Random Picture Thread

Jolly Amaranto · Mar 4, 2016

tmark · Mar 4, 2016

tmark · Mar 4, 2016

schakel · Mar 5, 2016

This is the driving force for the most of us on friday night:

https://www.facebook.com/GasolineSociety/videos/783169415150335/
Don't forget you have to get up early for the boat!

Leo Lazauskas · Mar 5, 2016

hoytedow said: ↑

Emperor Napoleon made the same mistake. Winter is Russia's greatest ally.
Click to expand...

Yes, they have Generals January and February.

They also had some other friends during WW2. In 1943, they won the Battle of
Kursk (one of the largest tank battles in history) after being informed of the
impending German attack by John Cairncross, one of the Cambridge Spy Ring.
I suspect that some others also provided very good information that helped
Russia when they were most vulnerable.

Mr Efficiency · Mar 5, 2016

Leo Lazauskas said: ↑

Yes, they have Generals January and February.

They also had some other friends during WW2. In 1943, they won the Battle of
Kursk (one of the largest tank battles in history) after being informed of the
impending German attack by John Cairncross, one of the Cambridge Spy Ring.
I suspect that some others also provided very good information that helped
Russia when they were most vulnerable.
Click to expand...

Richard Sorge. Probably one of, if not the most valuable spy in history.

Leo Lazauskas · Mar 5, 2016

Mr Efficiency said: ↑

Richard Sorge. Probably one of, if not the most valuable spy in history.
Click to expand...

He's one of many at the time.
Admiral Canaris, although not technically a "spy", helped the Allied cause a lot too.

Off the espionage track for a moment...
You might know the answer to this.
In 1942 a famous biochemist named Joseph Needham was sent to China to
help their scientists because the Japanese had been targetting Chinese
universities, academies and technical institutions since about 1938.
Given that England was in diabolical trouble itself in 1942, I wonder who made
the case that convinced Churchill and his government to fund the mission.

Mr Efficiency · Mar 5, 2016

I know nothing of him, but a little research suggests to me a woman was involved ! He apparently fell madly in love with a Lu Gwei-djen, a Chinese scholar, in the late 1930's. She may have been the great man's "muse".

Leo Lazauskas · Mar 6, 2016

Mr Efficiency said: ↑

I know nothing of him, but a little research suggests to me a woman was involved ! He apparently fell madly in love with a Lu Gwei-djen, a Chinese scholar, in the late 1930's. She may have been the great man's "muse".
Click to expand...

She was definitely the initial inspiration for his interest in China.
However, there was some scientist in the Royal Society, or a politician, or
someone else, who was able to convince the war time government to spend
money on the Chinese adventure. Whoever it was must have been very
influential, or a helluva silver tongue to get that proposal up while Britain was
in such dire trouble.

kach22i · Mar 10, 2016

ESPANDON SWORDFISH SLAMF SYSTEME DE LUTTE ANTI MINES FUTUR AUTONOMOUS COUNTERMEASURES PROGRAM STERENN BLACK STAR

kach22i · Mar 10, 2016

January 07, 2015
Drone Carrier Naval Ship Designs
Next Big Future: Drone Carrier Naval Ship Designs

kach22i · Mar 10, 2016

DARPA WILL LAUNCH A 132-FOOT-LONG ROBOT YACHT IN APRIL
UNCREWED AMONG THE WAVES
By Kelsey D. Atherton Posted February 11, 2016
http://www.popsci.com/darpa-robot-ship-to-be-christened-in-april

ACTUV is built with submarine fighting in mind. “Optimized to robustly track quiet diesel electric submarines,” in DARPA’s words. There are lots of ways to hunt submarines, and no particular reason a sub hunter is better without any people on it. But why not make it unmanned? DARPA estimates using an unmanned vessel instead of a similarly-sized manned one will be save an order of magnitude on the cost of daily operation.

In addition to anti-submarine work, Walker mentioned it could have a role in supplying other ships, logistics, and countering undersea mines. This last category is currently the most common application for unmanned boats, though often they’re much smaller vessels deployed from a larger ship. ACTUV will instead be, at 132 feet long and weighing 140 tons, will be larger than most unmanned ships (though still smaller than all but the tiniest U.S. Navy vessels).
And it’ll be autonomous.
Click to expand...

Watch the demonstration video in the link above, it's a robot hunting and killing men - sort of scary and Sci-Fi.

kach22i · Mar 10, 2016

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Location...atching_and_Wildlife_Tours-Juneau_Alaska.html

kach22i · Mar 14, 2016

Wondering what happened to all fuel tanks jettisoned by U.S. fighter jets over Southeast Asia during Vietnam War?
Sep 18 2013
http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/18/fuel-tanks-se-asia/

Several thousand drop tanks were jettisoned over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

And here you can see what happened to some of those that were recovered.
Click to expand...

The comments section says they were most likely stockpile tanks, dropped ones would have been crushed by the fall.

http://usastruck.com/tag/jet-fuel-tanks/

kach22i · Mar 14, 2016

British yacht does 0-60mph in 5 seconds
https://www.eta.co.uk/2009/03/11/british-yacht-does-0-60mph-in-5-seconds/

The Vestas SailRocket looks unlike any other sailing vessel; a wing replaces a conventional sail and is attached to an outrigger rather than the hull – a design that does away with the need for ballast ................
Click to expand...

http://www.sail-world.com/SailRocke...ice-Weymouth---Portland-Record-attempt/139070

http://www.thedailysail.com/dinghy/10/54298/vestas-sailrocket-in-london

07 Dec 2008
http://yachtpals.com/sailrocket-crash-video-4022

As we reported earlier this week, the weird looking boat SailRocket is now the fastest sailboat in the world [pending ratification]. Before this sailing video was taken, SailRocket had already set a new world record, clocking an average of 47.35 knots over 500 meters, but the team was pushing for the overall speed sailing record, and it appears the "rocket" lived up to its name, launching itself and skipper Paul Larsen into high flight, and momentarily slipping the surly bonds of Earth.
Click to expand...

Vestas Sailrocket 2: new sailing speed record
aBoatTime | November 27, 2012
http://blog.aboattime.com/vestas-sailrocket-2-new-sailing-speed-recod/

The record was set in moderate conditions with a 25 knot average wind, breaking the previous one of 51.36 knots reached by Alain Thebault team in L’Hydroptère in 2009.

Later on Sunday November 18, the Rocket Vestas Sail 2 team improved their own result reaching 59.38 knots of an average speed, which let them to set another record.

10 years of hard work fighting with changing failures and successes has paid of and let Larsen and his team to culminate as the greatest of all.
Click to expand...

http://sailracewin.blogspot.com/2011/03/images-of-vestas-sailrocket-2.html