woJ tech distance

Q: The ‘Harry screws up guns’ thing hasn’t been seen for several novels now, and I sincerely hope it’s something JB has decided to let go to dust.  First away, if Harry’s disruption thing is so bad that it can mess up simple chemistry and even simpler mechanical operations, then howinblazes does his car ever work?  Orders of magnitude more complex, mechanically, chemically, and electrically speaking…
A: On the other hand, using a GUN in earnest tends to be a tad more emotionally (and therefore magically) engaging than your average drive in a car.  Proximity has a lot to do with it, too.  Harry’s actually TOUCHING the gun, generally in his right hand (the hand that projects magical energy) to boot.  In fact, the gun is small enough that it’s actually going to be encompassed by his bioelectric field (a very mild, but totally individual field of electromagnetic energy that the human body produces).
The car is a much larger (relative) object that is (relatively) farther away, even when Harry is driving under stress–and even so, the Beetle (and other cars) have broken down on-stage more often than guns have actually jammed on-stage.
And there are other factors involved of which Harry is not entirely aware.  Alas, that the viewpoint character is non-omniscient.
The rules aren’t changing.  The proper circumstances just haven’t all aligned the way they have in the other instances of guns glitching.
Jim


Quote from: Grise on January 18, 2007, 10:48:40 AM (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,1542.msg28371.html#msg28371)