I get an empty frame at the Gallifreyan writing link (mostly due to an outdated browser), but managed to google additional images.
It looks like it's heavily based on pictures from bubble chamber particle detectors (sample image), with a bit of influence from astronomical charts and clockwork blueprints.
Of course, there's the fan conjecture that what people see inside the TARDIS is just a _representation_ of what's there, with only Time Lords able to see the real thing without going insane. There's no reason to expect their writing to be any different (Time Lords: friendly(ish) Elder Things?).
I figured it was a two-dimensional representation of advanced four- or five-dimensional mathematics that also doubled as a language for the Gallifreyans. After all, once you're discussing things like temporal causality, paradoxes, and other timey-wimey goodness, you need to have new grammar and vocabulary *anyway*, might as well tack on 'I would like to buy some oranges'* while you're at it.
*"This iteration of myself is, at this space-time moment, wishing to initiate a modification of the timeline such that it includes my having a bag of tasty oranges for so long as they continue to exist as discreet entities."
And of course, this is only an English cypher of the font, the actual language probably sound C'thotic or somthing-- Not that humans wouldn't be capable of understanding normal everyday speech, but let's face it, they *are* aliens and not bound by our conventions.
And, getting into time calculations and other stuff would require several doctorates over many multiple lifetimes.... even without regenerations (something I believe to be limited to actual Time Lords) Gallifreians are remarkably long lived compared to humans.
That would be quite an episode, where we learn the Doctor is this kind of higher-ordered "Old One" that, were he not basically a friendly madman, would be (as JMS once kind of put it) a colossus striding the galaxy with legs of fire.
And the circular glyph-language reminded me of something I thought of when I saw a language on Star Trek that appeared to radiate out from a central point: Why don't the Daleks have a similar graphical code, or at least, an interface? I envisioned control panels having a circle-shaped place for their plunger-hands to go, and slowly turning it and applying pressure would turn one or more rings of glyphs to "type" or give commands.
I may have had too much free mental time while washing dishes at Hardee's, but there you go.
Summon CheesekevinbunnyDecember 2 2011, 08:00:18 UTC
That... is fairly epic. Say what you will about the physics engine of Skyrim, it takes a certain amount of mojo to be able to accurately depict a cheesepocalypse.
Famous People 'paintings'kevinbunnyDecember 2 2011, 08:13:25 UTC
Wow. Of course, that's probably how people originally saw the paintings - famous people that they recognized: "Oh! It's Lord Sacksburg, back before he shaved the beard!"
Of course, then there's the classic 'Plato and Aristotle' by Raphael - With ponies.
Re: Famous People 'paintings'cjthomasDecember 2 2011, 10:01:33 UTC
Darn you.
I just spent 20 minutes fussing with GIMP and Convert (for distortion matching) to do a flicker-test against the original (they're almost, but not quite, aligned; perspective transform fixed that).
I'd completely missed the ponies in a visual search, instead getting distracted by the horses, pegasi, and unicorns hidden in the gingerbread. Flicker test made me facepalm, after that.
That cheese summoning spell reminds me of this TV advert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bb8P7dfjVw. Find it amazing that Skryim's physics engine handles all of the neccesary calculations in real time to match a real world example!
I got thru, oh about twentyish of the "Deathlands" books (which also have a spin-off series AND a SciFi tv-movie) before I stopped talking to the friend who owned them. Fairly fun in a pulp-ish kind of way. The books are full of all kinds of stuff. Vikings, samurai, mutants, psychic powers, time machines and cryogenics. Though I think it changes writers after the very first one...
I can confirm that the Deathlands books (and presumably the subsequent series) is written by several authors under a common house name. I know at least one of the authors personally and as he put it: "They paid some of my bills, that's for sure!"
Yeah, they pretty much are an adult Gamma World novelization and some of them are better than others. Oddly enough, my dad started reading the series when he was in prison for a few months. (Long story.) Once he was out and back home, he introduced me to them. I was in my mid/late teens at the time and I have no illusion that I forgive them a lot simply based on the escapism they gave to both my dad and me way back then.
Comments 40
It looks like it's heavily based on pictures from bubble chamber particle detectors (sample image), with a bit of influence from astronomical charts and clockwork blueprints.
Of course, there's the fan conjecture that what people see inside the TARDIS is just a _representation_ of what's there, with only Time Lords able to see the real thing without going insane. There's no reason to expect their writing to be any different (Time Lords: friendly(ish) Elder Things?).
Food for thought.
Reply
*"This iteration of myself is, at this space-time moment, wishing to initiate a modification of the timeline such that it includes my having a bag of tasty oranges for so long as they continue to exist as discreet entities."
Reply
And, getting into time calculations and other stuff would require several doctorates over many multiple lifetimes.... even without regenerations (something I believe to be limited to actual Time Lords) Gallifreians are remarkably long lived compared to humans.
Reply
And the circular glyph-language reminded me of something I thought of when I saw a language on Star Trek that appeared to radiate out from a central point: Why don't the Daleks have a similar graphical code, or at least, an interface? I envisioned control panels having a circle-shaped place for their plunger-hands to go, and slowly turning it and applying pressure would turn one or more rings of glyphs to "type" or give commands.
I may have had too much free mental time while washing dishes at Hardee's, but there you go.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Of course, then there's the classic 'Plato and Aristotle' by Raphael - With ponies.
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/6925546/img/6925546.jpg
(they're pretty well hidden, but all six are in there)
Reply
I just spent 20 minutes fussing with GIMP and Convert (for distortion matching) to do a flicker-test against the original (they're almost, but not quite, aligned; perspective transform fixed that).
I'd completely missed the ponies in a visual search, instead getting distracted by the horses, pegasi, and unicorns hidden in the gingerbread. Flicker test made me facepalm, after that.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Yeah, they pretty much are an adult Gamma World novelization and some of them are better than others. Oddly enough, my dad started reading the series when he was in prison for a few months. (Long story.) Once he was out and back home, he introduced me to them. I was in my mid/late teens at the time and I have no illusion that I forgive them a lot simply based on the escapism they gave to both my dad and me way back then.
Reply
Leave a comment