What if had a really big shovel and a lot of time to waste?
Well what if I did? I could dig a hole in the garden and finally plant those tulip bulbs I bought a while ago at Wilkinson's. Or I could help my dog with his never-ending search for a bone... that is if I had a pooch.
But because I've no four-legged friend and since I'm not much of a green thumb either, I'd have to dig for the sake of digging, for the fun of it.
Now of course, I could embark on a vernian journey to the center of the Earth but you know, been there done that. It's déja vu. Otto Lidenbrock (cf. A Journey to the Center of the Earth ) already set foot in the cavernous insides of Mother Earth.
So the last option is fairly straightforward, really: keep on going straight on! And see where that takes you. This is just the idea Luis Felipe of Brasil had. Armed with a virtual shovel, a sharp sense of maths, and one of those nifty new web apps - Google Maps - he wrote a small program to find out what's on the other side of the tunnel. All you have to do is pick your starting point.
Here goes. I live in England's Sleepy Suffolk (not the one in the New World). To be more concise I live in Ipswich, Suffok or more pragmatically yet, I live in IP4 5RS. Going into any further details would be a breech of my private space. After having zoomed on Luis's customized Google Maps application, I click on my street and then start digging. And, well, what do you know? I end up in a puddle. Not just any puddle. Oh no sireee! The stormy Pacific Ocean with its myriad of minute islands, its passion for rugby, and well mostly vast masses of water.
So, if I dug deep down, would I actually create a geyser so mighty it would belittle Yellowstone's steamer? Would Australia and New Zealand be one? Would French Polynesia become bigger than the French Metropolis? Well I haven't got a clue, but when I do get some holidays, I'll start digging.
NB: remember that prior to any digging you should always advise thee gas / electric / phone company. You wouldn't want to throw half of Europe into pitch dark?
