Clever

[R. Richard]

OK, so it has nothing to do with Literotica. It is such a clever idea I just couldn't resist. Comment?

Mirror gives Italian village its place in the sun

ROME (Reuters) - A village in the Italian Alps is finally basking in winter sunlight thanks to a giant mirror installed on a mountain top to reflect the sun's rays into the main square.

Viganella, with a population of less than 200, lies in a valley so steep that each year from November 11 to February 2 it hardly receives any sunshine.

That was until Mayor Pierfranco Midali decided to do something about it.

Now a 5-metre (16-foot) high, 8-metre (26-foot) wide mirror tracks the sun's movement and reflects its rays into Viganella's historic piazza.

The mirror, which cost around 100,000 euros (67,000 pounds), was unveiled on Sunday to the delight of the inhabitants.

"Here it's very cold in the winter and residents, many of whom are elderly, used to stay inside all the time. Now people are enjoying sitting on the bench in the square and having a chat," said Maria Velona, who works at the townhall.

Midali has been contacted by local authorities with similar problems in Canada, the United States and France.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

What an interesting solution.

Of course, if I had been one of the original settlers of that valley, I would have moved when I noticed there was no sun for the entire winter months

 

[StormRising]

That is so cool- I wonder if people realize just how vital sunlight is to the health and mental well-being of humans?

I'm a sun worshipper, admittedly- I will slather my pasty self in SPF100 and lie naked in the strongest sunlight I can find, moving only when the sun moves, to reposition directly in it. It does wonders for everything from colds to pneumonia to my SADS.

 

[R. Richard]

Apparently, the mirror idea is not unique.
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Giant mirrors are to be put on an Austrian mountain to bring sunshine to an Alpine town cloaked in darkness for three months of the year.

In Rattenberg in the Tyrol, many people never see daylight in winter because a mountain blocks the sun.

From November to the beginning of February, the sun lies too low on the horizon and is hidden behind the Stadtberg mountain on the town's southern side. Its rays never reach Rattenberg, which lies in complete shadow.

But Rattenberg, the smallest community in Austria with just 440 people, is the first to use technology to overcome its positioning.

The Bartenback Light Laboratory in Aldrans, near Innsbruck, has come up with a solution to the dark winter days. Mirrors measuring 2 metres by 2 metres - called heliostats - will be erected on the opposite side of the valley to reflect the sun's rays down on Rattenberg.

The mirrors will be computer programmed to adjust their direction according to the sun's position and will move automatically to maximise reflection of the sunlight.

 

[gauchecritic]

Read this in a scifi story from the sixties and something went horribly wrong. I'm guessing they're just wind ups.

 

[R. Richard]

I'm not sure if it is the story you are referring to, but I bought a box of old scifi books and read a story about a South American country that had a key soccer match against a hated opponent. They drew a referee who was for the other side. So, they passed out mirror surface programs and focused the sun's rays oin the referee and fried him!

 

[Quiet_Cool]

I'm not sure if it is the story you are referring to, but I bought a box of old scifi books and read a story about a South American country that had a key soccer match against a hated opponent. They drew a referee who was for the other side. So, they passed out mirror surface programs and focused the sun's rays oin the referee and fried him!

No,, that really happened. I remember reading it in the Weekly World News.

Curious; isn't it a strong possibility that said mirrors, mounted high on mountains as the cases seem to be, might at some point become moist on the surface, given the heat of the sunlight throughout the day, and at night, freeze and crack?

Q_C

 

[3113]

Of course, if I had been one of the original settlers of that valley, I would have moved when I noticed there was no sun for the entire winter months

Wimp! That would be too easy.

 

[gauchecritic]

I'm not sure if it is the story you are referring to, but I bought a box of old scifi books and read a story about a South American country that had a key soccer match against a hated opponent. They drew a referee who was for the other side. So, they passed out mirror surface programs and focused the sun's rays oin the referee and fried him!

I remember that one. (the entire crowd were soldiers so that they would perform in unison) That's not the one I was thinking of though.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Good thing the didn't sub-contract this to Halaburton. They would have spent billions excavating the alps to make it a flatland.

 

[kendo1]

The Austrian town mentioned is meant to be the saddest place on Earth. Everyone feels depressed, that is why they want to try this out.

 

[R. Richard]

The Austrian town mentioned is meant to be the saddest place on Earth. Everyone feels depressed, that is why they want to try this out.

Hey, when you start with a town named after a rat, you have to expect further disappointment.