Ramblings

A thread of 2 messages, 9 January 1992 to 9 January 1992, in the order they were sent.

#3422 Ramblings

Robert S. Dean · 9 January 1992

Wildstar's number crunching looks interesting, but I haven't had time to go
over his assumptions carefully.  I'm leery of using Trillion Credit Squadron
values without thinking things over a bit.  I'm away from my desk until the
16th, so am accessing with a slow modem...thus, I probably will be quiet for
another week.

I jotted down two and a half pages of hand-written notes today thinking about
how to handle planetary defense and 'viking raid' types of combats, somewhat
influenced by Hard Times.  More on this when I get a chance...however, I looked
up a number as a result.  Did you all know that the current installed
electrical generating capacity in the US is about 720,000MW?  The notorious
Atlantis class battleship has a 7,200,000MW power plant, enough to run the
US ten times over...(I was thinking about how many 250MW beam lasers a planet
might be able to power from the commercial power grid.)

Rob Dean

#3424 Re: Ramblings

Bertil Jonell · 9 January 1992 · reply to #3422

> From: Robert S. Dean  [email removed]
> Subject: (3422)  Ramblings
>
> Did you all know that the current installed
> electrical generating capacity in the US is about 720,000MW?  The notorious
> Atlantis class battleship has a 7,200,000MW power plant, enough to run the
> US ten times over...(I was thinking about how many 250MW beam lasers a planet
> might be able to power from the commercial power grid.)

  One thing that I noticed in Hard Times is that the Strephonian era Imperium
apparently were a relatively peaceful and trusting place. It is especially
noted that "Many starports have emplaced missile batteries to repel unwanted
visitors" and that cargo is now NAS-ed to detect stowaways.

  I've always assumed that these measures were in effect. Some commercial
airports in the world today have SAM-batteries, and almost all Swedish harbours
have some form of coastal artillery dug into some appropriate island. Usually
not manned, but it is there. As for NAS-ing: It is easy, it is fast, it is
cheap and I've included it in the "General Scan" done for a small fee on demand
along with densitometer and other scans for weapons and explosives.

  Judging from this it might seem that my(?) most paranoid idea that planets
require all large buildings to include a small laser turret on the roof is far
to paranoid for the pre-Rebellion era.

> Rob Dean

- -bertil-
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