 May 10, 2010 - 4:46pm | This is Joel Bennett of the Frontier News Network, broadcasting from our isolated videocom station on Mount Rook, Gran Quivera, with an update on the disaster now being called the Mechano Plague. Star Law has now confirmed that the origin of the Mechano Plague was indeed a mechanon built craft that landed in Port Loren and uploaded the Mechano Virus to the automated cargo handling robots. The virus spread quickly through the robotic brain administrating the Star Port into computer networks and virtuall all robotic brains on the planet. Every computer system and robotic brain world wide that had a connection to the Star Port's network, no matter how indirect, has now crashed. All ships with a connection to the star ports network have likewise had their computers crashed. Technicians the world over are scrambling to operate civil service; power, waste treatment, emergencies and etc on manuel control. Police departments are taxed just trying to direct traffic let alone maintain law and order. We now have sporadic reports of luting in several cities. There are unconfirmed reports of similar craft docking with space stations and landing on numerous other planets with similar devestating results and the UPF has not declared a state of martial l... Excuse me, this just in... we have a subspace radio report from the Fromeltar system that the Terledrom Militia Ships have fired on and destroyed a mechanon space craft in their system. .....All citizens are instructed to disconnect their house and vehicles from any external network untill further notice. All space worthy craft not currently connected to any infected network are officiall commandeered by order of the military governor. Ther is now a curfew in effect and all citizens are instructed to remain in doors between the hours of... NOte the above was inspired by David Brins Memetic Plague from his Uplift saga I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 10, 2010 - 5:29pm | Muhahahaha, my robot brothers! |
May 10, 2010 - 5:32pm | How would they isolate their own systems and themselves? |
 May 10, 2010 - 7:47pm | TD-19.  The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
May 10, 2010 - 8:09pm | News for Nerds A new cult founded a movement known as KaBoom-Plague or KBP. Unfortunately none of the group survived the first meeting. ...side effects of TD-19 over-usage were guessing. |
May 10, 2010 - 8:41pm | How would they isolate their own systems and themselves? if they developed it, they could easily be immune or are they? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 10, 2010 - 9:01pm | or are they? That's what I'm laying down although we don't know how close frontier robotics and computers tie into the mechanon physiology. Of course your assuming that frontier computers and robots have the same programming language, process and bits. If that is true why can't a roboticist work on a computer and vise versa? |
 May 11, 2010 - 4:30am | Also used in Traveller: The New Era, although their virus was self-aware and self mutating, didn't so much crash as take over a system and use it against all other life. If people are luting, it's pretty terrible, take them away and give 'em guitars instead!! And how do you get the word out when the communication itself might be acting as a carrier for the virus? Most starship comm systems are connected to the computer (updates and automated signals), so any message carrying a warning might also transmit the virus. Subspace comms can transmit the virus between star systems faster than a starship can physically carry the warning! |
May 11, 2010 - 4:55am | And how do you get the word out when the communication itself might be acting as a carrier for the virus? Most starship comm systems are connected to the computer (updates and automated signals), so any message carrying a warning might also transmit the virus. Subspace comms can transmit the virus between star systems faster than a starship can physically carry the warning! I didn't really want to go there as that will take every single elecrtonic device down and smash the whole frontier back to pre computers and solar powered calculators (suddenly antiques dealers have a run on solar powered calculators! and type writers) all services have to be run by a person, star ship operations could be possible but you'd need a small army of engineers just to run the engines and watch them non stop. your astrogator would need a whole department to back him up, you'd have to have extra pilots and someone would have to be on at each essential station around the clock. trying to target weapons would be a nightmare. Docking with a station with out computer support would be a major spincter test and likely disallowed- only launches and shuttles would be allowed on manuel no communications and then.... the sathar show up or even one mechanon ship that blows away everything in space fleet one vessel at a time. To have the virus carried over the "air" would be a massively steep whole to dig out of. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 12, 2010 - 9:27am | Old analog communications are virus free! I would believe that most starships still have non-digital, analog radio communications. Video would likely be out because it would likely be digital to capitalize on compression. But, voice is so low a bandwidth that analog radio would likely persist even in frontier technology. The infected planet would broadcast in analog to prevent sending the virus. Starship could still receive on their full communications array. -iggy |
