Most Popular
1500 questions
65
votes
12 answers
Is there a more effective way to build a language than a word frequency list?
I'm in the process of creating my own language, and so far, I've built a basic vocabulary set of about ~200 words. From here, however, I'm somewhat unsure as to what vocabulary I should work on adding first. Obviously creating a language with the…
fi12
- 5,036
- 5
- 32
- 60
65
votes
23 answers
Why would people bury their dead in tombs when they might become zombies?
This is partly a Skyrim-inspired question, but also relevant to a story I'm trying to flesh out.
In this world, magic and necromancy are perhaps not commonplace, but certainly not unheard of. Walking dead such as zombies, wights, and skeletons are…
user69867
65
votes
24 answers
How could a planet have a sky without stars at night?
Is it possible for a planet in our part of the galaxy to have a night without stars?
I'm looking for some kind of natural phenomena that would hide the stars, but allow the sun to rise and fall as normal. The atmosphere and day/night cycles should…
Reactgular
- 2,385
- 2
- 11
- 19
65
votes
15 answers
How would merfolk society dispose of their dead? And would disposing of the bodies in the ocean have any negative effect on marine life?
I have a tribal merfolk society, living on and near a volcanic island, that is also inhabited by humans.
The problem that I can't seem to figure out is: how would they dispose of their dead?
Wouldn't sinking the bodies in waters around the island…
Asganius
- 977
- 1
- 7
- 9
65
votes
19 answers
Making the 'Master Swordsman' fantasy realistic?
The idea of a truly masterful swordsman capable of taking on dozens of average swordsmen by himself (sometimes even above average!) is a pretty common depiction in fantasy media.
A recent example I can think of is Barristan Selmy from A Song of Ice…
Onyz
- 1,846
- 1
- 11
- 23
65
votes
13 answers
I travel back in time: how could I know when I landed?
Today a weird guy with a pointy hat offered me and my friends to play a game: We will all travel back in time, to a random date somewhen from the antiquity to modern times. We will have a limited amount of time to do whatever we want before…
Kepotx
- 6,748
- 2
- 28
- 40
64
votes
15 answers
Why would two species of predator with the same prey cooperate?
The question is pretty straightforward:
Why would two species of predator with the same prey cooperate?
I am looking for answers in the following context:
Limited food supply, which means scarcity of prey and food
Non-compatible species of…
Inbar Rose
- 1,886
- 1
- 18
- 23
64
votes
17 answers
What would a Boeing 747 look like if it were left in a hangar for 5,000 years. Could it still be flown?
Assume a passenger aircraft were left undercover for a very long period, perhaps thousands of years, in a damp, arboreal environment. How much of it would survive? Which parts would remain intact, and which parts would decay? What would it take to…
superluminary
- 5,589
- 2
- 25
- 30
64
votes
24 answers
Is it plausible to have two written forms of one spoken language that are so different as to be indecipherable?
For a story idea in my head to work on paper, a character has to be able to fluently and eloquently speak a common language, to the point of being able to turn a phrase or make plays on words naturally, but they must not be able to comprehend that…
KeithS
- 6,421
- 2
- 20
- 30
64
votes
19 answers
Could an average person take over the world?
Joe, an average citizen, decides to take over the world (for various reasons). He's an average person, with an average job and average resources.
Does Joe have a realistic shot at his dream?
Some clarifications:
By "take over the world", I mean -…
HDE 226868
- 101,188
- 25
- 303
- 542
64
votes
18 answers
A city to last ten million years: Construction
In the future, a high-tech human civilization has colonised a distant planet. The planet is basically Earthlike in gravity, climate, terrain and vegetation. They want to build Forevertown: A city with low-tech construction which is built to…
Royal Canadian Bandit
- 7,278
- 4
- 25
- 27
63
votes
9 answers
A 40km diameter alien saucer is floating 2km above the ocean for a long time. What are the effects on the sea ecosytem below?
Twenty years ago, a 40km diameter alien saucer came to Earth, and stopped 2km above the Atlantic ocean, somewhere near the midpoint between Casablanca, Morroco and Natal, Brazil but over international waters. It is completely opaque, reflects no…
Mindwin Remember Monica
- 14,591
- 6
- 50
- 103
63
votes
14 answers
What is the minimum radius of a circular corridor for the walls to appear straight?
Where am I? It is so dark around here... Hopefully I have a torch. It looks like I am in a very long corridor.
Time passes
What? No this couldn't be! I walked straight in front of me during the whole time and now I am back to the start point!
Oh…
EngelOfChipolata
- 2,935
- 2
- 16
- 30
63
votes
17 answers
How quickly will government realize that I am printing money?
Usual Joe wakes up in his apartment somewhere in New York, USA. He realizes that on this desk is sitting new printer, which appeared out of nowhere.
Joe tries to press print button and the printer prints sheet of four 100 dollar bills:
Image…
Pavel Janicek
- 45,431
- 28
- 143
- 228
63
votes
17 answers
Is space piracy orbitally practical?
I'm considering a story set about fifty years (2065) in the future. It takes a rather optimistic view; space exploration has led to colonies on the Moon and Mars, as well as several space stations orbiting Venus for scientific purposes. There are…
HDE 226868
- 101,188
- 25
- 303
- 542