Taking a pad to engineering etc

[hux]

This isn't my question so much as my girlfriends. She keeps asking it to annoy me cos she knows i don't really have an answer.

Why do crew members take pads of information down to engineering (or from any part of the ship to any other part). Surely they can just do this from wherever they are. If you're on the bridge then why not just send the information via the computer? (the crew can also communicate from any part of the ship so why do it in person?)

No seriously

I need to shut her up

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I'd say that that's just an artifact of TNG being made in a pre-internet age. People just assumed that physical media would stick around for longer than it did.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Also, it's much more interesting to watch two actors interacting than a bunch of people reading computer screens all the time.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It's just so we can see people walking to and from engineering with the pad, and even have scenes involving them. Strictly dramatic license, there's no logical reason for it at all.

It's the same reason why the idea of a transporter on the Enterprise-D bridge didn't pan out: Gene Roddenberry wanted characters to have conversations on the way to and from the transporter room. Same story here.

 

[T'Girl]

I think it's a matter of information security, put something in the system and no matter how good your defenses are, someone might access it.

Information that goes from a limited network commputer, into a padd, gets walk to the bridge (or whereever) and is read solely from the padd is safer.

I mean really, how many times (starting with the first pilot) has the ship's computer been hacked?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

PADDs are networked just like the computer itself. Anyone that can hack the computer can hack them.

 

[Richard Baker]

PADDs are more than just data storage/display devices, they are also reconfigurable control panels. It was said that with one you could actually fly the ship while walking down a corridor. Carrying one around gives yo a lot of options and sometimes being forced to stand/sit at an integrated built in console may not be the most efficient...

 

[USS Triumphant]

Pretty much the same reason you would carry your iPad with you from home to the office even though you have iCloud installed on desktops in both places. So you can check email, continue working on things on the move, watch funny cat videos, argue with people on message boards, pull up the answer to a question at a moment's notice, etc.

 

[hux]

I'd say that that's just an artifact of TNG being made in a pre-internet age. People just assumed that physical media would stick around for longer than it did.

But even in TNG they move information using the main computer when needs must. It seems they just use the pads as an opportunity to go for a walk. Maybe it's a remnant from the OS when Kirk used to sign things a lot and give them to people (that seemed to stop in TNG).

Pretty much the same reason you would carry your iPad with you from home to the office even though you have iCloud installed on desktops in both places. So you can check email, continue working on things on the move, watch funny cat videos, argue with people on message boards, pull up the answer to a question at a moment's notice, etc.

Except i never saw anyone doing that. It would have been nice if they had occasionally shown that sort of thing but as i recall, it was always specifically for the sole purpose of giving someone some computer information (usually the engineer i've noticed)

Just once it would be nice if they had handed it to Geordi or Torres and they looked at it and said.....lol

I guess there isn't really a good "in universe" explanation for it

darn...girlfriend wins

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Also, it's much more interesting to watch two actors interacting than a bunch of people reading computer screens all the time.

That's why I never watch modern police shows and the like. From what little I've seen, half the episode is actors huddled over a monitor (which of course gives off a blue glow). How interesting to watch... *yawn*...

darn...girlfriend wins

Don't they always?

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Maybe it's Starfleet protocol with certain matters?
In real life, at work someone will fire off what seems like a million emails and hope they get read in time by the right person. When their manager asks the progress of a project, they generally respond with "no clue, fired off an e-mail and have yet to hear back".

Actually going over there and not only handing over the information but also being there in person to quickly go over it and answer some things that may not be clear in the document is huge. So they probably make sure this happens as a matter of protocol instead of Picard asking Data how the diagnostic is going and Data replying "No idea. I sent an e-mail to the engineering department so hopefully someone there read it and understands what needs to be done."

 

[ManOnTheWave]

This isn't my question so much as my girlfriends. She keeps asking it to annoy me cos she knows i don't really have an answer.

Why do crew members take pads of information down to engineering (or from any part of the ship to any other part). Surely they can just do this from wherever they are. If you're on the bridge then why not just send the information via the computer? (the crew can also communicate from any part of the ship so why do it in person?)

No seriously

I need to shut her up

The same thing occurred to me once I read an interview with, the Okudas I think, explaining TNG era tech was all designed to be networked and interchangeable. We even see on the show from time to time a character transferring work stations via voice command from one terminal to another. The only in universe explanation I can offer would be that some people just want to use their favorite PADD all the time. I think there was an episode of DS9 where O'Brien talked about having a favorite.
The one that bothered me was Picard having stacks of PADDs on his desk. Sure I get it. You have a lot to read/work to do, but can't you just toggle files on a single unit like a normal person. And while we're at it, why would he have stacks of PADDs in front of his desktop? Eh.

 

[C.E. Evans]

PADDs might be reserved for works in progress or for individually assigned projects, data that isn't ready (for whatever reason) to be dumped into the larger archives yet. Conversely, they could be used for files pulled from the archives that is ready for immediate display; no need to tie-up another monitor somewhere (screw searching through Windows).

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^This. Any data pertaining to starship operations should be accessible via the main computer core; however, there isn't always time to sift through large amounts of information in order to find specific bits and pieces that another officer or group of people needs.

It's analogous to providing someone with a flash-drive with information stored on it; it saves them the trouble of having to find and download the information themselves, which works well for information that's constantly being updated, as well as for completing assignments in a timely fashion.

--Sran

 

[Timo]

PADDs are networked just like the computer itself. Anyone that can hack the computer can hack them.

If the PADD accepts a command "stop listening to any and all outside traffic until further notice (and raise hell if you feel odd internal urges to open a connection all on your own)", then the odds of hacking drop to a flat zero. If the PADD has a mechanical switch that disconnects the wireless connection, then even an already installed piece of malware can't create such a connection and leak any secrets.

Why one would bother to carry secrets on a heavy PADD when one could do it on a lightweight memory stick, though... There's little point in creating a stick smaller than those "isolinear chips" of TNG, and even the TOS disks were close to the lower limit of practical size for human use, but we can safely assume both these sizes can accommodate as much information as the user could ever need to carry. Using a large PADD creates unnecessary discomfort; using a miniature device or an implant defeats the dramatic purpose of the data-carrying; but using a TNG isolinear chip or a TOS data cartridge creates no ergonomic penalty, and serves the dramatic purpose admirably.

Then again, one could imagine the PADD needs to be delivered along with the information so that the recipient can continue to operate a secure, totally non-networked device, too.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

One other thing to keep in mind: starship engineers spend a lot of time in crawlspaces, conduits and other places where they may not have access to diagrams or items stored on the main computer--perhaps because they've deactivated power to whatever part of the ship they're working on. Having a padd nearby with information they can glance at is easier than walking back and forth to a functioning computer terminal and running searches.

--Sran

 

[MacLeod]

There might also be certain areas of the ship that don't have wi-fi connectivety for what ever reason, plus of course there is the old searching/tring to connect problems that could arise.

 

[robau]

Honestly I think it's as simple as comfort. It's just easier to work on those things where you can and carry it around than sending crap back and forth to some console.

 

[SicOne]

Blah-blah-blah, guys; here's the answer Hux needs. And you can give it to her verbatim.

"You want to know the reason why they carry the padds down to Engineering? I'll tell you why, honey. It's so you can ask stupid annoying questions in the middle of my show. THAT'S why. Do I ask you stupid annoying questions in the middle of YOUR shows? Of course not. Oh Jeezus, quit cryin'. Hustle that cute ass back into the kitchen and fix me a sammich."

A few of those, Hux ol' boy, and your life will be profoundly more quiet during your Treking.

Well, either that or you'll come home from work someday to find all of your shit out on the lawn, set merrily ablaze. I wouldn't set odds either way.

Hey, no need to thank me. All part of the service.

 

[hux]

One other thing to keep in mind: starship engineers spend a lot of time in crawlspaces, conduits and other places where they may not have access to diagrams or items stored on the main computer--perhaps because they've deactivated power to whatever part of the ship they're working on. Having a padd nearby with information they can glance at is easier than walking back and forth to a functioning computer terminal and running searches.

But every single time (that i can recall) where i have seen people taking padds somewhere, it has always been someone taking information (usually from the bridge) to main engineering and handing it to them in person. It's never when they're in a crawl space or anything like that

I guess the idea that some information is kept out of the main computer until it is verified, accepted or confirmed as useful enough to be incorporated into the main computer "might" be the best possible explanation

"You want to know the reason why they carry the padds down to Engineering? I'll tell you why, honey. It's so you can ask stupid annoying questions in the middle of my show. THAT'S why. Do I ask you stupid annoying questions in the middle of YOUR shows? Of course not. Oh Jeezus, quit cryin'. Hustle that cute ass back into the kitchen and fix me a sammich."

A few of those, Hux ol' boy, and your life will be profoundly more quiet during your Treking

I actually enjoy looking for plot hole type stuff myself (then coming to BBS and discussing it....it's part of the fun) but this one never even occurred to me until she mentioned it

I'm gonna tell her the stuff in bold above (really sell it to her and see if that works)