Modern Writers & TOS Technology

[Rosalind]

BolianAuthor, like LightningStorm, I strongly suggest that you put Christopher on ignore, whether through using the board's tools or simply skip over all of his posts in the future. Because you're the one who's making a mountain out of a molehill here, and pulling this thread way off topic.

Before you say anything, this has nothing to do with Christopher being an author, he has received infractions in the past when he breaks the rules. In this case, he hasn't done anything wrong. I know you think he's targeting all your posts, and you think there is a pattern here, but if you look at all of Christopher's post when there's a discussion going on, then you'll see this "pattern" applies to almost all of them regardless who he's arguing with. If one day Christopher just posts "I agree", then I'm going to ask the admins to check if his account has been hacked.

Now, let's please have the thread back on topic.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Christopher's our android Vulcan. The "L" stands for "Verbose".

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

Fair be it... I'm not putting anyone on the BBS on ignore, because I don't mind hearing everyone's POV... I just don't want to be "talked down to" when someone replies to me... that may sit well for others, but not for me. He may not have done anything wrong, but neither have I.

If one day Christopher just posts "I agree", then I'm going to ask the admins to check if his account has been hacked.

If he ever replies to another one of my posts that does not conflict with his, he will. Otherwise, he can refrain from replying.

But in the interests of board peace, as you say, this will end here... I'm a Mod myself on 2 other sites, so trust me when I say I'm not trying to stir trouble with this... I just want MY point of view respected by Christopher, if his POV is to be respected as well. He's an author, and I'm an author... that has nothing to do with it... it's about what's only fair.

 

[Christopher]

Objecting to the shorthand puzzles me. Using abbreviations has been a part of written language for nearly as long as there has been written language. Texters use abbreviations for the same reason people have used them for millennia: because it saves time and effort. And since Picard was in a hurry, it makes perfect sense that he would've used abbreviations. I mean, it's not like he typed "lol brb" or anything like that.

 

[kkozoriz1]

I mean, it's not like he typed "lol brb" or anything like that.

Nah, that's more a NuTrek thing.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I mean, it's not like he typed "lol brb" or anything like that.

Was not "S.O.S" a certain famous abbreviation sent via Morse Code, when there simply isn't time to tap out "Save Our Souls"?

 

[Cicero]

^ No, actually. The signal originated in Germany, where, both of those phrases would have been abbreviated S.U.S. Officially, it was codified as "Ships in distress shall use the following signal: · · · — — — · · · repeated at brief intervals." In Morse Code, this can be taken as S.M.B, V.T.B., I.J.S., or S.O.S. Of those, S.O.S. happens to be the easiest to remember in Morse Code.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Of those, S.O.S. happens to be the easiest to remember in Morse Code.

So yes, actually.

 

[Christopher]

^No, the point is that it's not actually an abbreviation. It's just the opposite, in fact -- first came the distress signal pattern, then came the letters SOS as a mnemonic for it, then came "Save Our Souls" as a mnemonic (folk etymology) for SOS.

 

[DimesDan]

^No, the point is that it's not actually an abbreviation. It's just the opposite, in fact -- first came the distress signal pattern, then came the letters SOS as a mnemonic for it, then came "Save Our Souls" as a mnemonic (folk etymology) for SOS.

But does it actually matter which way round it happened?

 

[sfroth]

But does it actually matter which way round it happened?

Only when someone specifically says that the abbreviation came second:

Was not "S.O.S" a certain famous abbreviation sent via Morse Code, when there simply isn't time to tap out "Save Our Souls"?

which is factually not true.

 

[Christopher]

"Abbreviation" doesn't just mean a set of letters. That's an acronym or an initialism. To abbreviate is to shorten -- literally, to make brief. So you can't use the word "abbreviation" to describe something unless it is a shortened form of something else. SOS is not an abbreviation of "Save Our Souls," because the shorter form came first. In other words, "Save Our Souls" is an elongation of SOS. (I'm not sure if that's the official opposite of an abbreviation, but brev- is Latin for short and long- is Latin for long, so it stands to reason.)

 

[Mike Farley]

Again, to use the PADD analogy... why can't Kirk just jot something down on the clipboard, and have a Yeoman hand it to Uhura?

Because then the bad guy on the viewscreen would have SEEN him passing a message to Uhura?

 

[Christopher]

And because there's simply no reason not to, if the means are available.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Again, to use the PADD analogy... why can't Kirk just jot something down on the clipboard, and have a Yeoman hand it to Uhura?

Because then the bad guy on the viewscreen would have SEEN him passing a message to Uhura?

Unless the bad guy is telepathic, it makes no difference, because from his POV, it'd just look like Kirk is handing over some mundane status report or something... he'd have no way of seeing what's written down.

In any case, as I said... you see it differently than I, and that's perfectly fine... I'm just giving and explaining my take, to respond to the OP.

 

[Greg Cox]

And, of course, as pointed out before, it doesn't matter how they would have handled it on old Trek. With nuTrek, we're rewriting the rulebook and, in my opinion, a clipboard or PADD seems too old-fashioned . . . .

 

[JD]

Again, to use the PADD analogy... why can't Kirk just jot something down on the clipboard, and have a Yeoman hand it to Uhura?

Because then the bad guy on the viewscreen would have SEEN him passing a message to Uhura?

Unless the bad guy is telepathic, it makes no difference, because from his POV, it'd just look like Kirk is handing over some mundane status report or something... he'd have no way of seeing what's written down.

I don't know about you, but that would look pretty damn suspicious to me, if I were the bad guy. IMO it would be a little weird to pick the time you're confronting some evil galactic villain to decide to pass some unrelated order around.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I don't know about you, but that would look pretty damn suspicious to me, if I were the bad guy.

I do know about me, and it wouldn't look suspicious... after all, there have been a few instances in Trek where the Captain is speaking with an Admiral over subspace, and the Admiral is handed a PADD, and either regards it, or recites from it as he speaks... this would be no different. I mean, as a writer, you have to look at it in context of how it'd be used in your story/novel/whatever...

We will know that Kirk is writing something down to give to Uhura, but how can the guy on the other end know that, unless he's telepathic? It would take Kirk to really fumble, and be indiscreet about it, which he wouldn't... he'd just causally hand the clipboard to a Yeoman... simple as that. There are ways that a crew can pick up on "silent commands", as evidenced by how Picard was able to get Worf to erect a forcefield around the aliens in "Allegiance"... by giving off subtle looks to Riker, who looked to Worf, and so on.

But again, if you don't wanna do it that way, that's fine... it's up to you. I'm just explaining my own POV.

 

[Angstromdweller]

I don't know about you, but that would look pretty damn suspicious to me, if I were the bad guy.

I do know about me, and it wouldn't look suspicious... after all, there have been a few instances in Trek where the Captain is speaking with an Admiral over subspace, and the Admiral is handed a PADD, and either regards it, or recites from it as he speaks... this would be no different. I mean, as a writer, you have to look at it in context of how it'd be used in your story/novel/whatever...

I imagine most of us consider much more volatile situations than that here.
In a situation that could break down into a firefight any second as an example, it may not be wise to disrespect your opponent by dividing your attention so obviously for any reason.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I don't know about you, but that would look pretty damn suspicious to me, if I were the bad guy.

I do know about me, and it wouldn't look suspicious... after all, there have been a few instances in Trek where the Captain is speaking with an Admiral over subspace, and the Admiral is handed a PADD, and either regards it, or recites from it as he speaks...

And just why would a villian think that something he HASN'T ever seen be normal. The pass the pad idea just doesn't work the fact that you have to jump through hoops to make it work just because you like it more than the idea that te writer used should make that aparent.