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Comments on Walking House Ambles Away From Disaster
Fascinating project puts a robotic base under an ancient lifestyle. (Read
the complete story)
| "I have this vision of thousands of houses slowly walking away from a hurricane approaching Galveston, TX... and then walking slowly back a week later." (Bill Christensen 10/22/2008 5:50:01 AM) |
| "Americans might recall the Conestoga wagons that first appeared in the mid-18th century in Pennsylvania. Later, they were called 'prairie schooners' when used to settle the old West. I seem to recall that Robert Heinlein discussed them in loving detail in the 'Dora' story in Time Enough for Love.
Settlers would live in them for months while traveling, and then for months more while constructing a house.
"The Conestoga was a heavy-duty, long-haul covered wagon with a narrow body to facilitate travel on narrow tree-lined trails, and a concave bottom and flared ends that helped stabilize the load when going uphill or down. Its wheels were wide, for sturdiness in deep mud, of large diameter to clear obstacles such as stumps and boulders as well as to ford most streams without wetting the cargo. They were firmly mounted on a sturdy undercarriage designed for reliability under demanding conditions. The dimensions of the Conestoga depended on its intended purpose, but on average it was sixteen feet long, four feet wide, and four feet deep, with iron-rimmed wheels four inches wide..."
|
| "Prof. Frink, of The Simpsons, invented a walking house that would evade burglers [Episode 1F09, aired Jan. 6, 1994]." (Pete 10/23/2008 12:50:11 PM) |
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