Thursday, July 30, 2009

Antikythera mechanism - found 17 May 1902

In 1900 a group of sponge divers blown off course in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC.


http://onter.net/art/antikythera_mechanism.jpg

Lying unnoticed for months amongst their hard-won haul was what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock. It turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this 'Antikythera mechanism' puzzled academics. It was ancient clockwork, unmatched in complexity for 1000 years - but who could have made it, and what was it for? Now, more than 2000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings and revealed its secrets.

http://media.artdiamondblog.com/images2/Antikythera%20MechanismRadiograph.jpg

In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant tells the full story of the 100-year quest to understand this ancient computer. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters – ranging from Archimedes to Jacques Cousteau – and explores the deep roots of modern technology not only in ancient Greece but in the Islamic world and medieval Europe too. At heart an epic adventure story, this is a book that challenges our assumptions about technology transfer over the ages while giving us fresh insights into history itself.

Stunning Antikythera video

29. July 2009 08:42
Still from Mogi Vicentini's animation of the Antikythera mechanism (www.mogi-vice.com)

Thanks to all those who came along to my talk at the Royal Institution last night, it was great to see such a big turnout. As part of the presentation I was lucky enough to be able to show a gorgeous video of the Antikythera mechanism's workings, which judging from the spontaneous applause it received was a highlight for much of the audience. This animation has just been completed by Mogi Vicentini, an Italian astronomer and computer scientist who specialises in making both physical and virtual models of astronomy instruments. Lots of people came up to me afterwards to ask for more information, so here's a link to Mogi's website, with this page dedicated to the Antikythera mechanism. You can download the animation itself from here, this is the recommended hi res version, but if you have trouble running it you could try a lower res version, here.

However much you already know about this 2000-year-old machine, the video really is breathtaking. Based on the physical reconstruction made by curator Michael Wright, it builds up the gear wheels one by one before adding the front and back dials and finally the wooden case, and it gets across the sheer sophistication of the gearing in a way that I have never seen before. So thank you to Mogi!





The Antikythera mechanism
(main fragment).

The Antikythera mechanism (pronounced /ˌæntɪkɪˈθɪərə/ AN-ti-ki-THEER), is an ancient mechanical calculator (also described as the first known mechanical computer[1][2]) designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1901 from the Antikythera wreck but its complexity and significance were not understood until decades later. It is now thought to have been built about 150–100 BC. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until a thousand years later.[3]

Jacques-Yves Cousteau visited the wreck for the last time in 1978,[4] but found no more remains of the Antikythera Mechanism. Professor Michael Edmunds of Cardiff University who led the most recent study of the mechanism said: "This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind. The design is beautiful, the astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely carefully...in terms of historic and scarcity value, I have to regard this mechanism as being more valuable than the Mona Lisa."[5][6]

The device is displayed in the Bronze Collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, accompanied by a reconstruction made and offered to the museum by Derek de Solla Price. Other reconstructions are on display at the American Computer Museum in Bozeman, Montana and the Children's Museum of Manhattan in New York and in Kassel, Germany.


The Antikythera Celestial Machine: fragments of genius from a legendary science.

From graphical project to mechanical model: a page to tell the story.

Antikythera mechanics

Miscellaneous images with some comments of the story (new page).

Antikythera VRML

VRML schematic models of the Machine according to Price, Bromley, the Antikhytera Mechanism Research Project Group, and the last one modified by myself (wrl, 1.9 Mb).

Antikythera VRML

VRML schematic model of the Machine, my version only (wrl, 660 Kb).

Antikythera video

Explanatory video of virtual model (full resolution, 4th vers., .avi-Divx, 64 Mb).

Antikythera model video

The real model running (videoclip .divx, 7Mb).

Antikythera front panel: zodiac, months Sun & Moon

The front panel.

Antikythera rear panel: Methon - Callippos & saros - exeligmos

The rear panel.

Antikythera Planetarium

The Machine at the Planetario di Milano (may 10, 2007).

Antikythera Greece

The Machine at the Ionic Center in Athens, near the replicas by Wright and Kriaris (october 22, 2008).



Further developements : a new virtual model of the Machine fitted with planets, according to the research and the mechanical reconstruction by Michael Wright

Antikythera Vicentini - Wright




July 29, 2009 12:59 PM

World's first computer may be even older than thought

From Swiss Army knives to iPhones, it seems we just love fancy gadgets with as many different functions as possible. And judging from the ancient Greek Antikythera mechanism, the desire to impress with the latest multipurpose must-have item goes back at least 2000 years.

This mysterious box of tricks was a portable clockwork computer, dating from the first or second century BC. Operated by turning a handle on the side, it modelled the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets through the sky, sported a local calendar, star calendar and Moon-phase display, and could even predict eclipses and track the timing of the Olympic games.
http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~shallit/Courses/134/antik3.gif
Antikythera mechanism

I gave a talk on the device at London's Royal Institution last night. One new clue I mentioned to the origin of the mechanism comes from the Olympiad dial - there are six sets of games named on the dial, five of which have been deciphered so far. Four of them, including the Olympics, were major games known across the Greek world. But the fifth, Naa, was much smaller, and would only have been of local interest.

The Naa games were held in Dodona in northwestern Greece, so Alexander Jones of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in New York has suggested that the mechanism must have been made by or for someone from that area.

Intriguingly, this could mean the device is even older than thought. The inscriptions have been dated to around 100 BC, but according to Jones the device may have been made at latest in the early second century BC, because after that the Romans devastated or took over the Greek colonies in the region, so it's unlikely that people would still have been using the Greek calendar there.

But the highlight for most of the audience - judging from the spontaneous round of applause it received - was this breathtaking new animation (below) of the gearing inside the mechanism. It has been made by Mogi Vicentini, an Italian astronomer and computer scientist, and it brings the device to life brilliantly.

Judge for yourself, but I think it shows that the mechanism would hold its own against the best of today's luxury gadgets.

Jo Marchant is author of Decoding the Heavens, a book about the Antikythera mechanism. It has been shortlisted for the 2009 Royal Society Prize for Science Books, and is out now in paperback.

www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/07/jo-marchant-consultant-from-sw.html



In October 1900, a team of sponge divers led by Captain Dimitrios Kondos had decided to wait out a severe storm hampering their sail back from Africa on the island of Antikythera, and they began diving for sponges off the island's coastline. Although in years past divers worked naked, by 1900 divers usually wore standard diving dresses — canvas suits and copper helmets — which allowed them to dive deeper and to stay submerged longer.

The first to lay eyes on the shipwreck 60 metres down was Elias Stadiatos, who quickly signaled to be pulled to the surface. He described the scene as a heap of rotting corpses and horses lying on the sea bed. Thinking the diver had gone mad from too much carbon dioxide in his helmet, Kondos himself dove into the water, soon returning with a bronze arm of a statue. Until they could safely leave the island, the divers dislodged as many small artifacts as they could carry.

Together with the Greek Education Ministry and Hellenic Navy, the sponge divers salvaged numerous artifacts from the waters. By the end of 1902, divers had recovered statues of a philosopher's head, a young boy, a discus thrower, the bronze Antikythera Ephebe of ca. 340 BC (now in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens), a Hercules, a marble bull and a bronze lyre. Many other small and common artifacts were also found. On 17 May 1902, however, archaeologist Valerios Stais made the most celebrated find. When diving to search the area of the wreck, he noticed that one of the pieces of rock near him had a gear wheel embedded in it. It would soon be identified as the Antikythera mechanism; originally thought to be one of the first forms of a mechanised clock, it is now considered to be the world’s oldest known analog computer.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Luxemburg vistas - travel blog - photo galleries


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placebo head shop marijuana growroom hydroponics wasserpfeife shillum hooka drogen local drug politics
placebo head shop marijuana growroom hydroponics wasserpfeife shillum hooka drogen local drug politics
n20090703-n20051102_105012.jpg
psychodelic dream illusion eye sore growshop no war grolux lamps hashish cultivation
psychodelic dream illusion eye sore growshop no war grolux lamps hashish cultivation

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clear acrylic toilet seat with embedded barbed wire - stachedraht klobrille
clear acrylic toilet seat with embedded barbed wire - stachedraht klobrille
n20090703-n20051102_112144.jpg
Rue Bender - commander of the Fortress 1713-1798 - inhumane impersonal ugly glass steel tower
Rue Bender - commander of the Fortress 1713-1798 - inhumane impersonal ugly glass steel tower

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bankierschwein - Schwein banker - heuschrecke fraudster betrug ausbeutung und mord in 3. welt - wrd world murder
bankierschwein - Schwein banker - heuschrecke fraudster betrug ausbeutung und mord in 3. welt - wrd world murder
n20090703-n20051102_144743.jpg
sparbuch sparbuecher savings books grabd duche de Luxembourg livret kreissparkasse esch alzig kannerspuerbuch
sparbuch sparbuecher savings books grabd duche de Luxembourg livret kreissparkasse esch alzig kannerspuerbuch

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t-shirt design emotions relaxed excited amused eased nerved annoyed tranquilized lighthearted fevered
t-shirt design emotions relaxed excited amused eased nerved annoyed tranquilized lighthearted fevered
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traditional souveniers salt shakers asktrays candle holder porcelain figurines trinkets - andenken aschenbecher salzstreuer
traditional souveniers salt shakers asktrays candle holder porcelain figurines trinkets - andenken aschenbecher salzstreuer


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Luxembourg 2 c CLICK ON A PICTURE TO VIEW IT BIG !!! n20090703-n20051102_144045.jpg electronic banking timeline april 1983 guichet automatique bancaire 1987 tpv terminal de vente electronic banking timeline april 1983 guichet automatique bancaire 1987 tpv terminal de vente n20090703-n20051102_144105.jpg money room banking strongroom goldbarren Stahlkammer Tresorraum gold ingots 1955 money room banking strongroom goldbarren Stahlkammer Tresorraum gold ingots 1955 n20090703-n20051102_144142.jpg state owned bcee Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat Metal cabinet coffre-fort tresor interior view state owned bcee Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat Metal cabinet coffre-fort tresor interior view n20090703-n20051102_144148.jpg Theodor Stacke Aachener Geldschrankfabrik since 1872 Aachen tresor safe vault strongbox Theodor Stacke Aachener Geldschrankfabrik since 1872 Aachen tresor safe vault strongbox n20090703-n20051102_144157.jpg geknackter tresor lock cracked concrete vault - fendu - broke open vault deposit locker Resistance grade vi geknackter tresor lock cracked concrete vault - 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2009 fashion style is awful lazy unsophisticated slob slattern sloven trollops pedestrian zone foot traffic scene - 2009 fashion style is awful lazy unsophisticated slob slattern sloven trollops n20090703-n20051102_151721.jpg lush cosmetics frans faits main sea shepherd paul watson soap shop lush cosmetics frans faits main sea shepherd paul watson soap shop n20090703-n20051102_152508.jpg la megere appriviosee jacques audiberti William Shakespeare walnut prickly crack vagina symbol theatre ouvert la megere appriviosee jacques audiberti William Shakespeare walnut prickly crack vagina symbol theatre ouvert n20090703-n20051102_152518.jpg Kalr Valentin cabaret spectacle guy robert jeanny kratochwil akakpo accordeon eugene bozetti open theater state people funded Kalr Valentin cabaret spectacle guy robert jeanny kratochwil akakpo accordeon eugene bozetti open theater state people funded n20090703-n20051102_152726.jpg Benedicte Weis created her artwork 'spilleit' in 1987 - show-people memorial schausteller denkmal Benedicte Weis created her artwork 'spilleit' in 1987 - 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andenken aschenbecher salzstreuer traditional souveniers salt shakers asktrays candle holder porcelain figurines trinkets - andenken aschenbecher salzstreuer n20090703-n20051102_153807-enh.jpg Geschenkartikel Reisemitbringsel Reiseandenken bibelot spoons loeffel golden cup heart-shaped mugs tassen Geschenkartikel Reisemitbringsel Reiseandenken bibelot spoons loeffel golden cup heart-shaped mugs tassen n20090703-n20051102_153823-enh.jpg souvenirs cigars maori-design zippo lighter cheap tax cigarettes angels dogs piglets shop window display souvenirs cigars maori-design zippo lighter cheap tax cigarettes angels dogs piglets shop window display n20090703-n20051102_154011.jpg narrow old-town alley architecture large doorway arch - sandstein torbogen architektur moderne schmale gasse narrow old-town alley architecture large doorway arch - sandstein torbogen architektur moderne schmale gasse n20090703-n20051102_154216.jpg scatterbrain collage of styles - engraved vulgar erotic grafitti not quite removed scatterbrain collage of styles - engraved vulgar erotic grafitti not quite removed n20090703-n20051102_154338.jpg rue du palais de justice cisco wifi wireles wlan hotspot antenna - thai celadon restaurant rue du Nord rue du palais de justice cisco wifi wireles wlan hotspot antenna - thai celadon restaurant rue du Nord n20090703-n20051102_154654.jpg classic european town houses blue summer sky classic european town houses blue summer sky n20090703-n20051102_170213.jpg art noveau art deco jugendstil house facade baulesch joailliers maitres bijoutiers welter optiker horlogerie orfevrerie - 10 rue du Cure L-1368 Luxembourg art noveau art deco jugendstil house facade baulesch joailliers maitres bijoutiers welter optiker horlogerie orfevrerie - 10 rue du Cure L-1368 Luxembourg n20090703-n20051102_174113.jpg article about italian ne-fascists that are in government by way of mass deception corporate propaganda media war brainwashing article about italian ne-fascists that are in government by way of mass deception corporate propaganda media war brainwashing n20090703-n20051102_174622.jpg brass band summer city concert in band rotunda Fanfare Stroossen kraus cario brass band summer city concert in band rotunda Fanfare Stroossen kraus cario n20090703-n20051102_174834.jpg Aldebaran ichiban sushi diekirch cafe croissant steack de boef boullelles sauce tomate lasagne cordon bleu Aldebaran ichiban sushi diekirch cafe croissant steack de boef boullelles sauce tomate lasagne cordon bleu n20090703-n20051102_174910.jpg Liquidation totale classics - happy Luxembourgoise luxemburgers enjoying beers in street cafe - luxembourgian joi de vivre Liquidation totale classics - happy Luxembourgoise luxemburgers enjoying beers in street cafe - luxembourgian joi de vivre n20090703-n20051102_175535.jpg Crazy fat blue woman statue at bus terminal mudam monument Drole de dame luxembourgish Crazy fat blue woman statue at bus terminal mudam monument Drole de dame luxembourgish n20090703-n20051102_194145.jpg grand choir rehearsing Beethoven - Ode to Joy - also wagner's music is better than it sounds grand choir rehearsing Beethoven - Ode to Joy - also wagner's music is better than it sounds n20090703-n20051102_195714.jpg Symphony orchestra not the philharmonie but Conservatoire de Luxembourg 1906 Campus Geesseknappchen Merl quarter Hollerich Symphony orchestra not the philharmonie but Conservatoire de Luxembourg 1906 Campus Geesseknappchen Merl quarter Hollerich CLICK ON A PICTURE TO VIEW IT BIG !!! 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Luxembourg 2 b CLICK ON A PICTURE TO VIEW IT BIG !!! n20090703-n20051102_103615.jpg ww2 eternal flame for murderers and killers in unjust invasions and massacres on canon hill ww2 eternal flame for murderers and killers in unjust invasions and massacres on canon hill n20090703-n20051102_103746.jpg Inspector general de police luxembourgoise - past wreath laying ceremony for death by injustice Inspector general de police luxembourgoise - past wreath laying ceremony for death by injustice n20090703-n20051102_103756.jpg for 'heroes' accomplices in killing, hate and stupidity - morts pour la patrif 1940 1945 for 'heroes' accomplices in killing, hate and stupidity - morts pour la patrif 1940 1945 n20090703-n20051102_104951.jpg placebo head shop marijuana growroom hydroponics wasserpfeife shillum hooka drogen local drug politics placebo head shop marijuana growroom hydroponics wasserpfeife shillum hooka drogen local drug politics n20090703-n20051102_105012.jpg psychodelic dream illusion eye sore growshop no war grolux lamps hashish cultivation psychodelic dream illusion eye sore growshop no war grolux lamps hashish cultivation n20090703-n20051102_105021.jpg visa mastercard maestro ec bancomat legalize it cannabis god is busy can I help you? tip tube visa mastercard maestro ec bancomat legalize it cannabis god is busy can I help you? tip tube n20090703-n20051102_105414.jpg junk food bowel cancer dispensary - overweight girls in Quick Hamburger Restaurant junk food bowel cancer dispensary - overweight girls in Quick Hamburger Restaurant n20090703-n20051102_105536.jpg Cocal Cola sugar water empire and Luxemborg main train station - hauptbahnhof luxemburg Cocal Cola sugar water empire and Luxemborg main train station - hauptbahnhof luxemburg n20090703-n20051102_105717.jpg old steel and rivets rail overpass to rotunda bombardier powered double decker carriage old steel and rivets rail overpass to rotunda bombardier powered double decker carriage n20090703-n20051102_110541-enhanced.jpg clear acrylic toilet seat with embedded barbed wire - stachedraht klobrille clear acrylic toilet seat with embedded barbed wire - stachedraht klobrille n20090703-n20051102_112144.jpg Rue Bender - commander of the Fortress 1713-1798 - inhumane impersonal ugly glass steel tower Rue Bender - commander of the Fortress 1713-1798 - inhumane impersonal ugly glass steel tower n20090703-n20051102_112415.jpg bronce plastic of sexy musicians with violin and big horn bronce plastic of sexy musicians with violin and big horn n20090703-n20051102_112434-enhanced.jpg manhole P T poste and Telecom Luxembourg iron duct cover pam d4004n 1z4 manhole P T poste and Telecom Luxembourg iron duct cover pam d4004n 1z4 n20090703-n20051102_113209.jpg back stone mason pavement worker from africa in Place du St Esprit government offices back stone mason pavement worker from africa in Place du St Esprit government offices n20090703-n20051102_113406.jpg golden angel statuette under car park Parkhaus Saint-Esprit lift to grund - 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malerische militaerromantik bruecke bridge rue Munster corniche citadel - malerische militaerromantik n20090703-n20051102_113742.jpg ville basse Luxembourg alzett alzig elze - muendet in die Sauer dann Mosel dann Rhein ville basse Luxembourg alzett alzig elze - muendet in die Sauer dann Mosel dann Rhein n20090703-n20051102_115221.jpg de mensch virum profit kpl d kommunisten list 1 green party communist party stickers on riverbridge de mensch virum profit kpl d kommunisten list 1 green party communist party stickers on riverbridge n20090703-n20051102_115542.jpg glass roof over atrium of abbey neumuenster - dry well lit courtyard - triangular panes glass roof over atrium of abbey neumuenster - dry well lit courtyard - triangular panes n20090703-n20051102_115816.jpg bizarre visual composition salle robert krieps l'Abbaye Neumunster Luxembourg-Grund bizarre visual composition salle robert krieps l'Abbaye Neumunster Luxembourg-Grund n20090703-n20051102_120149.jpg ascent to Rahm plateau on long staircase - descent to abbey Neumuenster ascent to Rahm plateau on long staircase - descent to abbey Neumuenster n20090703-n20051102_120515-enh.jpg life at 1450 chess players jouers d echecs gobelet pichet picher krug maultrommel guimbarde water flute soldier eating soup life at 1450 chess players jouers d echecs gobelet pichet picher krug maultrommel guimbarde water flute soldier eating soup n20090703-n20051102_120552-enh.jpg les batisseurs 15th century construction compas zirkel kroeneln scharriereisen degrossie piolet stonemason steinmetz les batisseurs 15th century construction compas zirkel kroeneln scharriereisen degrossie piolet stonemason steinmetz n20090703-n20051102_121314.jpg Old fortification wall and 4 story monastery building dwarfed - dimensions to contemplate - forced labour and medieval age slavery Old fortification wall and 4 story monastery building dwarfed - dimensions to contemplate - forced labour and medieval age slavery n20090703-n20051102_121509.jpg concrete construction - bound to become an hideous building garnison garrison Wenzel fortification concrete construction - bound to become an hideous building garnison garrison Wenzel fortification n20090703-n20051102_121512.jpg stahlbeton bauweise Murniereisen stahlgitter Moniereisen Armierungseisen Wayss Freytag Betonstahl stahlbeton bauweise Murniereisen stahlgitter Moniereisen Armierungseisen Wayss Freytag Betonstahl n20090703-n20051102_121641.jpg rahm plateau facades stabilized with wood frames Vauban army barracks Kaernen Altersheim rahm plateau facades stabilized with wood frames Vauban army barracks Kaernen Altersheim n20090703-n20051102_121733.jpg red blood vessels plastic octopus flexible cable ducts emanating from grey concrete wall red blood vessels plastic octopus flexible cable ducts emanating from grey concrete wall n20090703-n20051102_122541.jpg Edelschnaps alcohol distille margot guillon Distillerie Pit Dolizy Mittellauf - exact howto distil in german Edelschnaps alcohol distille margot guillon Distillerie Pit Dolizy Mittellauf - exact howto distil in german n20090703-n20051102_122613.jpg Schnapsbrennerei gaston puppet with eau de vie - whiskey fruit brandy traditional glass and dress Schnapsbrennerei gaston puppet with eau de vie - whiskey fruit brandy traditional glass and dress n20090703-n20051102_123353.jpg Eisenbahnbruecke Pont chemin de fer from luxemburger sandstein Le Gres Eisenbahnbruecke Pont chemin de fer from luxemburger sandstein Le Gres n20090703-n20051102_123523.jpg l ecluse du grund grundschleuse 1731 under austrian rule dam could flood valley petrustal l ecluse du grund grundschleuse 1731 under austrian rule dam could flood valley petrustal n20090703-n20051102_123705.jpg Alzettaue fond de vallee alzette alcedo atthis gallinula chloropus teichhuhn Alzettaue fond de vallee alzette alcedo atthis gallinula chloropus teichhuhn n20090703-n20051102_123901.jpg Baby banana feeding time - zitadelle citadel of Luxembourg Gibraltar of the North Baby banana feeding time - zitadelle citadel of Luxembourg Gibraltar of the North n20090703-n20051102_124028.jpg main trunk multicore telephone cable pairs kabel belden labour communication backbone main trunk multicore telephone cable pairs kabel belden labour communication backbone n20090703-n20051102_124127.jpg demenagements comete furniture lift street window access extendible motorized hebebuehne demenagements comete furniture lift street window access extendible motorized hebebuehne n20090703-n20051102_124229.jpg Grund Tilleschgasse Tilleschgaass with tourist sightseeing road train touristenzug rue st ulric Grund Tilleschgasse Tilleschgaass with tourist sightseeing road train touristenzug rue st ulric n20090703-n20051102_134004.jpg monument national solidarity grand duc 10 oct 1971 combat victims glory patriot memorial monument national solidarity grand duc 10 oct 1971 combat victims glory patriot memorial n20090703-n20051102_143011.jpg ww1 statues war dead remembrance Place de la Constitution atop Petrusse casemates ww1 statues war dead remembrance Place de la Constitution atop Petrusse casemates n20090703-n20051102_143016.jpg Gella Fra (Golden Lady) stone obelisk erected 1923 destroyed 1940 by Nazi 1958 restored Gella Fra (Golden Lady) stone obelisk erected 1923 destroyed 1940 by Nazi 1958 restored n20090703-n20051102_143340.jpg neudorf charlys statioun airport bus on Pont Adolphe neudorf charlys statioun airport bus on Pont Adolphe CLICK ON A PICTURE TO VIEW IT BIG !!! All images are copyrighted. See MAIN INDEX PAGE for details. .


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Monday, July 27, 2009

new picture galleries .. t-shirt designs - ac luxembourg

n20090606--n20051006_233950.jpg
Jesus loves you - the rest of us think you're and asshole  - anti christian message
Jesus loves you - the rest of us think you're and asshole - anti christian message
n20090606--n20051006_234240.jpg
The pleasure fu**ers  - Daemons  head-eaters
The pleasure fu**ers - Daemons head-eaters

n20090611--n20051011_020149.jpg
smokey my friend, you are entering the world of pain -- Big Lebowski 1998  Coen
smokey my friend, you are entering the world of pain -- Big Lebowski 1998 Coen
n20090611--n20051011_020200.jpg
Legally Wasted - Amsterdam Smoking Club chill out its time to get wasted - tee shirt
Legally Wasted - Amsterdam Smoking Club chill out its time to get wasted - tee shirt

more http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090611-ac-dj-t-shirt



n20090609--n20051009_191845.jpg
beautiful ceiling design classic 7 pointed arch doorway - organic elegant
beautiful ceiling design classic 7 pointed arch doorway - organic elegant
n20090609--n20051009_191901.jpg
Alexianerkrankenhaus circular room lighting and jesus fake crucifiction mosaic wood sculpture
Alexianerkrankenhaus circular room lighting and jesus fake crucifiction mosaic wood sculpture

n20090703-n20051102_094941.jpg
one way sauf combat de gel - except ausser kampf einbahnstrasse luxemburg innenstadt
one way sauf combat de gel - except ausser kampf einbahnstrasse luxemburg innenstadt
n20090703-n20051102_095003.jpg
We want to stay what we are 1736  greek restaurant to kastro grec ilot gastronomie k ramba
We want to stay what we are 1736 greek restaurant to kastro grec ilot gastronomie k ramba
more http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090705-lux2a/
n20090503_124211-crop.JPG
USA stamps briefmarken Buffalo Bill Cody James Stewart Flash Gordon 22 October 2008
USA stamps briefmarken Buffalo Bill Cody James Stewart Flash Gordon 22 October 2008
n20090503_130931-cropped.jpg
xray picture of lower body abdomen hips spine kidneys liver bladder Ureters lossless
xray picture of lower body abdomen hips spine kidneys liver bladder Ureters lossless
n20090510_223830-enh.jpg
island offshore of Singapur changi airport
island offshore of Singapur changi airport
n20090510_234138.jpg
A new journey begins - cynical driven by the corporate wind - eyecorp - billboard visual atrocities
A new journey begins - cynical driven by the corporate wind - eyecorp - billboard visual atrocities



http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090518-AKL-FRA-2/

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090611-ac-dj-t-shirt

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090705-lux2a/
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Solar-Eclipse in SHANGHAI

Weather in China, Shanghai on the day of the total solar eclipse?

100 per cent probaility of rain ... aaaaaarrrggghhhh!
CLICK THE PICTURE to view it ENLARGED


CLICK THE PICTURE to view it ENLARGED



CLICK THE PICTURE to view it ENLARGED

Yet more info?






Location: Shanghai, China
Latitude: 39:14 N
Longitude: 121:29 E
Time Zone: -8
Magnetic Declination: 7:19 W
Azimuths Relative to True North

Day Date Dawn Rise Transit Set Dusk Day
Length
Azimuth Max
Alt
Rise Set
Wed 15 Jul 2009 (STD) 4:08 4:40 12:00 19:20 19:51 14:40 61 299 72

SunCalc © 2009 Jeff Conrad

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/suncalc/


Daily predictions for brighter satellites

Search Period Start: 12:00 Wednesday, 22 July, 2009
Search Period End: 01:00 Thursday, 23 July, 2009
Observer's Location: Shanghai ( 30.7041°N, 120.7947°E)
Local Time: China Standard Time (GMT + 8:00)
Limiting magnitude: 3.5

New Click on the time of max. altitude to get a star chart and other pass details.
Satellite StartsMax. AltitudeEnds
Name MagTime Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
UARS 2.6 19:26:18 10° SW 19:29:50 76° NW 19:33:19 10° NE
TRMM 2.0 19:42:09 10° W 19:45:19 48° SSW 19:47:45 15° SE
USA 129 3.3 20:31:42 53° SE 20:32:20 68° ENE 20:36:11 10° N
Cosmos 2082 Rocket 3.3 20:37:22 10° NNW 20:42:58 72° ENE 20:45:05 39° SE
ISS -0.1 21:13:46 10° N 21:14:03 11° N 21:14:03 11° N

DateLocal
Time
Intensity
( Mag)
Alt. Azimuth Distance to
flare centre
Intensity at
flare centre
(Mag.)
Satellite

70km SOUTHWEST of Shanghai City

19 Jul 02:40:14 -2 13° 119° (ESE) 90.7 km (E) -6 Iridium 62
19 Jul 02:49:47 -2 17° 119° (ESE) 84.0 km (W) -6 Iridium 63
20 Jul 02:33:57 -3 12° 121° (ESE) 80.5 km (E) -6 Iridium 65
20 Jul 02:43:33 -2 17° 122° (ESE) 84.3 km (W) -6 Iridium 66
21 Jul 02:27:39 -4 11° 123° (ESE) 53.0 km (E) -6 Iridium 68
21 Jul 02:37:16 -2 15° 123° (ESE) 76.3 km (W) -6 Iridium 21
21 Jul 20:57:39 -0 37° 79° (E ) 55.4 km (E) -8 Iridium 7
22 Jul 02:21:19 -6 10° 125° (SE ) 5.9 km (E) -6 Iridium 75
22 Jul 02:30:59 -3 14° 125° (SE ) 72.4 km (W) -6 Iridium 70
22 Jul 05:07:10 -6 25° 33° (NNE) 9.7 km (E) -6 Iridium 49



SHANGHAI CITY:

DateLocal
Time
Intensity
( Mag)
Alt. Azimuth Distance to
flare centre
Intensity at
flare centre
(Mag.)
Satellite


18 Jul
19:30:41 -3 68° 99° (E ) 14.3 km (W) -9 Iridium 58
19 Jul 02:40:34 -2 14° 119° (ESE) 75.5 km (E) -6 Iridium 62
19 Jul 02:50:06 -1 19° 119° (ESE) 112.0 km (W) -6 Iridium 63
19 Jul 19:24:38 -5 69° 102° (ESE) 7.3 km (W) -9 Iridium 55
19 Jul 19:25:30 -4 69° 102° (ESE) 11.0 km (W) -9 Iridium 28
20 Jul 02:34:18 -2 13° 121° (ESE) 82.3 km (E) -6 Iridium 65
20 Jul 02:43:52 -1 18° 121° (ESE) 105.6 km (W) -6 Iridium 66
20 Jul 19:18:36 -0 68° 102° (ESE) 32.0 km (E) -9 Iridium 31
21 Jul 02:28:00 -3 12° 123° (ESE) 79.6 km (E) -6 Iridium 68
21 Jul 02:37:37 -2 17° 123° (ESE) 87.5 km (W) -6 Iridium 21
21 Jul 20:57:30 -8 40° 79° (ENE) 2.8 km (W) -8 Iridium 7
22 Jul 02:21:41 -4 11° 125° (SE ) 54.8 km (E) -6 Iridium 75
22 Jul 02:31:20 -3 16° 125° (SE ) 70.6 km (W) -6 Iridium 70
22 Jul 20:51:28 -1 39° 80° (E ) 38.1 km (E) -8 Iridium 37


all above events are calculated for THIS location:
Hangzhou to Shanghai is about 150km


Yet more info?

CLICK HERE
http://miscellaneous-sonstiges.blogspot.com/2009/06/solar-eclipse-2009-in-shanghai.html

http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/maglev%20shanghai%20interior.jpg
Maglev Shanghai -

http://www.impactlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/maglev_shanghai.jpg

Shanghai, China


Transrapid train emerges from stylish station in Shanghai.

Construction began in April 2001 of the first commercial Transrapid system. Despite the fact that the maglev was the first revenue-producing point-to-point high-speed maglev in the world, the system was up and running by 2004. The 30-km line runs between Pudong Shanghai International Airport and the Shanghai Lujiazui financial district. An end-to-end ride takes about eight minutes. A world record for commercial maglev systems was set on November 12, 2003. A five-section train achieved the top speed of 501 km/h (311 mph) while another vehicle passed at 430 km/h on the adjacent track. The Transrapid in Shanghai has a design speed of over 500 km/h (310 mph) and a regular service speed of 430 km/h (267 mph). Shanghai Maglev is the fastest railway system in commercial operation in the world. Other maglev lines are under consideration in China.



History-making maglev speeds between stations.
photos courtesy of Transrapid International.




Shàngha(i Cífú Shìfàn Yùnyíng Xiàn; literally "Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Demonstration Operation Line") is the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world. The system and trains were built to the Transrapid standard. Construction began in March 2001, and public service commenced on 1 January 2004.

During a test run on 12 November 2003, a maglev vehicle achieved a Chinese record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph).

As of May 2008, the line operates daily between 06:45–21:30, a one-way ticket cost ¥50 (US$7.27), or ¥40 ($5.81) for those passengers holding a receipt or proof of an airline ticket purchase. A round-trip return ticket cost ¥80 ($11.63) and VIP tickets cost double the standard fare.

The service operates once every 15 minutes. It can be easier and faster for those passengers with destinations in west (Puxi) Shanghai to use a taxi directly from Pudong International Airport—although missing out the "thrill factor" of riding on the high-speed Maglev.

Hans-Dieter Bott, vice president of Siemens when they won the contract to build the rail link stated that "Transrapid views the Shanghai line, where the ride will last just eight minutes, largely as a sales tool. This serves as a demonstration for China to show that this works and can be used for longer distances, such as Shanghai to Beijing".
However, the decision was eventually made to implement the Beijing-Shanghai Express Railway with conventional high-speed technology.

http://www.maps-of-china.net/tourism_map/shanghai/maglevtrain.jpg
http://www.maps-of-china.net/tourism_map/shanghai/maglevtrain.jpg

y23solareclipse
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Monday, July 13, 2009

NASA TV streaming links


http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx
contains this link:
http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1369080&segment=149773

MoreInfo http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html

Public Channel:
› Real | › Real (Captioned)
› Windows Media (Best for Full Screen) (the above link)
› Quicktime --- › Audio Only (RealAudio)
Mission Audio: › Windows

NASA TV Downlink Parameters: Uplink provider = Americom Satellite = AMC 6 Transponder = 17C 72 Degrees West Transmission Format: DVB-S Downlink Frequency: 4040 MHz Polarity: Vertical FEC= 3/4 Data Rate= 36.860 MHz Symbol Rate = 26.665 Ms/s
NASA TV HD Programming: HD Program = 105 Video PID = 82 AC-3 Audio PID = 238 MPEG-1 Layer II Audio PID =83
the continental United States, NASA Television's Public, Education and Media channels are carried by MPEG-2 digital C-band signal on AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, Transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical polarization. They're available in Alaska and Hawaii on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite AMC-7, transponder 18C, 137 degrees west longitude, 4060 MHz, vertical polarization. A Digital Video Broadcast compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder is required for reception. Analog NASA TV is no longer available.

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/135232main_podcast_itunes.jpg

NASA TV (originally NASA Select) is the television network of the United States space agency, NASA. NASA TV is broadcast by satellite with a simulcast over the Internet. Local cable television systems across the U.S. may carry the public channel at their discretion, and it is broadcast by some amateur television repeaters. The network has been on the air for more than 25 years.

http://desktop.google.com/plugins/images/nasatv.gif

The network airs a large amount of educational programming, and provides live coverage of an array of manned missions, including the Space Shuttle and ISS, robotic missions, and international launches. The network completed its conversion from analog to digital transmission in late 2005 following the launch of STS-114, ending a period of dual analog/digital broadcasting, although some cable television system may still transmit in analog. The satellite link uses the DVB system for data transmission

http://www.neil-online.com/nasa/images/nasatv2.jpg

The NASA TV network operates four channels over the air, and the same four channels online. The NASA Public channel provides 24 hour broadcasting of live and recorded events and documentaries aimed toward the general public. The NASA Education channel provides space and science programming for schools, museums and other educational institutions. The NASA Media channel is dedicated to broadcast news organizations and other members of the press, featuring press release video, interviews, mission press conferences and other services. The final is the NASA Mission Operations channel, an encrypted feed for NASA employees
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military history picture gallery - Germany Belgium Netherlands New Zealand

Picture Gallery of our National Army Museum

Armstrong 40 pounder, Russian 18 pounder:

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090210-army-museum/

.. and a classic motorbike made in WW1 from a field lathe (water pump)
stationary engine..

More military history (HOLLOW CHARGES)
and the famous Roechling projectile:

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/200108_ebenemael/

enjoy ;-)

n20090208_n20050609_202825.jpg
Armstrong 40 pounder rifled breech loading royal artillery Takapuna Westport Boer War 1.8tons
Armstrong 40 pounder rifled breech loading royal artillery Takapuna Westport Boer War 1.8tons


No. 207 Russian 18 pounder 130mm marine cannon crimean massacre 1826 Systeme Venglov carriage
No. 207 Russian 18 pounder 130mm marine cannon crimean massacre 1826 Systeme Venglov carriage


british 64pounder converted canon 1814 Royal Navy HMS Nelson 8 inch smooth bore 160mm calibre
british 64pounder converted canon 1814 Royal Navy HMS Nelson 8 inch smooth bore 160mm calibre

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090210-army-museum/

Gun turret with ineffective Hohlladung (56cm of best Steel)
Gun turret with ineffective Hohlladung (56cm of best Steel)

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/200108_ebenemael/

Roechlin projectile in the floor
Roechlin projectile in the floor

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/2002-neufchateau/

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