Last Day in Pompeii

Ten billion tonnes???

10,000,000,000

10¹⁰

I can't even imagine even ten thousand or ten million tonnes of anything...
The average car weighs ONE tonne...

But ten billion tonnes is how much ash and pumice were spewed out by Mount Vesuvius.

Rescue parties from Rome were so overwhelmed by the destruction, they just turned back in despair and Pompeii faded from memory.
It was discovered by chance in 1954 during the building of an aqueduct.



Silent Beauty


I knowwwww, I only blogged about the super volcano a week ago...but...I just saw the docudrama about Pompeii's last day.

Remember when I was in there in December, I wanted to cry when I saw some of the casts:


As he crouched in pain and terror, to which gods did he cry?

In the last stages, some died from breathing Hydrochloric acid. 

Then there was the pyroclastic flow.
The first breath burned the lungs, causing them to fill with fluid.  Breathing fire.
The second breath took in ash which created a cement-like mix.  Suffocation.
The third breath solidified it.  Slow death.

In other areas, there was the superheated gas which vapourised flesh, caused the brain to boil, and teeth and bones to explode. 


Such blasts only occur once every 2,000 years.  The original inhabitants did not even know that Vesuvius was a volcano.  The first readers of Pliny's account did not even believe the story.  This must mean that the mountain's previous eruption occurred before written history.
The ancients did not know disaster like we do...

Today, 3 million people live in the shadow of Vesuvius.
79 AD...


Half her original size and still intimidating

posted by: Olivia77 at 22:38 | link | comments (1) |

Thinking Style

Thinker quiz : what your results say about you
	Some people have a strong preference for one style of thinking, and find some skills come more naturally than others. Other people tend to adopt different thinking styles in different situations. This test gives you an idea of what your current thinking style or styles are. But remember - the brain is a very adaptive organ. You should be able to improve your performance in any one of these categories with practice.    The Renaissance ideal The leading thinkers of the Renaissance were not just experts in their own field. The renaissance scholar was expected to master all branches of knowledge. With his insatiable desire to know everything, Leonardo da Vinci is often held up as the ideal Renaissance man.

You are a Linguistic Thinker
		Linguistic thinkers: Tend to think in words, and like to use language to express complex ideas. Are sensitive to the sounds and rhythms of words as well as their meanings.
Like linguistic thinkers, Leonardo made meticulous descriptions in his journals. He also made an effort to learn Latin - a foreign language		Other Linguistic Thinkers include William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Anne Frank Careers which suit Linguistic thinkers include Journalist, Librarian, Salesperson, Proof-reader, Translator, Poet, Lyricist

You are a Spatial Thinker
		Spatial Thinkers: Tend to think in pictures, and can develop good mental models of the physical world. Think well in three dimensions Have a flair for working with objects
Like other spatial thinkers, Leonardo had a talent for designing buildings and machinery. He also invented a new style of map making		Other Spatial Thinkers include Pablo Picasso, Michelangelo, Isambard Kingdom Brunel Careers which suit Spatial Thinkers include Mechanic, Photographer, Artist, Architect, Engineer, Builder, Set designer

You are an Intrapersonal thinker
		Intrapersonal thinkers: Spend a lot of time thinking about and trying to understand themselves Reflect on their thoughts and moods, and work to improve them You understand how your behaviour affects your relationships with others
Like intrapersonal thinkers, Leonardo worked hard to improve all aspects of himself.		Other Intrapersonal thinkers include Sigmund Freud, Gandhi, Grahame Greene Careers which suit Intrapersonal Thinkers include Psychologist, Teacher, Pilot, Child care worker, Explorer, Drama therapist

How would other people score? Can you imagine friends or family members who might think differently to you?

Find out about the different thinking styles

This quiz is intended to be a fun way to learn about different thinking styles. It can provide you with some interesting information about your preferred ways of creative thinking and problem solving. However, no brief questionnaire can guarantee accurate information.

However, your results might be able to help us with a real scientific experiment about Multiple Intelligence theory.

About the experiment

More mind tests from bbc.co.uk

Back to Leonardo homepage

posted by: Olivia77 at 15:16 | link | comments (1) |