What exactly is a "remote"?

I have been re-reading the whole series and it has just occurred to me that I have a misconception (I think) about SNARC's and remotes. I have been under the impression that SNARC's house the remotes and that the remotes are microscopically tiny "bugs" that mostly provide audio/video feeds. But just now as I'm re-reading MT&T, there is a section talking about the "crush gauges" and how OWL's remotes snuck in and replaced the original ones with ones that OWL made under stricter conditions. It then occurred to me that there have been other instances whereby remotes were used in other than audio/video spying modes. Such as, throwing the rock and letter thru Gahrvai's window, posting the broadsheets, etc. So now I'm wondering how a microscopically tiny remote can do that. It must have arms to carry things, it must be able to manipulate objects (tacking up or pasting up broadsheets). So I'm wondering if anyone recalls any textev to the effect that remotes "have" to be tiny. Are their different kinds of remotes for the different jobs required? Does OWL manufacture them as needed, or were they already part of the SNARC's arsenal?

They are to my understanding anything that the SNARC controls. SNARCs are rather large units that remain in orbit and facilitate communication as well as control a wide variety of remotest. Some of those remotes fought with Diallyd Mab against that AoG contingent moving the residents of that concentration camp.

TBird50 wrote:I have been re-reading the whole series and it has just occurred to me that I have a misconception (I think) about SNARC's and remotes. I have been under the impression that SNARC's house the remotes and that the remotes are microscopically tiny "bugs" that mostly provide audio/video feeds. But just now as I'm re-reading MT&T, there is a section talking about the "crush gauges" and how OWL's remotes snuck in and replaced the original ones with ones that OWL made under stricter conditions. It then occurred to me that there have been other instances whereby remotes were used in other than audio/video spying modes. Such as, throwing the rock and letter thru Gahrvai's window, posting the broadsheets, etc. So now I'm wondering how a microscopically tiny remote can do that. It must have arms to carry things, it must be able to manipulate objects (tacking up or pasting up broadsheets). So I'm wondering if anyone recalls any textev to the effect that remotes "have" to be tiny. Are their different kinds of remotes for the different jobs required? Does OWL manufacture them as needed, or were they already part of the SNARC's arsenal?

Hi PeterZ,

Those were 'combat remotes'; made by OWL and evidently much larger that could manipulate weapons far more powerful than the gunpowder rifles, that probably used counter-gravity as they 'glided' rather than walked, while using the various stealth devices to look like men.

The very small sensors or bugs may be microscopic in size, but they also include a tractor beam for their scout requirements which thanks to the fusion power pack, enables them to perform such a wide variety of missions.

I suspect there is a whole range remotes tailored to various potential missions, the combat remotes were of course the first time they were mentioned in the text.

L

PeterZ wrote:They are to my understanding anything that the SNARC controls. SNARCs are rather large units that remain in orbit and facilitate communication as well as control a wide variety of remotest. Some of those remotes fought with Diallyd Mab against that AoG contingent moving the residents of that concentration camp.

TBird50 wrote:I have been re-reading the whole series and it has just occurred to me that I have a misconception (I think) about SNARC's and remotes. I have been under the impression that SNARC's house the remotes and that the remotes are microscopically tiny "bugs" that mostly provide audio/video feeds. But just now as I'm re-reading MT&T, there is a section talking about the "crush gauges" and how OWL's remotes snuck in and replaced the original ones with ones that OWL made under stricter conditions. It then occurred to me that there have been other instances whereby remotes were used in other than audio/video spying modes. Such as, throwing the rock and letter thru Gahrvai's window, posting the broadsheets, etc. So now I'm wondering how a microscopically tiny remote can do that. It must have arms to carry things, it must be able to manipulate objects (tacking up or pasting up broadsheets). So I'm wondering if anyone recalls any textev to the effect that remotes "have" to be tiny. Are their different kinds of remotes for the different jobs required? Does OWL manufacture them as needed, or were they already part of the SNARC's arsenal?

TBird50 wrote:I have been re-reading the whole series and it has just occurred to me that I have a misconception (I think) about SNARC's and remotes. I have been under the impression that SNARC's house the remotes and that the remotes are microscopically tiny "bugs" that mostly provide audio/video feeds. But just now as I'm re-reading MT&T, there is a section talking about the "crush gauges" and how OWL's remotes snuck in and replaced the original ones with ones that OWL made under stricter conditions. It then occurred to me that there have been other instances whereby remotes were used in other than audio/video spying modes. Such as, throwing the rock and letter thru Gahrvai's window, posting the broadsheets, etc. So now I'm wondering how a microscopically tiny remote can do that. It must have arms to carry things, it must be able to manipulate objects (tacking up or pasting up broadsheets). So I'm wondering if anyone recalls any textev to the effect that remotes "have" to be tiny. Are their different kinds of remotes for the different jobs required? Does OWL manufacture them as needed, or were they already part of the SNARC's arsenal?

The SNARC remotes are tiny spying devices, with a small range of "doing things" functions, like blowing up for destroying themselves and keep components nearby.

There are plenty of other sorts of remotes - read 'remote' as 'machine controlled at a distance' - for plenty of other functions. Many of those will be small and stealthy too; they will probably be small any time they don't need to be large, and stealthy any time they may possibly need to be, which, on Safehold, is likely to be anywhere outside the Cave. The broadsheet distribution remotes probably don't have to be small enough to get inside ears, but they will need to be discreet.

I imagine OWL's manufacturing remotes as needed and as possible, but that the Cave may have had an ample supply of a variety of them - after all, they were generally small and frequently expected to be expended, so stashing a lot of them may have been relatively easy. But some sorts of remotes may well take materials that cannot be synthesized or quietly procured from the Cave, so they may be able to manufacture or replace the full range of TF remotes. (That said, they may well be able to knock out lower-tech or alternate-tech replacements that way, like the VR net.)

JeffEngel wrote:

TBird50 wrote:I have been re-reading the whole series and it has just occurred to me that I have a misconception (I think) about SNARC's and remotes. I have been under the impression that SNARC's house the remotes and that the remotes are microscopically tiny "bugs" that mostly provide audio/video feeds. But just now as I'm re-reading MT&T, there is a section talking about the "crush gauges" and how OWL's remotes snuck in and replaced the original ones with ones that OWL made under stricter conditions. It then occurred to me that there have been other instances whereby remotes were used in other than audio/video spying modes. Such as, throwing the rock and letter thru Gahrvai's window, posting the broadsheets, etc. So now I'm wondering how a microscopically tiny remote can do that. It must have arms to carry things, it must be able to manipulate objects (tacking up or pasting up broadsheets). So I'm wondering if anyone recalls any textev to the effect that remotes "have" to be tiny. Are their different kinds of remotes for the different jobs required? Does OWL manufacture them as needed, or were they already part of the SNARC's arsenal?

The SNARC remotes are tiny spying devices, with a small range of "doing things" functions, like blowing up for destroying themselves and keep components nearby.

There are plenty of other sorts of remotes - read 'remote' as 'machine controlled at a distance' - for plenty of other functions. Many of those will be small and stealthy too; they will probably be small any time they don't need to be large, and stealthy any time they may possibly need to be, which, on Safehold, is likely to be anywhere outside the Cave. The broadsheet distribution remotes probably don't have to be small enough to get inside ears, but they will need to be discreet.

I imagine OWL's manufacturing remotes as needed and as possible, but that the Cave may have had an ample supply of a variety of them - after all, they were generally small and frequently expected to be expended, so stashing a lot of them may have been relatively easy. But some sorts of remotes may well take materials that cannot be synthesized or quietly procured from the Cave, so they may be able to manufacture or replace the full range of TF remotes. (That said, they may well be able to knock out lower-tech or alternate-tech replacements that way, like the VR net.)

This raises a few questions as relates to use of these units...
Do you think that these larger (combat) remotes are the same thing as the servitors that were mentioned as being used in the War of the Fallen?

How much of a priority do you think should be given to resupply of the raw materials that OWL needs to build these and (for example another PICA)?

I think that some of these remotes were/are used to paste the broadsides up all over the place

Servitors were the generic name for technological machines used by the command crew. Aivah's use of the term in her commentary on seijin Khody suggests as much.

Merlin is at war and logistics are critical. He and OWL need to secure and increase their supply of strategic materials.

This would be true even if there weren't high tech resources hidden in the Temple.

C. O. Thompson wrote:This raises a few questions as relates to use of these units...
Do you think that these larger (combat) remotes are the same thing as the servitors that were mentioned as being used in the War of the Fallen?

They're at least the same general sort of things as the combat servitors used then. How close, there's no way to tell. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Chihirites were using some TF standard ground combat remotes of the very same model stashed in the Cave; it wouldn't be a surprise if there were a large number of models with no overlap happening to occur that way; it wouldn't be a surprise if the Chihirites had to re-invent combat remotes based on civilian models just because all the (few) proper ones were in Fallen hands. We just don't know.

How much of a priority do you think should be given to resupply of the raw materials that OWL needs to build these and (for example another PICA)?

Compared to what? If it's that versus manufacturing to neutralize or figure out the OBS, I'd peg the OBS as more important to handle than anything they are likely to be able to handle on the ground (specifically, the Temple itself). For anything not the Temple or the OBS, I doubt the ground combat remotes are going to be both very useful and entirely necessary.

I think that some of these remotes were/are used to paste the broadsides up all over the place

Some of some remotes, at least. If the combat models were used for that, they'd be far more numerous and stealthy than I would have assumed. (Well, unless maybe, of say 1000 broadsheets put up, 2 of them sucked up a few otherwise spare combat remotes.)

I would suspect that all of the remotes could be controlled by snarcs.

Don

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Also, I know that at least some if not all the remotes can be or are "stealthed". Do you think that stealth works as a blanket so that things the remotes carry are also stealthed? I guess what I'm thinking about is that broadsides, those crush gauges, etc all are at a scale that can be seen by humans (obviously), so the transport of those items seems to be a risk, especially right during the transfer of the broadsides to the doors (or whatever). If they could be stealthed too until released by the remote, that would sure make things easier.