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CTD - Probe Ufo


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The problem with "personnel is" is the fact that the first hits are either sites with only "personnel" in them or silly blogs...... I trust "personnel are" more, even though the first hits on the last query are military-related sites xD (.gov most of them....)

My sources are the great majority of the hollywood movies and tv series I've watched, I'm sure I've heard more than once, for example, 'the police is', etc, etc, but I bow down to Mad as he gets to decide :)

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Very good. Zombie, what do you think?

Sounds good to me too. I just made a minor spelling change, some capitolization changes with "foo fighters" and rearranged the last sentence a bit. :wink1:

 

PROBE UFO

X-Net://Pegasus.net/Alien/Craft/Probe

 

The tiny size of these alien craft has caused a heated debate about whether they are actually piloted or just unmanned drones. X-Corps has come to name them "Probes" for this reason.

 

Although the Probes' hull is not saucer-shaped, a casual glance at the craft in flight might give the impression of possessing rotational symmetry due to its dome-shaped main body, lined with a slightly glowing propulsion system. The craft/drone discussion has been resolved when we learned that in fact a single alien pilots the Probe. The interior is claustrophobic and coffin-like, barely large enough for the lone pilot, with hull-integrated controls, alien devices and glyphs of mostly unknown purpose. R&D recommends that X-Corps soldiers should refrain from trying to operate or touch any of them in the field.

 

In our analysis, we were not able to find any modular components. Apparently, the Probe's propulsion and navigation systems are completely integrated into the ship itself. While this is a very efficient design, it prevents us from learning any further details about the alien technology. The integrated design is also the reason for another important weakness: The Probe's power systems rely on exterior dissipation of excess energy. When engaged in high-speed maneuvering, the surplus energy is dispersed through the hull, resulting in a blue corona around the whole craft. WWII pilots have already described the same glow effect. Simulations indicate that once this method of energy dissipation is compromised by otherwise negligible-seeming exterior damage, the vessel is most likely consumed in a matter of seconds by its own propulsion system, just like reported by X-Corps pilots.

 

The swift, agile Probes rely on stealth and agility to accomplish their missions, often going completely unnoticed. Unarmed and only lightly armored, the threat these craft pose is not terror and destruction, but surveillance and espionage. Probes appear to be commonly used to scout areas of interest, exploring and recording vast amounts of data about target zones before the deployment of larger vessels. These alien surveys apparently include everything from basic geographic information to population size and local technology. This data is then most likely used for threat estimations and, the most terrifying prospect, for determining the ideal locations for local colonization. Wherever this small craft appears, follow-up missions with more dangerous UFOs are sure to follow.

 

UFO sightings dating back to World War II can probably be attributed to these vessels. Reports show a remarkable similarity, although the reported UFO sizes differ wildly, and indicate that these variations are corollary of very inaccurate distance estimations caused by the vessel's incredible maneuverability. Historically dubbed "foo fighters", these Probes have obviously been used to scout our planet for decades.

 

"Personnel are to refrain from taking captured probes out "for a spin".

- X-Corps Training Manual, revision 892

 

As for this mess with the "is" and "are" confusion, I could try and explain it but it would come out all wrong. It all has to deal with number agreement or quantity. I suggest looking at the Grammatical_number page in the wiki for a very good explanation. "Personnel are" is therefore the correct usage as "personnel" is plural and "are" refers back to that plural quantity. :P

 

- Zombie

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Well, I would say this text is complete. :)

 

As for this mess with the "is" and "are" confusion, I could try and explain it but it would come out all wrong. It all has to deal with number agreement or quantity. I suggest looking at the Grammatical_number page in the wiki for a very good explanation. "Personnel are" is therefore the correct usage as "personnel" is plural and "are" refers back to that plural quantity. :P

Ohhh, now I get the problem: The thing is, I would refer to personnel as one body, not as a mass of people. That's why I would use "personnel is to".

Edited by Mad
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Well, I would say this text is complete. :)

 

As for this mess with the "is" and "are" confusion, I could try and explain it but it would come out all wrong. It all has to deal with number agreement or quantity. I suggest looking at the Grammatical_number page in the wiki for a very good explanation. "Personnel are" is therefore the correct usage as "personnel" is plural and "are" refers back to that plural quantity. :P

Ohhh, now I get the problem: The thing is, I would refer to personnel as one body, not as a mass of people. That's why I would use "personnel is to".

Exactly my point, in 'the police is' it's referring to a single body.

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Don't know if this is waiting for my reply, but this is my 2 cents. The definition of personnel is considered plural, not singular, and so is police. Plurality requires the use of "are" instead of "is". Simple as that.

 

per‧son‧nel  /ˌpɜrsəˈnɛl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pur-suh-nel] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

1. a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work.

2. (used with a plural verb) persons: All personnel are being given the day off.

3. personnel department.

[Origin: 1825–35;

 

—Usage note 2. Some usage guides object to the use of personnel as a plural. However, this use is well established and standard in all varieties of speech and writing. The use of personnel with a preceding number is largely restricted to business and government communications: Six personnel were transferred.

po‧lice  /pəˈlis/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[puh-lees] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -liced, -lic‧ing.

–noun

1. Also called police force. an organized civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws.

2. (used with a plural verb) members of such a force: Several police are patrolling the neighborhood.

I was always taught to immediately recognize that a group is a collection of singular things, not a specific entity. Perhaps this is taught differently in other nations. And of course, there are exceptions to the rule that groups are always plural. :)

 

- Zombie

Edited by Zombie
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Actually this is waiting for kafros, but your defnition is interesting (especially, because I always would use the first definition implying a use as singular as it refers to a group not as a colletion of people but as a single "entity"). But let's not get stalled on this. The XC-33 is waiting to be finished!

 

ok Text completed

 

PROBE UFO

X-Net://Pegasus.net/Alien/Craft/Probe

 

The tiny size of these alien craft has caused a heated debate about whether they are actually piloted or just unmanned drones. X-Corps has come to name them "Probes" for this reason.

 

Although the Probes' hull is not saucer-shaped, a casual glance at the craft in flight might give the impression of possessing rotational symmetry due to its dome-shaped main body, lined with a slightly glowing propulsion system. The craft/drone discussion has been resolved when we learned that in fact a single alien pilots the Probe. The interior is claustrophobic and coffin-like, barely large enough for the lone pilot, with hull-integrated controls, alien devices and glyphs of mostly unknown purpose. R&D recommends that X-Corps soldiers should refrain from trying to operate or touch any of them in the field.

 

In our analysis, we were not able to find any modular components. Apparently, the Probe's propulsion and navigation systems are completely integrated into the ship itself. While this is a very efficient design, it prevents us from learning any further details about the alien technology. The integrated design is also the reason for another important weakness: The Probe's power systems rely on exterior dissipation of excess energy. When engaged in high-speed maneuvering, the surplus energy is dispersed through the hull, resulting in a blue corona around the whole craft. WWII pilots have already described the same glow effect. Simulations indicate that once this method of energy dissipation is compromised by otherwise negligible-seeming exterior damage, the vessel is most likely consumed in a matter of seconds by its own propulsion system, just like reported by X-Corps pilots.

 

The swift, agile Probes rely on stealth and agility to accomplish their missions, often going completely unnoticed. Unarmed and only lightly armored, the threat these craft pose is not terror and destruction, but surveillance and espionage. Probes appear to be commonly used to scout areas of interest, exploring and recording vast amounts of data about target zones before the deployment of larger vessels. These alien surveys apparently include everything from basic geographic information to population size and local technology. This data is then most likely used for threat estimations and, the most terrifying prospect, for determining the ideal locations for local colonization. Wherever this small craft appears, follow-up missions with more dangerous UFOs are sure to follow.

 

UFO sightings dating back to World War II can probably be attributed to these vessels. Reports show a remarkable similarity, although the reported UFO sizes differ wildly, and indicate that these variations are corollary of very inaccurate distance estimations caused by the vessel's incredible maneuverability. Historically dubbed "foo fighters", these Probes have obviously been used to scout our planet for decades.

 

"Personnel are to refrain from taking captured probes out "for a spin".

- X-Corps Training Manual, revision 892

Edited by Mad
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