zompist bboard

Looking through the Drill-down as I do from time to time, I noticed that as well Almea, there was the planet Vler?i which, though terrestial, was bright blue in colour. What's the cause of this, and is it an ocean world? Something to do with the Ili? perhaps? For that matter, what else do the Verdurians (and the other advanced civilisations on Erel?e) know about their solar system?

Very little is known about the system, I'm afraid, unless it's described in those pesky iliu volumes. Almeans do have good telescopes, so they are aware of the craters on their moons and the satellites of the outer planets. In a telescope Vler?i can be seen to have ice caps and some tantalizing darker and lighter blotches, though it's not clear if these are continents, jungles, storms, or what.

Which pesky iliu volumes are these?

Who knows? I haven't even deciphered the titles.

How did the Ilii ever discover books in the first place, living under the ocean?

The books of the iliu used underwater aren't written on paper. They can write in any number of ways-- most picturesquely, by having coral grow or luminous plankton swim into position; most permanently, by carving into stone, protected with a sort of waterproof resin. Their books are made of a plasticlike substance.

They can write in any number of ways-- most picturesquely, by having coral grow or luminous plankton swim into position; most permanently, by carving into stone, protected with a sort of waterproof resin. Their books are made of a plasticlike substance.

Interesting! I assume the stone carving came first? Or did the Ilii discover how to control plankton and other sea life very early? Is it a magical ability, or innate, like that of the ktuvoki, or is it just a form of husbandry?

Debegduk ing Debegduked wrote:

They can write in any number of ways-- most picturesquely, by having coral grow or luminous plankton swim into position; most permanently, by carving into stone, protected with a sort of waterproof resin. Their books are made of a plasticlike substance.

Interesting! I assume the stone carving came first? Or did the Ilii discover how to control plankton and other sea life very early? Is it a magical ability, or innate, like that of the ktuvoki, or is it just a form of husbandry?

Read the Iliu volumes and tell us

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TomHChappell wrote:

zompist wrote:The books of the iliu used underwater aren't written on paper. They can write in any number of ways-- most picturesquely, by having coral grow or luminous plankton swim into position; most permanently, by carving into stone, protected with a sort of waterproof resin. Their books are made of a plasticlike substance.

But, what about "most portably"? Sometimes, writings, and material on which and with which to write, must be portable, as well as somewhat lasting.

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Also, what about "most quickly"? Do they have a "shorthand"?

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Tom H.C. in MI

read the Iliu volumes and tell us

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TomHChappell wrote:

blackhand wrote:

TomHChappell wrote:

zompist wrote:The books of the iliu used underwater aren't written on paper. They can write in any number of ways-- most picturesquely, by having coral grow or luminous plankton swim into position; most permanently, by carving into stone, protected with a sort of waterproof resin. Their books are made of a plasticlike substance.

But, what about "most portably"? Sometimes, writings, and material on which and with which to write, must be portable, as well as somewhat lasting.

Also, what about "most quickly"? Do they have a "shorthand"?

1
read the Iliu volumes and tell us

Apparently no library in my area carries them.
Can you tell me where to find them?

Tom H.C. in MI

The volumes haven't been trasported from Almea yet. We're working on the interuniversal physics right now.

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TomHChappell wrote:

Drydic Guy wrote:

TomHChappell wrote:

blackhand wrote:read the Iliu volumes and tell us

Apparently no library in my area carries them.
Can you tell me where to find them?
Tom H.C. in MI

The volumes haven't been transported from Almea yet. We're working on the interuniversal physics right now.

Any progress on this since the last time someone posted?
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Tom H.C. in MI

Depends. If String Theory proves correct, we can move forward, all we need is a Dyson Sphere. If it isn't, we're pretty much back at square one.

zompist wrote:Very little is known about the system, I'm afraid, unless it's described in those pesky iliu volumes. Almeans do have good telescopes, so they are aware of the craters on their moons and the satellites of the outer planets. In a telescope Vler?i can be seen to have ice caps and some tantalizing darker and lighter blotches, though it's not clear if these are continents, jungles, storms, or what.

Hmm... like Mars. What color does Vlerëi appear through a telescope? That might tell us something. If it's bright blue as it says on the Verdurian Drilldown, then maybe it would be more like Minerva in Harry Turtledove's A World of Difference.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345360761

I suppose if we wanted to be very simple, we could simply say that Vereon is a little rock ball like Mercury, Išire has a dense cloud cover and a runaway greenhouse like Venus, and Hírumor, Imiri, and Caiem are like Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus respectively.

Emai, robot fsiii šankei! Esce bo?

Yeah, it looks like spam, but I'm curious as to the method. Is someone going to spring out of nowhere in 24 hours recommending an online astronomy school?

More importantly, how long would it take to land a man on one of the Almean moons, assuming technology levels of the 1960s, and assuming that I had an astronomy degree?