Honorverse ramblings and musings

cthia wrote:Here is an account of an email my 13-yr-old niece sent to me. It's a rather humorous - yet poignant, consideration that we may not have fully appreciated, as to why humans might wish to push treecat consumption of purple thorn or genengineer something differently...

Hi Uncle,
You had better make my next recital!

I was informed by the grapevine how funny some of the threads have become. It is hilarious. Curiously missing from the purple thorn vs. celery discussion is a certain detail. Namely...

We might need to consider the POV of the implications of a treecat's person, who has to contend with their treecat consuming large amounts of difficult to digest celery.

Difficult to digest foods produce exorbitant amounts of gas. And the expulsion vector of a treecat - sitting atop their human's shoulders, places it perilously close to one's olfactory organ, creating a baptism by fire.

If you have a treecat perched on your shoulder, you'd much rather they have more of a, hmm, less malodorous emissions spectrum.

We really wouldn't want a treecat's biological processes to surprise us, by converting gases into its liquid form producing a variation of SOS.

Shit on a Shoulder.

Because anything else, is uncivilized.

–Tierney

Don't know about you, but I nearly choked on my lunch.

SWM wrote: Actually, I believe this is mentioned briefly in the text--there is a reason Honor calls Nimitz Stinker!

cthia wrote:Well, it's certainly obvious to me now! Although, I can't say that I actually made the connection without this email.

I recall it being asked why Nimitz is called Stinker in another thread w/o an answer. After researching the forums, it was "bunyipbelle," second post on page.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6219&p=160209&hilit=why+is+nimitz+called+stinker#p160209

An amusing idea, but one that doesn't quite fit the facts. Celery doesn't seem to give treecats gas, but instead makes them constipated:

Fire Season, Chapter 3 wrote:“Bleek!” Lionheart said. The SFS staff had provided him with a stool so that he could sit next to Stephanie and still comfortably see over the table. When Stephanie had gotten her cocoa, she’d brought him some cubes of cheese, but she had no doubt what he was asking for now.
“Not really a good idea,” she said.
“Is he asking for celery?” said Dr. Emberly, the woman who had been introduced as the xenobiologist.
Stephanie smiled ruefully. “He is. He’s known it was here since we walked into the room—heck, he probably knew as soon as we got into the building. From what we can tell, treecats have a wonderfully sharp sense of smell.”
“Is it all right if I give him some?” asked Virgil Iwamoto.
Stephanie considered. “Well, Lionheart had some celery just last night, so he shouldn’t have too much. Treecats are more carnivores than omnivores and . . .”
She wished she hadn’t started in on this, but having done so, she pushed on, inelegant though the subject might be. She hoped Anders didn’t think she was being crass or crude.
“. . . Well, it makes them constipated if they eat too much of it. Lionheart had some real problems when he first came to live with us, but Dad figured out the problem. Now I give Lionheart doses of what’s basically cod-liver oil a couple times a week. Since he likes fish, it isn’t too much trouble.”
“Interesting,” said Dr. Emberly. “Extra fiber usually gives terrestrial animals gas. Eating it helps eliminate blockage. I wonder what the difference is in the metabolisms?”

Boldface and underlined text is my emphasis.

cthia wrote:Here is an account of an email my 13-yr-old niece sent to me. It's a rather humorous - yet poignant, consideration that we may not have fully appreciated, as to why humans might wish to push treecat consumption of purple thorn or genengineer something differently...

Hi Uncle,
You had better make my next recital!

I was informed by the grapevine how funny some of the threads have become. It is hilarious. Curiously missing from the purple thorn vs. celery discussion is a certain detail. Namely...

We might need to consider the POV of the implications of a treecat's person, who has to contend with their treecat consuming large amounts of difficult to digest celery.

Difficult to digest foods produce exorbitant amounts of gas. And the expulsion vector of a treecat - sitting atop their human's shoulders, places it perilously close to one's olfactory organ, creating a baptism by fire.

If you have a treecat perched on your shoulder, you'd much rather they have more of a, hmm, less malodorous emissions spectrum.

We really wouldn't want a treecat's biological processes to surprise us, by converting gases into its liquid form producing a variation of SOS.

Shit on a Shoulder.

Because anything else, is uncivilized.

–Tierney

Don't know about you, but I nearly choked on my lunch.

SWM wrote: Actually, I believe this is mentioned briefly in the text--there is a reason Honor calls Nimitz Stinker!

cthia wrote:Well, it's certainly obvious to me now! Although, I can't say that I actually made the connection without this email.

I recall it being asked why Nimitz is called Stinker in another thread w/o an answer. After researching the forums, it was "bunyipbelle," second post on page.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6219&p=160209&hilit=why+is+nimitz+called+stinker#p160209

Vince wrote:An amusing idea, but one that doesn't quite fit the facts. Celery doesn't seem to give treecats gas, but instead makes them constipated:

Fire Season, Chapter 3 wrote:“Bleek!” Lionheart said. The SFS staff had provided him with a stool so that he could sit next to Stephanie and still comfortably see over the table. When Stephanie had gotten her cocoa, she’d brought him some cubes of cheese, but she had no doubt what he was asking for now.
“Not really a good idea,” she said.
“Is he asking for celery?” said Dr. Emberly, the woman who had been introduced as the xenobiologist.
Stephanie smiled ruefully. “He is. He’s known it was here since we walked into the room—heck, he probably knew as soon as we got into the building. From what we can tell, treecats have a wonderfully sharp sense of smell.”
“Is it all right if I give him some?” asked Virgil Iwamoto.
Stephanie considered. “Well, Lionheart had some celery just last night, so he shouldn’t have too much. Treecats are more carnivores than omnivores and . . .”
She wished she hadn’t started in on this, but having done so, she pushed on, inelegant though the subject might be. She hoped Anders didn’t think she was being crass or crude.
“. . . Well, it makes them constipated if they eat too much of it. Lionheart had some real problems when he first came to live with us, but Dad figured out the problem. Now I give Lionheart doses of what’s basically cod-liver oil a couple times a week. Since he likes fish, it isn’t too much trouble.”
“Interesting,” said Dr. Emberly. “Extra fiber usually gives terrestrial animals gas. Eating it helps eliminate blockage. I wonder what the difference is in the metabolisms?”

Boldface and underlined text is my emphasis.

Ummm, Vince. There are probably many people here laughing their asses off. (npi)

Newsflash. Constipation = gas.

It's even intuitive. When you are constipated, you are walking around full of it. And what is gas? It's an indication that one needs to, is about to, or that you should make an appointment to excrete. And when you pass gas, "whew - that was fresh off the pile." That's where that saying comes from. It comes from it.

Just look up the symptoms of constipation.

Constipation, Increased passing gas, Pain or discomfort and Painful bowel movements

WebMD Symptom Checker helps you find the most common medical conditions indicated by the symptoms constipation, increased passing gas, pain or discomfort and painful bowel movements including Anal fissure, Constipation (adult), and Constipation (child).

There are 78 conditions associated with constipation, increased passing gas, pain or discomfort and painful bowel movements. The links below will provide you with more detailed information on these medical conditions from the WebMD Symptom Checker and help provide a better understanding of causes and treatment of these related conditions.

I should know. I'm lactose intolerant. And for me, that means. Constipation. And passing gas. But I love milk. Curiously, goat's milk doesn't affect me. Luckily, I love it!

Also, you know what a favorite treatment for constipation is ... ... ... ..... wait for it ... ... ... wait for it ... Gas X.

Also, there was an episode on The Big Bang Theory, called "Rocket To the Moon," I think, where Penny teases her bf Leonard. "What are you going to do, eat that then have me strap onto your back and rocket to the moon?!"

Leonard's lactose intolerant. Food for laughs every other episode.

Raj asks him once, "why don't you just go to the bathroom dude?"

Leonard, "That's not how it works. I have to wait it out."

As my specialist puts it, "There are foods that directly cause gas. Then there are foods that cause constipation, which as a byproduct, causes gas." Try having that conversation with my, quite beautiful, specialist.

But, to be fair, symptoms may vary from person to person. Species to species??? Although, I can't imagine how someone, or some species, walking around full of it, doesn't pass an occasional tip off.

Did we just have this conversation?
Oops ... did I dooo dooo tha-at?

Now, where's my goat's milk?

Just in from hilarious emails from friends in Ro. MDs.
I am LMAO. Here are but a few re Nimitz and constipation.

"Does he expeckt all pile and no bile?"

"You mean all pile and no rile Andreea." hahaha

"He probs just blames it in the dog. Do Americans do that too?"

"Dont you Merries (Americans) say 'Where there smoke there fire?'

And ...

"Like your niece says. Constipation doesn't just cause gas but a really malodorous gas. The longer you hold it the longer it spoils."

And my favorite...

"If the author has come up with a way for Nimitz to have constipation but no gas is the best use of handwaving yet."

Get it? A need for hand waving. Now that's hilarious!

There were several regarding constipation and brain farts, that I'll keep to myself. But I won't hold it!


****** *


Thanks for the relevant textev Vince. We just find it difficult to ... digest.

Erewhon was known to have some of the strictest traffic laws and sanitation codes in the known universe.

The death penalty was outlawed on Erewhon; life without parole was used in its stead. For particularly harsh sentences, solitary confinement was used as well, in small cells with no windows and very little exercise; sentences sometimes included sensory deprivation

This seems as if it'd be a particularly effective method of rehabilitation even today. Frightening. Even startling. But effective.

Although, it would most surely fall under the heading of cruel and unusual punishment. Contested, protested and lobbied against.

How long does anyone think you can endure true sensory deprivation before you ... c-r-a-c-k?

This is what you get with the highest level security prisons in the US. 23 hour/day solitary, with a few hours a week to exercise by themselves in what resembles an empty swimming pool. Typically you have to work pretty hard to get there, as being on a life sentence and then murdered other inmates or guards, continued to run your criminal empire - ordering murders from jail, or otherwise demonstrated that are a really high risk.

Cauldron of Ghosts
Yana Tretiakovna speaking.

“Do you mean to tell me that this is how orbital controllers guide spacecraft to a supposedly—ha, ha, I’m dying of laughter here—safe orbit or landing? If so, I’m never flying again. Not even a kite.”

If anyone has ever seen an air traffic controller's screen in a very busy city ... you'd understand this sentiment for damn sure.

kzt wrote:This is what you get with the highest level security prisons in the US. 23 hour/day solitary, with a few hours a week to exercise by themselves in what resembles an empty swimming pool. Typically you have to work pretty hard to get there, as being on a life sentence and then murdered other inmates or guards, continued to run your criminal empire - ordering murders from jail, or otherwise demonstrated that are a really high risk.

But not the true sensory deprivation. Usually in those circumstances, you can hear other inmates. Even talk with other inmates. And there is certainly a light of some sort left on.

cthia wrote:But not the true sensory deprivation. Usually in those circumstances, you can hear other inmates. Even talk with other inmates. And there is certainly a light of some sort left on.

Nope. You never see or hear any other inmates. Only the 3+ guards who escort you anytime you leave your cell. Well behaved prisoners get allowed to eat in a common area. Your cell has a widow, but it only shows the sky. It's designed so you have no idea where your cell is located. Same thing with the exercise yard.

kzt wrote:

cthia wrote:But not the true sensory deprivation. Usually in those circumstances, you can hear other inmates. Even talk with other inmates. And there is certainly a light of some sort left on.

Nope. You never see or hear any other inmates. Only the 3+ guards who escort you anytime you leave your cell. Well behaved prisoners get allowed to eat in a common area. Your cell has a widow, but it only shows the sky. It's designed so you have no idea where your cell is located. Same thing with the exercise yard.

I suppose that for some, those conditions would be a real copper-plated Cordelia Ransom. Personally, I'd think it was the most perfect setup I could get. I wouldn't want to have contact with any other inmates. I wouldn't want to chat with any other inmates. I certainly wouldn't want to commune or eat with any other inmates. For the entire duration of my stay.

Somehow, I get the feeling that Erewhon takes sensory deprivation to its full literal meaning, which I really don't think I could handle ...

For particularly harsh sentences, solitary confinement was used as well, in small cells with no windows and very little exercise; sentences sometimes included sensory deprivation.

Of course, w/o RFC's input, I don't exactly know what that entails. My imagination sends me images of a small room. No windows. No other human sounds. Very dim light. No contact with guards. Food and water delivered via a chute.

Your only recourse is to seek solace within yourself. And let's face it; some people are not good company, even to themselves. So much so, that being stranded or confined with only themselves would drive them crazy. They'd bore themselves to death, alone, even on the perfect island.

Edit:
That level of sensory deprivation equals a measure of claustrophobia - the walls begin to close in on you.

.

Cauldron of Ghosts

Even using nanotech facial and body transformations won’t help you, since they don’t disguise DNA. Sure, that’d probably be enough for a modest, barely-known sort of spy.

What such technological advances in science. It makes it hard to believe that crime doesn't pay. It seems it'd be so easy for criminals to disappear, with so many planets in so many systems and so many facial transformations one can assume.

Traffic stops must include ID and a quick DNA scan. Or law enforcement in the Honorverse could be all but impossible.

Aside:
I wonder, with Honorverse technology, if one's ethnic appearance can be drastically altered? Whether Michelle Henke could be made to appear white. Or Honor black?