Biker, Happy Joan of Arc Day!
- Thread starter Goatboy
- Start date
Not so keen on "Glory Road". Have Spacesuit is one of his books targeted at teenagers but reads well when you are older anyway.
"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is one of my favourites.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Totally agree. Some of his books are "Boys own adventure stories!" (tune in for another exciting episode next week!!) but they also appeal to the big kid in me. The other more serious ones tick all the boxes just as well. If nothing else his books make you want to try and live up to the people he has in his books, their nobility or simple confidence and skills makes me look at my own and I realise I'm falling short. That probably reads pretty pathetic to a non Heinlein reader, so unless you've read his stuff you can't really know what I'm chuntering on about. Yes, some of his thoughts are a bit 'out there' while others just want to make you step up your moral code a few notches, like Double Star.
I recently read Variable Star, it was put into book format from notes he'd written back in the 40's/50's and was finally published long after his death having been written by Spider Robinson. That too was such a good book and the message in that came at a time in my life that I needed just such a kick in the backside to get myself out of the doldrums I was creeping slowly into.
Yep, Colin you need to get your paperbacks out mate, they're old friends you haven't seen in ages. Or drop me a PM with your email address and I'll punt you over Heinlein's entire collection of books for Kindle.
Thanks for that Aaron. As much as I like Heinlein et al, I've always leaned toward the more scientific, scifi books. One of my favourite authors of this type of genre is Hal Clement. Mission of gravity, Cycle of fire, Half life and Noise are the ones I have enjoyed.
It's Friday.
The name Friday comes from the Old English Frīġedæġ, meaning the "day of Frigg", a result of an old convention associating the Old English goddess Frigg with the Roman goddess Venus, with whom the day is associated in many different cultures. The same holds for Frīatag in Old High German, Freitag in Modern German and vrijdag in Dutch.
The expected cognate name in Old Norse would be *friggjar-dagr. However, the name of Friday in Old Norse is frjá-dagr instead, indicating a loan of the weekday names from Low German.[3] The modern Scandinavian form is Fredag in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, meaning Freja's day. The distinction between Freja and Frigg in some Germanic mythologies is problematic.
Friday is associated in many cultures with the love goddess Venus, and/or the planet named for her.
View attachment 23027
The word for Friday in most Romance languages is derived from Latin dies Veneris or "day of Venus" (a translation of Greek Aphrodites hemera) such as vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, divendres in Catalan, vennari in Corsican, and vineri in Romanian. This is also reflected in the p-Celtic Welsh language as dydd Gwener. An exception is Portuguese, also a Romance language, which uses the word sexta-feira, meaning "sixth day of liturgical celebration", derived from the Latin "feria sexta" used in religious texts where it was not allowed to consecrate days to pagan gods.
Sardinian chenàpura figures as an exception among all the other Romance languages, since it is derived from Latin cena pura: this name had been given by the Jewish community exiled to the island in order to designate the food specifically prepared for Shabbat eve.[4]
In modern Greek, four of the words for the weekdays derived from ordinals. However, the Greek word for Friday is Paraskevi (Παρασκευή
and is derived from a word meaning "to prepare" (παρασκευάζω. Like Saturday (Savvato, Σάββατο and Sunday, (Kyriaki, Κυριακή, Friday is named for its liturgical significance, as the day of preparation before Sabbath, which was inherited by Greek Christian Orthodox culture from Jewish practices.
Most Slavic languages call Friday the "fifth (day)": Belarusian пятніца – pyatnitsa, Bulgarian петък – petŭk, Czech pátek, Polish piątek, Russian пятница – pyatnitsa, Serbian петак – petak, Croatian petak, Slovene petek, Slovak piatok, and Ukrainian п'ятниця – p'yatnitsya. The Hungarian word péntek is a loan from some Slavic language from the time it still had the [n] sound in the word.
In most of the varieties of Arabic, Friday is Jum'a-tul-Mubarak (or a derived variation of Jumu'a), named for Jum'a (congregation/gathering). It also in Indonesian language called Jumat.
In most of the Indian languages, Friday is Shukravar (or a derived variation of Sukravar), named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus.
The name Friday comes from the Old English Frīġedæġ, meaning the "day of Frigg", a result of an old convention associating the Old English goddess Frigg with the Roman goddess Venus, with whom the day is associated in many different cultures. The same holds for Frīatag in Old High German, Freitag in Modern German and vrijdag in Dutch.
The expected cognate name in Old Norse would be *friggjar-dagr. However, the name of Friday in Old Norse is frjá-dagr instead, indicating a loan of the weekday names from Low German.[3] The modern Scandinavian form is Fredag in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, meaning Freja's day. The distinction between Freja and Frigg in some Germanic mythologies is problematic.
Friday is associated in many cultures with the love goddess Venus, and/or the planet named for her.
View attachment 23027
The word for Friday in most Romance languages is derived from Latin dies Veneris or "day of Venus" (a translation of Greek Aphrodites hemera) such as vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, divendres in Catalan, vennari in Corsican, and vineri in Romanian. This is also reflected in the p-Celtic Welsh language as dydd Gwener. An exception is Portuguese, also a Romance language, which uses the word sexta-feira, meaning "sixth day of liturgical celebration", derived from the Latin "feria sexta" used in religious texts where it was not allowed to consecrate days to pagan gods.
Sardinian chenàpura figures as an exception among all the other Romance languages, since it is derived from Latin cena pura: this name had been given by the Jewish community exiled to the island in order to designate the food specifically prepared for Shabbat eve.[4]
In modern Greek, four of the words for the weekdays derived from ordinals. However, the Greek word for Friday is Paraskevi (Παρασκευή
and is derived from a word meaning "to prepare" (παρασκευάζω. Like Saturday (Savvato, Σάββατο and Sunday, (Kyriaki, Κυριακή, Friday is named for its liturgical significance, as the day of preparation before Sabbath, which was inherited by Greek Christian Orthodox culture from Jewish practices.Most Slavic languages call Friday the "fifth (day)": Belarusian пятніца – pyatnitsa, Bulgarian петък – petŭk, Czech pátek, Polish piątek, Russian пятница – pyatnitsa, Serbian петак – petak, Croatian petak, Slovene petek, Slovak piatok, and Ukrainian п'ятниця – p'yatnitsya. The Hungarian word péntek is a loan from some Slavic language from the time it still had the [n] sound in the word.
In most of the varieties of Arabic, Friday is Jum'a-tul-Mubarak (or a derived variation of Jumu'a), named for Jum'a (congregation/gathering). It also in Indonesian language called Jumat.
In most of the Indian languages, Friday is Shukravar (or a derived variation of Sukravar), named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus.
Mission of Gravity is gorgeous! The physics is excellent and the characters really likeable. Who would have expected to feel empathy with a sentient centipede?
Don't write off Heinlein as a 'Hard SF' writer though. His science was pretty good. If you play around on Google for a while you'll find him cited in NASA papers and the like. Discussions about escape velocities and orbital slingshot mechanics in Moon is a Harsh Mistress are accurate and researched. I've also heard that some of his space suit ideas have been used in the design of real spacesuits.
One current writer who is worth looking at is David Brin. I can't say that his books are more scientific but his pedigree certainly is. He has a degree in Astrophysics from Cal Tech.
Biker! Not so Happy Centralia Massacre Day!
On this day in 1864 - Jesse James' gang surprise attack train: 150 killed.
The Centralia Massacre was an incident during the American Civil War in which twenty-four unarmed Union soldiers were captured and executed at Centralia, Missouri on September 27, 1864 by the pro-Confederate guerrilla leader William T. Anderson. Future outlaw Jesse James was among the guerrillas.
In the ensuing Battle of Centralia, a large detachment of Union mounted infantry attempted to intercept Anderson, but nearly all of them were killed in combat.
In the fall of 1864, the Confederates, faced with a rapidly deteriorating position, launched an invasion of northern Missouri. It was led by General Sterling Price and his Missouri State Guard. The object was to influence the 1864 presidential election by capturing St. Louis and the state capital at Jefferson City. As part of his strategy, Price encouraged guerrilla warfare, especially the disruption of the railroads. "Bloody Bill" Anderson and his guerrilla company were among those who took part.
On September 23, 1864, Anderson engaged in a skirmish in Boone County, Missouri, seven miles east of Rocheport. His men managed to kill eleven Federal soldiers and three black civilian teamsters. The Federals responded the next day by shooting six of Anderson's men who were captured at a home in Rocheport.
That same day, September 24, Anderson attacked the pro-Union town of Fayette, losing thirteen killed and more than thirty wounded. Only one Union soldier had been killed and two wounded.
At 9:00 a.m. on September 27, Anderson with about 80 guerrillas, some dressed in stolen Union Army uniforms, moved into Centralia to cut the North Missouri Railroad. The guerrillas looted the town and reportedly drank whiskey from stolen boots. Anderson blocked the rail line, and the engineer of an approaching train failed to realize it until too late, since the men he saw were wearing blue uniforms. The guerrillas swarmed over the train. The 125 passengers were divided between civilians and soldiers. A total of 23 Union soldiers were aboard, all on leave after the Battle of Atlanta and heading to their homes in northwest Missouri or southwest Iowa.
The Union soldiers were ordered at gunpoint to strip off their uniforms. Anderson called for an officer. Sergeant Thomas Goodman bravely stepped forward, expecting to be shot and the rest spared. Instead, Anderson's men ignored Goodman and began shooting the others. The bodies were then maimed and scalped. The guerrillas then set fire to the train and sent it running down the tracks toward Sturgeon, Missouri. They torched the depot and rode away from the town. Sergeant Goodman was taken prisoner on Anderson's orders, with the plan that he would be exchanged later for one of Anderson's own men held prisoner by Federal forces. Goodman spent ten days in the captivity of the guerrillas before escaping as they prepared to cross the Missouri River near Rocheport.
At about 3:00 p.m., Union Major A.V.E. Johnston, with 155 men of the newly formed 39th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Mounted), rode into Centralia. The townspeople warned him that Anderson had at least 80 well-armed men, but Johnston nevertheless led his men in pursuit. The Union soldiers soon encountered the guerrillas, and Johnston decided to fight them on foot. He ordered his men to dismount and form a line of battle.
He then reportedly called out a challenge. Anderson's men replied by making a mounted charge. Armed with muzzle loading Enfield rifles, the Federal recruits were no match for the guerrillas with their revolvers. Johnston's first volley killed several guerrillas, but then his men were overrun. Most were shot down as they attempted to flee. According to Frank James, his younger brother Jesse fired the shot that killed Major Johnston. Of the 155 Union soldiers, 123 were killed during the battle.
"Bloody Bill" & Jessie James.
On this day in 1864 - Jesse James' gang surprise attack train: 150 killed.
The Centralia Massacre was an incident during the American Civil War in which twenty-four unarmed Union soldiers were captured and executed at Centralia, Missouri on September 27, 1864 by the pro-Confederate guerrilla leader William T. Anderson. Future outlaw Jesse James was among the guerrillas.
In the ensuing Battle of Centralia, a large detachment of Union mounted infantry attempted to intercept Anderson, but nearly all of them were killed in combat.
In the fall of 1864, the Confederates, faced with a rapidly deteriorating position, launched an invasion of northern Missouri. It was led by General Sterling Price and his Missouri State Guard. The object was to influence the 1864 presidential election by capturing St. Louis and the state capital at Jefferson City. As part of his strategy, Price encouraged guerrilla warfare, especially the disruption of the railroads. "Bloody Bill" Anderson and his guerrilla company were among those who took part.
On September 23, 1864, Anderson engaged in a skirmish in Boone County, Missouri, seven miles east of Rocheport. His men managed to kill eleven Federal soldiers and three black civilian teamsters. The Federals responded the next day by shooting six of Anderson's men who were captured at a home in Rocheport.
That same day, September 24, Anderson attacked the pro-Union town of Fayette, losing thirteen killed and more than thirty wounded. Only one Union soldier had been killed and two wounded.
At 9:00 a.m. on September 27, Anderson with about 80 guerrillas, some dressed in stolen Union Army uniforms, moved into Centralia to cut the North Missouri Railroad. The guerrillas looted the town and reportedly drank whiskey from stolen boots. Anderson blocked the rail line, and the engineer of an approaching train failed to realize it until too late, since the men he saw were wearing blue uniforms. The guerrillas swarmed over the train. The 125 passengers were divided between civilians and soldiers. A total of 23 Union soldiers were aboard, all on leave after the Battle of Atlanta and heading to their homes in northwest Missouri or southwest Iowa.
The Union soldiers were ordered at gunpoint to strip off their uniforms. Anderson called for an officer. Sergeant Thomas Goodman bravely stepped forward, expecting to be shot and the rest spared. Instead, Anderson's men ignored Goodman and began shooting the others. The bodies were then maimed and scalped. The guerrillas then set fire to the train and sent it running down the tracks toward Sturgeon, Missouri. They torched the depot and rode away from the town. Sergeant Goodman was taken prisoner on Anderson's orders, with the plan that he would be exchanged later for one of Anderson's own men held prisoner by Federal forces. Goodman spent ten days in the captivity of the guerrillas before escaping as they prepared to cross the Missouri River near Rocheport.
At about 3:00 p.m., Union Major A.V.E. Johnston, with 155 men of the newly formed 39th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Mounted), rode into Centralia. The townspeople warned him that Anderson had at least 80 well-armed men, but Johnston nevertheless led his men in pursuit. The Union soldiers soon encountered the guerrillas, and Johnston decided to fight them on foot. He ordered his men to dismount and form a line of battle.
He then reportedly called out a challenge. Anderson's men replied by making a mounted charge. Armed with muzzle loading Enfield rifles, the Federal recruits were no match for the guerrillas with their revolvers. Johnston's first volley killed several guerrillas, but then his men were overrun. Most were shot down as they attempted to flee. According to Frank James, his younger brother Jesse fired the shot that killed Major Johnston. Of the 155 Union soldiers, 123 were killed during the battle.
"Bloody Bill" & Jessie James.
What was Johnson thinking!!!
Any how just back from my favourite Chinese restaurant, and feeling stuffed.
Huon, I haven't read David Brin yet, much to my shame. I have heard of him and his books, but have never got around to them. I must rectify that.
Any how just back from my favourite Chinese restaurant, and feeling stuffed.
Huon, I haven't read David Brin yet, much to my shame. I have heard of him and his books, but have never got around to them. I must rectify that.
Ah well good night to you all. And with that, I'll leave you with Pete and Dud.
[video=youtube;J5ya_Gq8d4Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ya_Gq8d4Q[/video]
[video=youtube;J5ya_Gq8d4Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ya_Gq8d4Q[/video]
Biker! Happy Comet Donati Day.
Biker, on this day in 1858 - Donati's comet becomes 1st to be photographed.
Comet Donati, or Donati's Comet, formally designated C/1858 L1 and 1858 VI, is a long-period comet named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati who first observed it on June 2, 1858. After the Great Comet of 1811, it was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century. It was also the first comet to be photographed. It was nearest the Earth on October 10, 1858. The comet has an orbital inclination of 16.9°.[SUP][[/SUP]
Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate, sat up on the porch of his hotel in Jonesboro, Illinois to see "Donti's Comet" on September 14, 1858, the night before the third of his historic debates with Stephen Douglas.[SUP] [/SUP]Comet appears as a streak and star in the early evening sky of a painting by William Dyce, A Recollection of October 5th, 1858.
Due to its astoundingly long elliptical orbit, it is estimated that Donati's Comet will not be seen passing by Earth again until sometime after 4000.
The comet was photographed on September 28, 1858, at Harvard College Observatory by George P. Bond, son of William C. Bond, director of the observatory. He made several attempts with increasing exposure times, finally achieving a discernible image. He later wrote, "only the nucleus and a little nebulosity 15" in diameter acted on the plate in an exposure of six minutes".
Biker, on this day in 1858 - Donati's comet becomes 1st to be photographed.
Comet Donati, or Donati's Comet, formally designated C/1858 L1 and 1858 VI, is a long-period comet named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati who first observed it on June 2, 1858. After the Great Comet of 1811, it was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century. It was also the first comet to be photographed. It was nearest the Earth on October 10, 1858. The comet has an orbital inclination of 16.9°.[SUP][[/SUP]
Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate, sat up on the porch of his hotel in Jonesboro, Illinois to see "Donti's Comet" on September 14, 1858, the night before the third of his historic debates with Stephen Douglas.[SUP] [/SUP]Comet appears as a streak and star in the early evening sky of a painting by William Dyce, A Recollection of October 5th, 1858.
Due to its astoundingly long elliptical orbit, it is estimated that Donati's Comet will not be seen passing by Earth again until sometime after 4000.
The comet was photographed on September 28, 1858, at Harvard College Observatory by George P. Bond, son of William C. Bond, director of the observatory. He made several attempts with increasing exposure times, finally achieving a discernible image. He later wrote, "only the nucleus and a little nebulosity 15" in diameter acted on the plate in an exposure of six minutes".
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Assorted Dim Sum, followed by crispy chilli beef, stir fried veg and special fried rice. The wife had lemon chicken. all washed down with two bottles of Sauvignon blanc.
Saturday.
(ˈsætərdi/ or /ˈsætərdeɪ/) is the day of the week following Friday and preceding Sunday. Saturday is the seventh and therefore last day of the week according to many commonly used calendars, but it is the second-to-last (sixth) day of the week according to ISO 8601 (see below). The Romans named Saturday dies Saturni ("Saturn's Day") no later than the 2nd century for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. When the day's name was introduced into English and other Germanic languages, however, the name was selected as a calque of the god Saturn, after whom the planet was named. The name was introduced into English no later than the tenth century, when the day was referred to as "Sæternes dæge" in an Old English translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Prior to that, the old English name was sunnanæfen ("sun" + "eve").
The weekday heptagram, i.e., the association of the days of the seven-day week with the seven classical planets, probably dates to the Hellenistic period.[1] Between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight-day Roman nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. The astrological order of the days was explained by Vettius Valens and Dio Cassius (and Chaucer gave the same explanation in his Treatise on the Astrolabe). According to these authors, it was a principle of astrology that the heavenly bodies presided, in succession, over the hours of the day. The association of the weekdays with the respective deities is thus indirect, the days are named for the planets, which were in turn named for the deities.
The Germanic peoples adapted the system introduced by the Romans but glossed their indigenous gods over the Roman deities in a process known as Interpretatio germanica. In the case of Saturday, however, the Roman name was retained as a calque, apparently because none of the Germanic gods were considered to be counterparts of the Roman god Saturn.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church Saturdays are days on which the Theotokos (Mother of God) and All Saints are commemorated, The day is also a general day of prayer for the dead, because it was on a Saturday that Jesus is believed by some to have laid dead in the tomb. The Octoechos contains hymns on these themes, arranged in an eight-week cycle, that are chanted on Saturdays throughout the year. At the end of services on Saturday, the dismissal begins with the words: "May Christ our True God, through the intercessions of his most-pure Mother, of the holy, glorious and right victorious Martyrs, of our reverend and God-bearing Fathers…". For the Orthodox, Saturday — with the sole exception of Holy Saturday — is never a strict fast day. When a Saturday falls during one of the fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast, Dormition Fast) the fasting rules are always lessened to an extent. The Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist are normally observed as strict fast days, but if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the fast is lessened.
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Oh you must read Brin! Start with something like "Startide Rising" or perhaps "The Postman". He is very good indeed.
What is the restaurant and what did you eat? Chinese restaurants here are considered very dodgy. The Spanish are a bit suspicious of them. I tend to shop in Madrid for ingredients and cook Asian food at home.
Funny seeing people ordering bread in a Chinese restaurant though
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Oh you must read Brin! Start with something like "Startide Rising" or perhaps "The Postman". He is very good indeed.
What is the restaurant and what did you eat? Chinese restaurants here are considered very dodgy. The Spanish are a bit suspicious of them. I tend to shop in Madrid for ingredients and cook Asian food at home.
Funny seeing people ordering bread in a Chinese restaurant though
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I shall try a Brin novel today, I'll order in the Amazon Kindle store. As to the food, see the begining of #1253. I remember having a Chinese meal in Barcelona some years ago, Very little meat but lashings of onions and green peppers. Needless to say we paid and left, then found a lovely tapas bar.
We're in the area of Spain that produces some of the best meat so no worries there.
Barcelona is great for food. I had my best meal of the last decade here:
http://cincsentits.com/en/
Fantastic!
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I did. This was about five and a half years ago. The owners are a Canadian/Catalan brother and sister. He cooks and she is the sommelier. They are both very friendly and very enthusiastic. I had a taster menu of many courses that included wines matched to each course.
They are probably the best restaurant in Barcelona since El Bulli went to sleep.
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I was just looking at the Barcelona street map and Cinc Sentits looks to be only a five minute walk from the hotel I stay at on the two occasions I have been there.
http://www.grupotel.com/en/hotel/barcelona/centro/41Grupotel-Gravina.php
http://www.grupotel.com/en/hotel/barcelona/centro/41Grupotel-Gravina.php
Well everybody taking food this morning.
think maybe time for brekie
or more like brunch.
Hey GB did you get the message about food for next week?
Bob
think maybe time for brekie
or more like brunch.Hey GB did you get the message about food for next week?
Bob