The Dresden Files > DF Books

How to use computers as a mage

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Fcrate:
I believe that Harry was experimenting with something like that in Larry Fowler's studio,  and it worked quite well until he lost control of his emotions.  But it was never mentioned again. Still,  a big enough room and screen, and a special voice activation mic could do the trick nicely. My friend is quadriplegic and he's a computer programmer.  He used one of those. A little expensive but worth it, as he's 6m away from the mic and it still works.

Regenbogen:
@Fcrate:
That would be an idea. Combined with the big screen or a beamer.

At Larry Fowler's Harry used a magic suppressing spell he had to concentrate a lot to keep it up. Strong emotions or exhaustion weaken the concentration. So a focus would be better. The wizard would just have to keep it going with a limited amount of power and concentration, and only when it starts to weaken. Not all the time.

Braincandy:
I've given this some thought from time to time. The simplest way would be to just see if you could by a PC off of Vaddurung, since his computer could not care less about Harry being near it.

After that, most of my ideas have been touched on. We saw some of it in action in Skin Game, when they had to get around the anti-wizard protections in Marcones bank. Thorn Manacles, creative uses of circles, etc. Another one would be to use running water. I could build a PC that sits inside of a water tank. As it is, people build them sitting open in a tank of mineral oil because it looks cool and it dumps heat like no other. You could enclose that and sit the whole thing a big water tank. If you could make a monitor waterproof, and I don't see why you couldn't, you could put the whole rig in a clear tank with running water and make it all but immune to the feed back. You'd still have problems with keeping a keyboard and mouse running but those are smaller problems.

g33k:
Distance alone is no protection; not when the wizard is focusing his will and intent on interactions with the internet via the computer.

Harry hexes things down at a distance regularly; granted, his long-range Hexus spell is specific and intentional, but we see him unwilling to even step into an Intensive Care ward; the one time I recall, he only did so when he could be sure he had empty rooms adjacent to the one where he was interviewing Pell, and he STILL kept the time to a minimum, and left ASAP.

And THAT was with him intentionally keeping his focus on Pell, on Pell's testimony, and symptoms.

To interact online, Harry would de facto be focusing his will upon the computer.  There's no other way TO interact with the internet.  It'd be one blown computer after another!

Similar with running water:  there is a dampening effect, but it's not a reliable warding.  In White Knight, Harry freezes a big chunk of water in the bay.  In Small Favor, Harry raises a shield while standing in open water.

The only reliable way I see, canonically, is for a muggle in a circle to run the thing, and follow Harry's directions.

Mind you, it could get pretty sophisticated...  Get a projector, and a screen outside the circle.  Harry could interact with this sceen largely as if it were a touchscreen, while the computer-operator, watching Harry carefully, could duplicate things on the active/electronic screen.

g33k:

--- Quote from: Braincandy on September 12, 2019, 06:25:53 PM --- I've given this some thought from time to time. The simplest way would be to just see if you could by a PC off of Vaddurung, since his computer could not care less about Harry being near it. 
--- End quote ---

I'm pretty sure those were magical devices that handled Monoc (and likely other Vadderung interests) via controls that looked a lot like advanced computers... but were not.  I sincerely doubt there was any default "internet connection."  Or any electricity, circuitry, etc.

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