Good morning from the UK.
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Virus statistics (as of 09:30 UK time)
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Region	Today	Yesterday	% change
Global	198,179	182,424	+8.6%
China	81,087	81,053	+0.4% (once again)
Italy	31,506	27,980	+12.6%
Iran	16,169	14,991	+7.9%
Spain	11,826	9,942	+18.9%
Germany	9,360	7,272	+28.7%
South Korea	8,413	8,320	+1.1%
France	7,695	6,655	+15.6%
USA	6,496	4,661	+39.4%
Switzerland	2,700	2,330	+15.9% (they have been suspiciously round numbers every day this week)
UK	1,960	1,553	+26.2%
Netherlands	1,710	1,414	+20.9%
Norway	1,471	1,347	+9.2%
Austria	1,332	1,018	+30.8%
Belgium	1,243	1,058	+17.5%
Sweden	1,196	1,121	+6.7%
Denmark	1,024	932	+9.8%

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All other countries with under 1000 identified infections not listed. Total countries infected worldwide = 155, same as yesterday. Source for all countries (as discussed above): the John Hopkins University dashboard (Link). (Personal note: Western countries infection counts are increasing each day much faster than Asian countries but that may be due to cultural differences or it may be that they're doing my testing, if anyone can shed light on this please do).
Reminder, these are identified case counts and medical experts are reporting this virus has a long incubation period with people being infections despite displaying no symptoms; the true infection figures are likely to be much higher. Note that some countries are reporting shortages of test kits which further skews the data available; assume true cases are much higher.
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Other virus news in brief (Guardian live blog source, no time to check anything else)
- The world famous Glastonbury music festival just got cancelled
- The Edinburgh film festival has been cancelled
- The BBC has suspended production of multiple tv shows including its popular soap show Eastenders
- Prof Neil Ferguson, one of the top UK Covid-19 govt advisors has caught it and is self isolating
- Scottish regional airline Logan air (a crucial airbridge link provider to isolated communities) is cutting its flights in half
- Chelsea FC has turned over its hotel for NHS staff for two months (the owner Roman Abramovitch is waiving all charges) and may extend further if necessary
- The catholic church in Scotland has suspended all masses until further notice
- Several fast food chains are offering free drinks to health workers including McDonalds and Pret
- More supermarket chains around the world are offering extra opening hours for accessibility only by the elderly and vulnerable including Sainsbury's in the UK
- Central Brussels is reported as being deserted (Belgium is in lock down)
- Iran study: 3.5m Iranians could die if government guidelines are not followed (some Iranian worshippers are attempting to break into holy shrines and mosques, defying Iranian leaders who are trying to bar access to religious sites because of coronavirus).
- Global stock markets remain volatile - futures suggest further drops in Dow Jones when it opens in approx 2:15 time
- Amazon workers say the hectic pace of work amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is devastating for their physical and mental health as they try and keep up with massive new demand. There are complaints the company is doing nothing to look after the welfare of its workers.
- Dozens of new cases of the virus have been found in South Korea
- NZ continues to have problems with tourists failing to self-isolate. The police are getting involved to enforce it, two visitors have been deported so far.
- Tom Hanks feels "blah" but says he's no longer feverish, he remains in precautionary self isolation with his wife
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Supply chain specific virus news in brief
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- Matt Colvin and his brother (who hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitiser before being banned by Amazon for price gouging) has donated the product but is being investigated by his state's attorney general. He says he's received death threats over the matter.
- Nissan suspends production at Sunderland plant (UK) as coronavirus crisis hits supply chain and sales (Local newspaper source). Ford and Vauxhall are following suit (source)
- UK chemicals supply chains prepare for ‘major impact’ from coronavirus restrictions (source)
- China’s southern manufacturing hub facing supply shortage as global fears grow (source) with 15% having already run out of some supplies
- Pending “Buy America” Executive Order Threatens Coronavirus Response - Forbes agues that a pending executive order to force federal agencies to buy American made products will slow down the country's ability to respond to the virus. "Now is not the time to shutter our borders and prevent global cooperation. Americans already face massive shortages of diagnostic tests and vital supplies, like face masks and ventilators.... By forsaking an all-hands-on-deck approach, the president would exacerbate the public health crisis at hand and put more American lives at risk" the article says.
- Brazilian meatpackers JBS and Minerva Foods are considering suspending operations at some slaughterhouses in Brazil due to supply chain issues from China (source)
- UK grocery pro tip - if the online grocers have no slots available and you don't want to be customer 6023 in the Ocado queue, check out Gousto (if you're already a customer) or Hello Fresh.
- A Houston distillery is starting to making hand sanitiser Link - I've seen other reports of distilleries doing similar including Scottish whisky ones
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Economics
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Boeing seeks $60 billion in government aid for aerospace industry hit by coronavirus - Link : CNBC says that Boeing said Tuesday that it is supporting $60 billion in government support for the aerospace industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump earlier said his administration would support Boeing, a top U.S. defense contractor and one of the two biggest airplane makers in the world. The company has been grappling with the fallout of two fatal crashes of its 737 Max.
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Supply chain deep dive
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Industry experts say, yes, more medical ventilator devices are desperately needed, but warn against unrealistically heightening public expectations (Link) - One doctor described the machines as being like "gold." Ventilators have quickly become the most sought-after medical device in the world because of their ability to help save the lives of some of the sickest coronavirus patients. The U.S. currently has an estimated 160,000 ventilators, far short of the 740,000 it would need in a "severe" pandemic like the Spanish flu of 1918, according to a study by the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins. It's because of this that governments around the world have been scrambling to buy and make as many ventilators as possible. President Donald Trump even suggested that states might be better off not waiting for federal help, "if they can get them faster by getting them on their own." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked large companies that don’t make ventilators, like Rolls Royce and the domestic appliance firm Dyson, to pivot toward the production of medical equipment in a way not seen outside war.
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The great toilet paper shortage of 2020 - CNN reports on supply chain issues relating to the toilet paper panic purchasing (Supply chain students - this is a great example of the bullwhip effect in real time). Many were already operating their manufacturing facilities 24/7 prior to the pandemic. Now, some are limiting their facilities to essential workers and contractors. It's unclear, however, what they will do in the event that those workers get sick. "If you ask me why everyone is grabbing toilet paper, I can't really explain it," said Tom Sellars, CEO of Sellars Absorbent Materials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His company is a processor and converter of paper and related products. "It's not like we are suddenly using more of it. But the surge in demand could strain the supply chain," he said. Georgia Pacific, the maker of Angel Soft and Quilted Northern toilet paper, said that last week, some orders from retailers nearly doubled. The company managed to ship out 20% more than its normal capacity. And the American Forest & Paper Association, an industry group representing paper product makers, noted the industry is working hard to respond to the sudden spike in demand.
Another big worry: stockpiling toilet paper now could eventually hurt manufacturers' sales down the road. "We've all seen photos of people carrying shopping carts filled with toilet paper out of stores. They probably won't buy more for three to four months," Baron said. "There will be a demand shock, and it will again strain the system."
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Coronavirus exposes the weak links in the pharma supply chain - The Pharmaletter has an opinion piece from Madhav Durbha, group vice president, industry strategy, LLamasoft (link). Key takeaways:

1. China is a rapidly growing consumer market as average disposable income grows - A recent study of large pharma companies’ earnings shows that revenues in China grew by 29% as compared to a growth of 8.2% in the USA for a comparable period.
2. China and India are big players in pharma manufacturing. Example: last year China accounted for 95% of US imports of ibuprofen, 91% of US imports of hydrocortisone, 70% of US imports of acetaminophen, 40% to 45% of US imports of penicillin and 40% of US imports of heparin, according to Commerce Department data. Even as India rises as an alternate source to China for generic and over-the-counter medications, it depends heavily on Chinese sources for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and key starting materials (KSMs).
3. Due to sizeable inventory buffers in the industry, the effects of manufacturing downturns will take time to impact; the median inventory is about 180 days for the industry as a whole. However, given the long lead times associated with drug manufacturing, the effects will take time to cycle through the supply chain. If and when this gets on the critical path, missed deliveries can be punitive for pharma companies due to penalties by purchasing entities. Switching sources is not a trivial task in the pharma industry given the highly regulated nature and rigorous compliance requirements by regulatory bodies.
4. Individuals and governments alike are competing for availability of medical PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) exacerbating the global supply shortage). Personal note: I've flagged up shortages over the past few weeks in multiple country health systems. If your politicians say they're about to fix it or more supplies are imminent be very sceptical; my country's government is competing against yours (and we're all competing against individual demand too) and there won't be enough for everyone because manufacturing capacity cannot keep up with current demand (I've posted links before on this topic).

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Warehousing sector well-positioned to weather coronavirus disruption, report finds - Supplychaindive reports that the logistics real estate sector could be among the best positioned to handle inventory supply and demand disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak due to standard long-term occupancy contracts and a potential shift to more regional supply chains in the future, according to a report from Prologis released in March. Key takeaways from the article:

1. Lessons learnt from widespread stockouts could cause supply chain managers to bump up their safety stock levels which means more warehouse space will be needed (safety stock means the inventory level limit at which you ideally should never go below so you should order replenishments to arrive just before you hit that limit).
2. Consumer demand for fresh and online grocery is set to increase in the coming years; in 2019 CBRE (major global player in warehouse real estate) projected this trend would translate into industry demand for 100 million square feet of additional cold storage warehousing space over the next five years
3. Some supply chains may de-risk from centralised warehousing (e.g. running a NDC - national distribution centre) into running several smaller RDCs (regional distribution centres) to spread out the risk.

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How long will essentials like toilet paper be hard to get? It depends. - Vox reports (credit to them for the follow on links) that while the biggest grocery chains, food suppliers, and consumer goods brands are generally well-equipped to handle this kind of surge in demand, experts say the global reach of their supply chains is contributing to the problem. Additionally this is a global surge in demand. Retailers are capable of handling emergency deliveries for impacted areas (e.g. post hurricane or earthquake), but it's difficult to keep up with a country-wide surge in demand. Reallocating inventory requires some cost-benefit analysis, however. “If you divert that normal shipment that goes from your regional distribution center to your network of stores close to that regional center, and all of a sudden you haul it twice the distance to New York City, that’s twice the cost,” a partner from Cap Gemini said.
3M, the Minnesota-based manufacturer of N95 respirator masks and other protective medical products, has so far avoided supply chain disruptions by sourcing materials like straps and metal nose clips from regional suppliers and producing the filters in house. The company has also ramped up production from five days per week to seven in response to the surge in demand. According to Panjiva, the supply chain research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence, P&G significantly ramped up its shipments of soap and hand sanitizer in late 2019 and early 2020, with imports increasing 221.9 percent year over year in the three months to January 31. Competitor Johnson & Johnson increased imports of the same categories by 72.7 percent during the same period. Even with the short supply, US hand sanitizer sales were up 470 percent in the first week of March, according to Nielsen. Small-batch distilleries are supplementing their product assortments with hand sanitizers that meet the CDC’s 60 percent alcohol guidelines. New York state has turned to prison labor to boost its supply by 100,000 gallons per week.
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Donations
Several asked if they can send me $/£/€ via Patreon (in some cases because I've saved them time or money, others for no reason at all). I don't need the cash (that's lovely though) but food bank charities are getting really hit hard with all this panic buying. Please consider giving whatever you'd have given me to a foodbank charity instead:
UK: https://www.trusselltrust.org/
France: https://www.banquealimentaire.org/
Germany: https://www.tafel.de/
Netherlands: https://www.voedselbankennederland.nl/steun-ons/steun-voedselbank-donatie/
Spain: https://www.fesbal.org/
Australia: https://www.foodbank.org.au/
Canada: https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/
USA: https://www.feedingamerica.org/
Thanks in advance for any donations you give. If there's foodbank charities in your country and it's not listed above, please suggest it and I will include it going forward.

EDIT: Minor correction to definition of safety stock and replenishments

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On September 6 at IFA, press released their first reports about our collaboration project with Intel: XMG FUSION 15.
Community Links:

• Reddit: XMG FUSION 15 - European version of Eluktronics Mag 15 (extensive Q&A in English)
• Notebookcheck Forum: [Sammelthread] XMG FUSION 15 (with Intel)
• Computerbase Forum: XMG Fusion 15: 15,6“-Gaming-Notebook mit 1,9 kg, 144 Hz & Wi-Fi 6

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Press Links:

• Hardwareluxx: Schenker XMG Fusion 15: High-quality gaming notebook in cooperation with Intel
• Smartworld.it: XMG Fusion 15 - IFA 2019 Product Presentation
• Notebookcheck: Schenker announces the XMG Fusion 15, Europe's answer to the Eluktronics MAG-15
• heise online: XMG Fusion 15: Schenker sells Intel's reference gaming notebook
• Computerbase: XMG Fusion 15: 15.6 "gaming notebook with 1.9 kg, 144 Hz & Wi-Fi 6
• to be continued

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Video Links:

• Smartworld.it: XMG Fusion 15: il laptop con tastiera MECCANICA - Anteprima IFA 2019
• Gamereactor.eu: XMG Fusion 15 - IFA 2019 Product Presentation
• XMG.gg: XMG FUSION 15 | High-End Laptop | Hands-On
• Unboxing Break: XMG FUSION 15 Review / Unboxing
• to be continued

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The following key facts have already been revealed:

• Collaboration with Intel SPG, inventor of the NUC
• 15.6" case with Thin Bezel and AZ91D magnesium alloy
• Only 1.89kg light and 20mm thin
• 93.48Wh battery capacity with 8 hours runtime (1080p Youtube via WLAN)
• Mechanical keyboard with silent switches, known from XMG NEO
• Glass touchpad
• Intel Core i7-9750H
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q or GTX 1660 Ti
• Up to 64GB RAM and 2x m.2 SSD
• 144Hz IPS display
• Thunderbolt 3, WiFi 6, LAN, Card Reader, USB 3.1 Gen2
• Freely configurable in BTO fashion on www.bestware.com

Prices and availability will be announced on September 17. → Countdown to xmg.gg
Teaser Trailer on YouTube: XMG FUSION 15 Laptop | A Design Collaboration with Intel
We look forward to your questions and your feedback!
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XMG FUSION 15 - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

This FAQ represents Q&A's over the last few days here. Fellow redditor u/iterateandgit was so kind to help me putting this document together. Big shout out to him please! The FAQ will be further extended over the coming days and weeks. Please keep the questions coming!
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Sales, Shipping, Warranty

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Q: Are you going to sell this on Amazon in the EU?
A: We are working on getting the product up and running on Amazon. But our own BTO shop at www.bestware.com will always be our primary sales channel and will be the only one where you can customize and configure memory, storage, OS, extend your warranty and pick other options.
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Q: Do you offer student discounts or other sales compaigns like black friday?
A: In general, we don't offer student discounts. Sales campaigns are planned just in time, depending on stock level and cannot be announced early. If you want to keep up to date about sales campaigns, please subscribe to our newsletter.
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Q: Do you ship to the UK? Can I pay in GBP?
A: We ship to the UK - the pricing will be in EUR, so your bank will do the conversion. Warranty services will be available from UK, shipping to Germany. Currently, in the single markets, these resturn shipments are free for the end-user. In the worst case there might be additional customs fees for shipping.
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Q: What warranty options do you offer?
A: All our laptops come with 2 year warranty. Warranty repairs in the first 6 months are promised to be done within 48 hours (+shipping). Both the "instant repair" service and the warranty itself can be extended to up to 3 years.
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Q: Do you sell outside of Europe?
A: We are able to ship anywhere, but warranty for customers outside the region would always involve additional customs cost and paperwork for sending the laptop back to Germany in the rare event of an RMA. There is currently no agreement to let other Local OEMs (like Eluktronics in the US) carry the warranty for XMG customers and vice-versa. Some parts are customized (in our case the LCD lid and the keyboard) and it won't be easy to agree on how to share handling fees etc. - so I wouldn't expect a global warranty anytime soon.
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Hardware, Specs, Thermals

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Q: What is the difference between XMG FUSION 15 and other laptops based on Intel's reference design?
A: The hardware of the barebone will be identical. Other Local OEMs might use different parts for RAM and SSDs. Our branding and service/warranty options might be different. We apply our own set of performance profiles in the Control Center. This will rebalance the differentiation between Silent, Balanced and Enthusiast modes.
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Q: What is the TGP of the NVIDIA RTX 2070 Max-Q?
A: Officially, it is 80W in Balanced profile and 90W in Enthusiast profile. You can toggle between these modes in real-time with a dedicated mode switch button. Inofficially, the TGP can go up to 115W in Enthusiast profile thanks to the Overboost mechanic, working in the background. However, those 115W may only be sustained until the system has reached thermal saturation, i.e. when the GPU is approaching the GPU Temperature Target of 75°C.
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Q: Can I upgrade the storage and memory after I buy?
A: On storage: The laptop has two m.2 PCI-Express SSD slots. This will give you currently up to 4 TB of SSD storage. There is no 2.5" HDD slot available. Instead, the battery is enlarged to 93.48Wh. You can see pictures of the interior layouts here, here and here.
On memory: the laptop has two SO-DIMM DDR4 memory sockets. You can chose during BTO configuration, if you want to occupy both of them when you order the product. We recommend running the laptop in Dual Channel for high-performance usage.
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Q: How easy is to upgrade and repair this laptop?
A: Here are the key facts:

• Only 10 chassis screws on the bottom plate.
• All chassis screws are identical size and length. (no risk of mixing them up during re-assembly)
• All chassis screws are directly exposed, not behind any rubber feet.
• No "warranty void if seal is broken" stickers.
• Bottom case can be removed very easily without any prying opening tools.
• Keyboard does not need to be removed to access internals.
• m.2 screws are already in their socket.
• Battery is attached with screws, not glued.
• Fans can be cleaned and (if needed) replaced without removing the heatpipes.

We would give this a solid 8 out of 10 which is pretty high for such a thin&light design. The 2 remaining points are substracted for BGA CPU and GPU, which is unfortunately unavoidable in such a thin design.
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Q: Does it support Windows Hello?
A: A Fingerprint-Reader is not available, but the HD webcam comes with Infrared and supports Windows Hello.
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Q: Can I get a smaller, lighter charger for this laptop?
A: XMG FUSION 15 requires a 230W power adaptor to provide full performance. If you max out CPU and GPU with furmark and prime, the 230W adapter will be fully utilized.
There are currently two compatible 230W adapters. They have different dimensions but similar weight. Please refer to this comparison table:
XMG FUSION 15 Power Supply Comparsion Table (Google Drive)
Includes shop links. Will be updated with precise weight numbers in the next few days. I also included 120W, 150W and 180W in this table. They all share the same plug (5.5/2.5,, diameter, 12.5mm length). But 120W and 150W are only rated for 19V but the laptop expect 19.5V. Usually this will be compensated by tolerance but we haven't tested how a system would behave under long-term usage with such an adaptor.
In theory, 120W to 180W are enough for charing the laptop and for browsing/web/media. Even a full CPU stress test could easily be handled. But as soon as you use CPU and GPU together, you'll run into the bottleneck and your performance will be reduced.
Comparison pictures:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3
• Picture 4
• Picture 5

These 5 pictures show only the relevant 230W chargers.

• Top: 230W Chicony A17-230P1A for XMG NEO.
• Bottom: 230W FSP230-AJAN3 from XMG FUSION 15 (Intel Original)

Again, the weight is about the same.
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Q: Is it possible to boot and run the laptop while the lid is kept closed?
A: Closing the lid under load is not recommended because it will limit the airflow and have a bad effect on keyboard and screen. The laptop likes to take air in from the keycaps. With lid closed, the performance might be limited due to reaching temp targets earlier.
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Q: Can I get the laptop without the XMG logo? I will be using it in public presentations and I would not like any brand names visible.
A: We cannot ship without XMG logo, but you can use a dbrand skins to cover our logo. We have not yet decided if we want to invest into integrating XMG FUSION 15 into the dbrand shop. But you can already buy 100% compatible skins by using the page of the Eluktronics MAG-15 at dbrand. The chassis dimensions are exactly the same. Please be aware: you have to manually select the option "No Logo Cutout" if you want to buy these skins for your XMG FUSION 15. According to dbrand, there will be most likely no import fees when ordering from the EU as long as the order is below 100€. Check this thread for details.
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Q: Will you offer thermal paste upgrades like Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut or Liquid Metal?
A: Our ODMs are using silicon-based, high-performance thermal compund from international manufacturers like Shin-Etsu (Japan) and M.G. (USA). Intel is using MG-860 in this reference design.
These products are used in the industrial sector, so they have no publicly known brand name. Nevertheless, their high thermal conductivity and guaranteed durability provide optimal and long-lasting cooling of your high-performance laptop. The thermal compounds are applied and sealed automatically by the vendor of the thermal components. They are applied in a highly controlled, standardized manner and provide the best balance of thermal performance, production tolerance and product lifetime.
We are considering offering an upgrade to Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut due to popular demand. Will keep you posted on that.
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Q: Could you please provide an estimate for how much regular usage (~10 browser tabs + some IDE) battery backup would this have? Will there be any way to trade-off battery backup with performance?
A: Battery life vs. peak performance can be traded off by using the "Silent" performance profile. You can switch between profiles using a dedicated button on the machine. Your scenario (10 tabs + some IDE) sounds like mostly reading and writing. I would estimate to get at least 7 hours of solid battery life in such a scenario, maybe more. We have achieved 8 hours in 1080p Youtube streaming on WiFi with 50% screen brightness. Adblock and NoScript helps to keep your idle browser tabs in check.
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I/O Ports, Peripherals

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Q: Why are there not more USB-A 3.1 Gen2 or even USB 3.2 Gen2x2 ports?
A: USB-A 3.1 Gen1 is basically the same as USB 3.0. There aren't a lot of USB-A devices that support more than USB 3.0 speed. Faster devices typically use USB-C connectors and can be used on Thunderbolt 3, which is down-compatible to USB-C 3.1 Gen2. One of the USB-A ports actually supports Gen2 speed.
For the following remarks, please keep in mind that I am not an Intel rep, so everything is based on our own experience.
The mainboard design and the I/O port decisions have been made by Intel. Feedback and requests from LOEM customers have been taken into consideration. We would assume that USB 3.2. Gen2x2 (20 Gbit/s) was not considered to be important enough to safe space for 3rd party IC (integrated circuits) on the motherboard. Right now, all the USB ports and Thunderbolts are supplied by Intel's own IC, so they have full control over the hardware, firmware and driver stack and over power saving and performance control. The more IC you add, the higher your Idle power consumption will be, plus adding potential compatibility or speed issues as it often happens with 1st generation 3rd party USB implementations. I very well remember from my own experience the support stories during the first years of USB 3.0, before it was supported in the Intel chipset. On the one hand, Intel is aiming high in terms of performance and convenience, on the other hand: support and reliability still seem to be Intel's goal #1. Thus they seem to play it safe where they deem it to be reasonable.
Intel is gearing up for USB 4.0 and next-gen Thunderbolt. USB 3.2 2x2 is probably treated as little more than a roadmap accident. Peripheral vendors might see it the same way.
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Q: Do you support charging over USB-C/Thunderbolt? Does it support docking stations?
A: The Thunderbolt 3 port in Intel's reference design does not support charging. As you probably know, the 100W limit would not be enough to power the whole system and it would make the mainboard more complex to combine two different ways of charging. Intel consciously opted against it and will probably do so again on future high-end gaming/studio models.
The USB-C/Thunderbolt port supports Dual-Link DisplayPort signals, directly connected to the NVIDIA Graphics. This makes proper docking station usage very convenient. The user still needs to connect the external power adaptor. Both ports (Thunderbolt and DC-in) are in the back of the laptop, making the whole setup appear very neat on the desk.
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Q: How many PCIe lanes does the Thunderbolt 3 provide? Are they connected to CPU or Chipset?
A: XMG FUSION 15 supports Thunderbolt 3 with 4 lanes of PCIe 3.0. The lanes come from the chipset because all of the CPU lanes (x16) are fully occupied by the dedicated NVIDIA graphics. We are not aware of any side-effects of running Thunderbolt from the chipset. It is common practice for high-end laptops with high-end graphics. The Thunderbolt solution is of course fully validated and certified by Intel's Thunderbolt labs.
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Q: Does it have a standby USB to power USB devices without turning on the laptop?
A: Yes, the USB-A port on the left side supports this feature.
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LCD Screen

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Q: Which LCD panel is being used? Are there plans for 1440p or 4K panels in the laptop? How about PWM flickering?
A: The panel is BOE NV156FHM-N4G. It is currently not known if the panel will change in later batches. This depends on logistics and stock. At any rate, the panel key specs will remain the same. There are currently no plans to offer resolutions above FHD in the current generation of this laptop.
There are very wide ranges on reports of Backlight Brightness PWM control on this panel in different laptops. Ranging from 200Hz to 1000Hz to no PWM at all - all on the same panel model number. Intel informs us that there are many factors (e.g. freq., display driver, BIOS settings implementation, type of dimmers & compatibility with the driver etc.) that impacts the quality of panel dimming performance. To Intel's knowledge, no kind of flickering has been reported during the validation process. Furthermore, first hands-on data from Notebookcheck indicates that no PWM occurs on this panel. With a DSLR test (multiple burst shots at 1/4000s exposure time) I can confirm that there is not a single frame of brightness dipping or black screen, not even at minimum LCD brightness. Hence, we can confirm: BOE NV156FHM-N4G in XMG FUSION 15 (with Intel) does not use PWM for backlight control.
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Q: Some BTO shops, for an additional fee, manually pick out display panels with the least back-light bleed. Do you offer that? Even better, do you do that without the extra fee?
A: Intel has validated this design to avoid backlight bleed as much as possible. Currently no plans to do further binning. All dozens of MP samples we have seen so far have been exceptionally good.
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Q: I'm coming from a 13" MacBook with Retina display. How am I going to fare with this 15.6" FHD screen in content creation?
A: If you got used to editing high-res visual content (photography, artwork) on your 13inch retina, things will change. On the one hand, your canvas will be larger and more convenient and ergonomic to work with. On the other hand, you will find yourself zooming in more often in order to make out fine-detail. Assuming that you have sharp 20:20 vision.
As it is, the screen resolution and specs are not planned to change within the lifetime of this product. The first realistic time-window for a refresh would be whenever Intel is releasing the next "H" series CPU generation. But even then, an upgrade on resolution will not be guaranteed.
Comparison:

Laptop	Resolution	Pixel per inch	dot pitch
13.3" MacBook Pro Retina (late 2013)	2560x1600	226.98 PPI	0.1119mm
15.6" XMG FUSION 15 (late 2019)	1920x1080	141.21 PPI	0.1799mm

To compare: 141.21 is ~62% from 226.98. This represents the the metric difference in pixel density and peak sharpness between these two models.
If you know the diagonal size and resolution of your screen, you can make this comparison yourself with the DPI/PPI calculator.
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Keyboard, Backlight, Switches, Layout

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Q: What can you tell us about the mechanical keyboard of XMG FUSION 15?
A: The keyboard has already been reviewed in our XMG NEO series as being more crisp than typical membrane keyboards. Most reviewers attested it a very good score, both for gaming and for writing long texts.
The keyboard backlight can be configured per-key. Default mode is all white.
Keyboard Switch Specs:

• 2mm travel distance
• 60g actuation force
• 1000Hz polling frequency
• Rated for up to 20 million keystrokes

Having no frame around the keycaps actually helps the thermals. The fans can pull in additional air from the top. This improves airflow and helps to keep the keyboard temperature at low levels during gaming. It also prevents long-term RMA issues on the keyboard. This specific keyboard switch is already in its 3rd generation and very mature by now.
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Q: Is it possible to dampen the mechanical keyboard with o-rings?
A: The switch design does not lend itself to further dampening. The switch mechanic is too complex and has more moving parts than cherry. The 2mm travel distance also plays a role in not allowing more dampening.
For reference, please use this video (Youtube). We compared XMG NEO with another membrane-type keyboard. XMG NEO and FUSION share the same keyboard mechanics with the silent tactile switch and the same sound profile.
​
Q: Do you have LED keyboard backlight on the secondary key function, like Fn key icons?
A: Please have a look at this picture.

• Taken with full keyboard backlight brightness
• In totally dark room
• Edited in Lightroom (reduced highlights) to reflect the way it really looks to the human eye
• F10 seems to have a slightly different color temperature than F8/F9 in this picture. This is due to the angle, open aperature and chromatic abberation of my camera. In real-life, all per-key LEDs behave identically to one another.

Btw, my working sample has blank keycaps. I took the 3 printed keycaps (F8, F9, F10) from a different sample just to demonstrate the Fn lighting for this picture.
Facts:

• Fn modifier key is on the left between Ctrl and WinKey
• the Fn function don't have seperate backlight, but they benefit from the main per-key backlight
• the position of the LED is centered above the mechanical switch. That's why the upper portion of the key is brighter than the lower portion. That's why in our layout, the primary function of each key is always located at the center top.

In my assesment, the Fn function symbols are clearly visible from the backlight in a dark room. A user should have no difficulty to recognize the icon and reach its function.
​
Q: Which keyboard layouts do you offer in the EU?
A: The following layouts are available, in alphabetic order: Belgium, Czech, Danish, Dvorak German, Dvorak US, Estonia, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish for Typists, Portuguese, Russia Latin, Slovakish, Spanish, Swedish / Finnish, Swiss, Turkish, UK, US International (ISO)All these layouts are based on the ISO matrix. See differences between ANSI vs. ISO here.
​
​

Operating System

​
Q: Do you support Linux and dual-boot on XMG FUSION 15?
A: We are in discussion to sell XMG FUSION 15 over Tuxedo with official Linux support. It might take 1 or 2 months to get this running.
​
Q: Which LAN, Audio and WiFi card vendors will be used? Asking for a friend.
A: From our HWiNFO64 report. (Google Drive link)
LAN: RealTek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 [PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8168&SUBSYS_20868086&REV_15]Audio: Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(R) SST) Audio Controller [PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_A348&SUBSYS_20868086&REV_10]WiFi: Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX200 [PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2723&SUBSYS_00848086&REV_1A], can be replaced.
For more information, please check the linked report file.
​
​

Other questions

​
Q: What would you say are the advantages and differences with other laptops due to the fact the laptop was designed in collaboration with Intel?
A: Disclaimer: I am \not* an Intel rep. The following remarks are based on my personal experience and opinion.*
Advantages:

1. Very strict quality control on all levels. I can't quote numbers due to NDA, but Intel NUC has extremely low RMA rates, compared to average PC mainboards and systems. Intel is driven by strict internal regulation that strifes for perfection - this applies to the whole chassis, assembly and firmware, not only the mainboard. There are also certain regulations in place, for example in terms of electro-magnetic regulation and skin temperatures. The rating label is littered with regulatory seals from every region of the world, making this laptop especially safe to use.
2. Access to high-quality material: we have not seen any Gaming Laptops based on Magnesium alloy yet, especially not in the ODM/LOEM ecosystem. The battery cells are also much more dense than what we usually see. Intel has the buying power and the vision to not settle for mediocre parts.
3. Down-to-earth design: Intel has made this reference design for the ODM/LOEM eco-system. The design does not try to follow any specific corporate identity, thus it does not have any unneccessary "bling bling" like all the others have. Even the Razer Blade with it's sleek shape is quite obnoxious (iny my oppinion) with it's big backlit green snake logo. With XMG FUSION however, we can continue our typical style of "Undercover Gaming".
4. Security: you can expect stellar support in terms of BIOS and Firmware (TPM, Management Engine) updates whenever any security issues are found. This might also apply to global brands, but ODM/LOEM systems have not always been so quick to react. This is due to the huge fragmentation/customizations in ODM/LOEM systems. Intel however does now allow any fragmentation: every LOEM partner is getting the same firmware. There are many hooks for configurations in this firmware, but the source code / binaries are always the same. This makes support much easier down the line.

Disadvantages:

1. I can't name many, of course. But I would say the strict validation also makes the partnership less flexible from a product management perspective. There is no plan currently to phase-in any 4K or 300Hz screen (FHD/144Hz ought to be enough for everyone this year) or any Core i9 in this system. Other ODMs might be more open for costly modifications based on low quantities. Intel however has streamlined their production and logistics in a way that gives us (the LOEM) very short lead times and competitive pricing, but will not allow any short-notice upgrades or customizations.

​
Q: Will there be a 17 inch version?
A: We can neither confirm nor deny plans for a 17 inch version at this point.
​
​
[to be continued]

Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 52 average - 11% recommended - 38 reviews

Critic Reviews

Generación Xbox - Santiago Carrillo - Spanish - 9 / 10

CONTRA: Rogue Corps, despite being a decent and fun game, is a long way from putting the legendary Contra saga back where it belongs.

Nintendo Times - Jordan Brewer - 8 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps is an unexpected way to revive a beloved franchise. It’s sure to be divisive among fans, but it has plenty of reasons for you to give it a chance. The dynamic camera combined with solid gameplay makes for an overall enjoyable experience. I had a great time with it and it sure beats another Contra slot machine.

Hobby Consolas - David Martinez - Spanish - 74 / 100

Rogue Corps keeps the classic Contra flavour; It is fast, fun and spectacular, but we miss some game modes (specially coop campaign) and there are some technical issues, such as camera position, frame rate and control scheme.

Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 7.3 / 10

Of course, not everyone will enjoy Contra: Rogue Corps but I certainly did.

GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 7 / 10

There’s room for improvement, but Contra: Rogue Corps is very enjoyable for the most part.

Hardcore Gamer - Chris Shive - 3.5 / 5

Contra: Rogue Corps tries to maintain the essence of Contra while changing the gameplay mechanics into something that doesn’t remotely resemble classic Contra.

Wccftech - Kai Powell - 7 / 10

The more I played Contra: Rogue Corps, the more I could recognize its flaws yet at the same time, I was strangely transfixed by those fleeting moments of being an action badass with the right weapons, only for my dreams to be swiftly dashed as those weapons overheated and I was mobbed to death by giant alien bugs.

Cubed3 - Albert Lichi - 6 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps is not a complete failure. Misguided? Yes. Awful? Absolutely not.

Gamer Escape - Josh McGrath - 6 / 10

There are some glimmers of inspiration here. The stupid macho tone and the comic-style cutscenes were particular portions that I enjoyed. Having them wrapped around such boring and repetitive gameplay and environments feels like a waste.

Gamersky - 金闪闪老里 - Chinese - 6 / 10

This game definitely will let you down if you used to be a fan of Contra series.

IGN Spain - Spanish - 6 / 10

A game that arrives a generation late. Improvable in all aspects except his cooperative and his thug style.

Shacknews - Brittany Vincent - 6 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps may not get high marks for reinvigorating the Contra series, nor does it innovate or do anything exceptionally well. But a game that you enjoy playing doesn't have to, and I found myself enjoying this raucous shooter more than I thought I would. It may have its own fair share of problems, but its low price and low barrier entry make it a serviceable and potentially hilarious time to be had solo or with your friends.

The Games Machine - Danilo Dellafrana - Italian - 6 / 10

Contra Rogue Corps is the disappointing final chapter of a saga that has seen better days due to monotonous and trivial gameplay, along with a mediocre artistic direction.

COGconnected - Stephan Adamus - 55 / 100

The player will be doing a lot of the same in Contra: Rogue Corps. Although the progression systems and multiple modes are welcome, the game is just ok, and it definitely doesn’t feel like Contra. If the price was less it would be a good budget title, but for Konami’s newest Contra offering, it just doesn’t cut the mustard.

Destructoid - Chris Carter - 5.5 / 10

It's a shame because sometimes, even when I'm fighting the game, I'm enjoying myself. Contra: Rogue Corps needed more time in the oven, and I'm not sure the whole "segmented ways to play" concept is going to go over well with everyone. But when it's firing on all cylinders, there's some silly shoot 'em up fun going on.

IGN Italy - Stefano Castelli - Italian - 5.2 / 10

The return of this beloved series is marred by repetitive gameplay, imprecise controls and wreak graphics.

GameSkinny - Jonathan Moore - 5 / 10 stars

Contra Rogue Corps is a mess of a game, and while that doesn't mean there aren't fun bits, you have to really dig to find them.

GamingBolt - Pramath - 5 / 10

For a Contra fan, this game is the antithesis of what Contra is supposed to be. Playing Rogue Corps, I at last understood what Metal Gear fans must have felt when they played Metal Gear Survive last year.

Just Push Start - Mark Fajardo - 2.5 / 5

It's hard to put into words all the issues Contra: Rogue Corps has, largely because it isn't objectively awful, it's just painfully unimaginative. It seems to think the name and a couple of jokes are enough to sell it and honestly, it's probably enough to garner interesting, though there really isn't anything special about it. Everything is so plain, boring and simple that no amount of charm or quirks will make shooting some pink blob that flies at you interesting. Though, if you love top-down shooters and just want to see what it's like, maybe check it out during a sale.

MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 2.5 / 5

Contra: Rogue Corps is a fun but flawed twin-stick shooter that feels more than a bit rushed. Its visuals are mixed and it reuses its levels in a frustrating manner, but the core gameplay and customization can be quite fun from time to time.

Push Square - Sammy Barker - 5 / 10

The only real accolade you can award this run-of-the-mill release is that it’s inoffensive, but even then it’s almost offensively inoffensive – if you get what we mean.

ZTGD - Ken McKown - 5 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps is a game a lot of people would consider Konami to make. After seemingly wanting to exit the business even with a string of classic IP, this game feels like it was made for the sake of releasing a new Contra in 2019. It has good ideas hampered with poor implementation. It is not fun to play and that is its biggest crime. I wanted to love Rogue Corps. I tried to love Rogue Corps. I simply cannot find any fun to be had with the latest in this beloved franchise.

IGN Middle East - Zaher Albalbisi - Arabic - 4.8 / 10

The core design choice of Contra: Rogue Corps makes it a boring game no matter what mode your playing, add to that a weak AI and very repetitive missions, and you'll get yourself a disappointing game.

Spaziogames - Italian - 4.8 / 10

Contra Hard Corps is the worst Contra episode up to date, and a boring and messy twin stick shooter by itself: if this is the future of the franchise, we might be playing the Contra Anniversary Collection over and over.

Heavy - Elton Jones - 4 / 10

A current-gen rendition of Contra with top-down, twin-stick shooter mechanics sounds like a great idea. But Contra: Rouge Corps’ shoddy execution proves that a project such as this one is better left in more capable hands.

IGN - David Jagneaux - 4 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps is one of the worst games in the revered franchise and does a poor job of reviving the series for a modern audience by switching genres and failing to deliver.

Nintendo Life - PJ O'Reilly - 4 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps has some good ideas.

PCMag - Gabriel Zamora - 2 / 5 stars

Rogue Corps is one of the least polished and most disappointing titles of the year, and that's even with the low expectations that preceded its release.

Reno Gazette-Journal - Jason Hidalgo - 4 / 10

Contra is one of my favorite video game series of all time. Which makes giving Contra: Rogue Corps a low score extra painful for me. I really wanted this game to do well. But while it has some good ideas, they’re pretty much buried in an avalanche of poor gameplay decisions. From overheating guns to poor camera angles, playing Rogue Corps feels like you’re fighting the game a lot of times instead of the aliens inside it. I just hope it doesn’t spell the death knell for a franchise I love so much.

Slant Magazine - Jed Pressgrove - 2 / 5 stars

Perhaps its efforts to fit in with the big dogs of the gaming world would be more tolerable if there were more variety to its challenges.

We Got This Covered - Eric Hall - 2 / 5 stars

Although it may be a very bad Contra entry, Rogue Corps isn't a total wash. The upgrade system provides decent customization, and the gameplay is serviceable, but far from extraordinary. It's just not what you want from the long-buried franchise.

FNintendo - Nuno Nêveda - Portuguese - 3 / 10

The Contra series lands on the Nintendo Switch under the name of Contra Rogue Corps. If by itself this should be a reason to celebrate, a closer look reveals an opportunity that missed all its objectives. The Contra series is mostly appreciated for its fun, non-stop and frantic action and gameplay, but Rogue Corps brings a gameplay tarnished by lack of precision and frustration, as well as a limited performance where its audiovisual component is concerned.

DualShockers - Tomas Franzese - 2.5 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps joins Bomberman: Act Zero and Hideo Kojima's firing as one of Konami's biggest disappointments.

CGMagazine - Jed Whitaker - 2 / 10

Contra: Rogue Corps is a game that is so bad, I can't recommend anyone buy it for any price

Metro GameCentral - 2 / 10

The worst Contra game ever made and an object lesson in how not to revive a classic franchise, especially as there are multiple unofficial homages that are far superior.

Eurogamer - Christian Donlan - No Recommendation / Blank

Rogue Corps is elevated at times by the fact that it's hard to truly screw up a twin-stick shooter.

NintendoWorldReport - Neal Ronaghan - Unscored

It's rough around the edges, specifically in the ridiculous faux-bad-ass story and presentation coupled with the restrictions on local multiplayer. The actual shooting has enough there that could make it a fun multiplayer game, but with so much of it hinging on the online play, I can't draw a total conclusion. I hope the weapon customization and upgrading can gel well with online multiplayer so that way Rogue Corps can transcend its issues and be a boisterous and enjoyable action game.

“It is commonly believed that each plane shapes its inhabitants until they become indistinguishable paragons of the alignment. The souls of the Abyss are tortured into evil and mad demons, those of the Hells and of Acheron survive by rising through the ranks of armies, those of the upper planes are surrounded by bliss until they rise above the baser desires. Looking at Mechanus, one can see how this fanciful speculation came about. Those who thrive will inevitably turn themselves into Clockworks and Philosopher Kings. Those who can barely scrape by end up slaves, indentured workers or civil servants, condemned to a life of tedious work that destroys individuality through sheer mind-numbing boredom. Those who aren’t so fortunate die and their souls are recycled into modrons by the Machine. You can rise to meet the Law or fall to the Machine but the outcome is inevitable.”

• Na’Dari the Cog-Eyed, returning to her monastery

DISCOVERY

Welcome to the Median. You will find to your right a series of paths lined by monodrones. You must listen to their recorded messages and follow their directions for information and visa approval.
Mechanus is the plane of Law. There are no layers, there is simply the Machine. // All towns, cities and locations are found on the sides of the great cogs of the Machine. Gravity is relative to the centre of the cogs. Make sure to be informed as to the local customs of the cog you are in. The main inhabitants of this plane// are modrons, formians and the souls of petitioners. You are advised to use the Labyrinth for travel. There are reports of a mechanical storm at cogcode W546750. The courts of Regulus will render judgement at 5 o’clock. …

TRAVEL

If you came from Acheron via the Realm of Thunder or the Mines of Marsellin, follow path A. If you came from Bytopia via sacrifice of a mechanical animal, take path B or return by crafting a doll of meat at spawn point. If you came from Sigil // via the Automata gate, show your pre-approved visa in line S or return by walking back through the gate. If you are a newly dead soul or petitioner, follow line P. If you are a planar traveller or have travelled via magic, follow line T. If you are // from the Plane of Steam, please follow decontamination procedure n°…
Travel within Mechanus can be done on foot or hoof. Mind the gap when crossing from one cog to another. For your safety, flight is not recommended without the day’s wind map of the area. Alternatively, portals appear pseudo-randomly within the Labyrinth and the Babel Library. If you // know the time and place of your destination, the Mathematicians may offer you their services in finding the portal you need. Terms and conditions apply, this is not a binding offer and …

SURVIVAL

It is improbable to fall off a cog as each face has its own gravity. Owing to this, the winds between the cogs of the Machine can be very powerful and weather can change dramatically. However, each are regular and predictable so be sure to buy the local // weather forecast. The ruler of a cog may have decreed their own laws of physics or magical fields so be aware of those too. Free will is retained so you could hypothetically commit a crime but are strongly recommended to not do so as consequences will be dire.//

THE LOCALS

The census shows that modrons, formians, the souls of petitioners (mostly duergar, dwarves, goliath, halflings, hobgoblins, humans, mind-flayers and myconids) and the souls of the faithful comprise most of the population.
Modrons are the mechanical servants of Primus, the God of Law. They are the true embodiments of // law and follow a strict hierarchy from the simple monodrone to the mighty secundii and Primus himself.
Formians are ant-bodied creatures. They live in the distant parts of the Machine and have engaged in border wars. Do not approach them and immediately report their presence to local authorities.//
Petitioners must find a profession to pay for their upkeep. Their fate is determined by their success in this. Successful ones hone their craft and contemplate the nature of Law. Those that reach new understanding and enlightenment can gradually cast off the bonds of // flesh to improve their bodies and become Clockworks, the rulers of each cog. Petitioners who fail to even feed for themselves can sell themselves to slavery or die. Dead petitioners are respawned by the Machine but if they can’t pay for the service are ground down into modrons.//
You may also find wild animated objects, cog spirits, golems and other constructs, rust monsters and xorn. Talking to a Flard without permission from the Fraternity of Order is punishable by death.

POLITICS/RELIGION

The Modrons. The purpose of the Modron is to promote law. They are strictly hierarchical with the god Primus at the very top. To further their goals, they avidly seek out information about the other planes. Their usual tactics involve heavy-handed application of the law, overwhelming numbers or giving contracts to sellswords (if outside the realm of civilisation). More here
Fraternity of Order. The fraternity of law (“Guvners”) seek to understand the laws of multiverse; knowledge is most valuable for them. Most of their members are lawyers, judges and researchers and they are sought out for their skill with words and their extensive library. They will pay anyone who can help them catalogue a new body of law, be it succession laws of a millennial empire to the oral tradition of a clan of dozens in a forsaken mountain range. They can create magically binding contracts and try to solve problems through diplomacy. They also record the location of stable portals, placing them as rivals to the Mathematicians in the transport business.
Brigadiers of In Machina. The brigadiers are a cult that are barely tolerated by the authorities. Overawed by the Modron collective, they preach that the goal of everyone on the plane should be to kill themselves so as to reincarnate in the Great Machine and become the life-force of modrons. This can be popular with slaves and lower class who kill themselves en masse in Primus’s name. The wealthier converts will help “liberate” other people by buying slaves and slaughtering them. It is unknown what Primus thinks of this cult.
Harmonium. One of the largest law-enforcement groups (“the Hardheads”). They have a strong belief in the fairness of justice and serve across most of the civilised parts. If you break the law, they will relentlessly hunt you down and bring you in chains before a judge. Their stubbornness and adherence to procedure is legendary. They are on very good terms with the Fraternity of Order who they respect for their even-handedness.
Mercykillers. One of the largest law-enforcement groups, “the Red Death”. They have a strong belief in the swiftness of justice and serve only in places where the rulers have granted them the right to kill criminals (mostly the border cogs but some Clockworks can be surprisingly sadistic). If you break the law, they will relentlessly hunt you down and execute you on the spot. Their name refers not killing out of mercy but to killing the concept of mercy itself. Their combat prowess is unrivalled.
Formians. The motives of the Formians are unknown as their logic is strange and alien. They seem to randomly claim cogs (usually contiguous to ones they already claim) and will defend what they perceive as their territory to the death. They are a slowly encroaching force on the borders of the civilised cogs. They seem to have a special hatred for modrons.
Mathematicians. The Mathematicians (“scriveners”) believe that numbers are the key to understanding the multiverse. They would be a very weak faction were it not for the fact that they alone can predict the winds of the land. For a fee, they can predict the weather. For a bigger one, they can provide you with an airship and a set of mysterious instructions bound to carry you to destination. For an even greater fee they can calculate where and when the right portal will appear that will carry you to destination. They are rich and vindictive and will punish anyone who disturbs their peace. Some claim they communicate with “Moignos”, spirits made of math and obsessed with the number pi.
The Wheel of Gond. The supra-guild of all craftsmen welcomes all who reached Mechanus because of the love of their craft. They value only skill and the beauty of what you can create with your labour. They may hire the party to find rare ingredients (metals, monster parts, magic items) or to clear out wild cogs to make space for their architects.

MYSTERIES

Encounters

1. A woman on the slave block is being sold to pay back her debt to a crooked money-lender. She begs you to find the money-lender and make him admit she paid.
   
2. You are challenged to a duel.
   
3. Someone discreetly offers to buy secrets for coin.
   
4. You have somehow broken the law of this town/cog. Run!
   
5. Someone insistently offers to buy your soul in exchange for powerful magic items.
   
6. This town/cog is an oligarchy. The adventurers are rich enough to automatically qualify as part of the ruling council. Politics ensue.
   
7. You spot a Shield Guardian protecting a cat.
   
8. A rust monster attacks and begins eating local inhabitants!
   
9. A Helmed Horror is banging its head against a wall. It seems broken.
   
10. A Xorn tries to sneak into your wallet and eat your gold.
    
11. Your guide is in fact a dragon in disguise, testing you.
    
12. A cog spirit needs your help defeating rogue animated objects to fix an axle.
    
13. A modron patrol mistakes you for wanted criminals.
    
14. A modron patrol stops you to inquire whether you have seen a wanted criminal.
    
15. Formians are attacking! The modrons rush to defend but are outnumbered.
    
16. A cultist of In Machina tries to convince a party member to kill themselves. They get threatening if refused.
    
17. You are granted an audience with the local ruletemple.
    
18. You are granted an audience with a renowned scholamage/researcher.
    
19. The soul of a monster you killed in the Prime Material Plane is suing you.
    
20. A rogue modron begs you to hide it.
    

Image prompts

1. Creep around the corner
   
2. The ruins of a Formian incursion
   
3. Some cogs have these things called “lampposts”.
   
4. That? Some divinities have their home here. The gates don’t open though.
   
5. Looking out the window of aerial transport.
   
6. Where do the canals get their water from?
   
7. A view from above
   
8. Perception check to notice the Harmonium staring at you.
   
9. Look up.
   
10. Someone seems to have modified your vehicle slightly.
    
11. Down a dark alley
    
12. Modrons and clanks for sale.
    
13. The train is experiencing a slight delay. Adventurers please make yourselves known to the front desk.
    
14. A lab or two.
    
15. Duergadwarven smith
    
16. The ruler of this cog would like a word with you. They've sent their sheriff to pick you up.
    
17. They say the statues are listening.
    
18. Wizards for hire are very common here you know.
    
19. Nobody. Panic.
    
20. The centre of the market.
    

NPCs

High Priestess of Oghma. A very powerful elven cleric who has ascended to Mechanus without dying. She is widely respected and she has led quests to recover lost tomes and spread knowledge. Old age is catching up on her and she is secretly looking for knowledge to extend her life further.
Leader of In Machina. The head of the Brigadiers is unknown but is rumoured to be of one of the races that are very rare in Mechanus like a Doppelganger. Others say they are a rogue Modron, driven made by a revelation in Limbo.
Vhailor. He is one of the founding members of the Mercykillers and worshipped as a legend. His quest to deliver justice brought him to Carceri where he has been trapped for millennia. He has now returned and is ready to hunt his next quarry.
Jaskier. This famed bard is looking for something that doesn’t involve tedium, legalese or math to write his next epic. He may seek out the adventurers to get their story. If they accept, they may become overnight legends.

Environmental effects

Roll twice on this table for every locale.

Number	Name	Effect
1	Law of Averages	See DMG p67
2	Imposing Order	See DMG p67
3	Tongues	All creatures are under the effect of Tongues.
4	Due Respect	Any creature lawfully obliged to obey another is charmed by it.
5	Zone of Truth	The entire locale is a Zone of Truth. Spell save DC 20
6	True Magic	Illusion spells fail completely. Divination spells have a 10% of not consuming a spell slot.
7	Unequal Rites	Sorcerers and bards cannot use their highest-level spell slots. Wizards and warlocks gain two temporary spell slots equal to their highest level existing spell slot.
8	Depth & Breath	All creatures are under the effect of Water Breathing and Air Breathing.
9	Intent of Parties	All creatures can cast Detect Thoughts 3/day.
10	Laws of Gravitas	All creatures are under the effect of Levitate.
11	Swift Justice	Any creature which believes it has broken the law or a contract and does not attempt to remedy the breach or turn themselves in is the target of Call Lightning. The spell strikes once a minute for ten minutes with a spell save DC of 15.
12	Alarming Foreigner	One of the following is illegal and an Alarm will alert the nearest guard should anyone practice it. d12: slavery, drinking, swearing, breathing, jay-walking, gambling, whoring, blasphemy, damaging a book, breaking curfew, fighting or theft.

TOOLKIT

Cog spirit: reskinned Azer. Tiny Construct, +4 Stealth, “Illumination” is replaced with “Innate Spellcasting. The cog spirit’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11). The cog spirit can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: Mending, Message, Control Flames; 3/day each: Entangle, Grease; 1/day each: Heat Metal, Pass Without Trace, Meld into Stone, Stone Shape, Wall of Stone. (Any spell that would affect stone affects metal instead).”
Various Clockworks:

• Clockwork Pilgrim, CR3: add 2 INT to the Overseer (p16 of VN)
  
• Clockwork Knight, CR4: add 4 INT to Martial Commander (p13 of VN)
  
• Clockwork Questioner, CR5: add 3 INT to Inquisitor (p12 of VN)
  
• Clockwork Mage CR6: add 3 AC to Mage (p347 MM)
  
• Clockwork Lord, CR7: add 6 INT to Ruler-Warrior (p19 of VN)
  
• Clockwork Arch-mage, CR12: add 3AC to Arch-Mage (p342 of MM)
  
• Angel of Law, CR 16: reskinned Planetar (p17 of MM)
  
• Clockwork Prince, CR 17, add 4 INT to reskinned Androsphinx (p281)
  
• Philosopher King (CR21): reskinned Lich (p202 of MM)
  

VN refers to “35 Versatile NPCs” and can be found here. All have natural AC (armour is caused by their modified bodies).

I've been trying to think of the best way to build a 6 km diameter, 20 km long cylinder space habitat using * only * technology available in * now * in 2018. The following is MY thinking(!)
Please feel free to critique and suggest improvements!
This is inspired by a BRILLIANT post here a few weeks ago a_plan_for_constructing_a_cylinder_habitat
The basic idea is to process an asteroid into brick-like blocks and get the blocks to Earth-Moon L5 for assembly into a single O'Neill Cylinder. Why would we do the processing at the asteroid and send back blocks instead of tow the whole thing back and process it al EML5? Mass. By processing it at the asteroid, we'll only be sending back something that can be used without any dead weight.
Assuming an asteroid density of 2670 Kg/m^3, and assuming an O'Neill cylinder with an outer skin thickness of 2m, the mass of the cylinder will be 2.62E+12 Kg. Adding Regolith to a depth of 8m on top of that takes the total mass to 1.31E+13 Kg. I chose the depth of 8m based on the deepest tree root (7m). I am not a hippie - I plan to grow food using hydroponics, not sowing crops in soil - but I'm keeping options open because a) I don't think everything can be grown hydroponically and b) as soon as humans go in there's going to be a biosphere whether you like it or not.
The entire thing can be done using current technology, largely automated, and whilst the minimum price tag of, I believe, $3Bn (note the cheapest version takes a long time to build). The key cost-saving trick is to choose an asteroid with an Earth-crossing orbit (an Aten) and catapult the processed material off at the right moment so the processed material is co-orbital with Earth. From there it is relatively cheap to get to L5 using a low-energy transfer orbit.
Whilst I said it could be done with present-day technology, there will be plenty of technology at L5, and on the asteroid, and in-between.
For this project I have selected 2100 Ra-Shalom (1978 RA) so I have something to run the numbers on.
So, let's get started.
Getting to the asteroid takes at least 304 days (https://trajbrowser.arc.nasa.gov/traj_browser.php?NEAs=on&chk_maxMag=on&maxMag=17&chk_maxOCC=on&maxOCC=0&chk_target_list=on&target_list=2002100&mission_class=oneway&mission_type=rendezvous&LD1=2018&LD2=2030&maxDT=1&DTunit=yrs&maxDV=10&min=DT&wdw_width=-1&submit=Search#a_load_results - click "View" then "Play")
The mass of the asteroid we use will be greater than 2.62E+12 to let us make the skin 2m thick. The surface gravity on an asteroid this size will be less than 0.009 G, so an object close to the surface will NOT fall ref: gravity calculator. The surface gravity on Ra Shalom is approximately 0.0 G.
Arrival at asteroid. This project requires several types of spaceships working together: a "lander", a separate launcher, and a mirror. I describe the minimal system with one of each type, but in reality there can be more than one of each type to speed up bottlenecks or multiply the speed. It will take quite a few years if you do it one block at a time!
You do not need nuclear power; sunlight will be enough.
The Lander. You cannot "bag" a 2.3 km diameter asteroid. Instead, imagine a large ring, 5 m diameter, with a bag on the top and the landing legs and arms underneath. It can press the ring as close as possible to the asteroid and, if the asteroid is a loose accumulation of rubble, or if it's delicate and easily broken up, with hand-like grabbing arms (like this: YouTube Mantis Shrimp or this: YouTube Feather Starfish I suppose what I'm really describing is a fancy type of rotating brush), it can FLING the rocks up through the middle of the ring into a bag until the bag is full for processing. The force of throwing a rock up through the middle of the ring would press the lander harder into the asteroid thanks to Newton's 3rd law.
When you've got enough rubble, let the lander drift to contact (it probably it wont, it'll just hang nearby, we are OK working in Zero-G). The contents of the bag is squeezed out, like icing out of an icing bag, into the next process (crushing). Gobbling up rocks small enough to fit through the ring and filling the bag can be done again and again or, if it's easier, you can work slowly and continuously. Rocks too big to fit through the ring can be broken up using a mining laser (see below). Computer simulations can help us determine how many arms are optimal, but I imagine 6, and each limb with 2 appendages: a brush-like "hand", or claw, and a mining laser (we have these), which can collectively be used in any combination. Also requires at least 3 lamps and 2 cameras -- and brushes to keep the lenses dust-free (alternatively, motorcycle riders use tear-off strips to keep their visor dust free). I don't want consumables unless absolutely necessary, BUT there will be a steady stream of empty containers have to be sent from EML5, so there's a possibility of providing for spare parts and consumables if necessary.
Futuretech note: to complete the job in 25 years, we actually need 12 landers consuming regolith at a rate of 276 Kg/s each. Sorry, but we're going slower than that today.
Micro-gravity will slow things down a lot, because you don't want to have to thrust all the time and don't want the lander to fly off into space either.
Off course, the bag never gets full because it's being continuously emptied by the next function: crushing.
The lander needs to be able to crush lumps of rock that are too big, and also to make a finished brick into a precise shape (± 1mm). This machine has to work in zero-G, not least because the mass of the asteroid will eventually dwindle to zero. So imagine a dust-tight box containing everything needed: the material to be processed, and a slidable carriage holding a pair of crusher rollers that can be moved along the length of the box, and these rollers are almost touching a slot in a slidable plate so the crushed rock and dust can only go from the first compartment, through the rollers and into the second compartment (i.e. you can guarantee the material in the second box is smaller than the gap between the rollers). From time-to-time, the rollers can stop crushing and the whole assembly including the plate can slide along the length of the box in order to compress the crushed material towards a metal mold at one end where the crushed rock ends up.
In reality you need either several rolleslot boxes to step the size of crushed rocks down from 5m to 5mm on the way to the mold (the fastest way to do it), OR (cheaper and slower) one set of variable-width rollers and a variable-width slot).
The mold where the crushed rock ends up must be capable of being heated to over 1,538º C (2,800º F). You also want to have metal rods inside the mold that can be inserted before filling, and withdrawn after baking, to create channels inside the brick (to be used at assembly). Finally, you need to be able to "wig-wag" the box assembly using a known force to get the mass using F=ma so you can make sure it's full enough. None of this is future tech. The machine would need to vibrate and fill the mold and press the lid down one final time before conveying the mold (lid on) to the kiln and start working on filling the next mold. The exact technology can be perfected in a lab on the ISS right now.
The mirror. If the lander's solar panels cannot provide enough power for heating the mold (likely), you can have a concave mirror off-asteroid to help by focussing extra sunlight. It will probably have to switch on/off using gyros to rotate according to the request of the lander that is controlling the manufacturing process. We already have inflatable parabolic dishes in orbit for reflecting radio waves.
The mirror is used to focus sunlight on the kiln and heat it to an appropriate temperature (depends on the asteroid composition), enough to partially melt the crushed rock and dust so it turns into a brick ~400 cm³ (~170 Kg).
C-type asteroid: 1414 °C (2500°F) - the melting point of Si (the C bit (graphite) should not vaporize below about 4000°K) V-type asteroid: 1260 °C (2300°F) - the melting point of basalt
This requires a way of checking the temperature. Today we do that using a pyrometer and they are not expensive.
Great work! We just need to make another 15,309,017,322 like that and we are done. If we make them in 12 x 12 trays, and one lander averages 30 mins per tray (30 minutes to fill, 30 minutes to bake, 30 minutes to load), that's a paltry 6912 bricks per day, or nearly 1M bricks per half-orbit and a bit over 6000 years to finish. Realistically, we will require multiple crushers, mirrors, kilns, and catapults operating in parallel, but one line will do at first.
Futuretech note: ideally we want a production line: this means launching a container creates a space the kiln needs to fill, emptying the kiln creates a space the crusher needs to fill, and we want the crusher to be running at full tilt: 500 Kg/s. I'm confident these challenges can be surmounted somehow.
Outreach opportunity: in exchange for $2.50 you could let people laser-engrave their name and a message of their choice on one brick. There would be over 2.3 Bn bricks on the external face. This would help offset the cost (see below).
The Loader. The bricks, unlike house bricks, must have a special, 3d-shape that permits them to slot together and stack in a repeating pattern for structural strength. Blocks will be conveyed from the kiln to loader. A number of blocks will be loaded into a container for the journey to EML5 (we need a few of these to ensure continuous production), and launched from the asteroid using a railgun into Earth co-orbital trajectory at the moment the asteroid crosses Earth's orbit and (using the ion drive) brought precisely to Earth-Moon L5 for assembly. Empty containers have to be brought to the asteroid "as fast as they can be filled" — to keep loading and launching continuous.
The Launcher. Launching a container of bricks off the asteroid will have an effect on its orbit; hopefully we can either pick a massive asteroid so the effect is tiny, or one with an orbit where we can use this, for example, to help circularise it, or to bring it closer to Earth orbit etc. The asteroid's orbit is elliptical and inclined; please check: 1) are you better to launch when the asteroid is in the same plane as the Earth or when it is at the same distance from the Sun 2) could we launch all year round 3) are we launching forwards (decelerating the asteroid) or backwards (accelerating the asteroid).
The asteroid will be rotating, so the launcher will have to be able to be aimed. My calculations indicate you need to launch the package at about 200 m/s. If that's right, the rail would need to be about 210m long at 9Gs and take 2.2s to launch, which is 3 times longer than the ISS (but much lighter). This would need to be assembled at the ISS (probably using robots) and launched from there.
The 8KJ launcher will be the weirdest-looking machine on site, because it will need very large solar panels to power the rail (an 8kW Solar Kit on Earth requires 600 square feet, but in space there is at least six times as much insolation (solar influx on an area over time) as in the sunniest desert) -- but you don't want them ripped off by the recoil; the launcher is probably going to have to be: 1. off-asteroid like the mirror 2. able to catch a package pushed towards it, which can be loaded for launching 3. able to orient itself with gyros correctly, 4. launch the payload, 5. bounce back into the asteroid and, to avoid ripping off the solar panels, the solar panel must be on long leads that can reel off and back again, the panel(s) may even be another, independent craft (either connected via microwave power link - NB: might be futuretech - or physically tethered to the launcher by power cables). This machine is clearly going to be the hardest thing to design successfully. There's no lower mass limit below which the asteroid becomes unusable, just as long as everything is drifting along together.
We also need the launcher to CATCH containers coming back in the other direction(!) To enable this it there is a guide tube containing electromagnets to steer containers in free flight after leaving the end of the rail (outbound) and before contacting a captive dolly that moves back and forth on the linear motor rail.
The container. An ion drive adds an extra 25 Kg to the weight of the container, and there will be a limit to how fast you can accelerate the package but not so much of a limit on the length of the rail. To be honest I think the ion drive on the container will only really be required as insurance to make sure you don't ever lose a container — its contribution to dV will be tiny compared to the rail gun. Unless something goes wrong (it can happen, so plan for it); if something goes wrong and the container goes off at the wrong angle or speed it'll be years before you get it back at L5. If everything goes correctly, a few weeks. Please check: what about using springs instead? Or gas from the asteroid?
The asteroid has to be an NEO in order to get the part-processed blocks to L5 at low dV cost. To process asteroids further out in the solar system will require future tech and practical experience from doing the easy ones in NEO.
Speaking of future tech, these containers will all start arriving at EML5 as if by magic to be unpacked, serviced and sent back empty. Presumably an automated operation too.
Several months later the container will arrive at the catcher. The trajectory of the incoming container will be so precise, it will go straight into the open end of a long tube (also, it can be so precisely determined when in-flight that if it's a few mm off-centre the catcher can move a bit). It can be decelerated by using the motion of the container to generate electricity (applying a force on the container) until it stops. NB: this is not far off a railgun working in reverse.
NB: the dV required to get between EML5 and Ra Shalom is about 20 m/s. It's worth noting that if you have a railgun at each end, and they're both capable of launching containers with such accuracy they can be caught at the other end, then no fuel (or hardly any) is being used to go in each direction - all the dV is being supplied by the linear motor. The point being that it may seem very wasteful to throw a container with a mass of 25+ Kg back and forth, but it doesn't cost much. Also note, technically speaking you only need to send the railgun to the destination. I suggest the entire fleet would arrive at the same time, but If you can fit some bits of hardware into containers they could in theory be sent along later by the launcher for free.
Constructing the first ring at the cylinder's equator. The first ring will take a relatively long time to construct; mechanically slotting more bricks on both ends of the stack, occasionally attaching a 500 m wire to a brick and using tension on the wires to control the shape of the developing structure, or fixing the free end of a wire anchored 500m away to the structure, keeping it close to the correct shape as it slowly forms into a ring. this ring will be halfway along the cylinder. The builders will need to consider expansion & contraction of the wire, so will want to control the tension automatically.
Constructing additional rings to build up a cylinder. When a 6 km radius ring is eventually complete, autonomous robots can run around the ring adding more bricks to build up a cylinder, row by row, in both directions away from the equatorial ring. When the (clockwise and anti-clockwise) 'ring 2' and 'ring 3' robots have got far enough along you can set another 4 robots chasing after the first ones on rings 4 & 5.
Looking at the cylinder in cross-section,there are rings numbered 1-9 after 9 rings have been built:
864213579
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6 km
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864213579
The smaller number corresponds to a ring built earlier. Soon enough the builders will be able to put solar panels on the outside and lights on the inside. No windows here. Over the course of time, the little robots will build 2 x 10 Km high cylindrical walls, both joined at one end to the equatorial ring, and capped with 2 complete domes. See "how long", below for a discussion on that.
On the complete loss of an O'Neill cylinder. If a spacecraft hits the (rotating) cylinder fast enough to pulverise the outer skin, broken bricks and regolith will be thrown off due to centrifugal force. More and more rubble will spray out of the hole until eventually the pressure of the internal atmosphere will blow out what's left. If the people inside don't manage to drop a plate over to top, all life inside will freeze dry. To mitigate this, bricks need to be wired (metal wire, or glass fibre) together so there is a mesh running through the structure. This mesh is also useful so you know when damage occurs and how big the affected area is. I'm specifying here 1 wire in each x and y direction through the middle of every brick, which creates a mesh with 40cm holes. Depending on the risk assessment and costs/benefits, you might want more or less - maybe you only want a 1m mesh, or maybe you only want mesh for 500m around airlocks etc. The surface temperature on the sun-side of the cylinder will be over 100º C (212º F). There is a likelihood bricks may spall over time - we don't know how the bricks will behave long term (another experiment to be done outside the ISS). Metal wire would conduct heat around a bit inside the skin and help reduce thermal stress. To further prevent spalling, wrap the cylinder in basalt fiber (see below). Hopefully, due to the cylinder's spin rate and the specific heat capacity of rock, this won't be a problem.
On how long this will take. I think launching containers of bricks will be the constraint in this operation, and so you would want to put landers on multiple asteroids, and have many catapults. Assuming, on average, it takes an autonomous crawler-bot 1 minute to slot a new brick into place at the end of the stack and wire it up, the equatorial ring should take about 1 month to build.

| Size of brick (m) | Time per brick (s) | Circumference (m) | Time (s) | Time (days) | |-------------------|--------------------|-------------------|----------|-------------| | 0.4 | 60 | 18840 | 2826000 | 32.7 | 

You could go even faster by having 2 bots work on the same ring in opposite directions and this would have the advantage of not making the finished ring spin, which is a good idea because it will be delicate at this point.
You may recall I said I wanted the cylinder to be 2m thick, not 40cm, so we want 5 concentric INNER rings. NB: you have rings in 2 dimensions: 5 progressively smaller ones, and 50,000 along the 20 km length. To avoid getting confused, when I'm talking about concentric rings moving in, I'll call them Z rings and when I'm referring to a neighbor ring at the same Z-level, we're moving on the X-axis and they're X rings.
I would wait until the first ring is done and signed off as complete before doing the inner ones but, as already noted above, they can be built in parallel; if you let one one crawler get 10 blocks along, you can set another one racing after it at the next level (or alongside at the same level).
The minimum time taken to do the length of the cylinder (assuming you start a new X ring every 10 minutes) is the time delay before you can start the last ring (i.e. 25,000 x 10 minutes), plus 1 month, or 206 days. You'd need to work in both X dimensions away from the center ring in parallel.

| Half length of | Delay before | Total Delay before | Total Delay before | Total time | | cylinder | starting each ring | starting the last ring | starting the last ring | (days) | | (bricks) | (s) | (s) | (days) | | |----------------|--------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------| | 25000 | 600 | 15000000 | 173.6 | 206.3 | 

The end domes have not been included, but you can see now they won't take long. The cylinder can be built VERY quickly if there are enough bots and bricks in position!
As construction proceeds the builders can begin covering the surface with solar panels and threading cables into the interior, and setting up the internal lights.
Now I steal the excellent idea belonging to u/dysonswarm of wrapping the whole thing in basalt fibres to ensure structural integrity. Basalt fiber is not too dissimilar to Kevlar, but naturally occuring.
Basalt Fibers. If you're the kind of person that like basalt (I think I know one or two), there's a 1km diameter V-type asteroid (i.e. a lump of basalt) called 3908 Nyx that's also an NEO, which will come in handy, but it requires another mission (https://trajbrowser.arc.nasa.gov/traj_browser.php?NEAs=on&chk_maxMag=on&maxMag=16&chk_maxOCC=on&maxOCC=4&chk_target_list=on&target_list=3908+Nyx&mission_class=oneway&mission_type=rendezvous&LD1=2015&LD2=2025&maxDT=4&DTunit=yrs&maxDV=7.0&min=DV&wdw_width=0&submit=Search#a_load_results - click "View" then "Play") and requires another, similar lander. Nyx is even smaller. I don't think Nyx will be big enough to make a cylinder on its own, and besides you want basalt for fiber.
Nyx is bare rock, not a loose accumulation of rubble. In order to attach to bare rock, the lander would fire 5 pitons at 40 m/s simultaneously (because they need to be independently targeted at surface features to maximise the likelihood of successfully connecting; if you did them one by one the lander would start spinning after firing the first one). By way of comparison, a nail gun fires a nail into concrete at about 90mph (40 m/s). The lander needs to attach to its target when it is approaching it at a particular velocity such that the the lander will be stationary relative to its target after the pitons have been discharged (requires camera/rangefinder for this task). In other words the KE of the mass of the lander (½ mv²⁾ == the KE of 5 pitons travelling at 40 m/s. You need 3 of them to hold. The "lander" will actually wind in the cables and hold itself against the asteroid whilst the drilling/digging/scooping work goes on. It can continue to move around over the surface as required using SLCDs. I have no information to support a decision on the ideal mass of a piton. You'd need some engineers to fire metal rods at basalt in Hawaii (or somewhere near a volcano where there's a lot of basalt) and make a spreadsheet, but the point is this is current technology.
The lander is basically the same ring & bag affair with a mining laser to chip off pea-sized bits of basalt, which have nowhere to float away to, apart from into the machine, which they eventually do. The only difference is you are making coils of fiber, not blocks. The fiber also comes in handy moving the lander around over the surface of Nyx, much as a person would clamber around over the surface of a steep rock face using pitons and SLCDs and (basalt fibre) ropes.
Nyx contains enough to make 5 x 10¹² kg of fiber, which is more than we need. It needs to be wound around similar to the Rocket Propellant Tanks Filament Winding Process (first 1 hoop layer then 1 helical layer for us). Obviously there isn't a gargantuan filament winding machine - the job would have to be done by autonomous spacecraft (we have these) and to mitigate the effect of a fiber breaking you would heat and partially melt them to fuse them together possibly using a laser beam, or a concave mirror. We need to confirm the practicalities of doing that with another experiment in space. God I love the ISS, they said it was going to be useless when they designed it, but we need it a lot!
Note also that the size of the O'Neill cylinder was based on the safe structural limit for steel, not badly-made bricks with low tensile strength, so it's only after the cylinder has been wrapped in fibre that it can be spun up. The only way to do this with today's technology is to have a one-way system inside (and it will take centuries - by which time we MAY have fusion, in which case we can spin it up using futuretech and lift the one-way system), or by rows of ion drives that have been cannibalised from the no-longer-needed containers and fixed along the length.
I propose to only make one cylinder — we do not care if it slowly tumbles, just so long as it spins, because we only want sunlight to fall on external solar panels; there are no windows. Plants grow hydroponically. Although I suppose the cost of constructing two cylinders would be much less than 2 times the cost of constructing one cylinder.
The Regolith. You could get this from the lunar surface and use a railgun to launch crates more easily but I don't think it's a good idea because the escape velocity of the moon is so much higher. It's better to put another lander on an S-type asteroid. Regolith can be packed into containers directly.
Once that's done you can finally start to pressurise the cylinder with Nitrogen, Oxygen and water harvested from regolith. How much? The internal volume is 5.9 Km^3.
The Capability.: by the time this program is closed, we'll be past-masters at shredding asteroids for resources, and that is the capability this program will give us. We'll also have a back-up Earth as a bonus.
After making sure water has cycled around the cylinder until the nastiest chemical reactions have taken place, you'll need to repeatedly seed it with random bits of material from earth (algae, lichen, phytoplankton, etc. not to mention human urine and feces from the away teams) until eventually the microorganisms stop dying in the hostile environment and you've got a few good ecosystems going instead, which could take a lifetime (or more). It's not feasible to keep unwanted microbes out, so instead we want a healthy ecosystem.
I suggest the money invested can be recouped by dividing the surface area up into regions and leasing them (maybe 150 people in each region). I can already see a natural internal market would emerge based on demand that would employ a lot of people, with each business being enabled by the previous one: power (electricity), building internal structures, extracting water for internal use, terraforming, hydroponically growing food for internal consumption, handling waste, manufacturing fertilizer, making secondary food products (e.g. bread, pasta), clothing (e.g. cotton), services (medicine, education, law enforcement, civic services, etc.), internal finance, businesses, import/export and so on. On this type of structure, people will build a life, not ship money "home".
Financial viability. See this for more ideas: Isaac Arthur O'Neill Cylinders - Islands in Space if you haven't already seen it. In that video he says the trigger to start doing this is when the mission cost divided by the usable surface area is less than the cost of land on Earth.
The usable surface area of the cylinder (not the ends) is 375292800 m^2.
Even with $1Bn per mission (including $90M per Falcon Heavy launch) you're still looking at the cost as $3Bn / 375292800 m² = $8 per m²
The cost of land in the USA is $187,500 for 75 Acres or 61¢ per m² - so we have not reached that point - yet.
Note that Necker Island) is 74 Acres and it was on sale for $6m in 1978. Prices in 2018 are 263.5% higher than prices in 1978, so it's worth about $23Bn today(?) or $76K per m² - so if you think of the cylinder as an island, we might actually be at that point now.
Conclusion We can do it with today's technology. It would be expensive and take a long time, but some places on Earth are already more expensive to buy.
Also note: we can increase the surface area of a cylinder by making it longer or larger diameter (basalt fibre is supposed to be 3 times as strong as steel), which brings down the cost per unit area.
Also note: two cylinders won't cost significantly more than one, which again brings down the cost per unit area.
The way to proceed is to set up a basic mission from source to sink, and then, when that's working, look at constraints and iterate on designs until we have a thing going that will be done within 30 yr.
If you like this idea, share it.
OK, rip it to bits!
Edit: formatting.