Other Jimness > Cinder Spires Books
The Cinder Spires Description and Meaning
skybluemonk:
Each spire is a square with sides of 2 miles and therefore a floor area of 4 square miles. The Spirearch of Albion states Albion is ten thousand feet high and has 250 habbles of which 236 are occupied. Each habble is quoted as 50 feet floor to ceiling. This has to assume that the none inhabited habbles are somewhat less that 50 feet high in order to fit within 10,000 feet overall height [1.89 miles].It is possible the Spirearch is generalising the dimensions and the spire is a black tower 2 miles high. There are references to a 2 mile fall for aeronauts. The living use-able floor area of each habble is a circle with a 2 mile radius. This then allows for various utilities and engineering needs at the periphery of each habble. It is possible that some habbles are not used for habitation and do not require a 50 foot ceiling. But the design is by the builders so it would presumably be uniform given the building material seems indestructible. To fit the 250 habbles need at 50ft ceilings would need a height of about 12,000 feet [2.27 miles].
As the spirearch is simply making a point of the complexity of the Albions spire he needn't have to be precise. Its 2x2 dimension needs to be to be a square but to grow a cylinder on that base and to still be symmetrical the height is immaterial. A spire normally tapers from that square, clearly these don't but can still call them spires why not.
Jim talks in his public appearances of the spires as Borg cubes. Which sort of destroys any visual image as a spire which has to at least be taller than wide and should taper but a square based tower ie rectangle would sort of cover a spire. In the book chapter 33 further confusion as the spires are described round with the habbles having a square floor plan fitting inside. This contradicts the maps drawn for the books which reverse to square containing circle.
Perhaps its pedantic and can be dismissed as the characters Bridget in this case having no real idea of geometry and having never gone outside to see the actual shape of the spire. Whether the earth is flat or round matters very little to most people in conducting their day to day lives.
But editing should have spotted this for Jim.
What interests me is the sub title of the series the cinder spires. Cinder is slag something left over after a process iron slag coal slag etc cinders. As a verb to slag something is to reduce it to rubble. So Jim, made from slag or are we venturing into the future not the past.
jumborex:
Neat exposition! I also have similar questions in mind. Expecially the real aspect of Spires! They appear to be no "spires" al all, but cylinders, or (perhaps) cubes!
Shecky:
--- Quote from: skybluemonk on January 19, 2016, 06:33:56 AM ---Jim talks in his public appearances of the spires as Borg cubes. Which sort of destroys any visual image as a spire which has to at least be taller than wide and should taper but a square based tower ie rectangle would sort of cover a spire. In the book chapter 33 further confusion as the spires are described round with the habbles having a square floor plan fitting inside. This contradicts the maps drawn for the books which reverse to square containing circle.
Perhaps its pedantic and can be dismissed as the characters Bridget in this case having no real idea of geometry and having never gone outside to see the actual shape of the spire. Whether the earth is flat or round matters very little to most people in conducting their day to day lives.
But editing should have spotted this for Jim.
--- End quote ---
Editing did spot this. Two things: 1) "Spire"—Word meaning drifts over time; think of the original vs. current usage of "terrible" if you want a perfect example. The same concept applies, if not as dramatically, to "cinder." 2) Squared circle vs. circled square—oops. ;)
Dina:
Yes. I still imagine the spires as towers, more or less cone shaped. I don't care for reality, I imagine what I want :P
skybluemonk:
WHOOPS HERE WE GO AGAIN!
"Habble Morning occupied the entirety of the spire most of it beneath a vast atrium nearly 200 feet high and it was the next best thing to 2 miles from one side of the great cylinder that was the spire Albion to the other. Ch 14"
Hmmm Cylinder but but means square in circle and not as map [circle in square] and not a Borg cube!!!!!
Plus
200 foot atrium room for 3 habbles and decreases the available space for 250 habbles spaced 50 feet apart [which is tight anyway] The need to get the 250 habbles into a spire needs about two and half miles allowing for variations like this atrium ie how thick are the floors 10 feet that would give another 2,480 feet to account for. Grins sorry Jim i'm being pedantic and I guessing the spires are in of themselves important to your story so would be nice to get them right and as an arcology
its an exciting idea for a living environment.
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