Miscellaneous Terran question-and-answer thread

[GeoModder]

Did the ships of the Contact Mission have to pass by Fomalhaut, Capella, or Aldebaran to get to Naam?

[Jakelope13]

Ok this may not have to do much with the story but I gotta ask what with Alex's lack of beard did he use something before he left human space to conserve resources or is it just natural?

That's an interesting question. Do Terran ships have barbershops on board, or do they have to visit one on a station when they dock for resupply? Or are they found only aboard the larger ship types (cruiser, BC)?

[Absalom]

I suppose Blood River is an example of technologically superior colonialist forces mowing down the primitive thorn-walkers in the thousands. But, on that same note; Native Americans, once armed with rifles were a serious threat to the regular army.

Also, it wasn`t really the Colonial powers leaving that caused war in many of those places, they all have a long history of violence against one and other. The problem wasn`t as noticed in the Colonial period as they shot trouble makers to keep the rest in line and cooperators were given "great gifts" such as steel machetes. And, they only traditions they did have were near constant tribal warfare.

The natives were a threat no matter what they just needed to fight in hit and run tactics using the environment I actually live near fort niagara and during one ambush a force of a dozen natives managed to annihilate a British convoy of about hundred

The reason why we don't really use true militias much in America anymore basically goes back to that sort of thing too. In a short war in the Midwest, some of the poorly trained local militia units managed to lose to the war party while it was trying to surrender. Which has to be one of the most unique ways to lose a fight that has ever been conceived.

[VictorValor]

How does Earth manage to sustain eleven billion souls? I remember reading in, I think it was, Engines of Creation, where Drexler stated that with sufficiently advanced nanotechnology, we could comfortably sustain eight billion people at an American middle class lifestyle (circa 1980). So, I suppose we could sustain eleven billion in relative poverty. You also mentioned that Earth's population were mostly concentrated in massive arcologies within the cities, to reduce such a massive population's environmental impact.

My questions are:
What would such cities like? I can't imagine they would be self-sustaining or self-contained as the archology concept concept was originally intended, but I'm guessing they're built to make the most efficient use of living space, while maximizing recycling and "security". How far off am I? How would the average Loroi react to these places?

Also, what will Earth be like once it goes full Arsenal of Democracy in support of the Alliance war effort? Both in terms of social and ecological impact.

[saint of m]

Currently we are at 7 billion. Unless something happens, probably by us, that puts us on the endangered species list, it might be conceivable to get that high.

[Charlie]

It wouldn`t be that hard, more effect use of space and better urban planning along with better farming methods.

I live on a property thats roughly eleven and half kilometers squared, currently there are six homes housing seventeen people. All of the house are very large, I estimated that ten times that number could easily live in comfort here, probably more. The problems would be finding enough water and electricity, however if the line were upgraded the problem would be solved.

My point is there is still plenty of space to house people, the problems would be in supplying them with everything. More people would mean; more cars on the roads witch would equate to more congestion, more need for hospitals, schools, food, water, the list would go on.

[fredgiblet]

How does Earth manage to sustain eleven billion souls? I remember reading in, I think it was, Engines of Creation, where Drexler stated that with sufficiently advanced nanotechnology, we could comfortably sustain eight billion people at an American middle class lifestyle (circa 1980). So, I suppose we could sustain eleven billion in relative poverty. You also mentioned that Earth's population were mostly concentrated in massive arcologies within the cities, to reduce such a massive population's environmental impact.

My questions are:
What would such cities like? I can't imagine they would be self-sustaining or self-contained as the archology concept concept was originally intended, but I'm guessing they're built to make the most efficient use of living space, while maximizing recycling and "security". How far off am I? How would the average Loroi react to these places?

25 billion actually. I expect that we could feed that today with some simple (but not necessarily pleasant) changes. Full distribution of the most effective techniques/equipment, full utilization of arable land, reduction in emphasis on luxury crops (coffee, chocolate, etc.). We already produce more than enough for the 7 billion we have (those starving people aren't starving because the food doesn't exist, but because it's not economically feasible to get it to them).

I can only imagine the reaction of a Loroi to a Tokyo train at rush hour.

[GeoModder]

I can only imagine the reaction of a Loroi to a Tokyo train at rush hour.

I can.

Banzai!!!

[JQBogus]

My point is there is still plenty of space to house people, the problems would be in supplying them with everything. More people would mean; more cars on the roads witch would equate to more congestion, more need for hospitals, schools, food, water, the list would go on.

Easy access to space, higher technology, and most people living in arcologies solve a myriad of those problems.

[Arioch]

The population of Earth has doubled in the last 50 years. And yet, the world is more prosperous (and more peaceful) than it was in 1963, but I doubt anyone in 1963 would have believed that if you'd told them. I think Earth's population will easily double in the next 150 years. It's true that in many developed countries the birth rates are falling, but lifespans are lengthening dramatically and I think they will continue to do so. The limiting factor of population is not physical living space but food production, and we're nowhere near the limits of food production at our current technology level, much less that of 100 years from now.



This is an era when millions of people are living on inhospitable alien worlds, so constructing habitats that are efficient and sustainable will be something that we're quite good at by that time. The large arcologies won't be totally self-contained or self-sufficient, but they will produce much of their own power and water/sanitation, and some of their own food, to reduce the impact on the total system. But I don't think that they would be radically different in character from high-density modern cities today, except for scale.

[saint of m]

I can see that. The US has one of the best food production in the word, and if so much did't go to waste, we'd probably see world hunger cut in half.

[Southern Cross]

I've been thinking about the destruction of the Bellarmine. It looked to me as if their attacker was waiting for them. The problem is, who would have known the Bellarmine's route besides the TCA? The question I want to ask is:
Did the other ships (beside the Prabhu) know the other scout ship's jump routes? (Being the tanker and communications relay, the Prabhu would have to know all the other Terran ships routes).

[Jakelope13]

Since the TCA is going to be ramping up production of warships and ammunition, will it be asking for advisors from the current form of the United States, Germany, and Britain for what to expect when shifting into a Total War nation? I'd imagine that they'd like to know what to expect when shifting from a peaceful organization to a warfighting one.

For that matter, will the Fleet be following other navies footsteps by randomizing the hull numbers on new construction, to disguise how many ships they actually have in their fleet?

[Arioch]

I've been thinking about the destruction of the Bellarmine. It looked to me as if their attacker was waiting for them. The problem is, who would have known the Bellarmine's route besides the TCA? The question I want to ask is:
Did the other ships (beside the Prabhu) know the other scout ship's jump routes? (Being the tanker and communications relay, the Prabhu would have to know all the other Terran ships routes).

Given the speed of travel in Outsider, it's hard to imagine that somebody could get information from one of the other scouts, and somehow make it all the way to Naam before Bellarmine got there. Not to mention knowing exactly where in the system she would go (to within a thousand kilometers, no less).

Since the TCA is going to be ramping up production of warships and ammunition, will it be asking for advisors from the current form of the United States, Germany, and Britain for what to expect when shifting into a Total War nation? I'd imagine that they'd like to know what to expect when shifting from a peaceful organization to a warfighting one.

The council that runs the TCA is made up of delegates from member nations, including those you mentioned. But it's not as if there's still anyone alive in those nations who has personal experience of total war (the last one having ended 215 years before).

For that matter, will the Fleet be following other navies footsteps by randomizing the hull numbers on new construction, to disguise how many ships they actually have in their fleet?

At the moment, neither side can even read our numeral system, so I doubt that's a high priority.

[cacambo43]

Arioch,

I realize you are mapping three dimensions to two, but based on the Steppes map, it looks like the Bellarmine had to cross through the edge of either Umiak or Loroi territory to get to Naam. Would those fringe systems have some sort of auto-beacon to detect ships jumping in or out? Could whomever attacked them have been on their trail because of this incursion, or should we assume those systems are really outside either Loroi or Umiak space and just "seem" to be in due to map projection issues?

CJSF

[Arioch]

I realize you are mapping three dimensions to two, but based on the Steppes map, it looks like the Bellarmine had to cross through the edge of either Umiak or Loroi territory to get to Naam. Would those fringe systems have some sort of auto-beacon to detect ships jumping in or out? Could whomever attacked them have been on their trail because of this incursion, or should we assume those systems are really outside either Loroi or Umiak space and just "seem" to be in due to map projection issues?

Human territory is higher on the z-axis (galactic North) than most of the Loroi and Umiak territory. Bellarmine came in to Naam from "above" the map.

[Hālian]

Any chance we could get a side-on view of the same area as that map, i.e. one where up/down is the z-axis?

[Arioch]

Any chance we could get a side-on view of the same area as that map, i.e. one where up/down is the z-axis?

I don't have one that's marked up with Outsider information on it, but here's a side view of the same 500-parsec region. On the left you can see the Taurus Dark Cloud and below it part of the Pleiades Bubble; to the lower right of that bubble is where Historian space begins.



What I find interesting about this view is that the Local Bubble forms a "chimney" that blows out the top and bottom of the Orion arm. The spiral arms are much, much wider than they are tall.

[GeoModder]

Even so, looks like the Local Bubble/Chimney is over twice as tall as it is wide. OB star associations blocking matter/particles at the edges of our Bubble perhaps?

[Arioch]

Well, the galactic plane is where the matter is concentrated, so there's less resistance below and above the plane.