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Clinton1011 posted:There are super magic computers in the dresdenverse. Donar Vadderung has one & Harry asked if he wanted to turn it off before he got any closer so it wouldnt fry. Donar just laughed at him. Yeah but Are we still spoilering stuff about Donar? Changes wasn't a few years ago.
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Nov 30, 2015 20:36
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I thought The Ateocity Archives was a bit of a slog for the first 100 pages or so. Once they get to Amsterdam it picks up. I think it suffers for having all this jargon explaining how magic works (and I get that Stross wants to create this sense of verisimilitude for the setting) and not really doing very much with it. When it stops being "User's Manual 2004" and becomes "Castle Wolfenstein" it's a lot more entertaining. I don't actually know much about Stross beyond him working with computers before he became a writer. I remember him being pro-independence during the Scottish referendum last year but I can't remember if it was because THE TORIES THE TORIES THE TORIES THE TORIES THE TORIES or if he had sophisticated reasons.
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Nov 30, 2015 20:44
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Blasphemeral posted:
It's not urban fantasy, but in Discworld, there's a literally a computer (named Hex, of course) that operates via ants crawling through tubes and through punch card holes.
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Dec 1, 2015 00:06
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Indeed.
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Dec 1, 2015 00:09
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thrawn527 posted:Wait, what's this part? Has he written about this someone? What methods was she teaching that he worked into the book? Not sure exactly where, that link might be one place, but he gets asked a lot about it in Q&As. Check out his Q&As on youtube - he's actually a really funny guy to listen to, they're worth the time.
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Dec 1, 2015 00:31
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Slanderer posted:EDIT: oh for fucks sake Arguably a better title, since at least it wouldn't mix google results with white supremacists.
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Dec 1, 2015 00:47
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Slanderer posted:I think it's from this interview. The witch doctor curse story has to be heard - it's hilarious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDJDn-ggqOo Story starts at about the 1:30:00 mark (The rest of the interview is pretty good, too)
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Dec 1, 2015 00:55
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Tunicate posted:Arguably a better title, since at least it wouldn't mix google results with white supremacists. My main gripe is with "The Dresden Chronicles, Book One". I think there are enough lovely fantasy paperbacks with titles like "SHARDS OF L'JALKL: BOOK 1 OF THE BURNING QUEEN CHRONICLE" or "the oiled man: book 3 of the fuckboi cycle". Thank god we got a lovely fantasy paperback with a slightly less stereotypical name!
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Dec 1, 2015 06:57
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Slanderer posted:The book was then called "The Dresden Chronicles, Book One: Semiautomagic." All I can think of after reading that name is this: 
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Dec 1, 2015 07:48
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Clinton1011 posted:There are super magic computers in the dresdenverse. Donar Vadderung has one & Harry asked if he wanted to turn it off before he got any closer so it wouldnt fry. Donar just laughed at him. I always figured that was someone finally figured out the same thing Butters was working towards, and just made a Faraday cage that worked on magic as well. Tech works around Harry as long as it's in a circle, so maybe a more refined circle, or even as Harry said in one of the books that a circle doesn't have to be an actual circle, it just helps. Someone with enough skill and power (like Donar) could probably make a computer that had a circle built into the case to protect it. Make it part of the monitor as well and the whole thing should work no matter what you throw at it.
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Dec 1, 2015 08:04
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If a single wizard thought to hire an an engineer or two and clued them in, they could have an awful lot of technology work fine around them. Since circles allow photons, sound and several other non-magical energy forms through them, it's quite simple to create transmit information/commands through a circle to control objects. Generating light for example, can be done very simply, both magically and non magically outside the circle to send messages. The hardest part is creating a system to modulate it as necessary using as pre-'40s tech and/or magic. There's no reason harry couldn't run a 19th century typewriter interface to a modern computer in a circle with a little engineering and use keyboard commands everywhere. A glorified low-tech wireless keyboard. A mouse is a little harder to low-techify. Alternatively he could just wear some elven (non-magnetic metal) thorn manacles and Butters could take all the MRI's he wanted. Shanakin fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Dec 1, 2015 |
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Dec 1, 2015 08:24
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MildShow posted:The witch doctor curse story has to be heard - it's hilarious. That story (as is this whole video) is amazing. Thank you for posting this.
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Dec 1, 2015 20:35
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In the next book, harry puts on thorn manacles, gets on the internet for the first time, discovers goatse, and never returns
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Dec 1, 2015 21:24
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seaborgium posted:I always figured that was someone finally figured out the same thing Butters was working towards, and just made a Faraday cage that worked on magic as well. Tech works around Harry as long as it's in a circle, so maybe a more refined circle, or even as Harry said in one of the books that a circle doesn't have to be an actual circle, it just helps. Someone with enough skill and power (like Donar) could probably make a computer that had a circle built into the case to protect it. Make it part of the monitor as well and the whole thing should work no matter what you throw at it. My suspicion is that Vadderung has enough control over the physics of his own demesne that random chaotic effects like computers frying out aren't an issue there.
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Dec 2, 2015 01:04
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A similar effect is probably in play at Molly's apartment, what with it being under the Aegis of the Svartalves.
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Dec 2, 2015 01:20
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With Vadderung I totally figured it's a Will thing. He expects that computer to keep working, so it's going to keep loving working because He says so. With the Svartalfs I figured it was because they're Just That Good.
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Dec 2, 2015 04:08
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I forget where I read it so it might be WOJ but Luccio is really interested in computers and computer theory. If she never gets adjusted enough to her new body to start making swords again, she might be in a good position to start making magical computers or interfaces.
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Dec 2, 2015 04:48
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Dr. MonkeyThunder posted:I forget where I read it so it might be WOJ but Luccio is really interested in computers and computer theory. If she never gets adjusted enough to her new body to start making swords again, she might be in a good position to start making magical computers or interfaces. I want to say it comes up in Turn Coat, but I am not 100% positive.
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Dec 2, 2015 13:37
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docbeard posted:I want to say it comes up in Turn Coat, but I am not 100% positive. Small Favor. It's before she and Harry start dating.
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Dec 2, 2015 19:17
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She just says she reads about them. She still can't use them.
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Dec 2, 2015 23:42
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Rygar201 posted:She just says she reads about them. She still can't use them. I know, I was inferring that with her 200 years experience, interest in the topic, and potentially 300 years left(her new body's younger than Harry) she might be able to cover a lot of ground researching potential wizard technology interfaces, or even invent a magical method of digital logic that others can build on.
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Dec 3, 2015 21:20
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You know, it occurs to me while re-reading the series (I'm just finishing Cold Days at this point) that while mortals see Harry as this socially awkward loon, by the end of Cold Days Harry should be absolutely terrifying to any supernatural being, and nobody should take him for granted. I mean, just reading the books, if his enemies know even half of what he'd done, very few would mess with him. I mean, by the time he comes back in Cold Days after the events of Changes and Ghost Story, I don't think there's any supernatural threat under the level of the Fairie Queens that would possibly mess with him.
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Dec 6, 2015 07:30
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Two books before Cold Days he took a completely non-magical bullet to the chest and went down for the count, and that was after getting his Winter Knight mojo. Also, for a bit of perspective: Harry's pretty junior for a wizard. Any of the Senior Council could hand him his rear end on a platter without breaking a sweat. Red Court went to war against them anyways, and it was actually winning for a while.
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Dec 6, 2015 08:54
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Khizan posted:Two books before Cold Days he took a completely non-magical bullet to the chest and went down for the count, and that was after getting his Winter Knight mojo. And he came back from that too, I'd see that as even more reason not to mess with him rather than the other way around.
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Dec 6, 2015 10:23
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Gygaxian posted:You know, it occurs to me while re-reading the series (I'm just finishing Cold Days at this point) that while mortals see Harry as this socially awkward loon, by the end of Cold Days Harry should be absolutely terrifying to any supernatural being, and nobody should take him for granted. I mean, just reading the books, if his enemies know even half of what he'd done, very few would mess with him. I mean, by the time he comes back in Cold Days after the events of Changes and Ghost Story, I don't think there's any supernatural threat under the level of the Fairie Queens that would possibly mess with him. He mentions time and again that the senior members of the White Council could hand him his rear end without breaking a sweat. And the Black Council probably could as well. Definitely Cowl.
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Dec 6, 2015 18:32
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Khizan posted:Two books before Cold Days he took a completely non-magical bullet to the chest and went down for the count, and that was after getting his Winter Knight mojo. True, but by the time he comes back, he's killed a Summer Lady, destroyed the Red Court, survived taking on the Denarians, and etc. While most of the Senior Council could crush him, how many people that aren't them know that?
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Dec 6, 2015 19:02
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Harry mentions a few times I think that members of the counsel fear him a bit due to stories of things he has done. The one i remember off the top of my head is near the end of turn coat.
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Dec 6, 2015 19:45
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Yeah they know what he's done but not the How. So most people with sense are terrified of him.
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Dec 6, 2015 23:10
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Rygar201 posted:Yeah they know what he's done but not the How. So most people with sense are terrified of him. That was part of the reason Chicago started getting worse while Harry was dead. Most everything was at least aware that Harry didn't take kindly to people messing with Chicago, and based on his track record he was at the very minimum going to gently caress with you, if not destroy you for doing something there. Molly for sure, and I'm pretty sure Murphy state flat out that supernatural predators/evil dudes stayed away because Harry was there, and as soon as he was gone they started moving in. At some point the Fomor are going to have to be the focus of a book, as right now they're kind of background noise but they have to be doing something will all the low level talents they're scooping up. And if they can keep the White Council occupied enough in Europe to risk a fairly big Way station in Chicago they have to be fairly powerful.
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Dec 7, 2015 03:35
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Oroborus posted:Harry mentions a few times I think that members of the counsel fear him a bit due to stories of things he has done. The one i remember off the top of my head is near the end of turn coat. Rygar201 posted:Yeah they know what he's done but not the How. So most people with sense are terrified of him. *insert White Council Dresden dossier here*
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Dec 7, 2015 05:06
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Dr. MonkeyThunder posted:I know, I was inferring that with her 200 years experience, interest in the topic, and potentially 300 years left(her new body's younger than Harry) she might be able to cover a lot of ground researching potential wizard technology interfaces, or even invent a magical method of digital logic that others can build on. Don't wizards get older than 300, I thought it was 400-500-ish.
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Dec 7, 2015 07:19
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Wizards can stay alive longer than 300, depends how battered they get.
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Dec 7, 2015 09:21
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Most of the Senior council is 300, give or take a decade or two, with the exceptions of the youthful Cristos and the Ancient, Mai. I'm pretty sure Ancient is a White Council title though it hasn't been explicitly stated. Dresden said in TC that Ebenezar was starting to feel the physical effects of his age, and he fought in the French and Indian War as a young man.
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Dec 7, 2015 14:56
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bowmore posted:Wizards can stay alive longer than 300, depends how battered they get. If getting battered lowers a wizard's life expectancy, Harry's should be around that of a normal human's by now.
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Dec 7, 2015 15:57
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Is captain Grimm basically supposed to be Harry if he had a flying pirate ship?
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Dec 7, 2015 15:59
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Azuth0667 posted:Is captain Grimm basically supposed to be Harry if he had a flying pirate ship? No. Harry isn't nearly as suave as The Grim Captain.
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Dec 7, 2015 16:09
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Rygar201 posted:Most of the Senior council is 300, give or take a decade or two, with the exceptions of the youthful Cristos and the Ancient, Mai. I'm pretty sure Ancient is a White Council title though it hasn't been explicitly stated. Dresden said in TC that Ebenezar was starting to feel the physical effects of his age, and he fought in the French and Indian War as a young man. It's as least as much a descriptive title as it may be a positional title. Her age is somewhere well above 400, at least. Or so we've been told.
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Dec 7, 2015 16:25
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thrawn527 posted:If getting battered lowers a wizard's life expectancy, Harry's should be around that of a normal human's by now. though something tells me he will have healed his broken back with wizard healing factor by the time he gets rid of the mantle
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Dec 7, 2015 21:50
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Azuth0667 posted:Is captain Grimm basically supposed to be Harry if he had a flying pirate ship? He doesn't have anywhere near the problems with authority. Or women. Grimm is pretty cool tbh.
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Dec 7, 2015 23:52
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Zore posted:He doesn't have anywhere near the problems with authority. Or women. He really is, and doesn't feel like he's trying too hard. Bayard kind of does, but in a believable way.
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Dec 8, 2015 00:06
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