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More than a thousand years before the first telescopes, Babylonian astronomers tracked the motion of planets across the night sky using simple arithmetic. Kerbal Space Program, cuneiform edition
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There is no evidence in the Wikipedia article for "using data collected by Babylonians."
There is evidence for the possible use of a "Babylonian" model in calculating eclipses in one of the "dials" of the device; there's also evidence for Egyptian influence, since one of the other "dials" has intervals marked with Egyptian terms directly translated into the Greek of the time (koine).
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00407-014-0145-5
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/355836
«In art as in science there is no delight without the detail ... Let me repeat that unless these are thoroughly understood and remembered, all “general ideas” (so easily acquired, so profitably resold) must necessarily remain but worn passports allowing their bearers short cuts from one area of ignorance to another.» Vladimir Nabokov, commentary on translation of “Eugene Onegin.”
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There is a video (BBC) explaining the analyze that was conducted lately.
In this video, it is obvious that data from babylonian astronomers was used.
Patrice
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Albert Einstein
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Windows Phone started off life as a promising alternative to Android and iOS five years ago. "No no! 'E's pining!"
Put this post next to the "Surface Phone coming soon". Maybe one will be right.
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Kent Sharkey wrote: promising alternative to Android and iOS
Keyword: promising
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Was it ever actually alive? 
"There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C.A.R. Hoare
Home | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter
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The real problem is that it has a low market share so developers overlook it, therefore apps are missing (even the big app provider seldom have working and up to date WP versions), for this reason people don't buy it and that's why it has a low market share.
I have one Windows Phone and it is astonishingly fast, it crashed only once in over a year - usually I NEVER shut it down, it's on 24/7 for months - and nver disappointed me, while costing like the lowest possible Android. I had several Androids before, costing up to 250€, and all were garbage afer six months: several MINUTES to wait before the telephony application openes up, meaning if I'm to call 911 for an emergency I'd be elephanted up for sure.
Battery life is more than double my previous Androids and the usage is the same if not a bit more.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
"When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
If a coffee bean is between the Earth and the Sun, is it a Java Eclipse? -- Sascha Lefèvre
/xml>
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I don't doubt that they're good phones, but that doesn't mean that people will buy them. They need the likes of Apple to help market their product. Both my daughters have Apple phones, and they are always breaking and failing. My Google Nexus by comparison is utterly reliable.
"There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C.A.R. Hoare
Home | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter
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Definitely agree: same for me.
I'd also add that I'll probably fall to a plain "old" phone back when my Lumia 800 stops working...
No reasons at all to switch to an Android, yet to money to throw for an Apple.
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That's my idea too, but I'm quite comfortable having a web browser and WhatsApp (some of my contacts use only that, also it's useful being able to receive photos for a number of domestic reasons) so I'll probably stick with Lumia as long as they're produced.
I feel only the lack of a proper GPS system, here where I live it misses me of several km and the maps are stupid - they lack the indications of where is the tube and they give me the position of the bus stops but not WHICH busses pass through them. Google does not develope its fairly functional Google Maps for iphone and blocks IE - I can't use the web version. There are a number of rogue alternatives that access Google Maps but are rooted out periodically.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
"When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
If a coffee bean is between the Earth and the Sun, is it a Java Eclipse? -- Sascha Lefèvre
/xml>
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Your viewpoint is very common to hear, at least it seems to me.
Well, since I'm sitting in front of a PC (either at office or at home) for roughly 12hrs/day, I never feel the needing to have a browser or something like that. About WhatsApp, I prefer to keep far from those stuffs because they're too dispersive.
Well, it seems to me that the most important question is: what it'll be about the "Windows on any device" strategy of MS?
If they drop phones, then they'll drop the small devices such boards, IoT and similar?
Maybe I miss some point, but the war MS is losing is about the software, not about the hardware. They have a lot of good things, but the massive usage of "garbage" by other vendors (e.g. web instead of apps) make them useless.
Really, if the users would have been programmers, WP were the absolute winner: no doubt!
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At office we don't have Internet access, then I have 3 hours/day of commuting therefore a browser on my phone comes in handy. WhatsApp is the same as messages, I only have three people in my Recent conversation: my missus, my mother and my father. Only they can send me photos, which help me agreeing to buying something (my missus does) or troubleshooting something.
Mario Vernari wrote: the war MS is losing is about the software
They're losing againste their own policy, only applied by someone else. Apple got a hold of all the fashion victims, Google monopolized and keeps off the competitors by not providing their winnon products (GMail and Maps, namely, but also Youtube - there is no app in windows phone, it's alousy link to the site).
Mario Vernari wrote: If they drop phones, then they'll drop the small devices such boards, IoT and similar?
Who knows, the main problem is that many people do really need only a gaming console and a tablet because they were and are totally not capable of using all the computer resources. Probably PCs will return to be the "computer freak" or "professional" stuff, which will probably lead to less software and much less quality freeware. It's almost a good thing though, since it means less crapplications and crapware around...
I think they will try to ride the IoT and small devices since it is new and there aren't many devices around, but the intercompatibility is a huge problem: Android and iPhones will come perfectly compatible with all of their IoT/Wearable counterparts while MS ones will be "the strange thing".
Anyway a decent amount of people are changing to WP and are satisfied, let's hope this trend will continue.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
"When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
If a coffee bean is between the Earth and the Sun, is it a Java Eclipse? -- Sascha Lefèvre
/xml>
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"missus"...never heard "missus". Is it standard English? Nice to know, though...
Back to phones, yeah: I too know many people satisfied by the MS quality yet unsatisfied because the lack of apps around.
As I told you, I'm a bit off as phone user, but I probably "more-off" than others. EVEN the classic phone section (I mean the voice/sms) is going to be useless in my family: I may call my wife/son and send them ton of sms, but they don't answer... 
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There are quite a lot of changes coming in the 1.8 release, so please check them out and send us your feedback. For those who like their JavaScript, and data types too
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A new analysis of lunar rock and soil samples suggests that the Earth got full-on clobbered by an ancient planet called Theia. The sky is falling!
Alternately (for those who watch late night US infomercials): "Apply directly to the forehead"
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I’ve been asked a number of times over the years how, exactly, I approach learning new stuff, whether that be a new programming language, a new platform, whatever. A lesson
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Kent Sharkey wrote: how, exactly, I approach learning new stuff, whether that be a new programming language, a new platform, whatever.
I find a job where I can get paid to learn it. 
Marc
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Sadly, so do far too many politicians. 
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I put myself in a situation where the bonfire lit under my butt flares, and there's no choice but to get a move on 
cheers, Bill
«In art as in science there is no delight without the detail ... Let me repeat that unless these are thoroughly understood and remembered, all “general ideas” (so easily acquired, so profitably resold) must necessarily remain but worn passports allowing their bearers short cuts from one area of ignorance to another.» Vladimir Nabokov, commentary on his translation of “Eugene Onegin.”/xml>
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BillWoodruff wrote: and there's no choice but...
the best master for most people.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Last fall, we learned that a former Google employee named Sanmay Ved had managed to purchase the “Google.com” domain name for exactly one minute before Google realized what had happened and snatched it back. Decent wage for one minute's work
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Google's push for all websites to be HTTPS has so far been all carrot. But the company is now using its big stick: a large red cross through every website that doesn't offer an encrypted connection. Time to be certifiable
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OpenSSL maintainers release update that fixes key-recovery bug. Patch now. {sigh} You know the drill...
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