A particular interest of mine is wildlife, likely due to my former employment as a Guide. The new Earth has a berth of animal and plant life, evolved for the thinner atmosphere. The plants all collect their water from the ground, of all things, via subterranean roots. These roots are able to extract water from moist soil.
Due to their backwards nature, trees on New Earth can grow to immense sizes, although never very high. Today, my patron took me to a tree that he claimed was the widest in the entire world. It was 5.81 meters in radius, which is a bit overkill, in my opinion. The thickest tree on the old Earth was not even 2 meters in radius. 1.43 meters, if I remember correctly.
Of course, the occupants of New Earth have evolved myriads of other adaptations to their atmosphere. For example, approximately 80%* of animal species on New Earth belong to Arthropoda, a group completely armoured by an "exoskeleton" to keep in moisture.
Particularly successful, in this part of the world, are the Black Beetles. All beetles are insects, which have six walking limbs and, generally, two pairs of wings. Beetles differ from other insects in that their front wings have become an even harder shell, to add a layer of protection.
Unfortunately, their extra protection does not seem to make a single difference against humans, as dozens of carapaces belonging to Black Beetles can be found on any given sidewalk. It is also possible that the immense number of dead Black Beetles signify nothing other than an even more immense number of live Black Beetles, as they have been seen exiting and entering holes in the ground, leading to the possibility of a mainly subterranean lifestyle.
Black Beetles are approximately 3.75 centimeters long and come in two varieties, those with horns and those without. The simpler design is smooth, with a rounded body that is held up off of the ground. It has small hooks on its legs for grasping grass.
The horned variety has an upper shell that tapers downwards and to a point above the head. The head itself has a growth that tapers upwards and backwards in a similar way, making a pair of vertical false pincers. The relation between these varieties is unclear.
*Patron's note: this information was taken from Wikipedia, and thus cannot be trusted. As a perfect example, Wikipedia currently claims that 80% of animals are arthropods and 90% are insects, meaning that negative 10% are non-insect arthropods.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Umbrellas
I have spent several days in this new Earth, and have seen many a strange thing. By whatever miracle, the food and drink here is safe to eat. I have found a patron willing to harbor me until I ascertain what has happened to me, and a means of return.
In the meantime, it seems prudent to record interesting differences between our Earths. First, and most obviously, everything seems heavier on this Earth, as if objects have drive to reach the ground. However, I am already beginning to be accustomed to this.
One particularly useful invention of the resident humans is the Umbrella. At first, when I saw a passer-by with an Umbrella specimen under her arm, I assumed it was essentially a tarp on a stick. However, to my surprise, the tarp suddenly expanded to full size, and the lady held it above her head to shield herself from the rain. I was about to approach her to inquire about her object, but my patron was insistent that we retreat to a house.
My patron then showed me the mechanism for Umbrellas. A mechanism holds the tarp closed while not in use. When the user wants to release the tarp, he simply releases the mechanism, and this pushes the tarp open. The tarp is supported by spokes that radiate from the top of the central staff.
The spokes are fixed to points at the edge of the tarp, so that the tarp cannot slide around while used. Each spoke is connected to a "stretcher," another spoke of metal, with a small hinge. The stretchers connect not to the staff, but to a "runner" that surrounds the staff and can move along it. It is this runner that is released, "runs" to the top via spring, and pushes the stretcher, which push the spokes outwards, which unfolds the tarp. All of this happens in under a second.
Then, my patron showed me an even more amazing device. It looked like an Umbrella, but not even a quarter the size of the specimens I'd seen. Imagine my surprise, then, when he activated the button, and it miraculously unfolded to full size!
Upon closer inspection, it seems that the spokes were divided into three segments, which all extended when the first segment extended. This meant that the stretcher could be much smaller, as it needed only to lift a segment. In addition, the central staff was four different tubes, one inside the other, with the smallest at the bottom. When extended, the tubes locked to form a staff just as strong as the original design.
My patron admits that even he does not fully understand the mechanism behind the expansion of the smaller Umbrella. However, he kindly told me that he would gift the device to me, as he says it is "a triangle, and not in very good condition." This will surely aid me for the duration of my stay on this Earth.
In the meantime, it seems prudent to record interesting differences between our Earths. First, and most obviously, everything seems heavier on this Earth, as if objects have drive to reach the ground. However, I am already beginning to be accustomed to this.
One particularly useful invention of the resident humans is the Umbrella. At first, when I saw a passer-by with an Umbrella specimen under her arm, I assumed it was essentially a tarp on a stick. However, to my surprise, the tarp suddenly expanded to full size, and the lady held it above her head to shield herself from the rain. I was about to approach her to inquire about her object, but my patron was insistent that we retreat to a house.
My patron then showed me the mechanism for Umbrellas. A mechanism holds the tarp closed while not in use. When the user wants to release the tarp, he simply releases the mechanism, and this pushes the tarp open. The tarp is supported by spokes that radiate from the top of the central staff.
The spokes are fixed to points at the edge of the tarp, so that the tarp cannot slide around while used. Each spoke is connected to a "stretcher," another spoke of metal, with a small hinge. The stretchers connect not to the staff, but to a "runner" that surrounds the staff and can move along it. It is this runner that is released, "runs" to the top via spring, and pushes the stretcher, which push the spokes outwards, which unfolds the tarp. All of this happens in under a second.
Then, my patron showed me an even more amazing device. It looked like an Umbrella, but not even a quarter the size of the specimens I'd seen. Imagine my surprise, then, when he activated the button, and it miraculously unfolded to full size!
Upon closer inspection, it seems that the spokes were divided into three segments, which all extended when the first segment extended. This meant that the stretcher could be much smaller, as it needed only to lift a segment. In addition, the central staff was four different tubes, one inside the other, with the smallest at the bottom. When extended, the tubes locked to form a staff just as strong as the original design.
My patron admits that even he does not fully understand the mechanism behind the expansion of the smaller Umbrella. However, he kindly told me that he would gift the device to me, as he says it is "a triangle, and not in very good condition." This will surely aid me for the duration of my stay on this Earth.
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