ARGH

[naodrith]

This has no right to be so annoying.

You know, just when, ten months into the novel, I start thinking that it will be okay, my damn LOGIC kicks in and informs me that really none of it makes ANY SENSE AT ALL.

Thank GOD for Physics. In another year I should actually be able to manage the SCIENCE in science fiction.

At least the story comes with a built-in failsafe: "Oh, it doesn't make sense? No, see, you've got it wrong, it was the spies all along..."

By the way, I've got a doomsday weapon that looks like a toaster. Fear me.

Comments

[milestogo13.livejournal.com]

"Boy I'm hungry, think I'll make some Eggo WaAHHHHHH!" *poof*

hehehehehe

Um...*raises his hand sheepishly*...I have...um...a pretty heavy quantum and theoretical physics background, so if you ever need any questions answered or advice on something, just lemme know.

[naodrith.livejournal.com]

Bahaha.

Okay, here's something that probably won't make it into the story, but it's been bothering me.

If I have a doomsday weapon on the west coast and the detonator in New York City, what's the lag time between pressing the button and the big explosion?

[milestogo13.livejournal.com]

That depends on what method the remote detonator is using to transmit its signal; radio waves (largely implausible, or at the very least highly impractical, over this great a distance), satellites, burying its own signal within those traveling between cellular relay towers, Nextel walkie-talkie principles, alien technology we are unfamiliar with, etc. There's tons of smaller variables too, like atmospheric disturbances, strength of the original signal emitter in the detonator, sensitivity of the signal receiver on the doomsday device...

Regardless of all that, though, any method that is capable of delivering the signal clear across the country is not going to have much of a delay to it at all. I would say, even if all the worst-case scenarios aligned that could and still allow the detonation sequence to work, a two or three second delay, maximum. In most other cases, it would be near instantaneous.

[naodrith.livejournal.com]

Heh, cool. That means I don't need to worry about the characters trying to do the cliche we-have-three-minutes-until-it-explodes thing.