Another favorite pastime was digging a tunnel under his home; he attributed the secret of his success to “visits by elves” while he worked in the tunnel: “While I’m digging in the tunnel, the elves will often come to me with solutions to my problem.”
Wikipedia cited a rather entertaining Time article as a citation for this.
I’m pretty sure he was kidding about the elves. In the article he says:
“I work for three hours, and then I get stumped, and I’m not making progress. So I quit, and I go and work in the tunnel. It takes me an hour or so to dig four inches and put in the 4-by-4s. … Then I go back up and work some more.”
It’s a common technique when dealing with a difficult research/creative problem.
- gain a good understanding of the problem (even if you’re stuck on how to solve it)
- go do something unrelated work (preferrably physical, like gardening or housework or… working on your basement apparently.)
I think it gives your subconscious a chance to work on the problem without your conscious mind interfering.
Who doesn’t understand the urge to dig?
The children yearn for the mines, but many of us lose that sense of wonder as we get older.
TIL I’m a 30 year old child
My wife, unfortunately.
so is he then the father of tunnelling protocols?
We found Colin Furze’s dad!
I wonder if he is at all related to Colin Furze (who also seems to love digging under his house)
Hehe, I was about to mention Colin. XD
Killed in a car accident. Fuck cars.
Something, something, a series of tubes.
Oh, just like Colin Furze?
You know now that I think of it, I could probably get a decent tunnel going through my neighborhood…
Or up into your neighbor’s house. Then slowly steal your neighbor’s house, one board at a time, and add it to your own house!
A couple years ago someone on r/TwinCities posted about finding a boarded up tunnel in their basement. Turns out that it went to the neighbor’s basement.
Apparently they aren’t that unusual in certain neighborhoods with houses of a certain age - they were used historically to move coal for heating the houses.
Prohibition. secret escapes, secret stashes. Moved quick when the need arises
a shovel can get you out of a rut
Dig a tunnel, dig dig a tunnel.
Dig a tunnel, dig dig a tunnel.
Dig a tunnel, dig dig a tunnel.
Quick before the
hyeenasmagic elfs come!I am a dwarf and I’m digging a hole
Diggy diggy hole
Digging a hole.
He Cray.
Cray!
Dale Gribble?
It’s never too late to prepare for the apocalypse.
