Owls

[dot-is-cross-hs.livejournal.com]

Sir:
I understand you have functioning electrical items in your classroom, and I wonder if you'd be willing to come explain how they work to a small group of us particularly interested in such things -- or at the very least allow us to learn from the appropriate texts and devices so that we can power our own items.

Thank you,

Toshiko Sato, PhD




Salutations!

You've been identified to me as someone particularly interested or talented in high-tech gadgets. I'm going to be doing my best to put together a bit of a science club -- I'll owl a number of experts, starting with Professor Ford, and hopefully we'll be able to put together at least one room in this building where all electronics can function. If we could work out the Sorting Room, in particular, it might smooth people's transitions here.

Sorry, I've rambled already -- the point of this owl is to invite you to get together over snacks and coffee and paperwork and see what we can do for science at Hogwarts. No RSVP needed, just rap on the door of the Ravenclaw common room or look for me on the north end of the bar. I'm at the table covered in tech.

Toshiko Sato.

Comments

[cafpowgirl.livejournal.com]

((OOC: Abby would love this, and she's Ford's TA. *g* If only she knew. Actually, isn't there some sort of Science club already?? I can't remember..))

[dot-is-cross-hs.livejournal.com]

((ooc: pester Ford's player to bring her along, she should totally join in the fun! And I have no idea, hehe.))

[seenyetunseeing.livejournal.com]

Martine was quite excited by this idea, and so after !Xabbu the house-elf read the owl, she made her way, with his help, to the Ravenclaw common room. When Toshiko was pointed out to her, she approached, smiling and offering a hand.

"I am Martine Desroubins. I just got your owl, and I am definitely intrigued."

[dot-is-cross-hs.livejournal.com]

"A pleasure... Dr. Malcolm told me you'd be a great addition. Please, have a seat!" Tosh had settled in with her great boxes of things -- her personal laptop and palmtop dead center, with other gadgets and meters neatly organized around them. "He said you had wetware -- I have to say I'm intrigued. The only experience I've had with such a thing... well. It ended quite badly."

[seenyetunseeing.livejournal.com]

Martine nodded. "At my sorting a number of people were surprised by my... er... wetware. I assure you, my implant is common bck home, and only causes problems for people who are not terribly responsible." She eyed Tosh's equipment with some interest. "Is all this... curren for this time?" she wanted to know.

Return owl

[homsarhomsar.livejournal.com]

The owl returns, holding a Jenga block in one claw and a parchment with a picture on it in the other:

Re: Return owl

[dot-is-cross-hs.livejournal.com]

Professor:

I quite understand, sir. While I don't know the individual in question I can see the need to be ready at a moment's notice. We'll of course brief you whenever you can't attend.

It'll be a pleasure working with you, I think! You've some brilliant ideas right out of the gate.

Yours,

Toshiko Sato

[researcher42.livejournal.com]

Dr. Sato,
It's great to hear there are such eager students in the school. I'd be happy to speak to your group and share my resources and research.
- Ford Professor Ford Prefect

[dot-is-cross-hs.livejournal.com]

Professor Prefect --

Wonderful! We'll be gathering in the Ravenclaw Common Room, please stop by anytime.


Dr Sato

[researcher42.livejournal.com]

Conveniently, Ford was headed that way in any case. He added a collection of research notes and a number of electronic gizmos to his satchel and made his way to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

[cafpowgirl.livejournal.com]

After reading Ford's owls, Abby didn't know what to bring with her. She settled on nothing but her magical always-full Caf-Pow as she headed to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"I really need to get out more.." she mumbled to herself.

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

Ian made his way to the common room with Tosh's note in hand, and was pleased to spot her already in conversation with Miss Desroubins.

"You look comfortable," he noted. "Had many takers so far, Toshiko?"

[daxtastic.livejournal.com]

((Ack! How did I miss this tag?))

"At least one more!" Dax said, coming down the stairs. Having Science Club in your own house was so convenient!

"Doctor Malcolm, I presume?" She held out a hand. "Jadzia Dax. Pleased to meet you."

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

Ian turned to the newcomer. "Miss Dax! A pleasure to meet you. Yes, I'm Ian Malcolm. I'm sorry to have missed your Sorting, I bet it was one for the record books."

[daxtastic.livejournal.com]

"It was tame, all things considered. Minus a little gaping, which is only natural."

"So, Ian -if you don't mind being called Ian- what’s your specialization?"

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

"I don't mind Ian at all. It's not as if I'm doing anything much with my doctorate here," he pointed out.

"Mathematics, with an emphasis on chaos theory. One of the things I get paid to do is graph elaborate computer models of how complex systems will interact using chaos mathematics' principles, but it's damn hard to do that kind of number-crunching without a computer. Not impossible, but slow as Christmas, and the slower it is, the greater chance of errors creeping into the calculations."

[daxtastic.livejournal.com]

"Really? I know a few time agencies dying for good mathematicians. If you're ever in the mood for a major relocation, I'd be happy to put in a few good words."

"I take it you're as eager to set up an electric-friendly space as the rest of us. Any ideas?"

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

"Time agencies? Sounds fascinating. But I expect I'm eons behind - I've only just started trying to figure out time/space dimensional travel since the Sorting Room brought me here. I'm sorry, you just can't bring a mathematician thousands of miles in a split-second and not expect him to try to figure out how." He grinned.

"Not so far, no - I've been focusing more on the applications end, doing the equations I need. I'm one of those that's ambivalent about turning all my thinking over to machines anyway. When I've really needed a computer I've simply taken a day or two and gone off-campus for an intensive work-session. I do know I've seen some radios, CD players and the like charmed to run on magic; that may be a starting point."

[daxtastic.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it takes less time to get caught up than you'd think. Otherwise they'd only recruit in their own century." Not that anyone knew what century that was! "If it's the basic tenants of time/space travel you're after, remind me to tell you about chroniton particles sometime. Dimensional travel is more tricky."

"I wasn't aware of that!" Good news, hurray! "That's a wonderful starting point."

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

"Sounds interesting, but I think I can only handle one major life-altering experience at a time. In this case, Hogwarts." He shrugged. "The bad news is, I'm not one of the ones who has any of those devices, so that's as much input as I can give there. I'm sure we can find somebody, though."

[daxtastic.livejournal.com]

"Point taken." She smiled. "I'm sure we'll find somebody. I'm relatively new here, but maybe the Professor knows someone."

"So Ian, what does a Doctor of Mathematics, with an emphasis on chaos theory, come to Hogwarts for? Or was it an involuntary trip?"

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it was involuntary, all right. But it's a lot more fun than the lecture I expected to be giving when I opened what turned into the Sorting Room doorway." He grinned.

"This society is very strange, isn't it? I mean, in some ways they're a thousand times more theoretically advanced than Muggle culture, and in others - like machines - they seem frozen in the 18th century."

[daxtastic.livejournal.com]

"I must admit, I’d gladly take Hogwarts over a university lecture."

"Very strange. I suppose they never needed technology, so they didn't bother to advance in that respect. And while there seems to be almost no history of patriarchy or child labor, there's still a prevalent dependency on indentured servitude. I've never seen a society develop one without the other."

[ian-ma1co1m.livejournal.com]

"True. they seem to regard the few muggle machines they've adapted for their own use as charming novelties, instead of the life-altering technologies they've been to us," Ian replied. "I'm not entirely certain what you'd classify the wizarding hierarchy as — a modified meritocracy, perhaps? And the indentured servitude, now, I've never heard or read of a race throwing themselves as wholeheartedly and enthusiastically into servitude as the elves do, have you? Perhaps that's a factor."

[researcher42.livejournal.com]

Ford hadn't met Toshiko Sato before, so he wasn't sure who he was looking for, but the table covered in computers and gadgets seemed like a logical place to start.

"Either this is the technology group or someone is opening up a Dixons in the common room."