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Top 5 Ways to Hack the Surface of the Earth

io9.com — Could we hack geology? Could we use plate tectonics to re-direct whole island chains, color rocks, print cities out of magma, and build mountains where mountains have no right to be? Here are the Entropist's top five ways to change the surface of the earth.

Who dugg this? Made popular Feb 16, 2008

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  • bonkeykong, on 02/16/2008, -2/+55It isn't called hacking. It's called digging. Grab a shovel and get started!
  • Eivo, on 02/16/2008, -2/+31Buried for use of word "Hack".
  • hello2usir, on 02/16/2008, -1/+26Yes but nowadays the term 'hack/hacker' is trendy and it appeals to all the 'designers' and 'web 2.0 gurus' that assume their repertoire of overpriced electronic gadgets, super-stylin' CSS tricks, and geek-chic lifestyle somehow puts them on the same level as Kevin Mitnick.and Linus Torvalds. Whereas if you showed them something like a Blue Box or PIC 16F84 they wouldn't know what it was, but they'd think it was awesome anyway and then they'd probably go out and get a tattoo of it and then upload pictures of the tattoo to Flickr.

    But hey, times change. If 'hack' tickles your fancy and 'geek' to you means learning from a Lifehacker article how to make a DIY lava lamp out of toilet paper and nail polish then by all means, blog about it until your fingers bleed. The era of the real hackers is long gone anyway.
  • om3ga, on 02/16/2008, -3/+28What's everyone's obsession with calling everything "hacking" to feel like "t3h l33t!"?
  • Supernova36, on 02/16/2008, -1/+19Not hacking!
  • inertic, on 02/16/2008, -3/+17Hack the Planet!
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -1/+12Why do I get the feeling this guy smoked a huge bowl just minutes before writing this article? Seriously though, thats good stuff
  • roflbrothel, on 02/16/2008, -1/+9Oh wow! Hold on guys, I think I can SSH into he Earth's mantle!
  • Craga89, on 02/16/2008, -1/+8You keep using that word... I don't think it means what you think it means
  • appleseed1234, on 02/16/2008, -3/+9Sounds like a good time, minus the inappropriate use of the word hacking.
  • nickdngr, on 02/16/2008, -1/+6I hope you mean the bowl is good stuff because the article is *****.
  • snoogit, on 02/16/2008, -1/+5I was entirely expecting that to be the first post.
  • roflbrothel, on 02/16/2008, -0/+4Earth is such a noob.
  • flxfxp, on 02/16/2008, -1/+5Buried for "hack" and MrBabyMan
  • medladam, on 02/16/2008, -3/+7Top 5 Ways to Hack the Surface of the Earth:

    1. shovel
    2. pick-axe
    3. excavator
    4. drilling machine
    5. backhoe
  • smeenz, on 02/16/2008, -0/+4Just typical that it wouldn't have the port blocked!
  • calbff, on 02/16/2008, -0/+3No...all mountains will have well-formed nipples.
  • lfroker, on 02/16/2008, -0/+3This article is ridiculous. Build islands out of magma? What about the Palm or the World islands in Dubai. Those are man made and didnt take 100,000 years to form using magma. What an idiot.
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -0/+3This earthquake need more cowbell.
  • davidwasman, on 02/16/2008, -0/+3Buried as Gawker Media Spam. Just look up how many of their sites they spam Digg with (i.e.gizmodo, jalopnik, gawker, i09, valleywag, kotaku, etc...)

    Digg original Articles. Support the original writers.
  • roflbrothel, on 02/16/2008, -0/+3I don't know but I ***** see it everywhere now. I was looking at a PC somethingorother magazine with HACK EVERYTHING! in big bold letters on the cover. This wasn't some sort of 2600 or something, it was a crappy windows magazine and the article had nothing to do with hacking. It was about using msconfig. Wtf?
  • davidwasman, on 02/16/2008, -0/+2damnit...you combo-broke it.
  • roflbrothel, on 02/16/2008, -0/+2stfu
  • roflbrothel, on 02/16/2008, -1/+3Dugg for burying for the use of the word "hack". Keep up the good work.
  • calbff, on 02/16/2008, -0/+2This article made my brain bleed. If he didn't smoke a bowl before writing it, I hope he's an Andy Kaufman fan.
  • fluxion, on 02/16/2008, -0/+2shovel is #1?
  • davidwasman, on 02/16/2008, -0/+2Whoever he is, he's obviously seen us with the Princess, and must therefore die.
  • calibration, on 02/16/2008, -4/+5Penis shaped mountains?
  • cosmotic, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1Hack? =(
  • gansito87, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1That's because most are.
  • VVCephei, on 02/16/2008, -2/+3The word "hack" is grossly overused nowadays.
  • j0nnyDiGITAL, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1It's also called digging.
  • Mr.Gone, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1http://www.cornerstorecomics.com/af_pbride.html
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1Getting a little tired of people using the word "hack" in contexts that have nothing to do with hacking.
  • StilRH, on 02/17/2008, -0/+0Richter Magnitudes Description Earthquake Effects Frequency of Occurrence
    Less than 2.0 Micro Microearthquakes, not felt. About 8,000 per day
    2.0-2.9 Minor Generally not felt, but recorded. About 1,000 per day
    3.0-3.9 Minor Often felt, but rarely causes damage. 49,000 per year (est.)
    4.0-4.9 Light Noticeable shaking of indoor items, rattling noises. Significant damage unlikely. 6,200 per year (est.)
    5.0-5.9 Moderate Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings. 800 per year
    6.0-6.9 Strong Can be destructive in areas up to about 100 miles across in populated areas. 120 per year
    7.0-7.9 Major Can cause serious damage over larger areas. 18 per year
    8.0-8.9 Great Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred miles across. 1 per year
    9.0-9.9 Great Devastating in areas several thousand miles across. 1 per 20 years
    10.0+ OMG HAX!!!111
  • gmiley, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die!
  • Mr.Gone, on 02/16/2008, -2/+2I like the idea of making buildings out of liquid hot magma, but seriously, does the author realize how thick the Earth's crust really is?
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1The reason liquid pahoehoe is red is not due to its chemical makeup. It is due to its blackbody temperature. The maximum wavelength of thermal emission is red. Spinking lava with metals would have no effect.
    Subduction features are controlled by large scale convection in the mantle that have evolved over billions of years. You cannot change them, much as I would like to subduct Moscow or Beijing.
  • earl2, on 05/25/2008, -0/+0http://www.genericsmed.com/
    http://www.generics.ws/
  • roflbrothel, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1lol, most ridiculous movie ever?

    No, but it's close.
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -5/+5Haven't humans hacked the Mother Earth enough !!

    A little more and Nature will hack humans out of existence.
  • borez, on 02/16/2008, -2/+2Alrighty. Nothing to see here...move along in an orderly fashion please.
  • orijimi, on 02/16/2008, -2/+1The way you're speaking of them, new-age hackers sound as lowly as Bros/ NJ douchebags.
  • ryanfaith88, on 02/16/2008, -2/+1Bummer. I wanted to tell my girlfriend she's a 1337 hax0r.
  • nunia, on 02/16/2008, -7/+5As a geologist, and an ex-comp sci major, I feel obligated to say something.

    Hello world.
  • orijimi, on 02/16/2008, -4/+2Might explain all those nasty-looking field of earthen spikes in sci-fi movies and games.
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -4/+1
    Shandra, Candi, Elektra, Sparkles, Chasty.
  • wmrivera, on 02/16/2008, -4/+1All your base...
  • inactive, on 02/16/2008, -6/+2
    Hack the Planet!
  • GinsuGuy585, on 02/16/2008, -5/+1Shandra, Candi, Elektra, Sparkles, Chasty.
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