where do they stand on glass making/blowing/floating?
Making and blowing - pretty good. For some reason I think they don't have float, but I can't remember why...
not enough mercury?
odd they don't have nitrates when they farm mushrooms... fertilizer of fungi is almost pure nitrates... little or no pot ash as you are not encouraging flowers....
There's another mention of the fungi further down - I should write more about them. For now, suffice it to say their shape is an example of convergent evolution on Earth fungi, and they're quite different biochemically. Species exist which metabolise all sorts of weird stuff, like iron. Some species have symbiotic photosynthetic bacteria in them...
I have decided that there are two new undiscovered chemical elements on Anyaral. They are very similar to each other and incredibly hard to tell apart without extensive and detailed scientific analysis. They are pervasive and invasive in varying quantities in almost all things. They have incredibly varied attributes and effects, enabling almost anything to be possible. The principal detectable difference between these chemical elements is their natural stability. The first is a highly stable, noble element which does not react with any other element, remaining true to its native condition even when subjected to rigorous and invasive action. I have named this element "Plausium" The second element is more unstable and has a short half-life when subjected to any form of scientific analysis, its is notable that the higher the concentration of this element the faster its decay-rate. One exposed this element quickly decays leaving little or no residue. I have named this element "Bunkum".
I have completed testing on Anyaral's first Plauso-Bunkum Detector (the PBD) and shall feed any further posts in this thread into the detector and feedback the machines findings.
As a guide the initial results suggest that fubarnii fungus is so different to earth fungus because it is a strong carrier of "Plausium".
Whereas the strider's mechanical legs are clearly powered by huge quantities of latent "Bunkum".
For example i find it hard to justify a good metal working industry when the roads are so poor in anyaral as the materials necessary to successfully make iron are often found considerable distances apart so in order to build one you need the other. That's not to say it's not possible at all, but that in the only system we know (earths technological history) that's not how it happened and there are reasons for it to be unlikely or improbable.
Gah, I need more time! Can't understand why I don't have more time...
The short answer is that they have better quality mineral deposits than Earth has seen for a few thousand years. The longer answer will have to wait, but mentions the Traders, and why they don't encourage the building of better roads.
I have determined this fact contains high levels of "Plausium".
