UncleArthur
@UncleArthur@lemmy.world
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 2 hours ago:
None that come to mind, although I am more of a rivet-counter than a people person. Researchers such as Jim Kalafus or Randy Bigham may have a few such stories. As well as those who never made it to New York, quite a few survivors also decided to return home to Europe rather than settle in the US as planned.
Talking of which, [gofundme.com/…/short-term-help-needed-for-long-te…](Jim Kalafus) is going through a really tough time medically at the moment. If anyone here has a couple of dollars to spare, it would make a huge difference to him.
- Comment on Banned Mullvad VPN TV ad criticizing United Kingdom escalating censorship and mass surveillance “And Then?” 13 hours ago:
I do, but almost no-one else I’d want to follow does, which makes it feel pointless at the moment. Quite a few ‘celebrities’ (for want of a better word) seem to have dormant accounts. One of the few people I know who is posting regularly is Bernie Sanders.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 17 hours ago:
The Engineers were exceptionally heroic that night working to keep the power on, allowing the pumps, lights and radio to function. Their counter-flooding kept the ship on a fairly even keel, allowing the lifeboats to be launched from both sides of the ship. Joseph Bell was the Chief Engineer Officer on the ship, along with 24 engineers, 6 electrical engineers, two boilermakers, a plumber and a clerk. None survived. They have a memorial in Southampton.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 18 hours ago:
In all senses, yes. The water temperature was -2°C or 28°F and she was a triumph of design of aesthetics.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 18 hours ago:
That’s an interesting question! I think it’s a combination of things. Firstly, the ship sank in an even keel, and took 2 hours 40 minutes to sink. Most shipwrecks of the time listed badly and sank quickly: for example, the Empress of Ireland, which sank in 1914 with a greater loss of passenger life, went down in 18 minutes. The Titanic’s stability and longevity allowed many dramas to play out, and the (relatively) large number of survivors allowed the stories to be told.
Then there’s the Greek tragedy element. If only they had have seen the 'berg 30 seconds sooner or 30 seconds later. If only one less watertight compartment had been breached. If only the ‘Mystery Ship’ (likely the SS Californian) had come to their aid - although in all fairness, it may not have made a huge difference. If only the ice field hadn’t have stretched so far south that year. If only the radio messages warning of ice had been heeded. If only the Californian’s radio operator hadn’t switched off his set and gone to bed, just before the collision. If only Captain Smith had turned ‘the Corner’ half an hour later, to put the ship on a more southerly track. If only … you get the idea.
Then there’s the conspiracy theories and the associated mysteries. Was the Mystery Ship really the Californian? Was the Titanic swapped for RMS Olympic and sank in an insurance scam? (No.) Was a cursed Egyptian Mummy in the hold? (No.) Did she hit the ice along the side of the hull or the keel? Or both? What about the book ‘Futility’ published years earlier that seemed to predict the disaster? Did an Officer really shoot a passenger? (Very doubtful.) Why did Lightoller insist on women and children ONLY in the lifeboats rather than woman and children FIRST? Is the the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám on the wreck and can it be retrieved?
Then there’s the historical elements. The Marconi radio set is the only one left in the world - why can’t we be allowed to salvage it? Few photographs were taken of Titanic: most extant photos are of the RMS Olympic, one of her sisters. How many blades are on the central turbine propeller? How does the ship differ in design from her sisters? Why did so few Third Class passengers attempt escape before the lifeboats were launched? What songs did the band actually play? (It probably wasn’t Nearery God To Thee.) Is the swimming pool still full of water? etc. etc.
Then there’s the people: the last of the Gilded Age billionaires and socialites, thrown together with the Second Class ‘ordinary’ folk and the Third Class immigrants from all of Europe. How did they act amd react? Who accepted their fate with dignity and tried to help their fellow passengers? Why did J. Bruce Ismay get into a lifeboat knowing full well how he’d be treated if he survived? Were the crew of Boat #1 actually bribed by the Duff-Gordons not to fish out survivors? And so on.
I’ll stop here before I get carried away.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 21 hours ago:
Retired moderator on Encyclopedia Titanica here. Whaddaya wanna know?
- Comment on “Glide Ratio Optimization in the Olympic Ski Jump via Cosmetic Penis Enlargement” 2 days ago:
From the “Journal of Astrological Big Data Ecology” - the premium source for made-up science!
- Comment on US judge upholds $243 million verdict against Tesla over fatal Autopilot crash 2 days ago:
What’s the point of such court cases when the loser cab simply appeal and appeal and appeal? It’s a stupid system.
- Comment on Borrowing money against their stuff to get more stuff to borrow money... 5 days ago:
Technically three words.
- Comment on There are people out there who could utterly smash world records but no-one will never know as they haven't taken up that sport. 2 weeks ago:
That’s correct. It’s the friendship between them that I am referring to.
- Comment on There are people out there who could utterly smash world records but no-one will never know as they haven't taken up that sport. 2 weeks ago:
It’s a very gentle show: just two good friends chatting about their lives. Gorgeous views of the UK too.
- Comment on There are people out there who could utterly smash world records but no-one will never know as they haven't taken up that sport. 2 weeks ago:
Hmm, perhaps YouTube?
- Comment on There are people out there who could utterly smash world records but no-one will never know as they haven't taken up that sport. 2 weeks ago:
- Comment on There are people out there who could utterly smash world records but no-one will never know as they haven't taken up that sport. 3 weeks ago:
We both think similarly, and not being serious all the time certainly helps! We’ve been married getting on for 40 years now although I spent so much time working away from home, I often joke we’ve only actually lived together for 8 weeks or so.
If you’ve ever seen ‘Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing’ on the BBC, that’s us. Everyone needs a Bob Mortimer in their life and I was lucky enough to find mine back in 1981.
- Submitted 3 weeks ago to showerthoughts@lemmy.world | 62 comments
- Comment on New study: No-alcohol and low-alcohol beers, and dry pubs, are on the rise 3 weeks ago:
Alcohol-free beer used to taste awful. These days, the lager at least is pretty good (Heineken is my favourite) so that may well be one factor.
- Comment on ICE Sparks 'International Incident' by Trying to Enter Ecuadorian Consulate in Minneapolis | Common Dreams 3 weeks ago:
Unsurprisingly, ICE are too thick to understand the concept of Consulates and Embassies.
- Comment on YSK Tempur Mattresses fail quickly and the warranty is fake 1 month ago:
I was always under the impression that mattresses should be changed every 7 years or so. I mean, that’s a lot of use over a long period of time! A quick Google suggests a lifespan of 7 to 10 years is about right. One article on this topic is here:
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 1 month ago:
The SOLAS regulations that came into effect were mainly around lifeboat provision.
One cannot build a liner with full compartmentalisation, and nothing in the two Enquiries said otherwise. Titanic wasn’t a warship. No other civilian ship - even today - has fully watertight compartments.
It didn’t sink because of its design. It sank because it was driven at 22.5 knots into an iceberg. If you want to know more, read the book I linked in my original reply to OP or visit Encyclopedia Titanica.
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 1 month ago:
Possibly. It was never said to be unsinkable, that was a myth. Certainly any ship can be sunk by poor seamanship or adverse circumstances.
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 1 month ago:
This was common with coal-fired ships in those days. It had no impact on the sinking.
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 1 month ago:
That was absolutely not an issue. Titanic was a 4 compartment ship: any 4 compartments could be flooded without the ship sinking. Thus was WAY superior to the vast majority of ships sailing in 1912. Her design was superb.
When she hit the iceberg, 5 compartments were holed. No-one foresaw such severe damage as a possibility and it only happened because of the unique circumstances of the collision (actually, the alliision) with the 'berg.
In short, RMS Titanic was designed and built superbly.
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 1 month ago:
There was nothing wrong with RMS Titanic. Her first sister, RMS Olympic, trundled along until being scapped in 1936 after the merger with Cunard. The issue with the Titanic was that she was driven into an iceberg.
- Comment on Why have so many people stopped posting on social media? 2 months ago:
I’m in my 60s. Posting on social media mostly isn’t fun any more, and I don’t really want to put more money in the hands of billionnaire fascists. So Facebook, Reddit and Twitter are gone (I’ve had to keep Messenger as I have friends who only communicate using that platform) and I’ve never bothered with TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat anyway. This platform and Bluesky are the only ones left and I’m mostly a lurker anyway.
- Comment on Scientists Think This Animal Could Help Humans Live for 200 Years 3 months ago:
The Bowhead whale. Saved you a click.
- Comment on Are you able to access archive.org from where you are in the UK? 3 months ago:
Opens ever so slooooowly using Gigaclear and Firefox; it’s as if the site is overloaded and it doesn’t fully load. No luck on Vodafone 4G; the connection times out.
- Comment on Firefox is adding profiles to separate your browsing sessions 4 months ago:
Quite. It’s how I’ve been watching YouTube ad-free for ages.
- Comment on Trump's Drooping Face Draws Questions and Alarm 5 months ago:
… questions and HOPE.
- Comment on Where do you ask for TV Show suggestion on Lemy? 6 months ago:
Could it be Prodigal Son?
- Comment on Where do you ask for TV Show suggestion on Lemy? 6 months ago:
At least tell us what you know about the show; someone here might recognise it!
