Communication Via Allomancy

[Trutharchivist]

Admittedly, I came up with the idea while reading Tress. But before you report this post and transfer it to the Tress Cosmere spoilers area, let me say that I fully intend to avoid Tress spoilers here. and tLM spoilers, too. This is something that could be thought out after BoM release - and perhaps someone thought it out and I'm just an idiot.

Anyway, Cosmere-wide there are immediate (or nearly immediate) communication devices. But they don't exist everywhere and work based on an odd system, so I'm going to ignore them - hence why it belongs here, and not in general Cosmere discussion. Anyway, here's the thing: wireless communication is built on sending a signal somewhere and having someone receive it. Said signal, with things like phones, is usually electromagnetic waves of certain frequencies, modulated to carry certain pieces of data somehow. I'm not really an expert, though I've worked with communication devices throughout my IDF servitude. Either way, is there something in allomancy that is known to send and receive some sort of signal? One that could be used for, say, locating people because they send this signal?

I'm talkiing about Seekers, of course, I mean, Allomancy in general, but Seekers can receive signals. And they also send them. And due to the fascinating usages of ettmeteal/harmonium, one could make a device that sends and receives Allomantic signals.

Now, this is still a simplified version, and the signal is moving in all directions - though clever usage of aluminum when necessary could change that. And it's not really necessary - our phones send signals everywhere. The biggest problem will be modulation - can be solve via using different metals and/or flaring them, perhaps. Oh, and those devices just might cause Seekers constant headaches when burning their metals. This will bring forth a whole new usage for the internal mental metals - one thing that wasn't really seen in the era 2 books, unless the phone/radio we've seen was working on similar principles, which I highly doubt.

So, what do you think? A workable idea, something you've seen before and I've missed somehow, or a completely stupid idea?

[alder24]

That's clever and brilliant. Wow. I thought about it once, but only as a means to communicate from CR to PR on short distances, by flashing morse code via Allomancy, but not on the scale you propose. But that can be done. While Seeker can receive signals from relatively short distance, with the use of Primar Cubes and some metal structure, the range could likely be extended (after all Malwish ships fly with the use of A-steel), and they could create a beacon emanating signals as strong as the Well. Then there is a problem with signal pollution, every Allomancer and Feruchemist close to a receiver would emit their own signal which would be picked up by antenna and would interfere with its communication.

But Scadrial already has electricity and radio, and it's likely wireless, as Edwarn reported that they set up a camp while climbing to the temple, and dragging kilometers of wire behind them would be just highly impractical. So they already have a much better alternative.

But still, cool idea.

[Trutharchivist]

Strengthening the signal to get to larger distances is a possible idea, but using cellular reception could actually be better.

You have a point, though; modern communication is probably a better alternative, and every allomancer (feruchemy isn't very loud, so it'd be a tad less problematic, I think. Though it's possible that due to the levels of preciseness necessary for such a thing it'd sense feruchemy too) will produce signal pollution.

Strong signals could still be an option, though the communication will still be corrupted. Usage of directed Seeking (via aluminum) would make for an interesting idea... Only you'd have to be on a specific location to make contact, and I don't know whether or not this communication will be any better than regular electromagnetic waves.

It could be useful from a Faraday cage made of anything but aluminum. This couldbe useful for specific extreme situations. And I'm sure one could think up other occasions where this will be profitable. But it's true that this has slim chances of success. Widespread cpmmunication will be mostly like we know from our world, but considering the possibility of feruchemy-based computers (an old, probably impossible idea that's been in my mind)... It will have some uses, probably. Also, that last one was the result of an odd association, feel free to ignore it.

[Mistchemist16]

I think it would still be more practical to use cellphones Earth style, especially if Allomantic tech costs more to make. But I do thinks there is a legitimate use for those principles. You could make fabrials that send and internet bronze signals. This could be nice for Seekers, who can use it as a telepathic phone. Alternatively, it would be a nice curiosity for the wealthy, since they could afford versions that have unsealed A-Bronze. But the other danger with Seeker phones is that Smokers can storm with it by burning copper. Probably wanna have a mundane phone as a backup.

There are probably also ways to hack Connection via F-Duralumin. That would be even more efficient and nice for Duralumin Ferrings for similar reasons as Seekers with bronze phones. 

[Trutharchivist]

14 minutes ago, Mistchemist16 said:

I think it would still be more practical to use cellphones Earth style, especially if Allomantic tech costs more to make. But I do thinks there is a legitimate use for those principles. You could make fabrials that send and internet bronze signals. This could be nice for Seekers, who can use it as a telepathic phone. Alternatively, it would be a nice curiosity for the wealthy, since they could afford versions that have unsealed A-Bronze. But the other danger with Seeker phones is that Smokers can storm with it by burning copper. Probably wanna have a mundane phone as a backup.

There are probably also ways to hack Connection via F-Duralumin. That would be even more efficient and nice for Duralumin Ferrings for similar reasons as Seekers with bronze phones. 

You have a point, generally - this is a largely impractical idea for a myriad of reasons. But I think you miss the point - I'm not talking about medallion technology, that isn't used for allomancy, though the Bands of Mourning show this is a possibility. It's not about unsealed metalminds - the problem will be the price of ettmetal and how complex a machination will have to be. In any case, you are also correct that a Coppercloud could immediately block the connection. I still think it could be used in some other ways, but it's not much better than regular phones, that much is true. 

I must say, though, your last paragraph baffles me. Are you assuming connection shenanigans could lead to telepathy? An interesting theory, but I must say I don't find it convincing. That wasn't really the point of the seeker phones either, since receiving modulated signals straight to your mind doen't necessarily translate them to understandable words. You'd better use a variation of morse code, like Alder offered, and that's about Seekers - we don't have much idea how connection works, besides it helping to understand different languages.

[Mistchemist16]

2 minutes ago, Trutharchivist said:

You have a point, generally - this is a largely impractical idea for a myriad of reasons. But I think you miss the point - I'm not talking about medallion technology, that isn't used for allomancy, though the Bands of Mourning show this is a possibility. It's not about unsealed metalminds - the problem will be the price of ettmetal and how complex a machination will have to be. In any case, you are also correct that a Coppercloud could immediately block the connection. I still think it could be used in some other ways, but it's not much better than regular phones, that much is true. 

I fully agree with the ettmetal point. Whetehr medallions or another device, ettmetal is probably a major component in all Scadrian fabrials. So it really comes down to what Harmony decides. If he thinks it’s a way to help people, then he could make a lot at relatively little cost. But if he’s slipped into Discord, there’s no telling what he’ll do.

I also touched on medallion tech because it could give A-Bronze to those who don’t have it. I imagine the inner workings of the fabrial would be different from the medallion, but the principles of those medallions could play a part

7 minutes ago, Trutharchivist said:

I must say, though, your last paragraph baffles me. Are you assuming connection shenanigans could lead to telepathy? An interesting theory, but I must say I don't find it convincing. That wasn't really the point of the seeker phones either, since receiving modulated signals straight to your mind doen't necessarily translate them to understandable words. You'd better use a variation of morse code, like Alder offered, and that's about Seekers - we don't have much idea how connection works, besides it helping to understand different languages.

I do think I misinterpreted bronze a bit simply because it’s a mental metal. Most transmissions would probably still be in Morse code: I doubt you could get bronze pulses that much more specific. You could still write down the Morse code with no possibility of overhead, which is still a bit niche.

As for Connection, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily impossible to use telepathy with Connection. At the very least, we know there’s some sort of mental conversion yo understand language. 
 

Spoiler

Dalinar’s visions also use Connection and Shards do have options for communication that may or may jut be Connection. So I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to hack Connection into some sort of telepathy, but I don’t know enough to say. Plus, I don’t know what’s going through Brandon’s mind, so that may not be how he understands the concept.