I’ve grown obsessed with this giant tower behind our building at work.
It all started at lunch one day. Intern Ethan, a kid from my youth group, and I sat at the picnic table out front. The tower peeked over the top of the building. Really, all I could see were these orange number cards on top.
And I got thinking. First I was trying to figure out what 33.0 means. And then I realized that it was probably 330 but the 0 got moved over. I am assuming it means the tower in 330 feet high. Or that it is Tower Number 330. I am not sure. That's only part of the mystery.
But what really go me thinking were the size of those numbers. From where I sat, those cards (or boards or whatever they are) seem small. But, because of the deceptive perspective shift, the narrowing of the tower as it ascends and the sheer height of the tower, I am betting those cards are really big. I think they’d easily be bigger than a person. But the truth is, I don't know.
A few days later, I stood in the parking lot staring up at them trying to figure out a fool-proof ma thematic equation to estimate their size. Soon, I realized that a group of women—returning from lunch—were all standing around looking at me. I explained what I was doing. They offered no viable solutions. (One suggested cutting the tower down, but I don’t have the manpower for that. Ethan’s internship is now over.)
A few days later, Camerin came into the office all excited. She claimed there was a helicopter buzzing around the office. She was amused because a guy was hanging out the side like in action movies. But without the machine gun. I've seen helicopters often flying around the towers out back monitoring them or something. So I went out. I thought maybe the copter would pull alongside my numbers to give me a sense of proportion. Unfortunately, the copter had moved on to another tower.
Looking at this picture, it seems that man is a bit bigger compared to the tower than I would have guessed. It makes me think that maybe the number cards are only about 3 or 4 feet high perhaps.
But still, it's a mystery. The only real solution here is that I need my own helicopter.
5 comments:
My guess on those numbers is ID number. Every tower has it's own (what's the number on the next one over?) That way they can tell the helicopter pilot: "Go out to tower 330 and see if that guy is still standing beneath it staring at it. He's up to something."
Actually, all the ones around DO NOT have the number. (Note the one in the picture with the copter...)
But I think that it may be an ID number for the cluster or a mile marker or something...
i would like a helicopter, but only if it's Airwolf. In a pinch, I would settle for Blue Thunder.
Actually Todd, You are correct. Those numbers are for tower identification when they are checking the lines via helicopter. It is the 33rd mile out from a power plant (I just made that up, but it sounds really plausible).
To find the height of your tower, and the numbers is simple. Take a ruler and and piece of string. Measure how far out from the tower you are, then look along to top of the ruler until you are looking at the top of the tower. Then record the angle between the string and the top of the ruler. THen use then multiply the distance you are from the tower by the tangent of the angle found using the string, and it will tell you the height of the tower... To find out the height of your letters, simply do this twice, once to the top of the letters, and once to the top of the tower, subtract the two and whola... there ya go.
Great knowing an engineer with alot of useless knowledge isn't it?
Holy Crap. I didn't think I'd someone who'd actually know what to do! Little Brothers rock!
Now, I need string...
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