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[Eagleon]

Science Chips sound so good.

As long as you test them well and when you irradiated you mean it as a way to keep the micros out.

No. I mean neutron activated potato-chips. It would be a science experiment of epic proportions! They'd come packaged in beryllium foil, and you could send in barcodes to save up for a free geiger counter.

OnT: This idea is yet another reason to invest in materials science. If construction materials were cheaper and stronger, the equation would shift towards making stuff like this so much more cost-effective. Plus who doesn't want fishing line strong enough to support a truck? You could go whale-fishing! Catch and release! Awesome.

[Criptfeind]

No. I mean neutron activated potato-chips

I am sorry. I do not understand. How would that work? What would it activate?

[Akura]

How do you get light on a skyscraper? It's still the same area getting sun exposure it would be if you just had flat farmland.

Isn't that the answer to your own question? The tops of skyscrapers get just as much light as flat farmland(assuming there isn't a bigger skyscraper in the way).

[Criptfeind]

How do you get light on a skyscraper? It's still the same area getting sun exposure it would be if you just had flat farmland.

Isn't that the answer to your own question? The tops of skyscrapers get just as much light as flat farmland(assuming there isn't a bigger skyscraper in the way).

No... Because the middle parts of the sky scrapper do not get much light.

[Virex]

You either use crops thet grow in the shade, use growth lamps or plant illuminating fungi all over your walls.

[Criptfeind]

I am fairly certain illuminating fungi would never work.

[Virex]

(No but it's the best way to keep your companies image as an evil, plotting megacorp, especially when there are no damp caves at had)

[Soadreqm]

How do you get light on a skyscraper? It's still the same area getting sun exposure it would be if you just had flat farmland.

Isn't that the answer to your own question? The tops of skyscrapers get just as much light as flat farmland(assuming there isn't a bigger skyscraper in the way).

The top of the skyscraper gets just as much light as flat farmland, yes. What we're talking about here is VERTICAL farming, though. If you just have a greenhouse at the top of every building, that's going to work great, but once you go below the skyline level of your city, you're going to be in shade. Lamps work great, of course. You can grow tomatoes in a mineshaft if you just have the electricity. I don't think it's possible for that to be economically viable until we level up our energy production by a few tiers, though.

[Nadaka]

Or you build a narrow skyscraper that minimizes the amount of area that is in the shade, or you use the most shady area for storage/office/retail space.

[Realmfighter]

On a related topic, someone seriously needs to get a public service announcement going saying that water is a chemical, that everything has chemicals, and that yes, this has chemicals in it.

Tell your friends, this shit will fucking kill you.

[Sowelu]

Or you build a narrow skyscraper that minimizes the amount of area that is in the shade, or you use the most shady area for storage/office/retail space.

Well, talking about narrow skyscrapers is a lot like saying "If we make smaller fields, we can have more of them".  It's true but a little silly if you plan to get maximum use of the sun.

Using all sun for gardens and parks, and leaving office buildings to the shadier parts, works perfectly fine though.  Even if it is likely to result in suicidal office workers.  :P

[Criptfeind]

Can we make potatoes that are like, layered? One normal layer, one very weak layer that if dried out would basically turn into salty dust, repeat for about twenty layers?

Cause then we could zap it to make chips. And that would be awesome.


Something closely related to the skyscraper is that I believe that if they build them all twisty like the classic representation of a DNA strand that would solve your issues with sun.

Obviously it would not increase the total sunlight available, but in the shaded areas around the tower you could put residential areas. In the summer the shade would cool them. And in the winter you can tighten the structure so the sun gets to the housing or you can grow more crops at the cost of a increased cost of heating.

Of course I don't know how far we are from being able to build such a thing. But I believe that plans for building like it are already being drawn up in some areas.

[Levi]

There are also some cool images of possible designs at http://www.verticalfarm.com/designs

[Heron TSG]

Another solution that might work just as well is trying to not make 15 billion of us.

Do you live in a developed nation? If so, you're doing great. Apparently 95% of human population growth in the next 50 years will come from underdeveloped nations. Why? The developed nations are already on a plateau. Depopulating the developed countries would only worsen economic matters, which would screw over developing countries that get aid from developed countries.

[ChairmanPoo]

How about using mirrors to increase sun exposure?