by neufer » Thu Apr 28, 2011 3:36 pm
dougettinger wrote:
This whole idea of dwarfs in astronomy is politically incorrect. Dwarfs today really refers to a genetic condition of dwarfism relating to that part of humanity that is unusually short and whose limbs are disproportionately smaller than the rest of his body. In fact, Walt Disney was politically incorrect but got away with it. Science should not be calling attention to these unfortunate people by referring them to puny stars that I now learn are not so puny.
Unfortunate people?
"
a puny subject strikes at thy great glory." - King Richard II Act 3, Scene 2
-
Finbar McBride: I'm retired, actually.
Emily: Aren't you a little young to be retired?
Finbar McBride: No, dwarves retire early. Common fact.
Emily: Yeah, *lazy* dwarves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarfism wrote:
<<Dwarfism is short stature which can be caused by about 200 distinct medical conditions.
The terms "dwarf", "little person", "LP", and "person of short stature" are now
generally considered acceptable by most people affected by these disorders.
Artistic representations of dwarfism can be found on Greek vases and other ancient artifacts, including ancient Egyptian art in which dwarfs are likely to have been seen as a divine manifestation, with records indicating they could reach high positions in society. The Bhagavat Purana Hindu text devotes nine chapters to the adventures of Vamana, a dwarf avatar of Vishnu.
Depiction of dwarfs is also found in European paintings and many illustrations. Many European paintings (especially Spanish) of the 16th–19th centuries depict dwarfs by themselves or with others. In the Talmud, it is said that the second born son of the Egyptian Pharaoh of the Bible was a dwarf. Recent scholarship has suggested that ancient Egyptians held dwarfs in high esteem. Several important mythological figures of the North American Wyandot nation are portrayed as dwarfs. Dwarfism is depicted in many books, films, and TV series such as Austin Powers, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Little People Big World, The Little Couple, Harry Potter, Seinfeld, In Bruges, The Tin Drum by Günter Grass, and the film The Station Agent.
The noun dwarf stems from Old English dweorg, originally referring to a being from Germanic mythology—a dwarf—that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. The etymology of the word dwarf is contested, and scholars have proposed varying theories about the origins of the being, including that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits or as beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. Competing etymologies include a basis in the Indo-European root *dheur- (meaning 'damage'), the Indo-European root *dhreugh (whence modern German traum 'dream' and trug 'deception'), and comparisons have been made with the Old Indian dhvaras (a type of demonic being).>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Proteus_Steinmetz wrote:
<<Charles Proteus Steinmetz (April 9, 1865 – October 26, 1923) was a German-American mathematician and electrical engineer. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers. He made ground-breaking discoveries in the understanding of hysteresis that enabled engineers to design better electric motors for use in industry.
Steinmetz was born as Carl August Rudolph Steinmetz to Carl Heinrich Steinmetz in Breslau, Province of Silesia. Steinmetz suffered from dwarfism, hunchback, and hip dysplasia, as did his father and grandfather. Steinmetz attended Johannes Gymnasium and astonished his teachers with his proficiency in mathematics and physics.
Following the Gymnasium Steinmetz went on to the University of Breslau to begin work on his undergraduate degree in 1883. He was on the verge of finishing his Doctorate in 1888 when he came under investigation by the German police for activities on behalf of a socialist university group and articles he had written for a local socialist newspaper. Steinmetz fled to Zürich in 1888 to escape possible arrest. Faced with an expiring visa, he emigrated to the United States in 1889.
Shortly after arriving in the US, Steinmetz went to work for Rudolf Eickemeyer in Yonkers, New York, and published in the field of magnetic hysteresis. Eickemeyer's firm developed transformers for use in the transmission of electrical power among many other mechanical and electrical devices. In 1893 Eickemeyer's company, along with all of his patents and designs, was bought by the newly formed General Electric Company.
One of Steinmetz's great research projects was centered with the phenomena of lightning. He undertook a systematic study of it, resulting in experiments of man-made lightning in the laboratory; this work was published. Steinmetz was called the "forger of thunderbolts", being the first to create artificial lightning in his GE football field-sized laboratory and high towers, using 120,000 volt generators. He erected a lightning tower to attract lightning and studied the patterns and effects of lightning hits on tree bark and in a broken mirror—resulting in several theories and ideas (like the effect of lightning on plant growth and ac electric poles).
Steinmetz served as president of the Board of Education of Schenectady, and as president of the Schenectady city council. He was president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) from 1901 to 1902. Steinmetz wrote 13 books and 60 articles, not all about science.>>
[quote="dougettinger"]
This whole idea of dwarfs in astronomy is politically incorrect. Dwarfs today really refers to a genetic condition of dwarfism relating to that part of humanity that is unusually short and whose limbs are disproportionately smaller than the rest of his body. In fact, Walt Disney was politically incorrect but got away with it. Science should not be calling attention to these unfortunate people by referring them to puny stars that I now learn are not so puny.[/quote]
Unfortunate people?
"[i]a puny subject strikes at thy great glory[/i]." - King Richard II Act 3, Scene 2
[list][list]The Station Agent (2003)[/list]
Finbar McBride: I'm retired, actually.
Emily: Aren't you a little young to be retired?
Finbar McBride: No, dwarves retire early. Common fact.
Emily: Yeah, *lazy* dwarves. [/list][quote=" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarfism"]
<<Dwarfism is short stature which can be caused by about 200 distinct medical conditions.
The terms "dwarf", "little person", "LP", and "person of short stature" are now
generally considered acceptable by most people affected by these disorders.
[float=right][img3="Vamana as Trivikrama - depicted having three legs, one on the earth, raised leg in the heavens and third on Bali's head."]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Vamana1.jpg[/img3][/float]
Artistic representations of dwarfism can be found on Greek vases and other ancient artifacts, including ancient Egyptian art in which dwarfs are likely to have been seen as a divine manifestation, with records indicating they could reach high positions in society. The Bhagavat Purana Hindu text devotes nine chapters to the adventures of Vamana, a dwarf avatar of Vishnu.
Depiction of dwarfs is also found in European paintings and many illustrations. Many European paintings (especially Spanish) of the 16th–19th centuries depict dwarfs by themselves or with others. In the Talmud, it is said that the second born son of the Egyptian Pharaoh of the Bible was a dwarf. Recent scholarship has suggested that ancient Egyptians held dwarfs in high esteem. Several important mythological figures of the North American Wyandot nation are portrayed as dwarfs. Dwarfism is depicted in many books, films, and TV series such as Austin Powers, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Little People Big World, The Little Couple, Harry Potter, Seinfeld, In Bruges, The Tin Drum by Günter Grass, and the film The Station Agent.
The noun dwarf stems from Old English dweorg, originally referring to a being from Germanic mythology—a dwarf—that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. The etymology of the word dwarf is contested, and scholars have proposed varying theories about the origins of the being, including that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits or as beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. Competing etymologies include a basis in the Indo-European root *dheur- (meaning 'damage'), the Indo-European root *dhreugh (whence modern German traum 'dream' and trug 'deception'), and comparisons have been made with the Old Indian dhvaras (a type of demonic being).>>[/quote][quote=" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Proteus_Steinmetz"]
[float=right][img3="Marconi Wireless Station in Somerset, New Jersey in 1921.
Charles Steinmetz is at centre; he died two years later."]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Somerset_01.jpg/751px-Somerset_01.jpg[/img3][/float]
<<Charles Proteus Steinmetz (April 9, 1865 – October 26, 1923) was a German-American mathematician and electrical engineer. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers. He made ground-breaking discoveries in the understanding of hysteresis that enabled engineers to design better electric motors for use in industry.
Steinmetz was born as Carl August Rudolph Steinmetz to Carl Heinrich Steinmetz in Breslau, Province of Silesia. Steinmetz suffered from dwarfism, hunchback, and hip dysplasia, as did his father and grandfather. Steinmetz attended Johannes Gymnasium and astonished his teachers with his proficiency in mathematics and physics.
Following the Gymnasium Steinmetz went on to the University of Breslau to begin work on his undergraduate degree in 1883. He was on the verge of finishing his Doctorate in 1888 when he came under investigation by the German police for activities on behalf of a socialist university group and articles he had written for a local socialist newspaper. Steinmetz fled to Zürich in 1888 to escape possible arrest. Faced with an expiring visa, he emigrated to the United States in 1889.
Shortly after arriving in the US, Steinmetz went to work for Rudolf Eickemeyer in Yonkers, New York, and published in the field of magnetic hysteresis. Eickemeyer's firm developed transformers for use in the transmission of electrical power among many other mechanical and electrical devices. In 1893 Eickemeyer's company, along with all of his patents and designs, was bought by the newly formed General Electric Company.
One of Steinmetz's great research projects was centered with the phenomena of lightning. He undertook a systematic study of it, resulting in experiments of man-made lightning in the laboratory; this work was published. Steinmetz was called the "forger of thunderbolts", being the first to create artificial lightning in his GE football field-sized laboratory and high towers, using 120,000 volt generators. He erected a lightning tower to attract lightning and studied the patterns and effects of lightning hits on tree bark and in a broken mirror—resulting in several theories and ideas (like the effect of lightning on plant growth and ac electric poles).
Steinmetz served as president of the Board of Education of Schenectady, and as president of the Schenectady city council. He was president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) from 1901 to 1902. Steinmetz wrote 13 books and 60 articles, not all about science.>>[/quote]