With the Solar Eclipse about to hit the USA and a partial eclipse in many other places including the UK, it interesting to note that what is now a special tourist event was once something to be feared. Whilst it is quite well known that comets were once harbingers of doom in days gone by… Continue reading The Great American Eclipse and harbingers of doom!
Category: Science and Engineering
Posts predominantly related to Science and Engineering
What type of sleeper are you?
We’re all used to dividing ourselves between Early-Birds and Night Owls depending on our natural predilection for when we get up and are at our best. I’m very much an Early Bird, I don’t own an alarm clock and indeed have never been woken by one. I get up around 5am almost every day and even… Continue reading What type of sleeper are you?
The Vulture Stone at Gobekli Tepe – A monument to a cosmic disaster.
Many of us are familiar with the use of ancient civilisations making monuments that in some way link up to either our calendar, the sun, moon or stars. From the stone circles in the British Isles the Mayan temples in Central America, ancient civilisations often focussed much of their wealth, manpower and engineering to either… Continue reading The Vulture Stone at Gobekli Tepe – A monument to a cosmic disaster.
A History of Hacking – And how hacking got America into WW1
Going by the furore in the media at the moment, one would be forgiven for thinking that the world is ending because of the likelihood that Russia has hacked into American computer systems. The truth is, this sort of thing has been happening at least for many centuries if not since the dawn of… Continue reading A History of Hacking – And how hacking got America into WW1
Amazing maps tracking the cargo ships of the world
I’ve posted plenty of posts dedicated to maps over the years but none quite like this. This special project was undertaken by UCL and Kiln in London and tracks all the major cargo vessels of the world. As well as being fascinating to look at, the project also had the aim of raising awareness of… Continue reading Amazing maps tracking the cargo ships of the world
The debacle of Boaty McBoatface
There have been many illustrious names during British Maritime history. The Victory, Ark Royal, Illustrious, Endeavour, The Beagle to name just a few. In the last few months, the public have been given the opportunity to choose the name of the next Polar research vessel. Over 7,000 names were put forward with some… Continue reading The debacle of Boaty McBoatface
Do Chimps Believe in God?
As Good Friday nears and Easter beckons to many as well as Passover to many others, it might come as a surprise to you that recent studies have indicated that a group of Chimpanzees have been studied and a series of illogical and on the face of it unnecessary tasks observed. PhD researcher Laura Kehoe… Continue reading Do Chimps Believe in God?
How The Blind Can See With Sounds (& me too)
Many people know that creatures like Bats and Dolphins navigate by sonar like systems but is unknown to many is that blind humans can do so too. In recent years, there have been more and more documentaries and reports on this phenomenon and the vast majority of people seem very much shocked by this. How… Continue reading How The Blind Can See With Sounds (& me too)
Day 5 of my holiday – Killhope Lead Mine
As I mentioned in previous holiday posts, the entire area of NorthEast England is rich in heavy industry and particularly mining history. Despite there being centuries more material underground, most mines are now closed as it is somehow supposedly more economical to get raw materials from China or Australia. Just a 3 or 4 miles… Continue reading Day 5 of my holiday – Killhope Lead Mine
The Angel of The North
Many cities and regions are defined by their buildings. statues and works of art. Some such as The Great Wall of China, Leaning Tower of Pisa achieved this status despite being originally built for very different reasons. Others like the Eiffel Tower or even the London Eye were only ever meant to be temporary structures and… Continue reading The Angel of The North
Stephen Liddell 