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The early Mesopotamian city-building cultures were constantly being raided by the surrounding hill tribes, at times being tributaries to them, and at times being outright conquered by them. The history of Sumerian-Akkadian-Assyrian-Babylonian-Hittite-Kassite-Hurrian-etc. rule in Mesopotamia is a lo...

it wasn't the oligarchical Spartans who were running around ancient Greece starting wars with everyone, rather it was those crazy democratic Athenians. It was both. Spartans got their reputation for warmongering both from their various battles before the rise of the Pelepponesian League, and afterw...

And all of this begs the question: how do Loroi contraceptives work? If a male Loroi has "needs", do his caretakers toss him a copy of Playelf and thrust him into an isolation room for a few days? Or is he just given a shot in the arm and a lollipop until he feels better? These have probably been as...

Fascinating. I guess they were "upgraded" because there's no longer as much need for cruisers, and the tech was available to beef them up anyway?

That must also make them really, really hard to update with newer equipment.

1. Evolution is real. 2. Humans are an evolved species. 3. Intelligence is a result of the physical form of human organs. Therefore, genetic variations exist which cause differences in intelligence. Sure, but that doesn't mean we should start equating "person is in genetic group X" with "person is ...

That they didn't differentiate between certain colors does not imply that they couldn't look at a blue and a red square and notice that they were different colors. (I believe scandinavians used the word blue even for black, but if you gave them a black ball and a blue ball they'd be able to tell th...

That still doesn't explain how various genetic backgrounds within one culture consistently perform different from one another. A performance gap that also remains constant(ish) across different cultures. Sure, but like I said, grain of salt. Just because you see a pattern doesn't mean there isn't a...

To an extent. From what I've read, IQ tests are not biased (as uncomfortable as the results may be when applied to demographics). For one example, pattern matching is pattern matching, no matter your nationality, race, age, etc. That depends entirely on the test being used, and its generally *not* ...

I'm betting the Barsam are fine. In fact, they seem like the type to enjoy combat, and I bet courier ships don't see action often. They're probably having a blast.

Meanwhile, Jardin is once again prepared for the great Humaniti ritual of "bleeding-like red and making gurgle-gurgle sounds".

Arioch wrote: It uses magnetic coils spaced around the ring which push against the planet's magnetic field.

What happens if the planet's magnetic field reverses?

Nah, /tg/ gets that too these days. Its officially summer now, so it might just be that the teenage /pol/kid numbers are up, but I don't think they're the sole source of it. Frankly, it makes me miss that guy who drew beards on every Loroi he saw. At least he was doing something interesting that act...

I agree re: Tempo. Getting in his face seems like an interrogation technique -- one particularly effective against most Loroi, both because of cultural taboos and because Tempo is a powerful telepath from a scary caste, who might be able to take advantage of that close range during interrogation. Te...

Depending on the tech level, throwing rocks may be effective or ineffective, but it's not going to be particularly expensive. By your statement, the expense of moving the asteroid in question is going to depend heavily on the robot, the driving engine, and your time-table. Most asteroids don't have...

I was going to support the "double-jump" idea -- where they've figured out how to skip over starsystems on a particular hyperspace path, possibly by literally "skipping" (or "doinking" as per the FTL tech page) -- but I just noticed something that supports the "automated ships" theory. The Umiak are...

I'd interpreted Alex's facial response to being left hanging as less glum, more "smooth". Like he is fully aware that Loroi have a negative reaction to physical contact (as Beryl had previously told him), but went for it anyway, and feigned nonchalance in order to coax Talon into trying it. It fits ...

Loroi artisans/craftsmen/businesses in the same industry traditionally aggregate together into trade guilds. These would often form effective monopolies, and were often supported (and sometime even enforced) by the local governments, as a useful tool of mercantilism (which seeks to increase the pow...

Though he might not be there when we do, would the Farseer be more disquieted by Alex's utter lack of telepathic presence than the rest of the Loroi because of her sensitivities? My personal bet is that they'd be thrilled . Finally, someone they can hang out with who isn't effectively shouting at t...

Not familiar with GURPS, but it appears Alex is smarter than even Beryl :shock: True, but since GURPS is a point-buy-for-everything system, that just means he spent a few extra points on general intelligence, while Beryl probably spent those same points on "being a telepathic space elf" and her sma...

More importantly, he probably no longer has an EVA suit sized for him, and it doesn't seem that typical Loroi shipboard gear fits him, boots aside. Fireblade's gear fits him well enough, thought it seems like by Loroi standards that might be the same as saying "Shaquille O'Neal's boots fit him well...

Thinking of our own mythologies, the heroes are almost always princes and princesses or kings and queens or the children of the gods or the gods themselves, and almost never peasants. I don't really think that's the case -- heroic myths tend more to follow the culture telling the story in question,...