April 11
It was another gloomy day. Springtime in Kalamazoo didn't have too much going for it so far.
I got in a bit longer flight than usual, 'cause I got up a little bit earlier. I started off by just making big circles, stretching out my wings and relaxing my mind. It's easy to get in a kind of trance when flying, and you have to be careful that that doesn't happen. Most often it happens over the ocean, 'cause there isn't a whole lot to focus on. But it can be good, too, as long as you only let your mind drift a little bit and keep aware of what's around you.
Once I had cleared everything out of my mind but me and the sky, I started to do little hops up and down, then higher and higher. At the peak of every arc, I'd add a couple of flaps, then dive down and glide back up, until I was swinging through a couple of hundred feet of altitude at a time. Some of the ponies on my weather team thought that was one of the best ways to exercise, because you worked your wings then relaxed them. I wasn't so sure myself; you don't trot and glide to work your legs.
Even if it wasn't the best exercise routine, it was fun, and the repetitiveness of it helped keep my mind clear. I had to focus to keep at the same altitude at the bottom of my dives, and then to add just the right bit of speed at the very top.
When I decided I'd done enough, I did a backflip at the very peak instead of flapping and let myself fall backwards for a moment before twisting to hooves-down flight.
I hadn't buzzed the quad in a while, so I did that on my way back in. I came down steep over the roof of Hoben and leveled out just on the other side of the brick road, then shot across the quad and up the hill to Trowbridge, scaring a couple of students who ought to have been paying more attention at what was around them and a little less to their telephones. Then I banked hard around a tree and gained some altitude to bleed off speed. There were ways to do it at ground level, but it was tricky and you could strain a wing or crash if you didn't do it right.
My morning preening left me with three fewer feathers, and I could see where another one had fallen out in flight. Who knew where that had gone. Maybe somebody was going to find it on the ground and wonder what kind of bird had lost it.
Professor Sir Doctor Banerjee started by reminding us that in a dynamical system we ought to find the equilibrium points first, because that was where we had a good understanding of how the system worked. Then he put a problem on the markerboard, and had us help him calculate the Jacobian matrix and the eigenvalues, and explained how when r changed, the system went out of stability. Then he explained again how to calculate eigenvectors and eigenvalues on a flat surface, and how on a cubic place you had to calculate the eigenplane, too.
Sometimes there would be a system that when it went out of equilibrium it could go in two different directions, and sort of be in its own compartment (as he said), and those were called basins of attraction, and the stable points in them were called attractors. It got a little more complex because limit cycles counted as attractors, too, which wasn't the case in linear equations.
Besides having trouble with the math letters, writing neat matrixes was tricky, too. I wasn't the only one having trouble, though; a lot of the students seemed to be having difficulty comprehending a three-dimensional space, but of course that type of thought came natural to a pegasus. Although it's always difficult when you're looking at a representation of three dimensions of a flat surface.
I told everyone at lunch about my weekend with Aquamarine, but it was hard to get across how seeing the horses had made me feel. They were interested in the astronaut ice cream, though. Everyone at the table had had it when they were children. Sean said that it was never popular with astronauts, and that now they had real ice cream on the International Space Station. Although he admitted that that was a special treat for the astronauts; they didn't have ice cream all the time.
I didn’t know all that much about the space station so he told me about it and got some pictures of it on his telephone. He said that I could see it streaking across the sky from the ground, if I knew where to look, and said that his telephone kept track of when it was going to go by. He said that he could let me know when it was going to be close enough to see on a clear night, and that we could go out and look at it as it went by. I thought I could wave; maybe they'd see me. Then I realized I was being silly; I couldn't see people on the ground from the airplane for very long, and the space station was higher up than airplanes could go.
In anthropology, Professor Amy started off by talking about what we'd read about the Kayan women who put rings around their necks to make their necks look longer, and then she asked how many ways we could think of that people in America changed their bodies for religious or beauty purposes. She said that it had to be a permanent change, so things like dying hair or painting fingernails didn't count. Then there was a little debate about whether piercings counted, because they could grow back out. She said that they did count.
So the class together came up with a pretty long list of things that people in America did, and I said that I'd heard some zebra shamans wore neck rings, too, but I didn't think that they were trying to stretch their necks. And some ponies wore earrings, too, but not too many. There had been pegasus clans that notched their ears, but nopony did that any more—it had fallen out of fashion when my granddam was a filly. She said that back then you could tell where a pony had come from by the notches in her ears. It sounded painful to me: I'd had an ear bitten in a fight and it bled a lot and really hurt for days and days.
Then after that we talked about some ways that other cultures had changed their bodies in pursuit of beauty, and all of it was new to me. Some of it seemed simply horrible, like various ways that people had found to bind their bodies and make them grow in different, bad ways. I guess for humans sometimes not being able to move was a desirable trait, but I didn't see why. Not being able to move means that you might get eaten by a monster. Nopony would do that.
I spent some time in my room working on my poem, which wasn’t working out. I decided that I was overthinking it, and just needed to clear my head and let the words flow naturally, but that was hard to do when I was looking at a piece of paper that was all marked up from bad tries, so I filled the rest of the time by reading the next chapter of my anthropology book and then some of Samuel, which was the next book in the Bible.
I ate dinner in the dark room, and we spent an extra long time there before everyone went off to play Durach, and I went with them. On our way there, Aric came along in Winston, and he stopped on the road and asked if anybody wanted a ride, so we all got into the back of the truck and that was kind of fun. It was a little cramped and dark, because he still had the top on, but at the same time it was cozy, and there was a window that he opened between the truck and the top so that he could talk to us.
When we got there Keith pushed open the back window and lowered the tailboard, and then we all climbed out and went inside to play cards.
We rode back to campus in the same way, and after everyone had been dropped off, I got out of the back too and into the cab. I thought about asking him to stop by the dorm so that I could get my flight gear, but I didn't. I had gotten cozy against his side when we had pulled out of the parking lot and I didn't want to get out of the truck until it was time to go up to his bedroom.
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Regarding you argument, intelligence doesn´t create misery, but merely forces people to realize of the existence of such misery allowing them to do something about it. Those who prefer to keep you ignorant usually don´t want you to be more happy but more controlled.
7289279 of course, that kinda hinges on the pain of existence not being just an innate and incurable part of it that comes with the territory of consciousness and cannot be given up
Silver? Fighting?
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGH--
Anyway. Good chapter.
Do unicorns use horn extenders? If they had e-mail, there would be spam for "Natural Unicorn Enhancement".
Nopony would but humans would. We don't need to worry about monsters, we killed them all. Now we're the monsters in the world.
Jetstream
Are you sure about that? Because I remember watching a program about Tesla building the first AC generator & all the problems he had with it.
TheaWinters
I remember reading that they did use the Hollerith code (basis for EBCDIC) & the 1890 cencus was the first to be completed before the next was started. I was thinking of electronic computers. Twilight was using one in Feeling Pinkie Keen. I was thrown off by how clueless Twilight was in the first EQ Girls movie.
7289172 xD
Sooner or later Silver's boyfriend is going to find out she is cheating on him. Either he will try for a threesome or there will be Hell To Pay. Either way she will get labeled as a slut. The double standard still lives!
Given the male/female ratio in EQ, it may be that the rule is "girlfriends don't coumt as cheating" but I'd bet you are not supposed to keep it secret,
Visualizing 3D spaces has always been easy for me, though I've never worked with these sorts of systems before. The closest I've come would be electromagnetic and gravitational fields in arrangements that are a lot neater and more straightforward. Still, fascinating stuff.
There's definitely a story behind that ear bite...
Ah, writer's block. I hope Silver will be able to get through that. If nothing else, maybe she can submit the page full of crossed-out bits to show she's struggling with her muse rather than just letting the assignment slide.
You must be referring to foot binding.
On body art. Personally, I'm fine with earrings, but I can't understand how people think nose and navel piercings are cute/attractive. Prince Alberts and nipple piercings are just messed up.
Now yaebas, on the other hand, really are kawaii.
Interval training, always the best method there is.
And matrixes! Since she started sir doctor Banerjee's class, I have that little regret of not having math classes anymore. I had introducctionary course on most of the subject covered so far and I do remember these as the most fun I ever had in a math class. Especially matrices.
I wonder if they've gotten a pony out into space yet? Given pegasi don't even like flying in planes, I bet they would absolutely hate the constant freefall of microgravity.
Oh God I just walked into a faceful of math! Get it off get it off GET IT OFF
7289651
I remember that being addressed in Arrow 18. RD was not having a fun time.
I've always been same to visualize in 3d, kind of a necessity with mechanical engineering. Although my professor made us calculate the surface area of a 5 dimensional surface once. Still not really sure what that it ment.
I've been trying to work out what you do from what you write about in most detail and couldn't. You either put a ton of research into your stories or you're a mathematician/climate-scientist/air traffic controller/English Lit major.
Edit: In addition to being a pony, I mean.
7289295 also 100% natural ways to get bigger wings for pegasi . . .
7289489 what ? navel and nipple piercings are okay, i don't want them for myself, but they are nice to look at ^^
7289279 In some cases, gaining knowledge can be damaging and should be withheld. For instance, you wouldn't expose a 5-year old to stories about torture or the holocaust, or show them bondage porn. They're just not ready for it; they lack the capacity to process it properly. In fact, not only will it cause them unnecessary suffering, but it will impair their ability to handle unsettling knowledge in the future.
But, yes, in a lot of cases people do withhold knowledge because they are afraid of losing their power over people.
As far as giving intelligence to animals... I suppose you are giving them the capacity to deal with sentience (more or less) at the same time, so it's more a question about whether or not it's necessary.
I'm sorry, I'm rambling a little...
7289696 And that is why those 'math students' with the letters on their shirts are always drunk.
Sweet Luna, Silver not only swears like a sailor; she gets into fights? The kind of fights with ear-biting? This cuddly little pegasus is badass.
Edit: I mean, unless this happened in, like, elementary school. Which I guess can't be ruled out.
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Matrices, silly.
7286452 The answer to all of this is magic!
7289790 He works in a garage.
The FAA frowns on such shenanigans, as does the university.
Somepony is a about to receive a strongly worded letter.
Puppy eyes will cover the first offense, but after that it's cash.
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For the record, SGJ isn't meant to be absolutely canonical to CSI/OPP. More of a spiritual successor.
7291114 Well otherwise I suppose that it would've been mentioned at some point that she is studying close (in the same state at the very least) from the point of the first contact.
And she did mention that purple smart is the one who initiated the contact, not whatever the official story for the meeting on Fox island
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I admit, I forgot about that.
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Sorry for the 2x reply, but I didn't want to ninja edit my previous post.
When I think about it, without aerial lines (which we'd see), why would the power go out during a storm? It happens to us because either high winds blow trees into lines and they short to ground, or lightning strikes damage transformers and lines.
7291443 massive amounts of handwaving is absolutely necessary, but I'll gladly debate the handwaving specifics. Personally I find it fun, but if I ever come across to strong, let me know.
In general, you're assuming human technology and materials. Human wireless transmission, human patch materials and procedures and normal (unenchanted) wood.
My school campus uses underground power transmission entirely and there are massive areas that don't have manholes for access so I'm willing to go with underground power transmission still.
Considering how little the crane is lifting, wood might actually work, although I haven't done any analysis on it. Additionally, there could be steel components as stiffer materials tend to carry the majority of the load. I'm willing to fudge stuff enough so that it would feasably work (for example there also isn't actually a way to lift or lower objects on the crane. Personally though, i'm betting on enchanted wood instead of steel. I'd say it's cheaper to pay a unicorn to enchant locally sourced wood than it is to import heavy steel equipment by train.
Sorry if i missed stuff, this was a quick study break.
7291497 Clearly too much lightning disrupts the air based transmission of electrical power.
7291035 Ponies themselves are... ahem... as long as a pony's leg.
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Note also that the name theme is most prominent in the Apple family and the Pie family, two very old and traditionalist Earth pony clans. And the Cakes, also Earth ponies.
Of course, in this story, according to Silver Glow the tribe that pays most attention to heritage is the unicorn aristocracy. And in Life and Times, it's the Pegasi who have ancient families like Clan Doo, Clan Kicker, etc. Maybe every tribe has its traditionalists, and those are the ones who most stringently adhere to naming themes.
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Well, she does come from a place that some ponies colloquially called skyseaponytown.
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Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal ship, boundless and bare,
The lone and level seas stretch far away.
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"Wait, why is the rest of this just the words 'Mostly Harmless'? That doesn't sound very harmless to me."
7291443 Lol, which is why I said that's where they charge magic power-crystals. No need for any transmission, other infrastructure, or anything like that. Just use the dam to charge the crystals and ship them out to the stores/factories for ponies to buy and use at home.
The antenna thing could just be how they bleed off excess magic produced by the dam and not used in crystal charging back into the magical field, or as a secondary focuser for the charging by gathering or something.
7289388 One of the author's other works, Onto the Pony Planet, has ponies as polygamous, so the same thing could hold here. Pony dating could very well involve pursuing multiple relationships at once, and eventually collapsing some of them into a stable herd once they find a combination that works.
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Although I think it would be fair to say that if intelligence were suddenly unexpectedly thrust upon you when you had none before, you probably wouldn't have the ability to do something about it.
Somewhat related
7289294
of course, that kinda hinges on the pain of existence not being just an innate and incurable part of it that comes with the territory of consciousness and cannot be given up
To quote Carnivàle: "Pain is an unavoidable side effect."
7289295
Probably not: they'd be whacking their horns on things all the time and would hate it.
7289307
Sad but true.
7289321
I'm not willing to go out on a limb and say for a fact it's an electronic computer like we'd mean when we say that. It could just be graphing magical impulses, for example, and not be more sophisticated internally than an early seismograph.
7289388
Technically she hasn't yet (well, depending on your definition of cheating, anyway)
It may be.
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I do it in more of a practical way: will this alternator fit through that hole, or do I need to unbolt something else to make it fit? Just today I got to do it with an oil filler tube on an Astro van: over the brace, then forward against the fan shroud, turn ninety degrees so it will slip between the air intake and the A/C compressor, then rotate back, lift the front up to clear the brace, then down and in.
Schoolyard scuffle.
Luckily for her, it's not an assignment, just something that she wants to do on her own free time.
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And corsets.
7289489
Really depends on the jewelery and the person, IMHO.
So you are saying that I made a poor choice in college then?
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That's what I've heard. My last major form of exercise was tossing car tires, and I was pretty good at it.
I have no regrets at not having math classes anymore. I barely passed Calc 1, and this stuff that Silver Glow's studying now is way above my head. But I'm learning.
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That's a tough question. Not much chance in the US, since I think that all of our spaceships which can carry humans (or ponies) have been mothballed. And I doubt NASA would want to risk it. Of course, there are other countries who might, and ponies who would be willing to try. And yes, a pegasus would be the worst possible choice for a spacepony.
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I have to watch math lectures on YouTube because I don't know a damn thing about nonlinear dynamics.
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No, she was not, and thanks to the magic of the internet I can say that cats don't have a fun time in microgravity, either.
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I really get lost with higher dimensions. I think that's delving into the kind of math where there are no numbers, only letters. Actually, a lot of advanced math (like, all of it) goes over my head. But there are some really good videos on YouTube where they explain it for idiots like me.
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It basically involves glue and peacock feathers, and the fine print says you can't fly with them.
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Not necessarily giving them the capacity. I think the two are separate--in D&D terms, you're giving them intelligence but maybe not wisdom. Although if there were such a spell, perhaps it would grant both.
7290053
Yeah, elementary school fight. But she'd fight as an adult, too, if provoked.
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Matrixes.
7290571
I concur. And things not being the first thing a modern American would consider. Like in terms of household lighting, gaslights and carbide lamps were pretty common back in the day.
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Strictly speaking, Silver's got a nice loophole here: as an ornithopter, she can fly below minimum altitudes, and the FAA is letting Kalamazoo College set the rules for where and how she can fly on campus. And last time I checked, the college handbook didn't prohibit buzzing the quad.
That could change soon.
7291497
It probably could if there were some aboveground lines and they got hit and opened the circuit breakers--I suppose if we hypothesize that the ponies do have some sort of electrical grid, the next question would be how good is it?
7291623
Or that's a logical explanation, too. Lightning storms sometimes mess up radio signals, so why wouldn't they mess up other aerial signals?
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Based on some calculations, anywhere from 10cm to 45cm or so. Depending on whether you do straight scaling, hand height/length ratio, or do trunk length/pelvis factors on a scale model.
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I think so. You've got snobs and families who are very interested in their family history, and then you've got those who couldn't care less.
The west wind blew
The foam flecks flew
The furrow followed free
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I'm an auto mechanic.
Mostly the first. Some stuff is story-specific and then there's other stuff I've picked up here and there, but you can be assured that I do a fair bit of research. I've always said that I might not write the best stories on this site, but I write the best-researched.
Nice couple of chapters, these last few. I'm catching up after work picked up and I had to move to a new apartment, so I'm a bit behind. Luckily, the chapters are pretty short.
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Ha! How's that for irony? You write like a professor about things like poetry.
I'm an English professor and what's my flagship story about?
...Robots.
(And believe me, I sympathize about the research.)
Yeowch. Getting bitten on the ear does sting a lot afterwards. I suppose it was a schoolyard fight.
It was. The things people did and still do for the pursuit of "beauty".
Oh Silver you , planning ahead for the inveitable bedroom antics.
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I love you for this phrasing. Debating the handwaving specifics is a phrase i will use henceforth!
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OTOH, imagine you growing up only knowing the phones that existed in the 1890s, now you're suddenly faced with an iPhone or BlackBerry.
Of course, in my own headcanon, the ponies are relatives of the Q Continuum. So their phones might actually be capable of routinely solving the types of problems that took Deep Thought eons to solve...but they just look like those old 1890's phones (for aesthetic reasons), now you're suddenly faced with an iPhone or BlackBerry.
Same problem, but just looking at it from the opposite direction. The real issue is the wildly different interfaces between the examples.
7359201
Hmm, I know a thing or two about playing catchup
Well, like they say, write about what you know, and if you don't know, research the hell out of it and then you do know. Also robots are cool.
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Most likely. And pony ears are a really good target for biting. I really need to put a pony missing part of an ear in a story.
Did you know that you can get your eyes tattooed? Because you can.
That's very important. Silver has her priorities right.
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I still can't figure out all the things my smart phone can do. Phone technology (from the user end) didn't advance very much from the early 1900s to the dawn of the cell phone age.
My own headcanon is that the ponies have 1860s era tech with a few outliers here and there. So even a telephone at all is novel to almost all ponies.
This is called a dipsy-doodle!