have that, it's a common feature of
pagers and not normally phones. And there's little point taking it with
you if you turn it off. Just don't carry on a full conversation in a movie
theatre or at a play; take it outside.

The reason I have one and so many others have one is that it's so
incredibly cheap. The phone was free because it was an older model.
Service fees aren't that bad. It suddenly makes sense to have a cellphone
if it's that cheap, if for no other reason than for being able to make
calls during an emergency.

>A Datajack, IMO, could easily be written off as a "business expense" in
>taxation boundaries here, especially if the business you work for knows /
>understands the possible increase in efficiency their employees get from
their
>usage.

Possible. But whereas a cellphone is cheap enough that teenagers with no
credit history can buy them (and prebought airtime), the datajack hasn't
reached that level yet. It still costs a few grand and a tax write-off
doesn't mean the entire purchase price is written-off.

Yes, the datajack is easily the most common piece of cyberware. But it's
still a wee bit too expensive for it to be as common as a cellphone. Think
more like laptop; recognizable, many folks have one, but it's not really
common.

Erik J.


http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/dungeon/480/index.html
The Reality Check for a Fictional World
Message no. 10
From: K is the Symbol <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: <snip>/ willingness to get bio/cyber
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:08:30 EDT
In a message dated 7/27/1998 2:28:55 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
erikj@****.COM writes:

>
> Possible. But whereas a cellphone is cheap enough that teenagers with no
> credit history can buy them (and prebought airtime), the datajack hasn't
> reached that level yet. It still costs a few grand and a tax write-off
> doesn't mean the entire purchase price is written-off.
>
> Yes, the datajack is easily the most common piece of cyberware. But it's
> still a wee bit too expensive for it to be as common as a cellphone. Think
> more like laptop; recognizable, many folks have one, but it's not really
> common.
>
Uh, wait a second. In the Shadowtech, and IF SOTA rules are used, Datajacks
are now going for the 500 Nuyen range, and not the thousand or so. That would
place the thing well within lots of middle class youngsters ranges (who wants
a 1-2K car, when you can have a jack and cause more trouble?)

-K

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