Wizards and Computers

[Nomad]

I was reading Small Favor (again) in the weekend and Lucios intrest in Computers made me think about it. Is it possible to "ward" a computer against increased murphionic effects?

The basic fact is simple:
Anything that is more advanced than ww2 tech is going to get borked around a wizard.

The advanced facts are not so different:(Courtesy of Waldo Butters)
A Wizards body generates an steady low grade electric/magnetic fied
When a wizard is agitated, he subconciously leaks magic,
Solid State electronics, which are delicate against power surges, rough handling plus rogue magic leaks equals smoke.
A simple circle ward stops free magic and low grade attacks (and  supernatural creatures like small fae, ghosts, zombies, spectres. Essentially anything without free will or heavy in power scale)

So the simple answer is yes. Just put a laptop and a big self contained power source in a circle (Just like Mr Butters using a GPS device in Dead Beat). If the laptop has voice activation/command software then you can even use it from outside the circle.



But that is not the real deal. When we talk about computers these days, we don't just mean the "office" capabilities in the box. We are talking about the internet access. The whole deal.

So can we make a computer with internet access and keyboard / mouse support usable by wizards?


My answer is, it is probable. The most difficult problem is the most simple, can you make a simple circle ward with access points (2 circular magically inert "stone" disks that are covered with a very light permeable to certain substances (copper and whatever keyboard and mouse's strings will be) ward.)

Put the electrical opening as far away from the user as possible. Preferably a floor down so that you have solid (stone? concrete?) wall between you and that access point. Insulate the wires with passive anti-magic, Configure the ward on this stone circle to feed from the wires. If you can balance it properly (Molly not Harry) the wards will be eating the a small part of the current on normal use (a bit data loss on phone/dsl I guess) and in case of a surge, eat the excess. Add a couple of surge protectors and a ups or 2 and that part will be ok.

The input end is a bit trickier. The keyboard will probably resemble a typewriter instead of a modern keyboard and the mouse will be a mechanichal trackball instead of a ball mouse. The input will be carried to the access points via strings (of some inert substance.  Fishing line maybe?) which will be converted to normal input inside the main ward.

The ward on this access point is trickier. Imagine 3 layers, the innermost layer is a grounding ward that eats/vacuums very small amounts of magic on the inside (computer side) and passes it to the middle ward, the middle ward is designed to repel magic on the outside and the outermost ward is again designed to eat the ambient magic (this one is much stronger than the inner one) to fuel the wards.  

Add a camera and an optical mouse inside the circle. The camera and its software reads the typwriter(which is outside)'s input (something like http://www.scalesgalore.com/global/images/product_2/167/16779_250X250.jpg) and the optical mouse uses a moving surface connected to the track-ball as mouse pad (keep the mouse fixed and move the mousepad so to speak)


What do you think? Would this be possible?

[Drachasor]

I think technology could be created to handle what wizards do.  Of course, wizards are hidden, so little research goes into that.  Still, I'd think computers designed to withstand the EMP of a nuke could probably be safe for a wizard to use with maybe some extra precautions thrown in.

That said, here's how I'd do it with a warding circle:
Wireless keyboard and mouse, no batteries.  A camera on the computer reads hand movements and translates that into keypresses and the like.  One could probably design a more custom mechanic system than this that makes the camera reading easier though (or perhaps even a magic device that outputs light of proper intensity and color combinations that correspond to key presses).  Rather complicated magical device, but if little chicago is possible, a keyboard and mouse are too.  Again though, a camera would work pretty well (especially with a mirror so that it is focused over the hands).

[Nomad]

That (The camera to read the input) is a brilliant idea.  Add an optic mouse inside the ward, it's laser aimed to a movebable surface outside the circle,  one that moves as you use the track-ball. (Keep the mouse stationary and move the mousepad so to speak). This way you wont even need an access port near the user wizard!.

[CableRouter]

There was a company in the early 1990s that developed a virtual keyboard, it projected a keyboard onto a surface (like a table) with a laser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHKmQoS8oGY

Just put the computer and keyboard projector in a magic circle and you'd never have to worry about hexing it by accident.

[DominicJ]

You would have to worry about the damage you're doing to your fingers though, at least until you learn not to depress the "keys".

[Nomad]

Dummy keyboard?

[Fedifensor]

Add a camera and an optical mouse inside the circle. The camera and its software reads the typwriter(which is outside)'s input (something like http://www.scalesgalore.com/global/images/product_2/167/16779_250X250.jpg) and the optical mouse uses a moving surface connected to the track-ball as mouse pad (keep the mouse fixed and move the mousepad so to speak)

What do you think? Would this be possible?

It's a very complicated and delicate system, given its advanced nature.  It may work in the short-term, but I don't think it would last long.

Now, Harry used a suppression spell when he went on the Larry Fowler show.  It didn't turn out well...but he was under a lot of stress, and it's not an area of specialization for him.  I think a young wizard who specialized in suppression spells would have the best chance of using technology normally.  Use a big screen monitor and long cords for the keyboard and mouse so you can sit as far away as possible from the actual computer (which will be the most sensitive to magic).

[crusher_bob]

Another option would be to have someone build you a wizard friendly dumb terminal (that emulated a VT100, for example) which you could hook up to a more modern computer that was physically located much farther away.  That way, even if the terminal breaks, hopefully the actual computer will be protected from the damage, and the terminal is much easier to repair or replace.  This would give plenty of advantages to things like library sorting, searching, etc a department in which wizards seem to be sorely lacking.

[Nomad]

Fedifensor: You are missing the point. The simple circle ward stops all ambient and most of the direct magical energies . Remember how Mr. Butters was able to use a GPS in the middle of a huge magical storm.

If you put the electronics inside such a ward, and set up an optical or mechanichal input system immune to murphionic fields, no magical effect should hit the hardware (until sunrise?).

[Fedifensor]

Fedifensor: You are missing the point. The simple circle ward stops all ambient and most of the direct magical energies . Remember how Mr. Butters was able to use a GPS in the middle of a huge magical storm.

If you put the electronics inside such a ward, and set up an optical or mechanichal input system immune to murphionic fields, no magical effect should hit the hardware (until sunrise?).

The circle allowed short-duration uses of complex technology in the books.  However, eventually one of the following things will happen:
* The circle will accidentally be broken while the technology is in use.
* The magical energies will be strong enough to damage the tech even when it's turned off - the circle will come down eventually.
* The circle won't be powerful enough to completely stop the magical energies in the area (due to a bad roll, or the GM compelling one of your aspects).

As a GM, I would consider two factors when a wizard wants to use technology.  How much time and effort did the wizard put into overcoming that limitation?  Is it completely bypassing the inherent limitation of magic (and thus sidelining the Pure Mortal)?  I would be more lenient to a character who invested in Refinements specifically for this purpose than one whose total investment is a point or two of Resources and the creation of a single ward.

[luminos]

It may very well be impossible to use circles in the way you describe them, sadly we have no evidence about that.  My guess is that the act of will that allows you to break a circle by throwing a pebble through one will apply equally well to using a wireless device to affect something outside the circle.  Its an act of will having a tangible effect cross through the circle, thus breaking it.

[Nomad]

Coming from last to first;
-I think basic circle is strong enough, it was enough to shield butters from the spectres in DB. I am only aiming to negate the accidental discharges and natural (for wizards) static, not fireballs and tech-hexes.

-Yes there will be natural reset points but I think an active multi layered (light) ward construct on top of the basic circle would be enough to vacuum the ambient magic, shield the construct and give you (ambient) magic free space to reset the circle without too much static.

-I know this will sound overkill but remember the (destroyed) triple ward from the Fool Moon. I think a much weaker version would be enough to deal with an occasional anger burst or a fallen book.


Luminos: Hmm that may be true. I wonder if one could make a ward with gates in it? Then again Mr Butter did use a wireless/cell phone based device in a circle without breaking it...

[BigMrE]

Luminos: Hmm that may be true. I wonder if one could make a ward with gates in it? Then again Mr Butter did use a wireless/cell phone based device in a circle without breaking it...

Yes, but Butters isn't a wizard.  He was IN the circle being shielded from the magical energies, not his own inherent magical energies interfering with the cell/cordless phone.

Personally (and I have) said that I wouldn't allow a wizard to use technology on a long term basis.  It takes away one of the inherent disadvantages that wizards suffer.

[GruffAndTumble]

Wizards generating an advanced electromagnetic field is something Butters is guessing at. It is not an established canon fact. You want to make it so in your games, that's rad, but the canon actually leans against that theory, considering how an automatic with almost no vulnerability to electromagnetic fields (for example) can jam around a tense Wizard.

[theDwarf]

That said, here's how I'd do it with a warding circle

My own feeling was that knowing humans have the Internet maybe powerful Wizards have a Spectral Net that uses either crystal balls or similar devices and "Bobs" (either TV "Ghost in the Skull" versions or tethered Air Spirits) to create information relays and storage.  Been thinking on that ever since I first saw the TV show (read the books afterwards and thought maybe sprite type faes as "messengers" and such).