Have the exact requirements for using a linking book to be used been described anywhere?

I've often wondered about the exact conditions that have to be met in order for a linking book to be used.


Could an animal be trained to use a linking book? If so, where is the cutoff? Are thousands of bacteria linking through all the books at every given moment?

What about inanimate objects that are attached to you? Gloves and other clothing don't seem to interfere with linking in any way, but what is the limit to this? What if someone with a prosthetic limb were to attempt to link using their prosthetic hand, would the book still recognize that they are trying to link?

Just something I thought would make for an interesting discussion.

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I believe that the books are writen with the conditions for linking. Like programed if you will. To only react to human hand touch and transport only that person and other animals or objects touching that person, excluding floor, rocks and dirt below the feet.

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• Meesem hevtee d'nee? Mees!
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Ian A. Pertwee in Cavern - KI# 374362
Ahnotahm - Il quartiere
Not talking as a mod unless I say so

Will it link? That is the question.

Woo... link dust. Don't breathe this!

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-Whilyam

Last edited by Whilyam on Thu Apr 15, 2010 12:23 am; edited 1 time in total

Here's an interesting idea.

If someone were to put down some kind of adhesive on the floor in front of a linking book, do you think the next person to use the book would link through without their shoes?

If so it could make for a hilarious prank.

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The gold is gone! All the gold is gone!

That's not fair, that's just not fair goddammit!
KI#: 01722221

Professor Paul1290 wrote:

What about inanimate objects that are attached to you? Gloves and other clothing don't seem to interfere with linking in any way, but what is the limit to this?

It is possible for certain inanimate objects to go with you when you link, e.g. ercana pellets. I'm not sure if other objects behave the same way though. For instance, if you are touching another person when you link, will he/she link with you?

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I never asked to be born, but since I'm here, I'm taking over.

RAWA has mentioned the "one step" rule. Anything you could take with you when taking a step will go with you when you link (with the exception of the linking book itself (with the exception of Yeesha magic)). Clothing, backpacks full of stuff, Er'cana pellets, and so on.

A table, however, would not link with you if you were touching it, since it doesn't follow the one-step rule.

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MOULa KI: 00084841 - MOUL KI: 00179642

The problem, then, is how to reconcile the one-step rule with people's different levels of strength. Someone already suggested that someone holding your hand as you link would link with you, and this obviously isn't possible due to the one-step rule. However, what if you were carrying someone on your shoulders? This would mean that for some (kids, old folks, or weak/sick people), the one-step rule would not allow for them to carry much with them, whereas a healthy adult in their position WOULD be able to bring along anyone they were strong enough to carry. This MUST be the case, since there are burial ages and somehow the dead body has to link through with someone.

Actually, I think I might be on to something--manual labor and heavy lifting must have been a necessity in D'ni culture, despite their advantage in being able to link instead of relying mostly on vehicular shipping/transportation. If you can only link with what you can carry, exceptionally strong workers would be a necessity. This, in turn, would help to determine social position based on one's physiology...though I'm sure that there are high-gravity ages where people could be groomed for service.

Ian Atrus wrote:

I don't have the precise reference at hand but I seem to remember a RAWA letter saying that to activate the link you need a certain amount of body electricity; so you can link if you are alive (including animals), wearing leather gloves or similar kind of cloth, or have been dead for a very short time. Air, water or bacteria do not link by themselves: they're either too small, or it's not enough to be organic to trigger a link.

So basically, it'll link if it's a touch that'll register on an iPhone.

Solstice wrote:

If you can only link with what you can carry, exceptionally strong workers would be a necessity.

Not at all. Pack animals.

kaelisebonrai Is On Your Ignore List.

Well, what if something happened and the person wasn't recently deceased? I'm sure that cave-ins and accidents on other ages would cause problems with getting to the body in time, so it would probably be necessary that undertakers had to be strong enough to carry corpses whose bioelectric "signals" weren't strong enough to register.

Another question: what happened to all the bodies of the plague victims in D'ni and the other ages? There would have been a lot of them, but there's only one dead person who we can see (Kadish) in all of URU.

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Ian A. Pertwee in Cavern - KI# 374362
Ahnotahm - Il quartiere
Not talking as a mod unless I say so

Do they explain how they did it? I haven't read any of the novels.

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Ian A. Pertwee in Cavern - KI# 374362
Ahnotahm - Il quartiere
Not talking as a mod unless I say so

Yes, but...what did they actually do with the bodies? I hope they didn't unceremoniously chuck 'em in the lake...