tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post3209523482551231532..comments2024-03-28T22:13:17.139+00:00Comments on Stonehenge and the Ice Age: Stonehenge as it might have been -- or maybe not....BRIAN JOHNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-3108704967771578172016-10-20T20:19:21.805+01:002016-10-20T20:19:21.805+01:00"Where are the flint nodules?
There ought to ..."Where are the flint nodules?<br />There ought to be Flint nodules?<br />etc Pace S.Sondheim"!AGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-77997527390385784722016-10-19T13:58:08.741+01:002016-10-19T13:58:08.741+01:00Brian, I agree with and have shown that the blues...Brian, I agree with and have shown that the bluestones were rearranged several times sometimes with settings of posts as in SPR plan stage 1 another of my contributions to the SPR stages, however there would have been no matter who’s stages or phases you go by, years, tens or hundreds of years between settings. The idea of the thing looking like an unfinished building site for a thousand years with the odd group of workmen leaning on a stone with the Neolithic equivalent of a fag and a cup of tea, I don’t think so.<br />Darvil and Johnson also show plans of phases and settings as though they are finished and Tim Darvil has used my 2004 recons in lectures. <br />I think I already answered these two questions but I will have another stab at it. I have shown my proposed inner bluestone circle as pillars as that was what the shape of the excavation holes at W. Amesbury suggested( Whatever it was came out of them) and the remaining SW side of the horseshoe are pillars, these would have been the same stones different holes. I do agree that with the bluestone entrance portal and double arc being pillars there appears too many. I have said that I think they may have been separate stages, but sometimes you have to keep the client happy, it isn’t impossible that there were more of the refined upright blues. However next time I will put in more varied shaped blues in the arc and later circles. <br /><br />I have said why I think there may have been a stone in stonehole in WA3359 it may have been the Altar stone or a similar/slightly smaller stone at the period depicted. I have thought the Altar Stone was recumbent when it was hit by stone 55 and its lintel since the early 2000s and have been talking about it being a memorial stone marking the positions of the two posts since then, I don’t believe anyone else was, certainly not the archaeologists I was working with. It may be that the two posts, the recumbent Alter Stone and a stone, the Bluestone tongue and groove pair or here’s a new idea little skinny sarsen 11 in WA 3359 inside the inner bluestone circle, all before the sarsen circle and trilithons were set up.<br />That would make a nice image. <br />Peter<br />Peter Dunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05417233316425767843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-42865388145948993442016-10-18T15:30:19.371+01:002016-10-18T15:30:19.371+01:00Peter -- I am really not expert enough to comment ...Peter -- I am really not expert enough to comment in detail on the Stonehenge settings, except to mention the comments from Tim Darvill and Anthony Johnson (among others) to the effect that any "immaculate" reconstruction is likely to be wide of the mark, given that the stones were rearranged over and again. Two things come immediately to mind. Why have you shown all the bluestones in the bluestone circle as elongated pillars when, from the evidence presented on the "Stones of Stonehenge" website, most of them were rounded boulders or slabs with many varied shapes? Also, you have shown the Altar Stone as being a standing stone. Others insist that it always was recumbent, given its rather strange shape....... BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-22856060458815375062016-10-18T15:10:35.365+01:002016-10-18T15:10:35.365+01:00Hello Brian,
A late addition to this discussion b...Hello Brian, <br />A late addition to this discussion bringing it back to the original topic, you asked what the evidence was for some details in the panting. I am interested to know if you were at all convinced and if as one of the purposes is for these works did it raise more questions and ideas as well as perhaps answer a few? Interestingly in an earlier post you show an entrance arrangement to Meini Gwyr very similar to that in the Stonehenge stage 2/3 double bluestone arc and entrance minus the lintel. I think it is reasonable to assume that most of the stone arrangements were “finished” although rearrangement for the blues after a slight or longer period seems to be part of the plan, belief system or response to developments over time until the need to do this ended. <br />Perhaps the design of the sarsen circle was “finished” if it’s design included the deliberate use of stone 11 to break the lintel ring or extend the smaller stone with some ingenious arrangement and complete the ring.Peter Dunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05417233316425767843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-22208016885772919002016-10-07T15:46:30.302+01:002016-10-07T15:46:30.302+01:00As you should know by now, Myris, I am completely ...As you should know by now, Myris, I am completely incorruptible. As for Blick Mead, the Daily Mail and dog's teeth, the less said the better.....<br />BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-8379832688816020912016-10-07T09:35:35.883+01:002016-10-07T09:35:35.883+01:00An OAP eh! leeching off the state. By your own log...An OAP eh! leeching off the state. By your own logic re public money equals public access to papers etc can we expect you to buy and then cook OAP paid-for food and distribute it freely. We have paid for it with our taxes. <br /><br />Enough trivia Brian what is your cosy arrangement with the Blick Mead madders? Why are their outrageous claims not vilified here as poor MPP is? Are you being bought off, is that tax payers back-handers.<br /><br />I see in the Daily Mail (I only read it on-line after reading the BBC and Guardian on line and I only read it for the porn) so must be correct, that the puce coloured rocks,the "Welsh slate Tool" this is the size of a finger nail and may very well not be slate but local-ish shale and is just the sort of detritus to adhere to the sole of an archy boot and be brought in, is now joined by a "Midlands rock".<br /><br />Could this be the beginning of Brian's glacial erratics that so far have eluded all seekers. <br />Is this why the Blickers are being protected and Brian so Blinkered.<br /><br />Ironically much is about a dog's dinner<br /><br />Where are the ducks<br />There ought to be ducks<br /> etc pace S.Sondheim.<br /><br />I hear there is to be a real erratic unveiling tomorrow. Photos to follow.<br />MMyris of Alexanadrianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-48735206372950585782016-10-06T14:12:21.269+01:002016-10-06T14:12:21.269+01:00Before I am offered the Nobel Peace Prize or nomin...Before I am offered the Nobel Peace Prize or nominated for a sainthood, I MUST declare that I am in receipt of my old age pension from the state. Is that an acceptable degree of state intervention? BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-22887263532431813112016-10-06T10:17:48.707+01:002016-10-06T10:17:48.707+01:00It is wonderful that Dr John’s Craig Rhosyfelin wo...It is wonderful that Dr John’s Craig Rhosyfelin work and since 2001 ALL of Dr Ixer’s Stonehenge work has been SELF-FUNDED this allows them both the moral high ground and their academic gifts are therefore untrammelled by the tainted taxes of the sweating/sweaty poor. Pure philanthropy at its finest. Examples to us all, we should all book places on this rosy dawn.<br />Dr Ixer’s work is, of course, nominally paid for by the Constantine XI Palaeologos Porphyrogenitus Research Fund who have been unstinting in their assistance. Indeed his atlas is dedicated to Cont. XI.<br />But lordy lordy Miss Scarlet, I am having difficulty in readjusting my perception of Brian whom I imagined as a typical Welsh petit bourgeoisie ((can any native speaker please give me the Welsh for petit bourgeoisie (no loan words please)) but now am told has been enslaved, enchained for YEARS. It is so fashionable these days to be a victim, -the empowered and bullies have rights as well. But Brian enshackled to his desk, good that the candle light is free, is distressing and no wonder he has lost a little generosity of heart and perhaps his way.<br />This is all becoming a bit too Name of the Rose and I must stop licking my bleeding fingers and feed the dogs before I hear ‘the music of the night’.<br />Public taxes and patriotism are the last refuge of ………<br />M <br />Myris of Alexandrianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-75370000483124259322016-10-06T07:04:31.849+01:002016-10-06T07:04:31.849+01:00Jon, my education up to degree stage was free, and...Jon, my education up to degree stage was free, and was paid for by the taxpayer, and so was my period as a research student. My period of employment for BAS was paid for by the taxpayer, and so was most of my salary as a university lecturer. My research grants came mostly from the taxpayer too -- apart from a few from charitable / educational institutions like the RGS. I know that industry is increasingly important nowadays in science research, but if taken as a proportion of the total, across the board, I bet it's still not more than 10% of the sum invested in getting a researcher productive to the point of submitting things to journals..... BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-55345913140742768412016-10-05T20:26:12.719+01:002016-10-05T20:26:12.719+01:00After all, we taxpayers have most often contribute...<i>After all, we taxpayers have most often contributed to the research done by those who then write the articles.</i><br /><br />Not sure about that Brian. None of the journals that I subscribe to, or that I've been published in, get any support from the taxpayer and virtually none of the authors in those journals receive any taxpayer support (other than Charitable Status for tax purposes): It's all from industry (and the journals are also funded by industry with no taxpayer support). It might be different in other disciplines.Jon Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11264966739582178631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-20531353225444981002016-10-05T16:55:19.712+01:002016-10-05T16:55:19.712+01:00I don't think anybody (apart from some massive...I don't think anybody (apart from some massive journal publishers) disputes the fact that learned articles in peer-reviewed journals should be free for all those who want to read them. After all, we taxpayers have most often contributed to the research done by those who then write the articles. So it is not an act of great philanthropy to "give away" one's learned articles. It's the least the public should expect. With books, that is a different matter. Nobody seriously suggests that all learned tomes should be given away. If a writer spends years slaving away on his research, and if a publisher invests in getting a book into print and then marketing it, the idea of a reasonable recompense has a certain attraction.......BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-15621995093637137972016-10-05T11:28:47.237+01:002016-10-05T11:28:47.237+01:00I like Myris's way of thinking, but it's a...I like Myris's way of thinking, but it's a subject that falls within Ixer's own field of expertise, so it's very easy for him to judge whether or not there is benefit to others.<br /><br />If content is within one's own field of expertise, but the only potential beneficial impact is to another discipline, it is exceptionally difficult to judge how, or even if, it should be published. Potential benefits are best assessed by the discipline affected, so assessing the response of others (to see if it is worthwhile making more information available), becomes a drawn out process of trial and error. <br /><br />If the expert response from potential beneficiaries is lacklustre, it is usually a good indication that the content may not be as beneficial (to the external discipline) as the authors might believe. Prior to the internet, this would have been a big signal to stop work and archive the content: The idea of giving is good, but only if there is a benefit to someone from the giving.<br /><br />If the content provider still believes, despite the expert response, that the work may be beneficial, then making it available freely can these days be done on blogs or forums (for example, the Megalithic Portal). So both points of view on how to publish seem to me to be equally good in their own context.Jon Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11264966739582178631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-42253408866348550852016-10-05T10:31:33.116+01:002016-10-05T10:31:33.116+01:00But we are not talking about selling but giving aw...But we are not talking about selling but giving away things of worth. The fun of doing something good just because you can, becoming an academic secret Santa (as long as they spell your name correctly).<br />Who here has not been enriched from Dr Ixer putting his Stonehenge papers FREE on line, neither earning nor wanting a single widow's mite. Although he might die for a widow's peak again and to be able to disbar some of the gabardine swine from misreading them but in his saintly heart he forgives but never FORGETS them.<br />What a sad, drab world commercial marketing must be, what did our own dear Oscar say, a cynic knows.<br />M'Ag Myris of Alexandrianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-68453391115892379642016-10-04T17:57:30.107+01:002016-10-04T17:57:30.107+01:00After a working lifetime in marketing I can say wi...After a working lifetime in marketing I can say with confidence that high prices are a sign of quality and people will pay as long as it IS quality.<br />The Networld paradigm of giving everything for nothing is not for people with content to sell.chris johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16210890033354730381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-9520729542362748332016-10-04T16:29:30.291+01:002016-10-04T16:29:30.291+01:00Quite right you are, Jon. I have tried free promo...Quite right you are, Jon. I have tried free promotions with a number of my titles -- Its a great deal cheaper than paid advertising, and at least brings titles to the attention of potential readers if you are active on Twitter and Facebook etc. I don't really know how effective these free promos are -- sometimes I have seen a bit of a spike in sales figures afterwards, and sometimes not...... Certainly there have been no dramatic increases in sales when the freebie promos come to an end. Funny old business.<br /><br />I agree that for fiction you have to set Kindle sales prices low, so as to compete with all the rest, but if I was doing a non-fiction title on Amazon I would aim at a higher price in the hope that this would signal a quality product!BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-7811380471616841922016-10-04T15:32:56.604+01:002016-10-04T15:32:56.604+01:00You gave them away in one of your promotions Brian...You gave them away in one of your promotions Brian!<br /><br />Not so sure about the idea of making books free: It's a costly exercise to produce a non-fiction book and there's no realistic probability of recouping the costs even if it becomes a best-seller in its field. <br /><br />Really cheap kindle books are an indicator of the quality of the product. The odd promotion is OK, but if you chuck a quality title into a low quality pond, the title is likely to be seen as low quality. I figure the best thing to do is to make the cost of the title reflect, at least to a small extent, the amount of effort that was required to produce it. People are unlikely to buy a non-fiction title using low cost as the selection criteria.Jon Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11264966739582178631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-72618029165719097042016-10-04T13:40:52.057+01:002016-10-04T13:40:52.057+01:00What? Is Amazon giving away my books for free on ...What? Is Amazon giving away my books for free on Kindle? They are supposed to sell them for a couple of quid apiece -- fantastic value, though I say it myself. Ironically, when they sell the Kindle version of On Angel Mountain for £2.27 (or whatever) I earn more than I do when Amazon sells a paperback version which has a cover price of £6.99. That's because of the vast discount that Amazon insists on, and which small publishers are powerless to resist. Don't get me going on that one.......BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-66472672668998041632016-10-04T12:41:10.955+01:002016-10-04T12:41:10.955+01:00It has become a trend in geology (I doubt because ...It has become a trend in geology (I doubt because of Dr Ixer) and some very important books are now freely available and it is slowly snowballing.<br /><br />Whilst Dr Ixer enjoys a Rosie glow as much as anyone he did it as a thank you for the free uni education that he received in the 60s. It seemed right and proper to repay that debt. Karma is everything.<br /><br />Of course this is a tinsy bit disingenuous as someone has all the free Angel Mtn books on his Kindle and enjoys Mistress Martha (Spoiler alert don't marry her)and her up and down hikes.<br />MMyris of Alexandrianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-70389492205882991742016-10-04T12:00:48.836+01:002016-10-04T12:00:48.836+01:00Well, that was all very confusing, Myris. One can...Well, that was all very confusing, Myris. One can but admire your philanthropy, but I have my doubts that very many will follow your lead and give their books away, even on the web. The main reason for authors or publishers to give their books away is that they are difficult or impossible to sell -- we have all done it with certain titles. It's a more noble thing to do than pulping excess copies or remaindering them at prices far below the unit cost of printing. The idea of writers giving their books away to their communities of interest is a very jolly one, except that we live in a market economy in which intellectual property has a market value. That's why teachers teach, and get paid for it. I happen to make my living from publishing and selling books, and I am not greatly attracted by the idea of giving them all away just in order to give myself a rosy glow. Dream on, Myris......<br /><br />All that having been said, I have just given my four folk tales books away via Dropbox to anybody who wants them, because I judge that the cost of republishing them in paperback or hardback would not be cost-effective, given the rather small market!BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-35524676589835749362016-10-04T10:33:27.919+01:002016-10-04T10:33:27.919+01:00The pet rock atlas more formally known as An Atlas...The pet rock atlas more formally known as An Atlas of opaque and ore minerals in their associations has been out of print since 1991 and Dr Ixer regularly has refused a number of the major scientific publishing houses offers of having it reprinted. He last sold copies in 1994 including all the ‘special copies’ and now only has a single presentation copy. He holds the sole copyright.<br />Second hand copies are available on Amazon etc but have nothing to do with Dr Ixer.<br />The virtual atlas of opaque and ore minerals in their associations Drs Ixer and Duller is and has always been FREE on the web, indeed they pay for the website and I guess they jointly hold the copyright. It has been FREE for almost 20 years and was a GIFT from the good doctors to the geological community. (In order to buy back the copyright from the original publishers Dr Ixer had to buy all the unsold copies of the atlas- that is how he knows there are no books floating around- it took a few years to sell all the books but he did make a really decent, unexpected profit). <br />The point being made (yet again Brian does not read what is written but what he thinks is written) when the atlas is mentioned is that OTHERS should make their book FREE to their community and not try to sell it. It would stop all that bleating about firewalls etc . Come on authors give your book for free….. to quote the Coen Brothers film “Come on in boys, the water is fine”.<br />So any mention of the atlas is code for “mend your ways penny-pinching authors go sky-clad” not please buy my book. It cannot be of any use to anybody on this blog-site not without a few years of training.<br />So GIVE GIVE GIVE or at least bloody read what is written.<br />M<br />FREE Myris of Alexandrianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-82535978412259329452016-10-04T07:38:56.420+01:002016-10-04T07:38:56.420+01:00Neil -- you are a brave fellow. Self-publishing i...Neil -- you are a brave fellow. Self-publishing is not for the faint-hearted, and I wish you well. You might find this of interest -- a presentation given originally to the Society of Authors in London and subsequently to the PENfro Book Festival. <br />http://www.brianjohn.co.uk/self-publishing-1.html<br />It's a very personal story, but some of the points are are of pretty broad relevance I think......BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-31654225398377718532016-10-03T21:15:18.770+01:002016-10-03T21:15:18.770+01:00Tony,
Thanks for the kind remarks.
Austin K of Si...Tony,<br />Thanks for the kind remarks.<br /><br />Austin K of Silent Earth note is a pretty cool feller and his site is quite an eye-opener with related arcana! He has just returned from Ireland, having traveled with Terry Meaden to witness Equinox at the Dromberg Circle. (Terry's new book should not be missed!)<br /><br />Austin's been enthusiastically inducted, as a member in good-standing, into the rarefied ranks of the 'Stonehenge Mafia', a few members of which are known to comment here. We try to de-mystify the site using reality, as well as counter its Disneyfication.<br /><br />Alas, I am not at liberty to name other members, as I would soon be sleeping with the Bluestones ...<br /><br />NeilND Wisemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11925248433335448747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-67120137523386205292016-10-03T20:50:16.473+01:002016-10-03T20:50:16.473+01:00Believe me Brian, choosing the volume-size wasn...Believe me Brian, choosing the volume-size wasn't easy, and yes, it has hardly gone unnoticed.<br /><br />But there's 114 photographs and illustrations in 72 pages, and the detail of many would have been compromised in a smaller format.<br /><br />The downside, as Dr Ixer mentions in the review, is the paper-quality. In the mainstream it would deserve 100# gloss, wherein the pictures would sizzle.<br /><br />A couple of good UK publishers are looking at it now, so perhaps one day soon ...<br /><br />Best,<br />NeilND Wisemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11925248433335448747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-82358089104020719572016-10-03T19:37:34.776+01:002016-10-03T19:37:34.776+01:00Neil -- your restraint is commendable. Not to wor...Neil -- your restraint is commendable. Not to worry, every now and then an author pushes his own book on this blog. Myris has been doing it for years with his Pet Rock Atlas, and I hope he has got a few sales as a result. I even mention my own modest tome now and then.....BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228690739485734684.post-6430011373869951632016-10-03T19:15:25.290+01:002016-10-03T19:15:25.290+01:00A4? Not a good idea -- large format books hardly ...A4? Not a good idea -- large format books hardly ever do well, unless they are aimed straight into a highly specialised market and are very glossy and snazzy.BRIAN JOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00413447032454568083noreply@blogger.com