Capitalism
The Climate Change Business
Before I start on the main body of this exercise, a few words on my background. On leaving school I joined, what at that time was one of the UK’s largest Power Engineering companies. Over [more…]
Engineering
20th Century
The Atomic Spies, Part One
Some previous articles detailed how the USSR infiltrated the USA and UK using spies and agents of influence. When they got wind of the atomic bomb project, the Soviets put in a lot of effort [more…]
19th Century
Milestones in Nineteenth Century Firearms Development, Part Eight
Introduction During the first half of the 19th century great leaps forward were made in firearms technology and by the 1870s soldiers who 50 years earlier would have been supplied with flintlock, smoothbore muskets were [more…]
Engineering
Radioactivity And The Geiger Counter – Part 4
Three Geiger-Muller tubes. They look a bit like large electrical fuses. These were all made in Russia during the 1970s. The STS-5 is identical to the American SBM-20. It’s probably the most common Geiger tube [more…]
19th Century
Milestones in Nineteenth Century Firearms Development, Part Seven
Introduction By the 1860s it had become obvious that the days of the muzzle loading firearm were numbered and that any government that failed to re-arm its troops with breechloaders would quickly be left behind [more…]
Engineering
Radioactivity And The Geiger Counter – Part 3
Before I get to making a Geiger counter I want to pay a quick visit to the opposite end of the radiation spectrum, all the the way from gamma rays to the shortwave. It’s interesting [more…]
20th Century
Pobjoy Aero-engines
Born in 1894, Douglas Rudolf Pobjoy later studied engineering locally at Bristol University. Pobjoy abandoned his studies when the first World War broke out by enlisting in the Army Service Corps and was sent to [more…]
Engineering
Radioactivity And The Geiger Counter – Part 2
At some point in the 1980s a certain Bob Boyd needed to use a lavatory. I suppose that we all do, from time-to-time. And, at some point in the 1800s, someone decided it a very [more…]
20th Century
Milestones in Nineteenth Century Firearms Development, Part Six
Introduction Sometime in mid-2017 I casually remarked to the chap shooting at the next bench to me that I had long been fascinated by the Westley Richards ‘Monkey Tail’ transitional rifle but had never actually [more…]