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| Image by Jim Martin |
By Juan Gonzales
“What if?” What
if indeed. In the world of Bio Shock (a video game), there are
two interesting concepts - one of which is a city under the sea.
Under the sea, and no, it is not Atlantis from The Little
Mermaid- it is the city of Rapture. Rapture is a great place
to start a new life if you have the money. How the city could exist
is the power of “what if?” Using the shallowest part of the ocean
where the maximum depth is less than 300 feet, this concept is
completely possible. By using the shallowest part of the ocean, the
building would be lighter from the buoyancy of the ocean, and would
also have to be sturdy enough to withstand the crush depth of the
ocean. But wouldn’t it be cold down there? Not if the city was
built on a volcano vent that would produce power and heat for this
city. Food could be caught or made if the buildings were tall enough
(at least 100 feet under sea level) where plants can get just enough
sunlight for the roof top gardens to grow plants and vegetables. What
about air? There would be the plants grown or algae farms in every
building to produce enough o2 (oxygen). BOOM, your mind has just
blown!
Wait, there is more
in this world of Bio Shock- there is another city in the
clouds. Wait, what? Yes, the clouds. How can this be? By the game
using quantum physics, the theory of relativity and also the string
theory. The city can float by using the earth’s magnetic field and
windmill turbines for stability and movement. The city of Columbia is
not one lump sum, but block sections that are floating separately in
the clouds. The temperature might be a little colder than the game
portrays where people are wearing summer clothes. The city of
Columbia is completely plausible, using advanced scientific
techniques and some ingenuity. BOOM, again that’s twice your mind
has blown!
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| The Flying City of Columbia by Unknownshipper |
Besides the revolutionary ideas and the power of “what if?”
there is some cheesy game play involved. All the concepts are based
on actual science, engineering, quantum physics, plus the theory of
relativity and the string theory. The thoughts and ideas are such
mind blowing concepts that the Bio Shock world could be a
reality - just as possible as playing the game and discovering the
world of Bio Shock and all of its interesting concepts for
yourself.
