Podcast appearances and mentions of William Thomson

Good Sunday morning to you,I am just on a train home from Glasgow, where I have been gigging these past two nights. I've had a great time, as I always seem to do when I go north of the wall.But Glasgow on a Saturday night is something else. My hotel was right next to the station and so I was right in the thick of it. If I ever get to make a cacatopian, end-of-days, post-apocalyptic thriller, I'll just stroll through Glasgow city centre on a Friday or Saturday night with a camera to get all the B roll. It was like walking through a Hieronymus Bosch painting only with a Scottish accent. Little seems to have changed since I wrote that infamous chapter about Glasgow in Life After the State all those years ago. The only difference is that now it's more multi-ethnic. So many people are so off their heads. I lost count of the number of randoms wandering about just howling at the stars. The long days - it was still light at 10 o'clock - make the insanity all the more visible. Part of me finds it funny, but another part of me finds it so very sad that so many people let themselves get into this condition. It prompted me to revisit said chapter, and I offer it today as your Sunday thought piece.Just a couple of little notes, before we begin. This caught my eye on Friday. Our favourite uranium tech company, Lightbridge Fuels (NASDAQ:LTBR), has taken off again with Donald Trump's statement that he is going to quadruple US nuclear capacity. The stock was up 45% in a day. We first looked at it in October at $3. It hit $15 on Friday. It's one to sell on the spikes and buy on the dips, as this incredible chart shows.(In other news I have now listened twice to the Comstock Lode AGM, and I'll report back on that shortly too). ICYMI here is my mid-week commentary, which attracted a lot of attentionRight - Glasgow.(NB I haven't included references here. Needless to say, they are all there in the book. And sorry I don't have access to the audio of me reading this from my laptop, but, if you like, you can get the audiobook at Audible, Apple Books and all good audiobookshops. The book itself available at Amazon, Apple Books et al).How the Most Entrepreneurial City in Europe Became Its SickestThe cause of waves of unemployment is not capitalism, but governments …Friedrich Hayek, economist and philosopherIn the 18th and 19th centuries, the city of Glasgow in Scotland became enormously, stupendously rich. It happened quite organically, without planning. An entrepreneurial people reacted to their circumstances and, over time, turned Glasgow into an industrial and economic centre of such might that, by the turn of the 20th century, Glasgow was producing half the tonnage of Britain's ships and a quarter of all locomotives in the world. (Not unlike China's industrial dominance today). It was regarded as the best-governed city in Europe and popular histories compared it to the great imperial cities of Venice and Rome. It became known as the ‘Second City of the British Empire'.Barely 100 years later, it is the heroin capital of the UK, the murder capital of the UK and its East End, once home to Europe's largest steelworks, has been dubbed ‘the benefits capital of the UK'. Glasgow is Britain's fattest city: its men have Britain's lowest life expectancy – on a par with Palestine and Albania – and its unemployment rate is 50% higher than the rest of the UK.How did Glasgow manage all that?The growth in Glasgow's economic fortunes began in the latter part of the 17th century and the early 18th century. First, the city's location in the west of Scotland at the mouth of the river Clyde meant that it lay in the path of the trade winds and at least 100 nautical miles closer to America's east coast than other British ports – 200 miles closer than London. In the days before fossil fuels (which only found widespread use in shipping in the second half of the 19th century) the journey to Virginia was some two weeks shorter than the same journey from London or many of the other ports in Britain and Europe. Even modern sailors describe how easy the port of Glasgow is to navigate. Second, when England was at war with France – as it was repeatedly between 1688 and 1815 – ships travelling to Glasgow were less vulnerable than those travelling to ports further south. Glasgow's merchants took advantage and, by the early 18th century, the city had begun to assert itself as a trading hub. Manufactured goods were carried from Britain and Europe to North America and the Caribbean, where they were traded for increasingly popular commodities such as tobacco, cotton and sugar.Through the 18th century, the Glasgow merchants' business networks spread, and they took steps to further accelerate trade. New ships were introduced, bigger than those of rival ports, with fore and aft sails that enabled them to sail closer to the wind and reduce journey times. Trading posts were built to ensure that cargo was gathered and stored for collection, so that ships wouldn't swing idly at anchor. By the 1760s Glasgow had a 50% share of the tobacco trade – as much as the rest of Britain's ports combined. While the English merchants simply sold American tobacco in Europe at a profit, the Glaswegians actually extended credit to American farmers against future production (a bit like a crop future today, where a crop to be grown at a later date is sold now). The Virginia farmers could then use this credit to buy European goods, which the Glaswegians were only too happy to supply. This brought about the rise of financial institutions such as the Glasgow Ship Bank and the Glasgow Thistle Bank, which would later become part of the now-bailed-out, taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).Their practices paid rewards. Glasgow's merchants earned a great deal of money. They built glamorous homes and large churches and, it seems, took on aristocratic airs – hence they became known as the ‘Tobacco Lords'. Numbering among them were Buchanan, Dunlop, Ingram, Wilson, Oswald, Cochrane and Glassford, all of whom had streets in the Merchant City district of Glasgow named after them (other streets, such as Virginia Street and Jamaica Street, refer to their trade destinations). In 1771, over 47 million pounds of tobacco were imported.However, the credit the Glaswegians extended to American tobacco farmers would backfire. The debts incurred by the tobacco farmers – which included future presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (who almost lost his farm as a result) – grew, and were among the grievances when the American War of Independence came in 1775. That war destroyed the tobacco trade for the Glaswegians. Much of the money that was owed to them was never repaid. Many of their plantations were lost. But the Glaswegians were entrepreneurial and they adapted. They moved on to other businesses, particularly cotton.By the 19th century, all sorts of local industry had emerged around the goods traded in the city. It was producing and exporting textiles, chemicals, engineered goods and steel. River engineering projects to dredge and deepen the Clyde (with a view to forming a deep- water port) had begun in 1768 and they would enable shipbuilding to become a major industry on the upper reaches of the river, pioneered by industrialists such as Robert Napier and John Elder. The final stretch of the Monkland Canal, linking the Forth and Clyde Canal at Port Dundas, was opened in 1795, facilitating access to the iron-ore and coal mines of Lanarkshire.The move to fossil-fuelled shipping in the latter 19th century destroyed the advantages that the trade winds had given Glasgow. But it didn't matter. Again, the people adapted. By the turn of the 20th century the Second City of the British Empire had become a world centre of industry and heavy engineering. It has been estimated that, between 1870 and 1914, it produced as much as one-fifth of the world's ships, and half of Britain's tonnage. Among the 25,000 ships it produced were some of the greatest ever built: the Cutty Sark, the Queen Mary, HMS Hood, the Lusitania, the Glenlee tall ship and even the iconic Mississippi paddle steamer, the Delta Queen. It had also become a centre for locomotive manufacture and, shortly after the turn of the 20th century, could boast the largest concentration of locomotive building works in Europe.It was not just Glasgow's industry and wealth that was so gargantuan. The city's contribution to mankind – made possible by the innovation and progress that comes with booming economies – would also have an international impact. Many great inventors either hailed from Glasgow or moved there to study or work. There's James Watt, for example, whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the Industrial Revolution. One of Watt's employees, William Murdoch, has been dubbed ‘the Scot who lit the world' – he invented gas lighting, a new kind of steam cannon and waterproof paint. Charles MacIntosh gave us the raincoat. James Young, the chemist dubbed as ‘the father of the oil industry', gave us paraffin. William Thomson, known as Lord Kelvin, developed the science of thermodynamics, formulating the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature; he also managed the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable.The turning point in the economic fortunes of Glasgow – indeed, of industrial Britain – was WWI. Both have been in decline ever since. By the end of the war, the British were drained, both emotionally and in terms of capital and manpower; the workers, the entrepreneurs, the ideas men, too many of them were dead or incapacitated. There was insufficient money and no appetite to invest. The post-war recession, and later the Great Depression, did little to help. The trend of the city was now one of inexorable economic decline.If Glasgow was the home of shipping and industry in 19th-century Britain, it became the home of socialism in the 20th century. Known by some as the ‘Red Clydeside' movement, the socialist tide in Scotland actually pre-dated the First World War. In 1906 came the city's first Labour Member of Parliament (MP), George Barnes – prior to that its seven MPs were all Conservatives or Liberal Unionists. In the spring of 1911, 11,000 workers at the Singer sewing-machine factory (run by an American corporation in Clydebank) went on strike to support 12 women who were protesting about new work practices. Singer sacked 400 workers, but the movement was growing – as was labour unrest. In the four years between 1910 and 1914 Clydebank workers spent four times as many days on strike than in the whole of the previous decade. The Scottish Trades Union Congress and its affiliations saw membership rise from 129,000 in 1909 to 230,000 in 1914.20The rise in discontent had much to do with Glasgow's housing. Conditions were bad, there was overcrowding, bad sanitation, housing was close to dirty, noxious and deafening industry. Unions grew quite organically to protect the interests of their members.Then came WWI, and inflation, as Britain all but abandoned gold. In 1915 many landlords responded by attempting to increase rent, but with their young men on the Western front, those left behind didn't have the means to pay these higher costs. If they couldn't, eviction soon followed. In Govan, an area of Glasgow where shipbuilding was the main occupation, women – now in the majority with so many men gone – organized opposition to the rent increases. There are photographs showing women blocking the entrance to tenements; officers who did get inside to evict tenants are said to have had their trousers pulled down.The landlords were attacked for being unpatriotic. Placards read: ‘While our men are fighting on the front line,the landlord is attacking us at home.' The strikes spread to other cities throughout the UK, and on 27 November 1915 the government introduced legislation to restrict rents to the pre-war level. The strikers were placated. They had won. The government was happy; it had dealt with the problem. The landlords lost out.In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917, more frequent strikes crippled the city. In 1919 the ‘Bloody Friday' uprising prompted the prime minister, David Lloyd George, to deploy 10,000 troops and tanks onto the city's streets. By the 1930s Glasgow had become the main base of the Independent Labour Party, so when Labour finally came to power alone after WWII, its influence was strong. Glasgow has always remained a socialist stronghold. Labour dominates the city council, and the city has not had a Conservative MP for 30 years.By the late 1950s, Glasgow was losing out to the more competitive industries of Japan, Germany and elsewhere. There was a lack of investment. Union demands for workers, enforced by government legislation, made costs uneconomic and entrepreneurial activity arduous. With lack of investment came lack of innovation.Rapid de-industrialization followed, and by the 1960s and 70s most employment lay not in manufacturing, but in the service industries.Which brings us to today. On the plus side, Glasgow is still ranked as one of Europe's top 20 financial centres and is home to some leading Scottish businesses. But there is considerable downside.Recent studies have suggested that nearly 30% of Glasgow's working age population is unemployed. That's 50% higher than that of the rest of Scotland or the UK. Eighteen per cent of 16- to 19-year-olds are neither in school nor employed. More than one in five working-age Glaswegians have no sort of education that might qualify them for a job.In the city centre, the Merchant City, 50% of children are growing up in homes where nobody works. In the poorer neighbourhoods, such as Ruchill, Possilpark, or Dalmarnock, about 65% of children live in homes where nobody works – more than three times the national average. Figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show that 85% of working age adults from the district of Bridgeton claim some kind of welfare payment.Across the city, almost a third of the population regularly receives sickness or incapacity benefit, the highest rate of all UK cities. A 2008 World Health Organization report noted that in Glasgow's Calton, Bridgeton and Queenslie neighbourhoods, the average life expectancy for males is only 54. In contrast, residents of Glasgow's more affluent West End live to be 80 and virtually none of them are on the dole.Glasgow has the highest crime rate in Scotland. A recent report by the Centre for Social Justice noted that there are 170 teenage gangs in Glasgow. That's the same number as in London, which has over six times the population of Glasgow.It also has the dubious record of being Britain's murder capital. In fact, Glasgow had the highest homicide rate in Western Europe until it was overtaken in 2012 by Amsterdam, with more violent crime per head of population than even New York. What's more, its suicide rate is the highest in the UK.Then there are the drug and alcohol problems. The residents of the poorer neighbourhoods are an astounding six times more likely to die of a drugs overdose than the national average. Drug-related mortality has increased by 95% since 1997. There are 20,000 registered drug users – that's just registered – and the situation is not going to get any better: children who grow up in households where family members use drugs are seven times more likely to end up using drugs themselves than children who live in drug-free families.Glasgow has the highest incidence of liver diseases from alcohol abuse in all of Scotland. In the East End district of Dennistoun, these illnesses kill more people than heart attacks and lung cancer combined. Men and women are more likely to die of alcohol-related deaths in Glasgow than anywhere else in the UK. Time and time again Glasgow is proud winner of the title ‘Fattest City in Britain'. Around 40% of the population are obese – 5% morbidly so – and it also boasts the most smokers per capita.I have taken these statistics from an array of different sources. It might be in some cases that they're overstated. I know that I've accentuated both the 18th- and 19th-century positives, as well as the 20th- and 21st-century negatives to make my point. Of course, there are lots of healthy, happy people in Glasgow – I've done many gigs there and I loved it. Despite the stories you hear about intimidating Glasgow audiences, the ones I encountered were as good as any I've ever performed in front of. But none of this changes the broad-brush strokes: Glasgow was a once mighty city that now has grave social problems. It is a city that is not fulfilling its potential in the way that it once did. All in all, it's quite a transformation. How has it happened?Every few years a report comes out that highlights Glasgow's various problems. Comments are then sought from across the political spectrum. Usually, those asked to comment agree that the city has grave, ‘long-standing and deep-rooted social problems' (the words of Stephen Purcell, former leader of Glasgow City Council); they agree that something needs to be done, though they don't always agree on what that something is.There's the view from the right: Bill Aitken of the Scottish Conservatives, quoted in The Sunday Times in 2008, said, ‘We simply don't have the jobs for people who are not academically inclined. Another factor is that some people are simply disinclined to work. We have got to find something for these people to do, to give them a reason to get up in the morning and give them some self-respect.' There's the supposedly apolitical view of anti-poverty groups: Peter Kelly, director of the Glasgow-based Poverty Alliance, responded, ‘We need real, intensive support for people if we are going to tackle poverty. It's not about a lack of aspiration, often people who are unemployed or on low incomes are stymied by a lack of money and support from local and central government.' And there's the view from the left. In the same article, Patricia Ferguson, the Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Maryhill, also declared a belief in government regeneration of the area. ‘It's about better housing, more jobs, better education and these things take years to make an impact. I believe that the huge regeneration in the area is fostering a lot more community involvement and cohesion. My real hope is that these figures will take a knock in the next five or ten years.' At the time of writing in 2013, five years later, the figures have worsened.All three points of view agree on one thing: the government must do something.In 2008 the £435 million Fairer Scotland Fund – established to tackle poverty – was unveiled, aiming to allocate cash to the country's most deprived communities. Its targets included increasing average income among lower wage-earners and narrowing the poverty gap between Scotland's best- and worst-performing regions by 2017. So far, it hasn't met those targets.In 2008 a report entitled ‘Power for The Public' examined the provision of health, education and justice in Scotland. It said the budgets for these three areas had grown by 55%, 87% and 44% respectively over the last decade, but added that this had produced ‘mixed results'. ‘Mixed results' means it didn't work. More money was spent and the figures got worse.After the Centre for Social Justice report on Glasgow in 2008, Iain Duncan Smith (who set up this think tank, and is now the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) said, ‘Policy must deal with the pathways to breakdown – high levels of family breakdown, high levels of failed education, debt and unemployment.'So what are ‘pathways to breakdown'? If you were to look at a chart of Glasgow's prosperity relative to the rest of the world, its peak would have come somewhere around 1910. With the onset of WWI in 1914 its decline accelerated, and since then the falls have been relentless and inexorable. It's not just Glasgow that would have this chart pattern, but the whole of industrial Britain. What changed the trend? Yes, empires rise and fall, but was British decline all a consequence of WWI? Or was there something else?A seismic shift came with that war – a change which is very rarely spoken or written about. Actually, the change was gradual and it pre-dated 1914. It was a change that was sweeping through the West: that of government or state involvement in our lives. In the UK it began with the reforms of the Liberal government of 1906–14, championed by David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, known as the ‘terrible twins' by contemporaries. The Pensions Act of 1908, the People's Budget of 1909–10 (to ‘wage implacable warfare against poverty', declared Lloyd George) and the National Insurance Act of 1911 saw the Liberal government moving away from its tradition of laissez-faire systems – from classical liberalism and Gladstonian principles of self-help and self-reliance – towards larger, more active government by which taxes were collected from the wealthy and the proceeds redistributed. Afraid of losing votes to the emerging Labour party and the increasingly popular ideology of socialism, modern liberals betrayed their classical principles. In his War Memoirs, Lloyd George said ‘the partisan warfare that raged around these topics was so fierce that by 1913, this country was brought to the verge of civil war'. But these were small steps. The Pensions Act, for example, meant that men aged 70 and above could claim between two and five shillings per week from the government. But average male life- expectancy then was 47. Today it's 77. Using the same ratio, and, yes, I'm manipulating statistics here, that's akin to only awarding pensions to people above the age 117 today. Back then it was workable.To go back to my analogy of the prologue, this period was when the ‘train' was set in motion across the West. In 1914 it went up a gear. Here are the opening paragraphs of historian A. J. P. Taylor's most celebrated book, English History 1914–1945, published in 1965.I quote this long passage in full, because it is so telling.Until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state, beyond the post office and the policeman. He could live where he liked and as he liked. He had no official number or identity card. He could travel abroad or leave his country forever without a passport or any sort of official permission. He could exchange his money for any other currency without restriction or limit. He could buy goods from any country in the world on the same terms as he bought goods at home. For that matter, a foreigner could spend his life in this country without permit and without informing the police. Unlike the countries of the European continent, the state did not require its citizens to perform military service. An Englishman could enlist, if he chose, in the regular army, the navy, or the territorials. He could also ignore, if he chose, the demands of national defence. Substantial householders were occasionally called on for jury service. Otherwise, only those helped the state, who wished to do so. The Englishman paid taxes on a modest scale: nearly £200 million in 1913–14, or rather less than 8% of the national income.The state intervened to prevent the citizen from eating adulterated food or contracting certain infectious diseases. It imposed safety rules in factories, and prevented women, and adult males in some industries,from working excessive hours.The state saw to it that children received education up to the age of 13. Since 1 January 1909, it provided a meagre pension for the needy over the age of 70. Since 1911, it helped to insure certain classes of workers against sickness and unemployment. This tendency towards more state action was increasing. Expenditure on the social services had roughly doubled since the Liberals took office in 1905. Still, broadly speaking, the state acted only to help those who could not help themselves. It left the adult citizen alone.All this was changed by the impact of the Great War. The mass of the people became, for the first time, active citizens. Their lives were shaped by orders from above; they were required to serve the state instead of pursuing exclusively their own affairs. Five million men entered the armed forces, many of them (though a minority) under compulsion. The Englishman's food was limited, and its quality changed, by government order. His freedom of movement was restricted; his conditions of work prescribed. Some industries were reduced or closed, others artificially fostered. The publication of news was fettered. Street lights were dimmed. The sacred freedom of drinking was tampered with: licensed hours were cut down, and the beer watered by order. The very time on the clocks was changed. From 1916 onwards, every Englishman got up an hour earlier in summer than he would otherwise have done, thanks to an act of parliament. The state established a hold over its citizens which, though relaxed in peacetime, was never to be removed and which the Second World war was again to increase. The history of the English state and of the English people merged for the first time.Since the beginning of WWI , the role that the state has played in our lives has not stopped growing. This has been especially so in the case of Glasgow. The state has spent more and more, provided more and more services, more subsidy, more education, more health care, more infrastructure, more accommodation, more benefits, more regulations, more laws, more protection. The more it has provided, the worse Glasgow has fared. Is this correlation a coincidence? I don't think so.The story of the rise and fall of Glasgow is a distilled version of the story of the rise and fall of industrial Britain – indeed the entire industrial West. In the next chapter I'm going to show you a simple mistake that goes on being made; a dynamic by which the state, whose very aim was to help Glasgow, has actually been its ‘pathway to breakdown' . . .Life After the State is available at Amazon, Apple Books and all good bookshops, with the audiobook at Audible, Apple Books and all good audiobookshops. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Our guest this week is  William Thomson from the Scotonomics show.   In this episode we challenge William with our questions.  He tackles those and shares his own thoughts on independence,  Modern Monetary Theory and the economic situation in general.    Main topics: 00:02:00   Q1:  Can Scotland afford to be independent? 00:06:38   Q2:   But what about inflation? 00:11:37   Q3:   What about the Deficit? 00:16:48   Q4:   Should Scotland repay UK debt? 00:20:15   Q5    But doesn't borrowing create debt? 00:31:13   Q6    How will Scotland manage the economy? 00:32:25   Q7:   Does independence mean a decade of austerity? 00:41:42   Q8:   EU or EFTA? 00:47:13   Q9:   What if we had voted YES in 2014? 00:49:05   Q10  Next Steps? Still have questions?  Let us know in the comments. You can watch the Scotonomics show every week on  @IndependenceLive  and the articles William refers to are on the website https://scotonomics.scot/articles/ More information about this year's Festival of Economics is also available at   https://scotonomics.scot/festival-of-economics/ #ModernMonetaryTheory #scottishindependence #economics   The Scottish Independence Podcasts team produce a NEW podcast episode every Friday search for Scottish Independence Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts.  Remember to like and subscribe! Contact Us: indypodcasters@gmail.com  Visit our website https://scottishindypod.scot for blogposts, newsletter signup and more episodes Subscribe for free to our Youtube channel @scottishindypodExtra for more of our video footage and clips.  video premieres most Tuesdays at 8pm If you've enjoyed this podcast you might like to buy us a coffee?  https://ko-fi.com/scottishindependencepodcasts or choose us as your Easyfundraising good cause. Music: Inspired by Kevin MacLeod

Hoje é dia do "Influencers da Ciência", um Spin-Off do podcast "Intervalo de Confiança". Neste programa trazemos o nome de Influencers que de fato trouxeram algo de positivo para a sociedade, aqueles que expandiram as fronteiras do conhecimento científico e hoje permitiram o desenvolvimento de diversas áreas.Esse mês celebramos o aniversário de 200 anos de um dos nomes mais importantes da ciência: Sir William Thompson, o famoso Lord Kelvin. Sim, ele mesmo, da unidade de medida de temperatura. Apresentado por Kézia Nogueira, esse episódio fala sobre a vida e obra daquele que formulou as duas primeiras leis da termodinâmica, contribuiu para a unificação da física então existente, expandindo seus limites.A Pauta foi escrita por Sofia Massaro. A edição foi feita por Leo Oliveira e a vitrine do episódio feita por Tatiane do Vale em colaboração com as Inteligências Artificiais Dall-E, da OpenAI. A coordenação de redação e de redes sociais é de Tatiane do Vale. A seleção de cortes é de responsabilidade Júlia Frois, a direção de Comunidade de Sofia Massaro e a gerência financeira é de Kézia Nogueira. As vinhetas de todos os episódios foram compostas por Rafael Chino e Leo Oliveira.Visite nosso site em: https://intervalodeconfianca.com.br/Conheça nossa loja virtual em: https://intervalodeconfianca.com.br/lojaPara apoiar esse projeto: https://intervalodeconfianca.com.br/apoieSiga nossas redes sociais:- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconfpod/- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/IntervalodeConfianca- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iconfpod- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/iConfPod

Sir Basil Thomson (1861–1939) was a British colonial administrator and prison governor, born in Oxford. He hailed from an esteemed background, with his father, William Thomson, serving as the provost of The Queen's College in Oxford before later becoming the Archbishop of York. Basil Thomson received his education at New College, Oxford, where he crossed paths with Montague John Druitt, a figure later implicated in the Jack the Ripper case. Despite starting his career in colonial service, Thomson's resignation was prompted by his wife's ailing health in 1893. This marked a significant turning point, leading him to transition into a new role as a writer, drawing inspiration from his experiences in the South Sea Islands. In June 1913, Thomson assumed the pivotal role of Assistant Commissioner "C" (Crime) within London's Metropolitan Police, ascending to head the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at New Scotland Yard. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Thomson's leadership became instrumental in apprehending spies and addressing the challenges posed by Indian and Irish nationalists. Despite his successes, Thomson's tenure was not without controversy, notably facing accusations of anti-Semitism due to his views associating Jews with Bolshevism. Additionally, his involvement in high-profile cases such as that of Mata Hari further solidified his reputation as a formidable figure in law enforcement. Thomson's literary pursuits included the publication of "Mr Pepper, Investigator" in 1925, a collection of humorous detective stories. Among these tales, "The Vanishing of Mrs. Fraser" stands out as a celebrated work that left a lasting impact on mystery fiction. Thomson's storytelling prowess and wit shine through in these narratives, showcasing his ability to captivate readers with engaging plots and memorable characters. "Mr Pepper, Investigator" serves as a testament to Thomson's multifaceted talents, demonstrating his versatility both as a law enforcement professional and as a writer in the realm of detective fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this podcast extra we speak with William Thomson who along with Kairin Van Sweeden co-founded Scotonomics. It was set up with" a commitment to enhancing economic literacy and fostering discussions that are informed, objective, and accessible to a wide audience, with a particular focus on the economic context of Scotland."A major part of this is its annual Scotonomics Festival which is taking place in various venues across Dundee and online from Friday the 22nd of March until Sunday the 24th.It's Scotland's biggest festival of economics with over 30 sessions covering aspects of the Scottish, UK and global economy with academics, activists, economists, policymakers, politicians and the public coming together to discuss people, place and planet.We cover what the founding principles and ideology of Scotonomics are and just what they mean for Scotland in the here and now and in an independent future.If you're interested in attending here's the linkhttps://scotonomics.scot/event/festival-of-economics/As well as the events in Dundee there will be an "Economics of the Real World" event  at Leith Dockers Club on Thursday March the 21st. Four internationally renowned economists will challenge  the mainstream economic dogma currently dominating political thought.https://scotonomics.scot/event/economics-of-the-real-world-edinburgh/This includes screening of the movie "Finding the Money"It follows former chief economist to Senator Bernie Sanders, Stephanie Kelton, on a journey through Modern Money Theory or “MMT”, to unveil a deeper story about money, injecting new hope and empowering democracies around the world to tackle the biggest challenges of the 21st century: from climate change to inequality.https://scotonomics.scot/event/finding-the-money-film-leith/It will also be shown in Dundeehttps://scotonomics.scot/event/finding-the-money/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Episode 200 of the Common Weal Policy PodcastYou can download the episode directly here.This week, Craig talks to William Thomson from Scotonomics about their upcoming event The Festival of Economics which seeks to debunk and demystify economics and to explore innovations and new theories in economics as well as to explore the topics and policies affecting Scotland right now.You can buy tickets for the conference here: https://scotonomics.scot/festival-of-economics/William's recent article in The National can be read here: https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24148528.scotonomics-expose-major-myth-worlds-economies/Common Weal's work is only possible thanks to our generous supporters who regularly donate an average of £10 per month. If you would like to help us build our vision of an All of Us First Scotland, you can do so here: https://commonweal.scot/donate/The Policy Podcast would like to discuss all of Common Weal's policy papers in detail as well as other major policy stories in and around Scotland so if there are any topics that you would like to see covered or if you have an interesting policy story to tell and would like to be a guest on the show, please contact Craig at craig@common.scotYou can also find us on iTunes, Spotify, Castbox, Stitcher, Tunein, iHeart Radio and other major podcast aggregators.You can also add the podcast to your RSS feed using this link: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/264906.rssThemeExcerpts from "Hiding Your Reality" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support the show

Foundations of Amateur Radio If you walk into your radio shack and switch on a light, the result is instantaneous, one moment it's dark, the next it's not. What if I told you that as immediate as it appears, there is actually a small delay between you closing the circuit and the light coming on. Likely the distance between your switch and your light is less than say 10 meters, so the delay is likely to be less than 33 nanoseconds, not something you'd notice unless you're out to measure it. What if your light switch is 3,200 km away? That's the length of the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858. Let's start with the notion that between the action of closing a switch, or applying a voltage at one end of the cable and it being seen at the other end takes time. If we ignore the wire for a moment, pretending that both ends are separated by vacuum, then the delay between the two ends is just over 10 milliseconds because that's how long it takes travelling at the speed of light. One of the effects of using a cable is that it slows things down. In case you're curious, the so-called Velocity Factor describes by how much. A common Velocity Factor of 66 would slow this down by 66%. This means that there is a time when there is voltage at one end and no voltage at the other. There are a few other significant and frequency dependent things going on, we'll get to them, but before we go any further, it's important to consider a couple of related issues. Ohm's Law, which describes the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in an electrical circuit was first introduced in 1827 by Georg Ohm in his book: "The Galvanic Chain, Mathematically Worked Out". Initially, his work was not well received and his rival, Professor of Physics Georg Friedrich Pohl went so far as to describe it as "an unmistakable failure", convincing the German Minister for Education that "a physicist who professed such heresies was unworthy to teach science." Although today Ohm's Law is part and parcel of being an amateur, it wasn't until 1841 that the Royal Society in London recognised the significance of his discovery, awarding the Society's oldest and most prestigious award, the Copley Medal, in recognition for "researches into the laws of electric currents". I'll point out that Ohm only received recognition because his work was changing the way people were starting to build electrical engines and word of mouth eventually pressured the Royal Society into the formal recognition he deserved. I also mentioned the speed of light in relation to the delay between applying a voltage and it being seen at the other end, but it wasn't until 1862 when James Clerk Maxwell published a series of papers called "On Physical Lines of Force" that light speed was actually derived when he combined electricity and magnetism and proved that light was an electromagnetic wave, and that there were other "invisible" waves, which Heinrich Rudolph Hertz discovered as radio waves in 1888. How we understand transmission lines today went through a similar discovery process. Your radio is typically connected to an antenna using a length of coaxial cable, which is a description for the shape the cable has, but the nature of the cable, what it does, is what's known as a transmission line. If you looked at the submarine telegraph cable of 1858, you'd recognise it as coaxial cable, but at the time there wasn't much knowledge about conductance, capacitance, resistance and inductance, let alone frequency dependencies. James Clerk Maxwell's equations weren't fully formed until 1865, seven years after the first transatlantic telegraph cable was commissioned and the telegraph equations didn't exist until 1876, 18 years after the first telegram between the UK and the USA. In 1854 physicist William Thomson, was asked for his opinion on some experiments by Michael Faraday who had demonstrated that the construction of the transatlantic telegraph cable would limit the rate or bandwidth at which messages could be sent. Today we know William Thomson as the First Lord Kelvin, yes, the one we named the temperature scale after. Mr. Thomson was a prolific scientist from a very young age. Over a month, using the analogy with the heat transfer theory of Joseph Fourier, Thomson proposed "The Law of Squares", an initial explanation for why signals sent across undersea cables appeared to be smeared across time, also known as dispersion of the signal, to such an extent that dits and dahs started to overlap, requiring the operator to slow down in order for their message to be readable at the other end and as a result, message speed for the first cable was measured in minutes per word, rather than words per minute. Today we know this phenomenon as intersymbol interference. It wasn't until 1876 that Oliver Heaviside discovered how to counter this phenomenon using loading coils based on his description of what we now call the Heaviside condition where you can, at least mathematically, create a telegraph cable without dispersion. It was Heaviside's transmission line model that first demonstrated frequency dependencies and this model can be applied to anything from low frequency power lines, audio frequency telephone lines, and radio frequency transmission lines. Thomson worked out that, against the general consensus of the day, doubling the line would actually quadruple the delay needed. It turns out that the length of the line was so significant that the second cable laid in 1865, 560 km shorter, outperformed the original cable by almost ten times, even though it was almost identical in construction, providing physical proof of Thomson's work. It has been said that the 1858 transatlantic telegraph cable was the scientific equivalent of landing man on the Moon. I'm not sure if that adequately explains just how far into the unknown we jumped. Perhaps if we blindfolded Neil Armstrong whilst he was landing the Eagle... I'm Onno VK6FLAB

William is on the podcast as we look back at his time as A&R for bands back in the day, being a resident DJ at the Groucho Club and how he was put in charge of fellow Scots The View the week they hit the big time..

This episode gives us all an insight into life as a World Disability Snooker player as David Church, James Lodge and William Thomson share their stories and views on the sport.We have World Champions in the chat and fascinating stories plus insights into the range of people playing the sport under the WDSB umbrella. A really good talk. Learn more here https://www.wdbs.info/ https://www.davidchurchsnooker.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgaqdhFeeVs https://snookerscores.net/player/james-lodgehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsdXqJbGExYThe podcast was recorded on 2 July 2022.Please tell your friends about our podcast, check us out on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram and listen on Apple, Spotify etc. Our website is at www.talkingwheels.org and email is hello@talkingballs.orgMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/color-parade/boo... License code: T1IIQARVJ7CSFWCI

William Thomson and Kairin van Sweeden talk to Claudia Sahm, an American economist. She was formerly director of macroeconomic policy at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and a Section Chief at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and creator of the Sahm rule https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release?r... We ask Claudia her views on COP and deep dive into the role of "green" fiscal spending as we move towards a green economy. https://twitter.com/Claudia_Sahm

William Thomson and Kairin van Sweeden talk to Professor Steve Keen about the role of economists and economists in the climate crisis. We ask Professor Keen his views on the Scottish Government as well as UK Government policies and discuss the latest IPCC Report published in August. Timestamps and links coming this week! https://twitter.com/ProfSteveKeen

William Thomson and Kairin van Sweeden talk to Mike Small, Editor of Bella Caledonia and Author of "Scotland's Local Food Revolution" about Scotland's food security and food sovereignty. 00:12 Scotland has such huge food resources so why are we not food sovereign? 00:58 Obstacles to food sovereignty in Scotland 02:02 How do we improve matters -  and the "Fife diet" 03:23 A need for more connection between farmers and the community in Scotland 04:25 Breaking down food sovereignty 06:00 The impact of the IPCC report and the opportunity to do things differently 06:57 Can we really double the size of the Scottish Food and Drink industry in Scotland? 08:30 Export powerhouse Scotland can't square the circle with net-zero Scotland 09.25 Can Scotland really have food sovereignty without independence? 11:00 The hugely negative role and impact of supermarkets in Scotland 13:00 The need for more connections between farmers and the community in Scotland (part two) 14:00 We have an artificial food chain 14:45 The link between provenance and carbon 15:20 How we build more food sovereignty 16:10 Mike's book Scotland's Local Food Revolution Book https://www.amazon.es/Scotlands-Local... 17:45 How do we confront landed power? 19:25 BREXIT and COVID have highlighted Scotland's lack of food resilience and lack of food sovereignty.

Introductory note on Sir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)

We to-day know that there is a direct relation between the moon and tides. When Julius Cæsar went to conquer Britain his transports were wrecked because he did not know the tides on the English coast; a knowledge of which might have changed the whole course of history. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics) Kelvin delivers lecture on "Tides," Aug. 25, 1882.

26 HAZİRAN 2021 DÜNYA TARİHİNDE BUGÜN YAŞANANLAR 1530 - İlk Protestan Meclisi kuruldu. 1819 - Bisikletin patenti alındı. 1861 - Atıf Bey, Bebek'te uçuş denemesi gerçekleştirdi. 1924 - Verem aşısı, Albert Calmette ve Camille Guérin isimli iki Fransız araştırmacı tarafından keşfedildi. 1936 - Nazi Almanyası'nda, ilk kullanılabilir helikopterin in ilk uçuşu başarıyla gerçekleşti. 1974 - Sabah 08.01'de, ABD'nin Ohio eyaletinde bulunan Troy şehrindeki Marsh Süpermarket'in kasasında işlenen bir paket sakız, dünyada barkodla satılan ilk ürün oldu. TÜRKİYE TARİHİNDE BUGÜN YAŞANANLAR 1928 - Yeni Türk alfabesini hazırlamak amacıyla kurulan Dil Encümeni, ilk toplantısını Ankara'da yaptı. 1945 - Türkiye, Birleşmiş Milletler Antlaşması'nı imzaladı. 1994 - Türkiye'de Liberal Demokrat Parti kuruldu. BUGÜN DOĞANLAR 1797 - Kuzey Kafkasya halklarının Avar kökenli politik ve dini önderi Şeyh Şamil, dünyaya geldi. 1824 - İrlandalı fizikçi William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), doğdu. BUGÜN ÖLENLER 1861- Sultan Abdülmecit, Osmanlı'nın 31. Padişahı Sultan Abdülmecit, vefat etti.

Are you running a virtual event or speaking at one? Hear from William Thomson who has been running virtual conferences since 2005, as he gives sage advice on how to make these events a success, plus the great benefits of virtual rather than physical events.

In this podcast, Pat Chibbaro interviews Caitlin Agnew and William Thomson about their article, "Family Impact of Child Oro-Facial Cleft." Click here to read the article.

«Lo que no se define no se puede medir. Lo que no se mide, no se puede mejorar. Lo que no se mejora, se degrada siempre.» Esta cita del físico y matemático británico William Thomson, más conocido como Lord Kelvin nos habla de la importancia de medir las cosas, de tener números, datos o indicios […] La entrada Métricas para mejorar tu estrategia de marca #123 se publicó primero en Toni Colom..

Joining the podcast this week is William Thomson, author, event consultant and head honcho at Gallus Events. The digital and online event world is new territory to many event professionals, but William started his digital event journey more than a decade ago. In this episode, he offers insight into monetising events, how to make sure the content for attendees is on point and how to produce long-term evergreen content that can generate recurring revenue, post-event. Further delving into the digital event world, we also touch on a new online course; a learning framework for members of the industry looking to organise online events. To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

We all need to get more from our conference speakers. In this interview between an experienced event professional William Thomson, MD of Gallus Events (who has had 5000 speakers at his events) and one of the best international professional speakers, Richard Newman Founder of BodyTalk, we look at the secrets of getting the best content from your speakers. How do you get your speakers to perform at their best? We have some answers and a brilliant FREE speakers brief.We look at how to brief a speaker, why you should pay your speakers, the importance of the venue and the space. Includes loads of tips to make sure you get the best content from your speakers at your conference. Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukbo...Gallus Events: https://www.gallusevents.co.uk/I have five main points.1. EVERY single speaker (almost without exception) needs the support of the conference organiser.2. The conference organiser impacts the content as much as the speaker.3. As the conference organiser it is YOUR event and you are in charge, so you have to demand brilliant content.4. There’s a quid pro quo. You have to give something in return to get brilliant content.5. The conference organiser has a PROACTIVE role to help a speaker’s session to be memorable.Make sure you download your FREE speaker brief template: https://www.gallusevents.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Speaker-Brief-Template-.pdf

Star Trek (2009) directed by J.J. Abrams was a game changer for Star Trek, which had lain dormant since the cancellation of Enterprise. This movie brought it back to our screens. It was an exciting time. The decision to do a "soft reboot" in canon using time travel and an alternate timeline was a clever concept and brought in a new generation of fans. But what does this movie have to do with the new Star Trek Picard, which will be set back in the original prime timeline? Plenty. The inciting incident of this movie takes place in the prime timeline, and this event will have a profound effect on the life of Jean-Luc Picard. Join us as we conclude our countdown of the 10 episodes and movies you should watch before Star Trek Picard. Next week, we look at the first episode of Picard!  ----more---- Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the stars. And I am a nerd. This is episode 10 of the podcast. Today we finish our look at the 10 episodes and movies that you should watch before Star Trek Picard. Today, we’re looking at JJ Abram’s Star Trek 2009 movie, because although it creates a whole new Star Trek timeline, it’s inciting incident takes place in the prime universe, and its impact will have a profound effect on Jean-Luc Picard’s life.   The IMDB description for this movie reads The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time. This movie first appeared in cinemas on the 6th of April 2009   Punch it.   I was very excited about the impending release of this movie. Star Trek was back! Ever since the cancellation of Enterprise, Star Trek had been dead. The franchise was off the air. We didn’t know when or if we’d ever see it again.   Paramount decided to bring it back in the form of movies, and hired JJ Abrams to create the first one. Some fans were very cautious about this movie. Claims that this movie would be more open to wider audiences, suggested it would lack the heart and soul of Star Trek. I too was cautious, but optimistically so. I just wanted a good story. I wanted Star Trek back.   One of the first things you notice when this movie stars is the lens flare. A common trick to make CGI look more realistic is to add a little lens flare. To give the illusion that these computer-generated images were shot with a real camera. JJ wanted to go for a very realistic believable star Trek universe, so he added a lot of lens flare to his cgi. And so it didn’t look out of place, he also added a lot of lens flare to the live-action footage. Except, in my opinion, he went way overboard. They actually had people on set with torches, (sorry, flashlights, for you American listeners) shining light into the lens of the camera. It’s a bit distracting. But, it’s his style.   The next big thing you notice is that the viewscreen is a window. And communication messages appear as translucent overlays on that window. It could be argued that the bridge of the enterprise shouldn’t be right up the top of the saucer. It’s a vulnerable position. There’s no need for it. It’s not like they’re looking out a window. JJ Abrams and his team were trying to provide a justification for the position of the bridge, and so, they made the viewscreen an actual window. I wasn’t a fan of this approach and was disappointed when Star Trek Discovery followed suit.   But we get an epic space battle. Right up front, we realise this will be a much more action-packed star trek. And that was welcome. Star Trek movies had always fell a little flat on the action front. Even the borg battle in First Contact was over way too quickly.   I love the scene where someone gets blown out of the ship due to a hull breach and it suddenly goes silent, because, of course, there is no sound in the vacuum of space. Nice touch. Very atmospheric.   So this ship is the USS Kelvin. Named after JJ Abram’s father. It has been suggested, by some fans, that in-universe, this ship could be named after William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, after whom the kelvin unit of temperature is named. But to my knowledge, this isn’t canon.   The captain of the Kelvin is taken on board the Romulan ship. They ask what he knows of Ambassador Spock. I love that they call him Ambassador, linking back to the next generation.   There are some cool looking aliens on the Kelvin. Some nice creature effects on the bridge, and a midwife with funny eyes. It’s nice to see some more alien aliens on Star Trek. But the lack of any familiar races at all, kinda makes it feel a little more like Star Wars than Star Trek. It would have been nice to throw in an Andorian in the background somewhere.   We get some very emotional music during the birth scene. And there are little to no sound effects in this scene. We just hear hte music as Kirk’s mother gives birth, and the ships battle it out. This technique was sometimes used on Babylon 5, to amazing effect. I loved it there, and I love it here. Very effective. This whole sequence as George Kirk asks about his newborn son and says goodbye to his wife is fantastic.   I always give this movie a lot of credit for making me cry before the opening title even appears. Powerful stuff. I Love this teaser. Always have.   But one question. Where do the shuttles go? How do they escape the Narada? Do they have warp drive?   As as the title card comes up, we are treated to the new theme music. This film was scored by Michael Giacchino. He wrote quite different music, but it was great stuff.   I like the kid kirk driving sequence. I love how his communicator is a Nokia brand. Yes, this is product placement, but to me, these touches add elements of believability to the world. The boy he passes on the street is supposed to be his older brother George. There was a deleted scene where he was leaving home because of their abusive stepfather. That scene was cut. And yes, I like the rock music. Maybe it doesn’t fit star trek, but that’s ok. I also liked the Enterprise theme song and thought it gave the show a more contemporary feel, which was suitable since the show was set closer to present day. Maybe it’s less suitable in the 23rd century.   Spock is wrestling with his identity as both Vulcan and human. At first, his father suggests that although he is half-human he should live his life fully Vulcan. But later tells him he should choose his own path. Spock chooses the Vulcan way of life, and yet, he has concerns that his mother will consider this an insult against her. I like this.   Then the Vulcan leader insults his mother, referring to her as a disadvantage. The way Spock says “Live long and prosper” speaks volumes. It carries a very different message. Nice acting by Zachery Quinto.   Kirk flirting with Uhura seems…...weird. But I can understand it. He’s a young guy, she’s an attractive woman, and she’s not an officer under his command. Kirk isn’t even in Starfleet, just a very intelligent delinquent kid.   So we get Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike. And he does a good job of  It.   Pike gives that weird line about the Federation being a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada. First of all, he’s confusing the Federation with Starfleet. The federation is a political coalition of planets. Starfleet is their “armada” if you want to call it that, although that word carries very military connotations. Starfleet both is and isn’t a military. It’s confusing, but yes, it’s focus is on peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, as well, of course, as exploration.   We see the Enterprise begin constructed on the ground in Iowa. Obviously something in this new timeline changed, causing it to be built here instead of at the San Francisco shipyards (which we assume are orbital)   This movie presents us with a very different Kirk. In the original timeline, Kirk wasn’t a brash delinquent. He was a nerd. Constantly carrying books around. This, of course, is explainable, given he grew up without a father (he had a step father but he was a real deadbeat.) And then we meet McCoy. I like how we finally get an explanation for Kirk’s nickname for him - Bones. Makes good sense. And it canonises that McCoy has been married but is now divorced.   The Romulans we see in this movie are not like any Romulans we’ve seen before. But these are not military officers. They’re labourers. And they’ve been through some really bad stuff, so again, I’m cool with all that.   It’s pretty cool that we get to see Kirk taking the Kobayashi maru test. Notice he’s eating an apple, just like he is when he tells the story of this day in Star Trek 2.   Spock hits pretty low when he references Kirk’s father during the hearing. And then we get the Paul McGillion cameo. At the time this movie was in production, Paul McGillion was playing Dr. Carson Becket on Stargate Atlantis, a character with a Scottish accent. A very popular character. And there was a fan movement to get him cast as Scotty in this movie. It would have been a nice choice. But JJ Abrams had worked with Simon Pegg on Mission Impossible and was determined to cast him as Scotty. He did, however, give McGillion a little role as the officer assigning people their posts as the cadets are called into active duty because of an emergency at Vulcan.   So we learn that Spock and Uhura have a relationship. This was a very odd choice, which somehow kind of works. And we finally get our first proper full look at the enterprise. And she looks pretty good. Pretty close to the original version, and again, because this is a changed timeline, I’m willing to accept the differences. It’s a pretty decent modern re-imagining of the original. I can’t say the brewery engineering room quite works for me, but hey, they tried something.   I don’t have an issue with Checkov being on the bridge, even though we never saw him in TOS until season 2. First of all, yes, that alternate timeline defence, and second, Checkov could have been on the ship during season 1, we just never saw him on screen.  In fact, we know that he must have been because Khan recognises him in Star Trek 2, canonising this theory.   I Love how Kirk is still flirting with every woman that passes him, even though he’s really sick. He reminds me of Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who.   So Vulcan is being attacked by a Romulan ship. The ship we first saw in the teaser. Nero’s ship. The Nerada This ship looks really cool. It’s mean and it’s powerful. But it’s supposed to be a mining ship. It makes no sense that it would be this powerful. The non-canon countdown comic tries to explain this. I don’t quite buy into it.   The characters know a little too much about Romulans for the time when this movie is set. Remember, they don’t yet know that Romulans are related to the Vulcans. But they were probably pushed into closer investigation into them after the Kelvin incident.   We get some Awesome visuals as the Enterprise drops out of warp in the middle of a debris field from the attack. It was very nice to see Star Trek with modern big-budget effects. This was a big step forward from Nemesis, the last time we’d seen Trek on the big screen.   So Nero demands pike come aboard, leaving Spock in command, and cadet Kirk is promoted to first officer. Quite unlikely, but I guess Pike sees something in Kirk.   So this movie kills a redshirt in true Star Trek tradition. Of course, he’s not wearing a red shirt because they’re in spacesuits. And he’s an aussie. But given his accent, I doubt the actor is Aussie. It’s a shame that one of the very few Australians to appear in Star Trek is such an idiot.   The battle on the drill is pretty thrilling. And I do like Sulu’s fold-out sword. Say what you will about this movie, it’s an effective action film.   They beam Kirk and Sulu from their freefall. They crash onto the platform. But if they maintained the same velocity, shouldn’t that impact have killed them. The new transporter effect is kinda cool. The way it swirls around each individual part of the body.   So Vulcan is being destroyed by creating a black hole at the centre of the planet. So they beam up the Vulcan leadership and Spock’s family, but Spock’s mother, Amanda. Doesn’t make it. This shows without a shadow of a doubt that we’re in a new timeline. There are new rules. We can’t assume anyone will survive. And they actually destroyed Vulcan. That was bold.   I was torn about this. I didn’t want Vulcan to go, but we’d all been criticising star trek for using the almighty reset button. Finally, they were willing to make a major change in the Star Trek universe, and not backpedal it.   The scene with Uhura and Spock in the turbolift is WEIRD. She goes in to comfort him. And ends up kissing him. She asks him what he needs. She seems almost disappointed when he doesn’t ask for anything romantic. Really really weird scene.   So Nero explains he is from the future, and that in his future, Romulus was destroyed. The federation did nothing. Spock failed to save their world. I like the callback to the creatures Khan used to control people in Star Trek 2. They look ever so slightly different, but I’ve always taken them to be the same creature.   While Spock is right, he has very flimsy evidence to drive him to assume Nero is from the future.   Spock makes it clear that Nero has caused a new timeline. An alternate reality.   Spock’s choice to throw Kirk off the ship onto a planet where he’d likely die is extremely harsh and illogical. All he had to do was put him in the brig.   So this planet is supposed to be delta vega But it’s way too close to Vulcan. Now I’ll accept that planets don’t have uniform climate across the whole world. Earth certainly doesn’t. So I can accept that the desert planet we saw in “Where no man has gone before” could have frozen polar caps, and that’s where Kirk is. But Delta Vega is near the rim of the universe. Nowhere near Vulcan.   I read that the writers of the movie thought fans would appreciate the callback. But this shows a lack of understanding of fans. No callback is preferable to a callback that blatantly breaks canon like this. They could have called this planet anything.   The alien animals we see on the planet are AWESOME. Star Trek has needed a few good space monsters for a long time, so their inclusion was very welcome in my opinion.   And surprise surprise! We see old Spock. Played by Leonard Nimoy! This is what really made this movie. Nimoy provided a link to the past. To old Star Trek. This is the original Spock. Last seen on screen as Ambassador Spock in Star Trek The Next Generation.   So a star went supernova in the 24th century. Spock promised the Romulans he would help them save their planet. But he failed. The supernova destroyed Romulus. Spock and Nero were both pulled into the black hole and ended up in the 23rd century. This event happened in the prime timeline. The original timeline. And this is the event that will be important when it comes to Star Trek Picard.   We get a nice little Spock/bones scene. These movies never quite reach the same levels of portraying the relationship between Kirk, Spock and bones as the original series, but little scenes like this give an inkling. There was another good scene with Bones and Spock in Star Trek Beyond.   Then we meet Scotty. Simon Pegg does a pretty good job in the role. He’s mostly used for comic relief in this film. I’m not a huge fan of purely comic relief characters, but I was very amused by his line when he asks Spock if they have sandwiches in the future. Scotty mentioned beaming admiral archer’s prize beagle to another planet. This, obviously, can’t be Porthos. I can accept that maybe Archer is still alive as a very old man, but Porthos? No way. So clearly Archer’s love of beagles continues through his life.   And this is where we encounter the problem of transwarp beaming. The ability to beam long distances from one planet to another. This is a big issue in the JJ Abrams movies. It was a convenient plot device to get Kirk and Scotty back onto the Enterprise in this episode. But it’s used very badly in the next movie, Star Trek Into Darkness. I’m afraid I’m not a fan of transwarp beaming. Not at all. It makes starship virtually obsolete.   Spock knows the potential that kirk and young Spock have to do great things together. He wants kirk to take over the Enterprise. Spock assures Kirk that he just saw his planet destroyed. He is emotionally compromised. Both of him.   Why does the Enterprise have water tubes running around that go into a big spinner choppy thing? Feels a bit too much like Galaxy Quest.   Spock’s emotional outburst is understandable, given what he’s just been through. It’s a good thing Sulu was there to hear Pike promote Kirk to first officer. Otherwise, I doubt anyone would accept him as the new acting Captain.   So now we have a cadet in command of the ship. Giving orders to crew who all outrank him, who have more experience and seniority than him. It’s a little absurd.   Then we have a nice emotional scene between Sarak and Spock. Ben Cross probably plays a more believable Sarak here than James Frain does in discovery.   So Nero is now planning to destroy Earth the same way he destroyed Vulcan. This movie is the first time we really see normal Starfleet hand phasers firing bolts instead of beams. Discovery continued this trend. Now, when The Defiant first appeared in DS9, firing bolts out of its cluster phasers, I loved it. It was so much meaner and tougher than normal phasers. But now that everything is bursts, I miss the beams, because they feel more star-trek-ey.   So they find Ambassador Spock’s ship from the future. The computer voice is played, for one last time, by Majel Barret. Although, to be honest, it really doesn’t sound like her to me. But anyway.   For once, it actually makes sense why there are no ships protecting earth. They all went to Vulcan and were destroyed by the Narada, leaving Earth defenceless.   So they save Earth, and a black hole forms around the Nerada.   Kirk tries to do the Starfleet thing, offering compassion to one’s enemy. Even Spock wants him to blow Nero away. When Nero refuses Kirk’s help, they gladly pummel it with phasers, destroying the ship. Except now the Enterprise is stuck in the gravitational pull of the black hole. Nice that Scotty threw in his life “I’m giving it all she’s got, captain” The solution, of course, is to eject the warp core. Which looks nothing like a warp core. In fact, it’s a whole lot of separate…..things.   This doesn’t make a lot of sense. The enterprise is now without its warp core. It should have virtually no power,  But now it can power out of the black hole.   Apparently the destruction of the core did something technobabble-ish to disrupt the gravity or something.   We get a nice little scene where Spock and Spock meet.   Old Spock wanted Kirk and young Spock to find the friendship he knew that could have. A friendship that would define them both.   Spock tells his younger counterpart to forget logic and do what feels right. This is kind of the culmination of his character journey, his increasing embracing of his human side was seen in both star trek 6 and tng unification. It’s a nice book-end to this character.   So, Kirk, the cadet who has not yet even graduated the academy, who hasn’t even made ensign yet, is named captain and given command of the Enterprise. This is completely illogical and ridiculous. It’s the thing that bugs me about this movie the most. But anyway.   So now the crew of the enterprise are all together, on the ship, as they should be, with Kirk in the captain’s chair and Spock at his side. The glimmers of a potential friendship kindled between them.   We’re going to leave the Kelvin universe here and return to the prime timeline, because the event of this movie that really matters, is the destruction of Romulus by the singularity.   This event had a huge impact on the prime timeline, and on Captain Picard in particular. The countdown to Picard comic book gives us some details on this. At the time of recording, I’ve read the first instalment.   Well, that was star trek 2009 I still enjoy this movie. It’s a very different kind of star trek, but it showed us a modern, high energy take on the franchise.   Next week, can you believe it? I’m very excited to announce that will be talking about the first episode of Star Trek Picard. We’re almost there, people And that’s very exciting.   See you next week on Nerd Heaven.   Until then, live long and prosper. I’m Adam David Collings

Here we are again the latest episode from the triplets of Nerdity, that’s right folks those wacky goofballs have done it again. First up we have Buck bringing us news about new robots using the art of Kirigami. The art of cutting paper, in this case it is cutting and folding paper. This method has been applied to robotics with some awesome results. Now while it is only early days, we ask you to remember the Origami claw we featured a while back. With this in mind you will understand why Buck is excited, and Professor joins in with the excitement. This is just the start of the show and it is already looking fantastic.Next we look at the dismal lack of taste exhibited by the foolish bunch of weirdos in Hollywood behind the Golden Globes. That’s right we said it, actually Buck did if any snipers are being sent for reprisals. But seriously, just get those idiots to go look at some of the amazing work in animation out there. It doesn’t have to be all CGI, honestly Hollywood was built on proper special effects. These days they struggle to do anything outside a computer lab. While we are not meaning to insult CGI and the wonders it can produce, why can’t we have some proper animation and anime getting awards. When can we see some real special effects like we used to get back in the day. Not meaning to sound as grumpy as Buck or as old as a Boomer but seriously the talent involved in special effects was astounding.Last we look at a remake of Sonic 06 that is actually looking good. That is until corporate lawyers realised they could make money by getting it shut down. Take a moment and open the link, doesn’t that look so much better then what was dumped on the market like so much garbage? The amount of work involved must be mind-blowing, but there may be hope for the future. Want to know what that might be, well you will need to listen in to find out. You thought I was slipping and going to tell you everything, but believe me, there is so much more for you.We finish with the regular shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events. As always we hope you take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated.Self-folding robots using kirigami- https://techxplore.com/news/2019-12-robots-self-folding-kirigami-materials.html- https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/12/11/1906435116/tab-figures-dataAnime Movies snubbed from Golden Globes - https://www.cbr.com/golden-globes-shuts-out-anime-films-promare-weathering-with-you-i-lost-my-body/Sonic 06 Remade by a Fan - https://www.engadget.com/2019/12/11/sonic-p-06-unity-pc-fan-remake/Games currently playingBuck– Pirates Slay - https://www.crazygames.com/game/pirates-slayRating: 4.5/5DJ– Frenzy Retribution - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1108560/FrenzyRetribution/Rating: 4/5Professor- Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition - https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition/Rating: 4.733/5Other topics discussedKirigami Definiton (variation of origami that includes cutting of the paper, rather than solely folding the paper as is the case with origami, but typically does not use glue.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirigami- https://www.origami-resource-center.com/kirigami-for-kids.htmlT-1000 (A fictional character in the Terminator franchise. A shape shifting android assassin, it was created by Skynet. The T-1000 is described in Terminator 2 as being composed of liquid metal, or a mimetic polyalloy (nanorobotics) that it can manipulate to assume various forms.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-1000Origami Gripper (A team at MIT CSAIL have been working on a solution to this problem, which they call the Origami gripper. The gripper consists of a flexible, folding skeleton surrounded by an airtight skin.)- https://hackaday.com/2019/03/18/origami-gripper-is-great-for-soft-and-heavy-objects/Microbots (tiny nanobots constructed by Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6)- https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/MicrobotsPoisoned books in universities- https://theconversation.com/how-we-discovered-three-poisonous-books-in-our-university-library-98358Shadows from the Walls of Death (printed in 1874 it is a noteworthy book for two reasons: its rarity, and the fact that, if you touch it, it might kill you. It contains just under a hundred wallpaper samples, each of which is saturated with potentially dangerous levels of arsenic)- https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death-bookSouth Korean Cinemas suing Disney over Frozen 2- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/03/disney-sued-frozen-2s-monopoly-south-korean-cinemas/Banana on the wall masterpiece and aftermath- https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/the-banana-on-the-wall-was-a-masterpiece-until-somebody-ate-it-20191209-p53i0u.html- https://nypost.com/2019/12/09/banana-wall-vandalized-with-jeffrey-epstein-theory-at-art-basel/PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) (is a single by Pikotaro, a fictional singer-songwriter created and portrayed by Japanese comedian Daimaou Kosaka.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PPAP_(Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)Banksy painting purchased and shredded- https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/banksy-s-shredded-painting-stunt-was-viral-performance-art-who-ncna921426Money Heist (Spanish television heist crime drama series.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_HeistThe Grand Tour (created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, produced by Amazon exclusively for its online streaming service Amazon Prime Video)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_TourBlack Sails (American historical adventure television series set on New Providence Island and written to be a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sails_(TV_series)P.T. (initialism for "playable teaser") is a first-person psychological horror video game developed by Kojima Productions, under the pseudonym "7780s Studio", and published by Konami. The game was directed and designed by Hideo Kojima, in collaboration with film director Guillermo del Toro.- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.T._(video_game)Fan Remake Of P.T. for free (indie developer managed to remake the P.T. demo and give it out to the general public for free, so for everyone who missed out on it years ago can play the fan remake right now.)- https://www.cinemablend.com/games/2444440/you-can-play-a-fan-remake-of-pt-for-freeKonami shuts down P.T fan remake- https://www.cinemablend.com/games/2450779/the-pt-fan-remake-was-just-killed-by-konamiP.T fan remake Developer offered an internship- https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/13/17570252/pt-on-pc-fan-remake-cease-desist-pulledMarkets (Age of Empires 2 building)- https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Market_(Age_of_Empires_II)Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (also known as Soviet Ukraine, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union from the Union's inception in 1922 to its breakup in 1991.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_RepublicShoutouts17 Dec 1989 – First episode of The Simpsons airs in the United States with the episode titled Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, although it was titled onscreen as "The Simpsons Christmas Special" -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpsons_Roasting_on_an_Open_Fire17 Dec 2003 – SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight, which was also the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first powered flight. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne17/12/2019 - Shoutout to the New South Wales and Queensland Fire fighters along with their Rural Fire Association Queensland Raffle- https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/very-unpredictable-fire-conditions-forecast-for-nsw-amid-soaring-temperatures-volatile-winds/live-coverage/76f62241194e47b012e83caf81c535a8- https://www.rfbaq.org/au75Remembrances20 Nov 2019 – Tony Brooker, British academic, was a computer scientist known for developing the Mark 1 Autocode language. He also designed the compiler-compiler which is a programming tool that creates a parser, interpreter, or compiler from some form of formal description of a programming language and machine. He died at the age of 94 in Hexham - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/technology/tony-brooker-dead.html17 Dec 1907 - William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-Scottish (of Ulster Scots heritage) mathematical physicist and engineer who was born in Belfast in 1824. At the University of Glasgow he did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging discipline of physics in its modern form. Absolute temperatures are stated in units of kelvin in his honour. While the existence of a lower limit to temperature (absolute zero) was known prior to his work, Kelvin is known for determining its correct value as approximately −273.15 degree Celsius or −459.67 degree Fahrenheit. He died from a severe chill at the age of 83 in Largs, Ayrshire - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Thomson,_1st_Baron_Kelvin17 Dec 2016 - Henry Judah Heimlich, American thoracic surgeon and medical researcher. He is widely credited as the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, a technique of abdominal thrusts for stopping choking, described in Emergency Medicine in 1974. He also invented the Micro Trach portable oxygen system for ambulatory patients and the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, or "flutter valve", which drains blood and air out of the chest cavity. He died after complications from a heart attack at the age of 96 in Cincinnati, Ohio - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_HeimlichFamous Birthdays17 Dec 1905 - Simo "Simuna" Häyhä, nicknamed "White Death"by the Red Army,was a Finnishsniper. He is believed to have killed 500 men during the 1939–40 Winter War, the highest number of sniper kills in any major war. He used a Finnish-produced M/28-30 rifle, a variant of the Mosin–Nagant rifle, and a Suomi KP/-31 sub machine gun. His unit's captain Antti Rantama credited him with 259 confirmed kills by sniper rifle and an equal number of kills by sub machine gun during the Winter War. Häyhä never talked about it publicly but estimated in his diary that he killed around 500. He was born in Rautjärvi, Viipuri Province. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A417 Dec 1920 - Kenneth Eugene Iverson, Canadian computer scientist noted for the development of the programming language APL. He was honored with the Turing Award in 1979 "for his pioneering effort in programming languages and mathematical notation resulting in what the computing field now knows as APL; for his contributions to the implementation of interactive systems, to educational uses of APL, and to programming language theory and practice". He was born in Camrose, Alberta - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Iverson17 Dec 1929 - Jacqueline Hill, British actress known for her role as Barbara Wright in the BBC science-fiction television series Doctor Who. As the history teacher of Susan Foreman, the Doctor's granddaughter, Barbara was the first Doctor Who companion to appear on-screen in 1963, with Hill speaking the series' first words. She played the role for nearly two years, leaving the series in 1965 at the same time as fellow actor William Russell (who played the companion Ian Chesterton). Hill returned to Doctor Who in 1980 for an appearance in the serial Meglos, as the Tigellan priestess Lexa. She was born in Birmingham - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Hill17 Dec 1975 - Milica Bogdanovna "Milla" Jovovich, American actress, model, and musician. Her starring roles in numerous science fiction and action films led the music channel VH1 to deem her the "reigning queen of kick-butt" in 2006. In 2004, Forbes determined that she was the highest-paid model in the world. Jovovich gained attention for her role in the 1991 romance film Return to the Blue Lagoon, as she was then only 15. She was considered to have a breakthrough with her role in the 1997 French science-fiction film The Fifth Element, written and directed by Luc Besson. She and Besson married that year, but soon divorced. She starred as the heroine and martyr in Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. Between 2002 and 2016, Jovovich portrayed Alice in the science fiction horror film franchise Resident Evil, which became the highest-grossing film series to be based on video games. She was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milla_JovovichEvent of interest17 Dec 1903 – The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It flew about four miles (6.4 km) for four times. Today, the airplane is exhibited in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. The U.S. Smithsonian Institution describes the aircraft as "the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. The flight of Flyer I marks the beginning of the "pioneer era" of aviation. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer17 Dec 1957 – The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The missile named (R&D) Atlas A 12A which was an SM-65A Atlas landed in the target area after a flight of 600 miles. This was the first Atlas with a functional guidance system.- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65A_Atlas- https://web.archive.org/web/20060204073649/http://www.geocities.com/atlas_missile/Chronology.html18 Dec 1971 – On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the sixth in the James Bond series was released, with its premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. As On Her Majesty's Secret Service had been filmed in stereo, the first Bond film to use the technology, the Odeon had a new speaker system installed to benefit the new sounds. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)- https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/ohmss_premiere?id=04625IntroArtist – Goblins from MarsSong Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJFollow us onFacebook- Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/- Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rssInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/General EnquiriesEmail - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.com

Guest and OG co-host William Thomson surprises me with his review of THE LAST WALTZ (1978) by Martin Scorsese and I show up with a copy of the entertaining, bonkers swashbuckler CONFESSIONS OF AN OPIUM EATER (1962) starring Vincent Price

Episode 2. Running events that make a differenceWilliam Thomson interviews the inspirational Josh Littlejohn. Co-Founder of Social Bite and organiser of the "The World's Biggest Sleep Out" events.Looking at several events run by the events industry to reduce homelessness William asks event planners if they too can turn their hand to running events that really make a difference. A podcast by and for event professionals. Hosted by William Thomson from Gallus Events.Links from the show:Homeless Hack Pack that will help anyone run a homeless hackathon.http://www.gallusevents.co.uk/homeless-hack-pack/Watch the extended video on the Gallus Events YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_bgdkep8SmqT78kooDVrHA available 14th June 2019.

Taking the decision to cancel or postpone an event can be a hard one. After the time, effort and perhaps money you have put into planning an event, making the decision to pull the plug or at least postpone the event is often the trickiest of decisions. To cancel or not too cancel, that’s the topic for Episode one of the Re:Event Podcast. A podcast by and for event professionals. Hosted by William Thomson from Gallus Events.Includes an interview with Ángeles Moreno.Links from the show:Download the Traffic Light Template for all your events (the best way to avoid cancelling too many events) Watch the extended video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_bgdkep8SmqT78kooDVrHA available 30th May 2019.

Adım William Thomson. Ama gelecekte herkes beni Lord Kelvin olarak bilecek… İşte ben de size bu hikayeyi anlatacağım. Seslendiren: Talat Türkeli

This might be the grossest name yet!  In this episode, we talk about a French showman and soldier able to eat […]

In our 72nd episode, Julia heats up a discussion about the three old dead white men whose names grace the most commonly known temperature scales: Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin.  Later, enjoy a quiz called “Fahrenheit 451”! . . . [Music: 1) The Polish Ambassador, “360 Degree View of the Phantasmal Farm,” 2014. Courtesy of The Polish Ambassador, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license;  2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]

- Decay and refutation of the Genesis minimalist paradigm for interpreting geology.    - What do contemporary young Earth creationists think happened during this epoch of human history (c. 1700-1830)?    - Do they think about it at all?    - Do they think that it was a conspiracy or open rebellion, a force of will to reject the Bible?- Late 18th / early 19th century debate over the age of the Earth    - Change in status of fossils of extinct species from a doubted claim to a means of dating strata        - In Steno's time, the fact that shells of many extinct species clearly do not belong to living animals was considered a telling argument in favor of their abiotic origin.        - By the early 19th century, enough work had been done on systematic stratigraphy across Europe that geologists recognized a number of extinct fossil groupings that could be found in a variety of places, and the conviction grew that these assemblages were the remains of living communities that existed at specific intervals in Earth's past.        - In turn, using fossil assemblages to cross-correlate rocks across Europe and eventually across the rest of the planet allowed the erection and refinement of the geological timescale that we still use today.    - Hutton: "we can see no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end"        - Criticized as bringing back Aristotelian eternalism, but Hutton defends his statement as a comment on the limitations of what we can observe- Final burst of "diluvialist" theory in the 1820s    - "Drift", including "erratic" boulders, gravels, and sands in places contemporary streams and gravity could not have left them (e.g. on hillsides)    - Some such deposits of gravel and sand in Europe and a few other places scattered across the world, particularly in caves, held recent fossils; these were bundled up together and held to be products of either Noah's Flood or a similar flood at a different, somewhat earlier date.    - No human remains found in these deposits (at the time the debate was being resolved, at any rate).- Lyell begins publishing "Principles of Geology" in 1830    - Pushes the Huttonian theme of uniformitarianism to its extreme.    - Lumps Genesis minimalists, diluvialists, catastrophists, and even directionalists together    - Lyell's uniformitarianism was never accepted in absolute completeness        - Even before the advent of thermodynamics in the 19th century, it was still common sense that the Earth is cooling down with time.- What happened to the evidence once taken as proof of diluvialism?    - The gradual, halting acceptance of ice ages as the source of "drift"- Where did the debate go from there?    - Direct reference to Genesis as a historical reference for geological events died out of the living stream of geological debate.    - Physicists, and devotees of the new discipline of geophysics, began to look for ways to constrain the Earth's age with the means available to late 19th century physics. The name of William Thomson, later Lord Kelvin, is most remembered today for essentially issuing ultimata to stratigraphers and paleontologists based on his cooling histories of the Sun and the Earth. A tug of war ensued between geologists in these old subdisciplines, whose estimates of the required time for the deposition, uplift, and erosion of strata ran into the hundreds of millions of years, and the physicists, who thought that 100 million years was roughly the longest conceivable time allowable.    - Of course, the physicists were wrong; their estimates of the age of the Earth were yet another area where the advent of 20th century physics (radioactivity, which ultimately is a quantum physics effect) overturned previous thought:        - First, radioactivity heats the interior of the Earth--and nuclear fusion drives the Sun--meaning that the old estimates of cooling lifetimes were meaningless.        - Second, radioactivity gives us many ways of actually calculating numeric ages of minerals and rocks.        -The upshot for the debate between young Earth creationists and geologists.    - It pays to keep in mind that the radiometric dating line of evidence for the long age of the Earth came very, very late in the history of geology. It's not a primary argument, certainly not historically, and perhaps not even scientifically, for an age of the Earth that radically transcends 6,000 years.    - Geology, like physics, chemistry, and biology, was born in the 17th century, in an intellectual climate steeped in Biblical minimalism. There was no shortage of geologists who *wanted* a global Genesis flood to have existed and left evidence of its passing. They were argued, or even argued themselves out of this belief, very reluctantly.    - It's also worth taking some time to think:        - Does the text of Genesis demand a global flood? Really? We are that sure of the definitions of the words and the history of the text?        - Is a God that presided over the ad hoc instantaneous creation of a complex planet any greater in concept than the God that created a whole universe and the laws that govern its growth and change over 13 billion years?

William Thomson said: what gets measured gets managed. And so if you’re not measuring your advertising metrics you’re probably a poor quality marketeer. Tracking and measuring your results is probably the most important prerequisite of all successful direct marketing and online sales. When you’re building your Shopify store it’s no different. You need to know … Continued The post Shopify Conversion Tracking — How To Track Conversions With Shopify… appeared first on Till Boadella.

Winter Special: So we try to get through. ⁓The Voice before the Void “The Bad Year” Edward William Thomson May, blighted by keen frosts, passed on to June; No blooms, but many a stalk with drooping leaves, And arid Summer … Continue reading →

Le mouvement de flux et de reflux de la mer a été l’objet d’un premier travail de théorisation dans les Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) d’Isaac Newton (1642-1727), qui applique le problème des trois corps pour déterminer les influences respectives de la Lunet et du Soleil sur la terre et la mer. Mais la théorie newtonienne est une théroie satique, qui ne fait pas intervenir la réponse de l’océan à ces frces d’attraction. Dans son grand traité de Mécanique Céleste (1799-1825), Pierre-Simon de Laplace (1748-1827) établit la théorie dynamique des marées : il fournit les équations différentielles et détermine l’existence de leurs composantes, diurne, semi-diurne et annuelle, au prix cependant d’hypothèses simplificatrices considérables. Avant même l’invention du marégraphe auto-enregistreur, et leur installation dans différents ports de France, d’Angleterre et de leurs colonies respectives, l’ingénieur hydrographe Antoine M. Chazallon (1802-1872), qui publie en 1839 le premier Annuaire des marées des côtes de France, présente à l’Académie des Sciences en 1837 une méthode des harmoniques pour la prédiction des marées, à laquelle les hydrographes continuent de se référer au XXe siècle, tout en achetant les prédicteurs de marées en Grande-Bretagne. Cette méthode de calcul s’appuie essentiellement sur un examen minutieux des données d’observation transcrites graphiquement. Eclipsé par la production des analyseurs harmoniques et les travaux de William Thomson (1824-1907) – Lord Kelvin – sur l’analyse harmonique. Ce travail reste cependant méconnu. Cet exposé analysera le mémoire de 1837 et tentera d’analyser les conditions de son effacement historique.