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"The germinal societies like Singapore and communist Hong Kong may give us a mutant capitalism that is both virulent and efficient. This is a significant cultural danger."
- Gregory Benford
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| Shadow Square Wire | ||
| Very fine, very light, very strong wire. |
The Ringworld needed light and dark cycles to provide the inhabitants with day and night. So, shadow squares were placed in orbit closer to the sun; the squares were connected to each other with a very fine wire.
The makers of Ringworld never intended that the inhabitants would ever encounter shadow square wire. But there it was.
| "Don't touch it," Louis called... a girl had lost some fingers trying to pick up shadow square wire.
Close up, it still looked like black smoke... You could see the black thread, if your eye was within an inch of it; but then your eye would water and the thread would disappear. The thread was that close to being invisibly thin. |
| Technovelgy from Ringworld,
by Larry Niven. Published by Ballantine in 1970 Additional resources -
|
See also shadow squares.
Compare to ultron wire from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. (1928), by Philip Frances Nowlan.
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'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.'
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'...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.'
