Monday 9 October 2023

Miniature Computers

The Game of Empire, CHAPTER ONE.

Goods on sale in the old quarter on Imhotep include:

"...miniature computers of the inner Empire..." (p. 197)

We find that we have mentioned these items three times before:

Anderson Celebrates Life II

League and After, Empire and After 

Market Places

We also appreciate:

the recorded dances of the vaz-Siravo settled beneath the Seas of Yang and Yin;

illegal Merseian blasters;

hot savoury food.

We want to visit not only Hermes, Dennitza and Avalon but also Imhotep.

10 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I too would like to visit Imhotep. But we should remember the higher gravity of that planet, about 30% heavier than Terra's gravity. Strong, healthy humans could adapt to it, but "we" might have more difficulty doing so!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

We would need anti-grav units.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I didn't think of that, but I can imagine them being used like that. E.g., the grossly obese Baron Harkonnen used similar devices to support his weight and bulk in DUNE.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Note that Baron H. was grossly obese because the Bene Gesserit did it to him... 8-).

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Ha! If a fake religious organization like the Bene Gesserit did that to me I would not be happy either.

I know I came across that somewhere, what the B.G. did to the Baron, but not sure where. I only read the first two sequels after DUNE, DUNE MESSIAH and CHILDREN OF DUNE.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

How did they make him fat? How are they fake?

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

As regards the Baron, I don't know clearly. I only read the first three DUNE books.

I do recall quite clearly from DUNE that the Bene Gesserit were cynical manipulators of religion, to help in their use of directed breeding, the goal being to achieved a superman called the "kwisatz haderach," IIRC.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Yes. The cynical manipulation makes them fake.

I think the info about the Baron is only in the first three books.

Paul.

Jim Baerg said...

I too stopped reading the DUNE books when I finished CHILDREN OF DUNE. The Deus Ex Vermus ending put me off too much.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul and Jim!

Paul: Perhaps I should reread the first three DUNE books.

Jim: A good way of putting it!

Ad astra! Sean