I believe the first computing engine was invented by Babbage......

Did you know?

It would not have done well on Seti.....

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

I believe the first computing engine was invented by Babbage......

Did you know?

It would not have done well on Seti.....

Would've given a whole new meaning to crunching though . . .

Did you know that the use of the word "bug" to describe a fault in a computer program goes back to one of those early vacuum-tube-and-relay computers when a moth actually got squashed between the contacts of a relay, preventing it from making contact. One of the engineers trying to diagnose the problem found the moth and exclaimed "We've got a bug in this relay".

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Did you know that the use of the word "bug" to describe a fault in a computer program goes back to one of those early vacuum-tube-and-relay computers when a moth actually got squashed between the contacts of a relay, preventing it from making contact. One of the engineers trying to diagnose the problem found the moth and exclaimed "We've got a bug in this relay".

The moth was taped into the log book (every computer had a log book in those days) and the Smithsonian has the logbook.

I haven't been there for a few years, but the bug used to be on display.

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The highest world temperature ever recorded was 136 degrees fahrenheit at El Azizia, Libya, on September 13, 1922. The lowest was minus 129 degrees fahrenheit at Vostok Station, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983. - From The World Almanac

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Cough Droplets Carry Thousands of Viruses

When mother said to cover your mouth when you cough, she was right. Researchers claim that as many as 20,000 viruses are expelled in an average cough. With the H1N1 virus spreading quickly throughout the world, airborne transmission of the influenza virus is a matter of increasing concern. An estimated 3,000 tiny droplets carrying between 195 and 19,500 influenza viruses are produced in a single cough and remain suspended in the air long enough to infect others. Wearing a mask or simply covering the mouth with a hand or tissue when coughing creates a barrier that helps prevent the dissemination of these viruses

Mother was right but most people get it wrong! Don't cover your mouth with your hand - all you do is pass the germs along to all with whom you shake hands or onto everything you touch. My preferred method is to cough or sneeze into my shirt. Another method is to do the same into your armpit. Either one is better than the hand.

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To the victor goes not only the spoils of war but, more importantly, the bias of history.

Cough Droplets Carry Thousands of Viruses

When mother said to cover your mouth when you cough, she was right. Researchers claim that as many as 20,000 viruses are expelled in an average cough. With the H1N1 virus spreading quickly throughout the world, airborne transmission of the influenza virus is a matter of increasing concern. An estimated 3,000 tiny droplets carrying between 195 and 19,500 influenza viruses are produced in a single cough and remain suspended in the air long enough to infect others. Wearing a mask or simply covering the mouth with a hand or tissue when coughing creates a barrier that helps prevent the dissemination of these viruses

Mother was right but most people get it wrong! Don't cover your mouth with your hand - all you do is pass the germs along to all with whom you shake hands or onto everything you touch. My preferred method is to cough or sneeze into my shirt. Another method is to do the same into your armpit. Either one is better than the hand.

Let me be even more specific. I pull the shirt over my nose and mouth - I do not point my face down toward my shirt.

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To the victor goes not only the spoils of war but, more importantly, the bias of history.

Cough Droplets Carry Thousands of Viruses

When mother said to cover your mouth when you cough, she was right. Researchers claim that as many as 20,000 viruses are expelled in an average cough. With the H1N1 virus spreading quickly throughout the world, airborne transmission of the influenza virus is a matter of increasing concern. An estimated 3,000 tiny droplets carrying between 195 and 19,500 influenza viruses are produced in a single cough and remain suspended in the air long enough to infect others. Wearing a mask or simply covering the mouth with a hand or tissue when coughing creates a barrier that helps prevent the dissemination of these viruses

Mother was right but most people get it wrong! Don't cover your mouth with your hand - all you do is pass the germs along to all with whom you shake hands or onto everything you touch. My preferred method is to cough or sneeze into my shirt. Another method is to do the same into your armpit. Either one is better than the hand.

The in thing around here is to cough into the inside of your elbow. Presumably that's become the recommended option...

Gibraltar named after former slave

Mohammed's followers burst out of Arabia after his death in 632 and by the end of the 7th century their descendants had conquered the whole of North Africa. The first Moslem incursion into Iberia was in 710, when a small reconnaissance force landed at the southernmost point of the peninsula. The following year a former slave, a Berber by the name of Tariq ibn-Ziyad, led an army of about 7 000 ashore at a point close to the huge rock which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean. They called the rock Jabal Tariq, or Tariq's Mount, and eventually Christian tongues changed it to Gibraltar.

Or is it?
Prior to the invasion of the Iberian Peninsular by Tariq, small incursions and recces were conducted by Tarif ibn Malik Nakli, who reported that Spain was ripe for the picking. According to Tito Vallejo in his article in the Gibraltar Chronicle, when Tariq landed in Gibraltar in 711, the Rock was named Jabal Al Fath and the town Medinat Al Fath, which mean the Mountain of Victory and the City of Victory respectively.

The Arab word Tariq means track or path. The Rock of Gibraltar became "Jabal Tariq" or The Mountain of the Path, for the Path of Islam into the Iberian Peninsula. The theory is that the Muslims, at the height of their religious fervour, would not dare to name the mountain after the name of a person but rather in honour of their religion.
End of the earth

Before Columbus "discovered" America, Gibraltar was considered to be the end of the earth. The Spanish town of Tarifa is named after the Arab word Taraf, which means the end of something. Going beyond Tarifa meant that you would fall over the edge of the earth.

It took 2 years for Tariq's small force to subdue the peninsula. But after crossing the Pyrenees, they were defeated by the Franks and withdrew. Tariq ibn-Ziyad died about 720. Gibraltar was recaptured by the Castilians in 1309 but was regained by the Moors in 1333 and held until 1462, when it finally passed from Moorish possession. In 1502, it was annexed to the Spanish crown. In 1830, Gibraltar became a British crown colony.

After the sacking of Gibraltar by the Algerian corsair Barbarossa II (Khayr ad-Din, 1483?- 1546) in 1540, the Rock was furnished with strong defences by command of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. On July 24, 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was captured by combined English and Dutch forces. In 1830, Gibraltar was named a crown colony.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Cough Droplets Carry Thousands of Viruses

When mother said to cover your mouth when you cough, she was right. Researchers claim that as many as 20,000 viruses are expelled in an average cough. With the H1N1 virus spreading quickly throughout the world, airborne transmission of the influenza virus is a matter of increasing concern. An estimated 3,000 tiny droplets carrying between 195 and 19,500 influenza viruses are produced in a single cough and remain suspended in the air long enough to infect others. Wearing a mask or simply covering the mouth with a hand or tissue when coughing creates a barrier that helps prevent the dissemination of these viruses

Mother was right but most people get it wrong! Don't cover your mouth with your hand - all you do is pass the germs along to all with whom you shake hands or onto everything you touch. My preferred method is to cough or sneeze into my shirt. Another method is to do the same into your armpit. Either one is better than the hand.

The in thing around here is to cough into the inside of your elbow. Presumably that's become the recommended option...

My disagreement with that one is that you are still spraying droplets even though they would not be nearly as wide-spread as just coughing or sneezing with no cover. I still prefer the inside-the-shirt method. The only thing you are contaminating is your shirt - a good washing will take care of that - and your own skin. You're already sick so that is a non-issue. But anything is better than no cover or the hand. It is a not particularly elegant solution but a good one.

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To the victor goes not only the spoils of war but, more importantly, the bias of history.

Gibraltar named after former slave

Mohammed's followers burst out of Arabia after his death in 632 and by the end of the 7th century their descendants had conquered the whole of North Africa. The first Moslem incursion into Iberia was in 710, when a small reconnaissance force landed at the southernmost point of the peninsula. The following year a former slave, a Berber by the name of Tariq ibn-Ziyad, led an army of about 7 000 ashore at a point close to the huge rock which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean. They called the rock Jabal Tariq, or Tariq's Mount, and eventually Christian tongues changed it to Gibraltar.

Or is it?
Prior to the invasion of the Iberian Peninsular by Tariq, small incursions and recces were conducted by Tarif ibn Malik Nakli, who reported that Spain was ripe for the picking. According to Tito Vallejo in his article in the Gibraltar Chronicle, when Tariq landed in Gibraltar in 711, the Rock was named Jabal Al Fath and the town Medinat Al Fath, which mean the Mountain of Victory and the City of Victory respectively.

The Arab word Tariq means track or path. The Rock of Gibraltar became "Jabal Tariq" or The Mountain of the Path, for the Path of Islam into the Iberian Peninsula. The theory is that the Muslims, at the height of their religious fervour, would not dare to name the mountain after the name of a person but rather in honour of their religion.
End of the earth

Before Columbus "discovered" America, Gibraltar was considered to be the end of the earth. The Spanish town of Tarifa is named after the Arab word Taraf, which means the end of something. Going beyond Tarifa meant that you would fall over the edge of the earth.

It took 2 years for Tariq's small force to subdue the peninsula. But after crossing the Pyrenees, they were defeated by the Franks and withdrew. Tariq ibn-Ziyad died about 720. Gibraltar was recaptured by the Castilians in 1309 but was regained by the Moors in 1333 and held until 1462, when it finally passed from Moorish possession. In 1502, it was annexed to the Spanish crown. In 1830, Gibraltar became a British crown colony.

After the sacking of Gibraltar by the Algerian corsair Barbarossa II (Khayr ad-Din, 1483?- 1546) in 1540, the Rock was furnished with strong defences by command of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. On July 24, 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was captured by combined English and Dutch forces. In 1830, Gibraltar was named a crown colony.

Fascinating! I love history and found your contribution very informative. Needless to say, my education in history, as extensive as it is, has not focused on this particular place and I learned something new. Thank you.

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To the victor goes not only the spoils of war but, more importantly, the bias of history.

Gibraltar named after former slave

Mohammed's followers burst out of Arabia after his death in 632 and by the end of the 7th century their descendants had conquered the whole of North Africa. The first Moslem incursion into Iberia was in 710, when a small reconnaissance force landed at the southernmost point of the peninsula. The following year a former slave, a Berber by the name of Tariq ibn-Ziyad, led an army of about 7 000 ashore at a point close to the huge rock which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean. They called the rock Jabal Tariq, or Tariq's Mount, and eventually Christian tongues changed it to Gibraltar.

Or is it?
Prior to the invasion of the Iberian Peninsular by Tariq, small incursions and recces were conducted by Tarif ibn Malik Nakli, who reported that Spain was ripe for the picking. According to Tito Vallejo in his article in the Gibraltar Chronicle, when Tariq landed in Gibraltar in 711, the Rock was named Jabal Al Fath and the town Medinat Al Fath, which mean the Mountain of Victory and the City of Victory respectively.

The Arab word Tariq means track or path. The Rock of Gibraltar became "Jabal Tariq" or The Mountain of the Path, for the Path of Islam into the Iberian Peninsula. The theory is that the Muslims, at the height of their religious fervour, would not dare to name the mountain after the name of a person but rather in honour of their religion.
End of the earth

Before Columbus "discovered" America, Gibraltar was considered to be the end of the earth. The Spanish town of Tarifa is named after the Arab word Taraf, which means the end of something. Going beyond Tarifa meant that you would fall over the edge of the earth.

It took 2 years for Tariq's small force to subdue the peninsula. But after crossing the Pyrenees, they were defeated by the Franks and withdrew. Tariq ibn-Ziyad died about 720. Gibraltar was recaptured by the Castilians in 1309 but was regained by the Moors in 1333 and held until 1462, when it finally passed from Moorish possession. In 1502, it was annexed to the Spanish crown. In 1830, Gibraltar became a British crown colony.

After the sacking of Gibraltar by the Algerian corsair Barbarossa II (Khayr ad-Din, 1483?- 1546) in 1540, the Rock was furnished with strong defences by command of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. On July 24, 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was captured by combined English and Dutch forces. In 1830, Gibraltar was named a crown colony.

Fascinating! I love history and found your contribution very informative. Needless to say, my education in history, as extensive as it is, has not focused on this particular place and I learned something new. Thank you.

I find history fascinating as well. Also, learning about what went into the
event(s) is interesting.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Distances on the screen are measured in Pixels, and the mouse pointer's speed across the screen is measured in Pixels per Second.

For the mouse hardware on your desktop, the distance that it moves is measured in Mickeys (TRUE!), and its speed is measured in Mickeys per Second.

The visual objects on the screen and the way that they behave collectively is call a Graphical User Interface, or GUI for short. MS Windows is an example of a GUI.

In a GUI settings or control panel, one can usually set the acceleration of the mouse pointer.

What this means is that when the mouse moves slowly, for example 5 Mickeys per Second, the on-screen pointer also moves slowly at perhaps 5 Pixels per Second. But, if you move the mouse faster, say 50 Mickeys per Second, a high mouse acceleration setting will cause the mouse pointer to be accelerated even more than the mouse, to perhaps 500 Pixels per Second.

Thus a short and quick flick of the mouse (desktop hardware) of less than 1 inch, can cause the on-screen mouse pointer to move all the way across the screen.

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Did You know It's Duck Season? ;)

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Ancient Underground Quarry Found in Israel

Archeologists have uncovered the largest known human-made cave in Israel, an ancient underground quarry dating back about 2,000 years to the time of Jesus. The 1-acre (0.4-hectare) cavern, buried 32 feet (10 meters) beneath the surface near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho, is supported by more than 20 stone pillars etched with a variety of symbols, including crosses, Roman letters, and a Zodiac sign. Experts believe that while the space likely began as a quarry, it may have later served as a monastery, a hideout for persecuted Christians, or even a Roman army base.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

I believe the first computing engine was invented by Babbage......

Did you know?

It would not have done well on Seti.....

Would've given a whole new meaning to crunching though . . .

And I think the first application it was used for was to compute the odds on Horse races for Lady Lovelace!

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Classic WU= 7,237 Classic Hours= 42,079

First stone lighthouse lit by only 24 candles

The first documented lighthouse was the Lighthouse of Alexandria, built in 200 BC on the island of Pharos by the Egyptian Emperor Ptolemy. Considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it is thought to have been 150 metres (492 ft) high - about three times taller than modern lighthouses.

Romans emperors built many lighthouses to assist their navigators. In 90 AD, Emperor Caligula ordered a light house at Dover, England. It is the oldest lighthouse in England and still stands in the Dover Castle grounds. The world's tallest brick lighthouse, the Lanterna at Genoa, was built in 1543. It still stands proud at 75m (246 ft) tall.

The world's first stone lighthouse was the Smeaton Eddystone (pictured right), built just south of Plymouth, England in 1756 by John Smeaton, the "Father of Civil Engineering." It was lit with only 24 candles. The Eddystone lasted 47 years until it was floored by fire. It was then dismantled and built on a neighbouring rock.

Today, lighthouse lights are the equivalent of 20 million candles, lit by high pressure xenon lamps.

The tallest lighthouse in the world is a steel tower at Yamashita Park, Yokohama. It stands 106 m (348 ft) high.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Did You know It's Duck Season? ;)

In what state? Not mine, for sure.

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To the victor goes not only the spoils of war but, more importantly, the bias of history.

I found out something interesting today, If You upgrade Firefox 3 to 3.5RC2(See link below) and Have Microsoft .Net Framework v.3.51 installed You may find some extensions fail to work and If upon discovering this and one downgrades to Firefox 3 and extensions still fail to work, Uninstall Microsoft .Net Framework v.3.51 and reload/reinstall Your Firefox Extensions and all should be ok.

http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?locale=de&forumId=1&comments_parentId=375214

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I knew there was a reason that I avoided Microsoft whenever possible >8-{

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