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From: guzman@ttidcb.UUCP (Marc Guzman)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Discrepancies (Dune and Ringworld)
Message-ID: <389@ttidcb.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Jun-85 12:19:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: ttidcb.389
Posted: Fri Jun 21 12:19:56 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Jun-85 19:29:30 EDT
References: <2039@iddic.UUCP> <483@gitpyr.UUCP>
Reply-To: guzman@ttidcb.UUCP (Marc Guzman)
Distribution: na
Organization: Transaction Technology, Inc. (CitiCorp), Santa Monica
Lines: 35
Summary: 

In article <483@gitpyr.UUCP> msj@gitpyr.UUCP (Mike St. Johns) writes:
>In article <2039@iddic.UUCP> rick@iddic.UUCP (Rick Coates) writes:
>>Here are a couple of discrepancies (one large, one small) that I have
>>run across lately:
>>
>>Dune:
>>
>>Stillsuits wouldn't work.  As I read it, the idea behind a stillsuit is
>>that it allows cooling by evaporation while trapping the moisture. 
>>Thermodynamics does not allow this.  Any cooling action gained by the
>>evaporation inside the suit would be offset by the condensation process.
>>
>>The net result would be a steam box that would be hot on a cold day with
>>any insolation at all.
>>
>>
>
>Sorry to disabuse you, but all Thermodynamics says is that you can't get
>something for nothing.  If you recall, the description of the stillsuit
>includes some form of "pump" which operates as the wearer walks.  This
>provides the necessary "work" to circulate fluid.  A refrigerator works well
>just by circulating fluid.  I haven't done any calculations, but on the
>surface a stillsuit should be feasible.  Mike
>-- 

I too, felt that stillsuits would not work, and having read _Dune_ a long
time ago I don't remember what powered them. But, if the above description
is accurate, then the stillsuits definately can't work. The "engines" for
the "pump" are obviously human muscles which will generate heat.
And because, as we all know "... 2) You can't break even ...", the wearer
will produce more heat than they can remove; resulting in "friedman"
(boiled might be more accurate).

			Marc