strypey

strypey, 2 days ago (edited 9 hours ago)

The tense, evolving relationships between the crew were a combination of some fantastic dialogue from the writers of Blake's 7, and nuanced performances by both the regular cast and many of the guest cast. It would be hard to do justice to the onscreen chemistry that resulted. The atmosphere created by the eerie music and signature visuals could be easily spoiled by high-budget reproduction.

(2/?)

strypey, 2 days ago

Once you started trying to pick Blake's 7 apart and update it for a 21st century audience, you'd end up with a completely different show. Lots of more recent sci-fi shows could be seen as influenced by it, including Farscape (1999), Firefly (2002), and Dark Matter (2015).

But the premise of a crew of renegades struggling against an oppressive, interstellar empire is potentially just as inspired by Star Wars, which was released in cinemas a year before B7 started screening on British TV.

(3/3)

strypey, 2 days ago

@aligorith
> Didn't realise that was a "part" charge only. (And until a few years ago, thought that folks didn't actually have to pay for ambulances at all either)

I have never paid for an ambulance and never will. But I avoid calling them if driving the person to an A&E is an option. In fact, given some of the stories reported in that article, it might be quicker and cheaper to take a taxi to an A&E.

strypey, 2 days ago

@cloventt
> because I have tried to volunteer to work on an ambulance, and they do not seem interested

St John trains plenty of potential ambos through their cadets programs. Maybe the problem is a shortage of ambulances rather than a shortage of staff?

Which part of the country are you in? Are ambulances there run by St John or another provider?

strypey, 2 days ago

@cloventt
> Ōtautahi, so St John, and yeah maybe not enough vehicles, which also super sucks

Given the state of the ambulance service (and the health system in general), it would be great if more people were trained in first aid. That's also something St John do, and maybe that's an area you could volunteer in?

strypey, 2 days ago

Granted, once the Doctor gets the alien device that allows him to touch things we're into the realm of advanced technology indistinguishable from magic. I note that Red Dwarf did the same thing, with Rimmer getting his "light bee".

Maybe writing a character who can't touch anything, or be touched, just gets too limiting?

(3/3)

@zakalwe
@RickiTarr

strypey, 2 days ago

An AI trained on all available medical data, speech recognition and speech synthesis, and hologram projection within a confined space, can all be done with existing tech today. Even the concept of using a medical AI only in an emergency where a real doctor isn't available is realistic.

Giving the Doctor the ability to leave sickbay would have required replicating and installing a shit ton of projectors, but again, it would be possible with existing technology.

(2/3)

@zakalwe @RickiTarr

strypey, 2 days ago

@zakalwe
> That doesn't change that the concept was pure handwavium

We're still talking about Star Trek right? The show with warp drives, teleporters, phasers, replicators, holodecks, etc, etc, and you're picking on the concept of an emergency medical hologram as "pure handwavium"?

(1/3)

@RickiTarr

strypey, 2 days ago

@zakalwe
> A sort of ambulatory expert system — a consulting physician, not a trauma surgeon

Exactly. The lore of the EMH is that they're intended to instruct crew in performing advanced first aid on themselves or each other, in situations where the medical staff are overloaded or unavailable. Having to function as Chief Medical Officer forces the EMH well out of his comfort zone, just as Voyager's situation does for the rest of the crew. Creating some great character possibilities.

@RickiTarr

strypey, 2 days ago

@zakalwe
> Though as you 100% correctly point out, the Doctor didn't gain the ability to physically interact with things until a lot later

What I got 100% wrong was the origin of the device that allowed that. I said it was alien, but when I was looking up the name of the EMH's fictional creator, I saw it actually came from a time traveller from the far future.

Apparently Robert Picardo was initially sceptical of this change to his character's capabilities, but warmed to it.

@RickiTarr

strypey, 2 days ago

@zakalwe
> That's still an advanced alien, right? (Or was it actually a human time traveler?)

I'd have to rewatch the episode to be sure. But I suppose if we went a few centuries into the past and gave someone a 21st century device, we'd be seen as aliens ; )

@RickiTarr

strypey, 2 days ago

@cliffwade
> We already pay for hosting and everything else

I responded to a post that said;

> This isn't a paid position unfortunately as it would be volunteer just as is running most every instance here in the Fediverse

https://allthingstech.social/@cliffwade/112450814769515759

But yes, we seem to be talking past each other here. Sorry to have bothered you.

strypey, 3 days ago

I do think that railways lines themselves are a natural monopoly. If they are owned by for-profit companies, and especially if those companies can be bought out by those invested in car/ oil/ airline/ hyperloop etc, is unlikely to result in passenger-friendly development.

So railways either need to be (re-)nationalised, or heavily regulated to make sure decision-making prioritises the interests of passengers, and the network as a whole.

(6/6)

@sj_zero
@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago

The post you're replying to is just a jumping off point, as indicated by the (1/?) at the bottom. Did you read the whole thread?

@AccordionBruce

strypey, 2 days ago

@AccordionBruce
> I was responding as much to what was above with my random interjection

No worries. Just trying to figure out some more context before deciding if it needed a reply from me.

strypey, 2 days ago (edited 2 days ago)

@sj_zero
> you have to consider the total environmental cost of building and maintaining massive rail lines

As already mentioned - with network maps supplied - the rail lines already exist. Upgrading those has a tiny environmental impact compared to building them from scratch.

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago

@sj_zero
> stuff like trees don't hold carbon for very long in geological timeframes

Individual trees, no. Forests potentially. Where do you think coal comes from?

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago (edited 2 days ago)

@sj_zero
> When you're talking about tens of thousands of kilometers of rail, the amount of steel and cement required are almost beyond human comprehension

Bridges and such use concrete, but I'm not sure it's needed for most rail lines.

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago

@sj_zero
> I forgot to mention that a high-speed rail system needs to have a much different level of workmanship

I did mention that. I also mentioned that the upgrades can be done in stages. Fast trains can travel slow over unimproved sections, with travel times getting get shorter and shorter as more upgrades are done. Which is why they're a better choice than new tech like mag-lev, which can go faster, but entire lines have to be built from scratch.

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago

@sj_zero
> you can't do high speed rail on normal rail infrastructure

Again, that was mentioned in the thread you're replying to.

> you'd need a lot more material

As spelled out in an edit you may not have seen...

> the rail lines already exist. Upgrading those has a tiny environmental impact compared to building them from scratch.

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago

@sj_zero
> Coal almost exclusively comes from an era hundreds of millions of years ago called the carboniferous period before any organisms learned to digest cellulose

Huh. I did not know that..

>After that period, wood that would just sit there and sink into coal beds instead gets converted back into CO2 by fungi

... and reabsorbed by growing plants. As long as forests aren't cleared, they can hold carbon indefinitely.

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf

strypey, 2 days ago

@sj_zero
> Calling construction an upgrade doesn't mean it doesn't use material

Calling an upgrade "construction" implies ripping a path through unaltered countryside. It implies having to buy or seize the land required from existing owners.

Yes, the upgrades and ongoing maintenance have an ongoing resource cost. As does upgrading and maintaining roads, although I'd wager rail maintenance is much less resource intensive per kg carried than road maintenance.

@fgraver @AccordionBruce @tbaldauf