Umm... Coincidence? Just how common -is- this degenerative disease? Because, if it's nowhere near as common as chicken pox, then I find it stretches my suspension of disbelief. I was reading about an "epidemic" of measles outbreaks in 2012-13, with a few thousand cases per country being notable. But in a country of millions, it's still statistically unlikely for a citizen to know someone afflicted. And those are contagious diseases. Is Martari Syndrome genetic or due to environmental factors? Perhaps related to radiation damage or a side effect of Helios' Cure?
its Coincidence... its like knowing someone that has MS or Seizures.. I had family member that had it and a friend .. So - sorry if it stretches disbelief - and the disease is genetic although radiation exposure can also trigger it. along with a few other environmental factors. it doesn't effect everyone the same way .. some folks can live with it there entire lives and never be bothered .. others far far worse.
it can also be triggered though industrial by products
I guess it's merely unlikely, which is far from improbable or impossible. And fiction is usually intended to entertain. Dramatic events (i.e., unlikely and improbable), even of the unfortunate kind, are rather par for the course.
It sounds like, in a way, you're writing from what you know. That helps the creative writing process, doesn't it? I've still got a lot to learn about that.
Using the word 'epidemic' to describe a few thousand cases per country among a total population of billions is drama and sensationalism. Something every American "news" agency specializes in. Gotta get those ratings every way they can, you know.
If it was concentrated in a relatively small area of each country, then those areas affected could be said to have experienced an epidemic. But an 'epidemic of outbreaks'? The phrase sounds to me almost like an intentional attempt to stir up a fear response. Especially with (alongside novels such as The Stand by Stephen King) the currently popular notion that a bacteria or virus can turn people into zombies.
I think you're spot on about news outlets choosing their words carefully so as to sensationalize and stir up as much fear as possible. However, while it may be purely for ratings, I suspect the reasons could go beyond that. I'm reminded of how a single individual controls the majority of media outlets today - a monopoly of the worst kind.
As for encouraging the notion that infectious agents can turn people in zombies: This does seem to be a thing. Hollywood does like to make scary movies. And the news frequently talks about scary diseases. I remember several years ago when the public was scared by reports of Mad Cow Disease, which is kind of zombie-ish. Still, one has to admit that medical science is sometimes creepy, perhaps even worrisome.
you are forgetting the other possibility ... hes LIEING to generate a point of common interest. she is cute and if he shows sympathy and knowledge then perhaps it will make things better .. not everything a character says is gods own truth.. just ask Mister Black.
I was going to say something about how people who know someone pretty well with a particular condition have a tendency to convey themselves favorably to other people with similar conditions.
But... "Let's go on a date!" "Aren't you ill?" Ouch. I mean, it'd be one thing if the condition made one look or act sickly. But this doesn't seem like that to me.
Wait, she only thinks they need the black hole? Did she find out about the kichen's new techno-fairy when I wasn't looking? (Besides, I'm pretty sure team black hole spit out a murderturd last we saw them.)
Curing every disease or disorder humanity is afflicted with is pretty much impossible. That said, nobody's ever likely to stop trying to contain, control, and eliminate disease. :)
I don't know about that... Technically, you can decrease the number of diseased persons to zero permanently (thereby "curing" the disease) by killing everyone, or at least everyone capable of contracting a disease.
Actually, I'm really liking the human aspect of this particular strip. I like that you've shown that not all the Guards in Nova Roma are either incompetent fools or complete nut jobs.
thats the thing .. the strip sadly concentrates on the "trouble makers: and jerks a lot of the time .. but yeah Democlus here is a actual nice guy :D as you will see in the coming pages :D
This brings up an interesting challenge: how does one find a black hole? By definition, a black hole does not reflect any light, so you can't see it. The only way to know it's there is to see the lensing effect caused by it's gravity distorting the light that passes next to it. Of course, it would be highly impractical, if not impossible, to manipulate a black hole large enough to distort light to an observable degree, which poses another interesting question: how big (massive) would a singularity have to be to be useful? Presumably it would have to be large enough to sustain itself, though the ability to sustain itself could make it prohibitively risky to employ. Perhaps if the black hole was formed of anti-matter, it would be more "safe": then it would explode and die if it ate too much matter at once, rather than expanding and becoming more, uh, "hungry".
[This next section is largely speculation regarding largely theoretical physics about which I know only enough to speculate and of which I learned primarily through wikipedia. If you don't like stressing about intractable conundrums and/or you don't know enough about physics to understand what I'm trying to propose, know that you read on at your own peril. Also know that, since most of what I'm talking about is based off of information from Wikipedia, it is not guaranteed to be reliable, but is available for anyone to look up.]
By the way, I've been wondering about this for a while, but don't know how to find an answer: from what I understand, matter takes on very curious properties when it gets sufficiently close to absolute zero. My understanding is that as the subatomic particles slow down, their motion stops behaving in the predictable way that the most modern physics I know describes using wave functions. If I understand correctly (and please, correct me if you know better), when the particles slow down past a certain point (perhaps the point at which the uncertainty principle makes them possible to find again?), they sort of "forget" where they are, and turn into what's called a Boss-Einstein Condensate. Again, if my understanding is accurate, then such a condensate isn't made of fermions, and therefore the rules stating that fermions can't be in the same place as other fermions shouldn't apply. If this is the case, my understanding leads me to believe that it might be possible to create a sub-critical singularity (essentially a tiny black hole) by sufficiently compressing a sizable quantity of Condensate.
If I remember correctly, the mass collected by a black hole tends to create a lot of friction and thus energy even before passing the event horizon. Meaning part of this energy radiates away from the black hole and can be measured. So that would be another way to find one.
And not necessarily related, but I couldn't resist: http://what-if.xkcd.com/129/
And now we know more about Arianna, and what her problem is.
I also think we find out some of the reasons of the fertility rate in Nova Roma over New Troy's. They seem to have more 'defects' than in New Troy.
Oh and for those that didn't see them, go back a page and see the Valentine's Day art (both on Data Chasers and Luna Star).
Actually Arianna is wastelander born .. not Nova Roman :D
As for the Techno-Fairy ?
*points towards Dolly*
She would be upset to hear that.
Besides, Dolly comes with wings 'n' everything !
Ok, it's now official, Kyle is the "fairy" of the story.
Maybe that's why centcomm hates him so much ? He's the one that got away!
Umm... Coincidence? Just how common -is- this degenerative disease? Because, if it's nowhere near as common as chicken pox, then I find it stretches my suspension of disbelief. I was reading about an "epidemic" of measles outbreaks in 2012-13, with a few thousand cases per country being notable. But in a country of millions, it's still statistically unlikely for a citizen to know someone afflicted. And those are contagious diseases. Is Martari Syndrome genetic or due to environmental factors? Perhaps related to radiation damage or a side effect of Helios' Cure?
it can also be triggered though industrial by products
It sounds like, in a way, you're writing from what you know. That helps the creative writing process, doesn't it? I've still got a lot to learn about that.
If it was concentrated in a relatively small area of each country, then those areas affected could be said to have experienced an epidemic. But an 'epidemic of outbreaks'? The phrase sounds to me almost like an intentional attempt to stir up a fear response. Especially with (alongside novels such as The Stand by Stephen King) the currently popular notion that a bacteria or virus can turn people into zombies.
As for encouraging the notion that infectious agents can turn people in zombies: This does seem to be a thing. Hollywood does like to make scary movies. And the news frequently talks about scary diseases. I remember several years ago when the public was scared by reports of Mad Cow Disease, which is kind of zombie-ish. Still, one has to admit that medical science is sometimes creepy, perhaps even worrisome.
* 8 Percent of Human Genome Was Inserted By Virus, and May Cause Schizophrenia
* Science fiction vs. science fact: The use of viruses to cure disease
* Scientists Without Foresight Are Using Viruses To Alter Human DNA
" Several popular blockbusters, including I Am Legend and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, have envisioned the use of viruses, rigged to deliver therapeutic DNA to patients as a way of curing disease... [snip] ...but their joy quickly turns to horror as the virus mutates out of control and begins to destroy the human population... "
* The 6 Creepiest Things Hiding in Your DNA (In particular, check #5, "Reanimated Zombie DNA")
* 5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen
Zombie Snails !!
(warning: may be quite disturbing for kids)
But... "Let's go on a date!" "Aren't you ill?" Ouch. I mean, it'd be one thing if the condition made one look or act sickly. But this doesn't seem like that to me.
Oh, also, I have a black hole in my basement. I could send it through a multiverse tube and give it to Lynn.
there are several singularities
about to surface,
and it's going to be hard
not to get sucked in!
Ada : ... NO, TeeDee! Keep your hands off of that!
TeeDee : Aww - But it's a black hole Ada! I've wanted one of those since I was a zero!
And at least she'd have a hole in her pocket.
Also I have SUCH a BAD FEELING right now....
"Don't you tell me which zone is for loading, and which zone is for stopping!"
"Listen, Betty, don't start up with your white zone shit again."
[This next section is largely speculation regarding largely theoretical physics about which I know only enough to speculate and of which I learned primarily through wikipedia. If you don't like stressing about intractable conundrums and/or you don't know enough about physics to understand what I'm trying to propose, know that you read on at your own peril. Also know that, since most of what I'm talking about is based off of information from Wikipedia, it is not guaranteed to be reliable, but is available for anyone to look up.]
By the way, I've been wondering about this for a while, but don't know how to find an answer: from what I understand, matter takes on very curious properties when it gets sufficiently close to absolute zero. My understanding is that as the subatomic particles slow down, their motion stops behaving in the predictable way that the most modern physics I know describes using wave functions. If I understand correctly (and please, correct me if you know better), when the particles slow down past a certain point (perhaps the point at which the uncertainty principle makes them possible to find again?), they sort of "forget" where they are, and turn into what's called a Boss-Einstein Condensate. Again, if my understanding is accurate, then such a condensate isn't made of fermions, and therefore the rules stating that fermions can't be in the same place as other fermions shouldn't apply. If this is the case, my understanding leads me to believe that it might be possible to create a sub-critical singularity (essentially a tiny black hole) by sufficiently compressing a sizable quantity of Condensate.
As for how to spot one, have a camera that can show gravity fields, as it will show up quite clearly on anything that can display gravity.
And not necessarily related, but I couldn't resist: http://what-if.xkcd.com/129/