Ponch, etc. (and the Dark Place)

[Rysade]

Nah. I think that the playroom and that 'empty new york' were pre-existing universes. They already had their kernel in place, but the folks hanging out there could manipulate the kernel when they wanted, but they could'nt change the fact that the universe was still there.

Kit was making things from Zilch. I mean, he didn't manipulate he made

[Birdhead]

I agree with you, but to play Devil's Advocate (By the way, if y'all don't know what that means don't hurt me, I'm not consulting with the Devil, I'm just arguing the opposite point of view for fun.) Disclaimer: I don't have the book with me. All my quotes are by memory, and wil not be accurate.
The Aeschetic continuum universes are called "simulations." Some comments would support your theory- "Is this your first run-through of this simulation?" and also Pont's presence. On the other hand, the final simulation Nita took doesn't. Pralaya said of it that it was "A good simulation of what you'll have to do to help your mother," or somesuch.This implies (to me, anyway) that it was tailored for Nita. However, they're definitely different from Kit's universes. I like the made vs manipulated definition.
Oh, and the Playroom's definitely always there.
ka kite
tui

Tuibird in Aotearoa
Conservationist, Scientist, and proud of both!
Chocolate lover extraordinaire...
Ahahahaha, ahahahahaha, ahahahaha...
My mission: Bringing Maori to the world!
ON HOLIDAY! Wooo!

[Rysade]

I'm quite certain that the simulation their talking about is a simulated situation, not a simulated universe. The simulated universe would really be unreasonable, given the types of beings you would have to plug into the machine (there I go thinkning Matrix again), and you could establish diplomatic relations with an empty universe much easier. From an economic point of view, it is the more likely of the two.

Besides, the unreality of a simulated universe would be inappropriate to practice on for changing a real-life universe. It's like astronauts playing Asteroids for a training exercise. It would'nt work.

Oh, and has someone accused you of being a real

[Birdhead]

It hasn't happened. It nearly did. *shudders* I want to avoid that as much as possible. So, you'd find me being picked on funny, would you?! Nice of you to defend me, though.
T

Tuibird in Aotearoa
Conservationist, Scientist, and proud of both!
Chocolate lover extraordinaire...
Ahahahaha, ahahahahaha, ahahahaha...
My mission: Bringing Maori to the world!
ON HOLIDAY! Wooo!

[Ardub]

Originally posted by Rysade:
Kit was making things from Zilch. I mean, he didn't _manipulate_ he _made_. Pretty big difference.

And it would seem that once at least, he took a concept of a fictional world from his own world and "de-fictionalized" it by creating a universe for it to be real in. From which we should conclude that a certain movie to be released in 19 days is actualy non-fiction... :-)

Ardub
r:w)

[This message was edited by Ardub on 28 November 2003 at 20:20.]

[PK]

*is laughing* Well, I've thought for a while that the creation story in the Silmarillion and the YW Powers' methods seem fairly compatible. And there's that line in High Wizardry about how much easier it makes things that Dairine hasn't been reading Heinlein, which I somehow suspect is not actually a reference to physical distance (or not entirely) but to the notion that comes up in several of Heinlein's books that fictional universes ARE real.

[Birdhead]

Ardub: multiple ones, actually, if I recall. Didn't he do one with... oh.... that guy who wrote about Martians, what was his name?

...anyway. I think he made one of them. Andyou're right, sn't it nice to know that somewhere, somehow, Frodo really does Live?

*back on topic* As for heinlein: I haven't read any. but the "universes over" comment made me think that, perhaps, Heinlein's universe was one with more differences that Star Wars 9for example) but still close enough to be a recognisable relative of this one. And that if Dairine had beenr eading heinlein, she might end up in someplace like one of Heinlein's universes, though perhaps not literally heinlein's universe. *needs to read some heinlein so she can talk knowledgeably about this stuff*

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!

[Ardub]

Martians... Bradbury? He wrote The Martian Chronicles but I haven't read enough of his writings to recognize an allusion to them.

But I did see him in person a couple years ago; he gave a talk at my school. He told a really great story about himself and George Burns. Essentially, when he was a teenager, he would hang out by the studio where Burns' radio show was recorded, and try to come up with funny material and get them to use it. Once, finally, George Burns talked to him for a while about writing, and took one of his jokes to use on the air, and that was what inspired Bradbury to be a writer...

Then not long ago (I guess, a few years before Burns died) he (Burns) was to receive a lifetime achievement award at some ceremony, and by coincidence, it was Bradbury who was presenting the award. Bradbury started reading his prepared speech to Burns and the audience, but finally broke off with tears coming to his eyes, and just told Burns that when he was a kid hanging out by Burns' radio show, that was what inspired him to be the writer he became. And Burns went up on stage, also starting to cry, and said, "That was you? That was you? I remember you!" and they embraced, and cried.

That was a great story to have heard Bradbury tell in person.

Ardub
r:w)

[Birdhead]

That is a really great story.

OK, well, I'm oretty sure it wasn't bradbury that I was thinking of: I ws thinking of (Has gone and got book) Edgar Rice Burroughs. But. I could be very, very wrong, and probably am.
If I am, someone, please tell em in the most polite and sensitive was possible so i don't die of embarassment. because it's nearly summer and death by embarassment would just ruin it for me.

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!

[PK]

Well, I've never read either of those versions of Mars, or not extensively, so I'll have to take your word for it for now.

I think there are two aspects of Heinlein's novels that could be referred to by the "With luck she won't think of going much farther than a few galaxies over" line; one is the extensive spatial travel, which might be the more natural interpretation, and the other (which I think is what first came to my mind; perhaps I'd been reading The Cat Who Walked through Walls recently) is the idea that "fictional" universes already exist and can be visited. I suppose part of why this came to mind for me was that it's the first specific thing Carl thought of to worry about regarding Dairine reading a lot of science fiction, and I guess it seemed like explicitly visiting other realities on purpose would be (marginally) more unusual to run across and more difficult to track her through than the relatively standard idea of long-range travel within a universe.

But I could very well be failing to make sense at all. Maybe it'll be in the Errantry Compendium?

[CelticFlame]

"and Ponch just thought he was making a new one of his own"

that could be interesting. if there are infinite universes, many only slightly different, then what Ponch is entering could be a means of transport.

he thinks of a worlds filled with squirrels, he goes to one

he imagines trees in that world and he is taken to another very similar world, but one that has trees.


hmmmmm weird though

Personally I don't know hat Ponch is doing, but its wierd that he can go into other already existing dimensions as well as his own.