I'm not sure where to put this, but I think here it is quite ok:
For those of you who fancy documentaries, I have found a site that has loads of them and offeres sorted playlists with written info.
For starters, hit this (and then you can go to the main page)
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/japan-memoirs-secret-empire/
I've finished watching those three episodes of ancient Japan. Rather entertaining :)
A lot of interesting stuff, but they got a few details wrong. For instance, the way you see those Samurai wear their swords (thrust through the belt, edge up) was not always the same, it only just started around the turn of the century (around 1600) and two (long and short) swords were usually worn only when wearing full armour. Imagine, they tell you the short sword was used for sepuku (the term "harakiri" is not used in Japan) as if it was the only purpose, and as if everyone had to always have a special sword at hand to kill himself at any time despite of the fact that they showed us it was a well-pepared ritual and, by the way, that happened not every day. It was a weapon and used additionally to the long sword or for close quarters combat. They also showed a couple of times how two men "fence" with katanas, crossing blades... that would never have happened. The blades were so elaborate, and the edge (usually) very thin and hard, that the risk of chipping the precious masterpiece was too high. Usually contact was avoided, at best parried with the thick back of the blade, usually at an angle that the attacking blade would just slip down alongside the defender's blade. A swordfight would be more like exchanging blows, trying to slice the opponent.
Ah, I got carried away a little ;D
I for one don't mind how carried away you get, mate... that was a most interesting bit of discourse. Very informative :-X
Reminds me - I must read Shōgun again sometime soon :)
Hehehehe... now I see where your nick name comes from ;)
Thanks, fragger :)
JRD, yep ;)
Can't help it: For those of you who have a slight bit of interest in science, give this one a go:
'A Universe From Nothing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ImvlS8PLIo)' by Lawrence Krauss, AAI 2009
I've decided to edit this, because you'd probably overlook the link without a little summary :)
The focus is on the universe, how it might have begun, where did the energy come from, towards the conclusion there is a zero energy equation, what is dark matter and so on. Brilliantly presented, it is a public lecture, full of humorous anecdotes and remarks. A decent way of whiling away an hour of your time :)
Interesting find Art, not watched it yet but read the first few comments and had a bit of a chuckle. Love it when people of faith argue with people of science :) , sometimes its better than listening to a comedian.
Throughout my life so far I've been Religious (several different faiths), Political (left & right), Interested in 'life' and disillusioned with 'life'. At some point it dawn on me that no matter how far you push in one direction somehow, sooner or later you end up coming back full circle on yourself.
"Its the Circle of Life"
Look forward to watching it later tonight before bed. :-X
I watched it just prior to posting here, it's about how everything (galaxy etc) originated, how the universe started and how it might end etc. The guy is ace, and slips in plenty of funny remarks, so it won't be too arid a discussion to follow. :)
Here's something scientific, again, a bbc production. Made me think.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-ghost-in-our-genes/
Basically, it tells us how genetic heritage, passed on through generations, was believed to be passed on unaltered, as in locked away in our cells. Now there is evidence that events in our lives imprint (alter) the genes that are passed on. In a nutshell (in my own words, not scientifically correct): If someone punches you in the face, your grandchildren will still have black eyes.
Quote from: Art Blade on February 10, 2010, 05:03:02 PM
If someone punches you in the face, your grandchildren will still have black eyes.
That's a great way of putting it, was reading about 4000 year old DNA on BBC site earlier, here's the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8506080.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8506080.stm)
Usually on their site as the first caffeine fix of the day works it's magic. Very good news coverage, specially on the World Service.
thanks a lot, Red :) :-X
No problems. :)
OWG is just great...
You just gave me plenty to watch while at home and the wife is watching her soap opera!! ;D
... if I`m not playing FC2 or STALKER, that is... 8)
Strange how I have abandoned TV for more than a decade, and now I'm happy to watch internet instead. Well, choice docus, select vids... a nice addition to watching movie DVDs :) And boy, there are a lot of good docus out there.
If you guys find any interesting science or history docus, please post away :)
Really cool - you never know what you'll read at OWG :-X
Quote from: PZ on February 11, 2010, 02:10:56 PM
Really cool
Funny you should say that, I've just finished watching Part one (out of two) of a BBC docu called
absolute zero (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/absolute-zero/).
Part one tells us about the scientific struggle over the past couple of centuries to solve the riddle of heat and cold. It shows us how all of that lead to the invention of steam engines, the birth of the ice industry (shipping blocks of natural ice around the world into hot regions) up to modern refrigerators and air conditioning, and brushing past the development of useful thermometers. Known and unknown names such as Kelvin, Joule, Farenheit, de Lavoisier, Sir Benjamin Thompson Count Rumford, and more, are given faces and tell us about significant experiments and their consequences.
The second Part goes on towards the ultimate goal: Absolute zero.
That part contains information about how scientists strove to cool down gases so they liquified, needing lower and lower temperatures until they finally did so. We are shown how scientists struggle to come closer to absolute zero, and near that temperature, how the Bose–Einstein condensate was finally realised. Within that condensate, light speed gets slowed down to the speed of a bicycle...
I really liked this 2x1 hour docu :-X
I edited the previous post, adding info about Part two (in case you missed the edit).
Yesterday, I watched another interesting docu called
Mapping Stem Cell Research (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/mapping-stem-cell-research-terra-incognita/) Terra Incognita.
It explains what stemm cells really are, what they could be used for, how scientists and medical physicists strive to make them w@&k in favour of healing spinal cord injuries and it also illustrates the political, religious and ethic controversy. The focus being the scientific and medical aspect.
On a sidenote, science docus I recommend here are what I think non-sensational, which means they just transport useful information, shed light on scientific fields, as opposed to "wannabe" science where you'll find phrases that would suit fear-mongers or polemicists, like "Venus' athmosphere easily eats through human flesh" or "it is the evil sibling of Earth" or along the lines of "here is life, there is death". That is not information, that is nonsense. Scare tactics and cheap showmanship. I can't stand those "docus" ;D
Something interesting
from a scientist:
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/pleasure-finding-things-out/)
I agree with this:
QuoteWhile the video quality is less than desirable the content of this program more than makes up for it.
Here what the site's editor wrote about it:
QuoteThe Pleasure of Finding Things Out was filmed in 1981 and will delight and inspire anyone who would like to share something of the joys of scientific discovery. Feynman is a master storyteller, and his tales – about childhood, Los Alamos, or how he won a Nobel Prize – are a vivid and entertaining insight into the mind of a great scientist at w@&k and play.
In this candid interview Feynman touches on a wide array of topics from the beauty of nature to particle physics. He explains things that are hard to grasp in layman's terms much like Carl Sagan did in the cosmos series. His explanation of the scientific method covers what we know, why we know it and most importantly, what we don't know and the pleasure of figuring it out.
What caught my attention was that quote:
QuoteProfessor Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel Prize for Chemistry said "The 1981 Feynman Horizon is the best science program I have ever seen. This is not just my opinion – it is also the opinion of many of the best scientists that I know who have seen the program... It should be mandatory viewing for all students whether they be science or arts students."
I am sure you'll enjoy listening to this man's story :)
I've got to say Art, the site that hosts some of these excellent programs you've posted is an excellent find. :-X
Carl Segan's full series Cosmos is available with a lot of other really good stuff! I can see that I've got a lot of hours ahead of me browsing and viewing through the listings.
Glad if you like it :)
Unfortunately, only those of us who have no bandwidth/download restrictions or limits are able to fully enjoy those docus. My internet connection costs always the same, month after month, no matter how much I download/stream. Those who pay per MB downloaded, will have to pay dearly...
SpaceRip: the BEST Space Videos on the Web (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIJ55xXj9vQ#ws)
Go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1znqKFL3jeR0eoA0pHpzvw (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1znqKFL3jeR0eoA0pHpzvw)
That's the channel "SpaceRip" on which I found a lot of interesting videos and playlists.
Looks interesting Art. :-X
I've bookmarked the channel and will browse it at my leisure.
Me too. Nice find Art :-X
I was thinking of the two of you when I posted it, you're welcome :)
:)
I didn't know where to stick this post, but since it concerns science (loosely represented in the form of Google Earth), history and media, I thought here was as good a place as any :-D
I waste hours sometimes poking around the world on Google Earth and seeing what I can find, and earlier tonight I came across this:
[smg id=8287 align=center width=600]
This bridge, NE of Caen and on the outskirts of Bénouville, France, became known as "Pegasus Bridge" to the British during WWII (named after the shoulder patches on British paratroop uniforms) and was the scene of a remarkable clash on the night before, and morning of, D-Day. A couple of British paratroop units were tasked with securing this bridge and another one a short distance to the east to prevent German armour from crossing the canal and harassing the British invasion forces that would land at "Sword" beach nearby. They came in on Horsa gliders, which were piloted with remarkable skill considering they were flying in the dark and the fact that these gliders were notoriously dangerous to set down safely, and rolled to a stop a mere 50 yards or so from the bridge. The British took and held the bridge throughout the night and the operation was one of the very few instances of success on the part of the Allied paratroop forces (most of them were misdropped all over Normandy and got hopelessly lost). One of the first British paratroops on the bridge was Lieutenant Den Brotheridge, who was killed and became the first Allied casualty on D-Day (as far as is officially known).
Another soldier who was involved with Pegasus Bridge was the actor Richard Todd, who fittingly enough would play the commander of this same operation, Major John Howard, in the movie The Longest Day almost twenty years later. The Pegasus sequence was filmed on the original bridge which was still in use at the time, which must have been a peculiar experience for Todd. If that's not enough, Todd at the time of D-Day was an officer in the 7th Parachute Battalion which didn't actually land at Pegasus but arrived to reinforce Howard's men later in the morning, and Todd was the officer who made contact with Howard. This meeting was depicted in The Longest Day, so in a way, Todd plays a character meeting his younger self - Todd playing Howard meeting Todd. Six years before The Longest Day he played the commander of the 7th in the movie D-Day The Sixth Of June in which the same meeting was depicted - Todd playing the 7th's CO whose subordinate, Todd, meets Howard.
The real commander of the 7th had a bit of an unfortunate name for a military man: Lt. Col. R. G. Pine-Coffin. Sounds like something from Dr. Strangelove :-()
There is a replica of a Horsa glider at upper right in the picture (circled) and this is what clued me in that I had found the right bridge. Just below the glider is the original main structure of the bridge itself, which has been preserved as part of a museum (after I found this on Google Earth I looked up Pegasus Bridge to discover that the original bridge structure is in the outdoor part of the museum, and that the glider is a replica. Almost all of the original gliders had long ago been broken up by French civvies for firewood).
I didn't use the search function to find the bridge but I knew roughly where it had been and was curious to see if it was still there, and if I could find it. Then I saw the Horsa, which led me to notice the old bridge structure nearby, which induced me to find out what the story was there, which led me to discovering the interesting info about Richard Todd.
Amazing what you can stumble across in Google Earth and where it can lead 8)
bloody hell, fragger, you should apply for a job at the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. :-D
+1 :-X for your discoveries. :)
Thanks muchly Art :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbKYbLUkIpk&index=1&list=PL8hNHC9nbLlwpq5bbCkcODDmAXXFfuSKZ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbKYbLUkIpk&index=1&list=PL8hNHC9nbLlwpq5bbCkcODDmAXXFfuSKZ)
Above is a playlist of 30 WWII documentaries titled "Battlefield" by NBC that dedicates each episode to a specific theatre or operation such as Market Garden (which were actually two operations named Market and Garden) or the Battle of Britain and so on. It is some sort of analysis of a certain battle that compares both sides, their weapons, their commanders, their tactics and so on.
What I like about them is a somewhat objective narration that doesn't condemn the Germans per se but points out their military achievements as well as their mistakes; same goes for allied forces. I haven't watched all of them yet but those that I did were really good.
before fragger can reply, which he is about to, I want to slip in that I compared the episode of Battlefield about Operation Market Garden to a BBC episode about the same operation. I was really disappointed the way the BBC (and for that matter, some other documentaries) tried to show how a complete failure was something short of a proper success and only "by the way" mentioned that it failed in the end. The NBC Battlefield painted a very different picture that was brutally honest by comparison.
Indeed you are correct Art, I was about to reply, then I went for brekkie :-() And thanks for the link mate, I'll be checking those vids out :-X
You are also correct about the way Market Garden is commented upon in many docos. The operation's shortcomings are often glossed-over, whereas in reality it was pretty much an unmitigated Allied disaster that in all probably did more to prolong the war rather than shorten it. It set the Allied effort back for months, achieved next to nothing, and was an absolute comedy of errors, except that it wasn't funny. The book "A Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan is a good read on the matter, he doesn't pull any punches about the Allied blunderings and shoddy planning (the movie of the same name is based on this book, and to its credit the film doesn't gloss things over either - it faithfully depicted some of the many, many mistakes that were made).
I like accounts of the war that tell the story from both sides, objectively and without any opinionated colourings. That's how documentaries should be - sticking to the facts. Both sides made mistakes, and both had successes. In the same way, the only WWII movies I like are ones like Battle of Britain and Tora Tora Tora, where both sides' stories are presented factually with no bugle-blowing propaganda or patriotic hyperbole. Just the events.
I very much thought of you when posting that link. You are welcome, old friend :)
They mentioned A Bridge Too Far as a key phrase indicating one if not the crucial flaw of the whole operation. They mentioned indeed quite a few risks that were taken in hope of ending the war before the end of 1944.
Looking at the collection of docos following the link above, there is at least one that is likely to catch your eye: Batllefield S4/E2 - Air War Over Germany. You'll probably enjoy the details provided regarding all sorts of aircraft. :)
Cheers :)
I often spend time on google earth also, but now you've made me curious fragger :-D
Fantastic find mate +1 from me also :-X
Nice post, fragger :-X +1 from me as well. I enjoy the history of the world wars
I think fragger only now got those comments and kudos for his post that he came up with half a year ago which makes me wonder whether the recent conversation about Battlefield was ignored completely.. normally you guys quote the post you are referring to (even when replying to the post just prior to your own) but now you seem to have skipped the entire Battlefield conversation and picked up on a post way back in this topic in which case this is very confusing :laugh:
That's cool, I know where nexor is coming from :-X Thanks for the kudo nex :-() There's a place either in New Mexico or Arizona, can't remember which, where you can see dozens of huge craters in the earth. I think they may have done atomic testing there in the past, I'm not sure. Or it may have been the place where they deliberately blew lots of huge holes in the ground in a pattern that closely resembled the craters around the chosen landing sites for early Apollo missions, so that astronauts could fly over them and get familiar with the appearance of their lunar landing sites. This undertaking was covered in, I think, Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"series, but of course since then the Apollo-hoax crowd have fastened on it as the place where the "faked landings" were filmed ::) Don't get me started...
I've been trying to find that place again - if I do, I'll post the coords. It does resemble a lunar surface there.
I think the aliens did it. In fact, you can ask anyone in Roswell and they'll agree
if you can find any of those, that is :-D
Here are those coords, in southern Nevada. Copy and paste them into Google Earth or type them exactly as they are shown here:
37 06.50'N 116 03.32'W
This will drop you into the middle of an atomic bomb test crater field. Zooming out will reveal scores of them all over the landscape.
This region is in fact the infamous Area 51, which among other things has been used as an atomic test site and a Deus Ex level :-() Stealth Bombers and various other experimental aircraft have also been developed and tested here over the years, which has probably given rise to the area's UFO-related reputation. I believe that those in charge have actively encouraged the ufologists. Nothing will better serve to push the public's attention away from something than by allowing it to become a well-known focal point for a publicly-perceived crackpot fringe. Diversionary tactics.
Yeah the Nevada nuclear test range is a favorite spot for me on Google Earth. Just west of the hangars and airstrip of Area 51, over the ridge. So much stuff is hidden in plain view in the deserts around the world.
We passed through Roswell last year on the way to Carlsbad caverns. Largely it was not what I expected, but the general affect of the area was a bit on the strange side.
Quote from: PZ on June 01, 2016, 10:26:35 AM
We passed through Roswell last year on the way to Carlsbad caverns. Largely it was not what I expected, but the general affect of the area was a bit on the strange side.
A bit on the strange side? ???
Have you Googled Roswell McDonalds and switched to the images tab? 8-X
I just did that... I see what you're getting at mandru ??? :-D
https://www.youtube.com/user/Jeskinner1943/videos (https://www.youtube.com/user/Jeskinner1943/videos)
Above is a link to Jerry Skinner's channel, an elderly person who I believe used to be a private investigator (he features a little film about how to become one "without the BS" you'd find elsewhere on the net. I watched that one and I think it's indeed straight forward).
However, the reason I post this is the enormous amount of amateur documentaries he made focussing on famous or notorious people who died (I think they're exclusively Americans and apparently they -- at least usually -- lived in the South) whom you may or may not have heard of as well as some historical events.
The films are a mix of his own hand-held camera footage of locations he visited that are related to the person or event he is documenting as well as showing photographs of the person or event in question or pictures that somehow add to the story. I also like his Southern accent speaking voice as he keeps narrating. It's not rushed, and it's somewhat calm.
Go take a look, pick a documentary about someone you know or don't know, and kick back a bit. :)
Here is what he tells us about his channel:
Quote
20,121 subscribers • 10,136,047 views
Joined 14 Nov 2011
Description
I am from Mississippi so have a "Southern" accent. Some like it and some don't. At this point in my life I can't change it (ha) so I hope you enjoy the videos anyway.
We have put together these films in the hopes of allowing those who have a passion for "Documentaries" a chance to step back in time for a brief period. We are by no means professionals, but seeing through the eyes of an amateur is sometimes the best view.
So sit back, let us drive and we will travel back to a time when some of these people walked the earth, and peek into the tragic events that made them who they were.
P.S. We are trying to improve or videos as we make more. We are pretty much learning as we go. You should notice an improvement in the video and audio quality .......or at least we hope you do!
fancy some underwater science? :)
QuoteThe Ocean Exploration Trust was founded in 2008 by Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard to explore the ocean, seeking out new discoveries in the fields of geology, biology, maritime history, archaeology, physics, and chemistry while pushing the boundaries of STEM education and technological innovation. Our international program is launched from aboard the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus, offering live exploration to participants on shore and the public via live video, audio, and data feeds. The major 2015 expedition and education sponsors are the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bechtel, the Florida Panthers Foundation, CITGO, Office of Naval Research, the National Geographic Society, University of Rhode Island, and additional private donors. Follow us online at www.nautiluslive.org (http://www.nautiluslive.org), on Facebook and Instagram at NautilusLive, and on Twitter as @EVNautilus.
YoutTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1KOOWHthbQVXH2kZue3_xA (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1KOOWHthbQVXH2kZue3_xA)
Very recent (July 25, 2016) new species discovery "purple orb / purple blob" :)
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqyKrvk0aZo#)