Future of 1977 -vs- Future of 2010?

[Tellon]

I may have to dig out my masters thesis: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (no, really, that WAS my thesis!).

They were around as background services, perhaps, but no one paid any attention to them.

Nice Thesis ..

Robots -- as far as what I have dealt with (being an old Gama World player, with MT/Hard Times/TNE) it means robots are decently common

Janitorial bots -- being the vacuum cleaners, etc
Security Bots -- an armored trash can with a TL 10 AR & attached Grenade launcher -- lol
Medbots -- helping out in surgery rooms, etc

generally -- jobs that are considered hazardous or doesn't require much personal contact can be sees as a job that robots can do -- especially if the "work" is of a repetitive nature

thus -- manufacturing plants -- example: The LEGO plant in Denmark is totally robotic -- Japan also has several examples where humans just oversee things -- but all the work is done by bots... and it is generally TL 8 times were in now

so robots are much more common -- it is also political will -- as most people don't want to loose thier jobs to a robot -- while the employer loves bots (no paychecks, med insurance, they work hard and don't complain, etc) -- so it's a give & take situation

--

Cybernetics is a touchier situation -- it is obvius that cyberware is available, crude, and doable (limbs, eyes, etc) -- it just comes down to people and personal choice. Since obciously with certain advancements, I think the Japanese have even gotten exoskeletons made -- so that we are already seeing the percursors to Battlearmor. And we already have minature computers/electrodes for implants to give people sight and other modifications --

So cyberware -- however crude is currently still rare -- but it exists. Also, a political will sort of idea.

 

[howardfanatic]

Sorry I missed this conversation

This was an interesting thread. It's a shame the originator got upset. I can see that some replies were ruder than necessary, but it IS the internet, after all.
Anyway, my two cents:
I am VERY new to Classic Traveller. I've tried it in the past, but never connected or, more often, needed to raise some money so I sold it. I wondered the exact things about tech: why some was missing, should it be included, etc?, particularly in regards to nano-constructed materials, designer genes, clones, and quantum communications (that later is brilliantly illustrated by George Smith in his Venus Equilateral, btw).
Anyway, my conclusion was thus:
Traveller is an OLD SCHOOL rpg. The beauty of old school games was, and is, that they accepted and encouraged GMs to house rule things to create their own unique spin on the base campaign.
Thus, if you feel that some tech or other is missing from your Traveller campaign, it is a flaw in your house rules, not in the system.

 

[Commander Truestar]

WELL STATED!!!!!

Marc

This was an interesting thread. It's a shame the originator got upset. I can see that some replies were ruder than necessary, but it IS the internet, after all.
Anyway, my two cents:
I am VERY new to Classic Traveller. I've tried it in the past, but never connected or, more often, needed to raise some money so I sold it. I wondered the exact things about tech: why some was missing, should it be included, etc?, particularly in regards to nano-constructed materials, designer genes, clones, and quantum communications (that later is brilliantly illustrated by George Smith in his Venus Equilateral, btw).
Anyway, my conclusion was thus:
Traveller is an OLD SCHOOL rpg. The beauty of old school games was, and is, that they accepted and encouraged GMs to house rule things to create their own unique spin on the base campaign.
Thus, if you feel that some tech or other is missing from your Traveller campaign, it is a flaw in your house rules, not in the system.

 

[aramis]

Most of the originator's posts are quoted by others. I've found and restored the initial post's content after the snark and Dan's moderator comments from a later quote.

The discussion did diverge into two distinct discussions; I've been tempted to pull it out to another thread.

 

[Commander Truestar]

Most of the originator's posts are quoted by others. I've found and restored the initial post's content after the snark and Dan's moderator comments from a later quote.

The discussion did diverge into two distinct discussions; I've been tempted to pull it out to another thread.

Yes, I did see and do a lot of "reassembly" myself. early on there was a point by point reply that did very well at providing the orignal poster's initial post. So it was not that unfortunate issue which I was commenting on. Just that I had missed commenting early on.

Though I was dissapointed to see some of the language used and the orignal poster's reactions. I have been known to be direct and aggressive at times but...
Well, it is just sad. And I am sorry to have not been able to add to it in its time.

Marc