On Creating Imaginary Worlds: Science Fiction

I did some looking. Space elevator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There's a bit on Mars there too.
The whole structure has to go beyond geosynchronous orbit, over 17000 km. The diameter of Mars is 6800km, so when you measure it out, the curvature of the planet may not get in the way. Still, it would have to be massive to be seen at over 17000 km away.
 
It depends what is at the top.

If it's, say, something equivalent in size and other characteristics to Deimos, then it could be seen (assuming that the observer is no more than about 80° from the equator).
 
How far up Sweden can you receive satellite TV? (or Norway, or Alaska; but we seem to have several Swedish members) It's the same problem, line of site and relay satellites at geostationary. But it's the centre of gravity of the tower that has to be in geostationary orbit; and unless there's a pretty impressively large lump up there, big enough that the tower itself is a negligible part of the total mass, the structure will extend at least as far beyond orbit as towards the planet ('Perfect' cry the tower enthusiasts 'a spaceship can let itself slip along the outer section, being thrown out and ultimately slingshot {slingshotted?} away from the Earth – free energy'. Can't they see that that energy is being pulled out of the rotational momentum of the orbiting mass? And that if you continue to do this indefinitely, without accelerating the counterweight to make up for the losses, it will pull the tower apart? TANSTAAFL.)

But why would you light it? Lower down, perhaps, to avoid aircraft hitting it, but up outside the atmosphere, the bit that might be visible from high latitudes? The counterweight (the bit most likely to be visible from a distance, the multilane thread having shrunk into invisibility long since) might well still be in sunlight when the observer is in shadow, or it might be a zero g manufacturing complex that needed lights (conveniently placed for getting products to market) Or a docking port for interplanetary craft, with powerful signalling lights (you're not going to be able to see a maintenance-man's torch at that range.
 
so is it atall concievable that a small and highly religious people could exist, in isolation, without much in the way of technological or social change, for around one hundred thousand years? Considering they have no goals besides surivival, and practicing their religion, and also considering that their religion practically forbids them from changing anything about the way they exist (this forbidding is implied as opposed to outwardly stated, and is accepted by all). What is the viabilty of that?

On a more wide reaching note, can anyone recommend any reading material that might allow me to better concieve how cultures develop (considering most importantly the outer-limits of their possible timeframe)?
 
It would require a limitation on resources I should think. In a hundred thousand years a culture would change sooner or later unless the things required for change weren't there.
In real history, we have aboriginal culture which lasted something like 40, 000 years (and resource-limited), though cultural change did occur in subtle non-technological ways. They aren't what anyone might call 'highly religious' (in the Mossaic sense) either.

I think something that might keep your religious society united and continuous would be some outside threat- constant enviromental disaster, perhaps, or some animal predator- that would stop people developing and justify the religion's existence.
 
Even in a society whose people had no goals apart from practising their religion, you would still likely get people who claimed to have a better understanding of that religion than anyone beforehand; and such people, if charismatic enough, could well bring about change -- and be catalysts for change way beyond what they themselves might have envisaged.
 
I’ve read this whole thread now and you’ve answered a lot of my questions. :)

In the world of fantasy only our imagination can set limits to our own creations. You could make up all sorts of fantastical places because if the universe is endless, everything exists.
 
IMO that's the best part about writing fiction, Evelinn. It's like you're the god of your own little universe where the rules are what you say they are. It's nice to take out your real world frustrations in your own highly controlled world.
 
An endless universe is not necessarily infinite, nor limitless.

And within such a universe, if certain physical laws hold universally, a large set of potential circumstances drop below the probability level we call "possible".

Which is good, both for survival reasons, and narrative. A world in which absolutely anything could happen would not make a good story, any more than it would be a good place to bring up kids. There would be no reason for surprise, random factors would be the most important plot element. Fun for a chapter or two, but rapidly palling.

So, set your limits high; no need for mundane, humdrum fantasies. If you want "and suddenly the pushchair turned into a small, bipedal dinosaur, that seemed as surprised to find a baby in its small upper arms as the baby was to be there. Hardly taking a moment to decide it thrust the wriggling bundle into its mother's hands, and raced off towards the M25, apparently intending a crossover. "That's what you get for being a probability nexus," explained Helen desperately trying to prevent Jason from following the saurian, "that buggy was almost band new, and I can't see the insurance paying up, anymore than they did for the BEMs in the washroom."
Go right ahead; just make it consistent.
 
Haha, not exactly what I meant, but certainly funny. In my fantasy universe all our dreams come true somewhere in the vast cosmos. Our imagination is the creators, and if the universe was infinite (which I don’t personally believe it is) everything would have to exist, not necessarily in the same place. Space is big. :)
 
I favor a multiverse in which every possibility creates its own universe. Every time a choice is made, a new universe spins off so that each option occurs in each universe. Each time the universes branched off it would lead to different choices and the exponential growth of the multiverse. Such a place is truly infinite.
 
But is it? It’s all mathematics. When we reach the end of numbers wouldn’t we have to begin counting from one again? I envision the universe like a sphere, ever expanding, but eventually it would reach its end and begin anew, like a pulse. Perhaps it wouldn’t really end though, but this reality would, and then be replaced by another. Hmm.... perhaps this was a little too deep for me before I`ve had my morning koffe.
 
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