Spicy thoughts

[gfish]

I've been thinking about Dune technology recently. Why didn't they just make Spice Harvesters that didn't involve rhythmic vibrations? Obviously industrial processes will always create vibrations, but do they have to be rhythmic? Stochastic Mechanical Engineering could be a major field of study at Arrakeen University.

Comments

[hsifyppah.livejournal.com]

Maybe with a lengthy pre-set rhythm pattern, like a long spool of irregularly notched metal that determined the timing of the vibrate-y bits? You could make the repeating pattern long enough that a sandworm wouldn't twig to it.

Although really, thinking too hard about the technology in Herbert books just makes my head hurt. It takes a lot of handwaving to make his premises make sense. I prefer to experience them as like a music video of interesting ideas that don't have to make sense.

[porysski.livejournal.com]

But in order for actual stochastic action, you'd need some source of real randomness (e.g. radioactive decay timing) and a means of translating it into mechanical action. I'm really unsure that could be done within BJ restrictions. OTOH, you certainly have a point about the handwaving, so maybe I'm overthinking this.