Historical Timeline for TELESCOPES

Hubble - Photo: Wikimedia

It seems all the technology for telescopes started back in 2560 BC.  Artisans in ancient Egypt polished rocks, glass, and semi-precious stones to make eyes for the sarcophagi.  What follows is some major points in the history of how telescopes came to be today.

• In 470 BC, Mozi, a Chinese philosopher, focused the sun's rays by using concave mirrors.
• In 4 BC, Seneca the Younger used water to magnify letters and words.
• In 23, Pliny the Elder discovered doctors using a crystal ball with the sun's rays beaming through it to cauterize wounds.
• In the ninth century, telescopes were possibly made from Visby lenses, a Middle Eastern glass.
• In 1520, Leonard Digges, an English mathematician, invented two telescopes – Reflecting and Refracting.
• In 1608, A Dutch lensmaker, Hans Lippershey, applied for a patent on a design for a telescope.
• In 1609, Galileo improved on Lippershey's design and renamed it “perspicillum” - An Italian word for a telescope.
• In 1616, Niccolo Zucchi invented a reflecting telescope.
• In 1663, James Gregory, a Scottish mathematician, produces a telescope with a parabolic primary mirror and an elliptical secondary mirror.
• In 1668, Isaac Newton designed a telescope using a parabolic primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror.
• In 1733, Chester Moore Hall created the achromatic lens.
• In 1880, Ernst Abbe invented the first orthoscopic eyepiece.
• In 1910, The Ritchey-Chretien telescope that is used in many of the large astronomical telescopes is invented by George Ritchey and Henri Chretien.
• In 1930, The Schmidt camera is created by Bernhard Schmidt.
• In 1937, Grote Reber developed a telescope for wavelengths ranging from radio to Xrays.
• In 1944, The Maksutov telescope is designed by Dmitri Maksutov.
• In 1962, The UK launched an orbiting solar telescope.
• In 1990, the Hubble Telescope was launched into space.
• In 2013, the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched and take the place of the Hubble.

And this all started with the polishing of a few stones.

More and newer information on Wikipedia

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1967-68 Shelby GT-500: When Shelby's 'Stangs Moved From Race Grid to Cruise Strip

Shelby GT 500 - Photo: Flickr

Let's face it, some like their performance cars raw, some like them with a healthy dose of seasonings and side dishes. And sometimes a machine's recipe evolves from one style to the other.

That was certainly the case with one of ex-racer Carroll Shelby's most famous cars. For 1965, he began production of hopped-up Mustangs at his shop in California. For those first couple years, his 'Stangs, called GT-350s, were barely-disguised competition tools. 

With a road-racing suspension setup, high-strung small-block V8, and lack of a backseat on which to haul buddies, those original GT-350s weren't a popular pick with the burger-joint crowd. And that was fine with Ford, at least at first -- Shelby's cooperation on the Mustang was initially sought to give competition credibility to Ford's pioneering pony car, which GT-350s did handily by winning sports-car races. 

But starting with the '67 model year, Ford began expecting Shelby's machines to speak to a more mainstream performance crowd -- the typical muscle-car buyer. 

Signaling this shift toward street appeal over race-track prowess were mandatory power steering and power brakes, along with a number of optional comfort and convenience features, including air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, and tinted glass.

And, perhaps most importantly, a backseat was now standard.

But despite the added weight of such amenities, Shelby's machines hadn't lost their bite. Although the base GT-350's V8 was now somewhat tamer, that model for '67 was joined by the new GT- 500, powered by a torquey 428-cid big-block V8 rated at 360 hp.

For '68, the GT-500 packed an even bigger wallop, with the midyear introduction of the GT-500KR "King of the Road," which had a 428 that was some 40 hp stouter yet. Also that year, the Shelby Mustang's fastback body style was joined by a convertible, to further appeal to the boulevard cruising set.

Development and production of Shelbys continued along similar lines into the next generation of Mustangs, ending in 1970.

Today, muscle-car fans are divided on which of the Shelby Mustangs are the greatest -- the almost race-ready early versions, or the punchier, plusher, more street-appropriate later ones. Regardless, any flavor of Shelby Mustang is counted among the great performance cars, a fact clearly reflected in the hefty prices these cars command nowadays.

Author: David Bellm

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ARCHERY Equipment

Archery - Photo: Pxhere

Archery is an ancient technique, with the main purpose, was used during battles but is still popular today.  There are many people who are fascinated by archery.  Today archery is mostly confined to the sporting arenas but there was a time when it played a very vital role on the battlefield. 

There are innumerable stories about great archers in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, Greece, and Persia. These archers are revered even today.     

Archery equipment consists of bows and arrows.  Studies have shown that the bows were developed in either early Mesolithic age or late Paleolithic age.  Earlier pines were used for making arrows but later different materials started to be used for the construction of the arrows.  

The archery equipment should be properly constructed and the material used should be of fine quality.  If the bows are not proper then the archer will face difficulties in mounting the arrow. The arrows should be such that it is easily mountable on the bows. If the arrows are not properly mounted then the archer won’t be able to properly shoot the target.

The bows commonly used are the longbow, shortbow, flatbow, recurve bow, crossbow and compound bow. Longbow, as the name suggests, is very long; the length of the bow is equal to the height of the user and in some cases even exceeds the height of the user.   

The limb of the Flatbow is wider and the cross-section is rectangular in shape. Shortbow is shorter in length; it is lightweight and has a short range. It was basically used for hunting purpose.  In crossbow, the limbs are mounted in a horizontal manner and not in a vertical manner. The compound bow is designed in such as manner that the archer is at his ease while mounting the bow. 

Shaft, arrowheads, nock, and fletching constitute an archery arrow.  Aluminum alloy, carbon fiber, wood, and fiberglass are used for the construction of the shaft. If the material is too heavy or too brittle then it should be discarded. 

The shaft should not be too flexible; it should be straight and easy to handle. At present arrows made of carbon, alloys are popular and are being widely used by the archers.  In fact, arrows used in popular sports events like Olympic are made of carbon alloys. 

Archery equipment should be such that when an archer shoots an arrow the target should not be missed owing to air pressure. So it is important that the arrowhead and the fletching should be properly designed using a fine material.

The arrowhead and the fletching provide balance to the arrows.  The fletching is generally made of plastic or bird feathers. Fletching is at the rear end of the arrow and it helps in the projectile motion of the arrow. 

While shooting the arrow the archer needs to have proper physical balance.  The posture of the body, the eye and the way the archer is holding the bow should be proper.  Proper archery equipment is needed for better archery.  Never comprise with the quality of the equipment. 

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Derailed FAMILY HISTORY Search

Pennants of family history societies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The importance of family is given emphasis wherever you go. This group of people is the one mainly responsible for giving you the form and being that you are right now. Family history search may be a laborious task but the rewards that can be reaped after the long and winding research endeavors are truly worth the pain and sacrifices. Along the way, it is inevitable that certain issues and events may derail you from your historical quest back to the roots of your ancestors. Let’s take a look and investigate further in order to get a better analysis. 

There are common misconceptions revolving around the field of genealogy. Don’t be fooled and lose your focus on what you are set to accomplish. The first on the list is that your family heraldry as symbolized by a crest can be easily purchased. Certain family items and commodities are widely available stores everywhere and throughout online shops. But to say that families have crest is untrue. Individuals are the ones that have the right and privilege to be given crests. In most cases, these coat of arms is merely granted. How can you do this? Well if you believe that you are qualified as a descendant of a male line who can be granted with a crest then you just have to prove it and the crest is yours.

If you’re from an American descent or root then this is an issue for you. It is said that the 1890 census was voluntarily burnt to the ground. This has been opposed by genealogists. It is said that after the fire that broke down the records were soaked in water and were left in a storage facility without efforts or plans of having it restored.

Another one of the rumors circling around the family history search area is that you can easily and readily find your whole family’s record online within the comforts of the internet’s technology. This is a dream come true for those researchers and historians who don’t give emphasis on hard work and self-reliance.

In fact, there are lots of records available online such as those coming from the census, the military, immigration, and other collection resources. But errors are also abundant throughout online facilities. In order for you to really get accurate results, you have to spend actual research time within the four corners of a local or large library.

Along the way, you may come across a data stating that you are part of a family related to some historically acclaimed personnel such as one of the presidents of even one who is a member of a royal clan. Legends are easily formed by mouth and eventually in written form. So before you jump into conclusion and you spread the word about your famous ancestry take time to prove the acuity level of such information. Remember even if you have the same surname with a proven celebrity that doesn’t mean you are actually related.

After the courthouse came down because of a fire all the records were gone. This is not entirely true as some of the records may have been salvaged or copies were done and sent to other offices and agencies.

Do not be easily derailed by certain misconceptions about genealogy. Family history search really entails hard work and common sense. You just have to learn to work your way and come on top of the entire information overload that may occur.

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POKER rules: Play it fair or be square

Poker - Photo: Pixabay

Anybody who hasn't heard of the poker game? Anybody who hasn't played a round of poker game? I think not. Even celebrities nowadays participate in celebrity poker games. But who knows how poker came about? In truth, there is a dilemma as to who can lay claim for the birth of this card game. The French have it 'poque' which descended from the Germans' 'pochen' which means "to knock". 

However, it can be contested that it could have originated from the Persian game of 'as nas' that could have been taught to the French settlers by Persian sailors in New Orleans. However poker came about, everybody is playing it and loving the challenge. Poker rules, therefore, are extremely important since you might be betting your car keys already, for all you know. The poker rules guide the greenhorn on how to lose graciously the first few deals. Thus learning to play a good game of poker is expensive.

We need to know the basics of how to play poker, the poker rules according to the poker variant, poker etiquette and poker hands to be able to passably play. Winning is everything in poker since this is a mind game more than anything else.

First off, we need to clarify the different poker game variants to know which poker rules need to be in play. There are many variants to the poker game but the more universal poker game variants are: draw poker, stud poker, widow poker game, and miscellaneous poker games (which include Stud Horse poker, Oxford stud, Billabong (and Shanghai), Guts, and Blind Man's Bluff). However, the most commonly played poker games for the first three variants are the five-card draw, seven-card stud, and the Texas hold 'em. 

Since this is the most played poker game variant, poker rules for the five-card draw are generally easy to remember. It is assumed that you basically know the general poker gameplay, the hand values, and the betting system. Poker rules differ from the home-style games to the more formal games as played in the casinos. For formal games blinds are commonly used while for home games, it is more typical use an ante. Ante is where the first betting round starts from the player to the dealer's left, then the second round betting begins with the player who opened or made the first non-zero betting in the preceding round. 

A common house rule in playing five card draw in home or social games is that a player cannot replace more than three cards unless he holds an ace or a wildcard so that the deck stub will not be easily depleted. Another common house rule is that the last card in the deck stub is not dealt anymore to ensure that anybody who might have seen it will not use that information.

In the seven card stud, poker rules are a bit more complex than the five card draw since two to eight players can play. The only poker rule to remember, (better make it your mantra) is two down, four up, one down. This is the lay of the cards and not meant to mean something else.

The third most commonly played poker game is the Texas hold 'em. The poker rules here are the same with the first two but what makes this different is the introduction of lipstick cameras where spectators were able to view each player's cards.

Definitely, we've seen that poker rules change a bit depending on the game of poker being played. Now that we've learned the different poker rules, playing it like the pros would be as easy as pie.

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Fundamental Skills Required for SOCCER Training

Soccer Training - Photo: Wikimedia

As with any type of training for a game in sports, soccer training requires some fundamental skills. These skills can be cultivated many different ways. One of the most popular methods is through observing the skill that you wish to acquire. Once you understand the basic concept of the skill, you should put your knowledge to work by trying it yourself. Generally, the skill must be practiced repeatedly in order to be mastered. Many people use the concept of visualization in order to perfect a particular soccer skill. Here, you will learn about the many fundamental skills required for soccer training. 

The most important thing to understand when it comes to soccer training is that a player is successful when they become accustomed to a certain motion that they perform. As the soccer player continues to practice the skill in which they are trying to acquire, they quickly gain confidence in their abilities. This is the second most important concept to master when attempting to acquire soccer skills...confidence. If you are confident in your ability to perform the skill and continue to practice during soccer training, you will master the skill quickly. 

In soccer training, it is essential to acquire the skill of kicking. There are two basic types of kicks that are used in the game of soccer. One is referred to as the "ground kick", and the other is called the "volleys kick". These particular kicks in the soccer game are established by how the ball is positioned on the ground. When you focus on the skill of kicking, it is important that you also practice balance and the stance of your body. This is the secret behind successful kicks in soccer training. 

The next essential skill required in soccer training is being able to control the ball. If you are unable to control the ball, the entire team will suffer tremendously. There are a few moves that will allow you to control the ball effectively during soccer training. These moves include the inside cut, cut underbody, and the outside cut. It is important that your coach reviews these moves with you so that you can get in plenty of practice performing them!

During soccer training, you will be required to learn the skill of heading. This is the process by which you use the upper side of the forehead in order to create an assortment of "heading" techniques for greater control of the ball. The most popular techniques include the following: diving, standard, glancing, and flick. Your soccer coach will accurately describe all of these heading techniques so that you can master this particular skill in your training regime. 

Dribbling is another necessary skill that should be acquired during soccer training. There are many different kinds of dribbles. These include cone, basic, intermediate, and advanced. You may learn about the Cruyff move, fake kick move, nutmeg move, stepover move, and more during this part of your soccer training. While there are many methods of dribbling, these remain among the most popular choices in soccer games. 

There are many fundamental skills required for soccer training. This article outlines the most basic. If you have any questions or concerns about these moves, or how to perform these moves, you should work carefully with your coach during soccer training. The coach will aid in your overall development as a master soccer player. 

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Getting Started With Ham Radio Control As A Hobby:

Photo: Wikimedia

Ham or amateur radio as a hobby involves some hard work in the form of getting licensed and acquiring knowledge of the technical details. The hobby itself starts in the first step by one getting the ham device. Selection of a good ham radio is best done under the guidance of a person who knows about the radios well. More than that, one must know the local laws and rules with respect to the ham operation.

Getting to know your ham:

It is important to know about hams and, to know about your own ham as soon as you feel the urge to buy/assemble one. If you want to know about the ham, then again, internet, books, and other hobbyists are all good places to start with. If you know no technical details of the electronics but find yourself fascinated by the idea, then it is time to learn a bit of jargon in the field.

So, if you do not know something, you should come out and seek answers either from those who might know or from resources like the library or the internet. One must spend some time and effort to learn about the hobby that one wants to pursue. Just a wish is not a good enough reason to pursue a hobby. One needs more than just a wish to be able to pursue an activity as a hobby. So, recognition of the hobby and the right kind of activity that suits you is important. 

Ham operation can be taxing and sometimes it can be tiring in spite of the modern equipment that does the scanning on its own. It is like the astrophysicist searching for some communications from aliens. If that idea grabs your attention, then this hobby will be to your liking since the activity is virtually the same, except for the helpful fact that we know there is someone who exists for sure, and one gets more than just “radio signals of unknown nature”. You get interaction from real people, from out there in the world, who live in flesh and blood as you do.

Your choice of equipment depends on how involved you are, and what your budget is that you can afford to invest in a ham equipment. There are good stores out there that sell ham radio at a reasonable cost. Again, as usual, it’s wise to chat with those who are ham radio operators, and also to visit and know the prices from various shops that sell ham radios to be able to select the best deal.

The cost of the radio equipment that can connect to longer distances will be higher than the ones that have a lesser range. Moreover, the recent advancements in digital voice transmission and such can be more costly than the simple Morse code wireless telegraphing model.

Getting licensed is the next hurdle. The amateur radio operator license exam does not require Morse code proficiency anymore as it is has been allowed to be dropped as agreed in 2003 in the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva. The test will include the knowledge of ham etiquette, the communication laws that apply internationally as well as in your region and such. Once licensed, one is free to use the allotted bandwidths and is allowed to change or modify the equipment within the limits imposed by “spurious standards”. 

So…what are you waiting for? Go get a ham and get your license: get going! 

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