Archangel

Oh dear.  Having a bit of time on my hands since my brother's buggred off to the gym I decided to look into this whole 'meme thing'.  After about 30 minutes of reading I realised that technically I have been infected.

Oh no!  Unclean!  UNCLEAN!

Waaargh.

Not such a bad idea though.  I may have to spread this mind virus.  I particularly like the generosity.org project.

That's true, and the clothing industry was a bad example.  But in many ways that is why data processing and call centers services are being transfered over to India, China and so on - to save on costs.

If autofacs, especially the generic ones, are large one might save a great deal of money by placing autofacs in a country where rent and maintenance are cheaper.  

Made in China.  Made in China.  Made in China.  Made in China...

This got posted at a private board I frequent.  I thought it might be worth sharing with some of you 20/30something Gen-X wasters.

Get Prime

Oh.  Dear.

Now is NOT the time for triumphalism.  Now is NOT the time to mistake 'disagreement' and 'opposition' for 'hatred'.  Does anyone need reminding how Saddam came to power in the first place and whom supported him or at best failed to oppose him at critical passes?  No, now is NOT the time for blame either.

It matters far less how much 'good' or 'bad' has been done in the past by the US, but more the good that can and must be done in the future.  And not just by America.  The UN really needs to get its act back together.  In fact I was rather impressed by the low key nature of Mr. Bush's statement, far more appropriate than 'We got our man'.

And now?

Juicing the chap for information to help: sort the quagmire, prevent future attacks on both native and occupation personnel, and maybe root out the remaining cancerous tendrils of the old regieme.

And the trial.  Now this will be interesting and telling.  On the one hand we have a trial in Iraq.  Very Talmudic: 'Only he whom has been wronged can judge the transgressor.'  An option already been refered to as 'natural justice', though personally I cringe at the title.  Also there may be suspicions levelled at an American hand behind those procedings, though I do not believe that to be an entirely fair or worthy accusation.

On the other hand we have the possibility of an international trial, posing the benefits of a greater pool of judicial talent to draw from but risking further alienating the Iraqi people by denying what is arguably their right to justice.

It's interesting reading the news in India - seeing proceedings from outside my own country has given me a slightly broader perspective, especially as India seems to have been very neutral over the capture.  I think the response of the Indian representatives was, 'We have noted Saddam's capture.'

Just the Americans?  One would hope that the newfound goodwill would spread to include the Coalition as a whole, though admitedly the Americans are the figurehead and most visible component.

Don't forget the cost of the Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software and the extremely expensive licensing fees for creating trademarked goods.

It strikes me that autofacs would cause a new division of law enforcement for fraud/forgery to be put together, much like the emerging computer crime units around the world.

Sorry chaps, I don't do photos.  I look enough of a tourist as it is, being as white as an anemic snowman.

Duty aside, now for commentry.

I have to say that I am impressed.  I honestly did not expect for the Ace of Spades turn up this early, if at all.  Naturally there are a very rogue paranoid thoughts (What if this is just another body double?  What if it's in the Coalition's interests to claim a genetic match), but I recognise them for what they are.  And even if it isn't the real mcoy I've got a feeling that it won't really matter - it is an important symbolic victory, something the Coalition has needed since their 'victory'.

Good to know.  And even if it isn't really him (say, the US admin packaged him off to a little tropical island somewhere months back) the symbolism is crucial.

Maybe the Coalition will finally earn a little more kudos after the initial 'victory'.

For once my cynicism over Iraq does not brim over.  I reckon it is him.  I reckon that there's going to be a bit of a ruck over what to do with him, ranging from putting him on International Trial, US led Trial, or taking him to a CIA 'interrogation center' for a few months.

Blood?  No.  I don't want him punished (yet).  I want him used to the fullest potential as an information source to help stablise Iraq.  Squeezed dry.  I don't want to see him used as an icon of victory by the Coalition, though this seems hard if not outright impossible to avoid.

Good show chaps.

At the time of writing other news agencies seem to have been completely caught off guard, though it seems likely this story will circulate extremely quickly now that news.bbc have something up.

Incase news.bbc.co.uk gets hammered into the floor, here is the text from the printer friendly version of the above article.

-=+=-

Saddam Hussein arrested in Iraq

Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is in US custody following his dramatic capture by US forces in Iraq.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," US administrator Paul Bremer told journalists in Baghdad, to loud cheers from Iraqis in the audience.

The former leader was found hiding in a cellar at a farmhouse about 15km (10 miles) south of his hometown Tikrit.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has welcomed the news, saying it "removes the shadow" hanging over Iraq.

Saddam Hussein, 66, is the most wanted man on the list issued by US authorities but has not been seen since Baghdad fell to US forces in April.

We got him

Paul Bremer

US chief administrator in Iraq Watch the statement

Video footage apparently showing a dishevelled-looking Saddam with a long black beard in custody receiving a medical check up was shown at the press conference.

Saddam Hussein was found following intelligence indicating he was at one of two possible locations south of Tikrit, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq, said.

Colonel Sanchez then described the sequence of events:

US forces head to the area and conduct intensive searches in Al-Dawr

US forces find "rural farmhouse"

"Spider hole" or cellar camouflaged with bricks and dirt and about six to eight feet (1.8m to 2.5m) deep located in farmhouse

Saddam Hussein found inside and arrested at 2030 local time (1730 GMT) on Saturday - US says he offers no resistance

Two unidentified people said to be "close allies" of Saddam Hussein arrested and weapons and more than $750,000 cash confiscated.

Intensive search

Iraqi Governing Council head Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim was quoted as saying that a DNA test had proved the man in custody was Saddam Hussein.

President George W Bush is due to speak about the arrest in an address to the nation from the White House at about 1700 GMT.

Saddam Hussein had been the object of intensive searches by US-led forces in Iraq but previous attempts to locate him had proved unsuccessful.

People have started celebrating the capture of their former president in the streets of Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk by sounding their horns and firing into the air.

The former Iraqi leader was last seen in television footage shot in April at a Baghdad market just before the city fell to US forces in the recent Iraq conflict.

US authorities had offered a $25m reward for information leading to his capture.

On 22 July his sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in a raid by US forces in the northern city of Mosul.

In October, US officials said they had intelligence indicating Saddam Hussein was hiding in Tikrit.

They said he seemed to be moving around various safe houses with the aid of family members, often in disguise.

Saddam Hussein was born in Tikrit and has a tight network of family and clan ties which permeated all of the regime's main military, security and political institutions while he was in power.

Coalition authorities have said that the former Iraqi president could be tried at a war crimes tribunal, with Iraqi judges presiding and international legal experts acting as advisers.

Meanwhile, violence continued in Iraq on Sunday, with at least 17 people killed and 30 wounded after a powerful car bomb exploded at an Iraqi police station in Khaldiyah, about 35 miles (60 km) west of Baghdad.

US officials say it may have been a suicide attack.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3317429.stm

Published: 2003/12/14 14:42:09 GMT

© BBC MMIII

-=+=-

This first post will be quick, so apologies for brevity or if someone else is also creating a new thread of this topic.

Apparently Saddam Hussein has been arrested.

News.BBC Article.

Bear in mind we're talking about a setting that involves function neural-machine interfaces, biotech and other groovy chicklets.  Seems likely that some form of fully automated assembly would be possible.  Returning to the original thrust of the thread, it seems likely the equipment and software would be quite expensive and quite likely wrapped in Intellectual Property issues (especially the software to make trademarked goods).

At a guess I reckon that most places would rent an autofac unless they were disgustingly rich enough to buy or even build their own.  I can see Militech having ordanance autofacs, whilst Massive Clothing Giant Corp would probably run a load of clothing autofacs out in China or India.

And, oh my, stolen autofacs would go for extortionate prices for people wanting to make production run quantities of knockoffs.  And if you managed to get one of the source autofacs or even just the software it might be very difficult to tell knockoffs from genuine articles unless there was a massive turnover in authenticity technology.

I think nanofactories were implemented in the Cybergen2027 setting.  These were described as photocopier sized machines capable of producing most consumer goods given the right materials and programming.  Not unlike a primitive version of Startrek replicators using material nanotechnology instead of field technology.

In games I have seen (and written up) autofactories as anything from the above to warehouse sized entirely automated production runs.  Some have been relatively generic (e.g. autofacs for electronic goods), others have been specific (e.g. cars) whilst some have been specialised (e.g. making SMGs of a certain amke and model).  A common thread was that the more specialised an autofac was, the smaller it would be.

Perhaps they were never nailed down in most of the official material so that storytellers could use their own initiative.  On the other hand it could have easily been laziness.

On a side note, one addition I made to nanofacs was the use of a series of Universal Purposed Materials (UPMs) which could be produced that would contain concentrated amounts of the materials needed in certain types of nanofacs.  For example the UPS for food generally contains concentrated vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and other useful elements in a substance that looked not unlike mulch.  Indeed, food nanofacs ran on 'sausages'.  

Similar substances for electronics (silicon and plastic rich bars), mechanical devices (ingots of layered metal) and so forth could also be used, with the big aim of being able to crack the ultimate UPS that could be used for virtually anything whilst still being portable.

A modern philosopher's stone, as it were.

With the wacky borg folk, fishpeople and the chaps that lived in flaoting cities?  Or was that just a wind-up press release by R Tal and the Boys?

If it isn't I think I shall just stick to my own Archangel Cycle, running from 2020 to 3000, with a nice little post apocalyptic 'fantasy' setting where all the funky magical/superantural stuff is the remnants of supertechnology left over from the 4th Millenium of Man.

Sucker.  You know that roleplayers don't get to have sex with anyone but themselves.  Be sensible now.

The Long Hello

Well hot damn, my brother and I made it to India without being smeared across Baghdad.  How rare!

It's turning out to be a unique and enjoyable experience.  The weather is like a pleseant English summer - warm and clear skies but neither hot nor humid.  A very welcome change indeed from the rain and gloom of home.

We're staying with our parents in a nice bit of Hyderabad in what appears to be an idlicic three story marble tower including spiral staircase with a landing overlooking the bottom floor.  There is also a basement with an absolutely massive bit of rock.  Hyderabad is built on a basalt plateau and houses are mostly excavated around here.

Our parents have a quality driver called Arif, an absolutely indispensible chap whom is honestly the closest I have ever seen to a Fixer in real life.  He's a polite chap whom knows how to get just about anything you desire at an extremely cheap rate.  He also has a black belt in Indian Driving, something I will elaborate on below.

It is quite unusual to be in a less than 1% minority, being as white as a snowball.  Fortunately the attention I have received has merely been curious as opposed to openly hostile.  However I am glad that I am usually with Arif when out and about.  The culture of service also took some adjusting to - chaps to open the car door when one gets out, and at the opulant local hotel's gent's a chap turns on the taps and hands you a hand towel.  Fortunately I am English, dammit, so I find it easier to go with the flow.

Being driven around the city is certainly a unique experience.  There are all manner of vehicles in use from boneshakers to three wheeler taxis, moris minors, mopeds and motorbikes (often with two passengers) and cars.  Roads vary from the extreme between dual carriage ways or dirt roads with little middle ground.  There appears to be little or no lane control, vehicles weave from lane to lane and between each other, and the whole experience seems quite chaotic at first.

However there seems to be pattern in the apparent disorder.  Horns are used frequently, not in frustration but to let other motorists know where you are.  My respect for the apparently psychotic driving of the general Indian populace increases with each journey, especially as I usually ride shotgun.

There is poverty here but it does not seem to be extreme or crushing in Hyderabad, and the work ethic out here puts every previous nation I have visited to shame.  No wonder so many call centers and data processing centers are being relocated over here.

The only minor downside is that I cannot easily go off for a walk by myself, spirits are quite steep (though fortunately I am not a heavy drinker), and there is no opportunity to rock the ganj.  

These are nothing compared to the slice of paradise that I am currently enjoying, seeing my parents for the first time in 9 months and generally not having to worry about much until I go home and sort out relocating for my new job in the New Year.

On Monday I will be starting my new job at the other end of the country. Then I will be coming back home on Tuesday night, probably quite late.  And on Wednesday 10th Dec midday my brother and I will be flying out to India to visit our parents.  We will be coming back on the 28th Dec.

During this time it's probable that I will not have Internet access, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Consumer Whore New Year.

And how!

EMP points stacked for cyber?  Just a balancing mechanic - this character must waste points they could be spending on other stats.  Cyberware swallows stats points.

I reckon the best nutters do have a high empathy.  I do not believe that high Empathy = Nice Guy.  What it does mean is a person entirely capable of acting like a nice guy if they want to, but otherwise being able to read your emotions really well and understand you motivations.

Dangerous weapons.

In fact I have a theory that most Empathy 9-10 characters would generally slide towards manipulative behaviour simply because it's just so easy.

You made a html file for your background, yeah?  Smooth.  I hadn't realised it could be made to look that slick.  Nice one.

Well someone has to keep the damned towelheads in place, yah?

Space race as the next big thing?  Maybe.  I still think the current big thing (Internet) is going to lead to some reshaping of how politics work.  Instantaneous information, many more chances to cock up or reach people otherwise not interested in politics.

Space may take the front ground again if cheaper way to launch vehicals is successfully fimplemented, like that wacky railgun/catapult idea banded around a few years back.

Sometimes it gets a bit sureal around here as the giant purple tendrils growing out of my nipples devour my childhood.

Too right.  Just imagine how great it would be if all those eurofags kicked off on one middle eastern country every two or three years no matter what people say or do.  Together we'd be able to flatten the whole of the middle east in a few decades and turn it into a giant fckoff wallmart or something.

Quote (Bunnycakes @ Dec. 02 2003,12:09)

You wouldn't think something like the net could be that dangerous would you.

I remain skeptical.  I've known people drop out (or perform significantly worse) apparently due to internet abuse, playing comptuer games, rpging too much, or the all time classics of too much sex or drugs.

Sometimes I can't help feel that there are some people that would find something to cock things up over.

Quote (Dog Soldier @ Dec. 01 2003,20:02)

Yes please,  peanut butter is my favorite.  If you don't deliver in a timely manner I will of courset be forced to bomb the hell out of you,  with me being American and all.  I sure you understand

But isn't Britain supposed to be America's bested bumchum these days?  Surely you should be threatening to bomb Syria or something in your ongoing quest to piss the rest of the planet off and make your allies squirm uncomfortably?

Congratulations.  Would you also like a cookie for not mentioning Afghanistahn?  Damn, I'll have to go get a few more truckloads for the all the news agencies that have also won the same special prize.

No.  Never.  I tend not to invite asshats to my games.  Keeps things simple and stops myself from being tempted to petty acts of vengence.