When Magic Meets Muggle Technology by PrefectMarcus

    Pagina Catalogata come Supposizioni, teorie, approfondimenti

From the start of the Harry Potter series, our hero finds himself a stranger in a very strange land. He discovers that the world he grew up in hides a secret wizarding world. This is no Oz or Wonderland that exists separate from the normal world and can only be entered through extraordinary means. No, it exists side by side with present-day England.

Harry quickly discovers that this world has norms and rules different from the world he is familiar with. For example, it is normal for the images in pictures and paintings to move. They even leave to go visit others of their kind. All these new experiences help to sustain sense of wonder throughout the series.

One of the first things that Harry learns in his new world is that much of the Muggle technology he grew up with is not to be found. Everyday items such as telephones and electric lights are unfamiliar to many of the wizard community. The obvious question is why. Why are so many of the artifacts of modern day life unavailable to wizards? That is the question that this essay attempts to address.

Muggle technology seems to fall into three broad groups: those that don't work in the wizarding world; those that could work, but the wizards have their own devices; and those that fit comfortably in both worlds. We are told by Hermione that there are some Muggle devices that will not around magic, radios for instance (GF28). Why is that? For the answer, we must take a quick side trip into the nature of magic.

Magic in the Harry Potter world is a power that wizards and witches are able to harness and control by some innate ability. Magical effects are often accompanied by lights, sparks, and sounds. The very first magical effect that Harry performed in his new world was shooting sparks out of his new wand at Ollivander's.

It seems to imply that magic effects the electro-magnetic spectrum in some way. Some serious energy is being dealt with. A similar thing happens when a nuclear device is exploded. A massive pulse of EM energy is radiated out all over the spectrum. Radios cease to work. Power lines arc. Telephones burn out. It is because of this chaos that nations spend millions installing infrastructure that is immune to this EM interference.

Nuclear devices work by a conversion process. They convert matter into energy. Magic is also a conversion process. It converts matter or energy into other matter or energy. In any real-world process, there is always wasted energy -- the second law of thermodynamics. It is reasonable to assume that much of that wasted energy escapes in the EM spectrum. The manifestation of this is light, sparks, and heat.

If this is true, then it becomes obvious why such Muggle devices as telephones, televisions, radio, and electric lights and appliances are unusable. They would burn out, arc out, or pick up so much static and other interference as to render them useless. Just providing power to these would be problematic. Any power grid would act as a huge antenna and short out.

Computers would suffer a similar fate. The author once worked for a computer manufacturer that made a computer that was so sensitive to electro-static-discharge (ESD), they had to withdraw it from the market. If a user had long hair and shook their head, the ESD generated could hang the system. If that can happen in a real-world system, imagine what would happen in the chaotic, super-charged atmosphere of a wizard home, school, or workplace. One Accio spell would hang every computer within 50 meters.

The only Muggle electrical devices that would have a chance of working would be very small, self-contained DC battery systems. It has to be small so that the electrical runs do not act like antennae and pick up the magical interference. It also has to be DC because the interference will cause power ripples. This precludes radios, audio/visual equipment, and digital devices. A flashlight would likely work. So Colin's Camera would an electric analog wristwatch.

Mechanical devices seem to fare better in the magical world than their electrical counterparts. Several of the students have wristwatches. Colin's camera seems to operate without difficulty. These are simple devices that wizards have not developed their own versions. For other functions, they have developed their own solutions. A classic example of this is the moving staircase to Dumbledore's office. This is far superior to any Muggle escalator, hence Mr. Weasley's and Hagrid's unfamiliarity with them.

One question that is asked repeatedly is, why does Harry have to use a quill pen? Why doesn't he use a ballpoint, or at least a fountain pen? There could be several reasons. A conservative magic world might not want to give up quills -- it sets them apart from the Muggles. It could be that writing about magic requires an enchanted writing implement, and no one has come up with a spell to enchant anything other than a quill. Or it could be that Hogwarts makes its pupils do things the old-fashioned hard way before they get out into the real world and can use simpler methods.

Another question is why don't wizards wear Muggle clothing? Here is a perfectly good Muggle technology that wizards seem to avoid. The question is made more interesting by the fact that wizard children don't seem to have a problem with them. It could be that magic casting requires robes. The energies involved cannot be properly handled and fully controlled if the spell-caster is in Muggle attire. Since wizard children aren't allowed to do magic before Hogwarts or during summer break, they can wear the Muggle clothes during these times. Or it could be the conservative wizarding world once again. Harry's generation may be the one that finally does away with the robes except for formal occasions. A similar thing has happened in Japan.

One question the writer would love to see answered is, what is the nature of a wizard printing press? All those school books and all those Lockhart books and all those wizard magazines and newspapers -- they have to be printed somehow. It seems terribly inefficient to have people doing them by hand, especially the illustrations. It has to be painstaking work. Remember Wizard Baruffio! Even banks of enchanted quills would be a logistic nightmare. Since the pressruns are limited from a few hundred up to a few thousand, they likely could get by with just a simple offset press.

Whatever the reasons for the lack of Muggle technology in the wizarding world, one thing is certain. Joanne Rowling has created a truly magical place where adults and children can both relax and enjoy the environment. She is a true sorceress.

From the start of the Harry Potter series, our hero finds himself a stranger in a very strange land. He discovers that the world he grew up in hides a secret wizarding world. This is no Oz or Wonderland that exists separate from the normal world and can only be entered through extraordinary means. No, it exists side by side with present-day England.

Harry quickly discovers that this world has norms and rules different from the world he is familiar with. For example, it is normal for the images in pictures and paintings to move. They even leave to go visit others of their kind. All these new experiences help to sustain sense of wonder throughout the series.

One of the first things that Harry learns in his new world is that much of the Muggle technology he grew up with is not to be found. Everyday items such as telephones and electric lights are unfamiliar to many of the wizard community. The obvious question is why. Why are so many of the artifacts of modern day life unavailable to wizards? That is the question that this essay attempts to address.

Muggle technology seems to fall into three broad groups: those that don't work in the wizarding world; those that could work, but the wizards have their own devices; and those that fit comfortably in both worlds. We are told by Hermione that there are some Muggle devices that will not around magic, radios for instance (GF28). Why is that? For the answer, we must take a quick side trip into the nature of magic.

Magic in the Harry Potter world is a power that wizards and witches are able to harness and control by some innate ability. Magical effects are often accompanied by lights, sparks, and sounds. The very first magical effect that Harry performed in his new world was shooting sparks out of his new wand at Ollivander's.

It seems to imply that magic effects the electro-magnetic spectrum in some way. Some serious energy is being dealt with. A similar thing happens when a nuclear device is exploded. A massive pulse of EM energy is radiated out all over the spectrum. Radios cease to work. Power lines arc. Telephones burn out. It is because of this chaos that nations spend millions installing infrastructure that is immune to this EM interference.

Nuclear devices work by a conversion process. They convert matter into energy. Magic is also a conversion process. It converts matter or energy into other matter or energy. In any real-world process, there is always wasted energy -- the second law of thermodynamics. It is reasonable to assume that much of that wasted energy escapes in the EM spectrum. The manifestation of this is light, sparks, and heat.

If this is true, then it becomes obvious why such Muggle devices as telephones, televisions, radio, and electric lights and appliances are unusable. They would burn out, arc out, or pick up so much static and other interference as to render them useless. Just providing power to these would be problematic. Any power grid would act as a huge antenna and short out.

Computers would suffer a similar fate. The author once worked for a computer manufacturer that made a computer that was so sensitive to electro-static-discharge (ESD), they had to withdraw it from the market. If a user had long hair and shook their head, the ESD generated could hang the system. If that can happen in a real-world system, imagine what would happen in the chaotic, super-charged atmosphere of a wizard home, school, or workplace. One Accio spell would hang every computer within 50 meters.

The only Muggle electrical devices that would have a chance of working would be very small, self-contained DC battery systems. It has to be small so that the electrical runs do not act like antennae and pick up the magical interference. It also has to be DC because the interference will cause power ripples. This precludes radios, audio/visual equipment, and digital devices. A flashlight would likely work. So Colin's Camera would an electric analog wristwatch.

Mechanical devices seem to fare better in the magical world than their electrical counterparts. Several of the students have wristwatches. Colin's camera seems to operate without difficulty. These are simple devices that wizards have not developed their own versions. For other functions, they have developed their own solutions. A classic example of this is the moving staircase to Dumbledore's office. This is far superior to any Muggle escalator, hence Mr. Weasley's and Hagrid's unfamiliarity with them.

One question that is asked repeatedly is, why does Harry have to use a quill pen? Why doesn't he use a ballpoint, or at least a fountain pen? There could be several reasons. A conservative magic world might not want to give up quills -- it sets them apart from the Muggles. It could be that writing about magic requires an enchanted writing implement, and no one has come up with a spell to enchant anything other than a quill. Or it could be that Hogwarts makes its pupils do things the old-fashioned hard way before they get out into the real world and can use simpler methods.

Another question is why don't wizards wear Muggle clothing? Here is a perfectly good Muggle technology that wizards seem to avoid. The question is made more interesting by the fact that wizard children don't seem to have a problem with them. It could be that magic casting requires robes. The energies involved cannot be properly handled and fully controlled if the spell-caster is in Muggle attire. Since wizard children aren't allowed to do magic before Hogwarts or during summer break, they can wear the Muggle clothes during these times. Or it could be the conservative wizarding world once again. Harry's generation may be the one that finally does away with the robes except for formal occasions. A similar thing has happened in Japan.

One question the writer would love to see answered is, what is the nature of a wizard printing press? All those school books and all those Lockhart books and all those wizard magazines and newspapers -- they have to be printed somehow. It seems terribly inefficient to have people doing them by hand, especially the illustrations. It has to be painstaking work. Remember Wizard Baruffio! Even banks of enchanted quills would be a logistic nightmare. Since the pressruns are limited from a few hundred up to a few thousand, they likely could get by with just a simple offset press.

Whatever the reasons for the lack of Muggle technology in the wizarding world, one thing is certain. Joanne Rowling has created a truly magical place where adults and children can both relax and enjoy the environment. She is a true sorceress.

Dall’inizio della serie di Harry ,il nostro eroe si è ritrovato straniero in terra straniera. Scopre che il mondo in cui è cresciuto nasconde un mondo magico. Non è Oz o il Paese delle meraviglie che esistono separati dal mondo “normale” e vi si può accedere solo attraverso gesti straordinari. No,lui esiste affianco all’Inghilterra moderna.

Harry scopre velocemente che questo mondo ha norme e regole diverse dal mando a lui famigliare. Per esempio,è normale per immagini in foto e dipinti che si muovano. Possono anche lasciare il posto per visitare altri dello stesso tipo. Tutte queste nuove esperienze aiutano a sostenere il senso di meraviglia per tutta la serie.

Una delle prime cose che impara Harry in questo mondo nuovo è che la tecnologia babbana con la quale è cresciuta non si trova. Gli oggetti di tutti i giorni come cellulare e luce elettrica sono sconosciuti a molti della comunità magica. La domanda spontanea è perché. Perché molti artefatti dell’epoca moderna non sono disponibili ai maghi? Questa è la domanda che mette in discussione tutto.

La tecnologia babbana sembra suddividersi in tre grossi gruppi: quelle che non lavorano nel mondo magico; quelle che ci possono lavorare,ma i maghi hanno i loro metodi;e quelle che si adattano a entrambi i mondi. Abbiamo saputo da Hermione che c’erano alcuni aggeggi babbani che non c’entravano con la magia,radio per esempio (HP CF 28). Perché questo? Per la risposta, dobbiamo fare velocemente un salto nella natura della magia.

La magia nel mondo di Harry Potter è un potere che maghi e streghe sono capaci di sfruttare e controllare queste doti innate. Gli effetti magici sono spesso accompagnati da luci,scintille e suoni. La prima vera magia che Harry compie nel nuovo mondo è stata sparare scintille fuori dalla sua nuova bacchetta magica da Olivander.

Sembra indicare che gli effetti magici assomiglino allo spettro elettro-magnetico. Un po’ di energia è stata sparsa. Una cosa simile succede quando un ordigno nucleare esplode. Un impulso massiccio di energia EM viene irradiata fuori dallo spettro. La radio smette di funzionare. Le linee e i telefoni bruciano. Questo perché in tutto questo caos le Nazioni spendono milioni per installare infrastrutture che siano immuni all’interferenza EM.

Gli ordigni nucleari funzionano con un processo di conversione. Convertono la materia in energia. La magia è anche un processo di conversione. Converte materia o energia in altra materia o energia. In qualsiasi processo del mondo reale,c’è sempre energia sprecata-la seconda legge della termodinamica. È ragionevole supporre che gran parte dell’energia fugge nello spettro EM. La manifestazione di ciò sono luce,scintille e calore.

Se questo è vero, poi diventa ovvio perché molti aggeggi babbani come telefoni,televisioni,radio e luci elettriche e elettrodomestici siano inutilizzabili. Sarebbero bruciati o avrebbero raccolto così tanta interferenza statica e altro da renderli inutili. Fornirgli energia sarebbe problematico. Qualsiasi rete elettrica agirebbe come un’enorme antenna e andrebbe in corto circuito.

I computer potrebbero avere lo stesso destino. L’autrice ha lavorato per un produttore di computer che ha creato un computer che era sensibile alle scariche elettrostatiche (ESD),hanno dovuto ritirarlo dal mercato. Se gli utenti avevano capelli lunghi e scuotevano la testa,il generatore ESD poteva bloccare il sistema. Se ciò può accadere in un sistema reale, immaginate cosa accadrebbe nella caotica atmosfera super-carica di una casa guidata, a scuola o sul posto di lavoro del mondo magico. Un incantesimo Accio potrebbe bloccare computer fino a 50 metri di distanza.

Gli unici dispositivi elettrici che avrebbero una possibilità di lavoro sarebbero dei sistemi di batterie a Corrente continua (CC,DC in originale) autonomi molto piccoli. Deve essere piccolo in modo che le piste elettriche non agiscano come antenna e raccolgano l'interferenza magica. Deve anche essere CC,perché l’interferenza potrebbe causare increspature di potenza. Questo impedisce l’uso di radio,apparecchiature audio/video e dispositivi digitali. Una torcia elettrica probabilmente funzionerebbe. Così la macchina fotografica di Colin potrebbe essere un orologio analogico elettrico.

Dispositivi meccanici sembrano andare meglio nel mondo magico rispetto alle loro controparti elettriche. Molti degli studenti hanno orologi da polso. La macchina foto di Colin sembra funzionare senza difficoltà. Si tratta di dispositivi semplici per i quali i maghi non hanno sviluppato le loro versioni. Un classico esempio di questo è la scala che si muove per l’ufficio di Silente. Questo è di gran lunga superiore a qualsiasi scala mobile babbana, quindi c’è l’estraneità da parte del signor Weasley e Hagrid.

Una domanda che viene fatta ripetutamente è, perché Harry deve utilizzare una penna d'oca? Perché non utilizzare una penna a sfera, o almeno una penna stilografica? Ci possono essere diverse ragioni. Un mondo magico conservativo potrebbe non voler rinunciare alle penne d’oca - li distingue dai Babbani. Potrebbe essere che scrivere di magia richiede una scrittura incantata da attuare, e nessuno è cresciuto con un incantesimo per incantare qualcosa di diverso da una penna. Oppure potrebbe essere che Hogwarts cresce i suoi allievi facendogli fare le cose nel modo più duro vecchia maniera, prima di uscire nel mondo reale e possano utilizzare metodi più semplici.

Un'altra domanda è: perché i maghi non indossano abiti babbani? Ecco una perfetta buona “tecnologia” babbana che i maghi sembrano evitare. La questione è resa più interessante dal fatto che i bambini maghi non sembrano avere un problema con loro. Potrebbe essere che il casting magico richieda determinate vesti. Le energie coinvolte non possono essere adeguatamente trattate e pienamente controllate se il modello è in abiti babbani. Poiché i bambini maghi non sono autorizzati a fare magie prima di Hogwarts o durante la pausa estiva, si possono indossare i vestiti Babbani durante questi periodi. Oppure potrebbe esserci di mezzo ancora una volta il mondo dei maghi conservatore. La generazione di Harry potrebbe essere quello che va finalmente via con le vesti da mago, tranne per le occasioni formali. Una cosa simile è accaduto in Giappone.

Una domanda alla quale la scrittrice piacerebbe vedere una risposta è, qual è la natura di una macchina da stampa mago? Tutti quei libri scolastici e tutti quei libri di Allock e tutte quelle riviste e giornali magici devono essere stampati in qualche modo. Sembra terribilmente inefficiente avere persone che fanno tutto a mano, soprattutto le illustrazioni. Deve esserci un lavoro scrupoloso . Ricordate Baruffio! Anche le banche di penne d’oca incantate sarebbe un incubo logistico. Dal momento che i compressori di rune sono limitati da poche centinaia fino a qualche migliaio, che probabilmente potrebbero ottenere da soli con un offset di semplice pressione.

Qualunque sia la ragione per la mancanza di tecnologia babbana nel mondo dei maghi, una cosa è certa. Joanne Rowling ha creato un luogo davvero magico dove adulti e bambini possono sia rilassarsi e godersi l'ambiente. Lei è una vera maga.






Info
Stai guardando TID 5096
(EID 46 - REV 0 By Stefano_Draems)
February 20, 2014

R0 R1

0 visualizzazioni

Modifica