Biker, Happy Joan of Arc Day!

[Huon]

Also with you, May the fourth be! We usually have the 501st at the National Space Centre in Leicester but there was a big convention up north this year... its brilliant wandering round with stormtroopers and Fetts and all manner of mad folk dressed up as ewoks etc Its just nice to feel like I'm the normal one sometimes....

Honestly Sal, you are mad as a hatter but still probably the most "normal" person posting in this thread

 

[TurboGirl]

My favourite bits from today in past years, I'm sure some of them have been done before but I can't trawl 2521 comments while I'm chained to the sink.....

1765 HMS Victory, the ship which became the flagship of British Admiral Horatio Nelson, was launched at Chatham. The ship is now preserved at Portsmouth.

1915 World War I : The Cunard liner Lusitania, bound for Liverpool, was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland with the loss of almost 1,200 lives. The loss of 128 US citizens brought the USA to the verge of war with Germany (maybe not a 'favourite' bit but momentous times)

1945 Germany signed an unconditional surrender in a small school in Rheims (France) when General Jodl, German Army Chief of Staff, signed his name on documents that formally ended six years of war in Europe.

1959 British Rail announced plans to close down 230 stations. (I presume that was the beeching troubles, now we have HS2... nothing changes eh?!)

1999 The first Scottish Parliament for 300 years was elected. The Scottish Parliament building is in Edinburgh and was built at a cost - £414 million (ten times over the original budget)

 

[crosslandkelly]

Interesting stuff there aunty, thanks.

 

[crosslandkelly]

New family portrait.

 

[TurboGirl]

I knew I should have shaved first! Its sticking right up over my chin and even my toes look furry.

 

[petrochemicals]

auntie rub, As a family we have just passed another glorious milestone, much congratulations are in order, so I thought I would be the one too mention it.

sixty Six thousand Six hundred and sixty six posts in the lovely grub forum

Lovely Grub (18 Viewing) Sub-Forums: Fair Game, Hook, Line & Sinker... Foraging, wild food, drink, recipies etc. Threads: 4,337 Posts: 66,666 Nettle and bacon bread recipe! by
Yesterday, 20:18 View John Fenna

by non other than sauron himself !


They always come in twos so there may be one in the future, keep your eyes peeled.


Nice new photo too CLK !

 

[Goatboy]

Biker! Happy Battle of Megiddo Day!

Relief in the Karnak Temple showing Thutmosis III slaying Canaanite captives from the Battle of Megiddo, 15th Century BC
Biker rejoice with definite clarity as today in 1457 BC- Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC) between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.

The Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC) was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Pharaoh Thutmose III and a large rebellious coalition of Canaanite vassal states led by the king of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. Megiddo is also the first recorded use of the composite bow and the first body count. All details of the battle come from Egyptian sources—primarily the hieroglyphic writings on the Hall of Annals in the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor), by the military scribe Tjaneni.
The ancient Egyptian account gives the date of the battle as the 21st day of the first month of the third season, of Year 23 of the reign of Thutmose III. It has been claimed that this was April 16, 1457 BC according to the Middle Chronology, although other publications place the battle in 1482 BC or 1479 BC. The Battle of Megiddo was an Egyptian victory and resulted in a rout of the Canaanite forces, which fled to safety in the city of Megiddo. Their action resulted in the subsequent lengthy Siege of Megiddo.
By reestablishing Egyptian dominance in the Levant, Thutmose III began a reign in which the Egyptian Empire reached its greatest expanse.


Thutmose seized the opportunity. He set up camp at the end of the day, but during the night arrayed his forces close to the enemy; the next morning, they attacked. It cannot be established if the surprised King of Kadesh had managed to fully prepare for battle. Even if he did, it did not bring him much help. Though his forces were on high ground adjacent to the fortress, the Egyptian line was arranged in a concave formation, consisting of three wings, that threatened both Caananite flanks. Both the Egyptians and the Caananites are estimated to have had around 1,000 chariots and 10,000 infantry. The Pharaoh led the attack from the center. The combination of position and numbers, superior maneuverability of their left wing along with an early, bold attack, broke the enemy's will; their line immediately collapsed. Those near the city fled into it, closing the gates behind them.
The Egyptian soldiers fell to plundering the enemy camp. During the plunder they captured 924 chariots and 200 suits of armor. Unfortunately for the Egyptians, during this confusion, the scattered Caananite forces, including the kings of Kadesh and Megiddo, were able to rejoin the defenders inside the city. Those inside lowered tied-together clothing to the men and chariots and pulled them up over the walls. Thus, the opportunity of a quick capture of the city following the battle was lost.
The city was besieged for seven months and the King of Kadesh escaped. Tuthmoses built a moat and a wooden palisade, eventually forcing its occupants to surrender. At Karnak it is recorded that the victorious army took home 340 prisoners, 2,041 mares, 191 foals, 6 stallions, 924 chariots, 200 suits of armor, 502 bows, 1,929 cattle, 22,500 sheep, and the royal armor, chariot and tent-poles of the King of Megiddo. The city and citizens were spared. A number of other cities in the Jezreel Valley were conquered and Egyptian authority in the area was restored.

Egypt's realm was expanded by this campaign. As Paul K. Davis wrote, "By reestablishing Egyptian dominance in Palestine, Thutmose began a reign in which Egypt reached its greatest expanse as an empire." Thutmose III required from the defeated kings that they each send a son to the Egyptian court. There, they received an Egyptian education. When they returned to their homelands, they governed with Egyptian sympathies. Nevertheless, the victory at Megiddo was only the beginning of the pacification of the Levant. Only after several further campaigns, conducted almost annually, was the unrest cooled.

Also in 1671 - Col Thomas Blood attempts to steal Crown Jewels, just thought I'd include that as he has a great name.

I see Cousin Pedro has been let loose with his statistical engine plugged in again! I thought Pa had confiscated it after last time, he'll be raging.

​

 

[TurboGirl]

So typical of modern warfare, fancy letting the main defense force slip away while they were busy plundering! Most interesting, young nephew, what boon would you desire from old auntie... I know, you can trim my toenails with the clippers rather than your teeth this week. Am I not good to you?!

 

[belzeebob23]

Hi Guys
just a wee update.
just back from hospital where the have cleaned out the old heart pipes and fitted a couple of stent.
so all good
bob

 

[TurboGirl]

Awww that's some good news to start the weekend with! Onwards and upwards from here matey... just remind us, its 6 weeks before we can post anything that could get your pulse racing, right?!

Seriously now, how'd it go?

Hi Guys
just a wee update.
just back from hospital where the have cleaned out the old heart pipes and fitted a couple of stent.
so all good
bob

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi Guys
just a wee update.
just back from hospital where the have cleaned out the old heart pipes and fitted a couple of stent.
so all good
bob

Nice one Bob.

Auntie, who was the toe nail crack aimed at, I thought that was my annual job, whether they needed it or not. How do you think I learned to be a Farrier.

 

[TurboGirl]

Auntie, who was the toe nail crack aimed at, I thought that was my annual job, whether they needed it or not. How do you think I learned to be a Farrier.

From the look of your recent family portrait, you really ought to be strimming the bush in my back yard first!

 

[Mesquite]

From the look of your recent family portrait, you really ought to be strimming the bush in my back yard first!

Is that how he gets to do bushcraft?

 

[TurboGirl]

Is that how he gets to do bushcraft?

hacking through the undergrowth is hard sweaty work but some poor sod has to do it :

 

[Goatboy]

Thanks Auntie, though it means I filed my teeth for no reason now!


Oh well of to gnaw some bones instead in my lair.

Wow it must be coming up for the MOOT with all this personal grooming everyones thinking of. Or there will be some interesting pictures after Brother Bobs sabbatical!

Glad your getting on well little Bro, you'll be swinging your axe again soon.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Ooh, nice work GB. Kribe will be pleased that you have copied his look. Have you also shaved a 'Tonsure'?

 

[Goatboy]

No, no bald pate at the moment, though the old beard and brain container are indeed in need of a close cropping again after my disastrous beard removal the other month.

 

[Goatboy]

Biker! Happy Antikythera Mechanism Day!

Biker! Look to the stars and rejoice for today in 1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analogue computer.

The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient analogue computer designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses. It was recovered in 1902 from the Antikythera wreck, a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. The computer's construction has been attributed to the Greeks and dated to the early 1st century BC. Technological artifacts approaching its complexity and workmanship did not appear again until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks began to be built in Western Europe.
The mechanism was housed in a wooden box about 340 × 180 × 90 mm in size and comprised 30 bronze gears (although more could have been lost). The largest gear, clearly visible in fragment A, was about 140 mm in diameter and had 223 teeth. The mechanism's remains were found as 82 separate fragments of which only seven contain any gears or significant inscriptions.
The Antikythera mechanism is kept at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. It is now displayed at the temporary exhibition about the Antikythera Shipwreck, accompanied by reconstructions made by Ioannis Theofanidis, Derek de Solla Price, Michael Wright, the Thessaloniki University and Dionysios Kriaris. Other reconstructions are on display at the American Computer Museum in Bozeman, Montana, at the Children's Museum of Manhattan in New York, at Astronomisch-Physikalisches Kabinett in Kassel, Germany, and at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris

This machine has the oldest known complex gear mechanism and is sometimes called the first known analogue computer, although the quality of its manufacture suggests that it may have had undiscovered predecessors during the Hellenistic Period. It appears to be constructed upon theories of astronomy and mathematics developed by Greek astronomers and is estimated to have been made around 100 BC. In 1974, British science historian and Yale University professor Derek de Solla Price concluded from gear settings and inscriptions on the mechanism's faces that the mechanism was made about 87 BC and was lost only a few years later. Jacques Cousteau visited the wreck in 1978 and recovered new dating evidence. It is believed the mechanism was made of a low-tin bronze alloy (95% copper, 5% tin), but the device's advanced state of corrosion has made it impossible to perform an accurate compositional analysis. All of the mechanism's instructions are written in Koine Greek, and the consensus among scholars is that the mechanism was made in the Greek-speaking world.
Recent findings of The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project suggest the concept for the mechanism originated in the colonies of Corinth, since some of the astronomical calculations seem to indicate observations that can be made only in Corinth area of ancient Greece. Syracuse was a colony of Corinth and the home of Archimedes, which might imply a connection with the school of Archimedes. Another theory states that coins found by Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s at the wreck site and dated to the time of the construction of the device, suggest that its origin may have been from the ancient Greek city of Pergamon. Pergamon was also the site of the famous Library of Pergamum which housed many scrolls of art and science. The Library of Pergamum was only second in importance to the Library of Alexandria during the Hellenistic period. The ship carrying the device also contained vases that were in the Rhodian style. One hypothesis is that the device was constructed at an academy founded by the Stoic philosopher Posidonius on the Greek island of Rhodes, which at the time was known as a center of astronomy and mechanical engineering; this hypothesis further suggests that the mechanism may have been designed by the astronomer Hipparchus, since it contains a lunar mechanism which uses Hipparchus's theory for the motion of the Moon. Hipparchus was thought to have worked from about 140 BC to 120 BC. Rhodes was a trading port at that time.
The mechanism was discovered in a shipwreck off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island of Antikythera. The wreck had been found in October 1900 by a group of Greek sponge divers. They retrieved numerous artifacts, including bronze and marble statues, pottery, glassware, jewelry, coins, and the mechanism itself, which were transferred to the National Museum of Archaeology in Athens for storage and analysis. The mechanism itself went unnoticed for 2 years: it was a lump of corroded bronze and wood and the museum staff had many other pieces with which to busy themselves. On 17 May 1902, archaeologist Valerios Stais was examining the finds and noticed that one of the pieces of rock had a gear wheel embedded in it. Stais initially believed it was an astronomical clock, but most scholars considered the device to be prochronistic, too complex to have been constructed during the same period as the other pieces that had been discovered. Investigations into the object were soon dropped until Derek J. de Solla Price became interested in it in 1951. In 1971, both Price and a Greek nuclear physicist named Charalampos Karakalos made X-ray and gamma-ray images of the 82 fragments. Price published an extensive 70-page paper on their findings in 1974. It is not known how it came to be on the cargo ship, but it has been suggested that it was being taken to Rome, together with other treasure looted from the island, to support a triumphal parade being staged by Julius Caesar.
Cardiff University professor Michael Edmunds, who led a 2006 study of the mechanism, described the device as "just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind", and said that its astronomy was "exactly right". He regarded the Antikythera mechanism as "more valuable than the Mona Lisa".[SUP][/SUP].

​

 

[crosslandkelly]

One of my favourite pieces. Here's Michael Wrights replica.

[video=youtube;4eUibFQKJqI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eUibFQKJqI[/video]

 

[Biker]

Thanks GB, I was only talking to my workmate David about this the other week, fascinating stuff eh? Can you imagine what would have happened to it if it had got to Rome? It might have ended up as some toy to a senator's kid and not seriously studied. Sadl that it ended up on the sea bed for over 2000 years.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks too to Sally for posting those little factoids on the 7th, my birthday.