Alternate idea about hexing

[Peteman]

But taking her stating that she reads about computers as only reading about them would be just as, if not more, illogical.

Then why is that when it was used as the only explanation for how she can have computers as a hobby? And why can't someone have theoretical applications of something as a hobby? I have a friend who's pretty knowledgeable on modern weaponry. He's never going to use them.

[toturi]

Then why is that when it was used as the only explanation for how she can have computers as a hobby?

Can you elaborate on this point? When was it used as the only explanation how she can have computers as a hobby?

[Peteman]

Can you elaborate on this point? When was it used as the only explanation how she can have computers as a hobby?

IIRC, this is the sequence of events:

Luccio mentions that computers were her hobby to Harry.
Harry gives some sort of surprised reaction to indicate he doesn't believe her.
Luccio clarifies that she reads about them, with no indication that she actually physically interacts with them.

Can someone get the book where this exchange takes place. It should help us figure this out?

Luccio's writeup in OW 176 largely supports the idea that she sticks to the theoretical.

And why is purely theoretical interest so unbelievable?

[BumblingBear]

I think that the community as a whole just needs a WOJ about hexing.

It would help clear a lot of things up.

Actually, let's hope the Paranet book coming out for the RPG mentions it more specifically too.

[sinker]

As for the wizard ability to use computers through the water room. To properly fully drown out all magical ability with water, every case given in the book has the wizard IN the RUNNING water. Still water doesn't really do much of anything if anything and just being around the running water only hampers magical ability - it doesn't stop it.

So, to fully protect the computer you'd have to have the wizard in running water while using it (comfortable, no?). The peripherals would need to be waterproof for that reason and then all of these costly and annoying measures should allow the wizard to check his or her facebook for a while until the pumps that keep the water flowing over the wizard eventually give out. At that point you hope the wizard has implemented many redundancies.

You can immerse the wizard in water, or you can immerse the target (I.E. the computer) in water. Either way it insulates the tech from the wizard and one way is much easier than the other... Also the pumps could be pumping water around themselves as well as the device itself. So as I said earlier peripherals would be an issue (and I think almost always will be, there's no way to have those bits separated from the user) but otherwise the rest is fairly simple.

[BumblingBear]

You can immerse the wizard in water, or you can immerse the target (I.E. the computer) in water. Either way it insulates the tech from the wizard and one way is much easier than the other... Also the pumps could be pumping water around themselves as well as the device itself. So as I said earlier peripherals would be an issue (and I think almost always will be, there's no way to have those bits separated from the user) but otherwise the rest is fairly simple.

Or the wizard could just

(click to show/hide)

come up with a spell like Harry did to be on TV

and then practice it enough that it gets easier.

As stated before, a wizard with more control should have an easier time of it.

[toturi]

Luccio's writeup in OW 176 largely supports the idea that she sticks to the theoretical.

And why is purely theoretical interest so unbelievable?

Her interest in computers being purely theorectical is the most plausible explanation, you could apply Occam's Razor to this. But her write-up is also written from the perspective of someone whose source suffers to a great degree from an inability to make full use of technology.
As I said before, hexing does not seem to follow any consistent pattern in the books. Even Ms Murphy switches from old reliable tech (circa 1911) to a more modern pistol and another automatic weapon in the more recent books.

[BumblingBear]

Her interest in computers being purely theorectical is the most plausible explanation, you could apply Occam's Razor to this. But her write-up is also written from the perspective of someone whose source suffers to a great degree from an inability to make full use of technology.
As I said before, hexing does not seem to follow any consistent pattern in the books. Even Ms Murphy switches from old reliable tech (circa 1911) to a more modern pistol and another automatic weapon in the more recent books.

Very true.

It does not get much more complex or modern than an FN P90.

Heck, even the 5.7mm round it uses is relatively new.

[Tallyrand]

While the rifle itself is very complex it is also still very mechanical which it is at least implied can stand up a bit better to hexing.  So far as the bullet, it doesn't matter how new it is because the tech behind it is as simple as they come, a chemical reaction.

[Smith]

Personally, I've never stood by the idea of hexing guns. Truthfully, if you can hex a gun, what's stopping that same hex from fouling up all the doorknobs in the same zone (mechanically speaking, one is about as complicated as another)?

Besides... in the books Harry tends to sling around a lot of magic, but still those pesky bad-guys seem to be able to sling bullets his way, shouldn't the "Angry Wizard who is now full of holes" aspect be compelled to jam their guns? But this never happens in the stories, he always has to find a way to separate bad-guy and gun.

[Tallyrand]

One thing worth noting is the idea that Hexing primarily occurs to objects the wizards doesn't understand.  This makes sense with the age of a wizard rather than his powers defining what he hexes and what he doesn't.  Harry owns a gun, and he's a smart guy so he probably knows how to clean and maintain it as well, which means he probably has a pretty good understanding of how guns work, therefore his magic will only hex guns when he sets it to that task and accidents would be minimal.

[toturi]

Personally, I've never stood by the idea of hexing guns. Truthfully, if you can hex a gun, what's stopping that same hex from fouling up all the doorknobs in the same zone (mechanically speaking, one is about as complicated as another)?

Besides... in the books Harry tends to sling around a lot of magic, but still those pesky bad-guys seem to be able to sling bullets his way, shouldn't the "Angry Wizard who is now full of holes" aspect be compelled to jam their guns? But this never happens in the stories, he always has to find a way to separate bad-guy and gun.

It make sense in terms of the RPG rules. Accidental hexing is usually a Compel on the wizard's High Concept. Unless the GM can accept giving the wizard a Fate point for causing the bad guys' guns to jam without deliberately hexing them, it won't happen. Some people have proposed that when a wizard is in a scene, the GM can Compel a scene Aspect "Around a wizard" or something similar.

Personally I would have had Harry accidentally hexing bad guys weapons at least some of the time. Could have saved Harry some pain if a flamethrower exploded when someone tried to use it. Evidently random bad stuff only happens to the good guys in DF.

[Peteman]

Personally I would have had Harry accidentally hexing bad guys weapons at least some of the time. Could have saved Harry some pain if a flamethrower exploded when someone tried to use it. Evidently random bad stuff only happens to the good guys in DF.

Tell that to the BC Vamp that got hit by an entropy curse turkey 

Though granted, it's more that Harry is not there when bad stuff randomly happens to the bad guys.

[Sitrein]

But taking her stating that she reads about computers as only reading about them would be just as, if not more, illogical.

How does one go to medical school nowadays to keep up with the latest medical developements without coming into contact with state of the art (comparatively with respect to the age of the wizard) technological medical equipment? I would start by looking into this with regards to hexing first.

It would be illogical given the context. Out of context? Sure. Illogical to make any conclusions either way, but the book, where this passage was given, was not devoid of context. With how she said it she was implying that she only reads or if not only than primarily because it would be too hard to do much else. Past that, she is not scholarly with computers. From what was given she was implying reading things like Maximum PC magazine or an electronics magazine.

[Sitrein]

Then why is that when it was used as the only explanation for how she can have computers as a hobby? And why can't someone have theoretical applications of something as a hobby? I have a friend who's pretty knowledgeable on modern weaponry. He's never going to use them.

I fail to understand your point. We're not talking about using theory in game. We're talking about legitimately hexing the ever-loving hell out of things in game. Which I do suppose is a fair bit odd; hypotheticals within hypotheticals vs supposed reality within hyoptheticals.