| Muggle Technology and the Wizarding World [message #231636] |
Sa, 11 März 2006 20:37 |
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Why doesn't the wizarding world employ muggle technology for battles
and warfare? I know electronics wouldn't work because the magic in the
air would distort it, but guns seem like a perfectly fine option. I
mean, which is faster: pulling a trigger, or shouting "protego!"?
Some of the more traditional wizards might be adverse to the idea, but
the more liberal minded ones would liekly welcome any help they can get
to fight Voldy and the DEs.
On the subject of technology, has anyone else wondered why the
wizarding version of the internet doesn't seem to exist? Everytime
the trio sin the library desparate searching through books for a name
or piece of info, I just cringe and wonder why Hermione or some other
brilliant students has devised a system that links all the books in the
library, and let's the searcher use a keyword. I always imagined it as
this book with black pages, and the users would write a name or keyword
with their quill and magicaly the results would appear, listing the
books (with page numbers) that have the info. I could see wizarding
book stores ging along with it to expand the newtwork. Maybe call it
"Wizardnet".
I know some people will say that the wizarding world is a century
behind the muggle one, but there are enough muggleborns that this would
seem to be obvious.
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| Re: Muggle Technology and the Wizarding World [message #231691 ] |
So, 12 März 2006 07:49 |
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sjmcarter [at] gmail.com wrote in news:1142105850.867857.103420
[at] e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com:
> On the subject of technology, has anyone else wondered why the
> wizarding version of the internet doesn't seem to exist? Everytime
> the trio sin the library desparate searching through books for a name
> or piece of info, I just cringe and wonder why Hermione or some other
> brilliant students has devised a system that links all the books in the
> library, and let's the searcher use a keyword. I always imagined it as
> this book with black pages, and the users would write a name or keyword
> with their quill and magicaly the results would appear, listing the
> books (with page numbers) that have the info. I could see wizarding
> book stores ging along with it to expand the newtwork. Maybe call it
> "Wizardnet".
Keep in mind that for much of the time period the series was set in,
Internet use by the Muggle general public wasn't all that common; it was
pretty much only "early adopters" up until 1996-1997 or so. The wizard
world would only have to be a few years behind the curve.
Don't forget, also, that communication and transportation technologies
are often somewhat complementary. Given various wizard transportation
methods, the need to communicate over long distances is somewhat
attenuated because the distances aren't that great.
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| Re: Muggle Technology and the Wizarding World [message #231711 ] |
So, 12 März 2006 14:58 |
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On 11 Mar 2006 11:37:31 -0800, sjmcarter [at] gmail.com wrote:
> Why doesn't the wizarding world employ muggle technology for battles
>and warfare? I know electronics wouldn't work because the magic in the
>air would distort it, but guns seem like a perfectly fine option. I
>mean, which is faster: pulling a trigger, or shouting "protego!"?
>Some of the more traditional wizards might be adverse to the idea, but
>the more liberal minded ones would liekly welcome any help they can get
>to fight Voldy and the DEs.
>
> On the subject of technology, has anyone else wondered why the
>wizarding version of the internet doesn't seem to exist? Everytime
>the trio sin the library desparate searching through books for a name
>or piece of info, I just cringe and wonder why Hermione or some other
>brilliant students has devised a system that links all the books in the
>library, and let's the searcher use a keyword. I always imagined it as
>this book with black pages, and the users would write a name or keyword
>with their quill and magicaly the results would appear, listing the
>books (with page numbers) that have the info. I could see wizarding
>book stores ging along with it to expand the newtwork. Maybe call it
>"Wizardnet".
Wizard Wide Web. Domains all end in Dot Wand.
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| Re: Muggle Technology and the Wizarding World [message #231730 ] |
So, 12 März 2006 17:00 |
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In article <1142105850.867857.103420 [at] e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>,
sjmcarter [at] gmail.com wrote:
> Why doesn't the wizarding world employ muggle technology for battles
>and warfare? I know electronics wouldn't work because the magic in the
>air would distort it, but guns seem like a perfectly fine option. I
>mean, which is faster: pulling a trigger, or shouting "protego!"?
>Some of the more traditional wizards might be adverse to the idea, but
>the more liberal minded ones would liekly welcome any help they can get
>to fight Voldy and the DEs.
>
> On the subject of technology, has anyone else wondered why the
>wizarding version of the internet doesn't seem to exist? Everytime
>the trio sin the library desparate searching through books for a name
>or piece of info, I just cringe and wonder why Hermione or some other
>brilliant students has devised a system that links all the books in the
>library, and let's the searcher use a keyword. I always imagined it as
>this book with black pages, and the users would write a name or keyword
>with their quill and magicaly the results would appear, listing the
>books (with page numbers) that have the info. I could see wizarding
>book stores ging along with it to expand the newtwork. Maybe call it
>"Wizardnet".
>
> I know some people will say that the wizarding world is a century
>behind the muggle one, but there are enough muggleborns that this would
>seem to be obvious.
Your posting has clarified something for me. I think the Hogwarts library
is a crucial element in explaining the appeal of the HP series and
alt.fan.harry-potter to older academics, like myself, who remember the
days before Xerox and IBM. It takes us back to the not so good old days
when you actually had to park your butt in the library and copy out of a
reference book by hand (if you didn't *happen* to have a razor blade).
BTW, one of my father's friends invested heavily in IBM in 1955. Can you
imagine how big his houise is?
--
Chris
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| Re: Muggle Technology and the Wizarding World [message #231731 ] |
So, 12 März 2006 17:14 |
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Toon wrote:
> Wizard Wide Web. Domains all end in Dot Wand.
Yes, but they don't let the muggles know where the .wand root server is.
--
Brian Tung <brian [at] isi.edu>
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
(Location of these pages soon to change. Stay tuned for updates.)
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