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"If you turn away from the natural gifts that God has given you, or the universe has given you, you're going to grow old too soon."
- Ray Bradbury
 |
| Bubble | ||
| An undersea elevator. |
This is real imaginative thinking. We think of elevators as utilitarian spaces; they do not need to offer more, because we only occupy them for a few moments, and space is at a premium. However, what if you were going to occupy the elevator for many minutes?
| His class took one of the dozen bubbles back to the surface: slow-moving pressurized elevators that traveled up and down Xanadu's gigantic tether chains, ferrying work crews, researchers, and students. Each was large enough for ten people to lounge comfortably, with food processors, entertainment centers, Napcaps, and linking facilities. They had spent less than four hours down on the floor; the trip back would be a leisurely lunch. |
| Technovelgy from Saturn's Race,
by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes). Published by Tor in 2000 Additional resources -
|
I think there are restaurants that start at the bottom of a tall pole, then spiral slowly upward while dinner is served, then back down again during dessert.
I was thinking about the idea that ideally you should be able to state your business idea in the length of time it takes to go three floors. What if you could bribe the elevator to go slower if you realized you had a potential client to talk to?
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and Technology from Saturn's Race
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Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)
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| Volvo's Autonomous Truck |
| Eviation Alice Electric Plane First Flight |
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'... the expressionless face before me was therefore that of the golem-wrestler, Rolem, a creature that could be set for five times the strength of a human being.'
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'The operation that had transformed half his body... had located the control switchboard in his teeth.'
