James Burke : Connections, Episode 4, "Faith In Numbers", 1 of 5 (CC)

[noferblatz]

Still the best Connections series (the first). I'm curious: before filming the series, since each "turning point" could lead so many ways, before the series, did you lay them all out together and then consciously pick which way to go with each one in order to get to each of the ten final inventions?

[hwieldr]

@noferblatz I'm almost certain it was done the other way around: start out with a modern day invention and trace its story back over time. That's the only logical way, since whether a certain historical invention was really important is mainly determined by what happened afterwards...

[thomasrdean]

I new that aircraft systems use laser ring gyros. The system I'm talking about was loaned to us from a marine wholesaler for an 4th year Computer Engineering undergraduate project at our university that I was supervising. All the electronics including gyros and accelerometers were self contained in a single unit with a differential GPS antenna unit. It was rather a compact box as well, designed to go inside a cabinet on the bridge of 15 meter small business fishing boats.

[circusboy90210]

wish this could be reposted at a higher dpi.

[thomasrdean]

@DancingHorses26, Actually the system in the box is a Transit System receiver. GPS uses time based references, while TRANSIT was predecessor to GPS that used doppler effect to measure position.

@zarniwoop42. I've worked with marine GPS have Gyros in them. If you loose a signal (fjiord, etc), the gyros and accelerometrs provide dead reconning until the GPS is re-established.

[illuzion30]

@thomasrdean Don't know about marine systems, but aircraft systems use laser ring gyros these days... they use the sagnac effect to measure velocity. From what I hear, they still use mechanical accelerometers... a common point of failure. But the systems are modular... and the laser ring is not in the GPS receiver.

[ChorltonBrook]

Monasteries were a way to keep the populating from becoming too big as well. Early contraception. Put a proportion of the younger males into a celibate lifestyle.

[zarniwoop42]

Rentatrip... A gyro?? I work with GPS and other systems and have never heard of a gyro. I'm not saying you're wrong or lying, just never heard of that in a GPS. I can't even begin to guess on why it would need one. Hmmmm INTERESTING. I need to look it up. Might be enlightening.

[neocoders]

I do rather like those Benedictine monks. Aside from the doctrine and lack of good times, I think that may have been one of the better tickets back then.

[mashiyachministries]

Very good information. Thank you for posting this series!

[DancingHorses26]

Was that an early GPS device at the beginning? Not exactly portable, but I guess it was only used by the army back then.

[rentatrip1]

@DancingHorses26 -Yes I was trained on this unit in the US Artillery in 1979 Fort Sill- The unit was about 24 inches X 20 inches by 18 inches in a water tight case - powered by Jeep 12 volt battery the gyro had to warm up for 3 minutes before taking a reading - 3 readings would give you a mean nominal location good to about 2 feet within position-

[oker59]

the roman empire fell because of religious civil war. Instead of spending time fixing all those aqueducts and such, they were trying to fix them with religion.

Emperor Constantine founded 'Constantinople' because he came to realize that there was only one way of dealing with all the entrenched interest of the other pagan religion . . .that is to just move elsewhere. He played like a Pagan to appease them while he was organizing the nicene meetings to determine what books to put in the

[oker59]

'new testament'; on his deathbed, he revealed which religion he was really going for . . . christianity.

[ryoushii]

Death in the Morning - nuclear weapons

Distant Voices - tele communication

Faith in Numbers - an invention that is intimately involved with you reading this message

[Windowfarms]

Anyone remember the name of the ancient greek book by Hero that he mentions somewhere in this episode?

[larryresick]

Anyone else think it's eerie he says 'come crashing down" while holding up the punchcard and then we see the World Trade Center? how do you think those Al Qaeda types communicated and plotted? THE INTERNET. What will it do to us, indeed.

[chrismiw]

Well America might not exactly be an empire, but it is awfuly funny how America makes the same mistakes that the Roman empire made. You would think by history America would learn. But no, they are doing the same thing. And How can you compare James Burke to Rush Limbaugh HollywoodWags??? Rush is an absolute idiot.

[chayahwxef]

i just turned 55 . i remeber those cards and computers the size of trucks . i returnedc home after 20yrs away, recognizable cell phones a few yrs away.. vcrs where the big thing. 11 yrs ago i moved to my present location. no hydro. lights were poor kerosene. then a solar panel. all conventional cds record player, now everything from newspapers to a 1000 songs on my blk bry. a solar fridge econo power lights hd tv and 5 solar panels what a change. now computer and im watching this

[chayahwxef]

now my blackberry does what a lot of this stuff amazing

[BOPPPPER]

This series was fabulous, I loved it!  The nearest thing on BBC TV today is 'The Story of Science' with Michael Mosley. James Burke, if you're out there, get the BBC to make a modern version of Connections, with you at the helm.

[arleas]

I loved this show as a kid. I wish there were more like it today

[fofgofx]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Greorgy]

Thanks!

[PhilJonesIII]

This was and still is a brilliant series. So much is so super specialised now that we can only hope to understand parts of the world.

This program makes it all so much easier to understand and enjoy whats going on.

Thanks for posting.

[melafela7]

I can't believe this series is online..this absolves everyone who thinks people who tend to speak tangentially are crazy... we're just making ..Connections. I wish they would make more programs like this instead insisting on the garbage.... let me stop I don't even want to get on my soap box... speaking of soapboxes.. in 1867....

[masterix6]

Thanks for posting this informative documentary

[JamesBurkeWeb]

You're very welcome.

- JBW

[amirtaaki]

@JamesBurkeWeb yep very nice thing to find :)

[mikeyman211]

I can't help but think, perhaps find out where this great ancient aqueduct was on a map.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Simply download the kmz file in the video description. I typed the coordinates in by hand and it takes you right there.

[mikeyman211]

That's not what I meant. I was kidding. "Hmm. I wonder where I am. Never mind the aqueduct, I'll use a satellite tracker."

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Ugh. Not my day... I've lose my sense of humour!

[JamesBurkeWeb]

and spelling too! "lost" not "lose".

[HollywoodWags]

I got chills when Burke talked about the fall of the Roman Empire.

That's happening right now in the US.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Hehe.. well I don't think the US qualifies as an empire really.

But of course, by the same token it doesn't really qualify as a nation in the traditional sense; everything is very interconnected business wise, and government decisions are intimately linked to businesses and their decisions.

And of course the largest businesses are multinationals, so the distinction between "Nations" becomes somewhat unclear ;)

- JBW

[HollywoodWags]

Times are certainly different, and tax rates have been higher, much higher, and we seemed to come through ok, not without a larger government.

It was just a bit jarring to hear James talk about this twenty odd years ago and sound like Rush Limbaugh! ;o)

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Hehe. Does he sound like that? I suppose in a way... but I think the two come across very differently even if the words are the same ;)

- JBW

[billyshake]

James Burke friggin' rocks! They broke the mold with this guy.

[Drumspiracy]

I love the fake or animated satelite shot... burke is the best.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Did you try the coords with GoogleEarth? It's pretty cool, takes you right to that aqueduct!

Although I don't see a man sitting there with a computer... hmmm

- JBW

[AgentJayZ]

Dude... you're thinking of

Google Earth-Time...

Not available yet, but they're working on it.

The fourth dimension really eats up processor power, not to mention storage capacity.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Haha... I can't wait! But wait a minute, why should I have to wait? Since it's working in the future, surely they can send it back to the present for us to use it!

So they must be holding out, waiting to develop a market before release. Damn them!