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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 10:31:11 GMT
...and just in case we forget it we should document it here. Also this thread could act as a helpful crib thread for those of us who are slackers (I'm looking at you Mr Hooligan); on days when we forget to learn something new we can just copy off someone else. Erm, I'll start: yesterday I learned about Derek Walcott's poetry because I had to type out an essay for my slacker daughter and he's really good. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Walcott
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 10:39:34 GMT
Here is a poem what he wrote to honour the election of Obama. Now, I don't really get it except the obvious allusion to the cotton-pickin slaves and all but when Mini-Trubs comes home I'll ask her to explain it to us all. Out of the turmoil emerges one emblem, an engraving —
a young Negro at dawn in straw hat and overalls,
an emblem of impossible prophecy, a crowd
dividing like the furrow which a mule has ploughed,
parting for their president: a field of snow-flecked
cotton
forty acres wide, of crows with predictable omens
that the young ploughman ignores for his unforgotten
cotton-haired ancestors, while lined on one branch, is
a tense
court of bespectacled owls and, on the field's
receding rim —
a gesticulating scarecrow stamping with rage at him.
The small plough continues on this lined page
beyond the moaning ground, the lynching tree, the tornado's
black vengeance,
and the young ploughman feels the change in his veins,
heart, muscles, tendons,
till the land lies open like a flag as dawn's sure
light streaks the field and furrows wait for the sower. And here's Obama carrying a book of Walcott's poetry around to make him look like he reads it all the time: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3401542/Barack-Obama-still-has-time-for-a-little-poetry.htmlI do stuff like that sometimes. It's good etiquette to hide your Woman's Weekly inside a copy of Time.
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Post by Patrick on Dec 5, 2008 11:06:50 GMT
You wrote one of Mini Trubs essays! Oooh Missus!
My Mum once made a sock puppet for me we had to make for RE once.
Your example of Mr Walcott's does seem to me a teensy weensy bit pretentious, it's not his fault though - it's just that style of poem. Words dressed up in fancy clothes, but not particularly poetic. I suppose you can say the same about Picasso's Cubism - though a picture paints a thousand words, but a thousand words is just that? Yes I can see the rhythm of the poem, but I'm not a fan. Although I have used that technique myself. I still made sure it had a more solid structure.
Some highly regarded Poets just leave me cold though. Ted Hughes for one. There's also something distinctly fisshy about a man who manages to lose two wive through suicide. One, is a tragedy - two begs the question whether he really was as nice behind closed doors as people thought he was outside?
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 11:37:37 GMT
You wrote one of Mini Trubs essays! Oooh Missus! My Mum once made a sock puppet for me we had to make for RE once. Your example of Mr Walcott's does seem to me a teensy weensy bit pretentious, it's not his fault though - it's just that style of poem. Words dressed up in fancy clothes, but not particularly poetic. I suppose you can say the same about Picasso's Cubism - though a picture paints a thousand words, but a thousand words is just that? Yes I can see the rhythm of the poem, but I'm not a fan. Although I have used that technique myself. I still made sure it had a more solid structure. Some highly regarded Poets just leave me cold though. Ted Hughes for one. There's also something distinctly fisshy about a man who manages to lose two wive through suicide. One, is a tragedy - two begs the question whether he really was as nice behind closed doors as people thought he was outside? Let's clear this up: I typed up her hand written essay but I did not inhale! In fact I'm under strict instructions never to alter a single word when I type something for her following a traumatic evening last month when I tried to correct her grammar and spelling. But I do wonder should I be typing it for her or not? She has great trouble writing, always has done, and writes it all out in pencil then goes over it in pen and rubs out the pencil so that it looks better, she sometimes types directly, but when she has a long thing to write up such as a book report I offer to type it out for her if she's running out of time. Do you think I shouldn't? Yes, I'm not sure that's a great poem at all but I'm waiting to check with the kid. Funny you should mention painting a thousand words because I think he has a reputaion for painting a detailed picture using just a few words and that's one of his fortes.
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 11:57:35 GMT
PS What mark did your mum get for your sock puppet? My mum got an A for my draught-excluder-cat.
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Post by Patrick on Dec 5, 2008 12:28:35 GMT
A few "House Points" - (Though I took the credit, naturally!)
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 14:32:00 GMT
Naurally. Ok, the choice before me is to a) waste my time googling around here or b) go christmas shopping and it looks like I have chosen a. So I'm trying to analyse this Obama poem to help you understand how great Walcott is. Interesting fact number one: www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Forty-acres-and-a-muleForty acres and a mule 40 acres and a mule is the colloquial term for compensation that was to be awarded to freed American slaves after the Civil War—40 acres of land to farm, and a mule with which to drag a plow so the land could be cultivated.Aha! Oh irony of ironies that I used to go shopping instead of doing my poetry analysis ... that's youth v middle age for you...
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 14:50:32 GMT
Ok, it gets better. Fom the same link: Few if any former slave families ever took possession of the land or the apocryphal mule, and the phrase has come to represent the failure of Reconstruction and the general public to assist African-Americans in the path from slavery to freedom.Reconstruction: Reconstruction (1863/1865-1877) was the attempt by the federal government of the United States to resolve the issues of the American Civil War (1861-1865), after the Confederacy was defeated and slavery ended....
By the 1870s Reconstruction had made some progress to provide the former slaves with equal rights under the law, including the right to vote for men, and public education to achieve literacy. During Reconstruction, most states in the South established public education, although funding was variable.
However, much of the initial progress towards equal rights was rolled back between 1873 and 1877, when conservative white democrats (calling themselves "Redeemers") took power throughout the former Confederacy. ...
Through the enactment of Jim Crow laws, disfranchising statutes and constitutions, and extralegal means, the Redeemers subsequently removed most blacks and hundreds of thousands of poor whites from voter rolls in every Southern state. White Democrats established one-party rule and enforced a system of racial segregation that continued throughout the South into the 1960s. of crows with predictable omens
that the young ploughman ignores for his unforgotten cotton-haired ancestorswww.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Jim-Crow-lawsAha!
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Post by Patrick on Dec 5, 2008 15:27:47 GMT
Aha! Indeed! It all makes sense! ...............As for Christmas Shopping! Well, I've got to get on with it - but starting is the thing! All that effort is so draining and off putting - it's a huge psychological five bar gate I must get over (or past). Once I sit down at the computer...... er........ OK! Once I've placed that first order after having sat down at the computer to start my shopping.................... I know it'll take no time at all! I think I have a mental block in hoping that the money in my bank account might actually grow some more before I start spending!
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Post by riotgrrl on Dec 5, 2008 18:13:33 GMT
Sorry Trubs, but I think that's a shite poem.
It focuses on the racial symbolism without accepting or recognising the wider symbolism of Obama's election. It tries to recast a radical universal moment into the boxes of American racial poltiics.
And as such kind of misses the point about Obama . . .
But then I think most poetry is a bit shit.
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Dec 5, 2008 21:47:43 GMT
Imperial II-class Star DestroyerThe Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, also known as the Imperial II-class Destroyer, was a Star Destroyer model that was derived from the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer.[3]
Characteristics
Several differences existed between the Imperial I and Imperial II, including the replacement of the tractor beam targeting array between the command tower's sensor globes with a communications tower, as well as the removal of point defense weaponry. The most important change was the addition of more ion cannons.
The Imperial II was built with a heavily reinforced hull, stronger deflector shields, and greater firepower than the original Imperial I class. The prominent twin heavy turbolaser and heavy ion cannon turrets flanking the surface of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer were also replaced with batteries of eight-barreled turbolasers in unarmored barbette mountings.
Other new features included two parallel "claws" for grappling smaller starships placed in the ventral secondary docking bay, an option for gunners to eject from their station if it was about to be destroyed, and the transparisteel viewports on the main bridge being able to resist an impact of a concussion missile. [source?]
The Imperial II-class Star Destroyer had many problems. The Errant Venture, formerly the Virulence, was continuously breaking down. During the time of the Rebellion, an Alliance tech said that the Star Destroyer had 174,000 design flaws waiting to be exploited.
Despite these flaws as well as the vast resources required to maintain and crew the vessels, they nevertheless remained formidable front line units, even when compared to more efficient and modern designs such as the Nebula- and Turbulent-class Star Destroyers.
Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Production information Manufacturer Kuat Drive Yards Product line Star Destroyers Model Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Class Star Destroyer Cruiser (standard classification)[1] Capital ship (standard classification)[2] Technical specifications Length 1,600 meters Maximum acceleration >2,300 g MGLT 60 MGLT Engine unit(s) KDY Destroyer-I ion engine (3) Cygnus Spaceworks Gemon-4 ion engine (4) Hyperdrive rating Class 1.0 Backup Class 8.0 Power plant SFS I-a2b Solar Ionization Reactor Shielding KDY ISD-72x shield generator domes (2) Hull Reinforced durasteel armor Targeting systems LeGrange targeting computers Armament Octuple barbette turbolaser cannons (8) Additional turbolaser cannons and batteries (60) Ion cannons (20) Phylon Q7 tractor beam projectors (10) Complement TIE starfighter wing (1) Lambda-class shuttles (8) Delta-class stormtrooper transports (15) Assault gunboats (5) A variable number of Skipray Blastboats Gamma-class assault shuttle (1+) Repair and recovery vehicles AT-AT barges AT-AT walkers (20) AT-ST walkers (40) Various ground vehicles Infantry (9,700) Prefabricated garrison base (1) Crew 37,085 Minimum crew 5,000 Passengers 1,800 Cargo capacity 36,000 metric tons Consumables 6 years Other systems HoloNet transceiver I'm here to educate. AH
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 23:41:39 GMT
Passengers 1800. Got it. Forget the rest. I only want one new thing to learn and I'm pretty sure that will be useful.
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Post by trubble on Dec 5, 2008 23:44:40 GMT
Sorry Trubs, but I think that's a shite poem. It focuses on the racial symbolism without accepting or recognising the wider symbolism of Obama's election. It tries to recast a radical universal moment into the boxes of American racial poltiics. And as such kind of misses the point about Obama . . . Hold on, it was American politics. He is the first black president of America. This is why it is radical. What did you think it was? That might explain some of your dislike for the poem.
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Post by Patrick on Dec 13, 2008 12:34:14 GMT
Pure GobbledegookWhat could this be? Digital Terrestrial PVR with CI * Fully DVB-T compliant * MHEG5 Supported * Two tuners * 2000 services (TV and Radio) programmable * Multilingual audio/menu text supported * Service switching time less than 1 second * Favorite service list editing * True-color On-Screen Display (OSD) * Full Picture In Graphic (PIG) function * Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for on screen service information * Subtitle / Teletext supported * Parental lock facility by service and program event * Firmware and Data transfer from receiver to receiver * Exciting games embedded * Powerful trick mode supported * Dual Decoding(PIP) * Dual Recording and Playback simultaneously * Dual Recording and Time-shifting simultaneously * USB 2.0 supported for fast PC interface * MP3 decoding *Aspect Ratio 4:3, 16:9 *Video Resolution 720 x 576 *Front PanelKeys 7 Keys(STANDBY, Volume -/+, Channel -/+, MENU, OK) *PCMCIA 2 slots (DVB Common Interface standard) *TV Scart: Video CVBS/RGB/YUV output, Audio L/R output *VCR-Scart: Video CVBS output, Audio L/R output Video CVBS/S-VIDEO/RGB/YPbPr input for bypass Audio L/R input for bypass *Video S-VIDEO output *HDMI: HD Video/Audio Output *Video CVBS output, Audio L/R output *S/PDIF: Dolby Digital audio output *RS-232C: 9 pin D-sub type Transfer rate : max. 115.2Kbps *USB: USB 2.0 Device *Input Voltage 95 - 250 VAC, 50/60Hz *Power Consumption Running: Max. 28W, Standby: 18W *Size(WxHxD) 380 x 60 x 265 mm *Weight(Net) 3.4 kg
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Post by trubble on Dec 13, 2008 16:49:25 GMT
spam?
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Dec 13, 2008 18:12:14 GMT
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Post by Patrick on Dec 14, 2008 15:42:17 GMT
One of the "Freeview+" ones to come out. It's starting to make me feel old - I understand a quarter of it probably - but when it comes down to it you don't actually need to know that stuff! All you want to know is whether it'll record Countryfile or not!
Another thing that confuses me, is why, for each new technology a new manufacturer seems to be launched! I've vaguely heard of Humax - but who the hell are "Topfield". Did "Pure" exist before Digital Radio? for instance?
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Dec 14, 2008 17:07:20 GMT
It's Moores Law, Paddy, computer proccessors double thier power every 18 month's, I think, lot's of other technologies are doing the same more or less.
I think you are right apout "pure" never heard of 'em before the crappy digital radio take over. I use a seperates analogue tuner, cost me around £120, it will piss on any digital signal from a great hieght...but so would a cheap-ass £10 analogue tuner.
AH
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Post by Patrick on Dec 14, 2008 17:28:35 GMT
Well, I've mentioned before my beloved seventies Rotel Tuner Amplifier with it's gorgeous that even my current Sony can't match! Evil Bitch monster made me store it somewhere damp and it died not long after.
Thing is though - when it comes to something like the above - a Digital tuner - who really really needs to know the in depth ins and outs? Unlike a stereo, where the wattage output is of some importance etc, most of what I quoted is irrelevant! apart from what it's capable of playing (Mpeg etc) I'd have thought.
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Dec 14, 2008 17:42:47 GMT
Rotel are still knocking out high quality entry-level and above hi-fi equipment...I considered getting an Amp & CD player from them at one time, but I am looking at some "Exposure" gear next year...or maybe "Creek"..I am still undecided. Edit, it doesn't matter if you pay £10 or £1000 for a digital tuner...a signal broadcast at 68kbps is still going to sound rubbish, no matter how much your kit cost...analogue FTW!!! AH
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