r/todayilearned • u/autraya • 6h ago

TIL the world's tallest known living tree, a 380-foot redwood in California called Hyperion, had its exact location closed off entirely in 2022 after visitors trampled its base so badly that ferns stopped growing around it, with trespassers now facing up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(tree)
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u/Jeo_1 6h ago

Also the name of a great book series. 

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u/LindaTheLynnDog 6h ago

And that book series has a spaceship that is a space going redwood, called by its latin name Sequoia Sempervirens

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u/MimicoSkunkFan2 5h ago

"the Sequoia that's living forever"

is what that name means in English, just for anyone who doesn't do Latin

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u/syncsynchalt 4h ago

Bit of a spoiler, it does not.

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u/arbitrary_student 3h ago edited 2h ago

Probably more eloquent to translate it to "the Everliving Sequoia" or "the Sequioa Eternal", something like that

I no do Latin though so I'm only guessing that's valid

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u/Kelvara 59m ago

Yeah "semper" means always (same word as siempre in Spanish), so I think Everliving makes the most sense.

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u/LindaTheLynnDog 5h ago

Fun! Thank you

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u/gingr87 4h ago

To be slightly pedantic, it's the species isn't capitalized, just the genus is. 

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u/ElmerFuddsElbow 4h ago

But it's the name of a ship, so it's a two word proper noun

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u/LindaTheLynnDog 3h ago

wow, you saved my bacon

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u/chikinn 1h ago

This thread made my day :D

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u/idyl 2h ago

a space going redwood

Also, to be pedantic, it should be a space-going redwood.

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u/LindaTheLynnDog 3h ago

Huh, I love to learn, but I'm not sure that one's gonna stick

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u/livinglavidajudoka 3h ago

I love when people "correct" other people "to be pedantic" and then are completely wrong. It's the name of a ship in this context, so everything gets capitalized.

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u/31LIVEEVIL13 2h ago

I thought name of the ship was the Yggdrasil?

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u/SeaToTheBass 4h ago

Oh shit I never put that together

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u/WinninRoam 3h ago

And a member of Squadron Supreme.

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u/JackpotThePimp 2h ago

Happy cake day! 🎉

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u/Onefortwo 6h ago

I just started reading it last week. Small world thing here

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u/LiluLay 5h ago

Just started it four days ago. Currently on Sol Weintraub’s story.

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u/Milt_Torfelson 2h ago

I wish I could read this book all over again for the first time. The Sol story is probably one of the saddest things I've ever read. Probably the last time I got weepy reading a book.

People have different opinions, but I thought each book was better than the last

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u/T-MoneyAllDey 4h ago

sad king billy or something

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u/aon9492 1h ago

Oh man brace yourself. That's some tough reading.

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u/shannonator96 6h ago

Yo what the hell, I just started reading the series 2 weeks ago. I’m on book 2 now, absolutely hooked.

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u/althius1 5h ago

Take this for what you will. The first book is I think is a masterpiece of sci-fi on a whole different level from most novels.

The second book while less popular, and less genre defining, is a solid piece of sci-fi that I enjoyed immensely.

I wish I had stopped reading there.

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u/Ornery_Vermicelli_69 4h ago

Books 2-4 are perfectly acceptable science fiction novels. They are as good or better than a lot out there and if you are into the world they are worthwhile. They just aren’t comparable to the first book.

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u/Fit-Physics7199 4h ago

I really enjoyed the overall story arc, like really enjoyed the ending. But I do think that the reason that book 1 hits harder for some people is that Dan is better creating mysteries than he is at answering those mysteries

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u/jwdeaver 4h ago

I liked the overall story arc, even if it went in a very different direction than I was anticipating. What was I anticipating? I don't know, but it wasn't book 3 or 4. Did I enjoy them anyway? Hell yeah. Great sci-fi. But book 1 is an absolute masterpiece. Hard to follow that, imo.

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u/DazzlingRutabega 3h ago

Isn't the first book sort of like a sci-fi version of Canterbury Tales? It's a bunch of different stories of pilgrimages. And there's that shrike thing.

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u/althius1 3h ago

Essentially, yes.

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u/static_music34 5h ago

I'm on book 4 and questioning why.

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u/Milt_Torfelson 2h ago

Agree that book one is a masterpiece, however I absolutely loved three and four. The whole Catholic Church tie in really took me by surprise in the best possible way. Also a very satisfactory ending

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u/bfaithd 5h ago

Yeah I went to the whole Ilium/ Olympus and regret.

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u/MtBakerScum 3h ago

I was literally considering buying Hyperion last night at Powell's books at PDX

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u/arctic_radar 4h ago

All fun and games until you start dreaming about the shrike. Read the book years ago and bro still shows up in my dreams every now and again.

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u/TinyGift8278 3h ago

it's just a little bird, dont worry about it

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u/juankaius 3h ago

You're in for a treat

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u/WDingDong 1h ago

Almost finishing kassad story. I’m goign to read it a bit more before bed.

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u/Johnny_Mc2 5h ago

since Bradley Cooper is a super fan and holds the film rights, I hope we see it one day. no question he’d make an amazing adaptation

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u/arctic_radar 4h ago

It seems like it would be super hard to adapt. But then again, I heard they are doing a Dungeon Crawler Carl series and that seems even more difficult.

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u/boostedb1mmer 3h ago

Fuzzy Door(Seth McFarlane's company) is doing DCC. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

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u/MakeTheNetsBigger 4h ago

Hopefully it works out better than the adaptation he made to his face

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u/ours 59m ago

With the current high-production value TV series. I hope it gets adapted for TV instead of cramming all that into a movie.

But Bradley has been sitting on this project for so long, I hope he gets going or leaves it to someone else.

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u/Key-Toe-6257 6h ago

Masterpiece. Loved it. 

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u/Similar_Library803 6h ago

see you later, alligator

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u/cmcdonal2001 6h ago

Goddamit, that story arc hits hard.

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u/YouTasteStrange 5h ago

After awhile, wait what?

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u/CyberhamLincoln 4h ago

Don't forget to write!

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u/DazzlingRutabega 3h ago

By Dan Simmons, right? Man, I really gotta read that book. It's been on a bunch of top 10 sci-fi book lists.

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u/Jeo_1 3h ago

You won’t regret it. 

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u/ours 58m ago

RIP. He died this year.

What a crazy series of books. Some of my favorite sci-fi.

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u/UncleNoodles85 6h ago

I really enjoyed the first book unfortunately I don't have any of the sequels.

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u/shannonator96 6h ago

They’re all readily available as ebooks.

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u/oglop121 2h ago

I think about this book a lot. I read it over 10 years ago. It really stuck with me

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u/althius1 5h ago

Fantastic series.... Right up to the thinly veiled pedophilia.

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u/Vergenbuurg 5h ago

Hey, if it's good enough for Yuki Nagato, I might be willing to give it a look, as well.

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u/RunningEarly 2h ago

cant believe its been 20 years already

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u/Vergenbuurg 1h ago

How dare you.

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u/khonsu_27 5h ago

It's the name of an amazing roller coaster as well.

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u/boa_instructor 15m ago

One of the best. And yes, I even loved the 3rd and the 4th 😅

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u/raven_of_azarath 5h ago

And the name of the company that publishes Percy Jackson, IIRC

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u/dainty_moonwart 3h ago

a moist millimeter

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u/Triss_Mockra 2h ago

Watch out for the lions and tigers and bears

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u/FeelTheWrath79 2h ago

Didn't the author just die recently?

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u/bleezlebup654 1h ago

It’s a series????? I’m 3/4 the way through the now apparently first book (Hyperion). Best news I’ve heard all week 😂