D&D and the rising pandemic

[MarkB]

I've seen that or something similar to it. He just uses leveridge, balance points and swivels to manipulate 25 ton blocks by himself.

A lot of very intelligent people have got no idea about how things work in the real world. Doesn't been they're stupid just outside their specialty they're no better than anyone else.

Reminds me of an old (possibly apocryphal) story of the scientists who came up with ridiculous calculations of the amount of calories kangaroos must need to consume in order to hop around everywhere. They based their working on a simple calculation of how much energy would be required to lift a mass equal to that of an adult kangaroo up to their average bounce height, multiplied by their observed number of bounces within a specified period.

All very neat, but totally failing to take into account that kangaroos' legs operate as the equivalent of leaf-springs, storing up most of that energy on the downward arc to be re-used in the next upward bound.

 

[Zardnaar]

Reminds me of an old (possibly apocryphal) story of the scientists who came up with ridiculous calculations of the amount of calories kangaroos must need to consume in order to hop around everywhere. They based their working on a simple calculation of how much energy would be required to lift a mass equal to that of an adult kangaroo up to their average bounce height, multiplied by their observed number of bounces within a specified period.

All very neat, but totally failing to take into account that kangaroos' legs operate as the equivalent of leaf-springs, storing up most of that energy on the downward arc to be re-used in the next upward bound.

My favorite one is Romans couldn't lift these large blocks in top of pedestals. They weighed 25-50 tons.

Then they found pictures of Romans using cranes and for the larger blocks three cranes.

Or when they built a road in Morocco, the Engineer was proud of himself then they found a Ronan inscription basically saying "U Marcus .... built this road" and they built the modern road over the ancient Roman one.

They've recent found Roman ruins deep in Saudi Arabia, the border at one point was deep into Nabatea.

Basically they make conclusions on incomplete information.

 

[cbwjm]

One of my favourite things is that since the invention of writing* people have been leaving graffiti about how awesome they are, or insults about their least favourite gladiators. Shows us that people haven't really changed all that much over millennia; ancient peoples would have been tweeting if they had the technology.

*Or maybe since the invention of cave paintings.

 

[Zardnaar]

One of my favourite things is that since the invention of writing* people have been leaving graffiti about how awesome they are, or insults about their least favourite gladiators. Shows us that people haven't really changed all that much over millennia; ancient peoples would have been tweeting if they had the technology.

*Or maybe since the invention of cave paintings.

It's basically saying "I was here".

Prostitute in Pompeii cost about the same as a loaf of bread. Thanks to graffiti.

 

[Ryujin]

I've seen that or something similar to it. He just uses leveridge, balance points and swivels to manipulate 25 ton blocks by himself.

A lot of very intelligent people have got no idea about how things work in the real world. Doesn't been they're stupid just outside their specialty they're no better than anyone else.

Worked in a farm 20+ years ago. Most people got no practical idea how food is produced and distributed.

I have no idea how to fix an internal combustion engine.

On one hand we have the people saying that only aliens could have helped ancient cultures build megalithic structures.

On the other hand we've got a little guy who built the Coral Castle by himself and some random dude who demonstrates to the Mythbusters build team how to lift such blocks by rocking them back and forth, with his body weight, and using shims to raise them.

 

[Zardnaar]

On one hand we have the people saying that only aliens could have helped ancient cultures build megalithic structures.

On the other hand we've got a little guy who built the Coral Castle by himself and some random dude who demonstrates to the Mythbusters build team how to lift such blocks by rocking them back and forth, with his body weight, and using shims to raise them.

Aliens!!!

It's like the pyramids. Can humans cut a block of stone the size of the pyramids? Yes.
Anything beyond that is just a question of logistics and organization.

 

[Garthanos]

It's basically saying "I was here".

Prostitute in Pompeii cost about the same as a loaf of bread. Thanks to graffiti.

Those were home made bread loaves hand mixed and kneaded and so on not these factory made loaves

 

[Janx]

Aliens!!!

It's like the pyramids. Can humans cut a block of stone the size of the pyramids? Yes.
Anything beyond that is just a question of logistics and organization.

Add a cup of racism to the mix as the narrative of "had to be aliens" was really a function of "us white people don't know how to make a pyramid without our technology so the brown people must've had alien help."

 

[Ryujin]

Add a cup of racism to the mix as the narrative of "had to be aliens" was really a function of "us white people don't know how to make a pyramid without our technology so the brown people must've had alien help."

There's admittedly a fair bit to that but there's also a lot of, "We couldn't do it in a week without a steam shovel, so no one could do it ever" going on. People today can't think in terms of generational projects, because they're stuck on the instant gratification thing. There seems to be a fair bit of evidence that sites like Stonehenge were created in sort of layers; growing outward as time went on. Hell, for some of the "Aliens!" comments you'd think they believed Rome built their roads and aqueducts over a weekend, by getting the Emperor's buddies together over beer & BBQ.

 

[MoonSong]

Hell, for some of the "Aliens!" comments you'd think they believed Rome built their roads and aqueducts over a weekend, by getting the Emperor's buddies together over beer & BBQ.

Ironically, this could have been how Stonehenge was built.