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1500 questions
85
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8 answers
Tree Shape on a Tidally Locked World
I'm designing a tidally locked world around a red dwarf star. The habitable ring is an Earth analogue. The atmosphere and gravity are similar to Earth's, and we're going to pretend the wind is negligible.
Initially, I wanted to make concentric rings…
Zxyrra
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84
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30 answers
Can a casino system prove my (divine) luck as cheating?
I walked this morning and met a street fortune-teller. This old gypsy invited me to get my luck told, and she just blabbed those old nonsense phrases about how this day will be my lucky day and such. I gave her $5 for the morning encouragement (not…
Vylix
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84
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18 answers
How can I develop names for my fantasy land?
I'm writing a traditional fantasy novel (minus the cliches). I have a land that the novel takes place in. The land does have a name, which sometimes sounds all right, but most of the time sounds kind of stupid. Being the author, it might just be me,…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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84
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19 answers
How would an aquatic race develop computers?
Following on from this question and assuming the race in question had developed the ability to create tools how would they approach the need for mass calculation.
Our early computers were used to calculate large amounts of financial information, how…
Liath
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84
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13 answers
Are there techniques for creating alien or foreign sounding names?
An interesting setting conducive to telling many stories in? Go!
Well thought out inhabitants in this setting with diverse cultural
backgrounds? Go!
A proper noun for any of it? Houston, we have a problem....
This is a common problem for…
Tritium21
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84
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10 answers
How much mayhem could I cause as a sentient fish?
On our world, human minds can be transferred intact into animals. It was originally intended for people with medical conditions, but some genius thought it would be clever to store violent prisoners as fish, in large tanks. Well, it's because the…
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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84
votes
30 answers
Plausible Reasons for usage of Combat Mecha
So, assuming that the technology is readily available and that we could build these mecha as easily as we build modern tanks or planes.
What would be a good advantage in using a legged (not necessarily bipedal) combat mecha over using conventional…
Feaurie Vladskovitz
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83
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11 answers
How many people can you feed per square-kilometer of farmland?
Questions about how to feed a large population keep popping up on this website quite frequently. One obvious option is farming. But how many people can you feed per square-kilometer of farmland?
Interesting would be a comparison depending on the…
Philipp
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83
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17 answers
Must magic be tied to medieval tech?
Most settings with a magical component, whether this means wizards, magical races, or something similar, seem to be parked at a medieval level of development in terms of technology and society. Is this just because that's how the "high fantasy"…
Monica Cellio
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83
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30 answers
Ugh, I'm stuck in an orbital spaceport. But why?
This is, for the record, the same universe as in Is space piracy orbitally practical? and How can I prevent Kessler Syndrome among space stations?.
In my world, circa 2100, space stations orbiting Earth, Venus and Mars provide transit hubs for the…
HDE 226868
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83
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11 answers
Is it worth sending a manned mission to a black hole?
Suppose we detect a stellar black hole passing near the Solar system, and we have technology and time to send a manned mission to study it.
Are there any experiments or observations that would help us learn more, maybe test some of our theories or…
Just Larry
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83
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16 answers
Can stars that are not powered by nuclear fusion exist?
Stars generate their energy by fusing lighter elements into heavier elements. The most common reaction in Sun-like stars is the conversion of hydrogen to helium via the proton-proton chain, but heavier elements can also be synthesized, typically in…
HDE 226868
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83
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21 answers
Which professions warranted travel in Medieval times?
I'm trying to come up with characters whose backgrounds allow them to have homes, histories, and skills, but will still enable or encourage them to travel in a typical medieval setting. I've never really liked "Adventurer" as a job, and would like…
Julia Witham
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82
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28 answers
Sword in the rock - make it last the ages
Merlin the wizard has a problem.
Sure, it was a piece of cake to move forward in time to the 21st century, procure a sword that was made with the highest 21st century standards, go back in time, and stick it in a pile of cement.
The sword's handle,…
Nahshon paz
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7 answers
How to protect shops in the medieval era against thievery?
While coming up with a medieval era world, I suddenly realized that there was pretty much no defense against thievery except for patrolling city guards which to be honest probably isn't very effective. This is because by the time the shop owners…
Skye
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