《那些古怪又让人忧心的问题》第103期:乐高大桥(3)
Cost
Lego bricks are made of ABS plastic, which costs about a dollar per kilogram at the time of this writing. Even our simplest bridge design, the one with the kilometer-long steel tethers,13 would cost over $5 trillion.
乐高积木由ABS塑料制成，在写这篇文章时这种材料的成本约为每千克1美元。即使我们使用最简单的设计方案，就是那个用几千米长的铁索的那个方案，13也要花费至少5万亿美元。But consider: The total value of the London real estate market is $2.1 trillion, and transatlantic shipping rates are about $30 per ton.
考虑一下：伦敦整个地产市场的价值也就2.1万亿美元，跨大西洋海运的价格约为每吨30美元。
This means that for less than the cost of our bridge, we could buy all the property in London and ship it, piece by piece, to New York. Then we could re-assemble it on a new island in New York Harbor, and connect the two cities with a much simpler Lego bridge.
这意味着把大桥的总造价里拿出一部分就够买下伦敦所有的地产，并且还剩下足够多的钱把这些地产一块一块全部海运到纽约。然后我们可以在纽约港一座新的小岛上再把这些房子一块一块地原样拼回去，之后再在两个“城市”间用一个简单无比的乐高大桥连接起来。We might even have enough left over to buy that sweet Millennium Falcon kit.
剩下的钱没准还够买一个很赞的乐高千年隼号战舰套装。1 Although enthusiasts will point out it should be written “LEGO.”
1． 尽管乐高积木的狂热爱好者会指出商标应该写作“LEGO”。2 Actually, the LEGO Group® demands that it be styled “LEGO®.”
2． 其实乐高集团官方要求写成“LEGO®”。3 On the other hand, writers have no legal obligation to include the trademark symbol. The Wikipedia style guide mandates that it be written “Lego.”
3． 不过作者就没有法律义务把商标符号也写上去。维基百科样式指南授意写成“Lego”。4 The Wikipedia style is not without its critics. The talk page argument over this issue featured many pages of heated arguments, including several misguided legal threats. They also debate the italics.
4． 维基百科上的写法也是争议重重。人们激烈讨论了好几页，其中还包括了许多没有法律依据的违法警告。人们还就是否要用斜体而争论不休。5 OK, nobody styles it this way.
5． 好吧，没人会这么写。6 Fine.
6． 这样还行。7 Citation: I made a Lego boat once and put it in the water and it sank :(
7． 引用：我曾经用乐高积木搭了一艘船，我把它放在水里，然后它就沉了。:(8 I'm going to get some angry mail about this.
8． 我觉得我要因此收到许多愤怒的投诉邮件了。9 Maybe it was a slow news day.
9． 也许那天没什么好新闻。10 And sealant.
10． 还有密封材料。11 If we wanted to try to use Lego pieces, we could get kits that include little nylon ropes.
11． 如果我们只能用乐高组件的话，可以用那些包括小尼龙绳的套装。12 They went on to say, “Wait, what did you say you were trying to build?” and “How did you get in here, anyway?”
12． 他们会继续问道：“等等，你刚说你打算造什么来着？”以及“你是怎么进来的？”13 My favorite Friends episode.
13． 我最喜欢的《老友记》剧集。
