So I went out and hit people with sticks...

[aumentou]

except that because bint wasn't there, they mostly hit me...

I have a squished finger, bruised arm, massive one just above the left knee, and a weird tightness across my chest from an unpleasant fall on top of a bill.

Which was nice...
and I went and saw tremors. Spontaneously. Which was amusing.

Meanwhile, I have this little

There was a TV program about neolithic people, and it demonstrated a neolithic bow, in comparison with a medieval D-section longbow. The conclusion was that the neolithic bow was better. I will not argue with the conclusion, because truth to tell I don't know. It is entirely possible that the strongest neolithis bow is stronger than the strongest longbow, but the 'evidence' was bollocks.

Man takes neolithic bow, shoots pig from 50 yards, arrow goes in about an inch. Man takes longbow. Shoots dead pig from 50 yards. Hits. Arrow bounces off.
The guy is obviously using the wimpy 25 lb traing bows that we use, because theres no way an arrow fired from a proper weapon of war (100- 180 lb draw) would fail to pierce a pigs skin. It might not pass completely through the damn pig, but for christs sake... I've seen an 80lb lngbow hitting wood, and it went in two inches after passing through the straw target.

How exactly would the bow have been a useful weapon of war if at 50 yards it couldn't pierce pig skin? "Don't worry lads, we've all got our authentic heavy wool outfits on, those arrows will just bounce off"

The "evidence" basically proved that you can make a neolithic bow to a higher poundage than the lowest powered longbow in existence.

I feel insulted by this kind of pseudo-scientific broadcast, which assumes no knowledge on the part of the viewers, and no capacity to think either.

Besides, the guy didn't even draw properly. He didn't put his shoulders into it. which I felt inclined to put somewhere.

Comments

[blue-jez.livejournal.com]

While it is edutainment, it is a fair point that it does not take a lot more effort to produce a program of the same calibre and depth which is also accurate. LAck of research, flawed comparisons, and misinformation are rife on TV, even if the misinformation is their either becauseof the lack of research or for fear of alienating the viewer with science. It is possible to describe most concepts without technicalities.

[jozafeen.livejournal.com]

It's the kind of approach i thought we'd lose once the patronising science coverage of Tomorrows World was axed. Now it's just worse as everything is dumbed down and over-explained.

Well...

[gwengothelf.livejournal.com]

I have, in the past put arrows through a car door as a demonstration using my 40lb Ash/Lemonwood D section longbow as a demonstration.


So I would suspect that a 80-120lb Yew bow could do a slight more than bounce of a pig's skin...

[glitterybint.livejournal.com]

MY 40lb lemonwood/ ash longbow thankyou very much

thats bollocks, longbows went through armour, would easily kill pig, end of story.

*wail* I wanna play with my bow, damnit!!!

and, why were you hit with sticks because I wasnt there? "bemused*

[thegreatgonzo.livejournal.com]

MY 40lb lemonwood/ ash longbow thankyou very much

But was heres at the time...

and, why were you hit with sticks because I wasnt there? "bemused*

Presumably 'cause when you are there no-one else gets a look in at hitting him.

[glitterybint.livejournal.com]

ok, point conceded

either that or it could mean that im the target when he's not there...

[mr-s-face.livejournal.com]

No, it's just that when you're there you monopolise my figting time, and since you never manage to hit me, you not being there gets me hit more :op

[glitterybint.livejournal.com]

I'll remind you of that next time you're nursing bruises that I caused...

[silverixnay.livejournal.com]

Can I hit you?

(following spending hours this week getting Ceilidh emails sorted, come to the last one and it fucks up on me, guess which cunt it was!)

Ahh, feel better now! You going Friday? Do you think you'll do the Xmas meal?

Sannah now returning to the evil world of work!

[mr-s-face.livejournal.com]

First you have to learn how to fight safely with a bill.

Than you can have a chance at hitting me.

I'm not promising anything.

[mr-s-face.livejournal.com]

It is a funny thing that you hit me twice and I get two bruises, whereas I hit you six times and you hardly feel them...

[glitterybint.livejournal.com]

thats cos im soooo much harder than you :p