M.I.T. researchers have devised a virtual-reality technique that lets them read old letters that were mailed not in envelopes but in the writing paper itself after being folded into elaborate enclosures. From a report: In 1587, hours before her beheading, Mary, Queen of Scots, sent a letter to her brother-in-law Henry III, King of France. But she didn’t just sign it…
Tag: Queen
Why do the queen’s guards wear such tall hats?
To scare off the queen’s enemies. Source: https://www.livescience.com/why-queens-guard-bearskin-hats.html
Observer’s challenge: Moon and morning planets on February 8, 9 and 10
Before sunrise on February 8, 9 and 10, 2021, the old moon might guide you to 3 morning planets: Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Fair warning. It won’t be easy to spot the planets so near the sunrise glare! Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-morning-planets-feb-8-9-10-2021…
Naked mole rats mimic the dialect of their colony’s queen
Colonies of naked mole rats share the same dialect, which may help them recognise friend from foe – and these are set by the colony’s queen Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2266135-naked-mole-rats-mimic-the-dialect-of-their-colonys-queen/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
13-foot-long ‘Book of the Dead’ scroll found in burial shaft in Egypt
A funerary temple belonging to Queen Nearit has been discovered in the ancient Egyptian burial ground Saqqara next to the pyramid of her husband, pharaoh Teti. Source: https://www.livescience.com/queen-temple-book-of-dead-found-egypt.html
Look for Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper
Watch the celestial clock and its 2 great big hour hands – Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper – as they swing around the North Star every night! Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/cassiopeia-and-big-dipper…
Raven ‘queen’ missing from Tower of London, feared dead
According to legend, six ravens must inhabit the Tower of London or the kingdom will fall. Now, one of the ravens, a matriarch named Merlina, is missing. Source: https://www.livescience.com/raven-matriarch-missing-tower-of-london.html
How The Band Phish Played Chess Against Its Fans on New Year’s Eve
An anonymous reader writes: So on New Year’s Eve, the “jam” rock band Phish re-broadcast their legendary 1995 performance on New Year’s Eve — while playing a game of chess against the audience. (Just as they’d done in 1995 — although during that tour they’d made two just moves during each show.) In a video promoting this year’s event, a chess…
A Deepfake Queen Delivered an Alternative Christmas Speech to Warn about Misinformation
“A fake Queen Elizabeth danced across TV screens on Christmas as part of a ‘deepfake’ speech aired by a British broadcaster,” reports CNN:
The broadcaster said the video was supposed to offer “a stark warning about the advanced technology that is enabling the proliferation of misinformation and fake news in a digital age.” Channel 4 annually accompanies the Queen’s traditional speech with…
What Are You Paying For in a $300 Chess Set? Mostly the Knights
If you bought a wooden chess set after watching “The Queen’s Gambit,” the price you paid was most likely dictated by just four pieces. From a report: The knights alone can account for as much as 50 percent of the cost of a nice wooden set. While the rest of the pieces can be machine-made, the knights are carved by hand…