Miscellaneous Terran question-and-answer thread

[elorran]

I think most fusion reactors at this tech level would require special isotopes such as deuterium or helium-3 to work properly, so the fuel would have to be refined beforehand and carried on-board.

Deuterium-Lithium 6 mix? Ready to go fusion pallets, just add catalyst.

[Mr Bojangles]

I think of it like this: It's not that the Loroi can't rapidly advance, it's just that humanity in Outsider (as with actual humanity) has built a set of systems that favor rapid scientific and technological development.

That's a pretty good way of putting it. We tend to view technological progression as a steady climb, but it has really only been that way in Western civilization and since the Renaissance; prior to that and in other cultures around the world, technological progression was a slow, grinding crawl with fits and starts, sometimes losing ground when a civilization collapsed. The Enlightenment built a culture increasingly based on knowledge and innovation, and the benefits today are easy to recognize. However, China and most of Asia, despite early technological leadership in the millennia BCE, advanced very slowly over the next several thousand years. This wasn't because they weren't smart, but rather because their society didn't reward innovation and actively discouraged change. When progress became desirable, Japan advanced from TL4 to TL6 in about 50 years. It also helped that they had an example to follow.

The supposition in Outsider is that this slower, less steady mode of progression is the norm for most alien cultures. The Loroi in particular, while clever and creative in their own way, do not enjoy technological progression for its own sake the way we have come to. They have a rigid society that resists change, and longer lifespans mean longer generations. The Loroi technological milestones are sometimes misleading; when the first Loroi satellite was launched in 475, for example, they had already possessed the necessary technology for quite some time, but it hadn't occurred to anyone to try. Humans, conversely, were killing themselves trying to get off the ground long before the technology was ready.

That said, however, I don't think it matters much whether it would have taken 100 years or 500 for Humanity to catch up on their own; they don't have that much time, and they're no longer progressing in a vaccuum.

Spoken for truth. In the modern world (especially in the West), we take it granted that technology advances quickly and assume that that is just how it works. But, it's really not so. Chart it out over history and you'll see several spikes and hills, but most of it will be wide valleys. The steep growth curve is very new.

All that being said, yeah, the rate of technological progress for Outsider humanity is a rather academic consideration, isn't it? The Loroi and Umiak are practically at the gates; there's no more time left.

[Anecdotally, the predecessor story to Outsider, which was about a Human civil war in which they had more or less the same technological level as the major combatants in Outsider do, was set in 2384.]

Well, my estimate was only off by a century... for a completely different story. I've seen futurists be way more wrong!

[NOMAD]

thxs Arioch that makes much better ( and shorter response )

[junk]

No, I'm just saying that providing electrical power to the ship is a secondary function of the main reactors.

Ships will also have some kind of auxiliary power source to provide electricity when the mains are offline, as well as batteries for storage.

I presume, that their secondary power might be some sort nuclear batteries, similar, albeit vastly more advanced, than what is currently on the curiosity. Long term, reliable and safe.

Humanity developed jump tech in 2086 and developed its first particle weaponry sometime in the mid 22nd Century. So, humans went from TL7 (1957 and our first satellite, as you point out) to the edge of TL10 (blaster tech) in around a 200 hundred years. Much, much faster than the major combatants of this story. And, it's not like war and the threat of annihilation/subjugation will slow down development. The effect will be quite the opposite.

Actually a long term war of annihiltion will do just that. What wars do, is spur on the application of theories, but the longer a war is, the sooner you will end up running out of theories to apply. One could assume, that if ww2 went on for something like 30 years, tech developement would start to stall.

What you instead got, was a cold war that allowed manpower and resources for actual research.

[saint of m]

Given how Jardin saw how both sides fight, could he figure out a way to outmanuver either side in a jiffy? Say a surpsie Umiake scout fleet finds them.

I'm asking this as to see how much of a "chess master" he is.

[RedDwarfIV]

Given how Jardin saw how both sides fight, could he figure out a way to outmanuver either side in a jiffy? Say a surpsie Umiake scout fleet finds them.

I'm asking this as to see how much of a "chess master" he is.

Whilst I imagine he'll develop that capacity in time (Colonial Fleet wanted him for that reason), he's only just been introduced to a whole new level of combat with massively different spacecraft capabilities and weapons. He's not going to immediately spot something experienced commanders like Stillstorm hadn't noticed. Most likely it'd involve coming up with entirely new tactics.

[icekatze]

hi hi

One advantage Alex has is that he can observe and judge the Umiak's motivations as an unbiased outsider. I mean, yes, their overall motivation to defeat the Loroi is obvious, but in smaller scale situations, the Loroi haven't seemed particularly adept at understanding "what game the shells are playing at."

[fredgiblet]

Actually a long term war of annihiltion will do just that. What wars do, is spur on the application of theories, but the longer a war is, the sooner you will end up running out of theories to apply. One could assume, that if ww2 went on for something like 30 years, tech developement would start to stall.

Possibly. You also get brain drain as the new generation tends more towards dying in the trenches instead of going to college.

Given how Jardin saw how both sides fight, could he figure out a way to outmanuver either side in a jiffy? Say a surpsie Umiake scout fleet finds them.

I'm asking this as to see how much of a "chess master" he is.

Well that would probably be talking about major plot points so I doubt a complete answer will be forthcoming. That being said I believe from what we've been told that that is essentially what his position in the story is, the person that gives the Loroi the key to winning the war. The exact form of that key is up for debate, but given his training and background it's not much of stretch to say it's going to be tactical advice.

[discord]

fred: actually, i think it's more along the lines of strategic advice, possibly with some tactics involved, but the bottom line is you can't win a war by playing defense.

actually, it seems you can, if the other side are commies, but then again, commie economy is on the rise while capitalist is kinda crashing... so who knows.

[junk]

I've got a small question about human uniforms and scafanders in particular. We've seen the fairly bulky ones used by the scout fleet. Does the navy itself have access to less bulky, more modern ones in lieu of their probably better financing or do they share most of this equipment with the scout fleet.

[Arioch]

I generally don't answer hypothetical questions about what might or might not happen in the comic.

I've got a small question about human uniforms and scafanders in particular. We've seen the fairly bulky ones used by the scout fleet. Does the navy itself have access to less bulky, more modern ones in lieu of their probably better financing or do they share most of this equipment with the scout fleet.

I've never heard the term "scafanders" before (even after a web search), but I'll guess that you mean spacesuits. The Fleet ones would look pretty much the same as the ones you've seen.

The human technology is not meant to look advanced or ultra-tech; humans are the primitives in this milieu.

[elorran]

1. life preserver consisting of a sleeveless jacket of buoyant or inflatable design.
2. a weighted and hermetically sealed garment supplied with air; worn by underwater divers.

http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nl/scafander

[RedDwarfIV]

Colonial Fleet may get more funding overall (it has to build those cruisers, after all) but the Scout Corps is almost always doing stuff while Colonial Fleet sits around in dock running simulations. I imagine the Scout Corps is better funded for its size. They needed the modern equipment more, and they probably had a lot more political backing until the war came along, what with their actually doing useful stuff.

[GeoModder]

Colonial Fleet may get more funding overall (it has to build those cruisers, after all) but the Scout Corps is almost always doing stuff while Colonial Fleet sits around in dock running simulations. I imagine the Scout Corps is better funded for its size. They needed the modern equipment more, and they probably had a lot more political backing until the war came along, what with their actually doing useful stuff.

The heavy cruisers mosttimes float around in dock. I reckon the lighter units like the trio of light cruisers and the tincans see lots and lots of the local stellar neighbourhood.

[fredgiblet]

Not necessarily. More than the heavies for sure, but operating the light cruisers is likely expensive as well.

[Username]

Not necessarily. More than the heavies for sure, but operating the light cruisers is likely expensive as well.

But how much so ? I remember reading in the insider that the light cruisers and whatever sits below them are used for customs checks and for lack of a better term pomp and circumstance around the systems. if they are being used for such meager roles that are better suited to police frigates then the must not be that expensive.

[junk]

I generally don't answer hypothetical questions about what might or might not happen in the comic.

I've got a small question about human uniforms and scafanders in particular. We've seen the fairly bulky ones used by the scout fleet. Does the navy itself have access to less bulky, more modern ones in lieu of their probably better financing or do they share most of this equipment with the scout fleet.

I've never heard the term "scafanders" before (even after a web search), but I'll guess that you mean spacesuits. The Fleet ones would look pretty much the same as the ones you've seen.

The human technology is not meant to look advanced or ultra-tech; humans are the primitives in this milieu.

Yeah sorry, meant spacesuit. Mind jumped ahead and decided to stay in czech mode.
I was mostly asking, since the the navy seemed a bit better funded and much more ceremonial due to not actually doing all that much flying around.
so a lighter suit, which would look better, but wasn't as rugged or effective as the scout fleet ones, seemed to make sense.

[Mr.Tucker]

This question may have been asked before, but : what is the chief limitation for Terran ships achieving higher acceleration? Is is the drive technology or the inertial dampener technology? Or a combination of both?

[Arioch]

This question may have been asked before, but : what is the chief limitation for Terran ships achieving higher acceleration? Is is the drive technology or the inertial dampener technology? Or a combination of both?

Drive technology.

[RedDwarfIV]

How does the TCA collect hydrogen fuel? I think I saw mention that a modified scout could collect it from gas giants by diving into them, but besides that, I've seen no mention of aerostats, cloudscoops or atmocruisers.

It should be noted that helium-3 could be mined from Uranus fairly easily with aerostats and atmocruisers.