From:	"Shadowrun ML demon <shadowrn-ml@*******.hanse.de>"
Subject:	Re: Tactical Computer
Date:	Tue, 1 Jul 1997 16:41:24 GMT

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Lorden <westln@***.EDU> writes:
> I believe a computer system and a human can take more than
> one form of input at a time. I was under the impression that a
> troll with natural thermo has that on all the time. In addition
> he would have his normal vision on all the time. The trolls
> processes both pieces of information to create a composit image.
> The result of the composite maybe that he just knows some things
> are warmer than others. It might help with edge detection who
> knows for sure.

All natural vision modifications are active at the same time - at
least that is what we once decided. Cyberware is something different,
though. The Cyberware needs to supply the data in some usable form for
the brain to be able to access it. This means it needs to translate
it into the ususal visible light scale. There is a lot of details
getting lost by Thermographic eyes this way (the IR spectrum is about
4 times as broad as the visual light), but if you want to put the
usual vision on top of this the user would get completely confused,
I'd say.

(This is one of the few real advantages PhysAds have, btw. - their
vision mods are considered natural and hence they can access
everything at once and at full scale.)

> As for a computer system. I would think that the various systems
> would be added together. The thermo might be used to find
> hot spots of interest that are then visually enhanced by the
> system. I often view such systems as a VR world. Each sense
> gets painted into the world. The result is then mapped to
> the limited input system of user.

If the user switches to IR he gets exactly that: A (4 times
compressed) IR view... a computer doesn't have these problems, though
(there is nothing like "natural vision" for a computer), so he can
access everything at once.

Just my 2 cents, of course...

Later,
Georg

- --
Georg C. F. Greve <greve@*******.hanse.de>
http://porter.desy.de/~greve/
"People who fight may lose. People who do not
fight have already lost." -- Bertold Brecht

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