Nov / Dec 2016 Lite Challenge: Map a Flying Island

[Bogie]

Islands in the sky. So not something like the floating island in Dr, Dolittle. I keep picking the wrong concepts...

Well, Islands in the sky was what I had in mind, but I did just say "floating islands". So if you can figure out a way to make an island that floats on water that doesn't just look like any other island, then go for it. The voters decide what they like in the end anyway.

[damonjynx]

A city within an iceberg would be cool...pun intended.

[Bogie]

A cool idea and a not-to-offensive pun at the same time is worthy of some rep.

[damonjynx]

A cool idea and a not-to-offensive pun at the same time is worthy of some rep.

Thanks Bogie! You're not to bad on the puns yourself!!

Now, if I only had some idea of how to draw it

[Abu Lafia]

Thanks Bogie! You're not to bad on the puns yourself!!

Now, if I only had some idea of how to draw it

...just jump in at the deep end and start drawing! well, in german it's called "ins kalte wasser springen" (jump into cold water), so it's only a pun in my mind... Anyway there is a grain of truth in it. If you start drawing sketches and upload them, i bet you'll get good tips/advices. I think for depicting a city on/in an iceberg, it's most interesting to work with a sideview or a cutaway view, so the whole "tip of an iceberg" thing gets shown.

[damonjynx]

..I think for depicting a city on/in an iceberg, it's most interesting to work with a sideview or a cutaway view, so the whole "tip of an iceberg" thing gets shown.

That's kinda what I had in mind, watch this space.

[Gonzotron]

Well, Islands in the sky was what I had in mind, but I did just say "floating islands". So if you can figure out a way to make an island that floats on water that doesn't just look like any other island, then go for it. The voters decide what they like in the end anyway.

Iceberg islands actually have a precedence in history. During the Battle of the Atlantic, the Allies were desperate for a way to minimize the U-boat threat in the North Atlantic. Icebergs being fairly impervious to torpedoes, they studied how they could use them as floating air fields. Of course, the practicality of using icebergs were too great to overcome. (Something about the fact that the vast majority of the iceberg is underwater.) They actually constructed a scale model of a floating airfield out of ice to test the concept at a remote location in Canada. The design ended up not being robust enough.

I believe it was an American scientist, Geoffrey Pyke, who came up with a brilliant idea. He found that by mixing sawdust with water before freezing it, he could make a substance that floats, was very tough, and would not melt as fast as pure water. The idea was scratched before it could be implemented. By the time they had developed the project, the U-boat threat had diminished. They called the substance Pykrete. A cool idea never fully realized.

Ok, the history lesson ends. Pykrete could make for a great jumping off point for a floating city. I may have to try that out.

[mixerbach]

They called the substance Pykrete. A cool idea never fully realized.
Ok, the history lesson ends. Pykrete could make for a great jumping off point for a floating city. I may have to try that out.

Hey Gonzotron! Thanks for sharing that bit o' history with everyone. That was actually very cool to read about and all new info to me!

Also, I hope you DO use that as your jumping off point and jump on in to this challenge!

[Straf]

Is it too late for me to throw my hat into the ring for this challenge?

[Falconius]

You got like ten days I think.