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Yardstick (Rough Estimate)
May. 7th, 2008 01:35 am
I don't really care for James Michener's work--the sentences are brittle, flat and uninteresting--but Legacy is a short enough read that I feel I can sit still for it. Then people will stop telling me I ought to read his books. (See also: JRRT, Steven King, Dickens, Steinbeck, Tolstoy, et. al., ad nauseam).
Anyway. Using an offhand line from one of the character sketches therein, I plugged Philadelphia and Norfolk (the first Virginia seaside-ish town I could think of) into Google maps, and, thus and therfore and thereby, and possibly therewith, estimate that five days' ride on horseback at an average pace covers a distance of about 270 miles, give or take some.
This is useful for drawing original-universe maps of the fantasy variety in particular; I'd imagine halving the time across the same distance for steam-punk and/or murder mysteries with that old-time flavor--anything using steam rail. I haven't checked whether that bears out, but it sounds reasonable and would merit a saving throw and/or willpower check by interested parties.
Iron Man was fun. Stupid, but fun, and Robert Downey Jr. may continue with these antics if he wishes; I no longer disapprove. (O, ringing endorsement, so enthusiastic thou art.)
I had a brief, intense thing for Tony Stark at the age of ten, you see.
Clearly, I need sleep.
I had some good sleep earlier today, one of my jagged-edged catnaps fronted and backed by panics, with the fast, razor-sharp dreams of sentences written and spoken and shouted and screamed, faster, faster, faster--language lessons.
MOAR SLEEP NOW KTHX.
Anyway. Using an offhand line from one of the character sketches therein, I plugged Philadelphia and Norfolk (the first Virginia seaside-ish town I could think of) into Google maps, and, thus and therfore and thereby, and possibly therewith, estimate that five days' ride on horseback at an average pace covers a distance of about 270 miles, give or take some.
This is useful for drawing original-universe maps of the fantasy variety in particular; I'd imagine halving the time across the same distance for steam-punk and/or murder mysteries with that old-time flavor--anything using steam rail. I haven't checked whether that bears out, but it sounds reasonable and would merit a saving throw and/or willpower check by interested parties.
Iron Man was fun. Stupid, but fun, and Robert Downey Jr. may continue with these antics if he wishes; I no longer disapprove. (O, ringing endorsement, so enthusiastic thou art.)
I had a brief, intense thing for Tony Stark at the age of ten, you see.
Clearly, I need sleep.
I had some good sleep earlier today, one of my jagged-edged catnaps fronted and backed by panics, with the fast, razor-sharp dreams of sentences written and spoken and shouted and screamed, faster, faster, faster--language lessons.
MOAR SLEEP NOW KTHX.
