Television Programs Thread

[Alison]

Originally Posted by Lemming

There is loads of really good popular science out there. I would always advise people to read Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time", it is really good and at a good level for the layman (I don't know how advanced you are Beny, you may want to try deeper texts). Hawking manages to describe wierd and wonderful physics in simple terms, so long as you trust him to know what he's going on about (it really is popular) you will learn a lot from his book.

I wrote an essay for my MA on a small part of that, the bit where he talks about "What place, then, for a creator?", it was quite interesting.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

House is indeed very good, as are the CSI and Law & Order stuff. The tapes of murdere she wrote should be burned. Any standup comedy show is worth a watch as well. Watched Manimal on bravo at a mates house starring the consultant from casulaty in his (far) younger days. terrible script and special effect and ********** myself laughing at it. Myth busters is a laugh too.

And dont dis Bill oddie - he looks like my dad. A bit.

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

And I have never managed to get past chapter three of Professor Hawking's "layman's guide to everything" in several attempts over the years! I'm sure he tried hard, but somehow he didn't seem to be able to think down to my level.

I did manage to get through it....and it is very good, but still not easy going. It took me a couple of attempts, but I'm glad I got through it! He wrote another book calleed 'The Universe In A Nutshell' which was really surprisingly accessable.

[Beny]

Originally Posted by Lemming

But didn't us British defeat him a few times with that one-handed guy Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar (I saw that on the news this morning) and also in that song by Abba about the battle of Waterloo? Maybe he was just the greatest ever French leader!

The pommies had a lot of luck. After Trafalger Nepoleon could never challange the British Navy and thus never invade England (which would have resulted in French Victory most likely). Although he did come close to assembling another fleet (hence the war of the Iberian Peninsula which Nepoleon made the mistake of leaving to his comanders as he was too busy with Russia). At Waterloo Wellington, given his due for excelent tactics, still basicly only won because, with his allied Prussian troops, he had double the forces of Nepoleon. In addition Nepoleon was forced to leave the battle for a few crucial hours, where his second in command made some fatal mistakes.

Originally Posted by Lemming

it's major application would be to consider what happened at the Big Bang

I'd personaly be more interested in some of the other things such as parralell universes.
Does'nt the theory suggest that the entire universe is made up a single, stretched out 'little thing'?

Astronomy always fascinated me. Unfortunelty I gave up any dreams of that path once I found out you had to use maths .

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Beny

The pommies had a lot of luck. After Trafalger Nepoleon could never challange the British Navy and thus never invade England

Hmm and were we lucky against the Spanish Armada, with their great big galleons, all the Brits's had were small ships, I reckon that was planned, because the British cannons holed the galeons low down.

And then world war 2, we were the only country with a navy after Pearl Harbour,Britain had control of the seas, and Hitler could only do a little dance like in Dads Army, as the German Navy was bottled up, mind you Air Power had something to do with that.
Even in the Fauklands conflict, it was the Navy that played the major role.
That affected Australia, because the UK was to sell HMS Invincible to the Australian Navy, but was needed to go to the South Atlantic.
HMS Hermes was the capital ship, old but had superior radar, and communications, soon as the conflict was over, I think we sold her to the Indian Navy.

Not a lot of luck Beny, Britain has always been an effective seafairing nation, we had to be, being an Island race.
Mind you we are scrapping a 3rd of our Navy, british polititions

[Beny]

Britain had control of the seas, and Hitler could only do a little dance like in Dads Army, as the German Navy was bottled up, mind you Air Power had something to do with that.

So that's why you guys were buying old American destoryers? The German U-Boats were able to virtualy strangle England to death after the fall of France. Though you did have more surface craft.

Hmm and were we lucky against the Spanish Armada, with their great big galleons, all the Brits's had were small ships, I reckon that was planned, because the British cannons holed the galeons low down.

And the storm which sank 1/4 of the spanish fleet had nothing to do with it?

LOL, No I'm just being picky. You're right that England has always been good with the boats (or the ships as my ex- Navy father will always yell back). Nelson was pure genuis.

BTW I think Australia will be buying a few of your Aircraft carriers. Stupid bloody Idea if you ask me, capital ships are a waste of space today.

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Beny

The German U-Boats were able to virtualy strangle England to death after the fall of France.

Surely when you say "virtually" here, you mean "almost". And almost doing something means you didn't do it.

Fact remains that no-one has invaded Britain since 1066. Then it was the French, and we are still peed off about it, which explains a lot about cross Channel relations even today, I think!

[Beny]

Hittler could have if he was'nt an impatient idiot... That's debateable I understand but I still subscribe to the theory that Germany was winning the battle of brittan even though Hittler didd'nt realise it.

[Milo]

Just reminds me of the not so famous story of the British sinking the entire French fleet after their surrender in WWII. It was all rather civilised. The captains entered their ships, had tea and then said 'Right chaps, you have five minutes to leave before we blow your ship from the water'.

Still makes me smile when I think of us sinking the whole French navy.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Beny

Hittler could have if he was'nt an impatient idiot... That's debateable I understand but I still subscribe to the theory that Germany was winning the battle of brittan even though Hittler didd'nt realise it.

Their aircraft was inferior, no match for the Spitfires and the Hurricanes,and had Hitley ever managed a Bridghead, he would never have to Britain contary to what history says.

We had to many men, to many planes, to many tanks, and we could have left the far East with our huge navy, we might have lost the Empire to the Japanese, but Britain would have been safe, we always had that option.