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Crow's Nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by using the naked eye or optical devices such as telescopes or binoculars. It should not be confused with the top, the platform in the upper part of each lower mast of a square-rigged sailing ship. History The form of crow's nest used by the ancient Greeks and Romans was the carchesium (, ''karkhḗsion''), named after a supposed similarity to a kind of ritual wine goblet. According to William Scoresby Jr., the crow's nest was invented in the 19th century by his father, William Scoresby Sr., a whaler and also an Arctic explorer. However, Scoresby Sr. may simply have made an improvement on existing designs. Crow's nests appear in Egyptian reliefs as early as 1200 BC and on eighth to seventh century BC representations of Phoenici ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Etruscan Civilization
The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. After adjacent lands had been conquered its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roughly what is now Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio, as well as what are now the Po Valley, Emilia-Romagna, south-eastern Lombardy, southern Veneto and western Campania. A large body of literature has flourished on the origins of the Etruscans, but the consensus among modern scholars is that the Etruscans were an indigenous population. The earliest evidence of a culture that is identifiably Etruscan dates from about 900 BC. This is the period of the Iron Age Villanovan culture, considered to be the earliest phase of Etruscan civilization, which itself developed from the previous late Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture in the same region, p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Italian language, Italian, from lower Latin ''cupula'' (classical Latin ''cupella''), (Latin ''cupa''), indicating a vault resembling an upside-down cup. The cylindrical drum underneath a larger cupola is called a tholobate. Background The cupola evolved during the Renaissance from the older Oculus (architecture), oculus. Being weatherproof, the cupola was better suited to the wetter climates of northern Europe. The chhatri, seen in Architecture of India, Indian architecture, fits the definition of a cupola when it is used atop a larger structure. Cupolas often serve as a Bell tower, belfry, Belvedere (structure), belvedere, or roof lantern above a main roof. In other cases they may crown a spire, tower, or Turret (architecture), turret. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caboose
A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting; as well as in keeping a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, and overheating axles. Originally flatcars fitted with cabins or modified box cars, they later became purpose-built, with bay windows above or to the sides of the car to allow crew to observe the train. The caboose also served as the conductor's office, and on long routes, included sleeping accommodations and cooking facilities. A similar railroad car, the brake van, was used on British and Commonwealth railways outside North America (the role has since been replaced by the crew car in Australia). On trains not fitted with continuous brakes, brake vans provided a supplementary braking system, and they helped keep chain couplings taut. Cabooses were used on every freight train in the United ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often known simply as "engines"), though some are self-propelled, such as multiple units or railcars. Passengers and cargo are carried in railroad cars, also known as wagons or carriages. Trains are designed to a certain gauge, or distance between rails. Most trains operate on steel tracks with steel wheels, the low friction of which makes them more efficient than other forms of transport. Many countries use rail transport. Trains have their roots in wagonways, which used railway tracks and were powered by horses or pulled by cables. Following the invention of the steam locomo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road transport. It is used for about 8% of passenger and rail freight transport, freight transport globally, thanks to its Energy efficiency in transport, energy efficiency and potentially high-speed rail, high speed.Rolling stock on rails generally encounters lower friction, frictional resistance than rubber-tyred road vehicles, allowing rail cars to be coupled into longer trains. Power is usually provided by Diesel locomotive, diesel or Electric locomotive, electric locomotives. While railway transport is capital intensity, capital-intensive and less flexible than road transport, it can carry heavy loads of passengers and cargo with greater energy efficiency and safety. Precursors of railways driven by human or an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BN ^12517 Caboose @ Grand Junction Colorado - Panoramio
BN, Bn or bn may refer to: Businesses and organizations Arts and media * RTV BN, a Bosnian Serb broadcaster * Bandai Namco, a gaming and entertainment conglomerate * Barnes & Noble, an American chain of bookstores * BN (band), Belarusian rock band Transport * Braniff International Airways (IATA code BN), a former American airline in service from 1928 to 1982 * Britten-Norman, a British manufacturer, based on the Isle of Wight, producing Islander and Trislander aircraft * La Brugeoise et Nivelles, a Belgian railway rolling stock manufacturer, now part of Alstom * Burlington Northern Railroad, a United States railroad that operated from 1970 to 1996 * Horizon Airlines (Australia) (IATA code BN), a former Australian airline, ending service in 2004 Other businesses and organizations * Banca Nuova, an Italian bank * Banque Nationale (other) several banks * Barisan Nasional (also known as "National Front"), a political coalition in Malaysia * British Naturism, the UK naturist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seasickness
Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion. Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation. Complications may rarely include dehydration, electrolyte problems, or a lower esophageal tear. The cause of motion sickness is either real or perceived motion. This may include car travel, air travel, sea travel, space travel, or reality simulation. Risk factors include pregnancy, migraines, and Ménière's disease. The diagnosis is based on symptoms. Treatment may include behavioral measures or medications. Behavioral measures include keeping the head still and focusing on the horizon. Three types of medications are useful: antimuscarinics such as scopolamine, H1 antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate, and amphetamines such as dexamphetamine. Side effects, however, may limit the use of medications. A number of medications used for nausea such as ondansetron are not ef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centre Of Mass
In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the barycenter or balance point) is the unique point at any given time where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. For a rigid body containing its center of mass, this is the point to which a force may be applied to cause a linear acceleration without an angular acceleration. Calculations in mechanics are often simplified when formulated with respect to the center of mass. It is a hypothetical point where the entire mass of an object may be assumed to be concentrated to visualise its motion. In other words, the center of mass is the particle equivalent of a given object for application of Newton's laws of motion. In the case of a single rigid body, the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body, and if the body has uniform density, it will be located at the centroid. The center of mass may be located outside the physical body, as is sometimes the cas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
As The Crow Flies
The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points. Etymology The meaning of the expression is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in the Charles Dickens novel ''Oliver Twist'' (1838): While crows do conspicuously fly alone across open country, they do not fly in especially straight lines. While crows do not swoop in the air like swallows or starlings, they often circle above their nests. One suggested origin of the term is that before modern navigational methods were introduced, cages of crows were kept upon ships and a bird would be released from the crow's nest when required to assist navigation, in the hope that it would fly directly towards land. However, the earliest recorded uses of the term are not nautical in nature, and the crow's nest of a ship is thought to derive from its shape and position rather than its use as a platform for releasing crows. It has also been suggested that crows would not travel well in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raven
A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigned to different species chiefly by size. The largest raven species are the common raven and the thick-billed raven; these are also the largest passerine species. Etymology The term ''raven'' originally referred to the common raven (''Corvus corax''), the widespread species of the Northern Hemisphere. The modern English word ''raven'' has cognates in all other Germanic languages, including Old Norse (and subsequently modern Icelandic) and Old High German , all of which descend from Proto-Germanic . Collective nouns for a group of ravens include a "conspiracy", a "treachery", a "rave" and an "unkindness"; in practice, most people use the more generic "flock". Extant species * ''Corvus albicollis'' – White-necked raven (eastern and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rather a general grouping for larger-sized species of ''Corvus''. The collective name for a group of crows is a "murder". Species * ''Corvus albus'' – Pied crow (Central African coasts to southern Africa) * ''Corvus bennetti'' – Little crow (bird), Little crow (Australia) * ''Corvus brachyrhynchos'' – American crow (United States, southern Canada, northern Mexico) * ''Corvus capensis'' – Cape crow or Cape rook (Eastern and southern Africa) * ''Corvus cornix'' – Hooded crow (Northern and Eastern Europe and Northern Africa and Middle East) * ''Corvus corone'' – Carrion crow (Europe and eastern Asia) *''Corvus culminatus'' – Indian jungle crow (South Asia) * ''Corvus edithae'' – Somali crow or dwarf raven (Eastern Africa) * '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
