Longitude, Lunar Method, & Cook's First Voyage | SPU 26 Final Project, Fall 2012

Thanks for watching!

This was my final video project for Prof. John Huth's "Primitive Navigation" course (SPU 26) at Harvard University. Please check out his newest book, "The Lost Art of Finding Our Way", due for publication April/May 2013.

Here's more info from Harvard University Press: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.ph...
You can also pre-order from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-Art-Fi...

Order your copy! The next time some mafia kidnaps and drops you in the middle of a forest, you'll be prepared (statement not issued from personal experience).

• Category

  Education

[Meliere]

Dear all: you bunch are the nicest people on the planet--thank you!! I swear I've gotten more feedback on this video than my history thesis (so much for months spent in dusty archives, craning my neck over hardly legible texts in dim lighting). =)

[Frank Reed]

That was terrific! Charming graphics, animation, music. I was surprised Newton's head didn't make it into your little "Mount Rushmore" of great minds. :) The description of the method of lunars was right on the money. I laughed at the little "lol wtf" on the graphic of the Moon's motion. Sometimes I imagine that Halley would have used such notations in his notes on the Moon if he could have. The statistical analysis you provided of Cook's lunars was excellent. From me, you get an "A".

[Meliere]

oh my gosh, thank you so much. Poor Sir Issac--I can't believe I've neglected him!!

[carolyn fonger]

Good job! I liked it very much. The subject itself is very interesting and I loved the way you explain it.

I showed this to my 9 year old and although she does not completely understand it I can actually see the wheels turning in her head.

[Frank Reed]

Ahhh... 1984. Could you be Keith? Hmmm... I am wise in the ways of Google. Time to find out. :)

[Frank Reed]

And congratulations! Professor Huth has recently informed us on the NavList message boards (fer3[dot]com/NavList) that your video has won Harvard's "Conant Prize" in the "non-traditional project" (video) category. See? Lunars are useful after all. :)

Frank Reed

ReedNavigation[dot]com

Conanicut Island USA

[ksimp77]

Mr. Reed, As a student in your physical science back at F in 1984, I know an A from you is high praise!

[John Brown]

Brilliant and very funny!

[Greg Rudzinski]

A very entertaining and educational short !