poly_chromatic | audio; backdated to the 20th

[The recording starts mid-conversation (caused, perhaps, by excited gesticulating). Chekov's voice is loud and clear; any number of other voices can be in the background, along with the occasional clink of glass on glass and the roar of laughter. The words of whoever he's talking to can't be made out.]

--method of teleportation that you are talking about does not lead to the destruction of the individual. I think that you misunderstand how the process works.

[A pause. More background noise.]

No, no no no. Our identity depends upon how the constituent molecules that we are made of are arranged, not upon which molecules have been arranged. There is no difference between one carbon atom and another, do you understand? And so if the position of everything that makes us up is copied perfectly and this information is transmitted and we are annihilated and reassembled, we will, in the end, be the same person as we were at the start.

[His conversational partner apparently has something to say to that.]

No one is killed. I cannot be more specific about the process, but I understand your concern about personal identity and the destruction of the individual being teleported.

[A much longer pause.]

Now you are making the assumption that there is something more than the physical arrangement of constituent particles that leads to this thing called the individual. Unless you are telling me that there is an immaterial soul to be concerned with, what is the concern? From the perspective of the individual being teleported, the process is nearly instantaneous and they experience no cessation of existence or consciousness. As I said, arrangement is what matters.

[Short pause.]

Of course duplication would be possible, that is why any technology capable of copying individuals down to the quantum level would necessitate a number of safety precautions. Responsible engineering can prevent paradoxes like the one you pose.

[Another long pause.]

No, I have not. What is the Ship of Theseus?

[OOC: Open to action at the Wolf's Den. Sorry for backdating, but yesterday's curse was perfect and I missed it and everything was sadness. That said, I don't think Chekov's probably the best of philosophers...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You've never seen me Apparate? When I disappear from one spot and turn up in another? I still prefer flying but in a rush, that's what I'll do.

I have seen it, but I didn't know what it was called. It seems simpler than anything we might do in my time--not personally, not for you, just easier because it requires no equipment.

It does require a lot of concentration, though. If you aren't careful, you can Splinch yourself—er, leave bits behind.

Ah. I am very interested in magic, but I would not want to try apparating. It sounds as risky as early teleportation technology.

That's why they don't teach us until we're much older, around the end of Sixth Year. I didn't learn at school, though. A friend taught me here.

And you have never lost pieces of yourself, have you?

My fingernails a few years ago.

Was it very painful?

A bit.

Does your transporter thing hurt?

But they grew back with no complications?

No, no--transporters are painless. I always feel tingling, but that may be psychosomatic.

Yeah, they're fine now.

[She is intrigued that technology's advanced enough to seem like magic.]

Are there rules about it?

Rules? The mechanics are very complicated, and, when being transported, it isn't advisable to move. Movement can be accounted for, of course, so it's safe. And then there are times when it's risky to use teleporters--during ion storms, for example--and some materials cannot be teleported through.

What if you're, I don't know, running? And can't stop? Does that mean you can't be transported?

Running is difficult. It's possible to beam moving objects, but only if they are not moving erratically. Someone falling, for example, may be transported assuming that the transporter technician is capable of calculating their speed and anticipating their location at the moment that the process begins.

And that's possible? Sounds difficult.

Not if the transporter technician is quick, knowledgeable, and exceptionally good at math.

So... you?

Maybe someone else is capable, but yes, it is an accomplishment I'm proud of.

As you should be! It all sounds very impressive, Pavel.

Yes, well... not all impressive.

[Spock's mom. Sore topic.]

But I think that magic is more impressive.

New and different things always are.

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