no_fastolfe

[ Enter Gaius. The last time he was in the library, October reared its ugly head, but at least this isn't an evening excursion and that counts for something. He'd put out his cigarette in the hallway but still carries with him that faint smell of smoke, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket as he sets about looking around.

Not for a book, either, but for a person. ]

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no_fastolfe

[Vasilia wrinkles her nose at the smell of tobacco smoke, but recognized the man vaguely from the network and so didn't immediately vanish into the stacks on busywork.

In person she was small, not five and a half feet tall. Her hands are covered in thin, discrete plastic gloves.]

Doctor... Baltar, isn't it?

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Dr. Baltar it is, or just Gaius, as you wish - hello.

[ He smiles, and goes to put out a hand to shake, before spying the gloves too late and pausing the gesture at a midpoint, hand at a hover. ] Oh, sorry. What would you have me call you?

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no_fastolfe

I prefer 'Madam Vasilia' or 'Madam Aliena,' thank you. But I am not unused, on the barge, to suffering a bare 'Vasilia.'

You still wish to learn about ascension robotics?

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I can cope with formalities, Madam Aliena. I worked hard for my title.

[ Drifts closer to the book shelves - may as well browse while he is here. Slides one out, a thumb brushing over pointy corners as he reads the spine. ]

I suppose I do, yes. Listen and learn, if nothing else, but I'll see if I cannot join in on the discourse, shall I?

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no_fastolfe

We can only see, sir. Before we can explore the defining characteristics of ascenion design, I must know: the study of robotics was outlawed in your time and place. Do you know anything of positronics?

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I don't think that word's in our lexicon.

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no_fastolfe

If you have robotics in your past, you must have the study of it, if not under the same name-- it is the science of the thinking machine.

[Here she launches into what she thinks is a very light explanation of positronics as it differs from electronics. She may need stopping at some point.]

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[Chromie drifts between shelves like a ghost for her part, sometimes with stacks of books that look like they weigh more than she does.

And occasionally she'll simply appear where she wasn't a second ago and watch that Vasilia is doing her job - not that Chromie assumes she won't, but there is a duty to the woman's warden.

In a lull in the work, she tries to get the inmate's attention.]

Excuse me.

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no_fastolfe

[Vasilia jumps slightly and then collects herself. Her voice is cool, a bit of haughtiness in place to cover her startle.]

Madam? Am I doing something wrong?

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[Chromie beams reassuringly.]

Oh, no. You're doing fine! I wanted to ask you, though - a few people have come in wishing we had a digital card catalog. My world doesn't have such a thing, but I've been told it requires a computer.

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no_fastolfe

[And Vasilia brightens. She's been thinking the same thing.]

It does. One would have to be borrowed from the lab or requested from the admiral-- or there may be spare components in the lab to make a small terminal.

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Which would be better? I can certainly ask the Admiral for what we need if that is what you think, though I hear he's not responding lately.

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no_fastolfe

Well; if he is not responding, then we are better off building our own. When he does stop neglecting his duty you could perhaps request network access for it, so it could remind people of overdue books, as we spoke of.

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I will ask him anyway, and about the network access as well. What would you need from the lab if there's no answer?

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no_fastolfe

[Here Vasilia rattles off a list, all of which is blessedly feasible, including motherboard-cable-voltmeter-welding wand-screen-blah-blah-blah]

Spam

From:

strangehistorian - Date: 2011-10-24 06:15 am (UTC) - Expand

Spam

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no_fastolfe - Date: 2011-10-24 02:34 pm (UTC) - Expand

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[Sherlock doesn't bother replying. He leaves his room, navigates through the long grass at the end of the corridor, and enters the library, making his way through the stacks, and keeping an eye out for his inmate.]

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no_fastolfe

[Vasilia is in the humanities section reshelvIng at the moment--reading the dust-jacket blurbs in a swift movement, scowling, shelving. She looks up.]

Mister Homes.

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Sherlock is fine. [He comes up beside her and scans the spines.] Already dissatisfied? [He asks without looking.]

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no_fastolfe

Only noting how few topics designated a 'social science' deserve the latter description. I have been working, Chromie will attest to that.

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I wouldn't expect you to slack off. [He pulls a book seemingly at random, and flicks through to about the half way point. Grimaces, then slides it back.] And how would your categorisation proceed? [Now he turns to face her.]

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no_fastolfe

[she pulls out one particular example from a shelf ago, almost withou looking--she remembers]

The first rule would be that if you have no data that is not prefaced with 'in a survey, sixty-five percent of respondents said' then you may not call your study 'science.'

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