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Subject: Re: The Spirit of this List
From: Robert Eno (enoid@XXX.XXX)
Date: Thu Sep 19 2002 - 20:22:44 EDT
I agree with Dr. Kolbe,
If you really want to pick fly s*** out of pepper, non-electronic navigation
would negate sextants with electrically illuminated arcs and, as Dr.Kolbe
mentioned: quartz watches. Much as I love my sextant, I have no desire to go
back to the wind-up watch. My understanding of "electronic navigation" is
that it entails "black box" navigation such as LORAN, GPS, Omega and other
related electronic/radio positioning systems. You know... black magic in,
black magic out, and one never really understands what is going on inside or
the principles that govern the system.
Even the term "traditional" navigation would be open to interpretation.
Whose to say that this does not involve the old coconut with the holes
drilled into it or the Al Kamal? A sextant, by comparison, is a modern
contrivance!
Let's not worry too much about the odd heretical ;-) electronic navigation
thread.
----- Original Message -----
From: Dr. Geoffrey Kolbe <geof@XXX.XXX>
To: <NAVIGATION-L@XXX.XXX>
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 12:43 PM
Subject: Re: The Spirit of this List
> If "non electronic" is taken to its logical conclusion, then quartz
watches
> and chronometers are off limits too... That would almost certainly knock
us
> all off this list! Damned pity as quartz watches are so reliable, so
> accurate - and so cheap!
>
> It seems to me that the vein running through this list has been self
> reliance. Being able to stay found through the observation of celestial
> objects and other natural phenomenon and the translation of those
> observations to a position on the earths surface using equipment you can
> carry with you.
>
> Yours aye,
>
> Geoffrey Kolbe.
>
>
>
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