Broadsheets and Subversion

Philip Stanley wrote:One minor problem:
Lyonheart's earlier post describing a possible system for printing and putting up broadsides has one minor problem: It is characteristic of printing performed in a press using movable type (which we know from other text evidence is the current state of the art on Safehold) that the pressure of the typefaces actually embosses the letters into the paper. If you examine a sheet printed by this method, you can easily see the shapes of the letters slightly raised up on the reverse side. Pasting up the broadside sheet and then "spray-painting" the message onto it, as described by Lyonheart, would not leave such an impression, and this would raise questions.
Philip Stanley

Philip Stanley wrote:One minor problem:
Lyonheart's earlier post describing a possible system for printing and putting up broadsides has one minor problem: It is characteristic of printing performed in a press using movable type (which we know from other text evidence is the current state of the art on Safehold) that the pressure of the typefaces actually embosses the letters into the paper.

n7axw wrote:

Philip Stanley wrote:One minor problem:
Lyonheart's earlier post describing a possible system for printing and putting up broadsides has one minor problem: It is characteristic of printing performed in a press using movable type (which we know from other text evidence is the current state of the art on Safehold) that the pressure of the typefaces actually embosses the letters into the paper. If you examine a sheet printed by this method, you can easily see the shapes of the letters slightly raised up on the reverse side. Pasting up the broadside sheet and then "spray-painting" the message onto it, as described by Lyonheart, would not leave such an impression, and this would raise questions.
Philip Stanley

A possibility... but only if someone with the moxy looks close enough to catch it which might well happen.

I acquired and read that book on steam you recommended a while back. Nice read. Thank you.

Don

Charybdis wrote:Given the centuries of the Inquisition and demonstrated skills, I wonder if 'typology' has been regularized? First you find regional differences in word order and local dictions. These are not separate idioms while the Church has dominion but I recall places where RFC has mentioned some differences. (IIRC) If that is the case, then the Inquisition may have records to localize a (non-OWL) broadsheet to a locality. Second would be the appearance of physical lettering like what the FBI made a science of in the case of typewriters. Each would have a unique imperfection that could be matched to other broadsheets and ... eventually ... to a given Print Shop. Of course OWL could use the Church's imperfections and drive Clyntahn's Inquisitors batty with suspicion of their own printers!

walt wrote:*quote="lyonheart"*Hi Owlish,

Welcome to the forums, enjoy your favorite cg beverage on the cg forum.

First, the comments regarding the SNARC micro sensors using stealth or their small size and avoiding any human and pet animal observation etc are quite correct.

Secondly, from the detail that went into Dailydd Mab's camp, I don't think the broadsheet placement operation is in jeopardy.

I suspect the paper is quite similar to whatever the local product is, though made by OWL, and delivered and stored near the target cities, towns, and villages, so the micro sensor sprays the glue on one side, fixes it to whatever wall, then uses a inkjet etc to squirt out the night's message while watch is kept by others to ensure its not disturbed.

Certainly the printing style of the inkjet would make it impossible to trace to any local press, and so far we have no indication the sensors have taken a page from Eric Frank Russel's Wasp, where the stickers etch the glass they're stuck on when they try to use water etc to get them off.

Having some future message on Clyntahn's infidelities and crimes etc etched into wood or brick might be amusing especially if it were the local church.

Doing it ten thousand times in a single night across the temple lands, Harchong, the BS and Dohlar, would be even funnier.

L

Owlish wrote:Now I'll freely admit that runsforcelery (aka MWW and several other noms de plume) has had me easily suspend disbelief for many of his various strategies and tactics, but the posting of broadsheets that look anything like the work of a printer by one (or even several) small stealthy devices that are flight-capable without eventual detection is stretching it just a bit, even for my favorite author.

So we have say 4 of these devices (aka SNARKs) create this broadsheet, then they work together to fly themselves, with the broadsheet rolled up, to a suitable location. Two then afix the upper corners to a suitable building, then release the lower corners for the other 2 to afix below. The creation and the posting I can accept; it's the transportation that I get choked up over. Also, unless the SNARKs can make the paper/ink, there are more transportation issue (yes, they could break into a printer's shop and steal the paper/ink, but the stuff still needs to be transported).

I do see the potential here for a nice humorous interlude, where a citizen (perhaps a bit in his/her cups at a late/early hour) observes a broadsheet en route to its' installation - s/he sees a rolled-up sheet of paper flying thru the air with no visible means of support and proceeds to give up drink (at least for the rest of the five-day). But I do think this is a significant potential breech of security; these events _will_ eventually be seen and reported by someone of sufficient stature to be listened to. Obviously, the CoGA will declare that this is certainly the work of devils.

What might the odds be? Say there's a 99.5% chance that the process goes unnoticed. By the 140th post, the odds are 50% that it has been noticed. By the 460th, there's a 90% probability that it has been noticed.

Not that there's a huge downside here; tbh, having the broadsheets declared a Demonic Creation might not have a totally bad impact overall (the lure of the forbidden being a strong human reaction), but the idea that this can be done on a somewhat regular basis (is it once a five-day per major city? twice? daily?) and not eventually be noticed while in progress is just a bit too much for me. What might I be missing?

*quote*

The idea of casualty lists etched into church doors fascinates me. This might make potential recruits think twice. At first, things like that are memorials, but take on a different spin as the list grows. And, of course, all those names in one place. Although I would localize the lists.

Weird Harold wrote:
B) Mimeograph or other non-printing duplication process/machine isn't also part of the technology handed down in the Writ. Such limited quality/high-speed duplication processes were invented for the cheap, fast, production of broadsheets and handbills.

Annachie wrote:It strikes me that printing pressed shouldn't exist. At least anything that even hints of movable type anyway.
I would expect that that is one technology that Langhorne would have wanted to keep a lid on. Easy printing means easy information dispersial, but in the hands of any body. I would have expected Langhorne to keep information dispersal well and truely in house. Ie: in the hand of the church, and monastaries devoted to hand copying the writ etc.