Well, crud.

Tales from the T&A Files by WarriorJoe on 2011-10-11 03:07:00 UTC Reply

Featuring two short stories from the files of Testing and Application, with the promise of more to come!

In the first mini-story, Officers Narain and Snapshot pay a visit to the T&A Division, asking for the construction of a new and powerful weapon!

File: Camera Obsuera

In the other, the Testing and Application boys get the go-ahead to make a major addition to the PPC's tech arsenal! Read this one if no other, folks, it could change your life!

File: Combined Content Analysis Device

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Interesting! by Neshomeh on 2011-10-11 15:28:00 UTC Reply

Hmm, my guys are slated to pick up a repaired CAD in the future, though I intend to make them suffer with bad-haiku!CAD for at least one mission first. Nume has the seniority to get a new model . . . though it's Ilraen they actually like around DoSAT. Hmm indeed.

I always thought the devices were black, personally. Wouldn't any bright colors show up too easily? Also, a spaghetti box seems an unusual shape—the ones I'm familiar with, at least, are long and narrow, not very practical. I guess I figured they fit easily into one hand, like a remote control, only boxier. Or maybe like a tricorder, which has a similar function (scan and provide readout).

Also, caught a mistake, bolded here: "'This is Technician Second Class Narcolepsy, senior member of the Testing and Application Division of the Department of Sufficiently Enhanced Technology.'" Should be "Advanced," of course.

I also read the first story, and I'll be interested to see how the field testing goes for that one. It can't go well immediately, that wouldn't be any fun. *g*

Snapshot seems to be adjusting well. I love that she has more formal education than the others. ^_^

The level of detail in both stories is really excellent. You sound like you know what you're talking about, and I can "see" everything, even if I don't have the technical know-how as a point of reference (or necessarily agree with said descriptions). I may have missed reading other stories with Narcolepsy in them before, but I got a really good idea of how he's constructed in these, with his eyes adjusting, and "brain" winding up, and all that. Really cool. Good work!

~Neshomeh

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Design Notes by WarriorJoe on 2011-10-11 17:00:00 UTC Reply

I spent a lot of time thinking about what the devices would look like, since--and rightly so--they've never been truly and exhaustively described in the ten years they've existed.

I picked the boxy shape partly to explain why the things kept burning out--poorly ventilated, crammed-solid design--and partly because it seemed like a good basic design option, modifiable if necessary (as the DOGA CAD shows).

There's no reason, of course, that the CADs would have to be made of contemporary computer tech even in 2001--as James hinted at, there were miniaturized tech examples even in those days to be cannibalized, such as the Fallout Pip-Boy. But it seemed like a good way to explain that kind of explosive failure beyond just "The Laws of Comedy"--trying to pack a lot of elaborate electronics into a poorly ventilated, undersized box and then put it into situations well beyond its capacity for handling.

As to the color, I thought it was funny to have them be these absolutely ghastly shades of plastic--slug-green and burnt orange--and color-coding would be a further way to distinguish between the models than just shape.

(Also, I get the feeling that Snapshot gets the same question a lot that I got when I was coming up with her--namely, "How can a pony work in the PPC"--and that she's developed a bit of a chip on her shoulder which is helping with the acclimatization. Round characters unite!)

(Also also: you're crazy there is no typo we have always been at war with Eastasia)

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I read the second one. by Sergio Turbo on 2011-10-11 09:17:00 UTC Reply

The CCAD (Or maybe C-CAD?) sounds like a very good upgrade.

We've already got tons of CADs blowing up, and I think we'll see more in order to have a reason to give the new one to the Agents.
Well, crud. by Jacer on 2011-10-11 05:33:00 UTC Reply

This whole time I've been imagining the CADs as looking something like .

Must beat new image into head now.

That said, I would brave the Aldebaranian lawyers if I had a CCAD with "Don't Panic!" on it. That would be awesome. And a never-ending source of jokes.

CAD Mental Image by WarriorJoe on 2011-10-11 17:02:00 UTC Reply

Nothing stopping people from having their own mental image--or, for that matter, from having CADs be heavily modified by Agents to be less unwieldy and basic in the field. I just had to come up with an image since this was a tech review of sorts, so I defaulted to a nice basic handheld box.

Hm... The second one sounds fun... by HerrWozzeck on 2011-10-11 04:12:00 UTC Reply

...and I totally sense that Zerenze would give the prototype model to Eusabius as a gift for whatever reason. *snickers evilly*

Fun times are had for everyone. Can't wait for more files! :D
Re: Tales from the T&A Files by Firebird766 on 2011-10-11 03:52:00 UTC Reply

I like the second one a lot, especially since it gives a reason why CADs have been exploding more frequently in mission reports. It also gives an incentive (neat new tech) to not blow them up for Rule of Funny purposes.