I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date Sent:1993-Dec-08 02:22pm
From: Bruce Pihlamae
PIHLAMAE BRUCE
Dept: Information Services
Tel No: (06) 289-7056
TO: Remote Addressee ( _traveller@engrg.uwo.ca )
Subject: lasers
On lasers:
The Australian (newspaper) had an article in the computer section on a
(new?) laser light generation method which does not involve lenses. My
copy of the newspaper is gone but somebody might still have a copy and fill
in the dots and dashes below.
The pulse is generated at 90 degrees to the emitter rather than 'in the
conventional way'. Also , the light is not parallel, it converges at a
controllable rate. So you have more control and a smaller emitter. Its
geared more to the low power computer communications environment but I was
just wondering how powerful these could get if we specificly built for
military use and extrapolated forward a couple of tech levels?
Anyone else see the article?
On game realism:
Many TMLers are truth, justice and the REAL UNIVERSE way supporters and
I've seen many screens of TML talk about how and why this should work this
way and how to make things REALISTIC. Traveller has been very popular
because a lot of it is believable (with only a few stretches of the
imagination and the current laws of physics).
I liked the old Traveller before they started explaining how everything
worked and had to squeaze and shoe horn things into the real universe. I
even had the JUMP and MANOUVER drives rationalised in my games and then GDW
decide to bring in reaction masses and MORE REALISM. If you can have a
JUMP drive, why can't you have a reactionless MANOUVER drive.
I personally, have no problem with being able to carry around and use a
mega-watt laser pistol provided the game rules make such an item PLAYABLE.
I don't want (or need) to know HOW it works. Even Anti-gravity doesn't
hurt provided the GM kills off anybody who has plans to make perpetual
motion machines etc.
How about putting some FICTION back into SCIENCE FICTION.
If this really upsets the REALISTIC players then that's not my problem so
please send all cries of sacrilege and the barbed & witty replies to the
nearest bit bucket (unless they're really fun to read 8^}).
Just my 2 cents worth.
Bruce.... [email removed]