Posted on 10/24/2013 12:35:36 PM PDT by dead
A Sun-starved town nestled deep in a mountain valley is soaking up some winter rays for the first time in its history after installing three giant mirrors to reflect light.
In a reverse of a classic episode of The Simpsons, the 3,500 residents of Rjukan in Norway are finally able to bathe in the Sun’s light as it moves low across the sky in the winter months.
Rjukan, 100 miles west of Oslo, previously endured months of no sunlight every year between September and March, but three giant mirrors – known as heliostats – constructed 450m above the town trace the Sun’s movement and reflect light into the town’s central square.
Town mayor Steinar Bergsland told the Daily Telegraph: ‘It is really special to stand in the light down on the square and feel the heat. This is for the pale little children of Rjukan.’
The idea for reflecting light down into the town was first put forward by industrialist Sam Eyde 100 years ago, but was only made possible by advances in modern technology.
Artist Martin Andersen drew up the new heliostat plans, winning funding of 5million kroner (£525,000) in the process.
He told the Times: ‘It sounds like something from a Donald Duck cartoon, it is pretty crazy.’
The town of Viganella in northern Italy adopted a similar system in 2006.
For a moment I thought you were back to writing satire.
(Miss your commentaries btw.)
Then, one jerk with a giant magnifying glass ruined it for everyone!
Lower Uncton, that’s the town in England from the Married With Children episode, where Al Bundy’s earliest relative teed off a witch and she cursed it by being in eternal darkness till the last male Bundy’s was killed in the town.
The town lured Al Bundy’s & Family to visit them, so they could finally rid themselves of the darkness. But Upper Uncton, had different plans.
A very funny episode (actually 3 episodes).
And yes, I’m a very big fan of that old series!
Jags aren’t made for even mildly extreme weather, or roads- I remember about 30 years back, it was a commonplace procedure to change out the engines in brand new Jags coming to the USA- replacing them with Chevy engines...
There’s a few places like that in B.C. - no mirrors though, just drinking establishments.
I immediately thought of Lower Uncton! One of the running jokes involved the Bundys constantly calling their escort, a guy named "Winston", by the wrong name: "Marlboro", "Smokey", "Lucky Strike", etc.
Why don't they use street lights instead?
Mirrors, giant magnifying glass, and...
http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/fullscreen.php?game=Ant-City
Mr Burns will put a stop to that.
OZONE MAN? Rules only apply to everyone else!
Me too. It is currently on Antenna TV or TV Land now; can't recall which. Barney Miller is back, and WKRP too.
I’ve been to Rjukan (had a client there). It’s a little over 3 hours drive from Oslo. You can visit the hydro-electric power plant made famous in the film “The Heroes of Telemark”.
From Fairbanks, I agree. The cold is bearable, but that darkness all the time just wears you down.
Global warming! But, but it’s for the pale little children of Rjukan.
Funny, don’t see any children in the pictures. Looks like old folks trying to warm their bones.
You can’t beat natural sunlight.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.