I'm new to Eclipse Phase, so bear with me if this has been covered elsewhere (I've searched a few times but haven't been able to locate anything), but I'm wondering: would an EMP blast render someone's cortical stack inert?
As I understand it, a stack comes in two parts. First, there's a series of nanobots floating around inside your brain, constantly taking snapshots of your consciousness. This is then transmitted to the second part of the stack, which is a synthetic clump of diamond-like carbon-based memory at the base of your brain, which is constantly being updated.
Which stands to reason that an EMP blast would knock out the nanobots floating around your brain, effectively cutting off the updating process. It wouldn't destroy the memory core, but would mean that the last thing you remembered after being resleeved would be the blast itself.
Any thoughts? I've seen a lot of discussion about using EMPs against TITANs and other things, but I'm wondering how it would affect cortical stacks.
Bonus question--if your group gets hit by an EMP and does have their stacks halfway broken, how hard would it be to get a new cluster of 'bots in there to restart the updating process?
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EMPs and Stacks
Fri, 2010-09-24 13:11
#1
Jackson6644
EMPs and Stacks
Fri, 2010-09-24 13:33
#2
Arenamontanus
Re: EMPs and Stacks
I think the stack is pretty EMP-safe. Nanobots surrounded by non-conducting material subjected to an EMP are affected by it, but inside a head they are all in an electrolyte solution. However, there are likely fibre-optic links down to the stack that might accidentally act as conductors if it is a bad design (that is, if you really need somebody to be hurt by an EMP, there are always ways around it).
I think getting new stackbots should be an easy operation, probably something any nanosurgeon can do. A quick trip to the infirmary, the doctor gets the CM to print out reserve bots or use a package of generic ones kept in storage, they are injected. Of course, the devil is in the medical details. Maybe the local infirmary doesn't have a CM that allows full nanoconstruction, and stackbots must be ordered through proper channels from the medicorp that built the stack. Local medichines or a software glitch might interfere with the stackbots - "Error 0x25AB3A00: Ongoing backup CRC error check requires finishing backup. Abort, retry, cancel?"
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Fri, 2010-09-24 14:11
#3
Quincey Forder
Re: EMPs and Stacks
wow!
in this case the expression "Blue Screen of Death" might become quite litteral!
Personnally, I would think direct electrocution (lightening strike, wires in water, electrical arc gun) would do much more damage than an EMP, especially considering the diamond casing isolating the sensible elements
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