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👁 :368
The Savage Home
Catagory:Fiction
Author:Edgar Rice Burroughs(Tarzan of the Apes)
Posted Date:04/17/2025
Posted By:utopia online

Nor did they have long to wait, for the next morning as Clayton was emerging on deck for his accustomed walk before breakfast, a shot rang out, and then another, and another.The sight which met his eyes confirmed his worst fears. Facing the little knot of officers was the entire motley crew of the Fuwalda, and at their head stood Black Michael.At the first volley from the officers the men ran for shelter, and from points of vantage behind masts, wheel-house and cabin they returned the fire of the five men who represented the hated authority of the ship. Two of their number had gone down before the captain’s revolver. They lay where they had fallen between the combatants. But then the first mate lunged forward upon his face, and at a cry of command from Black Michael the mutineers charged the remaining four. The crew had been able to muster but six firearms, so most of them were armed with boat hooks, axes, hatchets and crowbars.The captain had emptied his revolver and was reloading as the charge was made. The second mate’s gun had jammed, and so there were but two weapons opposed to the mutineers as they bore down upon the officers, who now started to give back before the infuriated rush of their men.Both sides were cursing and swearing in a frightful manner, which, together with the reports of the firearms and the screams and groans of the wounded, turned the deck of the Fuwalda to the likeness of a madhouse. Before the officers had taken a dozen backward steps the men were upon them. An ax in the hands of a burly Negro cleft the captain from forehead to chin, and an instant later the others were down: dead or wounded from dozens of blows and bullet wounds.Short and grisly had been the work of the mutineers of the Fuwalda, and through it all John Clayton had stood leaning carelessly beside the companionway puffing meditatively upon his pipe as though he had been but watching an indifferent cricket match.As the last officer went down he thought it was time that he returned to his wife lest some members of the crew find her alone below.Though outwardly calm and indifferent, Clayton was inwardly apprehensive and wrought up, for he feared for his wife’s safety at the hands of these ignorant, half-brutes into whose hands fate had so remorselessly thrown them. As he turned to descend the ladder he was surprised to see his wife standing on the steps almost at his side.“How long have you been here, Alice?”“Since the beginning,” she replied. “How awful, John. Oh, how awful! What can we hope for at the hands of such as those?”“Breakfast, I hope,” he answered, smiling bravely in an attempt to allay her fears.“At least,” he added, “I’m going to ask them. Come with me, Alice. We must not let them think we expect any but courteous treatment.” The men had by this time surrounded the dead and wounded officers, and without either partiality or compassion proceeded to throw both living and dead over the sides of the vessel. With equal heartlessness they disposed of their own dead and dying. Presently one of the crew spied the approaching Claytons, and with a cry of: “Here’s two more for the fishes,” rushed toward them with uplifted ax. But Black Michael was even quicker, so that the fellow went down with a bullet in his back before he had taken a half dozen steps.With a loud roar, Black Michael attracted the attention of the others, and, pointing to Lord and Lady Greystoke, cried: “These here are my friends, and they are to be left alone. D’ye understand? “I’m captain of this ship now, an’ what I says goes,” he added, turning to Clayton. “Just keep to yourselves, and nobody’ll harm ye,” and he looked threateningly on his fellows. The Claytons heeded Black Michael’s instructions so well that they saw but little of the crew and knew nothing of the plans the men were making.Occasionally they heard faint echoes of brawls and quarreling among the mutineers, and on two occasions the vicious bark of firearms rang out on the still air. But Black Michael was a fit leader for this band of cutthroats, and, withal held them in fair subjection to his rule. On the fifth day following the murder of the ship’s officers, land was sighted by the lookout. Whether island or mainland, Black Michael did not know, but he announced to Clayton that if investigation showed that the place was habitable he and Lady Greystoke were to be put ashore with their belongings.“You’ll be all right there for a few months,” he explained, “and by that time we’ll have been able to make an inhabited coast somewhere and scatter a bit. Then I’ll see that yer gover’ment’s notified where you be an’ they’ll soon send a man-o’war to fetch ye off. “It would be a hard matter to land you in civilization without a lot o’ questions being asked, an’ none o’ us here has any very convincin’ answers up our sleeves.”Clayton remonstrated against the inhumanity of landing them upon an unknown shore to be left to the mercies of savage beasts, and, possibly, still more savage men.But his words were of no avail, and only tended to anger Black Michael, so he was forced to desist and make the best he could of a bad situation.About three o’clock in the afternoon they came about off a beautiful wooded shore opposite the mouth of what appeared to be a land-locked harbor. Black Michael sent a small boat filled with men to sound the entrance in an effort to determine if the Fuwalda could be safely worked through the entrance.In about an hour they returned and reported deep water through the passage as well as far into the little basin.Before dark the barkentine lay peacefully at anchor upon the bosom of the still, mirror-like surface of the harbor.The surrounding shores were beautiful with semitropical verdure, while in the distance the country rose from the ocean in hill and tableland, almost uniformly clothed by primeval forest. No signs of habitation were visible, but that the land might easily support human life was evidenced by the abundant bird and animal life of which the watchers on the Fuwalda’s deck caught occasional glimpses, as well as by the shimmer of a little river which emptied into the harbor, insuring fresh water in plenitude. As darkness settled upon the earth, Clayton and Lady Alice still stood by the ship’s rail in silent contemplation of their future abode. From the dark shadows of the mighty forest came the wild calls of savage beasts—the deep roar of the lion, and, occasionally, the shrill scream of a panther. The woman shrank closer to the man in terror-stricken anticipation of the horrors lying in wait for them in the awful blackness of the nights to come, when they should be alone upon that wild and lonely shore.Later in the evening Black Michael joined them long enough to instruct them to make their preparations for landing on the morrow. They tried to persuade him to take them to some more hospitable coast near enough to civilization so that they might hope to fall into friendly hands. But no pleas, or threats, or promises of reward could move him.“I am the only man aboard who would not rather see ye both safely dead, and, while I know that’s the sensible way to make sure of our own necks, yet Black Michael’s not the man to forget a favor. Ye saved my life once, and in return I’m goin’ to spare yours, but that’s all I can do. ....cont


Type:Technology
👁 :130
HOW TO DEVELOP FAITH
Catagory:Reading
Author:Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich)
Posted Date:04/16/2025
Posted By:utopia online

There comes, now, a statement which will give a better understanding of the importance the principle of autosuggestion assumes in the transmutation of desire into its physical, or monetary equivalent; namely: FAITH is a state of mind which may be induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of auto- suggestion. As an illustration, consider the purpose for which you are, presumably, reading this book. The object is, naturally, to acquire the ability to transmute the intangible thought impulse of DESIRE into its physical counterpart, money. By following the instructions laid down in the chapters on autosuggestion, and the subconscious mind, as summarized in the chapter on auto-suggestion, you may CONVINCE the subconscious mind that you believe you will receive that for which you ask, and it will act upon that belief, which your subconscious mind passes back to you in the form of "FAITH," followed by definite plans for procuring that which you desire. The method by which one develops FAITH, where it does not already exist, is extremely difficult to describe, almost as difficult, in fact, as it would be to describe the color of red to a blind man who has never seen color, and has nothing with which to compare what you describe to him. Faith is a state of mind which you may develop at will, after you have mastered the thirteen principles, because it is a state of mind which develops voluntarily, through application and use of these principles. Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith. Perhaps the meaning may be made clearer through the following explanation as to the way men sometimes become criminals. Stated in the words of a famous criminologist, "When men first come into contact with crime, they abhor it. If they remain in contact with crime for a time, they become accustomed to it, and endure it. If they remain in contact with it long enough, they finally embrace it, and become influenced by it." This is the equivalent of saying that any impulse of thought which is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind is, finally, accepted and acted upon by the subconscious mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into its physical equivalent, by the most practical procedure available. In connection with this, consider again the statement, ALL THOUGHTS WHICH HAVE BEEN EMOTIONALIZED, (given feeling) AND MIXED WITH FAITH, begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.The emotions, or the "feeling" portion of thoughts, are the factors which give thoughts vitality, life, and action. The emotions of Faith, Love, and Sex, when mixed with any thought impulse, give it greater action than any of these emotions can do singly. Not only thought impulses which have been mixed with FAITH, but those which have been mixed with any of the positive emotions, or any of the negative emotions, may reach, and influence the subconscious mind.From this statement, you will understand that the subconscious mind will translate into its physical equivalent, a thought impulse of a negative or destructive nature, just as readily as it will act upon thought impulses of a positive or constructive nature. This accounts for the strange phenomenon which so many millions of people experience, referred to as "misfortune," or "bad luck." There are millions of people who BELIEVE themselves "doomed" to poverty and failure, because of some strange force over which they BELIEVE they have no control. They are the creators of their own "misfortunes," because of this negative BELIEF, which is picked up by the subconscious mind, and translated into its physical equivalent. This is an appropriate place at which to suggest again that you may benefit, by passing on to your subconscious mind, any DESIRE which you wish translated into its physical, or monetary equivalent, in a state of expectancy or BELIEF that the transmutation will actually take place. Your BELIEF, or FAITH, is the element which determines the action of your subconscious mind. There is nothing to hinder you from "deceiving" your subconscious mind when giving it instructions through autosuggestion, as I deceived my son's subconscious mind. To make this "deceit" more realistic, conduct yourself just as you would, if you were ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MATERIAL THING WHICH YOU ARE DEMANDING, when you call upon your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind will transmute into its physical equivalent, by the most direct and physical media available, any order which is given to it in a state of BELIEF, or FAITH that the order will be carried out. Surely, enough has been stated to give a starting point from which one may, through experiment and practice, acquire the ability to mix FAITH with any order given to the subconscious mind. Perfection will come through practice. It cannot come by merely reading instructions. If it be true that one may become a criminal by association with crime, (and this is a known fact), it is equally true that one may develop faith by voluntarily suggesting to the subconscious mind that one has faith. The mind comes, finally, to take on the nature of the influences which dominate it. Understand this truth, and you will know why it is essential for you to encourage the positive emotions as dominating forces of your mind, and discourage — and eliminate negative emotions. A mind dominated by positive emotions, becomes a favorable abode for the state of mind known as faith. A mind so dominated may, at will, give the subconscious mind instructions, which it will accept and act upon immediately.


Type:Technology
👁 :123
Raining Diamonds
Catagory:Facts
Author:BILL O’NEILL
Posted Date:04/16/2025
Posted By:utopia online

What would you say if you were told that there is a place where it does indeed rain diamonds? The chances are that you would want to get there immediately to then gather up as many of them as you can, but that is not possible. You see, the place we are talking about is Saturn, and the exact same phenomenon also happens on Jupiter, so it is slightly out of your reach. The reason why this happens is because of the huge amount of gravitational pressure that exists on the planets, that then drags carbon into the atmosphere. When you place carbon under insane pressure, then it does indeed form diamonds so, on a technical level at least, both of those planets are able to produce rain that is completely different to anything that we could ever hope to experience on our own planet. Bones  On average, 12 new-borns will be given to the wrong parents every day.  American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads.  Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That is more than sharks.  By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.


Type:Technology
👁 :323
Identify Your “Why”
Catagory:Reading
Author:Dean Graziosi(Millionaire Success Habits)
Posted Date:04/15/2025
Posted By:utopia online

Let’s move on to the next key component; the piece that makes your vision become your reality. This is the step you must complete to make it real: Understand your “ why”! Here are critical “why” questions you should answer:  Why do you want to take your income from where it is to a “next level”?  Why do you want to start your own business?  Why do you want your company to evolve, or to quit your job, or to rise up through the ranks at your current job?  Why do you want your parents or your spouse to retire?  Why do you want to lose weight, have more intimacy in your life, have more passion in your actions, have more joy on a daily basis, and live a life with more smiles than frowns? I bet when you think of having all of these things you say to yourself “Hell, yeah!” But why do you really want them? I know for a fact that the reasons you want them are deeper than you think, and I’m going to show you how to dig those reasons out. And when you do, be prepared to be unstoppable. Maybe you’ll shed a few tears as well; I know I did. The issue with most people is that they simply don’t go deep enough into their hearts and souls to find out the truth about why they want what they want. It’s unfortunate that our brains can so powerfully obscure what’s in our hearts and souls. When you ask people what their “why” is--and I have asked thousands of my students--most people will say, “I want more money to have financial freedom” or they will say “I want more money to eliminate debt” or even things like “I want to lose weight so I look good”. And yes, these are all good answers, but they’re not sufficiently deep ones. Without a depth of purpose, you can’t push through your most challenging times. If the struggles of life are pouring down on you like a rainstorm, is “I want a new house” a strong enough motivation that you’ll ignore the storm to get what you want? Is “I want abs” a strong enough “why” to get you to the gym after a long day at work? I doubt it! But when you can attach a much deeper meaning to “why”, it all changes. Let me stress how important this is. Throughout this book I promise to deliver success habits that will wow you and have you eager to put them into play in your life. But if you don’t have these fundamental habits to start, then nothing else I share with you will matter.So get ready to be honest with yourself on even a deeper level than before, because together we are going to dig out your true purpose. The question we usually don’t ask ourselves is “What is the purpose behind our actions?” Which is crazy, because it’s a question we should be asking ourselves daily. When we can uncover our true “why”, our driving purpose in life, and translate that into our actions, we provide the momentum we need to push forward, faster than ever.


Type:Technology
👁 :120
Galileo Galilei
Catagory:Biography
Author:LARRY ANDERSON
Posted Date:04/15/2025
Posted By:utopia online

An astronomer, mathematician, inventor, and author, Galileo Galilei was a rebel genius in the 1600s who was sentenced as a heretic by the Catholic Church. He’s been called the father of modern astronomy, the father of modern physics, even the father of all modern science, but Galileo Galilei (who is known by his first name only) was a rebel. He did not set out to turn the science world and the Roman Catholic Church on their collective ears, but that’s what happened. The son of a musician in Italy, Galileo was a naturally curious man with a great gift for mathematics and invention. When someone told him that a scientist in Holland thought it might be possible to use a tube with glass lenses to see far away, Galileo sat down and built the first modern telescope. Sea captains and others loved his invention, but it was when Galileo turned one of his telescopes towards the sky that he began to get into trouble. In the Europe of the early 1600s, the Catholic Church was the ultimate power. People who questioned its version of the world risked being labeled “heretics,” and arrested, tortured, even killed. The Church insisted that the Earth was the center of the universe and that the planets were perfect spheres, and anyone who tried to contradict these ideas was in great danger. The problem was that Galileo’s telescope had shown him that the Church’s teachings on this matters was wrong. Galileo proved that the Earth orbited around the Sun, not the other way around. He foundmoons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, when the Church said everything was supposed to revolve around the Earth. And Galileo even measured the mountains and valleys on the Moon, showing that it was not the perfect sphere the Church claimed it to be. Galileo not only made these discoveries, he also published them in widely popular books that often made fun of the ignorance of his critics. Even though he tried to tiptoe around the Church’s positions, everything Galileo did proved them wrong. It was only a matter of time before Galileo was put on trial and sentenced as a heretic. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest, and all of his books were banned. A true scientist to the end, Galileo kept experimenting and writing in secret, even as an old man. It was only long after his death, when there was so much proof that his findings could no longer be ignored, that Galileo’s work was fully recognized. In 1992, the Catholic Church apologized and admitted he had been right.


Type:Technology
👁 :111
The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Part 7
Catagory:Fiction
Author:Thousand Nights and One Night ( POWYS MATHERS)
Posted Date:04/15/2025
Posted By:utopia online

The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Part 7 The grace of Allah be upon you, good master!’ answered the venerable Husain. ‘Your hospitality is a great hospitality but I cannot accept it, for I made a vow before heaven many years ago never to eat meat flavoured with salt or to taste that substance in any form.’ ‘Surely that is no difficulty,’ cried Ali Baba. ‘I have but to give orders in the kitchen and our repast will be cooked without salt or any savour of the kind.’ Thus he wrung an acceptance from his son’s friend, and hurried into the house to tell Marjanah that all salt must be left out of that evening’s meal. This condition greatly surprised the slave, but she handed on the command to the black woman who did the cooking. When night came and the guest sat with Ali Baba and his son before the well-piled cloth, Marjanah and Abdallah waited upon them, and the former, with the natural curiosity of a woman, took every chance she could get of examining the old man who did not like salt. Yet, when the meal was over, she went forth and left the three men to talk together at their ease. At the end of an hour this delightful girl entered the hall again and Ali Baba was astounded to see that she was dressed as a dancer, her brow starred with gold sequins, her neck hung with beads of yellow amber, her waist pressed in a supple belt of gold, and having sounding gold upon her wrists and ankles. From her belt hung a jade-hilted dagger, as is the custom with dancers, so that the long blade may swing out and mimic the figures of the dance. Her dark, deep, glittering eyes had been heavily lengthened with black kohl, and her brows met in a threatening passionate bow. Behind her walked young Abdallah, holding a tambourine with metal castanets, upon which he beat a gentle rhythm to the paces of the girl. When she arrived before her master, Marjanah bowed gracefully and then, signing to Abdallah that he should a little quicken and louden his measure, began dancing like a happy bird. She danced tirelessly and with all perfection, as the shepherd David danced before the black sadness of Saul. She danced the kerchief dance and the dance of veils, she danced after the manner of the Jews and of the Greeks, Ethiopian and Persian figures she danced, and the figures of the desert, as light and beautiful as Bilkis who loved Sulaiman. When the hearts of the three men waited upon her feet and their eyes were fixed in dream upon her body, she danced the swaying dagger dance. Drawing the gilded blade from its silver sheath, she swayed and leapt with blazing eyes, on wings that might not be seen. She balanced like an angry snake, darting her point in every quarter of the air and then turning it against her own sweet breasts. The three men uttered frightened cries when they saw the white roses of her bosom menaced by the dagger’s silver; but in a moment Marjanah turned the blade again, and reeled about and about, stabbing her imagined foes ever more quickly. Suddenly she sank to her knee and signed to Abdallah to throw her the tambourine; she caught it in her hand and, again after the fashion of dancers, presented it to her master for a wage. Ali Baba was a little offended that she should carry the imitation so far, but he could not resist her appeal, and therefore dropped a gold dinar upon the sounding parchment. His son did the same, and the venerable Husain was feeling in his purse for money when lo! the dancer cast herself upon him and stabbed him to the heart. He opened his mouth and shut it again, gave a half sigh, and fell dead among the carpets.Ali Baba and his son thought that their slave had gone mad; they threw themselves upon her to restrain her, as she stood there wiping the blood from the dagger on a silken shawl. But she spoke to them calmly, saying: ‘O my masters, let us give thanks to Allah that He has strengthened the hand of a weak woman to save this house. This offal is no more a venerable Husain than it is an oil merchant.’ So saying, she snatched the long coarse beard from the face of the corpse and showed the astonished Ali Baba the features of the robber chief. When Ali Baba recognised the oil-seller and the captain of the thieves in that one body, and realised that Marjanah had saved the house a second time, he kissed her between the eyes and took her to his breast crying: ‘Marjanah, my child, my daughter, will you be my daughter in very truth, will you marry this handsome young man, my son?’ ‘Be it upon my head and before my eyes!’ answered Marjanah, as she kissed her master’s hand. Marjanah was wedded to Ali Baba's son on that same day; there was feasting and rejoicing in the house. Late that night the woodcutter buried the robber chief in the ditch which had served for his band. May Allah have him never in compassion! At this point Shahrazad saw the approach of morning and discreetly fell silent. But when the eight-hundred-and-sixtieth night had come SHE SAID:After his son’s marriage, Ali Baba kept away for a long time from the secret cave, for Marjanah feared that he might meet the two thieves whom she supposed to be alive. But we know, O auspicious King, that they had been beheaded for failing to mark down Ali Baba’s house. At the end of a year, however, the woodcutter set out, with his son and Marjanah, to inspect the place. The girl, who had quick eyes for anything upon the way, noticed that shrubs and tall grasses had overgrown the little path which led up to the rock and that there were no traces before the rock of man or beast. Therefore she concluded that the place had been abandoned, and said to Ali Baba: ‘We may enter safely,O my uncle.’ Ali Baba stetched out his hand towards the invisible door of rock, crying: ‘Open, Sesame!’ and again the door gaped, as if by the impulsion of an unseen hand. Ali Baba soon saw that the treasure was untouched since his last visit, and it was with some pride that he pointed out this vast inheritance to the two young people. After a delighted examination of all the marvels, they filled three large sacks with gold and precious stones, and departed for the city. All the people of that house lived together in happy peace thenceforward, prudently spending the fortune which the Great Giver had sent to them.Thus it was that Ali Baba, from being the owner of three asses only, became the richest and most honoured man of his town. Glory be to Him Who gives to the humble without counting! And that, O auspicious King, is all that I know of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. But Allah knows all! ‘Indeed, Shahrazad, the tale is both excellent and astonishing!’ cried King Shahryar. ‘There are no girls like Marjanah in these days. I ought to know, who have had to cut off so many women’s heads.’Seeing that the King began to frown at his memories, Shahrazad hastened to begin …cont


Type:Technology
👁 :233
Change yourself first
Catagory:Reading
Author:Chandler, Steve.
Posted Date:04/14/2025
Posted By:utopia online

Don't change other people. It doesn't work. You'll waste your life trying. Many of us spend all our time trying to change the people in our lives. We think we can change them in ways that will make them better equipped to make us happy. This is especially true of our children. We talk to our children for hours about how we think they should change.But children don't learn from what we say. They learn from what we do.Today's children, upon hearing us talk to them about how they should change will often say, "Yeah, right." I think they got this phrase from Bart Simpson. It's shorthand for "I'm not listening to what you say, I'm listening to what you do."Gandhi was especially tuned in to the futility of changing other people. Yet Gandhi was probably responsible for more change in people than any other person in our era was. How did he do it? He had a profoundly simple formula. People would often come to Gandhi to ask how they could change others. Someone would say, "I agree with you about nonviolence, but there are others who don't. How do I change them?" And Gandhi told them they couldn't. He said you couldn't change other people. "You must be the change you wish to see in others," said Gandhi. In my own seminars, I probably use that one quotation more than any other. I am always asked, "How can I change my husband?" Or, "How can I change my wife?" Or, "How can I change my teenager?" People who take the seminars on self-motivation, at some point during the workshop, agree completely with the principles and ideas. Then, they start to think about the people who don't buy in. In the questionand-answer period, their questions are about those poor people. How do we change them? I always quote Gandhi. Be the change you wish to see in others. By being what you want them to be, you lead by inspiration. Nobody really wants to be taught by lectures and advice. They want to be led through inspiration. Sales managers often ask me how they can get a certain salesperson to do more self-motivated activities. I tell them that they have to be the salesperson they want to see. Take them on a call, I say, and let them watch you. Don't tell them how to do it, inspire them to do it.I once attended a concert given by my daughter's fourth-grade chorus, which sang a song called "Let There Be Peace on Earth." The song's words went, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me...." I beamed when I heard it. It was such a beautiful expression of being the change a celebration of self-responsibility that rarely is portrayed in young people's lives today. What you tell people to do often goes right by them. Who you are does not. *** “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Elbert Hubbard writer


Type:Technology
👁 :255
An Ancient Computer?
Catagory: History
Author:Brian HaughLon (HIDDEN HISTORY)
Posted Date:04/14/2025
Posted By:utopia online

The Antikytheran Mechanism is on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Detail showing central gearhouse. On Easter of 1900, Elias Stadiatos and a party of Greek sponge fishermen were fishing off the coast of the tiny, rocky island of Antikythera, between the southern Greek mainland and Crete. Surfacing after one of his descents, Stadiatos began babbling about a "heap of dead naked women" on the sea bed.Further investigation by the fishermen revealed the 164 foot long wreck of a sunken Roman cargo ship, about 140 feet down. The buried objects from the ship included first century B.C. marble and bronze statues (the dead, naked women), coins, gold jewelry, pottery, and what appeared to be lumps of corroded bronze, which broke into pieces shortly after being brought to the surface. The finds from the wreck were subsequently examined, recorded, and sent off to the National Museum in Athens for display or storage. On May 17, 1902, Greek archaeologist Spyridon Stais was looking through the odd lumps from the shipwreck, covered in marine growth from 2,000 years beneath the sea, when he noticed that one piece had a gear wheel embedded in it and what looked like an inscription in Greek. There had been a wooden case associated with the object but this, as well as the wooden planks from the ship itself, had subsequently dried out and crumbled. Further examination and meticulous cleaning of the corroded broonze lumps revealed additional pieces belonging to the mysterious object, and soon an elaborate geared mechanism made of bronze, and measuring about 33 by 17 by 9 centimeters, was revealed. Stais believed the mechanism to be an ancient astronomical clock, but the prevailing opinion at the time was that the strange object was too intricate to belong to a wreck dated by the pottery on board to the early first century B.C. Many researchers thought that the mechanism was the remains of a medieval astrolabe, an astronomical device for observing planetary movements, and used for navigation. (The earliest known example of which is from the ninth century A.D. in Iraq.) But no general agreement on the date or purpose of the artifact was reached, and the enigma was soon forgotten. In 1951, Derek De Solla Price, an English physicist, and at the time professor of the history of science at Yale University, became fascinated by the complexity of the shipwreck mechanism, and began what was to be eight years of detailed study using x-ray photography. In June 1959, the conclusions of his analyses were published as an article in Scientific American entitled "An Ancient Greek Computer." X rays of the mechanism revealed at least 20 separate gears, including a differential gear, previously thought to have been invented in the 16th century. The differential gear allowed the rotation of two shafts at different speeds, as used on the rear axle of automobiles. The Antikythera mechanism, a calendar computer from ca. 80 B.C. Price's further study showed that the ancientscientific instrument actually contained at least 30 gears, although most of them were incomplete.The astronomer Hipparchus of Rhodes (c. 190 B.c.-120 B.C.) is credited with the invention of trigonometry and was the first to scientifically catalogue the positions of the stars.


Type:Technology
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