Maximilian Wilson wrote: >I'd actually argue that radio combined with modern technology is far >superior to psionic communication. For one thing, psionic >communication is only possible with those you know well; this results >in big, centralized networks that less robust to point-failure. >Secondly, radio can be processed by computers instead of human brains. >Things like real-time-updated battle maps are only feasible with >computer processing; I'm not a general so I don't know exactly how >important this is, but it's certainly better than psi. ObSF: read >David Drake's stories to get an old soldier's opinion of what a really >good AI could do in battle. /Northworld/ is a good one. > > I found Drake's RCN series much more fun. And it works better in this discussion because it is a tribute to f Patrick O'Brian's *Aubrey*/Maturin books, only with space ships. One of the two main characters, Adele Mundy, is a spinster librarian who does wonderful things with here computers gives her team a decided edge in their battles. Technologies are tools to an end. The various types of magic we see are various technologies - smart warriors and traders will use whichever tools give them an edge. All of those tools have their advantages.