travelsbylight

Have canon, will travel

2006-05-16T20:15:00.000Z

Iberian Canon on Calton Hill

This Canon was originally manufactured in Iberia in 1624 for the Count of Portalegre, Don Diogo da Silva who was also part of Spains Junta governing Portugal during the reign of Philip III and Philip IV.
During Portugals own phase of Colonialism it found its way to Rangoon were in 1724 the Burmese captured it during the battle of Araken (now Rakhine State, Myanmar - the S.Coastal strip bordering Thailand).
It was later retaken by the British during the Anglo-Burmese war in 1852 and was subsequently gifted to Edinburgh in 1886 (a Burmese inscription is still clearly legible).

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-15T15:55:00.000Z

L-R: Masters Pillar, William St.Clair Kt.Templar,Apprentice Pillar,
all inside Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh

The K.T. arose from the Crusades to the Middle East in the 12th Century. The Crusades were joined by many but included noblemen and their small cadre of fighting militia. To pay for all this the noblemen had to remortgage or sell all or part of their Estate (there was always going to be a strong commercial focus to the Crusades). Four Crusades and 200 years later the K.T. were fantastically wealthy and influential. Their fate was sealed however when they continually refused King Philip IV of France additional money. On Friday 13th 1307 the King arrested hundreds of Templars overnight. Those that could fled to the Templar Fleet lying in wait at La Rochelle, what happens next is guesswork...

More about Crusader Castles

Do you know someone...

2006-05-12T10:02:00.000Z

Ye Olde Dunjeon

Where they send all the really bad bagpipe players. Think I'm joking?

Now go caving

1-HP

2006-05-11T08:57:00.000Z

1 Horse power

The Spanish reintroduced the horse to America after 1492. They took with them two kinds of pack horse, the Jennet and the Jaca (aka Garrano/Villano) and two kinds of saddle horse, the Sorraia (aka Marismeno/Spanish Mustang) and the Barb (aka Andalucian/PRE). Post 1492 Conquests used horses from Stock farms set up in Jamaica (Pizzaro to Peru in 1515) and Cuba (Cortez to Mexico in 1519) [from Enc.Brittanica]. These horses either escaped, went lame or were left behind rather than reshipped back to Spain and from them derive many indigenous American horses.

See also Horses of the Conquest by Scotsman Robert Cunninghame Graham and for some more Equine diversion watch HorseTV

the Zero effect

2006-05-10T10:57:00.000Z

A Surasundari or celestial maiden
in a tribhanga 'S' shaped pose

It was not the Babylonians, Egyptians nor the Greeks which gave us the number Zero, but the Indians, as long ago as the 5th Century BC.

Zero was the foundation for many things, not least modular arithmetic (eg. binary) and the Prescriptive Descriptive modelling process whose use is pervasive through the Sciences (eg. BNF Grammars).

Another legendary Zero here and here

The Lost Legion

2006-05-09T09:14:00.000Z

Legionnaires Atenshun

The Romans first invaded Scotland in A.D. 79 and stayed around 130 years until A.D. 212. There were 3 distinct periods of Governance, Agricola AD79-87, Antonine AD139-165 and Severus AD208-212. It was Antonine that built a 37 mile 'wall' with a military supply road and 19 forts across Scotland from the Firth estuary in the east to the Clyde in the west. The best preserved fort is near Bonnybridge.

More on the Antonine Wall here & here, Google photos near Bonnybridge (low res only) with the wall being approximately the dark patch in the middle.

The Venetian

2006-05-08T08:10:00.000Z

Modern day Carver and Gilder

Guiseppe Valeriani was a famous 18thC artist and guilder employed to create art in the Peterhof and Stroganov Palaces, St. Petersberg.

Peterhof Palace, Stroganov Palace.

The Lion and the Unicorn

2006-05-05T13:27:00.000Z

King James V Coat of Arms outside Holyrood Palace

A shield showing the Lion rampant (courage) within a double tressure flory counter-flory gules (the uniform edging in red around the lion) held by a Unicorn (courage,virtue,strength) sejant erect (rearing with both hind legs together, as opposed to rampant in which the hind legs are separate and projecting) flying the saltyre flag with an open crown at its intersection.

James VIs colony at Jamestown

Nike One

2006-05-04T07:32:00.000Z

Nike One - a seriously good Golf ball

"Let the Nothingness into yer shots."
Scottish Golfing Koan.

More on Koans

There are 5000 people

2006-05-03T15:08:00.000Z

The Beltane Fire Festival

There are 5000 people on the hill above the City. Dusk has slipped
away. Shadows and silhouettes race across the hill as night
awakens. Now a circle of smoke is rotating, a red ember catches
and the smoke gives way to a fireball. This is used to set the
display piece alight and the air is at once thick with paraffin. The
drum corp start up and their enchanting, shimmering rhythmic
drumming crescendos. A roar of delight breaks through the
crowd. Summer is begun and the ancient Beltane rite is again
retold.

The Green Man, the power of Summer reborn is confronting the
White Queen and her troop of White Women. The Queens
procession are captivated to respond precisely to the Green
Mans command. More and frequent commands are exchanged.
The Green man suddenly accedes allowing the White Queen to
continue her procession around the Hill.
The Red men, then the Blue men and later a White Dragon will
take their processional turns. Finally the White Queen and the
White Women make their return. The Rite is spent.

World Beats

Sticking A-Round

2006-05-02T09:19:00.000Z

Locker room stickers

East-West
-----------
Piraeus, GR. 37'57"N 23'38"E to Cozumel, MX. 20'30"N 86'57"W =
6, 388Mi or 10, 281KM

North-South
-------------
Helsinki, FI. 60'10"N 24'56"E to Belmopan, BH. 17'15"N 88'46"W =
5, 951Mi or 9, 577KM

[from Mapcrow]

Ye Olde Pyrates of Ye Carribe Seas

Boredom in the 12thC

2006-05-01T15:50:00.000Z

The Lewis Chess Pieces, c.1150AD
Museum of Scotland

These Chess Pieces, found on the Isle of Lewis are one of the earliest and unique finds in the History of Chess. Enough peices for 4 complete sets were found in a small drystone chamber in a sand dune. This has led to speculation as to why they were hidden and who had hidden them.
It is thought that the pieces were originally coloured red and white and would have been played on a regular geometric board.

Now explore Fractal Geometries

Its not Walt Disney, but its just as fun

2006-04-28T10:56:00.000Z

Views West and East along Princess Street, Edinburgh

Robert Burns, Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Alexander Selkirk (Crusoe), TE Lawrence (of Arabia), Alexander Graham Bell, John Logie Baird, Lord Kelvin, Charles Rennie McIntosh, Clyde Built, John Brown, Highlands and Islands, Crofts, Ben Nevis, Fortwilliam, Aviemore, Cairngorms, Bagging Munros, The Antonine way, The Great Glen, Glencoe, International Festival, Military Tatoo, Fringe Festival, Rab C Nesbitt, Tweed, Tartan, Sporan, Skein Dubh, Bagpipes, Haggis, Neeps & Tatties, Bridies, Shortbread, Deep fried Pizza, Single Malt, 80/-, Pipers, Vowels that sound like Consonants, Scottish Reels, Ceildhs, The Tweed, Tay, Don and Spey rivers, The Loch Ness Monster, Carnoustie, Turnberry and St.Andrews, The Glorious 12th, Doing a McNab - Caledonian connections.

Visit it

The Cigar Box Indian

2006-04-27T19:53:00.000Z

The Indian Chief outside the "Cigar Box"
on the Royal Mile

Sunday June 25th, 1876. General George Armstrong Custer along with 102 Survivors of the 647 strong 7th Cavalry make a final defense on Last Stand Hill, Montana. Against them are 1500 warrior braves led by Red Cloud, fighting for their native territories.

Read Red Clouds eyewitness account of Custers Last Stand

The leaper - salmo salar

2006-04-26T14:16:00.000Z

The Allys Shrimp
A local Scottish Salmon pattern

Take a 1.5 inch aluminum tube wind half with red then black floss. Counterwind a ribbed section with fine gold wire. Add some dyed orange bucktail hairs to the tube and also form a 'fly' tail. Tie on feathers from a section of Golden Pheasant tippet to make a 'fly' wing. Finish the fly with a red floss head. At the waterside add a hook, for example a size 12 Salmon-double.

Hot metal

2006-04-25T11:27:00.000Z

The Columbian Direct Hand Press

Iron presses represented a technological innovation over the original wooden Gutenburg press. The strength of there manufacture allowed them to incorporate a system of counterweights, rods and levers that required less effort to produce more force making a clearer impression. This allowed them to make more copies, use different materials and importantly print on larger formats. This Columbian Press, considered the most ornate, was designed by a Philadelphian mechanic, John Clymer in 1813. His patent later expired and the Columbian was manufactured by many other companies. A contemporary 19th century printworks manual can be found here ISBN 1584561009.

A Printing exhibition.

Signal station

2006-04-24T11:12:00.000Z

Signal Station

That gray matter you're so proud of is like a mirror in an amusement park which transmits to you nothing but distorted signals from reality forever beyond your grasp - Ayn Rand.

Omniglot - Writing systems of the world

Getting ready for Beltane

2006-04-21T01:59:00.000Z

An Onlooker gets caught up in the Rhythmic Beltane dance

An ancient Celtic festival celebrating nature including traditional maypole dancing or interpreted as a piece of modern performance art.

Article on Beltane

Gucheng Player

2006-04-20T13:39:00.000Z

Gucheng player at the Chinese Karaoke Night

The Chinese Diaspora is concentrated in 7 "Dragon Cities" around the world in Countries such as Australia, North America and the U.K.

Traditional Chinese Instruments

Off the page

2006-04-19T13:18:00.000Z

Desperate Dan and Dawg, Dundee

Desperate Dan was a character in The Dandy, a comic produced by the century old local publisher DC Thomson. The company also produced collectable football cards in their other comics, the Hotspur and the Victor between 1965 and 1971.

FIFA Organisation ~ World Cup 2006, Germany

Opium for the people

2006-04-18T07:50:00.000Z

Middle East Re-Enactment, Princess St. Gardens, Edinburgh

King Solomon, in his old age, became a worshipper of the Phoenician goddess Ashtarte? from www.phoenicia.org

The Guardian

2006-04-17T04:26:00.000Z

Gryphon, The Scott Monument, Princess St., Edinburgh

But in the north of Europe there is by far the most gold. In this matter again I cannot say with assurance how the gold is produced, but it is said that one-eyed men called Arimaspians steal it from griffins. [Herodotus, The Histories].

http://www.gryphonpages.com/