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"None of us, no matter what continent or island or ice cap, asked to be born in the first place, and that even somebody as old as I am, which is 80, only just got here."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
 |
| Iceberg Water Tub | ||
| An enormous bag or tub that encloses an iceberg used to supply fresh water. |
In future Los Angeles, water will be supplied by towing huge icebergs enclosed in tubs.
| "The iceberg." ...Five hundred billion gallons worth of Antarctic iceberg had been towed into Santa Monica Bay. Los Angeles water had never tasted better; Arizona, San Francisco, and the sea gulls of Mono Lake had never been happier. The berg sat out there in a kind of tub. There were teams of climbers going up two faces, and a dozen Boy Scouts glissading down snow near the bottom. "Romulus Corporation tows the icebergs here..." |
| Technovelgy from Oath of Fealty,
by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven). Published by Timescape in 1981 Additional resources -
|
Given that 9/10ths of the volume of an iceberg is underwater, it really is sort of a gigantic baggie.
This is a fascinating variation on an idea described by inventor Barnes Wallis in the 1930's. He suggested using large fabric bags to transport potable water at a fraction of the cost of building and operating ships. Instead, tugs or other such boats could tow enormous bags filled with water. This technology is used today for the movement of oil.
Towing icebergs for fresh water is not an original idea. In 1977, Prince Mohammed al Faisal (a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Khalid), set up a company, Iceberg Transport International, to try it. Read similar ideas at Towing icebergs (1977 article).
In May of 2006, Thames Water department of London seriously suggested towing icebergs up the Thames river to supply London and the Home Counties supplied with tap water.
“Bringing water around the country by road supply isn’t going to work for eight million people,” Mr Aylard told the meeting. Sea tankers would be the first choice, he said. Using icebergs to help to solve the water shortage would, he accepted, be regarded as “daft” by many people. Thames Water has not established whether icebergs from Greenland or northern Scandinavia would be the more appropriate.
(From Water company bosses plan to tow icebergs up Thames)
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from Oath of Fealty
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and Technology by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven)
Tech news articles related to Oath of Fealty
Tech news articles related to works by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven)
Iceberg Water Tub-related
news articles:
- Iceberg Harvesting Off Newfoundland's Coast
| Pivotal Blackfly Electric Aircraft Lifts And Hovers |
| Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram |
| Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable |
| Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship |
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'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
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'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
'We had discovered that metal was relatively impervious to the telepathic effect.'
'Detailed plans for the construction of the Gundstetter-Halone warp drive were flowing.'
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'
'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
