Connections - Wheel of Fortune

A documentary series by historian James Burke, "Connections" attempted to explain how various historical events and personalities led to discoveries that built off each other to bring about the modern world. Since the series originally ran in 1978 some of the material is a little dated but it is still one of the most interesting programs to have been aired on TV in my opinion. Fortunately James Burke has placed the entire series on YouTube (as well as the two follow on series).

Episode 5 - "Wheel of Fortune" traces astrological knowledge in ancient Greek manuscripts from Baghdad’s founder, Caliph Al-Mansur, via the Muslim monastery/medical school at Gundeshapur, to the medieval Church’s need for alarm clocks (the water horologium and the verge and foliot clock). The clock mainspring gave way to the pendulum clock, but the latter could not be used by mariners, thus the need for precision machining by way of Huntsman’s improved steel (1797) and Maudslay’s use (1800) of Ramsden’s idea of using a screw to better measure (which he took from the turner’s trade). This process made a better mainspring and was also used by the Royal Navy to make better blocks. Le Blanc mentioned this same basic idea to Thomas Jefferson who transmitted this "American system of manufactures" -- precision machine-tooling of musket parts for interchangeability -- to New Englanders Eli Whitney, John Hall and Simeon North. The American efficiency expert Frank Gilbreth and his psychologist wife later improved the whole new system of the modern production line.

I am only embedding the first portion of each episode the entire playlist for the episode is here.

The complete series is available from Amazon

Tomorrow the machines come to kill us all...

but tonight we dance

Connections - Faith in Numbers

A documentary series by historian James Burke, "Connections" attempted to explain how various historical events and personalities led to discoveries that built off each other to bring about the modern world. Since the series originally ran in 1978 some of the material is a little dated but it is still one of the most interesting programs to have been aired on TV in my opinion. Fortunately James Burke has placed the entire series on YouTube (as well as the two follow on series).

Episode 4 - "Faith in Numbers" examines the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance from the perspective of how commercialism, climate change and the Black Death influenced cultural development.

I am only embedding the first portion of each episode the entire playlist for the episode is here.

The complete series is available from Amazon

Another Series Worth Watching - Physics for Future Presidents

One of the most popular series of videos on youtube Physics for Future Presidents is a synopsis of modern qualitative physics.  There is some stuff in here which people will disagree with, he is a global warming and alternative energy advocate for example, but knowing the arguments supporting those propositions is not a bad thing. 

Episode I – Atoms and Heat

Next week - Atoms and Heat II

Connections – Distant Voices

I know this is a few days late, it’s been a busy week here and it completely slipped my mind until I saw the ONT over at Ace’s. 

Continuing with the weekly posting of the British TV series "Connections". A documentary series by historian James Burke, "Connections" attempted to explain how various historical events and personalities led to discoveries that built off each other to bring about the modern world. Since the series originally ran in 1978 some of the material is a little dated but it is still one of the most interesting programs to have been aired on TV in my opinion. Fortunately James Burke has placed the entire series on YouTube (as well as the two follow on series).

Episode Three: "Distant Voices" suggests that telecommunications exist because Normans had stirrups for horse riding which in turn led them to further advancements in warfare. Deep mine shafts flooded and scientists in search of a solution examined vacuums, air pressure and other natural phenomena.

I am only embedding the first portion of each episode the entire playlist for the episode is here.

The complete series is available from Amazon

(From the ONT comments at Ace’s an annotation of all the important ideas and people mentioned in each episode)

World of Warcraft Update

Logged into Battle.net this afternoon and lo and behold Cataclysm Beta is in my account.  I copied over two characters to the PTR and am in the process of downloading the client. 

I will post screenshots of anything real interesting that I see.

I may start a new character and copy it over at level 1 so I can hit all the low level content.  

My first screenshot – the box cover

Words to Live By

"Everyone's always in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when you try and put it in the body of a Great White Shark suddenly you've gone to far."

And God forbid you put frickin’ laser beams on it’s frickin’ head.

Connections – Death in the Morning

Continuing with the weekly posting of the British TV series "Connections". A documentary series by historian James Burke, "Connections" attempted to explain how various historical events and personalities led to discoveries that built off each other to bring about the modern world. Since the series originally ran in 1978 some of the material is a little dated but it is still one of the most interesting programs to have been aired on TV in my opinion. Fortunately James Burke has placed the entire series on YouTube (as well as the two follow on series).

Episode Two: "Death in the Morning" examines the standardization of precious metal with the touchstone in the ancient world. This innovation stimulated trade from Greece to Persia, ultimately causing the construction of a huge commercial center and library at Alexandria which included Ptolemy’s star tables. This wealth of astronomical knowledge aided navigators 14 centuries later after the development of lateen sails and sternpost rudders. Mariners discovered that the compass's magnetized needle did not actually point directly north. Investigations into the nature of magnetism by Gilbert led to the discovery of electricity by way of the sulphur ball of von Guericke. Further interest in atmospheric electricity at the Ben Nevis weather station led to Wilson’s cloud chamber which in turn allowed development of both Watson-Watt's radar and (by way of Rutherford's insights) nuclear weaponry.

I am only embedding the first portion of each episode the entire playlist for the episode is here.

The complete series is available from Amazon

More World of Warcraft chat

Still leveling my mage and following my plan of concentrating on achievements rather than speed leveling.  So far it is working out for me pretty well.  I am not going up as fast as normal but at the same time I am seeing a lot of stuff in the game I have never seen before, but isn’t the point of this story :-)

I was running up fishing skill (fishing and cooking are two of those things I have never really done on a character before)  this morning and some guy was spamming chat with a "Looking for healer, tank, ranged for ICC 10” message.  (ICC is Icecrown Citadel part of the end game content where the main bad guy for this expansion resides) After about 5 minutes it started getting really annoying because he was going on and on about how picky he was for his pick-up groups.  I started responding by posting for "healer tanked ranged for heroic jangolode mines"  I had to stop because I was getting responses.  I felt bad when I had to tell people I had made it up and was just counterspamming the ICC guy.

For you non-wow players jangolode mines is one of the lowest level quests in the game and is used to teach players how to form parties.  The fact that level 80's were responding tells me people are really desperate for new end game content.

BTW I don’t know if I have mentioned this but any WoW players out there who are looking for some good info on game content and such check out The Instance podcast

New Sunday Feature: Connections

A documentary series by historian James Burke, "Connections" attempted to explain how various historical events and personalities led to discoveries that built off each other to bring about the modern world. Since the series originally ran in 1978 some of the material is a little dated but it is still one of the most interesting programs to have been aired on TV in my opinion. Fortunately James Burke has placed the entire series on YouTube (as well as the two follow on series).

Episode One: "The Trigger Effect" details the world’s present dependence on complex technological networks through a detailed narrative of New York City and the power blackout of 1965. Agricultural technology is traced to its origins in ancient Egypt and the invention of the plow. The segment ends in Kuwait where, because of oil, society leapt from traditional patterns to advanced technology in a period of only about 30 years.

I am only embedding the first portion of each episode the entire playlist for the episode is here.

The complete series is available from Amazon