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Mar. 25th, 2010 08:14 amHeh... good post on the God botherers, and their oh-so-crystal-clear theological justification for their peculiar, never-ending obsession with oppressing gay people - Tom Harris' blog.
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Jan. 22nd, 2010 09:55 amThe last surviving veteran of the Crimean War was Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton. He died in 1940 so my grandparents could have met him.
Actually, his article is worth a click as he had an interesting life. He later became an industrialist and electrical engineer, and did the early work on the National Grid in the 1920's. He was a president of the IEE, an enthusiastic cyclist and a founder member of the Royal Automobile Club. I get the strong impression of one of those people who are enthusiastically fascinated by everything novel they come across. Generally, such people are very good to know.
Back to my point. It's theoretically possible he could have met, as a young man, the last veterans of the American Revolution - the last British veteran is more likely, unfortunately this only concerns itself with the last American veterans. It takes only two more degrees of separation to take us to William Hiseland, the last survivor of the English Civil War, who was in the Royalist army at the Battle of Edgehill. Hiseland could have known somebody who saw William Shakespeare on stage.
You get the idea - this six-degrees of separation thing does seem to work awfully well across time, as well as space.
Actually, his article is worth a click as he had an interesting life. He later became an industrialist and electrical engineer, and did the early work on the National Grid in the 1920's. He was a president of the IEE, an enthusiastic cyclist and a founder member of the Royal Automobile Club. I get the strong impression of one of those people who are enthusiastically fascinated by everything novel they come across. Generally, such people are very good to know.
Back to my point. It's theoretically possible he could have met, as a young man, the last veterans of the American Revolution - the last British veteran is more likely, unfortunately this only concerns itself with the last American veterans. It takes only two more degrees of separation to take us to William Hiseland, the last survivor of the English Civil War, who was in the Royalist army at the Battle of Edgehill. Hiseland could have known somebody who saw William Shakespeare on stage.
You get the idea - this six-degrees of separation thing does seem to work awfully well across time, as well as space.
(no subject)
Jan. 3rd, 2010 12:45 pmWow.... the Beardmore Inverness flying boat (1924) was equipped with masts and sails, carried in case of engine failure or running out of fuel.*
Unfortunately, it seems a truth that as soon as a technology matures, it becomes very very boring. In comparison, with historic ones, modern aircraft are large dull, utilitarian appliances, nothing more than giant washing machines.
Except, you probably see more variety in washing machines. I'm darned if I know how even the most enthusiastic plane-spotter can tell apart modern, twin-engined, mid-sized airliners.
* Hence not a completely amazing discovery to see that William Beardmore and Company were shipbuilders, before their unsuccessful flirtation with the new-fangled aviation malarkey.
Unfortunately, it seems a truth that as soon as a technology matures, it becomes very very boring. In comparison, with historic ones, modern aircraft are large dull, utilitarian appliances, nothing more than giant washing machines.
Except, you probably see more variety in washing machines. I'm darned if I know how even the most enthusiastic plane-spotter can tell apart modern, twin-engined, mid-sized airliners.
* Hence not a completely amazing discovery to see that William Beardmore and Company were shipbuilders, before their unsuccessful flirtation with the new-fangled aviation malarkey.
(no subject)
Jul. 19th, 2009 11:30 am"Fan death" is an interesting phenomena. Apparently, many Koreans believe that sleeping in a closed room with a working, electric fan can be lethal. Whether it's because the fan blows the air away from the sleeper's face, resulting in asphixiation, or it's because of hypothermia people seem to be vague. But all agree on the the danger, especially because of widespread media reports whenever a person dies in their sleep in summer, when there happens to be a fan in the bedroom.
The idea is so widespread that fans are sold with timers, so they don't remain on all night. Of course in this country it goes without saying that respectable, mainstream companies would never stoop to making a quick buck by pandering to unproven, nonsensical, idiotic beliefs.
The idea is so widespread that fans are sold with timers, so they don't remain on all night. Of course in this country it goes without saying that respectable, mainstream companies would never stoop to making a quick buck by pandering to unproven, nonsensical, idiotic beliefs.
(no subject)
Aug. 19th, 2008 09:27 amI've not been fanatically following the Olympics. But the medal table, as of today, is interesting.
Notice that most countries' medals have a distribution amongst the three grades that is about equal, although possibly with a slight tendancy to have slightly more silvers and bronzes. The samples aren't big but I think that's obvious.
The two huge exceptions to this are Britain and China - 56% of Chinese medals are gold; 48% of British medals. There is a tendancy for British and Chinese athletes to come in either first or fourth or below.
I wonder if this means that both countries have adopted a "gold at any cost" policy - ie cherry picking the likely winners early in their training, dumping hugely disproportionate amounts of resources on them and then telling the other members of the team to sod-off.
I couldn't say, but it does make sense.
Notice that most countries' medals have a distribution amongst the three grades that is about equal, although possibly with a slight tendancy to have slightly more silvers and bronzes. The samples aren't big but I think that's obvious.
The two huge exceptions to this are Britain and China - 56% of Chinese medals are gold; 48% of British medals. There is a tendancy for British and Chinese athletes to come in either first or fourth or below.
I wonder if this means that both countries have adopted a "gold at any cost" policy - ie cherry picking the likely winners early in their training, dumping hugely disproportionate amounts of resources on them and then telling the other members of the team to sod-off.
I couldn't say, but it does make sense.
(no subject)
Jul. 31st, 2008 03:18 pmA reminder...
Partial solar eclipse tomorrow, 8am-10am BST ish. About 20% from the South of England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_2008_August_1
Something to watch whilst slurping the coffee and chomping the musuli.
Partial solar eclipse tomorrow, 8am-10am BST ish. About 20% from the South of England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_2008_August_1
Something to watch whilst slurping the coffee and chomping the musuli.
(no subject)
May. 21st, 2008 10:48 amIt's interesting to see that, in the 60's, traditional gender roles were expected to survive nuclear annihilation.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/08/duck_and_cover_fall_out_s.html
That and cockroaches*.
Though it's quoted so often that cockroaches can survive nuclear war that it has to be nonsense.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/08/duck_and_cover_fall_out_s.html
That and cockroaches*.
Though it's quoted so often that cockroaches can survive nuclear war that it has to be nonsense.
