Wait, why are things getting buried to the extent that the ground level seems to rise? Does the snow level just gradually increase there? Does the station sink?
Given that sea levels are rising, it seems that mean snow and ice levels should fall. So on average, foundations should get more exposed rather than buildings getting buried.
That's a sick job. I had been wondering if there's roles for IT in Antarctica, but I fear my wife may be angry if I dip off to an isolated continent for a year.
Great post. I have been intrigued by the life in Antarctica (especially the people living this life) ever since watching Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World. This place seems to attract a fascinating variety of characters, many of which seem to have sprung from a 19th-century adventure novel (or even from one of the expeditions of the Heroic Age).
So, from what I read, it's not that the bar can structure is special - it's more about the author's infatuation with. I resonate with that. I often find some structures (especially technical ones, occasionally - ruins) causing this kind of sensation. (Is there a word it?) Metal grid staircases, pipes often invoke it for me.
To some extend, I like these feelings also in some games (notably: Half Life, including Alyx and the remake Black Mesa).
Also - given current technology, both with both tech for scanning and creating models, and generative one - I would love to turn some real locations into "walking simulator games". As a side note, "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" was based on a real location in Poland.
Interesting article just for how the structures tell stories about history of the place, under such unique constraints.
Browsing the site made me find the "Engineering for slow internet" article too, which appears to have been a big thing here lol. Very interesting! Dunno if Elon's Starlink already one-shotted that whole issue, but I imagined a whole remote access piece of software that could avoid a lot of the related pains ... Something across lines of remote sending low bitdepth very compressed images back, and only on user interaction, clicks / typing in the input fields working in "turns" instead of realtime-by-default. Constraining the bitrate even more, the returned data could be just rects with AI labeling them either "some graphic" or "text" with the text content of the image only being transmitted. The remote could also send basic updates based on reading the screen like "page loaded and visual of it has been static for x seconds" to avoid wasting any data.
I worked in an ice cream factory (palletizer) before I think that was -30F and you had to wear these cooler suits, that was brutal with frozen nostrils
I wonder if the electrical engineers used ambient temperature correction factors when designing the electrical system, -80F would let you use substantially smaller conductors.
The NEC allows conductor ampacity to be adjusted 1.2x if the ambient temp is below 50F, but that’s where the table stops, but I’m guessing lower temps would allow for even higher ampacities.
1.2x more ampacity would let you use #12s for a 30A circuit instead of #10s.
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 55.2 ms ] threadLiving in antarctica is one of our closest analogues to long-term space habitation.
To some extend, I like these feelings also in some games (notably: Half Life, including Alyx and the remake Black Mesa).
Also - given current technology, both with both tech for scanning and creating models, and generative one - I would love to turn some real locations into "walking simulator games". As a side note, "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" was based on a real location in Poland.
Edit, meant to add this: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01055-6
Browsing the site made me find the "Engineering for slow internet" article too, which appears to have been a big thing here lol. Very interesting! Dunno if Elon's Starlink already one-shotted that whole issue, but I imagined a whole remote access piece of software that could avoid a lot of the related pains ... Something across lines of remote sending low bitdepth very compressed images back, and only on user interaction, clicks / typing in the input fields working in "turns" instead of realtime-by-default. Constraining the bitrate even more, the returned data could be just rects with AI labeling them either "some graphic" or "text" with the text content of the image only being transmitted. The remote could also send basic updates based on reading the screen like "page loaded and visual of it has been static for x seconds" to avoid wasting any data.
Really feels like old internet too.
Probably a good contender for "coldest stairwell on earth"
https://brr.fyi/media/beer-can/ice-tunnel-01-small.webp
I worked in an ice cream factory (palletizer) before I think that was -30F and you had to wear these cooler suits, that was brutal with frozen nostrils
The NEC allows conductor ampacity to be adjusted 1.2x if the ambient temp is below 50F, but that’s where the table stops, but I’m guessing lower temps would allow for even higher ampacities.
1.2x more ampacity would let you use #12s for a 30A circuit instead of #10s.