Quick Fire Questions (A Place to Ask and Answer)

[Ursa major]

I hadn't heard the term, hypnagogia, or the effects it encompasses, so I'd be baffled. And even those readers who know the word or the condition may not realise that this character experiences the effects and, in particular, not how frequently (to the extent that it's the expected cause of any unusual images or sounds) unless you tell, or have previously shown, them that. Otherwise your explanation, "it's like the time..." will leave them none the wiser (because that time may have been a spooky or unsettling experience).

 

[Mouse]

Funny isn't it, cos I just thought everyone would know what I was on about! I've had the 'hello' myself. And my name, and phones ringing and, recently, the dog barking. But it's something that happens very rarely.

I'll just drop that bit, to be on the safe side. Avoids confusion.

 

[Ursa major]

I get unsolicited words pop into my head - most of them, as you'd expect, puns - but I had never considered (not until now, that is) that they were the telepathic equivalent of your sounds and images.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Hey Mouse,

I've had hynogogic and hynopomic states about on average once a week for the past 25 years or so. In all this time I do try and find fellow people that have experienced similar events - and most of the time I tend to get blank stares*, so I'd guess that it's not at all common knowledge.


*Best one from a GP who I'm sure had an element of fear in his eyes when I told him that I was hearing voices in my head in the morning (I'm a big lad and would probably take elephant tranquiliser to take me down)

 

[Mouse]

Blimey, once a week! Mine's like once a year.

 

[TheTomG]

The character could be disconcerted by the event, and then research it or ask a friend, and finds that this is not uncommon (and his discovery process will be the reader's discovery process too, for those who are not aware of it.) This would give a moment of tension for character and reader, then a moment of dismissal as "oh that's fairly mundane" and then it returns to have more impact later.

Written well it needn't come over like an info dump, but quite a pleasant little tension curve?

 

[Venusian Broon]

Blimey, once a week! Mine's like once a year.

Honestly been and done the whole lot!

-Sat on by the old hag
-Felt the evil presence in the room
-Felt my bed sheets been pulled away
-Floating/rotating in space
-Visual Hallucinations of various sorts
-Voices (unfortunately mostly nonsensical - only one ever answered a question I posed it...which did freak me out)
-Really quite disturbing lucid dreams

I'm all a bit blase about it now and no longer get the fear! But I interpreted it from the start as a bizarre dream state which helps. Now I try to 'explore' these states when I get them. But I can remember how terrifying the first ones were, I remember trying to scream myself awake as something pressed down hard on my paralysed body. If you were only to get one or two in a lifetime I can imagine how perplexing or disturbing these experiences can be.

 

[Hex]

I'm another person who doesn't get it (thankfully, esp given VB's experiences) and would understand the 'hello' as another message from beyond.

Dismissing it as 'a lingering part of his dream' (sorry, reading 19thC lit - full of lingering/ languishing) or something might help?

 

[Mouse]

Yeah I think I'm going to go for something along the lines of dreams not catching up with reality or something like that. The dream carried on for a moment after waking.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

-Felt the evil presence in the room


But I can remember how terrifying the first ones were, I remember trying to scream myself awake as something pressed down hard on my paralysed body. If you were only to get one or two in a lifetime I can imagine how perplexing or disturbing these experiences can be.

Oh man, I used to have this a lot -- mostly when napping during the day, when I worked odd hours. I still attribute it to a haunting, though.

 

[AMB]

VB has been hagridden? Oh dear...

 

[Boneman]

Erm, hope this is the right place, wouldn't want to start a complete thread, but do any historians amongst us know of a decent 'balanced' treatise on why America forced Japan to open for trade in 1853? I know it was because America needed the markets to increase their profits, but had there been negotiation for years before? I read about Matthew Perry, who was instrumental in forcing the issue, but can't find much on the Japanese pov. Thanks.

 

[Venusian Broon]

VB has been hagridden? Oh dear...

Helped me to my only win of my career though, the 4.30 at Chepstow, that little b*tch. Brings back memories, neigh, feelings of glory.

Right, I'll get my coat and trot off now.

 

[ctg]

Erm, hope this is the right place, wouldn't want to start a complete thread, but do any historians amongst us know of a decent 'balanced' treatise on why America forced Japan to open for trade in 1853? I know it was because America needed the markets to increase their profits, but had there been negotiation for years before? I read about Matthew Perry, who was instrumental in forcing the issue, but can't find much on the Japanese pov. Thanks.

That's a though one. Really thought one. And I bet, what has been written from Japanese perspective, hasn't been translated to Western languages. And what we know is that Japanese feudal (Samurai ruled) state was seen as similar kind of closed state as what we see North Korean being today.

If you really want a good and honest answer, I suspect that you have to write to some poor Japanese economy professor or get an access to the imperial records.

 

[David B]

Erm, hope this is the right place, wouldn't want to start a complete thread, but do any historians amongst us know of a decent 'balanced' treatise on why America forced Japan to open for trade in 1853? I know it was because America needed the markets to increase their profits, but had there been negotiation for years before? I read about Matthew Perry, who was instrumental in forcing the issue, but can't find much on the Japanese pov. Thanks.

The following link might throw some light on the Japanese thinking:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakoku

 

[Venusian Broon]

Erm, hope this is the right place, wouldn't want to start a complete thread, but do any historians amongst us know of a decent 'balanced' treatise on why America forced Japan to open for trade in 1853? I know it was because America needed the markets to increase their profits, but had there been negotiation for years before? I read about Matthew Perry, who was instrumental in forcing the issue, but can't find much on the Japanese pov. Thanks.

You've probably thought of this, but a history of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the ones that instigated the whole isolationist Japan thing would probably discuss the Japanese pov. There seems to be a reasonable list of history books on Amazon that are about that include that period.

 

[Boneman]

Thanks, both! It's such early days in my thinking that I didn't even realise the Tokugawa treaty referred to the Shogun, I though it was a city...

And would you believe it's (possibly) for my term essay in the 'Marxism and Creative Writing' Module. Well they do say 'creative writing'....

 

[Ursa major]

You could always hand in a blank sheet of paper and say you were taking the Harpo Marx PoV.

 

[ctg]

Okay, this sounds like fun. Thanks Hoopy.

How about a 12.5mm bullet powered by a 200gram charge hitting a human head. Okay, the guy dies but I'm just wondering if 200 gram is enough as these weapons are generally used on four tonne buffalos that have very thick skulls. Thoughts?

Dear Lord. 200 gram? 12.5mm?

No. It's not practical. Not even if it's made from pure depleted uranium. The powder would never propel the sludge for the needed speeds to do enough of damage to kill such a beast.

You would need at least 20mm round to accommodate such masses. And those types are made for the anti-matter purposes on the ranges (1500 - 8000 m) that are longer than what current type of infantry arms are capable.


PS. Think about the recoil that a 20 mm round produces.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I think you've over estimated your weights here, and I think, I hope you mean grains not grams. 200 grams is near enough to half a pound. A grain is roughly 0.64 grams. And while I know little about shooting, I googled a website which said that the average ACP fourty five bullet has about 4 to 7 grains in it.

I see no reason why a 12.5 mm (roughly 50 calibre) round shouldn't be able to drop a buffalo with a reasonable charge, since they did wipe large numbers of them out in the nineteenth century with them. Too much charge though, is likely to blow up in the shooter's face, literally. But to get those higher muzzle velocities, you need a rifle or longer barrelled weapon not a pistol, and a bullet that's at least copper jacketted.

Cheers, Greg.