Building the "Julian Friez Machine"
09-05-2012, 10:15 AM
The plans for the "Julian Friez Machine" (JFM) are in the public domain - the Professor publishes the plans for everything he makes, for the good of SCIENCE!
Now, if someone, lets call them the "Student", decides to build a JFM from the plans, what do they need to do?
Do the plans include something like "Find Julian Friez, and do this", which might involve replicating the indignities the Professor carried out on JF when he made the original machine?
The reason I ask this is because the JFM (or more precisely the derived Catgirling Machine) is really quite important to the Fenspace setting. It seems likely more than one person has read those plans with an eye to building the JFM, so as to better understand the problem. In the existing material there isn't a suggestion that JF is bothered by more than the Professor, so it seemed sensible to ask.
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Is this something that you need for a story, Ace? Delving too deeply into the JFM might cause a few problems for one of my plotlines...
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Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
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robkelk Wrote:Is this something that you need for a story, Ace? Delving too deeply into the JFM might cause a few problems for one of my plotlines... I'd find it very useful as Arthur, after his period of captivity just before OGJ/the Boskone War, was looking hard for some Fen who had done thorough research into the JFM.
My working name for the man he found is 'Student'.
He's a sort of Mad who is a (secret) stalker of the Professor, as far as his tech goes. He has a secret collection of replicated devices, which work as close as he can manage to the originals. Fortunately, Student has some morals and ethics in terms of what he's prepared to do in replicating the Professor's work, and in who he is prepared to release his own research to. In his 'day job' Student moderates a Interwave discussion forum on the wave tech that the Professor has come up with.
I'm also working on the theory that there are less ethical followers of the Professor's work, and that his 'bodyguards' may have had to deal with some of these. JF, unfortunately, has no such protection (as far as I know). Unless the tracking device in his leg bone isn't just there for the Professor's convenience...
But, I don't plan any stories on JF, though he may or may not be mentioned in discussions between Arthur and Student, depending on how building the JFM works.
Hopefully that makes sense...
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"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind
Most likely the Professor published how to build a JFM, but not how it works.
Otherwise the whole "reverse engineering" CG describes in his "Following the Curve 2014" story would not have been necessary.
I do not even believe he publishes everything he invents. Otherwise everyone in Fenspace would have access to things like "make people speak the truth" rays and similar things. 
Might be some of the Professor's works are 'unique' and 'one off', and maybe even he couldn't build them using the same methods again. Others, likely even if you follow his methods it wont work - it is a "Professor only" design. It is the third category, designs usable more than once, plus the design is usable by others than the Professor, that people will be really interested in. And the JFM (surprisingly) falls in that category.
Yes, I'm pretty sure the theory is missing - that is because the theoretical basis is 'obvious', or, it's an 'exercise for the student'! [grin]
I think the Prof-tech kit-bash group must be an interesting things to observe. Preferably from a safe distance...
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Ace Dreamer Wrote:I think the Prof-tech kit-bash group must be an interesting things to observe. Preferably from a safe distance... Like, half the solar system away via a triple firewalled interwave camera? 
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JFerio Wrote:Like, half the solar system away via a triple firewalled interwave camera? It's The Professor. I hear Alpha Centauri is nice this time of the year....
Ace Dreamer Wrote:Preferably from a safe distance...
Random CI Catgirl: "Do you think I might watch over his shoulder?"
Rakhasa Wrote:JFerio Wrote:Like, half the solar system away via a triple firewalled interwave camera? It's The Professor. I hear Alpha Centauri is nice this time of the year.... In some respects it is someone even worse than the Professor. It is Professor tech-groupies, trying to copy and modify his work based on his published designs...
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maybe the Professor publishes everything (that he remembers building), but he is bad at documenting things. He tends to neglect to write down small but important steps that seem obvious to him ("Well, of course you have to ground out the Framinjammer first. What sort of idiot wouldn't do that?")
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HRogge Wrote:Random CI Catgirl: "Do you think I might watch over his shoulder?"
Ace Dreamer Wrote:In some respects it is someone even worse than the Professor. It is Professor tech-groupies, trying to copy and modify his work based on his published designs...
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Catgirl Sparks!!!!!!!!!!
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Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
robkelk Wrote:Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Catgirl Sparks!!!!!!!!!!
*trying to hide Cathys steam powered Coke launcher* Don't worry... its not that bad!
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robkelk Wrote:Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Catgirl Sparks!!!!!!!!!! *considers all the more inuendo filled ways to interpret that*
I'll be in my bunk
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
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Are we speaking of Catgirls who happen to be Girl Genius-style Mads, or arcs of electricity that happen to come from Catgirls?
And that sounds very reasonable, Timote.
I think the fascination many people have (including catgirls) explains the Prof-tech Interwave discussion groups, and the Prof-tech kit-bash group...
And, I'm pretty sure there are catgirls who think Van de Graff and Tesla are ideal people to use as your technical inspiration...
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"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind
Proginoskes Wrote:Are we speaking of Catgirls who happen to be Girl Genius-style Mads, or arcs of electricity that happen to come from Catgirls?
And that sounds very reasonable, Timote.
Ace Dreamer Wrote:I think the fascination many people have (including catgirls) explains the Prof-tech Interwave discussion groups, and the Prof-tech kit-bash group...
And, I'm pretty sure there are catgirls who think Van de Graff and Tesla are ideal people to use as your technical inspiration...
*looking at Cathy who built a steam powered weapon at Serenity Con*
*looking at Lisa who likes working on Tesla Coils*
I have no idea!
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It is never a good idea to pry too closely in the affairs of Mads, even the catgirl variety. They may notice your curiosity, and worse, you may get answers.
Rakhasa Wrote:It is never a good idea to pry too closely in the affairs of Mads, even the catgirl variety. They may notice your curiosity, and worse, you may get answers.
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040213
"Ahh yes, you can help me... could you look into this generator and tell me when a lightning comes out?"
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