Lego Antikythera Mechanism

An evening pause: From the youtube webpage:

The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known scientific computer, built in Greece at around 100 BCE. Lost for 2000 years, it was recovered from a shipwreck in 1901. But not until a century later was its purpose understood: an astronomical clock that determines the positions of celestial bodies with extraordinary precision. In 2010, we built a fully-functional replica out of Lego.

Hat tip Shaun Karry.

Marble race

An evening pause: I actually would do this with my marbles as a child. All you needed was a gentle slope and a way to keep the marbles confined within the track. For me, it was a gap between the carpet and one wall in the living room of our rented apartment. The floor just happened to slope just enough.

What is amazing is how you can’t help but pick a marble and cheer for it.

Hat tip Rex Ridenoure of Ecliptic Enterprises.

Kodo – O-Daiko

An evening pause: Japanese drummers playing the Ōdaiko drum

Ōdaiko : One of the most memorable drums of many taiko ensembles is the ōdaiko (大太鼓). For many, the ōdaiko solo is the embodiment of power due to the size of the drum, the volume, and the endurance it takes to perform. The ōdaiko is the largest drum of all taiko, if not the entire world. The largest ōdaiko are too big to move and permanently reside inside a temple or shrine. Ōdaiko means “big taiko”, but within any group, it describes the largest drum in an ensemble, which could mean 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter or 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter. Made from a single piece of wood, some ōdaiko come from trees that are hundreds of years old.

Hat tip Roland.

Forty Fingers – Bohemian Rhapsody

An evening pause: This is really badly filmed, with the camera constantly moving in a very distracting way, never stopping to actually let you watch them play. Very annoying.

However, the music is still magnificent, and the guitar arrangement is brilliant. Turn it on and listen as you do something else. You’ll enjoy it more.

Hat tip John Jossy.

West Point Band and Glee Club – Mansions of the Lord

A evening pause: For Memorial Day. The words:

To fallen soldiers let us sing
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord
No more bleeding, no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night

Just divine embrace, eternal light
To the Mansions of the Lord.
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
Through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord.

Hat tip Tom Biggar.

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