Earthquake Weather

Elif Batuman wrote a short piece about how she discovered stoicism for The New Yorker.

The first line of Epictetus’ manual of ethical advice, the Enchiridion – “Some things are in our control and others not” – made me feel that a weight was being lifted off my chest. For Epictetus, the only thing we can totally control, and therefore the only thing we should ever worry about, is our own judgment about what is good. If we desire money, health, sex, or reputation, we will inevitably be unhappy. If we genuinely wish to avoid poverty, sickness, loneliness, and obscurity, we will live in constant anxiety and frustration. Of course, fear and desire are unavoidable. Everyone feels those flashes of dread or anticipation. Being a Stoic means interrogating those flashes: asking whether they apply to things outside your control and, if they do, being “ready with the reaction ‘Then it’s none of my concern.’”

Holland Windmill History. 🌪🌀🇳🇱

European Windmills are probably best associated with Holland. Holland is a region and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands.

Established around 1250 AD, Amsterdam’s beginnings can be found in its name. A dam was built on the river Amstel, and the settlement along its banks was named ‘Aemstelredam’.

Until the year 1400 AD, Holland suffered terrible wetland conditions and constant flooding that wiped out entire villages. Around 1390, sea walls and dams were built to disconnect the water from the sea. After the Crusades in the 12th century, knowledge of the windmills in Persia was brought back to Europe and gradually redesigned.

Windmills were used to drain the many lakes, swamps and wetlands of the Netherlands. A drainage mill used different gear wheels with an Archimedes’ screw. This drastically increased living conditions in Holland.

Windmills were mainly used for land reclamation. There were also mustard mills, hemp mills, grain mills, snuff mills, cocoa mills, oil mills, chalk mills, paint mills and saw mills.

Saw mills played an important role in the shipbuilding industry, enabling the construction of massive fleets. Sawmills use a crankshaft to provide a reciprocating motion to the saws. With these ships, Holland was able to reach a very dominant position in world trade during the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age - all thanks to the windmills.

The Dutch also used the sails of the windmills to convey signals. Traditionally, the wind miller was an important member of the community who used the windmills’ sails to communicate news. Common signals included signs of celebration or mourning. In a way, windmills were the first Morse Code. Once you learn how to “read” the sails, you’ll never look at them the same way again!

http://telosnet.com/wind/early.html

http://www.texva.com/holland/The%20Dutch%20Windmill.htm

http://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2015/05/10-things-you-should-know-about-dutch-windmills/

http://greenbugenergy.com/how-we-do-it/archimedes-screw-generators#prettyPhoto

Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)