Re: Chapter Twenty-Six of The Vondish Ambassador now online

In article <1173452401.275818.42660@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
DougL <lampert.doug@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mar 9, 12:25 am, p...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (J Moreno) wrote:

I don't understand what you find so unbelievable about it, frankly, if
anything I think the disbelief should be going the other way -- given
the fact that the Towers have been there and operating longer than
anyone has been alive, it's surprising that they considered doing
anything to protect them. But I just chalk that up to the wizards
higherups living long enough to take a bit longer view.

I keep wondering how he believes in our world. 1% of the federal
budget would buy us an ENOURMOUS amount of protection against the dire
and immenent threat of astroid impacts, and we KNOW that can and does
actually happen and have no good reason to think won't happen next
week.

We chart asteroids, yes? Now, the Yellowstone supervolcano, I'm right
there with you...

Yes, but you see for fiction it;'s called "willing" suspension of
disbelief. *I* get to decide what I'm willing to disbelieve. It doesn't
matter what you think.


But do we bother? No, not a bit.

But he thinks its a problem that the much less organized Wizard's
Guild doesn't CREAT a tax structure for the entire world to pay for
massive defenses for something for which there is no actual evidence
of a threat.

Problem? No. Directly under the control of a person who can decide how the
plotted story will turn out? Yes.


And if you point this out he asks why they bother to defend at all.
Appearently Michael is incapable of understanding that taking SOME
precautions without taking an all out effort is perfectly reasonable.

No, I understand that it's reasonable. But look at it this way:

What are the benefits to the flute:

It's cheap and it can go more than one place.

What are the disadvantages: The wizard is vulnerable while using it. He
can misuse it and then it's gone, and if he can't tell anyone you won't
know it's gone. Additionally, it takes some time to use so in the process
of using it, the wizard can be disabled.

What are the advantages to a tapestry: It's instantaneous. Non wizards can
use it. It only goes to a place the make wants it to go to.

The disadvantages: It's hideously expensive and it can only go to that one
place.

Now, I grant you the hideously expensive part seems to be a heavy burden
to place, but given that they are dealing with the breathable air, and the
guild does think it's worth protecting, it seems to me that a tapestry has
definite advantages.

Which given that he DISCUSSES cost/benefit analysis as if he actually
knows at least the terminology is very strange, cost/benefit is all
about marginal changes and hence will effectively ALWAYS result in a
level of precautions well below "everything you can do".


Again, people make cost benefit decisions that turn out wrong all the
time. McDonald's willful decision not to keep their coffee at a reasonable
temperature resulted in them getting sued. And that's not even getting
into the issues of strict liability.

The wizards have a perfectly sane risk estimate (very very low), and
they have a perfectly sane cost they are willing to pay to deal with
that particular risk (also very very low), and he finds this
unbelievable rather than obvious.

So why break another wizard's athame, or risk the hostility of several
sovereign nations or ban warlocks from the twelve kingdoms or keep other
resources there. Those might not be as expensive as a wizard using one
year of his life to make a tapestry. But they did it for Tobas, and the
hostility they have incurred would seem non-trivial.



I'm baffled.


Then don't devote any more time to it.


--
The All-New, All-Different Howling Curmudgeons!
http://www.whiterose.org/howlingcurmudgeons
.

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