Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi → The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B.
One paragraph for all three combined definitely doesn't read right. Two is good if I want to stress the action-reaction. Three is good if I want to stress God's response in causing the jolt. I'm leaning toward two, since the head jolting doesn't show God as the actor, even though he's the one causing the action.
I'll wait for a few more responses here before I decide.
Thank you, both.
Four looks right to me
And yes, we're somehow on the same of similar pages for the capitalization
After a lot of time wasted endlessly tweaking Apollo's latest chapter, I have officially completed 1/3 of chapter 36. Somewhere in there, I have to squeeze in the impossible resurrection of Apollo in what is supposed to be Joseph's chapter. No way I can do all that in less than two weeks.
I have just discovered the French-English keyboard, and even better, the all French keyboard. $50, including customs and shipping, so I could get the old Microsoft 3000 keyboard that I've used and loved forever. Ordered it from the U.S., which one would think sells the American version of the 3000. I ignored in the ad where it said it's a French-English keyboard, thinking that's a cool add-on: an American keyboard with extra key combinations for French. Uh-uh. Keyboard layout is different. Major keys are no longer in the same place. My favorite thing to despise is that the left shift key is no wider than a regular key. Apparently, the dumbasses who designed the standard thought it would be okay to have half a shift key. Lost count of the number of typing errors I made already. Have since read that this keyboard is the default for many low-priced systems in Canada.
Technically, mine is the French keyboard, but from what I've seen, the French-English keyboard looks worse.
K, what do you use?
US keyboard + number pad so I can do the accents.
Typing "ça va" is basically alt-1-3-5 a[space]v a for me.
I've long since memorized the esoteric patterns for this, so it doesn't even faze me when I type alt-1-3-0 p alt-1-3-0 e to get épée. In fact, using a French keyboard to do this would slow me down because my addled brain has been doing it this was for 30 years (developing new neural pathways is way too much effort)
Edit: To get the key combinations above, I had to type épée and watch my fingers
O, gee, just what is this chord? (No, I'm not a musician.)
Does anyone know the coordinate system and terminology used by fighter pilots when communicating the position of an enemy (or friendly) aircraft. The clock terminology (e.g., 3 o'clock for something on your right) is two-dimensional. I'm looking for three-dimensional.
Thanks
Dirk
Silly question (aren't they all?): How do I write the following sentence assuming I don't know the sex of the pilot?
However, the pilot must have detected Paul’s approach, as [he/she] abandoned [his/her] pursuit of Anastasia.
"However, the pilot abandoned pursuit of Anastasia"
"However, the pilot abandoned pursuit of Anastasia"
Halfway there. That would make it:
However, the pilot must have detected Paul’s approach, as the pilot abandoned pursuit of Anastasia.
Hmm. I've found more instances. Unless someone has a better idea, I'm just going to refer to the pilot as he. I'm imagining this in real life and I'm pretty sure that's what they do. Being gender neutral in a dogfight probably isn't a priority.
No, but was some thought a while ago that the human female pelvis might provide some advantage in high-g maneuvers. I don't know if it was ever proven or disproven.
Sarah Hoyt has a short travel report from her trip to Portugal to see her family. Buried in it are notes about history's mark on the present, including naming: People name their children after Trajan and their dogs after Nero. Nothing is named after Caligula.
Oops! That part is in the previous article.
Yeah, anyone named Caligula is bound to be an ass, hence the reason I use it for Apollo's older brother.
I'm trying to write a scene where a group of marines in pressurized boarding suits (including helmets and rebreathers) have to exit their raiding ship into the vacuum of an exposed hangar bay they landed in. They depressurize the raider before stepping out of the raider. Eventually, as they move deeper into the ship, there will eventually be fully pressurized locations with breathable air, but they don't remove their helmets so they can't be gassed. My reason for the vacuum in the hangar bay is that the crew of the ship are trying to make it as difficult as possible to be boarded.
I assume there has to be an airlock between the vacuum-filled areas of the ship and the pressurized locations. If you're in a vacuum like those who are boarding and open a sealed hatch containing air, what will happen to the boarding team? Do they get blown off their feet as the air escapes into the vacuum, or is the effect not as severe? Also, is there anything here that I'm not accounting for?
Thanks
Dirk
Also, is there anything here that I'm not accounting for?
Boarding would be very expensive in the future.
Thankfully, the future comes with laser proof boarding suits. Either that, or it's forbidden by the Neuer Mond Treaty. The suits are made by Acme, by the way. Shipped by Mama.
To help deter boarding parties, I'd also...
a) build Death Star style trash compactors... effectively innocuous rooms designed to crush people who enter. Compromised computer terminals would direct would-be boarders into these rooms under the promise of them being important control rooms
b) Fill a few halways with microscopic bugs designed to eat the casing of laser rifle power supplies (my own troops would be instructed not to go in those rooms)
c) have ejection systems designed to flush unwanted occupants out of the room using compressed air. They would be shunted into the aforementioned trash compactors or entirely off the ship. Preferably at a velocity near the speed of sound.
d) design my laser rooms to melt any known protective shield. After all, lasers can reach millions of degrees, but steel's melting point is much lower. Also, my guillotine rooms and my poisoned-spike rooms would use molecular blades for that extra cutting ability.
e) have rotatable decks such that a compromised deck can be converted into a circular maze on demand
f) have a special spray gun of quick-drying glue or cement. "Drown" boarding parties in it, effectively converting the room into gelatin. Even if they get out before it hardens into rock, they'll be sticking to everything and their visors will be impossible to see through
g) have rooms blaring Celine Dion at 100dB (Does Neuer Mond classify this as torture?)
h) Every room on the ship's map would be labelled "bridge" except one, labelled "janitor's closet". This latter room would actually turn out to be a janitor's closet
Let me know if your defenders need any more help. Amy's also good at this stff.
Play "It's a Small World After All" in Carol Channing's voice in the maze.
To help deter boarding parties, I'd also...
a) build Death Star style trash compactors... effectively innocuous rooms designed to crush people who enter. Compromised computer terminals would direct would-be boarders into these rooms under the promise of them being important control rooms
b) Fill a few halways with microscopic bugs designed to eat the casing of laser rifle power supplies (my own troops would be instructed not to go in those rooms)
c) have ejection systems designed to flush unwanted occupants out of the room using compressed air. They would be shunted into the aforementioned trash compactors or entirely off the ship. Preferably at a velocity near the speed of sound.
d) design my laser rooms to melt any known protective shield. After all, lasers can reach millions of degrees, but steel's melting point is much lower. Also, my guillotine rooms and my poisoned-spike rooms would use molecular blades for that extra cutting ability.
e) have rotatable decks such that a compromised deck can be converted into a circular maze on demand
f) have a special spray gun of quick-drying glue or cement. "Drown" boarding parties in it, effectively converting the room into gelatin. Even if they get out before it hardens into rock, they'll be sticking to everything and their visors will be impossible to see through
g) have rooms blaring Celine Dion at 100dB (Does Neuer Mond classify this as torture?)
h) Every room on the ship's map would be labelled "bridge" except one, labelled "janitor's closet". This latter room would actually turn out to be a janitor's closet
Let me know if your defenders need any more help. Amy's also good at this stff.
I'm listening to Celine Dion even as I write this. Whole playlist, on repeat!
I can't use fancy rooms as traps. They know the location of the bridge and are headed directly in that direction. I could add energy barriers on the hatches between compartments, but the raiding force would have the tech to overcome those. One way or another, they're going to take the bridge and engineering. At worst, I could slow them down and/or kill a few with fancy tech in the passageways.
They know the location of the bridge and are headed directly in that direction
Consider the defensive technique used by our neighbours to the south of the border. The Whitehouse is not easily hidden. Would-be invaders might seek to destroy it in an effort to snip off the governing head of the country. Unfortunately for them, during a national emergency, they will never catch both the captain and the first officer in it at the same time. If anything, attacking the Whitehouse during an invasion is playing into the hands of hte defenders.
Glue grenades/mines.
I have something called molten grenades, but the treaty forbids their use (except against your own people) What you may do is set your flesh eater on overload and through yourself at the enemy.
They know the location of the bridge and are headed directly in that direction
Consider the defensive technique used by our neighbours to the south of the border. The Whitehouse is not easily hidden. Would-be invaders might seek to destroy it in an effort to snip off the governing head of the country. Unfortunately for them, during a national emergency, they will never catch both the captain and the first officer in it at the same time. If anything, attacking the Whitehouse during an invasion is playing into the hands of hte defenders.
Capturing the ship is the main goal, which requires taking the bridge and engineering. If you can capture the senior officers, that's icing on the cake. No self-respecting captain would allow themselves to be captured (think Admiral Windsor, who blew up her ship once they captured her). Consider Captain Rabidius, who surrendered, bringing shame to the Praetorian Fleet.
Next pass, I can add more tech to slow them down. The defenders can't use gas because the attacking force is wearing head-to-toe bodysuits, including rebreathers. Artificial gravity is treated as if it can't be controlled in limited areas of the ship. Even that were possible, the lack of gravity can be overcome with special boots that cling to whatever the ship's decks are made (e.g., magentic boots).
Also, don't forget battle chess. There are rules that only allow certain configurations of ships: some combination of command ships, dreadnoughts, and cruisers, with maximum crew complements per ship, including the number of marines/classiarii onboard each. The Imperium has more ships overall than the Realm, which is a violation of the treaty. The Imperium is bankrupting itself doing so.
Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi → The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B.
