peter@Sugar.NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva) (07/01/91)
Scene: the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.
FX: Sirens going off. Screams. Explosions.
Picard: "Computer, how far to the Klingon ship?"
Computer: "27 bogons"
Picard: "Activate sh...*"
While Picard is trying to tell the computer something he should
have been punching a button to do, he gets blown out of the ether.
In this case, each command is in common english. To disambiguate, each command
is preceded by the word "computer". Still, there are problems:
Picard: "...and we better ask the computer. Killing the life support would..."
Computer: "Life support off"
Picard: *gasp*
Actually, a volume the size of the Enterprise's bridge should be
adequate to keep the crew stationed there going for hours. Even
with all life support off, the Enterprise should be good for a
couple of days before people start dying. Some of those dead spaces
are huge, and they're all full of oxygen. Plus, there are all those
plants in people's quarters. But that's another matter.
To solve this, the key word should be something unlikely to be spoken
casually. The same is true of cyberpunk's thought-activated weaponry.
Niven had the word "command" in a foreign language be the key for his
Integral Trees novels.
--
Peter da Silva. `-_-' <peter@sugar.neosoft.com>.
'U` "Have you hugged your wolf today?"