Exact Time to Failure: Difference between revisions

{{quote|'''T-Rex:''' Whenever there's trouble, their computer is always all "15 seconds until fatal radiation exposure", as though if you get 14, you're fine, and if you get 16, you're dead for sure! Expiry dates, like those on ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|ST:TNG]]'', are false and needlessly strict.

'''God:''' MAN T-REX YOU'RE ABOUT THREE SECONDS AWAY FROM FATAL RADIATION EXPOSURE YOURSELF

 

Whenever a technological device is about to fail, the [[Magical Computer]] knows [[Ludicrous Precision|exactly how long]] [[If My Calculations Are Correct|it will take to fail]] and displays a timer counting down (often with the use of a [[Viewer-Friendly Interface]]). Very useful to create a suspenseful situation, in a similar manner to a [[Time Bomb]].

 

{{examples}}

* ''[[Eureka Seven]]'': the antibody coralians can only remain alive for [[wikipedia:Eureka Seven|1246 seconds (20 minutes 46 seconds)]].

* ''[[Last Exile]]'': When the Guild first attacks the Silvana, it's stated they can operate for 20 minutes at full power. After ''exactly'' twenty minutes, they all break off and leave (including Dio and Luciola, who entered the battle later on). [[Fridge Logic]] ensues because they were thrashing the Silvana—since they still had enough fuel to fly back home, they couldn't have stayed the few extra minutes to finish? Or refueled and headed back out?

 

 

* In a biological variant, [[Aquaman]] (and all other Atlanteans in [[The DCU]]) originally could survive exactly one hour out of water; after that point they fell down dead. This has been quietly done away with in recent years.

** The ''belief'' still lasts, which allowed Aquaman, in one of his annuals, to put one over on the bad guys.

** The quote from [[Dinosaur Comics]] at the top of this page refers to an episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. The ship is being subjected to severe radiation. The computer reports the exact time, down to the second, when the accumulated dosage will become lethal. The implication is that this time is meant to be uniform for all crew members. But even if it were, say, the time when radiation would be lethal to the lowest common denominator (the [[Littlest Cancer Patient]], for example), it's still a long stretch to believe that any time before that, the damage would be perfectly fine to recover from, but the instant you hit that deadline, it becomes lethal with no hope of recovery. And presumably any damage before that point could be cured with a complete recovery, otherwise Dr. Crusher ''et al'' would be working a lot faster before those radiation burns, mutations, and sterility become downright miserable.

*** The majority of the ship's crew appears to be human, and it's quite possible that most other species have near-human fatal exposure levels. There will also likely be an acute (short time/instantaneous) exposure level beyond which even 24th century medicine is unable to stave off imminent death.

** This one is particularly stupid because if your computer knows enough about the virus and its activities to know how far along it is in compromising the computer's systems, it should be able to <s>freaking</s> fraking ''stop the virus!''

** Far more ridiculous is the fact that connecting some computers together in a closed, wired network immediately makes them vulnerable to attack by the Cylons.