Bbc2 Thurs
 

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BBC2 Thurs 29th "inventions that changed the world" , this week "the jet"

unfortunately its hosted by that pr@#k Clarkson.

I just know I'm going to regret this, but what's wrong with Clarkson? I thought he was a genuine guy with a mischievous sense of humour and a strong mind. He certainly stands up for what he believes in, and also admits when he's wrong and/or can't hack it - throwing up in the F16 got my vote, especially the aftermath on the tarmac.

A

F15, Airbedane, F15. Great bit of TV.

Yes, I think Clarkson is mostly harmless, I even read his column in the Sunday Times . . . . :eek:


VA :D

This new series of his is OK, it's certainly better than his chat show ever was.

Looking forward to the show as I'm sure to learn something new and I feel it will be a bit of Clarkson government bashing as they trade the design of the jet engine for er.. not a lot at the end of the WWII.

Clarkson has been referred to as "thinking woman's crumpet". Thing is, if you think about it too much, you realise whoever said that was wrong. He can be very funny though and I will be watching on Thursday!

Did anyone see Clarkson last Thursday on Beeb 2? All about computers?

Having spent all my working life in the Computer industry, I was looking forward to it. He started well, with good insight of Babbage and the Difference Engine, then spent perhaps rather too long at Bletchley Park on code cracking machines (which were not true computers - more like electronic calculators). The action then moved immediately to the United States and the birth of modern computing.

He missed out what is IMHO the most important step in the development of the modern computer - the work done by Alan Turing, Kilburn, and Williamson and the brilliant team at Manchester University just after WW2 - mainly drawn from the brilliant scientists and technicians who had worked at Bletchley during the war.

This team constructed the world's very first stored program electronic computer - the 'Manchester Mk 1', or 'Baby', using cathode ray storage devices (Williamson Kilburn Tubes - licenced to IBM for use in their early computers). This is the first computer that actually works in the same way that modern general-purpose computers work using an internally stored interactive program rather than a static ‘pegboard’ or ‘program paper tape’ - it truly is the 'Baby' from which the modern computer industry grew. The British Computer Society have built a working replica of 'Baby', which can be seen at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. All electronic ‘brains’ prior to ‘Baby’ were task-dedicated by their fixed programs and were little more than purpose-built calculators.

When Williamson was invited to America by IBM in the early '50s, he noted that all around the IBM comlex in NY, on desks, doors etc was embazoned the word 'THINK!'

He gave a talk to assmbled IBMers about the 'Baby', and when asked how two men and a dog in Manchester England had managed to build a stored program computer while the likes of mighty IBM hadn't yet managed it he said:
"Well, we invented this storage device, then without THINKING about it we went ahead and built a computer around it to test it".

No IBM bosses were in the room, so it brought the house down :)


Aerbabe

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Clarkson has been referred to as "thinking woman's crumpet". Thing is, if you think about it too much, you realise whoever said that was wrong. He can be very funny though and I will be watching on Thursday.
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Aplogies if you knew this, Aerbabe (I'm an old fart so I was around back then), but it's a derivation of the 1960s term applied to Joan Bakewell - the 'thinking man's crumpet'.

Joan presented cerebral programs on BBC2, and was (still is) a very attractive lady. In those days, it was unusal for a woman to present a 'seriou' program. And attactive women on TV were usually expected to be a bit 'dumb'

SSD

VATCO,

When I said F16, what I really meant was............thanks for the correction, mate,

Airbedane :O :O

VATCO, remember now, "A" was a Jaguar/Harrier pilot , and they all wore rose -tinted underwear......!!

Oh, are you watching the prog currently on Channel 5 - The History of Underwear? Very educational. ;) :D

Any bets that the fact that the Germans were the first to fly a jet aircraft will be conveniently forgotten?

The German achievement was mentioned briefly. Not a bad programme in the end. Nice to have a presenter genuinely interested in aviation, even though a lot of people despise the guy!

I thought it was quite well done. Nice mention of Concorde too.


VA

vintage ATCO.....

I quite agree.

Me Too.

Quite refreshing to see someone in the public eye not ashamed to champion British achievements.

If more people stood up to the PC crowd, like celebrating the fact that we WON two world wars - and didn't start them. And the fact we did invent the jet engine. And that we did give all the technology about supersonic flight to the Spams as payment for Lend Lease. And computers, telephones, TV, etc etc....:ok:

Reichman

Apologies, they did mention Mr Heinkel's aircraft - and even showed a picture of an Me 262

But the Rover turbine car was totally out of context.

But I see quite enough of the inside of airliners without having to watch Clarkson sitting moaning in First Class.

But I'll watch him puking in an F15 any time :ok:

But I see quite enough of the inside of airliners without having to watch Clarkson sitting moaning in First Class.

Quite so. It would have ben more realistic if he'd gone economy, with occasional visits to the front of the aeroplane to show how the other half live, rather than the other way round.

I thought the program was a bit light on fact. Whittle's company was never named and there were no deatials of what they developed and what later came out of the likes of Rolls Royce, Bristol de Havilland etc. How did the government 'take his company and the jet engine off him'? The post-war Labour government's giving for free the technonlogy and the engine to both USA and Russia was only briefly touched on (I don't think giving it to Russia was even mentioned). And a little bit (not much - it's only entertainment after all) of explanation of the technology wouldn't have been out of place for the lay audience - especially the difference between early turbojets and modern fan engines (that's why that cowling looked so empty, Jeremy - it was just the fan casing).



SSD

Clarkson cast a slur on the Tahitians when he said that they had murdered Captian Cook; it was in fact the Hawaiians who did the deed.

Still dont like the man, pompous, sarcastic, self indulgent, racist, rude, untidy, tall, curly haired, ill informed (unless its thrashing the hell out of a family saloon to see what it can do), wears jeans with sports jacket, great easy job(s) and opprtunities but STILL f'#!"@@ing moans about how hard done to he is, thinks hes funny blah blah blah.

Script was pretty crap too "naming the comet after something that crashes to earth in a fireball" no Jezza, that is a meteorite, plus Im sure any relatives of anyone lost in the Comet crashes or indeed any other air crash appreciated that one!

I just think hes one of those spoiled brat presenters who just because they can wheel spin a ford fiesta in a cloud of smoke think they're entertaining presenters with something worthwhile to say.

(Sound of soap box being put back in cupboard)

I'll have to with the nay-sayers on this one too, thought it was a load of crap, often highly misleading and seemed to have been put together purely in order for him to hear himself spouting various 'clever' remarks. The only good bits were the remarks bemoaning the loss of Concorde, and the lovely snidey bit in the A340 cockpit along the lines of "...but when you've left the USA and re-entered the free world...".

Don't know what to make of him really - occasionally he does something decent (the speed series, the VC programme) but piles out dross like this as well.

Wel, you moaning lot, I thought it was a good programme. Jeremy Clarkson presented it in his own humorous way and it's refeshing to have someone who is non-PC, scruffy, a bit overweight and who isn't a media-luvvie presenting such programmes.

Airbedane - why not get JC over to Old W to do a programme about the Collection?