Conquer Club

Recently, I was in Kansas City and had a chance to take a look at their well regarded World War I museum. I was caught up in how little I remembered from school, and how amazing (mostly in a dark way) all of the things I was able to look ended up being.

I'd say it went so far as to rekindle an interest in going back and studying some events that maybe didn't have an impact on me from before (or maybe not enough of one).

Doesn't have to be history of course, and doesn't have to be an academic type of thing. What do you, people of Bieberville find to be the things you want to know more about, maybe now or in the past?

Some background for more obscure things (if they aren't pretty commonly known) would be pretty cool.

I love history. World history, Canadian history, all kinds of history no matter how old. But, I love WWII history the best.

I have read several accounts of specific unit histories (at the battalion level) in war. Some through more than one war. I have read Winston Churchill's letters to Roosevelt during WWII. That is a 4 volume set and very dry. I must be a glutton for punishment.

I'm currently reading 'Dreadnought' from Robert K. Massie, about the naval arms race leading up to WWI.

Gunboat diplomacy

notyou2 wrote:I love history. World history, Canadian history, all kinds of history no matter how old. But, I love WWII history the best.

I have read several accounts of specific unit histories (at the battalion level) in war. Some through more than one war. I have read Winston Churchill's letters to Roosevelt during WWII. That is a 4 volume set and very dry. I must be a glutton for punishment.

What is it about WW2 that you think interests you the most? Is it because you have learned the most about it and are prompted to study more, or something specific that drives you on?

waauw wrote:I'm currently reading 'Dreadnought' from Robert K. Massie, about the naval arms race leading up to WWI.

My fiancee pointed that out naval forces when we were in the museum, how quickly both Germany and the UK seemed to ramp up their naval fleets and how in her opinion, it just did not seem like Germany would ever be able to catch up to the British firepower. It would be pretty interesting to get more of an indepth look at it.

Specifically, German weapons of war. They had the coolest tanks and half tracks.

I actually have a pretty comprehensive study list. Every day, I read the international sections of a random scattering of newspapers, then any news about elections or air traffic control. I zone out for a bit and watch 2 tv shows (one about nerd culture, the other about combat sports). Then is targeted studying, based on the day of the week.

Monday: masonry study
Tuesday: employment specific
Wednesday: Philosophy/Western Canon
Thursday: Mathematics
Friday: Nobel prize winning stuff (either biographies about those that won, the original research and any extra research needed to understand it, or for the Lit or Peace Prizes, as much source as I can. But not the economics prize. I am willfully ignorant of their bullshit.)
Saturday: Constitutions of the World (mostly modern, but I study historical ones as well)
Sunday: the Bible

If I have time, I will check out some columnists, book reviews and essays.

waauw wrote:I'm currently reading 'Dreadnought' from Robert K. Massie, about the naval arms race leading up to WWI.

It's a brilliant topic, although I never read that book.

DaGip's Study Schedule

Monday: Skyrim
Tuesday: Baseball
Wednesday: Pornhub
Thursday: Sasquatch
Friday: Ancient Sumeria
Saturday: Cartoons
Sunday: Zombies

DoomYoshi wrote:I actually have a pretty comprehensive study list. Every day, I read the international sections of a random scattering of newspapers, then any news about elections or air traffic control. I zone out for a bit and watch 2 tv shows (one about nerd culture, the other about combat sports). Then is targeted studying, based on the day of the week.

Monday: masonry study
Tuesday: employment specific
Wednesday: Philosophy/Western Canon
Thursday: Mathematics
Friday: Nobel prize winning stuff (either biographies about those that won, the original research and any extra research needed to understand it, or for the Lit or Peace Prizes, as much source as I can. But not the economics prize. I am willfully ignorant of their bullshit.)
Saturday: Constitutions of the World (mostly modern, but I study historical ones as well)
Sunday: the Bible

If I have time, I will check out some columnists, book reviews and essays.

Thanks Sheldon

If you are truly interested in learning things, check out http://www.edx.org. Full, online, self-directed courses from high-profile universities around the world. It's free to watch the videos and earn a certificate, but if you need credit you can pay to get a "verified" certificate.

Depends on my mood.

i'll echo WWII history. if anyone has not seen 'the world at war', the entire documentary (all 60-odd hours of it) is freely available online. it is an astonishing piece of television; well worth your time.

beyond that, i've recently been re-reading all Shakespeare's plays, and have an undimmed fascination with russian literature (canonical and modern), and the short story.

i should really start learning chinese again - i gave up after about 3 months of rosetta stone and bothering locals with badly pronounced chit-chat.

consider that a resolution. thanks, CC.

Pilot stuff and music. Not nearly consistently enough.

2dimes wrote:Pilot stuff and music. Not nearly consistently enough.

I've heard the game 'flight simulator' is immensely realistic. Is that true?

waauw wrote:
I've heard the game 'flight simulator' is immensely realistic. Is that true?

Yup. If you get a yoke and rudder pedals there are times when you are basically flying.

I once turned in the pattern, dropped some flaps and reached for the trim wheel. It was not there because I was not actually in a plane. It was pretty cool.

The weaknesses are lack of motion and when you get too close to the ground, when you land for example, there are not enough peripheral vision cues. I suspect a projector with a wrap around screen would be pretty awesome.

I quit flying flight sim because I was not getting out enough and it was screwing up my ability to land real planes.

From an ATC perspective, its hard to find enough people in the air at a time to make it a true sim.

Having a mockup flight deck like this is probably doable:
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/gulfstream-gets-revolutionary-business-jet-in-the-air-f-1705795155

khazalid wrote:i'll echo WWII history. if anyone has not seen 'the world at war', the entire documentary (all 60-odd hours of it) is freely available online. it is an astonishing piece of television; well worth your time.

I started watching that documentary, but I started feeling kind of sad. I don't know, it's a depressive documentary. But yeah, it's very good, well narrated, lots of info.

I think I still have it in a hard disk somewhere

don't lie. your "disk" is a floppy...

I'm reading " Foundations Their Power and Influence " by Rene A Wormser. Its an analysis of America's most powerful tax exempt foundations, their actions as opposed to their stated purposes, the interlocking groups of men who run them and their influence on the country as a whole.

The last book I read was " The Orion Mystery" by Robert Bauvel. It describes why the ancient pyramids were created and the secret religious ceremonies that went on inside of them. How they are aligned with certain stars and why.

You have free time?

DoomYoshi wrote:I actually have a pretty comprehensive study list. Every day, I read the international sections of a random scattering of newspapers, then any news about elections or air traffic control. I zone out for a bit and watch 2 tv shows (one about nerd culture, the other about combat sports). Then is targeted studying, based on the day of the week.

Monday: masonry study
Tuesday: employment specific
Wednesday: Philosophy/Western Canon
Thursday: Mathematics
Friday: Nobel prize winning stuff (either biographies about those that won, the original research and any extra research needed to understand it, or for the Lit or Peace Prizes, as much source as I can. But not the economics prize. I am willfully ignorant of their bullshit.)
Saturday: Constitutions of the World (mostly modern, but I study historical ones as well)
Sunday: the Bible

If I have time, I will check out some columnists, book reviews and essays.

I can only assume you enjoy the process of learning, rather than learning this stuff for some perceived benefit?

Wait my mistake, you are an academic right? (and intend to be one for life?).

nietzsche wrote:

khazalid wrote:i'll echo WWII history. if anyone has not seen 'the world at war', the entire documentary (all 60-odd hours of it) is freely available online. it is an astonishing piece of television; well worth your time.

I started watching that documentary, but I started feeling kind of sad. I don't know, it's a depressive documentary. But yeah, it's very good, well narrated, lots of info.

I think I still have it in a hard disk somewhere

it is depressing; but uplifting would probably not be the most appropriate tone. war is hell, as they say.

the 6 episodes on the invasion of the soviet union are particularly galling.

khazalid wrote:

nietzsche wrote:

khazalid wrote:i'll echo WWII history. if anyone has not seen 'the world at war', the entire documentary (all 60-odd hours of it) is freely available online. it is an astonishing piece of television; well worth your time.

I started watching that documentary, but I started feeling kind of sad. I don't know, it's a depressive documentary. But yeah, it's very good, well narrated, lots of info.

I think I still have it in a hard disk somewhere

it is depressing; but uplifting would probably not be the most appropriate tone. war is hell, as they say.

the 6 episodes on the invasion of the soviet union are particularly galling.

Hasn't that been on the history channel (before it went to crap)? If I'm thinking of the right series, it's on a "new" history channel now, that actually deals with history. That and Band of Brothers have been some of my favorite things to watch on TV.