Castle Aching

[runs as required]

It needs to be easier than the Nearholmer Procedure which more than likely ends with having to flog a dead horse.

Scale the whole Procedure down - use a plastic model of a mounted Hussar;

pare off the Hussar and discard

measure height of horse to withers e.g. (4mm:3 withers)

then subject the riderless horse to the NhP Archimedes displacement method - a large cup and saucer rather than a stable might suffice)

finally scale up*

 

*It would be appropriate to scale up as a ratio of 'hands' here is a handy table to hand

HTH

 

dh

[ATT]

It's fairly easy to find the volume of a horse:

 

Horse, yes. But I'd rather not measure the volume of my books with this method. I am relatively sure the wife would complain about water dripping on the carpet when I'm reading. Although - that would bring some authenticity while reading, say, Moby Dick or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

[TheQ]

A shunting horse, of course

and the last shunting horse was of course in East Anglia.   https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/charlie-the-last-british-railways-shunting-horse-at-work-with-his-driver-at-newmarket-9632

[Edwardian]

It's fairly easy to find the volume of a horse:

 

1) measure, very carefully, the dimensions of the interior of the horse's stable;

 

2) calculate the interior volume of the stable;

 

3) carefully seal all of the aperatures in its stable with caulking;

 

4) lead the horse into the stable, close the door and seal it carefully with waterproof tape;

 

5) fill the stable completely, right up to the ceiling, with water, using a hosepipe;

 

6) carefully siphon all of the water out, into a calibrated container;

 

7) the difference between the volume of the stable interior and the volume of water in the container is the volume of the horse.

 

If you require that the horse should survive the measuring process, it can very simply be provided with a snorkel-set with flexible breathing tube, but remember to account for the volume of the snorkel-set that is inside the stable when carrying out your calculations.

 

I am not even going to joke about that with the Memsahib!

 

It needs to be easier than the Nearholmer Procedure which more than likely ends with having to flog a dead horse.

Scale the whole Procedure down - use a plastic model of a mounted Hussar;

pare off the Hussar and discard

measure height of horse to withers e.g. (4mm:3 withers)

then subject the riderless horse to the NhP Archimedes displacement method - a large cup and saucer rather than a stable might suffice)

finally scale up*

 

*It would be appropriate to scale up as a ratio of 'hands' here is a handy table to hand

HTH

 

dh

 

They heard that David was coming after them with a scalpel and a measuring jug!

[Edwardian]

Horse, yes. But I'd rather not measure the volume of my books with this method. I am relatively sure the wife would complain about water dripping on the carpet when I'm reading. Although - that would bring some authenticity while reading, say, Moby Dick or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

 

My daughter tried something similar with pink paint. 

 

She survived the episode, as, in the main, did the books.  She is older and a little wiser these days.

[corneliuslundie]

It's all right Tim. Mum says there is room for the bound volumes under the guest room beds. Convenient for when you visit, though I am not sure whether the boys will particularly enjoy Narrow Gauge & Industrial (and the rest of the title)..

Could you just throw the horse in the swimming pool, measure the rise in the water level, calculate the area of the pool and get the horse's volume that way - as long as the horse can swim and you can get it out again; otherwise it's back to the dead horse syndrome.

Jonathan

Edited for tryping eror.

Edited August 15, 2017 by corneliuslundie

[Guy Rixon]

Volume of horse as measure of building size: recalls the "hide" as a unit of land area in Anglo-Saxon times. One hide was the area that could be enclosed by an ox-hide cut up into strips. This presumably prompted a drive to breed bigger cattle and special tools for cutting really narrow strips. And some serious court-cases for the dodgy measurements.

[TheQ]

Volume of horse as measure of building size: recalls the "hide" as a unit of land area in Anglo-Saxon times. One hide was the area that could be enclosed by an ox-hide cut up into strips. This presumably prompted a drive to breed bigger cattle and special tools for cutting really narrow strips. And some serious court-cases for the dodgy measurements.

Not according to most authorities, it was the area that could support one family, it varied form place to place but was often about 120 Acres.

Edited August 15, 2017 by TheQ

[runs as required]

My daughter tried something similar with pink paint. 

She survived the episode, as, in the main, did the books.  She is older and a little wiser these days.

I remember I tried repainting my dad's gaunt big black box of a Morris Cowley when it was on blocks in our garage during the war. Although in retrospect a Jackson Pollock years before its time, it was not appreciated when pa came home on leave to find it.I'd even used my mum and my various (pretend) aunties' nail varnish and lipstick over the snotted cream gloss paint on the doors.

[richard i]

I remember I tried repainting my dad's gaunt big black box of a Morris Cowley when it was on blocks in our garage during the war. Although in retrospect a Jackson Pollock years before its time, it was not appreciated when pa came home on leave to find it.I'd even used my mum and my various (pretend) aunties' nail varnish and lipstick over the snotted cream gloss paint on the doors.

six years away he has to imagine some things had changed. My grandfather came home to find a new young boy he had never seen calling him Dad walking round the house.

[Northroader]

Looking at your collection I see you've got a copy of "101 things you can do with a Dean Goods"

[runs as required]

Reflecting on libraries, volumes of horses and (about) railways - it would appear horse shapes are more practical for adaptation as libraries

Would these form follows function library projects be 'Zoomorphic' as distinct from 'anthropomorphic'?

Such a horse parked between the railway yard and the keep in CA would seem vaguely threatening

 

dh

 

 

 

[Edwardian]

Looking at your collection I see you've got a copy of "101 things you can do with a Dean Goods"

 

Since my compulsory attitude re-adjustment, I see nothing but good in everything I see, and love flowers and puppies.  So, for example, all that boring prototype research is just a gloomy waste of time; the only thing to do with a lovely RTR Dean goods is to enjoy it. Ah, lovely!

[Edwardian]

Reflecting on libraries, volumes of horses and (about) railways - it would appear horse shapes are more practical for adaptation as libraries

libraries.jpg

Would these form follows function library projects be 'Zoomorphic' as distinct from 'anthropomorphic'?

Such a horse parked between the railway yard and the keep in CA would seem vaguely threatening

 

dh

 

Beware of Greeks bearing books ...?  

[runs as required]

That attached thumbnail is definitely Anglicozoomorphic

[drmditch]

It was three years ago yesterday that I moved house. Most of my books are now unpacked, and new bookshelves have been built.

 

There is a strange property of books  that having been packed and then unpacked they require more shelf space then before they were packed.

(This is possibly to do the concept defined in the works of T Pratchett as 'L-Space'.)

 

I did give away a (small) number of airport/hotel books that were not very well written and unlikely to be read again.

While I was building all the other new features in my new house (but not the railway) I did read and sort out my large number of railway magazines and succeeded in eliminating half of them. (Most of these were given to the NYMR.)

 

Now that I am actually working on the new railway, (here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/105609-rebuilding-a-railway/ ) I still find myself short of shelf space and have had to interrupt vital construction work to build and fit more shelves.

 

Why is this?

 

PS - I do have a theory that every book one reads in some way contributes to ones own mind and therefore becomes part of oneself. It is therefore impossible to to dispose of said book without performing an act of self-mutilation.

 

PPS - Of course, the three years since the move have been subject to normal book aquisition rates. When I was working I used to reckon this as about 1 metre a year, but now I am (officially) retired I was expecting this to slow down.

Edited August 15, 2017 by drmditch

[Andy Hayter]

Like you I was aquiring at a rate of around linear shelf metre per year.

On retirement I have reduced the number of magazines to which I subscribe.  Some frankly were only really bought to have something to do when travelling on business (sitting in airport lounges or in planes waiting for the delectible packet of biscuits and cup of instant coffee to be served).

 

The problem I have found is that now I have retired I have had time to find all sorts of new publications that I did not know (or was barely aware) existed and with a perceived need to catch up on back numbers my aquisitions are now running at a tad over one linear shelf metre per year.

[Nearholmer]

Not quite sure why, but this discussion has put me in mind of 'The Name of the Rose'.

 

Here we see Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson looking for the sole surviving copy of the April 1884 Castle Aching Parish Magazine, which contains the only known drawing of the fabled WNR six-wheeled picnic saloon. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qC9EG9Vh9CA

[Edwardian]

Not quite sure why, but this discussion has put me in mind of 'The Name of the Rose'.

 

Here we see Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson looking for the sole surviving copy of the April 1884 Castle Aching Parish Magazine, which contains the only known drawing of the fabled WNR six-wheeled picnic saloon. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qC9EG9Vh9CA

 

Ah, the mediæval Bond film. (you can tell it's a Bond film because it stars Sean Connery, has a Bond-villain who says things like "Ah Mr Bond/Brother William, I have been expecting you", and at the end they blow up Pinewood Studios).

 

 

It was three years ago yesterday that I moved house. Most of my books are now unpacked, and new bookshelves have been built.

 

There is a strange property of books  that having been packed and then unpacked they require more shelf space then before they were packed.

(This is possibly to do the concept defined in the works of T Pratchett as 'L-Space'.)

 

I did give away a (small) number of airport/hotel books that were not very well written and unlikely to be read again.

While I was building all the other new features in my new house (but not the railway) I did read and sort out my large number of railway magazines and succeeded in eliminating half of them. (Most of these were given to the NYMR.)

 

Now that I am actually working on the new railway, (here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/105609-rebuilding-a-railway/ ) I still find myself short of shelf space and have had to interrupt vital construction work to build and fit more shelves.

 

Why is this?

 

PS - I do have a theory that every book one reads in some way contributes to ones own mind and therefore becomes part of oneself. It is therefore impossible to to dispose of said book without performing an act of self-mutilation.

 

PPS - Of course, the three years since the move have been subject to normal book aquisition rates. When I was working I used to reckon this as about 1 metre a year, but now I am (officially) retired I was expecting this to slow down.

 

You see, I am with you there.

 

While I admire what I see as the iron discipline of those who periodically thin-out their books shelves, I, too, have never been able to part with anything other than second-rate beach books.

 

My father brought me up with the saying "books are your friends", and he meant it.

 

The way I see it, my mind is the sum of all the books I have ever consumed, so how could I give them away?

 

Sadly, my body is the sum of all the pies I have ever consumed!

[nick_bastable]

nothing wrong with a good steak and kidney pie while reading a good book

 

Nick

[ATT]

Reflecting on libraries, volumes of horses and (about) railways - it would appear horse shapes are more practical for adaptation as libraries

 

What an ingenious solution to ensure the volume of library is smaller than a horse - to locate it inside one.

Edited August 16, 2017 by ATT

[Donw]

It's all right Tim. Mum says there is room for the bound volumes under the guest room beds. Convenient for when you visit, though I am not sure whether the boys will particularly enjoy Narrow Gauge & Industrial (and the rest of the title)..

Could you just throw the horse in the swimming pool, measure the rise in the water level, calculate the area of the pool and get the horse's volume that way - as long as the horse can swim and you can get it out again; otherwise it's back to the dead horse syndrome.

Jonathan

Edited for tryping eror.

 

It is pushing it's head under for the full measurement that is the tricky bit.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

The advantage of the closed chamber (stable), is that you just keep pumping water in, until it fills to the ceiling, then the nag can't get its head above water - see comments regarding snorkel.

 

K

Edited August 17, 2017 by Nearholmer

[Northroader]

If the chamber is closed, aren't you getting into the schrodingers horse paradox?

[Edwardian]

Hence the joke.

 

Policeman pulls Schrodinger over and asks to search his car.

 

"Sir", says the policeman, "did you know there was a dead cat in your boot?"

 

Schrodinger, "well there is now"