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WAG on murphyonic effect

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knnn:
So one of the things that's pretty universal is magic's effect on technology.   As Harry puts it, any tech after WWII gets affected, esp. electronics.

We also know from WoJ that magic didn't always affect technology, that Harry doesn't quite understand how things work, etc.

So here's the WAG:

What if the actual cause of the effect is the radiation put off by the first atomic bombs?   After all, Low background steel is a real thing (used for geiger counters).

Quantus:
I dont think it's that hard of a line, enough to indicate the shift there, or a shift all that quick for that matter.

Consider this one explaining the relative difference between a Car and a Gun, which seem to push further back for reliable designs (relative to Harry's prejudices.

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--- Quote from: jimbutcher on January 21, 2007, 05:22:55 PM ---
--- Quote from: Grise on January 18, 2007, 02:48:40 PM ---The 'Harry screws up guns' thing hasn't been seen for several novels now, and I sincerely hope it's something JB has decided to let go to dust.  First away, if Harry's disruption thing is so bad that it can mess up simple chemistry and even simpler mechanical operations, then howinblazes does his car ever work?  Orders of magnitude more complex, mechanically, chemically, and electrically speaking...

--- End quote ---
On the other hand, using a GUN in earnest tends to be a tad more emotionally (and therefore magically) engaging than your average drive in a car.  Proximity has a lot to do with it, too.  Harry's actually TOUCHING the gun, generally in his right hand (the hand that projects magical energy) to boot.  In fact, the gun is small enough that it's actually going to be encompassed by his bioelectric field (a very mild, but totally individual field of electromagnetic energy that the human body produces).

The car is a much larger (relative) object that is (relatively) farther away, even when Harry is driving under stress--and even so, the Beetle (and other cars) have broken down on-stage more often than guns have actually jammed on-stage.

And there are other factors involved of which Harry is not entirely aware.  Alas, that the viewpoint character is non-omniscient. :)

The rules aren't changing.  The proper circumstances just haven't all aligned the way they have in the other instances of guns glitching.

Jim

--- End quote ---

There's also the one that says it happens every 300 years or so; if the Atomic bomb plays a significant role then we'd want to look at similarly global events on that cycle. 

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--- Quote ---Dragon-Con @2:50
As technology advances, will wizards become marginalized?
It sort of depends on where magic goes.  Magic wasn’t always screwing up post WW2 tech.  Before WW2 magic had other effects.  It sorta changes slowly over time, and about every 3 centuries it rolls over into something else. At one time, instead of magic making machines flip out it made cream go bad.  Before that magic made weird molls on your skin and fire would burn slightly different colors when you were around it.  I do mention this in Ghost story (in passing).  It’s not really aware or something like that, but it is something that changes along with the people who use it. 
--- End quote ---

For that matter, a gas (or wood) powered water heater is technology that easily predates WWII, and likely predates electrical utilities.   

dspringer1:
I also believe that the switch to impacting technology happened  number of decades before the atomic bomb.  Before that it was curdling milk or weird moles or something like that. 

jonas:
Every 3 hundred years or so the stock of wizards alive is completely changed. So every generation the effects change(as the beliefs of each gen change in RL)

Mira:


Oh this is a scientific discussion!  I thought it was another debate about Murphy... ::)

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