-
the iceship would be unstopable even today
Read more
-
Mixing sawdust with the ice was not to slow down its melting, it was to make the ice stronger. A normal block of ice disintegrates when hit by a bullet, but when mixed with sawdust ice is nearly as strong as steel and the bullets just bounce off. You could imagine the damage caused by a torpedo on a lump of ordinary ice that big.
Read more
-
Related to what Smokes said, the version of the Mountbatten story that I remember reading was that he wanted to demonstrate the strength of Pykrete to a group of skeptical Royal Navy officers, so he pulled out his pistol and shot at a slab of it. The bullet ricocheted around the room and hit an officer in the leg.
Don't know if either or both of those tales are apocryphal, but they both sound in character!
Read more
-
Many years ago, I was traveling with friends and stopped to check out a frozen lake (unfamiliar to us from Southern California). We drove out on the ice, and in a fit of perverse genius, decided to test the thickness of the ice by firing a .44 magnum into it, straight down. The ferocious blast of the "world's most powerful handgun" (at the time)left an insignificant little crater in the ice- after the 2nd round we finally saw what was happening: when we fired into the ice, the bullet would bounce straight into the air (about 6 feet) and then land, still spinning rapidly, but completely undamaged. We gave up after 5 or 6 rounds- we were getting nowhere. Sawdust was not necessary for this result.
Read more
-
Geoffrey Pyke? Or....Gordon Freeman?
"Gordon Freeman, in the flesh - or, rather, in the hazard suit. I took the liberty of relieving you of your weapons. Most of them were government property." --The G-Man
Read more
-
the ice ship is a brilliant idea. absolutely brilliant. the simplest ideas are often the most clever. that would even make a cheap alternative for shipping or personal boating.
Read more
-
The Gerald Pawle (SP?) book _The Secret War_ details the efforts of the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development during WWII. Habbakuk was only one of the projects he writes about.
Some others are The Great Panjandrum, intended to clear obstacles during the Normandy invasion; anti-aircraft flame throwers; and aerial mines.
Though long out of print, this is very much worth looking for in used book stores and eBay.
Read more
-
wow, guys... thanks for all the info
Read more
-
Mr Anonymous, you *shot* the ice? And after seeing the bullets bounce off the ice, you continued to shoot at it? That's... Well, a darwin award in the making, isn't it?
I'm going to try mixing sawdust with ice, though. Sounds very interesting!
Read more
-
"Geoffrey Pyke? Or....Gordon Freeman?
"Gordon Freeman, in the flesh - or, rather, in the hazard suit. I took the liberty of relieving you of your weapons. Most of them were government property." --The G-Man"
Or Dr.House!? :O
Read more
-
I teach a class an undergraduate class in biophysics, and near the end of the term was always start discussing composite materials... with "Pykrete" as one of the in-class demo. Actually we do it outside, but it's instructive to make two identical pieces of material, one from pure water ice and one from pykrete, and then take turns trying to smash them with hammers. The pykrete is remarkable stuff... and yes, it melts significantly slower as well.
Read more
-
the problem is the amount of sawdust neaded, and all the pipe for the cooling system
Read more
-
The "Seadrome" concept inspired at least one science fiction film. "F.P.1 Antwortet Nicht" was a black and white "technothriller" about a floating airport in the Atlantic, filmed in 1933. It was written by Curt Siodmak, who later went to Hollywood and wrote "The Wolf Man."
Read more
-
I'm trying to picture the sailors slipping and falling all over the place as they walk on the ice deck.
Read more
-
The toy robots in that last picture are not vintage Russian. In fact they are of current Chinese manufacture. The one in the back is a reproduction of the Atomic Robot Man, which the original was one of the first toy robots ever made and originated from Japan.
Read more
-
I am missing one particular event wich shaped history: The great tornado that struck the English invaders in France in the 14th century: It eventually led to a ceasefire wich in turn gave french the oppertunity to regain strenght.
Read more
-
The Dunkirk Evacuation Pic is linked wrong, in stead of the setting (or rising?) sun you see a drawing for some kind of retro futuristic automobile.
just thought I'd let ya know
Read more
-
Your brief summary on the Dunkirk story leaves out the important bit - the sudden calming of the weather that allowed all the small boats (even canal barges) to safely cross the Channel.
Read more
-
The overwhelming bias seem to be toward for recent and less significant events. In 1588 the Spanish Armada was the most powerful military force in the world. Its invasion of England was unsuccessful partly due to some clever maneuvering on the part of the English. As the Spanish were trying to escape, the decisive blow was dealt from a powerful storm that wrecked many of their ships on the Irish coast. This would be a welcome addition to the Weather Channels's 'history shaping' narrative, one that truly helped shift the balance of power from the Spanish to the English. Or maybe when they said History they meant something else.
Read more
-
"Recent and less significant" = "Americans are a billion times more important than anyone else."
Read more
-
where do you get one of those Game Hiding Device things?
Read more
-
The second picture from Salamanca, Spain is not from the cathedral but from the old university facade. The university facade is also well known for its hidden image of a frog sitting on a skull, said to give good luck to students on their finals if they were able to locate it.
Read more
-
where do i get one of them cat turning signals?
Read more
-
El astronauta de Salamanca fue incluido en la restaurancion de la fachada de la universidad en 1993.
Read more
-
Those "unexploded bombs" may have been harmless drop tanks (for fuel), discarded when empty.
Read more
-
I think the car pulling the sleigh in "Best transportation is the one you invent yourself" is a Toyota Camry, but I'm not sure.
Read more
-
Yep it's a Camry
Read more
-
I've seen that place with the bombs in Laos.
I also met and sat with a Lao guy in hospital who had made a barbeque between TWO unexploded bombs using a casing from a third as the barbeque plate.
UNFORTUNATELY the bombs on the bottom were NOT cleared and one of them promptly blew up!
He survived but in much worse condition than he had previously been in.
Bombs are however used for loads of thing across Laos. Most of them ARE cleared of UXO before being given back to the villagers and the majority of villagers and children are aware that bombs are bad, but some sadly still aren't and get blown up.
Brought back memories seeing that though.
Read more
-
Those pictures of chains of transportation vehicles reminded me of my first summer as a camp counselor. The camp had received 30 or so new aluminum canoes to replace the remnants of the previous canoe flotilla. The problem was that there was no road into camp, and canoeing up three miles one at a time was an unacceptible solution. So they tied all of the canoes together, bow to stern, and tied them to the back of a power boat— with the waterfront director in the very last one as a rudder. It worked pretty well, actually.
And that reminds me of when we got the new fridge and freezer to replace the vintage 1950s ones, especially as they arrived on a Thursday afternoon and the entire staff, bar three of us, went across the lake to fetch them. Evening flags had the three of us doing the whole routine, and suddenly looking up to see the missing staff members, saluting— in the backs of tiny little power boats, with a large appliance barely balanced across the front. (They were all standing as far back as possible, so as not to lose the appliance off the front.)
Incidentally, the fridge and freezer wouldn't fit through the front doors. We had to move them into the kitchen through the side shed after removing the stairs.
Ah, memories. Pity I didn't have a camera on me either time.
Read more
-
Those were in fact bombs; the yellow stripe is standard NATO colour coding for high explosives. Besides, external fuel tanks are made of much thinner metal and wouldn't last very long like that.
Read more
-
Those are not "unexploded bombs" but empty cluster submunition tanks.
See examples of them here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_bomb
Read more
-
Ivan Rerbrov is a German Singer. His real Name is Hans Rolf Rippert. Back in the 70s he also was on TV as a commedian. There is even an english Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Rebroff
Read more
-
That 'strange Russian Army unit', as you are calling it, is a simple Bell SK5 Army hovercraft used in the Vietnam war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PACV
http://www.quicktechhobby.com/Hovercrafts/Hovercrafts/SK-5%20HOVERCRAFT.htm
Read more
-
Thank you guys, I updated the info
Read more
-
A lovely collection of images! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
Read more
-
Bit late, but Merry Christmas, matey!
Read more
-
Merry christmas!
Read more
-
My mum grew up on Romney Marsh during the 1920s and 30s. Some time around 1930 the whole school went on a trip to the seaside (which was only a few miles away) and travelled by flat car drawn behind a traction engine. Because of the very flat terrain, from their perch on the school wall they could see the puffs of steam and smoke and hear the chuffing for nearly half an hour before it arrived. The excitment for a bunch of rural children few of whom had ever been near a car let alone ridden in one must have been intense.
Can't imagine the safety lot liking kids riding on an open flatbed but of course they only travelled at walking pace.
Read more
-
Smoke and ashes, yes. Loud, no. The old timers here preferred them for threshing because a man on the tractor could talk to a man at the rear of the threshing machine, 60-80 feet away. Try that with a gas tractor let alone a diesel. Besides, the fuel (straw) was free.
Read more
-
Stuff the hole in the ozone whatever it is, bring back steam power!
Read more
-
Keep in mind that 100 horsepower is a *lot* for a steam engine. They are the kings of torque. In most US tractor pulls team traction engines are ineligible to compete. Given their torque and weight, they go about as fast with the sled as without it. :-)
Read more
-
Some nice pictures there. thanks
Read more
-
look at this link,it's amazing:
www.freeweb.deltha.hu/zastava.in.hu/wood-gas.htm
Read more
-
Here is a great Video "Oil Drum" By Alan Shapiro
(Johnny Cash Recorded two of Alan's songs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_zWyf9R0Qc
Read more
-
I've seen several of these vehicles. The Lake District steam bus was built up as a bus literally 1 mile from here. Fantastic vehicles. I'm a steam boat guy myself.
Read more
-
I see photos of two which my dad was involved in, in OF and MP. MP was his when he was a lad, photos are at:
http://pacificcoast.net/~wx732/Photos%20for%20Traction%20Talk/David's%20B&W/DavidsPhotos.html
(by the way, those are both waggons, with two g's. English is a flexable language when you invent the word)
James Powell
Read more
-
thank you James, I updated the post with your photo
Read more
-
Great photos, thanks. However I really have to wonder why you think steam is in any way toxic or noxious - it is just hot water! Far, far less toxic than even the most cleaned-up catalytic-converter equipped gasoline or diesel motor.
As another poster pointed out, steam power tends to be quieter than internal combustion engines of equivalent power, and modern steam engine designs are remarkably fuel efficient.
Read more
-
I thought I read somewhere that the first steam buses in London were used in 1831.
London
Read more
|
SFSite
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home