OT: Was it Egypt? was Re: [OT]Re: How to find the greatest of two numbers without using the comparison operators?

On Sun, 2 Sep 2007 14:11:00 +1200, "Pete Dashwood"
<dashwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



"Alistair" <alistair@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Pete Dashwood wrote:
<docdwarf@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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In article <5jrnpsF10st0U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Pete Dashwood <dashwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[snip]

Sadly, as is often the case today, the OP simply picked up a solution
from
someone who was happy to provide it, without really bothering to think
about
it.

It seems to me that thinking is no longer "fashionable" and solutions
via
the line of least resistance are more the order of the day.

Ahhhhhh, for the Oldene Dayse, when a thinker could think things such
as
*ten* thinkers cannot, today!

In my experience, Mr Dashwood - and it has already been acknowledged
that
our experiences are, at times, rather different - then, as now, there
were
folks who would take the 'easy way' and others who agreed with Socrates
that 'xalapa ta kala' (difficult/harsh/not easy (are) the
good/beautiful/noble (things)'.

[snip]

Around four thousand years ago, before the distractions and pressures
of
modern life, TV, movies, travel, entertainment... people used to think.

They also used to die a bit earlier.

(Human brains are quite well adapted for this...) They worked out the
distance from the Earth to the Sun just by sticking sticks in the sand
on
a
beach and observing the shadows. This calculation was correct to within
5%.

Eh? I believe you are referring to Eratosthenes calculation of the
earth's circumference... and that was closer to 2,500 years ago, not
four
millennia.

Nope. I was not referring to Eratosthenes at all. Had I been, I would
have
said so.

Not that it matters, but I was referring to the same people who, 5000
years
ago gave us the current 365 day calendar (based on their astronomical
observations), built instruments to measure time and angles around 4500
years ago, documented over 40 constellations which could be used for
navigation 3300 years ago, had many of their accomplishments claimed by
Greeks, (who they influenced immensely...Aristole acknowledged their
superior Astronomical achievements and Pythagoras was tutored by them),
and
passed down across thousands of years, through their closed Priesthood,
knowledge that was lost, destroyed (Clement of Alexandria documented at
least four of their books on Astronomy that were in the famous library),
and
then re-discovered centuries later.

No more clues... do your own homework. :-)

Pete.
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."

Phoenicians or Mycenaeans?

Good try, but neither, actually. It is a sad reflection on our view of
History that the achievements of these people is only starting to come to
light. It is partly their own fault because they believed the stars were
Gods and so only the Priesthood were privy to knowledge of Astronomy. It was
sacred, and to publicise it would have rendered it profane. It also enabled
them to predict various events, which gave them power over the populace. No
Religion is going to give away its power base (and put Priests out of
work...and yes, I HAVE read "The Shoes of the Fisherman" :-)), for the
public good...:-) This one was no exception.

I assumed Egypt from your writing. It would be interesting to know if
there were parallel developments in China or India.

Pete
.

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