Re: Interfaces in 'Star Trek'

From: Bernd Felsche (bernie@innovative.iinet.net.au)
Date: 06/15/02

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    From: Bernd Felsche <bernie@innovative.iinet.net.au>
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 09:37:43 +0800

    Barry Margolin <barmar@genuity.net> writes:

    >In article <aed311$5vps9$1@ID-29070.news.dfncis.de>,
    >Richard Atkinson <big@un.com> wrote:
    >>I would have agreed with you initially, but have you seen the new
    >>'Enterprise' series.
    >>In this new series the technology doesn't fit, just as you
    >>suspect. The spaceship standard ISO/BS 'Enterprise' appears to be
    >>invented later on in the Future.

    >Yeah, some of their mechanical stuff is pretty poor -- they have to
    >push buttons to make doors open (even the local supermarket is more
    >advanced than that!).

    Hmmm... I think you could have a few problems with automatic doors
    on a Starship. Privacy is one of them. Structural and environmental
    integrity another. Obviously, their Engineers have finally realized
    that no amount of sensors and "Intelligence" is as reliable a
    somebody pushing a button when they want the door to open.

    The only place that worked was on the "Heart of Gold". And its
    builders must have celebrated when it was stolen because that would
    sort of preclude having to meet any warranty claims.

    e.g. would you expect a door to open while you're still doing up
    your zipper?

    >But they still follow the USO (Universal Organization for
    >Standardization) standard for interstellar communications -- have
    >they ever had trouble hailing another starship? Even if they don't
    >speak the alien's language, they use the same "hailing frequencies"
    >and can hear and see each other. Yet if I were to take a TV from
    >the US to Europe, it wouldn't work (NTSC vs. PAL). Amazing!

    OTOH, if you took a TV from Europe to the USA, you'd very likely be
    able to use it in the USA.

    >Maybe we should move this discussion to comp.std.misc, or create
    >alt.std.startrek. :)

    rec.arts.startrek.tech already exists...

    alt.startrek.std.* could be more appropriate. :-) 

    -- 
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