pretty awesome – full story here.
pretty awesome – full story here.
you can read the full article at io9.com, but here’s the gist:
The findings, published in Nature, are probably best described as “mind blowing.” Devices with this level of complexity were not seen again for almost 1,500 years, and the Antikythera mechanism’s compactness actually bests the later designs. Probably built around 150 B.C., the Antikythera mechanism can perform a number of functions just by turning a crank on the side.
Using nothing but an ingenious system of gears, the mechanism could be used to predict the month, day and hour of an eclipse, and even accounted for leap years. It could also predict the positions of the sun and moon against the zodiac, and has a gear train that turns a black and white stone to show the moon’s phase on a given date. It is possible that it could also show the astronomical positions of the planets known to the ancients: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
[…]
The true genius of the mechanism goes beyond even the complex calculations and craftsmanship of a mechanical calendar. For example, the ancients didn’t know that the moon has an elliptical orbit, so they didn’t know why it sometimes slowed or sped up as it moved through the zodiac. The mechanism’s creator used epicyclic gears, also known as planetary gears, with a “pin-and-slot” mechanism that mimicked this apparent shifting in the moon’s movement. This use of epicyclic gears is far ahead of what anyone suspected ancient technology was capable of. Scientific American has a two-part video about the mechanism and the imaging techniques used in the research.
i could really go for a double double or a slice of cheesecake or some bread pudding or a steak or something right now. sadly none of these things are at hand, and i’m too lazy/conscientious to go get them.
On Thursday, Elaine and I drove to Las Vegas – top down in the convertible, music blaring – it was fantastic. We met Maria and her hotel, the Trump International, then went to dinner at Pink Taco at the Hard Rock. Elaine and Maria did some gambling, then we called it an early night since Maria had to work the next day.
Friday, while Maria worked, Elaine and I hit the Fashion Show Mall and ate at the Harrah’s buffet. We picked up Maria, checked into Paris, and went to the outlet mall. We had dinner at the burger grill at Paris, then got ready for our first night out. Megan arrived and we all went to Pure. We met some nice guys who got us into the VIP area, and spent the rest of the night drinking and dancing.
Saturday, nursing some hangovers, or at the very least moving very slowly, we went to the Flamingo buffet, Hoover Dam, the Paris buffet, then passed out for awhile in our room. We ended up going to Tao, which was insanely crowded. Every once in awhile it snowed real snow over the dance floor. After Tao we gambled a little at the Venetian and met some young, possibly 18 year old guys who were hilarious. We went back to Paris and Elaine and I stayed up to 5am or something like that at the blackjack tables.
Sunday we grabbed a quick lunch at one of the cafés in Paris, then went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the Bellagio fountain show. We took a few more photos, then started the drive back to LA.
i saw this delightful tweet on nathan fillion’s feed and was similarly touched:
Saw a little girl touch a big bug and shout, “I conquered my fear! YES!” and calmly walk away. I was inspired.
here’s to a wonderful year full of new opportunities and surprises!