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[Bauglir]

What if we outfitted our expedition force with their own built-in quantum stabilization units to cancel out the generator effects? I know that the bulk of current models and their small volume of coverage would sharply limit the size of what we can pass through, but I think we could optimize our use of the space they can cover beyond themselves by carrying over as little organic matter as possible - stripping down excess mass, leaving perhaps little more than a brain and some surrounding nervous tissue, and integrating the machine throughout the chassis should let us keep things compact enough to fit in the field. Now, the members of the Detroit PD who survived the incident will have the closest thing to familiarity with the unreality that occupies the space, and are both highly motivated to restore their home and known to be of the upstanding moral character we'd require for this operation, so I think we might be able to get some qualified volunteers from that group.

Ultimately, I think this initiative might have a place in at least exploring the area first-hand, even if we can't talk the people in charge into getting the machine shut down. We could call them, oh, I don't know, Cybernetic Law Enforcers.

[StrawBarrel]

Nah man, Detroit is turning into farmlands.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239844
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEPs3Ta-6eg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sgd6GqCCHg

--------------------------------
Far Flung Presidential Election Predictions:
Hillary Clinton vs Jeb Bush General Election: Clinton wins.
Clinton is too strong and I don't think Romney will beat Bush.

[Frumple]

... y'know, it'd be really rather nice if neither of them ran at all. It would significantly reduce the urge to burn down the local polling buildings.

[Baffler]

The issue with Detroit is that it no longer fully exists in this universe anymore. After containment failure was confirmed at the Lake Erie Exotic Physics Laboratory in 1967 the entire area underwent a variable phase shift into a large number of other realities that are now intersecting with this "disconnected" section of our own. While the realityquakes are never stable enough to allow anything else to come through in an organized fashion, the things that get sorted into our world are frequently disruptive enough to prevent what remains of Detroit's population from having a civil society.

While theoretically if somebody were to reach the LEEP they could deactivate the quantum field generator and return the region to something resembling normal, the subatomic void surrounding the facility has destroyed/neutralized all such attempts. That whatever the former scientists of the LEEP now are have been intentionally modulating the field to ensure all intruders are stopped does not help the situation at all. With any luck, the experimental nuclear reactor that powers the field generator will run down to subcritical output by 2035 or so.

Personally, I've always thought the government had reservations about turning it off anyway. What we've learned from the Detroit Zone is irreplaceable, and they're always going to be hoping for the next big discovery to get an edge on the Chinese.

If this isn't a novel yet, it should be.

[Dutchling]

... y'know, it'd be really rather nice if neither of them ran at all. It would significantly reduce the urge to burn down the local polling buildings.

Why don't you like them? Other than their last names

[Frumple]

Jeb was florida's governor (read: He had significant administrative influence over the state I live in), and one of the primary motivating forces behind the complete fucking of our education system over the last number of years. Among other bullshit. I'd give not unfavorable odds to the bet that setting the country on fire would do less damage to it than putting that bugger in charge.

Hilary... heart of a republican, flesh suit of a democrat remains a disturbingly good descriptor of her. Troubling history regarding civil rights and foreign adventurism, among other things I'm too dizzy and feverish to remember. Would not want to vote for either. Would only even consider voting for hillary if there was a notable chance of jeb actually winning. Would be entirely too tempted to burn down every polling booth in a thirty mile radius if the POTUS vote was between the two of them.

[Descan]

* Descan starts writing a Robocop fanfic...

[Helgoland]

Troubling history regarding civil rights and foreign adventurism, among other things I'm too dizzy and feverish to remember.

A bit more American adventurism would do the world much good right now, as long as it's handled by someone competent, aka not Bush. The pendulum's swung too far towards isolationism.

[Sheb]

Out of curiosity, which current issue do you think would be solved by American interventionism?

[Helgoland]

Assad, IS, Libya. Not by outright intervention, but by bombing campaigns and arming the right people - especially Khalifa Haftar, who's so anti-islamist there's no possibility of our weapons ending up in the hands of terrorists.
The whole Ukraine situation would probably go much more smoothly as well if America decided to get indirectly involved on a larger scale, via training, propaganda, supplying weapons and armor, intelligence, etc etc.

[LordSlowpoke]

...how about no, helgo? i don't think even the resident americans approve of throwing the burden onto their shoulders

let them try and fix the almost-third-world mess they're stuck in once in a while maybe

[Sheb]

Well, Syria at this point is a mess, and I feel the time for intervention is way past. Libya could be I guess. As for Ukraine, wouldn't on open American intervention just spur Russia into escalating its support too and generally intensify the conflict?

[Helgoland]

America would have the advantage of having the legitimate party on its side: Ukraine can use its airforce with impunity, Russia cannot. Add to that bombers with the capability of detecting anti-air radar, such as the German Tornados, and you've got yourself a situation like Serbia in the 90s.

...how about no, helgo? i don't think even the resident americans approve of throwing the burden onto their shoulders

let them try and fix the almost-third-world mess they're stuck in once in a while maybe

It would kinda suck for them, sure, but it would be so much easier for the rest of us. It's not like Europe is going to be taking any kind of responsibility in the near future.

[miljan]

America would have the advantage of having the legitimate party on its side: Ukraine can use its airforce with impunity, Russia cannot. Add to that bombers with the capability of detecting anti-air radar, such as the German Tornados, and you've got yourself a situation like Serbia in the 90s.

...how about no, helgo? i don't think even the resident americans approve of throwing the burden onto their shoulders

let them try and fix the almost-third-world mess they're stuck in once in a while maybe

It would kinda suck for them, sure, but it would be so much easier for the rest of us. It's not like Europe is going to be taking any kind of responsibility in the near future.

Holy crap, you are worst than Bush. Never go full Bush or below that  .
Also your not correct on "Ukraine can use its airforce with impunity, Russia cannot", or the bomber/yugoslavia reference. Except in case you are asking for USA and NATO to go directly in combat against russia. But in both cases not sure how it will be faster or in any way better for europe, and is very strange thinking I must say.

Helgoland the war mongler from the shadows .

[Helgoland]

Holy crap, you are worst than Bush. Never go full Bush or below that  .
Also your not correct on "Ukraine can use its airforce with impunity, Russia cannot", or the bomber/yugoslavia reference. Except in case you are asking for USA and NATO to go directly in combat against russia. But in both cases not sure how it will be faster or in any way better for europe, and is very strange thinking I must say.

Helgoland the war mongler from the shadows .

I suppose I am a war monger - a short, intense war saves the lives that pacifists squander.
Russia can't use its airforce, because then everyone would have to admit it was involved directly.
Ukraine can use its airforce - but there's plenty of AA down there, which would have to be removed.
The Serbs in the 90s had one of he most advanced AA systems on the planet - the German Tornados however could pick up their radar, so anytime there was a Tornado in the air the AA systems would go unused, and NATO could drop its bombs unhindered. Giving Ukraine these capabilities would give it a huge advantage in this war.
And no, I am not arguing for direct Western intervention (here), just for arms sales to Ukraine and various other behind-the-scenes stuff. Nothing more than Russia does at the moment.