J.L. Duncan wrote:The question is: How can the Magic Pigeon deliver a written message without physically picking it up?
Off the top of my head:
-By visually recording the message, then projecting the words onto another surface later (no wilder a theory than assuming that they record and playback spoken words).
-By the original message disappearing when the spell is cast, then re-appearing when the pigeon reaches its target.
-By the original message physically transforming into the pigeon, then reforming into the message once it has reached the destination.
-By the pigeon eating the message, and the words appearing on the pigeons wings.
-By the pigeon eating the message, then crapping out another message when it reaches the target.
-By the pigeon reading the message, memorizing it, then speaking the message aloud when it reaches the target.
-By the pigeon flying to the target, then teleporting the message to the target's hands.
-By the original message disappearing, then the pigeon rewriting the message onto a handy surface using laser eye-beams
Should I go on...?
There are near infinite possibilities, though some are obviously more absurd than others.
It is by inference (though logical) that we surmise that the pigeon must have the capability to record spoken word in order to deliver a spoken message whether in its own voice, or the voice of the messenger.
More or less. Although there are other options as well.
If the pigeon is not tangible (as you say-though is an inference as well), and which is a logical conclusion given the description of the spell; then we must infer (as well) how the magic pigeon can deliver a written message also.
Right. So far, I've been working really hard to get people to get beyond the idea that pigeons are necessarily flying tape recorders/players, and are necessarily NOT not flying cameras/projectors.
Killer Cyborg wrote: As I've pointed out, we're doing that right now- communicating via written messages that are not physically picked up and carried from one place to another.
The ways that a written message can be delivered without being physically carried, are only relevant if we factor in how the Magic Pigeon could accomplish this.
Agreed... NOW that we've gotten to the point where people can agree that it IS possible to transmit a written message in any other way beyond "I write the message on paper, then hand it to somebody."
But it's been a long, hard battle to get even this far. And I'm betting that a number of people will backslide inexplicably to the that starting point.
I think you’d agree, that saying the pigeon is a magical computer-or could use a computer is a stretch (such as your example), yet the magic pigeon must be able to record and recite audio to some level and we must infer this-from the poor quality of the spell description text.
I'll agree that this seems to be one likely scenario, and on the surface seems to be the most likely.
Even still, there are some immediate questions about that function, such as:
Does the mage have to actually speak the verbal message aloud, or can he
think the message as he casts the spell?
My point here is that the magic pigeon must have some way in which to communicate a written message-if it cannot physically carry it. It is a possible inference-such as what we’ve all thought-when we look at (as I said) the magic pigeons ability to deliver a spoken message.
Agreed.
Keep in mind, I haven't necessarily ruled out the idea that the pigeon
does physically carry the written message, only questioned it.
Even if the pigeon is intangible, that does not necessarily exclude the possibility that they carry the message physically. Perhaps, upon casting, the written message turns intangible at the same instant that the intangible pigeon manifests around the message in some way.
Ideally, we might find a method of message transport that would make equal sense with both written and verbal messages. As in, "it records and plays back the message" rather than "it records the audio message, but has to physically carry the written message."