In this episode, the Doctor and his companion Ace have entered a trans-dimensional spaceship. While discussing the ship itself, the Doctor asks his companion if she knows Clarke's Law, which she then recites: "Any advanced form of technology is indistinguishable from magic." The Doctor replies that the reverse is true and Ace voices this, working through the inverse, "any advanced form of magic is indistinguishable from technology." Niven's Laws (stories) Niven's Laws is also the title of a 1984 collection of Niven's short stories. Included in the 1989 collection N-Space are six laws titled Niven's Laws for Writers. They are: Writers who write for other writers should write letters. Never be embarrassed or ashamed about anything you choose to write. (Think of this before you send it to a market.) Stories to end all stories on a given topic, don't. It is a sin to waste the reader's time. If you've nothing to say, say it any way you like. Stylistic innovations, contorted story lines or none, exotic or genderless pronouns, internal inconsistencies, the recipe for preparing your lover as a cannibal banquet: feel free. If what you have to say is important and/or difficult to follow, use the simplest language possible. If the reader doesn't get it, then let it not be your fault. Everybody talks first draft. In the acknowledgments of his 2003 novel Conquistador, S.M. Stirling wrote: And a special acknowledgment to the author of Niven's Law: "There is a technical, literary term for those who mistake the opinions and beliefs of characters in a novel for those of the author. The term is 'idiot'." Niven's Laws (from Known Space) Drawn from Known Space: The Future Worlds of Larry Niven Never fire a laser at a mirror. Mother Nature doesn't care if you're having fun. The product of Freedom and Security is a constant. To gain more freedom of thought and/or action, you must give up some security, and vice versa. Psi and/or magical powers, if real, are nearly useless. It is easier to destroy than create. Any damn fool can predict the past. History never repeats itself. Ethics change with technology. There ain't no justice. (often abbreviated to TANJ) Anarchy is the least stable of social structures. It falls apart at a touch. There is a time and place for tact. And there are times when tact is entirely misplaced. The ways of being human are