The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
Better Guns for Dresden and Co.
jonas:
--- Quote from: namkcas on July 20, 2017, 04:50:13 PM ---In other words, as I said...the rules exist to make the stories work and don't think to much about it. Read my section on phones.
See the whole notion that Jim puts forth makes no sense for something like the scene in the Van in PG. Here is Harry - in a panic - tossing around magic...and the van works perfectly. And he is inside the van directly above the transmission. Why didn't it lock up?
So my view of this again is don't examine it too closely...there is a whole lotta...it is this way to make this story work.
--- End quote ---
The rules are not readily apparent without thought, but they exist and while they are mutable, they haven't changed yet in the pages of the stories that I've noticed. This isn't odd to me at all. You have to examine the evidence, both book and woj deductively. uhh let me try it this way.
Wizards effect technology because they are conflicted. that confliction this is what causes machines to break down. Said effect is actually wizards effecting probability, the randomness of luck.
It's contained to machines as even top wizards don't usually put off enough magical aura to do what say, meeting with mother winter would do, but the transfer can happen. Also because they are 'spirit callers' not necessarily of previously living beings but the spirits of the elements themselves, like in GS the ghosts can effect the van but not people. they aren't supposed to, and without manifesting(whih is bad juju) they can't. Wizards can effect people and obects inside others aura's because wizards are mortal, they possess the free will to do so.(technically, ghost can screw with the nautral order too, but notice if either a wizard or ghost do so they tend to go kooky for cosmic reasons)
Now notice when said conflict or belief of conflict fails to come into play, is when they aren't conflicted! guns pointed at Dresden misfire all the time. Dresden himself enjoys blowing out technology, that's prime reason why anything around him would go bonkers, deep down he wants it somewhere. Notice now that NEVER not once has Harry's gun ever misfired? He doesn't want it to! it's very clear cut to me but I might not have explained well enough. however I take great offence to the statement no single theory can explain it, mine can... if only I could explain it lol. Oh, and yea... that's totally an underestimation of jims ability to say they're that way to make the story work. of course they're there to make the story work. But not as silly plot devices that go one way or another depending on what makes the current story. the over arcing story.
I use this connection between magic and random luck to make my own connection between the 3rd fate, the chooser, Nemesis who meets out punishment and literal fortuna, luck. it's all the same thing. Before she was ousted she controlled magic to decide the fate of everything as much as MW destroys and MS is the source of creation.
*Notice milk stopped spoiling and skin conditions desisted as part of the magical effect, right around when people started to learn more about the world and contributing those things to reality based effects instead of bad luck or 'little demons', Ahhh think about it, milk was left out to ward away bad luck! It twas the focus to to be used against it, a talisman if you were. An what happened because of it? Random 'badluck' from wizarding aura's began to accumulate in milk causing it to spoil!
Shift8:
--- Quote from: KurtinStGeorge on July 21, 2017, 05:19:31 AM ---You left out the BAR and the StG 44 (or Sturmgewehr). However, in Cold Days Thomas pointed out that he didn't offer Harry the use of an automatic weapon because Harry is a lousy shot. It takes practice to fire these things accurately. I've fired the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun and a few other WW2 era guns. That thing wants to jump out of your hands, though there are some other weapons of that time period that are much easier to keep on target. However, I'm getting off topic here. The fact is Harry doesn't have a lot of time to practice new skills. For me, that's the only reasonable explanation for Harry not becoming a gun expert.
But I'm not dismissing your main point. I never really liked the idea that magic messes up modern technology. It seems too easy a fix to keep modern tech from interfering with or overpowering a story. I think both Ben Aaronovitch in his Rivers of London books and Benedict Jacka in his Alex Verus series have found different ways of not having modern technology interfere with the magical world. I especially like that British Light Council in the Alex Verus books uses non-magical mercenaries so the magic users can do their own thing.
--- End quote ---
I dont have any objections really to this, just want to add something.
It really depends on which full auto weapon he uses. Not to mention that for most tactical situations he would just want to use semi-auto. That being said, I have fired the M-16/M4 extensively in burst/auto. They are easy to control. Within 50m, you can pop a man sized target with ease. The mistake many people make when using full auto is they try to keep using the sights. The very first time I ever got to use the M-16 in burst, I found that I could repeated strike the 50m target over and over by aiming over the sights and just using my instincts to fire. I went through about 400 rounds in the space of about 20min and it was a real eye opener as to how useful and easy to use full auto can be in some circumstances: ie split second moving or simply brief targets at close range with little opportunity to aim. Also making a weapon smoke is fun :)
Zaphodess:
--- Quote from: namkcas on July 20, 2017, 04:26:27 PM ---3 - Computers: Remember Dead Beat and Butters and the GPS? Okay....so clearly Electro-Mechanical Waves pass through circles or we would not have had a functioning GPS. That means well Harry can have a completely modern computer and have it connected to the Internet! How so? There are 4 problems. One having an unbroken Circle around the computer...transmitting power to the computer...transmitting some form of Wireless Internet....being able to interact with the computer. All of these interactions can be accomplished by transmission of E-M energy across an air gap. The first is pretty easy. Telsa himself wanted to transmit energy through the air. For Harry it can be even simpler, with the use of magnetic coupling to turn an linear motor. The second is trivial as well...use wireless...remember Harry clearly does not interfere with cell service throughout Chicago. He interferes with nearby Cell Phones and so you locate the hotspot inside the circle with the computer. The 3rd was a problem for keyboard and mouse until I leaned about shaped magnets. This would allow for the creation of completely mechanical devices to interact with the computer across an air gap. Use the shaped magnets to represent different key strokes on a keyboard (shape and location being key). Mice are essentially location based anyway - so are detectable through an air gap. And poof Harry has a computer.
All of these items would essentially destroy our enjoyment of the stories but are supported by the reading of any of the books.
--- End quote ---
You don't really have to make the computer itself survive the Murphyonic field, just the user interfaces: keyboard, mouse, monitor, camera, mike, speakers. Put them in a circle (except for the keyboard and maybe a mouse, but they are probably not that easily destroyed and cheap to replace), have some strongly insulated cables running to your friend's place a couple of houses down and use his computer with internetconnection.
Shift8:
What Harry really needs (or doesn't, as the books have demonstrated that guns absolutely do not suffer from the the murphonic field) is a anti-murphonic field bracelet. It will be a plot device defeating plot device.
Mr. Death:
--- Quote from: Shift8 on July 21, 2017, 12:04:33 PM ---What Harry really needs (or doesn't, as the books have demonstrated that guns absolutely do not suffer from the the murphonic field) is a anti-murphonic field bracelet. It will be a plot device defeating plot device.
--- End quote ---
"Absolutely," huh?
Storm Front:
--- Quote ---There
were a number of sharp clicking sounds. The automatic had
jammed. Hell, with this much magic flying around the room, we
were all lucky the thing hadn't just exploded.
--- End quote ---
Grave Peril:
--- Quote ---One of the security men’s guns suddenly
jumped and twisted, and he cried out in pain, reeling back, blood
streaming from his hands and the ruins of his face.
Technology doesn’t tend to work too well around magic.
Including the feeding mechanisms of automatic weapons.
Two of the guns jammed before dumping their full clips, and the
others fell silent, spent.
--- End quote ---
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