James Burke : Connections, Episode 4, "Faith In Numbers", 3 of 5 (CC)

[ChorltonBrook]

I wonder what a Chinese computer key-board looks like?

[megcram]

@ChorltonBrook Just like the english keyboard. There's various ingenious input methods, including a rather simplified phonetic system which uses the English alphabet. There's also various ways to type by "stroke order," because characters are written stroke by stroke in a standardized order. Hard to explain without a basic knowledge of characters, but it's not so complicated really. Nowadays with trackpads and touch screens drawing characters is also becoming more common.

[ChorltonBrook]

@megcram Sorry I'm six months late : ) But thanks for your comment. Merry Xmas.

[KevinByrne2]

3:50 -- "The Black Death has killed half the clerks off, so they cost a great deal." The Black Death occurred in 1347-1350. Gutenberg invented printing in 1440. I don't think that there would have been a shortage of clerks for 90 years.

[ryoushii]

@KevinByrne2 Actually the Plague didn't stop in 1350. As new generations were born, there were continual flareups every 15-20 years until the middle of the 15th century and rarer flareups later, such as the London Plague of 1665. And the population in Europe wouldn't reach the numbers it had been 1290 until nearly 1700, so labor shortages were a regular European situation, and hence, the rapid push for automation, such as printing.

[KevinByrne2]

@ryoushii -- Thank you for your reply. I learned something.

[B1kMagik]

9:11 this exact still is a spot in Assassin Creed 2

[TheLastBrainLeft]

23 letters in the alphabet in the 1400's? Which three didn't exist then? U?

[kd1s]

Yet here in RI almost 2/3's of 8th graders cannot read at a basic level. It's shameful!

[controlsnerd]

I think he says "frilly" knickers not free knickers, though there is nothing wrong with either ; )

[Bondianwolf]

James Burke = JB

James Bond = JB

Jack Bauer = JB

Jason Bourne = JB

Jonny Batman = JB

All of them first class investigators.

Please forgo any anti-social reply. It's actually a compliment to James Burke. Sadly, no one will understand that.

[wegreenall]

i must know! what's the music playing when he introduces venice near the end of this part? it's also played in a clockwork orange, but i have to know what it is!! any info is greatly appreciated.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

ACO is constantly going back to Beethoven's 9th. Not sure which movement though.

The whole thing is wonderful anyway, so I would suggest buying a good recording of it. Not sure what's the best or most well-known performance...

[delbard1]

@JamesBurkeWeb Stanly Kubeck for a time would feature a composer in his flims. if you remember 'Clockwork orange", Malcom McDowlel's character loved "Lubwick Van".

[albinoman13bt]

@JamesBurkeWeb Way late, but the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda did all 9 of Beethoven's symphonies. I don't really like classical, but really enjoy these, especially the 6th and 9th. There are copies still floating around even though it was only available for download for 7 days. Youtube must have a web address filter, wont let me post one. Add dot html to the end. abmp3.com/download/2855633-sym­phony-9-beethoven

[delbard1]

@JamesBurkeWeb Stanley Kubic @ that part of his career would feature 1 composer for 2001 he feature Strauss Das Spaken Zarahousa. became 2001: a space oddessy.

[rockoqatsi]

@JamesBurkeWeb I know my reply is two years late, but since I'm here I'll throw in my bid for the Sir Georg Solti/Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 1987 performance (London 448 617-2). Don't know exactly how well-known it is, but I've collected several 9ths over the years and find myself listening to that one the most.

[presario2264]

@wegreenall Henry Purcell - Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary - The Queen's Funeral March (Procession)

[phillymiket1968]

@wegreenall :the funeral of queen mary" henry purcell composer

[davinci8888]

@wegreenall

Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, by Henry Purcell

[misterarkadin]

@wegreenall

The music you're asking about is "The Funeral of Queen Mary" by Henry Purcell.

[holyyakker]

@wegreenall It is "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary II" and was written by Henry Purcell in 1695.

[diego001]

@wegreenall That's called "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary" by Henry Purcell.

[diego001]

@wegreenall That's called "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary" by Henry Purcell.

[RichardHands]

@wegreenall It's Purcell's 'Funeral March for Queen Mary', and yes, it does get used in Clockwork Orange as well.

[rockoqatsi]

@wegreenall Oh, and that's not Beethoven, that's Purcell's music for the funeral of Queen Mary (I think), which was arranged for Clockwork Orange by Wendy (nee Walter) Carlos.

[pbanta62]

Ahh, didn't think of that. Then it's a good thing styrofoam and fast-food didn't come along back then or we'd have ancient landfills still full of Mutton McMuffin containers to deal with ;)

[JamesBurkeWeb]

True enough. But your grandkids will :)

Although you know... all that plasticy, synthetic stuff has energy stored in it (just light one up to prove it) so perhaps we would've invented a way to use *that* energy instead of fossil fuels to power our toasters! ... that is, if you have a toaster (which I don't, personally).

- JBW

[LadyDeirdre]

There is a way, it just hasn't caught on yet. Look up thermal depolymerization. It's an energy-effective way to turn plastic, or anything else carbon-hydrogen based, into high grade crude oil, distilled water, natural gas to keep the process going, and various separable solids.

[PhilJonesIII]

Then don't get married or you might end up with 10.

[pbanta62]

The printing revolution, made possible by a 14th century recycling program!

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Haha, I guess that's one way of putting it!

Although one might find one's self pondering in confusion about the fact that the printing revolution pretty-much created our current-day need for recycling programs... ;)

- JBW