BBC News is reporting that a First Class Titanic lunch menu sold for £64,000($102,605) and a VIP menu from Titanic’s launch went for £36,000 ($57,714). The auction was held by Henry Aldridge and Son on Saturday.
Source: BBC News, Two Titanic Menus Fetch More Than £100,000 At Auction In England, 25 Nov 2012
Just a few items before I take time away for Thanksgiving.
1) A Titanic Christmas
The folks over at Pigeon Forge are once again going all out for Christmas. On 22 November the Christmas season kicks off with snowfall off Titanic’s bow, a visit from Father Christmas, and fireworks. More snowfall and a visit from Father Christmas is scheduled for 22 and 24 Nov (both @ 7p.m.) Each December Saturday will also have the snowfall and Father Christmas. A new Titanic exhibit featuring a little known link to the Biltmore house in Ashville, North Carolina is also featured. More information about Christmas schedule and other things can be found at www.titanicpigeonforge.com.
2) Murder On The Titanic, a hidden object game, will be released for Nintendo 3DS on 6 Dec. According to the press blurb: “It takes place on the Titanic in 1912, with you playing as the assistant to a globetrotter named Professor Jacob Larsson. On April 14th—that happens to be the day before the Titanic’s sinking—the ship’s captain requests Larsson’s help in solving the mystery behind a stoker’s body, which is discovered onboard.”
I wonder if they tossed in a mummy as well. 🙂
Have a nice Thanksgiving everyone.
Sources:
1. WBIR-TV, Holidays At The Titanic Museum Attraction, 20 Nov 2012
2. Siliconera, Murder on the Titanic Brings A Murder Mystery To Nintendo 3DS eShop, 20 Nov 2012
Just when I thought every possible Titanic angle has been covered, something unexpected pops up. Now we can learn about how fashion played a role in the daily lives of many aboard Titanic thanks to a new book by Grace Evans. Titanic Style: Dress and Fashion on the Voyage takes a fashion snapshot of Titanic’s passengers.
Titanic Style leads us through the wardrobes of passengers and crew of all classes and ages, from the most intimate undergarments to the warm overcoats needed on that last fearful cold night. The luxurious attire of the ladies in first class, the cream of European and American society, was changed several times a day, while the more sober and conservative clothes of the men of all ranks subtly conveyed their status, and the children were dressed to enhance their social standing.
Okay but I doubt anyone has missed this simple fact: rich people wear more expensive clothes, poor people wear more simple and less costly clothes. The rich back then traveled with trunks and servants, the average person carried their bags (and had no servants). The rich would have several clothing options for dinner, the average just one or two (with formal clothes for special events like religious services). Just wonder whether this book really adds more to what we know about Titanic or just takes us on a stroll down an interesting lane.
Source: Broadway World, Understanding the Titanic Through Fashion, 19 Nov 2012
Okay I predicted this. Every year we get a news story usually around Halloween about a alleged haunted Titanic exhibit or something connected to Titanic (like a replica of the famous ship). Over at the Titanic Exhibition in Luxor (Las Vegas) reports of the supernatural are being reported in local press.
The Las Vegas Journal-Review reported that these alleged supernatural events include overhead music being turned off, strange orchestra, spectral voices calling names or giggling, and hair being tousled or unseen force grabbing at jackets. Now the person making many of these claims is Joe Zimmer, an artifacts specialist for the exhibition. He claims to be sober and telling the truth.
“I’ll say this a million times and on my deathbed, and maybe come back and say it after my death: I would not lie to you,” Zimmer says. “What I’m asking you is to keep an open mind. Some of the docents and even guests have had some serious experiences here. Now, is it a trick of the mind or something else?
Time to call the Ghostbusters, sorry, professional ghost hunters. These are the people who walk around with equipment that will detect the presence of a ghost. The journalist accompanied by Tina Carlson and Nancy Riggs (director and co-director respectively) of the Las Vegas Society of Supernatural Investigations decided to explore the exhibit after hours one night. They toured the exhibit and places where strange or spooky things have been reported, like the replica of the grand staircase where a figure dressed in black has been spotted.
Another is a picture of J. Bruce Ismay, which apparently fell off the wall by itself (security cameras showed it falling off with no one touching it). So the journalists and the ghost hunters walked around. A security alarm goes off! The alarm near the Ismay picture has been tripped! It is a motion sensor on glass display case. Then later in the hallway of the third class bunks footsteps are heard coming towards them. A check of the room shows no one there!
The emf detectors went off but it may have been the electronics all over the place giving them false readings. So the ghost tour ended with not much except the motion sensor going off and strange footsteps. No real proof but lets review what we do know for certain.
1) The falling picture
Putting aside spectral hands doing it, is there another plausible explanation for a picture suddenly coming off a wall? Vibrations can cause it if the fitting is not tight. I have seen this happen when something causes a major vibration (lots of people moving about, a truck or household appliance) that shakes it enough something to fall off a shelf or wall.The fact the security cameras saw no one suggests this a possibility. My guess is that the picture was not quite secure and vibrations (which can come from a distance and not be readily apparent) likely caused it to fall.
2) The Motion Detector
These are temperamental devices but models vary as does quality. Many things can set them off but if they are set to only go off when someone breaks the glass (or I suppose leans too hard on it). My first act is not to assume supernatural but test the equipment. if it is going off when no one is breaking or touching the glass, it likely is a malfunction. It could be a number of things from wiring going bed to the sensor being temperamental requiring adjustment. How would a ghost set it off and humans not? If people just walked by and then suddenly it goes off, that does not mean a ghost did it. That sounds like a vibration (that word again) the alarm picked up and sensed might be a problem. At any rate the alarm needs to be examined by an electrician to determine what the problem might be.
3)Ghostly Footsteps
This is more common than realized. Sometimes we here footsteps only to learn no one is there. For instance you are inside a building and you hear what seems like footsteps going up the stairs nearby. But no one is there! However outside are stairs and when someone walks up and down they sound like someone is walking on the stairs inside. Long time ago I was in the basement of a home watching television. I distinctly heard what I thought were footsteps above. Even the dog woofed a bit. Nothing was there though so what caused the sound of footsteps! Contracting floorboards. It was a cold night (below freezing) and the wood was constricting and as it did, caused those sounds.
So what did they hear that night? One possibility is they did hear footsteps but actually was someplace nearby. It only sounded like it was coming towards them. A simple experiment would confirm this hypothesis. Another possibility is fooling ourselves. We are so keyed up to experience something supernatural our brain latches on to something but it did no really happen.
Of course these days one has to suspect trickery as well. Too often clever pranksters can cause things to happen, like things appearing to fly off shelves as examples of poltergeists. There are many ways we can be fooled. Like the infamous Amityville Horror where it was simply all made up (virtually none of the things in the book or movie ever happened)by a defense attorney in cahoots with the Lutzes. Causing a chandelier to swing is not difficult with the right tools. Just ask Pen & Teller.
So if you are planning a trip to a Titanic Exhibition and worried ghosts might be about, do not worry yourself. The only ghosts you are likely to meet will be living ones dressed as people back then or the famous Captain Smith.
Source:
Las Vegas Review – Journal,Tours Explore Haunting Of Titanic Exhibit At Luxor, 21 Oct 2012
A few weeks ago the Endeavor space shuttle made its epic journey to Los Angeles. Right now it is being prepared for its voyage from the airport to its final destination at California Space Center. To get there requires quite a lot. The shuttle is not built for going down city streets and many trees (and other things) have to be removed to allow the shuttle to pass through safely. Do not fret, new trees are going to be planted to replace the ones being torn down.
For most of its journey, the transport is being driven by four self-propelled,multi-axle vehicles. These modular movers are being computer controlled. The operator with a joystick will walk alongside to make adjustments as needed. The final leg near the Space Center will be done using a 2012 Tundra CrewMax, which has a 5.7-litre V8 engine allowing for a tow capacity of 4.5 tonnes.
When this is actually done, it will be major news covered by national and local media. When the Endeavor made its flyby here in San Francisco, people lined up on the waterfront and anywhere the could be to get a view as it passed over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was neat to watch.
What does this have to do with Titanic? Nothing really. I just thought it was cool.
Source: Berwick Leader, TOYOTA: Titanic effort, 8 Oct 2012
Roku For All
About two years ago I reduced my cable service to local broadcast channels (called Limited on San Bruno Cable). While I have missed a few shows and seeing Giants games, I have no regrets. The price had climbed too high and has been for several years. Right now it costs $63.86 to get 99 channels that all has all the major cable news, sports, family, and the major cable stations. I looked into Dish or Direct TV and while they had things I liked I opted not to go for either one. The cost was certainly good but required a year or longer contract (and canceling meant paying fees). Plus I live in on the ground floor of a two floor apartment. Getting that signal would be a challenge (though not impossible).
Hulu became a good alternative to view shows on my computer but alas does have commercials. Finally upgrading to DSL offered me some options I did not have before. Since I was already a Netflix subscriber, I added streaming. With an Internet capable television to watch streaming movies, I looked at the options. Since I have an iMac, I was drawn to Apple TV. It has much to offer but I wanted more from the Internet. And that led me to Roku.
Roku is a deceptively small box that packs a lot into it. I wish my dvr’s were as small. Roku has many options to view things online providing you have a broadband connection. With Netflix being one of them, I could easily watch movies on my television. And a lot of other stuff has well. The major cable news services have channels to view their content (mostly news stories and sometimes live feeds as well). Hulu, Vudu are also available (Hulu requires paying for Hulu Plus and Vudu is a pay as you go movie service). There are tons of free movie channels but some have commercials like Hulu. Sports fans will like access to the major pay services (like MLB network). There a lot of family oriented channels and quite surprisingly a lot of religious ones as well (Christian and Jewish mostly, there probably is a Muslim one there somewhere and if not coming soon). You can also purchase games as well. Mine came with Angry Birds but I added You Do Not Know Jack. This was a computer trivia game I used to play long ago. Except it seems tougher now.
There are also rumors that Roku and Dish are working together to make popular channels available for a fee (sports channels excluded). Right now that is all just rumors but shows that the move towards Internet streaming has become a market to be mined. The one advantage cable has is reliability. While I do use an indoor antenna to get local HD programming, all kinds of things can make it go wrong (weather and other interference. Cable can go out if the signal transmitted to them goes wonky (and it seems more so today with digital than old analog). For me keeping basic cable also gets me free music channels. Pandora is available on Roku and is very good but also has commercials. The many music channels cable provides gives me enough to choose from and no commercials.
So if you are thinking about getting an Internet streaming device, the Roku is good one to choose. Different models have different prices. The one limitation on nearly all of them is how you connect, which is wireless. I choose the hardwire approach due to my apartment and other interference so I had to buy the top model which has an ethernet port. If you plan to watch a lot of HD movies, then up your service to at least 6 Mbps. At 3 Mbps you can view nearly everything but HD will take more time to load and reload while running.
Now about Netflix. Like many I was very displeased with what they tried to to. They needlessly alienated a lot of customers by splitting off the streaming from the dvd service. And then retreating and going back to what they are now offering dvd only or dvd with streaming options. I have the 2 DVD out at a time plan with streaming. Mostly I am pleased but like many wish there was more available to stream. That is out of Netflix hands and up to whoever owns the content. It will be a long while before streaming offers a full library compared to what is available on DVD. Still Netflix offers a service at a good price. Vudu does offer a lot of movies quicker but you pay as you go. Netflix has one membership fee for the month that covers everything you get by mail or via streaming. Sometimes it is worth it, if the movie is something you really have to see, but going to Vudu. I see that as a companion rather than a Netflix replacement. If you view only a few movies a year, Vudu is cheaper. If you like to catch up on television shows, Netflix is cheaper for doing that.
MasterChef and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
MasterChef ended with a bang. Christine ended up beating Joshua and it was a tough competition. What put the judges over the edge for Christine was her ability to take simple dishes and make them much stronger and a well thought out menu. Josh had good items but did not quite flow together. He also flubbed his starter by not fully cooking the lobster, using an odd concoction of vegetables on his entrée, and his bacon crust pecan pie lacked bacon flavor. Overall his dishes were good but Christine just had that extra touch to make her dishes really taste good. She showed that simple can mean very flavorful and delicious (I still want to try those fried chicken legs she cooked!).
I recently watched Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares which is very different from its U.S. counterpart Kitchen Nightmares. Both shows do have their share of challenging personalities. The U.K. version is narrated by Ramsay and tends to avoid the melodrama often in the U.S. version. The focus is squarely on two things: food and how the front of the house is run. Ramsay tries to get the head chef (if there is one) back on track to cook food rather than slop or ring-a-ding-food. Menus are revised to become more local and fresh. Staff are encouraged to be welcoming and the owners to really understand how a restaurant is supposed to operate. A follow-up at the end usually shows how the place is faring. Some manage to do well and some end up closing (for a variety of reasons). Ramsay, of course, use the F word quite liberally on the show.
Generally the reasons the Ramsay assisted restaurants seem to fail are (1)Despite new menu and uptick in business, their debts are too high or creditor decides to force them out; (2)landlord raises rent or a local problem (permits etc) causes them to close; (3)bad economic conditions; (4)restaurant fails to make changes, customers drop off and owners close up; (5)owners decide to sell and get out of business for personal reasons.
Mythbusters Takes On Cameron’s Titanic
Now I have never really given it much thought but others have. Would Jack have survived had he stayed with Rose? Mythbusters tackled it in their usual style. It turns out that Jack would have died if stayed in the water but with his wet clothes out of the water had a better chance. However he would still loose warmth and possibly die before Rose was rescued. You can read the full article here.
Back in April Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post contributing editor, wrote about Titanic books but got the date it sank wrong. He wrote it sank on 15 April. Oops! That prompted a letter, actually a very large one, from a fifth grade class at Burning Tree Elementary School in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dear Mr. Drabelle,
We are fifth grade students at Burning Tree ES in Besthesda, Maryland and we have been studying the Titanic’s tragic sinking and the lives of some of the survivors. In your April 15, 2012 edition of The Washington Post, you stated that the Titanic hit the iceberg on April 15, 1912. Based on our research, the Titanic hit the iceberg shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Reed’s fifth grade class
That about says it all. Here endeth the lesson.
Source:
Huffington Post, Washington Post Receives ‘Adorable’ Letter From Fifth Graders Correcting Mistake In Titanic Story, 11 Jul 2012
Exploring the ocean has been the theme of many over the years. Robert Ballard, amongst the others, argue there is much to be learned in exploring the deep. Over at MastersDegree.net there is a graphic about we need to explore the ocean.
Take a look at it by clicking here.
Stephen King’s Christine was about an evil car that terrorized people. Now we have a Titanic replica that may be haunted.
Wyatt Jason Moore (aka Chuck) built a nine foot long Titanic replica that looks pretty cool complete with crewman, children playing on deck, ladies in period costumes and even someone walking a dog. But when he examined photographs of the replica he began noticing something not easily seen by the naked eye.
An unexplained image in the portholes just above the life boats – on the port side of the vessel. According to Chuck, it looks like a bald headed man with a handle bar mustache looking out. And he just recently identified a woman in one of the portholes appearing to lean forward to see the view.
So let me understand this. These are ghosts peering out of small portholes on a Titanic replica that can only be seen by examining photographs. Sort of like those ghosts that can only be “heard” when you leave a tape recorder around a graveyard or old house.
Well the good news is that he intends to partner with a museum so the Titanic replica will be heading there. So if the ghosts decide to get more active, it will be their problem and not his.
Source:
Cleveland News – Fox 8, Man Says ‘Titanic’ Replica May Be Haunted, 15 June 2012
One of my favorite shows is Mythbusters. They took on the suction theory (suction created by ship sinking will suck people or possibly small craft down with it). You can see how Mythbusters tackled it by going to discovery. com to view a clip from the episode. It is worth watching.
