This is the Antikythera Mechanism, and it’s the oldest computer on Earth, discovered over a century ago in a shipwreck off Crete, and built in the 2nd century BC. We have only now learned about what it is, what it’s for, and what it does through high-resolution computer imagery and three-dimensional X-ray tomography. Reports earlier [...]
Archive for July, 2008
The oldest computer on Earth: revealed
Posted in Aegean, tagged Ancient Greece, antikythira mechanism, archaeology, technology on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
What’s Happening in Sierra Leone?
Posted in Africa, guest lecturers, tagged Africa, AIDS/HIV, cruise, Freetown, Gullah, Sierra Leone, travel, United Nations, west africa on July 23, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Granted, it’s not a question that occupies a great deal of attention, but Travel Dynamics International likes to illuminate parts of the world that don’t get a lot of attention. Last April, we were in Freetown (and we will be again, next April). We frequently arrange to have our guests meet local government officials; on [...]
Antarctic Ice Shelf ‘Hanging by a Thread,’ say scientists
Posted in Antarctica, tagged Antarctica, climate change, global warming, ice shelf collapse, Wilkins Ice Shelf on July 10, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The Antarctic Peninsula will likely look different when we return to it this December-February, on our cruises aboard Corinthian II.
AFP is reporting that Wilkins Ice Shelf is “hanging by its last thread” to Charcot Island, one of the plate’s key anchors to the Antarctic peninsula.
“Since the connection to the island… helps stabilise the ice shelf, [...]
Anne of Green Gables at 100
Posted in North America, tagged Anne of Green Gables, Canada, cruise, House of Green Gables, literature, Prince Edward Island, travel, young adult on July 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
This is Anne.
And this is the House of Green Gables.
The former is a fictional character; the latter is an actual house on Prince Edward Island. We visit it next year on our Canada’s Historic Cities and Waterways and Canada’s Maritime Provinces: A Fall Foliage Cruise. And today, Anne of Green Gables, the wonderful young-adult novel [...]
Love in a Cold Climate: Updated
Posted in Antarctica, Reviews, tagged Antarctica, cruise, global warming, magazines, penguins, travel, travel magazines on July 8, 2008 | 1 Comment »
As promised, Conde Nast Traveler is now featuring its superb article on TDI’s Antarctica trip, “Love in a Cold Climate,” on its website. Click above for the full text. Just the thing to chill you out on this steamy New York evening.
More freedom: good news from Delta Airlines
Posted in travel tips, tagged air travel, Delta airlines, LAX, travel, travel tips on July 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Later this month, Delta Air Lines customers will be able to avoid long security lines at Los Angeles International Airport by enrolling in a national program that provides priority lanes in passenger terminals.
In the first operation of its type at LAX, the Clear fast-pass system — using fingerprint and eye scanners — is designed to [...]
The Shot Heard ‘Round the World
Posted in North America, Reviews, tagged American history, bibliomania, book collecting, Charleston, Colonial Williamsburg, Concord, cruise, East Coast, Fourth of July, Independence Day, Jefferson, July 4, Lexington, Mecklenburg, Newport, reading, Schoolhouse Rock, travel, Yorktown on July 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
We challenge the coldest heart to remain unwarmed by the above video.
In honor of Independence Day (and faithfully honoring the great American tradition of selling things by linking them to Independence Day) we are delighted to remind you of our marvelous voyage America’s Historic Atlantic Shores in September ‘09, which sails [...]
