Battle of Spindle

cthia wrote:

tlb wrote:



Alison was much more conventional than her talk would indicate; she did trade on the stereotypes about Beowulf to shock people, but was very much committed to a monogamous relationship. It is not that she wanted Honor to have relationships with everyone, instead she wanted Honor to climb out of her protective shell and to have a special relationship with someone.

At any rate, Allison is from Sphinx. Though I wouldn't dare paint her as inherently "loose," -- after all, by our mores, what would be considered as loose on Sphinx -- I wouldn't be none too surprised if boys were able to run the trio of bases while dating her. Getting on third base probably isn't viewed with so much disdain on Sphinx.

Although Allison liked to jerk chains—being a married woman insufferably in love, she certainly wasn't about to be unfaithful to Alfred—Honor wasn't married, and it would have been quite fine to Allison, IMO, if Honor had harvested a bit-o-Sphinxian-oats while she was single and it was morally legal, you see. Both parents probably wondered whether Honor even liked boys at one point. Or whether boys liked her.

Reading the short story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in BEGINNINGS, it is made very clear that Allison dated a lot and many of thr guys made home runs rather than just run three bases.

The cover art of the book would have been more amusing if Weber had written the scene so that Allison was totally naked rather than just half naked when she was getting tortured. However; Mrs Weber might have had something to do with that. Jerry Pournelle informed me that the cover for Exile and Glory, which features a boobacious babe in a skin tight pressure suit, cost him a few nights of sleeping on the couch.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginnings-World ... B00DFLFXTY

Brigade XO wrote:Allison is from Beowulf, she moved to Manticore and her home was parimarily on Sphinx after she married Alfred Harrington.

Oh my. Do change all of those references and implications to Beowulf, please. And, thanks, Brigade!

cthia wrote:

tlb wrote:



Alison was much more conventional than her talk would indicate; she did trade on the stereotypes about Beowulf to shock people, but was very much committed to a monogamous relationship. It is not that she wanted Honor to have relationships with everyone, instead she wanted Honor to climb out of her protective shell and to have a special relationship with someone.

At any rate, Allison is from Sphinx. Though I wouldn't dare paint her as inherently "loose," -- after all, by our mores, what would be considered as loose on Sphinx -- I wouldn't be none too surprised if boys were able to run the trio of bases while dating her. Getting on third base probably isn't viewed with so much disdain on Sphinx.

Although Allison liked to jerk chains—being a married woman insufferably in love, she certainly wasn't about to be unfaithful to Alfred—Honor wasn't married, and it would have been quite fine to Allison, IMO, if Honor had harvested a bit-o-Sphinxian-oats while she was single and it was morally legal, you see. Both parents probably wondered whether Honor even liked boys at one point. Or whether boys liked her.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Reading the short story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in BEGINNINGS, it is made very clear that Allison dated a lot and many of thr guys made home runs rather than just run three bases.

The cover art of the book would have been more amusing if Weber had written the scene so that Allison was totally naked rather than just half naked when she was getting tortured. However; Mrs Weber might have had something to do with that. Jerry Pournelle informed me that the cover for Exile and Glory, which features a boobacious babe in a skin tight pressure suit, cost him a few nights of sleeping on the couch.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginnings-World ... B00DFLFXTY

LOL

Poor author. The wife of an author simply has to understand that to the author, nakedness is simply art. The author has to understand, that to his wife, her nakedness is a bargaining chip.

FLY, I never doubted for a moment that a few homeruns had been pitched and hit in Allison's stadium. "Pitched" in the sense that it was -- as likely in many cases -- Allison's idea. I just didn't want to ruff the feathers of many American Anglo-Saxon puritans here in the forum. So I held the runners at third base. LOL

cthia wrote:

cthia wrote:
At any rate, Allison is from Sphinx. Though I wouldn't dare paint her as inherently "loose," -- after all, by our mores, what would be considered as loose on Sphinx -- I wouldn't be none too surprised if boys were able to run the trio of bases while dating her. Getting on third base probably isn't viewed with so much disdain on Sphinx.

Although Allison liked to jerk chains—being a married woman insufferably in love, she certainly wasn't about to be unfaithful to Alfred—Honor wasn't married, and it would have been quite fine to Allison, IMO, if Honor had harvested a bit-o-Sphinxian-oats while she was single and it was morally legal, you see. Both parents probably wondered whether Honor even liked boys at one point. Or whether boys liked her.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Reading the short story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in BEGINNINGS, it is made very clear that Allison dated a lot and many of thr guys made home runs rather than just run three bases.

The cover art of the book would have been more amusing if Weber had written the scene so that Allison was totally naked rather than just half naked when she was getting tortured. However; Mrs Weber might have had something to do with that. Jerry Pournelle informed me that the cover for Exile and Glory, which features a boobacious babe in a skin tight pressure suit, cost him a few nights of sleeping on the couch.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginnings-World ... B00DFLFXTY

LOL

Poor author. The wife of an author simply has to understand that to the author, nakedness is simply art. The author has to understand, that to his wife, her nakedness is a bargaining chip.

FLY, I never doubted for a moment that a few homeruns had been pitched and hit in Allison's stadium. "Pitched" in the sense that it was -- as likely in many cases -- Allison's idea. I just didn't want to ruff the feathers of many American Anglo-Saxon puritans here in the forum. So I held the runners at third base. LOL

My interpretation is that Allison honored the customs of Beawulf by being enthusisstically promiscuous. Many batters made home runs with Allison. Then she became enthusiastically monogamous after she met a batter with a bigger bat. One of the more obvious aspects of the Meyerdahl genetic enhancements.

cthia wrote:

cthia wrote:
At any rate, Allison is from Sphinx. Though I wouldn't dare paint her as inherently "loose," -- after all, by our mores, what would be considered as loose on Sphinx -- I wouldn't be none too surprised if boys were able to run the trio of bases while dating her. Getting on third base probably isn't viewed with so much disdain on Sphinx.

Although Allison liked to jerk chains—being a married woman insufferably in love, she certainly wasn't about to be unfaithful to Alfred—Honor wasn't married, and it would have been quite fine to Allison, IMO, if Honor had harvested a bit-o-Sphinxian-oats while she was single and it was morally legal, you see. Both parents probably wondered whether Honor even liked boys at one point. Or whether boys liked her.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Reading the short story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in BEGINNINGS, it is made very clear that Allison dated a lot and many of thr guys made home runs rather than just run three bases.

The cover art of the book would have been more amusing if Weber had written the scene so that Allison was totally naked rather than just half naked when she was getting tortured. However; Mrs Weber might have had something to do with that. Jerry Pournelle informed me that the cover for Exile and Glory, which features a boobacious babe in a skin tight pressure suit, cost him a few nights of sleeping on the couch.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginnings-World ... B00DFLFXTY

LOL

Poor author. The wife of an author simply has to understand that to the author, nakedness is simply art. The author has to understand, that to his wife, her nakedness is a bargaining chip.

FLY, I never doubted for a moment that a few homeruns had been pitched and hit in Allison's stadium. "Pitched" in the sense that it was -- as likely in many cases -- Allison's idea. I just didn't want to ruff the feathers of many American Anglo-Saxon puritans here in the forum. So I held the runners at third base. LOL

TFLYTSNBN wrote:My interpretation is that Allison honored the customs of Beawulf by being enthusisstically promiscuous. Many batters made home runs with Allison. Then she became enthusiastically monogamous after she met a batter with a bigger bat. One of the more obvious aspects of the Meyerdahl genetic enhancements.

Yet, what on Earth can possibly be considered as promiscuous, on Beowulf? Or rather, what ages might a Beowulfan normally apply it to.

Allison's probably pretty happy with Alfred's batting average, as well. LOL

Viagra's probably sold in vending machines on Beowulf. From the sounds of Honor in UH, Hamish better order himself a fresh supply, a cargo hold full! Honor may have been slow to heat up, but her cat is out of the bag now! LOLOL

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Reading the short story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in BEGINNINGS, it is made very clear that Allison dated a lot and many of thr guys made home runs rather than just run three bases.

In, IIRC AAC, Allison explains to Honor why Dr. Ilesecue (sp?), the head of the fertility clinic where she had Raoul-to-be "tubed", was unpleasant to Honor: they had dated, before Lt. (jg) Harrington came on the scene. In BATB, we learn further that Illescue had been a pompous butt in med school on Beowulf, with a special disregard for military and naval personnel who got into Semmelweis under the Manticoran military set-aside. And that he and Allison had more than dated; Allison described him as at least a passable bed partner.

I wonder if part of his resentment of Allison marrying Alfred was that she was her great-grandparents' great-grandchild, and had concealed that fact from him (and the rest of the med school). The cachet of her name would have greatly increased her value as a trophy conquest, and as a spouse.

Fox2! wrote:

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Reading the short story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in BEGINNINGS, it is made very clear that Allison dated a lot and many of thr guys made home runs rather than just run three bases.

In, IIRC AAC, Allison explains to Honor why Dr. Ilesecue (sp?), the head of the fertility clinic where she had Raoul-to-be "tubed", was unpleasant to Honor: they had dated, before Lt. (jg) Harrington came on the scene. In BATB, we learn further that Illescue had been a pompous butt in med school on Beowulf, with a special disregard for military and naval personnel who got into Semmelweis under the Manticoran military set-aside. And that he and Allison had more than dated; Allison described him as at least a passable bed partner.

I wonder if part of his resentment of Allison marrying Alfred was that she was her great-grandparents' great-grandchild, and had concealed that fact from him (and the rest of the med school). The cachet of her name would have greatly increased her value as a trophy conquest, and as a spouse.

I totally missed the connection to AAC!

On the subject of ramming at a sidewall, has anyone considered that the incoming missile has a wedge of it own and sidewalls are not at the very outside of the ships wedge. And as far as I know, a starship's wedge is just little bit more powerful than a missiles', at wedge impact the missile will vaporize. And as far as radiation from that event goes, how wide is a ship's wedge? A general fireball(however energetic it might be) is not going to effect something 50, 100, 150 kilometers from where it's at, especially in space. A laserhead only works because of the focusing/amplification of the rods, and it is aimed to boot.

Without a sidewalk penetrator is is so written that physical missiles have no effect. On the other hand is is so written that nuclear warheads than the missile, of considerably lower energy, can damage the sidewalk.

It’s part of the basic foundation of the series. It appears than David did not realize just how much energy a fast moving object had compared to a nuclear weapon when he wrote the first 5 books. Such is life.

gclarkii wrote:On the subject of ramming at a sidewall, has anyone considered that the incoming missile has a wedge of it own and sidewalls are not at the very outside of the ships wedge. And as far as I know, a starship's wedge is just little bit more powerful than a missiles', at wedge impact the missile will vaporize. And as far as radiation from that event goes, how wide is a ship's wedge? A general fireball(however energetic it might be) is not going to effect something 50, 100, 150 kilometers from where it's at, especially in space. A laserhead only works because of the focusing/amplification of the rods, and it is aimed to boot.

Sidewalls are about 10 km out from the side of a ship. The wedge extends around 100-150 km past the side of a ship (varies by ship size; an SD's wedge is 300 km across so the ship is 150 km inside the edge)

However the vertical distance between the two inclined planes of the wedge is more than enough for a missile's wedge to zip between them without impacting or being destroyed -- right up until the missile's wedge touches the sidewall. That destroys the missile.

for some more details on the wedge see the infodump on wedge geometry http://infodump.thefifthimperium.com/en ... gton/100/0