On Sat, 13 Jan 2024 09:07:24 +0000, Timothy Collinson wrote:

>On Fri, 12 Jan 2024 at 15:06, Jeff Zeitlin - editor at
>freelancetraveller.com (via tml list) <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:

[propitiation to the deitic principle of bandpass]

>> Hospitals that have a wafer bank are also likely to be teaching and
>> research hospitals affiliated with major Imperial-level universities.

>Please.  Let's call them, oh, I don't know... libraries...!
>;-)

I'm assuming that you're suggesting 'library' or 'wafer library' as an
alternative to the term 'wafer bank', not '[teaching and research]
hospital'. If so, I can accept that.

>As it happens University of Portsmouth is just setting up to be such a
>University...
>We've been on the news a couple of times of late and are already taking on
>students.
>I've toured the suite of 'wards' and exam rooms and observation rooms which
>are quite impressive.  Though the dummies tucked up in bed are a bit creepy.
>(They're not simply mannikins.  You can take pulse, BP and other
>measurements from them and do all sorts of things to them.)
>
>I'm now picturing that space with 'dummies' more at TL14 levels which I'd
>say would be pretty indistinguishable from humans.  Though I wonder if
>they've solved the 'uncanny valley' problem.  Or is that TL16+?

I'm not convinced the 'uncanny valley' problem can actually be solved. One
thing that I've often heard said is that you can make a diorama that's
perfect in its realism, until you look at the eyes of the people. That
seems to be the giveaway. Every. Single. Time. If you remember the DGP
grand tour adventure, with Dr. Krenstein and his pseudobio android Aybee
Wan Owen, I'd bet you could look at Aybee and know that there was something
'off' about him, and if pressed, I think it would ultimately be 'something
about the eyes'.

>> While
>> the various Imperial services are likely to make units single-species, some
>> medical facilities such as Naval hospital ships and hospitals at major
>> Naval and military bases will also have wafer banks.

>Libraries... libraries...
>Keep me in a job, please!

(:

>> Question for discussion/comment: Is it worthwhile and useful to work up
>> rules for determining whether a particular world has one or more hospitals
>> that have wafer banks to allow them to serve "aliens"?

>Instant answer: YES!
>More considered answer:
>Why on earth wouldn't it be worthwhile/useful?!
>When hasn't FT covered that kind of thing?!
>
>Actually bothering to give it some thought answer:
>I think it would be more common on worlds nearer the borders (or with
>strong non-human internal polities (e.g. the Luriani), but given the spread
>of aliens throughout the Imperium as far as I've understood reading even,
>say, adventures from Core sector, then there would certainly be a chance.
>Especially at higher tech/higher pop worlds.  Perhaps along with Red and
>Amber Zoned worlds there are, I don't know, Blue Zone worlds which are in
>effect going the *other* way and pride themselves on extra facilities that
>many don't have such as specialised sophont surgical sections.
>
>Oooh, can I (tm) SSSSs?

Feel free; if you want to ask me questions off-list, I'll entertain them.

The reason I considered the possibility that it wouldn't be worthwhile/
useful to work up some rules for "wafer doctor availability" is because
_for the most part_, player-characters won't care; I suspect that the vast
majority are going to be 'mainstream humans' (i.e., mixed or pure
Vilani/Solomani stock; Zhodani and most minor human races would also
qualify), and thus can be handled by damn near any hospital they encounter.

That said, I think the probability of a hospital having waferjacked doctors
and wafers for them to use does increase under the following conditions:

1. On or near worlds that have significant populations of non-mainstream
humans (such as Geonee or Tekundu, or possibly Daryen as well, who have
specific genetic divergences from the main strains of humanity - basically,
any human that would be classed as an "altrant" in the Clement Sector
setting) or non-human aliens (such as Vargr, Aslan, Vegan, genetic Luriani,
etc.)

2. Major tourist worlds that see any of the above as tourists (or worlds
that are inviting such tourism to become such a major tourist world).

3. Subsector or sector capitals

4. Worlds with major Military or Naval bases, Depots, or Scout Way
Stations.

5. Worlds with major University campuses (campae? campi? campori?)

6. Worlds at the ends of interface trade routes with 'qualifying' societies
(see 1., above)

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