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Web: Heidelberger historische Bestände – digital. Includes old manuscripts. Allows downloads in PDF format
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Science: More than 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci observed a particular relationship between the size of a tree's trunk and the size of its branches. Specifically, the combined cross-sectional areas of a tree's daughter branches are equal to the cross-sectional area of the mother branch. This tree structure may be optimal for enabling trees to resist wind-induced stresses. NPR report. Article.
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Astronomy: Aristarchos of Samos (310 BCE – ca. 230 BCE): Greek astronomer and mathematician. Presented first known heliocentric world model. Later restated by Copernicus (1543) and manifested by Kepler (1617-1621). Finally proven by James Bradley (1725) through discovery of the aberration of light.
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Travel: Roadside America: Travel tips for road trips across the USA. Searchable, e.g. by state. Provides map with location of sights.
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Science: Wilson Bentley (1865-1931): Photographed and research the variety of snowflakes.
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Books: Münchener Digitalisierungszentrum (MDZ, in German): Digitized books, including old manuscripts, e.g. of Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach.
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Maps: Waldseemüller Map of the World from 1507, first naming America, at the Library of Congress is available in high resolution for download.
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Life: Prices for new cars at TrueCar. Very informative.
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Travel: GPS Visualizer: Creates maps and profiles from GPS data (tracks and waypoints, including GPX files), driving routes, street addresses, or simple coordinates. Displays in Google Earth.
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Computer: Apple Apps Store: to find free apps, search for 'free app <search term>'.
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Movie (YouTube): The Light at the Edge of the World (1971). w/ Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar. Directed by Kevin Billington. After the novel 'The Lighthouse at the End of the World (1905)' by Jules Verne. A remote rocky island is taken over by michievous pirates and their leader (Brynner). Living in a cave and haunted by his past, the escaped assistant lighthouse keeper (Douglas) is trying to survive. Story slow. Some gruesome scenes. Poor visual effects. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Movie (YouTube): The Trip (1967). w/ Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, Susan Strasberg (wife, dark hair), Salli Sachse (blonde). Directed by Roger Corman. Pre-'Easy Rider' cult movie that describes the first LSD trip of a young man in a personal crisis (Fonda). Story simple. Visual firework trying to imitate the LSD experience. Music could be more catchy. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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