Jürgen Hubert
Jürgen Hubert  ·  14 hours ago

Content Warning

A model of a Man Engine in the #Mining#Museum in #SanktAndreasberg - an elevator of sorts which allowed miners to get into a mine and out again far faster than by climbing ladders.

I really encourage you to read the Wikipedia entry to understand the concept. And then you can inflict this on your #ttrpg campaign the next time the player characters delve into an old mine. :D

#engineering #history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_engine
Corey S Powell
Corey S Powell  ·  2 days ago

Content Warning

Why do "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"?

In my new Invisible Universe column, I decode how the phrase that Carl Sagan made famous is routinely misunderstood & abused -- and how to use it as the BS detector it's meant to be.

https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/why-do-extraordinary-claims-require #science #history #logic #philosophy

Jürgen Hubert
Jürgen Hubert  ·  4 days ago

Content Warning

One of the massive pumps that kept the Samson Pit in #SanktAndreasberg - once the deepest mine in the world - free of water.

Since learning more about historical #mining , I have come to the conclusion that the typical "old mine" dungeon complex in #DnD and other #ttrpg don't give enough thought on how to keep the water out.

#history #engineering#Harz
Aaron DeVries
Aaron DeVries  ·  last week

Content Warning

Next model kit in the works. 1:1 scale replica of the M29 Davy Crockett. It will be hollow, PETG, and separate the same way the real one did.

The dimensions are correct assuming the antenna dome at the back is part of the over all length (79 cm long 28 cm wide).

There seems to have been 2 versions, one with a smoother casing, I went with the version seen in most pictures. So like all my models there is a bit of wiggle room, however the design is accurate.

#3dprinting #3dmodeling #history

Dave Dawkins (D. Harrigon)
Dave Dawkins (D. Harrigon)  ·  2 months ago

Content Warning

This iron stylus (a type of pen for writing on wax or clay tablets) in scribed with the lines: "I have come from the City. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me. I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able [to give] as generously as the way is long [and] as my purse is empty."

Or to put it simply, "My friend went to Rome and all I got was this lousy pen.

Dated to about AD 70. Found in London during excavations by MOLA.

#History#Rome #writing #puns

Alex Doppelgänger
Alex Doppelgänger  ·  2 months ago

Content Warning

⚙️ Star Trek The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica, The Expanse, Doctor Who, The X-Files, etc. How much we love sci-fi series! I don't know if we would have enjoyed them as much if the BBC hadn't gotten involved about 83 years ago, when on February 11, 1938, it broadcast the first sci-fi film in history on TV (more specifically, the first sci-fi program-film-whatever made specifically for TV).

⚙️ Initially, I wanted to call it a series, but it was simply a 35-minute adaptation of a part of the play "R.U.R." by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. "R.U.R." stands for "Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum's Universal Robots)" and was first staged in 1921. It's about humans who create robots (more closely related to the idea of "androids," "replicants" from Blade Runner, or "cylons" from Battlestar Galactica) that eventually rebel against their creators.

⚙️ The most important thing is that in "R.U.R." the term "robot" was used for the first time.

📸 Photo: a sequence from the BBC adaptation of the play "R.U.R." for the small screen (1938)

#History#Culture#TV#SciFi#Robots#Android#RUR#Czech #czechrepublic #europe#KarelCapek

The Old Map Gallery
The Old Map Gallery  ·  2 months ago

Content Warning

In 1976, The New Yorker magazine published Saul Steinberg's famous cover meant to show the perspective on the world of the average person on 9th Ave in NYC. Its impact was immediate and still continues today, as it wasn't just a specific joke, but a lens by which you can portray the local perspective of anyone. In a paper publishing next month we look at Saul Steinberg's projection and how its a culmination of regionalism in geography.
#maps #history #nyc #map #geography
Almost immediately after Steinberg's famous cover, there were instances where artist's created similar maps for their city, and it still continues on to today. Here are just a few instances of Steinberg projections from the late 1970's up to the mid-2000's
Almost immediately after Steinberg's famous cover, there were instances where artist's created similar maps for their city, and it still continues on to today. Here are just a few instances of Steinberg projections from the late 1970's up to the mid-2000's
Almost immediately after Steinberg's famous cover, there were instances where artist's created similar maps for their city, and it still continues on to today. Here are just a few instances of Steinberg projections from the late 1970's up to the mid-2000's
inkscapes
inkscapes  ·  2 months ago

Content Warning

If you feel that your world or character is missing something, it is almost guaranteed to be history. We are beings that are driven by personal, professional, cultural, religious, and scientific histories. Nothing bothers me more than when I am reading a story and the characters seem willfully disdainful of history. On occasion, that may be true to their character, but what I’m writing about here are those characters that lack depth and engagement because they have been denied history.

If your character encounters a ruined building, that building can tell us so much about the world. Even if you write notebooks of backstory but then decide to condense the character’s reference down to a single name drop you are still giving them both a history and a place in it. I feel that if your world building or character feels flat that the problem lies in their history. Flush that out, with a focus on how that history would shape that character and you will be amazed at how alive they feel to you.

#fiction #history #worldbuilding #Writing

James M Branum - יעקב מתתיהו ☮
James M Branum - יעקב מתתיהו ☮  ·  2 months ago

Content Warning

“There is a tendency to think that what we see in the present moment we will continue to see. We forget how often in this century we have been astonished by the sudden crumbling of institutions, by extraordinary changes in people's thoughts, by unexpected eruptions of rebellion against tyrannies, by the quick collapse of systems of power that seemed invincible.

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

— Howard Zinn

#Hope#HowardZinn#Resist#History

Corey S Powell
Corey S Powell  ·  2 months ago

Content Warning

Remembering another notable date in history: 100 years ago this month, Edwin Hubble proved that our galaxy is just one small island in a vast cosmic sea.

Our awareness of galaxies is just one century old! I dig into the full story in my latest Invisible Universe column:

https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/the-100th-birthday-of-the-universe #space #science #astronomy #history

Edwin Hubble’s glass photographic plate H335H, obtained with the 100-inch Hooker Telescope Oct. 5/6, 1923, shows the galaxy M31. Three “new” stars are marked in black with the letter N. However, Hubble later noted that the star at the top right was present on earlier plates but fluctuated in brightness. He subsequently crossed out the N and marked it with “VAR!” in red. This is the Cepheid variable M31-V1, which Hubble used to calculate the distance to M31 and solve the mystery of the spiral nebulae.
Edwin Hubble’s glass photographic plate H335H, obtained with the 100-inch Hooker Telescope Oct. 5/6, 1923, shows the galaxy M31. Three “new” stars are marked in black with the letter N. However, Hubble later noted that the star at the top right was present on earlier plates but fluctuated in brightness. He subsequently crossed out the N and marked it with “VAR!” in red. This is the Cepheid variable M31-V1, which Hubble used to calculate the distance to M31 and solve the mystery of the spiral nebulae.
Edwin Hubble’s glass photographic plate H335H, obtained with the 100-inch Hooker Telescope Oct. 5/6, 1923, shows the galaxy M31. Three “new” stars are marked in black with the letter N. However, Hubble later noted that the star at the top right was present on earlier plates but fluctuated in brightness. He subsequently crossed out the N and marked it with “VAR!” in red. This is the Cepheid variable M31-V1, which Hubble used to calculate the distance to M31 and solve the mystery of the spiral nebulae.
randomwizard
randomwizard  ·  3 months ago

Content Warning

Recent discussions about hypothetical D&D economies led me to look into Roman currency. Here is a great wikipedia image of the common currency in the 27 BC - 100 AD Roman era.

So instead of copper, silver, electrum gold (the D&D standard), the early Roman Empire used various iterations of Bronze, Orichalcum, Silver, Billon, and Gold.

And today I learned Billon is the name for an alloy of silver and gold, or silver and copper, or silver and gold and copper, or basically any alloy of silver and some base metal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_currency#Imperial_period:_27_BC_%E2%80%93_AD_476

#dnd #rpg #osr #history #gametheory #worldbuilding

Global Museum
Global Museum  ·  3 months ago

Content Warning

Sir Christopher Lee met Rasputin's assassins, saw the last guillotine execution, hunted Nazis, recorded a heavy metal album, spoke 9 languages, was Ian Fleming's cousin (James Bond) and was the only actor in “The Lord of the Rings” to have met J.R.R. Tolkien #acting #history
Charlie Stross
Charlie Stross  ·  3 months ago
#WritersCoffeeClub 26: Do real-life events inspire your writing? Share an example.

As Ken Macleod remarked, "history is the secret weapon of the science fiction writer".

Not every time, not for every story element, but it's an *amazing* toy box that you can borrow from whenever you're stuck for an idea! Because fiction illustrates the human condition and humans get up to some really weird shit, for values of "you can't make that up" weird.

Coach Pāṇini ®
Coach Pāṇini ®  ·  3 months ago

Content Warning

@cstross
These #history deep-dives by #IsaacAsimov are great reads and illustrate your point about using our actual world for #worldbuilding in #SciFi.
Badri
Badri  ·  2 years ago

Content Warning

Okay, it's #introductions time! Hi 👋

I'm Badri, a #writer and #nonfiction#editor at Snipette looking to explore and highlight the interesting aspects of our world 🔦

I also #read a lot, and am always on the lookout for interesting bits of #science, #culture, #history, or #philosophy which come out at some point or other in my articles 👀

I'm also @badrihippo, but this instance, Snipetteville, is a place for all Snipette editors to hang out. We may be talking in private, but if you see a public conversation you're most welcome to join. Feel free to tag me in deep and/or lighthearted #philosophical conversations about aspects of the world 💭

(If you want to write for Snipette, DM me now!)
Daniel Pomarède
Daniel Pomarède  ·  last year

Content Warning

An extremely detailed diagram of the history of Science Fiction. The diagram has a rather monstrous aspect, with tentacle-like roots and branches. On the upper left corner are found the roots of the diagram: Fear and Wonder, giving way to Animism and Legend. Other portals into the diagram are Philosophy, Art, Exploration and Observation. These roots converge and possibly interact with other concepts such as the Enlightment, Science, Utopias, Romantic Movements. Important science fiction works, authors and genres emerge on the way, amidst a vast quantity of other entries: the Gothic Novel, Frankenstein, Jules Vernes, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Science Adventure, Fantasy Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, Weird Tales, Pulp Magazines, Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft, Sword+Sorcery, Modern Horrror, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Dune, Space Opera, Cyber Punk, Star Wars, Alien, Terminator, 2001 Space Odissey, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dracula, Metropolis, King Kong, Aldous Huxley, and so on. A timeline is indicated on the upper and lower boundaries of the diagram.
An extremely detailed diagram of the history of Science Fiction. The diagram has a rather monstrous aspect, with tentacle-like roots and branches. On the upper left corner are found the roots of the diagram: Fear and Wonder, giving way to Animism and Legend. Other portals into the diagram are Philosophy, Art, Exploration and Observation. These roots converge and possibly interact with other concepts such as the Enlightment, Science, Utopias, Romantic Movements. Important science fiction works, authors and genres emerge on the way, amidst a vast quantity of other entries: the Gothic Novel, Frankenstein, Jules Vernes, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Science Adventure, Fantasy Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, Weird Tales, Pulp Magazines, Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft, Sword+Sorcery, Modern Horrror, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Dune, Space Opera, Cyber Punk, Star Wars, Alien, Terminator, 2001 Space Odissey, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dracula, Metropolis, King Kong, Aldous Huxley, and so on. A timeline is indicated on the upper and lower boundaries of the diagram.
An extremely detailed diagram of the history of Science Fiction. The diagram has a rather monstrous aspect, with tentacle-like roots and branches. On the upper left corner are found the roots of the diagram: Fear and Wonder, giving way to Animism and Legend. Other portals into the diagram are Philosophy, Art, Exploration and Observation. These roots converge and possibly interact with other concepts such as the Enlightment, Science, Utopias, Romantic Movements. Important science fiction works, authors and genres emerge on the way, amidst a vast quantity of other entries: the Gothic Novel, Frankenstein, Jules Vernes, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Science Adventure, Fantasy Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, Weird Tales, Pulp Magazines, Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft, Sword+Sorcery, Modern Horrror, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Dune, Space Opera, Cyber Punk, Star Wars, Alien, Terminator, 2001 Space Odissey, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dracula, Metropolis, King Kong, Aldous Huxley, and so on. A timeline is indicated on the upper and lower boundaries of the diagram.
JamesLonghurst
JamesLonghurst  ·  6 months ago

Content Warning

Over on Bluesky, I made a new introduction thread running through my #bike #history research, and I thought I'd pull it over here for #biketooter people:

Hello, I'm James Longhurst, a historian of urban and environmental policy. I wrote about the history of bike policy in the United States a few years ago; available from @uwapress (and your local library):
https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295742663/bike-battles/

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