The Monument of Ultimate Futility takes the form of a long step ladder that's firmly anchored in a public place. At the top of the ladder is a platform on which there is a glass case containing the actual monument.

A well controlled queuing system ensures that only one person at a time can climb the stairs and view the Monument before descending.

The Monument itself consists of a detailed scale model of a long step ladder that reaches a platform on which there is a glass case with a tiny figure staring in at another model of The Monument of Ultimate Futility.

This idea has been fully approved by the estate of the late De Selby.
-- xenzag, Sep 22 2020

A Monument To European Financial Unity A_20Monument_20To_2...20Financial_20Unity
Prior Art [8th of 7, Sep 22 2020]

You've read The Cyberiad too ?

Are you SURE you're American ... ?

// descending //

Do they climb back down the ladder, or does some powerful concealed mechanism flip them off ... ?

The latter would be more efficient in terms of throughput, although that's probably not the point.

Also, <link>.
-- 8th of 7, Sep 22 2020


ha! [8th_of_7]
-- theircompetitor, Sep 22 2020


Thankyou, yes ... we just want to add a little Polish to the contents ...
-- 8th of 7, Sep 22 2020


Received wisdom and racial stereotyping (in the U.S.) would suggest it would go sailing past a lot of Polish people, too ...
-- 8th of 7, Sep 22 2020


And after peering in at the smaller figure who is peering in at the even smaller figure... when you turn to look over your shoulder what do you see?
-- whatrock, Sep 23 2020


[whatrock]; you could have an image (face) on the surrounding buildings behind it, with false perspective & distributed across various surfaces, so it's only properly visible/identifiable when your head is in that exact spot.
-- neutrinos_shadow, Sep 23 2020


//when you turn to look over your shoulder what do you see?// It's possible you could see a massive version of the exact same scene looming over you.
-- xenzag, Sep 23 2020


Recursion ... nice !
-- 8th of 7, Sep 23 2020


The question is, does the scaling converge to a finite space, or is there an infinitely long assemblage of infinitesimal ladders to ever smaller monuments?

And speaking of, where exactly has [zeno] been lately?
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 23 2020



random, halfbakery