Bigger Better Faster Foundations of Paradise by Arthur C Clarke
Man has always longed to build things, and as time goes on, man feels the need to outdo all previous achievements. Arthur C. Clarke's novel, Foundations of Paradise is a good example of this human characteristic. Vannevar Morgan is an engineer living in the twenty second century, and is known by his peers to be one of the greatest engineers in the world. The creation that gave Morgan this title was the Gibraltar Bridge, connecting Europe to Africa. This bridge is situated five kilometers above the water of the Mediterranean Sea. Dr. Morgan has in his head yet another idea that will become his final and greatest mark on the world. A new substance has been developed through years of research. It is a microcrystaline fiber that is extraordinarily strong and ten times narrower than a human hair. Morgan's idea is to use this material to build an elevator to hoist things into orbit of the Earth. This way, no rockets will be needed to blast things into orbit. Much money will be saved, along with a dramatic decrease in pollution. Morgan knows many people who have faith in his . . .
plan, including the World Bank, although many doubt the feasibility of his ideas. Another part of the book that deals with human ingenuity takes place 2000 years before the main story, but in the same general locale. A grandiose idea with earth-shaking benefits, on the other hand, will have many obstacles to overcome before completion. After a few twists of fate that hardly be called luck, the monks leave their home and construction of the tower is started. The construction of the Hoover Dam had a human cost in the dozens of lives, and the average north-Atlantic fisherman works in the business for only four years before he is killed or forced to quit due to family or physical problems brought on by the work. This is a good example of the great lengths that man will go to outdo himself. A king, so afraid of his own mortality, creates his own heaven on earth. Another example of man's need to outdo himself can be seen in sporting events. I want to make it bigger, better, and faster than ever before. Clarke has opened my eyes to the fact that "Even as technology advances, the reason for it stays the same. All in all, Foundations of Paradise by Arthur C. Many of my ideas are very grandiose and many times, I have a hard time explaining them to other people. I can relate to this because I tend to "dream big" also. This rule applies very heavily to the space elevator concept.
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