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James Burke's Connections

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James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 21:52:42

Probably the most fascinating intellectually stimulating series ever made for broadcast way back in the 70s. In it he traces, with considerable wit, centuries long chains of technological developments. They are often fortuitous, whimsical, odd, funny, and finally amazing. The fourteenth century introduction of the use of cannons leads to new and improved surveying devices. This leads to first detailed national map of England. But when they tried to map north into Scotland the misty weather hindered them which lead to the invention of lime light. This worked great for surveying but when they tried to put them into lighthouses it was too expensive. Then came the arc light. An Austrian military teacher used the arc light to make a projector. The teacher sold it to a famous magician who used it to create the first moving pictures and made a fortune. So on and so forth right up to motion pictures and television, and even rocket propulsion is tied into this story. I found the whole series via bittorrent. It's a huge file, 12 gigs. Episode one has an interesting bit. He brings up a hypothetical situation in which the electrical grid collapses completely and chaos ensues. So suppose, he says, you manage somehow to get out of the city and make it to a farm. And suppose further that no is there and there are still cows. Do you know how to butcher a cow? he asks. Suppose you want to farm. There's no fuel for the tractors. Up in the attic is an old dusty plow. Do you have any idea how to use it? He then launches into the history and importance of the plow. Brilliant show.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby threadbear » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 22:10:53

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'P')robably the most fascinating intellectually stimulating series ever made for broadcast way back in the 70s. In it he traces, with considerable wit, centuries long chains of technological developments. They are often fortuitous, whimsical, odd, funny, and finally amazing. The fourteenth century introduction of the use of cannons leads to new and improved surveying devices. This leads to first detailed national map of England. But when they tried to map north into Scotland the misty weather hindered them which lead to the invention of lime light. This worked great for surveying but when they tried to put them into lighthouses it was too expensive. Then came the arc light. An Austrian military teacher used the arc light to make a projector. The teacher sold it to a famous magician who used it to create the first moving pictures and made a fortune. So on and so forth right up to motion pictures and television, and even rocket propulsion is tied into this story. I found the whole series via bittorrent. It's a huge file, 12 gigs. Episode one has an interesting bit. He brings up a hypothetical situation in which the electrical grid collapses completely and chaos ensues. So suppose, he says, you manage somehow to get out of the city and make it to a farm. And suppose further that no is there and there are still cows. Do you know how to butcher a cow? he asks. Suppose you want to farm. There's no fuel for the tractors. Up in the attic is an old dusty plow. Do you have any idea how to use it? He then launches into the history and importance of the plow. Brilliant show.


By far the best series I've ever seen. The Day the Universe Changed as good or better.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 22:36:46

Worms were eating the hulls of British ships in the tropics. A mixture of tar and turpentine would protect the hulls and the Brits got it from the American colonies. Americans were chopping down their pine trees to make it and getting little in return from the haughty Brits. Came the Revolution and the Brits were in a bind. An experimenter tries to use coal and discovers coal tar. This discovery leads to synthetic dye. Britain ignores it but Germany picks up on the potential. This leads to great chemical expertise and financial windfalls for Germany which had been a financial backwater. This in turn lead to WWI. so it goes.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby Newfie » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 22:38:59

Agreed on the quality of this. My wife and I watched several of the shows. Just recently I was thinking about the one with the farm you mentioned. I think that was the last in the series and if focused on how interconnected we are all.

Bit torrent you say? Could you be a little more precise. I'd like to get if if possible. Good for my Daughter.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 22:54:31

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newfie', '
')Bit torrent you say? Could you be a little more precise. I'd like to get it if possible. Good for my Daughter.
Its not Bit torrent. Its bittorrent or BitTorrent if you will. It is a way to download large files, a file sharing protocol. You can research it on wikipedia and elsewhere. Good luck, I plan to share this amazingly educational and entertaining series to my kids too.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 22:58:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'P')robably the most fascinating intellectually stimulating series ever made for broadcast way back in the 70s....
So PMS you are suggesting that he seems to connect in fortuitous, whimsical, odd, funny, and finally amazing ways. what seemed unrelated events were actually related hundreds of years apart cause and effect interconnectedness...and all that jazz? I just don't get it.

Are you being coy? You are the master of odd, whimsical, amazing, etc. Yes, of course, what seemed like unrelated events were in fact interconnected. The brilliance of the lengthy series is that Burke showed us how it was just so.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby Newfie » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 22:58:41

Yeah, I got to the site. Now I can't find the download. Tried searching for Connections. How did you find it?
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 23:17:55

I got a bittorrent program onto my computer and then typed in google: 'Connections bittorent'. As easy as that. Say you wanted to watch the old Steve McQueen movie 'The Great Escape.' You just type in 'The Great Escape bittorent' and presto you have links. You click on the link that has the most "seeders and feeders" and sit back and wait. It took me four days to download Connections.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby Newfie » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 23:20:29

Ah ha!!!

Got it! I think.

I'll know in a couple of days when it is done downloading.

Hey, thanks, great stuff.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Tue 15 Apr 2008, 23:38:30

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newfie', '
')I'll know in a couple of days when it is done downloading.

Hey, thanks, great stuff.
It shouldn't take days to download a bittorent P2P program. That should be just minutes or less. There are different bittorrent programs. The best one that has served me well is mu bittorrent.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby strider3700 » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 03:37:01

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newfie', ' ') Just recently I was thinking about the one with the farm you mentioned. I think that was the last in the series and if focused on how interconnected we are all.


It's called "The trigger effect" and it's the first episode in the first series. It's very very good at pointing out how interconnected modern everything is and how screwed we are if it ever fails. I came away wit the strong belief that burke is a doomer.
shame on us, doomed from the start
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby wisconsin_cur » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 04:02:46

I remember watching every episode as a kid, I organized my life around it. It was a wonderful piece of work.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby Ainan » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 06:47:29

Thankyou PenultimateManStanding, Acquiring it now. Think i may have seen a few episodes before once.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby wisconsin_cur » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 06:58:27

http://www.thenewfederalistpapers.com
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby strider3700 » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 12:46:45

I was born on the first day of the last fire snake. Not sure what that says about me.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby Ferretlover » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 12:50:26

I remember that program. It Was very interesting.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby FoolYap » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 14:08:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I') got a bittorrent program onto my computer and then typed in google: 'Connections bittorent'. As easy as that. Say you wanted to watch the old Steve McQueen movie 'The Great Escape.' You just type in 'The Great Escape bittorent' and presto you have links. You click on the link that has the most "seeders and feeders" and sit back and wait. It took me four days to download Connections.


It's worth noting that this is piracy, aka "stealing". We all know this, right?

FWIW, Amazon sells Connections on DVD, and if the price is too steep and you can't find it used, Netflix almost certainly rents it.

(Sorry to be a nanny, but I just can't get over how many people are willing to steal stuff like this.)

--Steve
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Wed 16 Apr 2008, 14:37:09

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FoolYap', '
')(Sorry to be a nanny, but I just can't get over how many people are willing to steal stuff like this.)
sure you're right. maybe I should mail a quarter to James Burke.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby PenultimateManStanding » Fri 18 Apr 2008, 00:23:55

I showed some of the series to my son and eldest daughter. They were very impressed. The blend of astonishing technological historical knowledge and showmanship humor is irresistible. And yes, I do believe Burke is a doomer. He was also behind The Day The Earth Changed. I haven't seen that. I'll pirate it if I can find it. I'm sure he won't miss the quarter.
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Re: James Burke's Connections

Unread postby TWilliam » Fri 18 Apr 2008, 01:11:21

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FoolYap', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I') got a bittorrent program onto my computer and then typed in google: 'Connections bittorent'. As easy as that. Say you wanted to watch the old Steve McQueen movie 'The Great Escape.' You just type in 'The Great Escape bittorent' and presto you have links. You click on the link that has the most "seeders and feeders" and sit back and wait. It took me four days to download Connections.


It's worth noting that this is piracy, aka "stealing". We all know this, right?

FWIW, Amazon sells Connections on DVD, and if the price is too steep and you can't find it used, Netflix almost certainly rents it.

(Sorry to be a nanny, but I just can't get over how many people are willing to steal stuff like this.)

--Steve


Not that the Corporatocracy that mass produces media in various forms for a dime per unit, sells it to consumers for $25 per unit while paying the author 2 or 3 cents per unit sold is stealing anything. Nooo, not at all... :roll:

Incidentally, programming from the early 70s is more often than not public domain now, so sharing it isn't necessarily piracy.
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