Re: Ramblings

> 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-
- --
"It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
 strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
 exercise for your kill-file."