h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Walls (FM rescue) - A28966729
Author: Skankyrich [?] - The Post's Guest Editor! - U931109

I've just taken this on from Vip, who's put in some excellent work to take it on from the original at A10150480. I've popped it in here to keep warm while I work on it as it's clearly not ready for review yet. However, as it's a collaboration, anyone coming up with at least a short paragraph to contribute to it gets a co-writer's credit

Here's a bit on wattle and daub for you.

Wattle and daub is the name given to a method of wall construction widely used northern Europe in the medieval period and earlier. The wall (often the wall of a house or building) was begun using pieces of wood to form a frame. Between these, a sort of woven panel was made using smaller sticks. This is the wattle. A mixture of mud or manure and straw or similar - the straw was important to bind the mud together - was made and spread over the wattle on both sides. This is the daub.

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/wattleanddaub/wattleanddaub.htm

Also a mention in A1165448.

Thanks, Elentari! Added, credited and linked

Good stuff!

Under non-physical walls, you could add:

Chinese walls: a business term denoting systems and procedures to isolate people making financial decisions from those with inside knowledge that may affect those decisions (ie, a means of preventing illegal 'insider trading'). For example, it is common for senior executives to sit on the boards of more than one company, so it is essential that they do not use inside information gained from one company to influence investment decisions by another company.

Feel free to adjust/tidy up the wording



I can write you a short paragraph on the phrase "the writing on the wall" if you like - it is from the Book of Daniel, after all



When discussing 'first against the wall', how about the following quotation?


The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy defines the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as 'a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes,' with a footnote to the effect that the editors would welcome applications from anyone interested in taking over the post of robotics correspondent.

Curiously enough, an edition of the Encyclopaedia Galactica that had the good fortune to fall through a time warp from a thousand years in the future defined the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as 'a bunch of mindless jerks who were the first against the wall when the revolution came.'
- Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy


Might be a bit too long (and a bit too ) for your tastes!

*Wooden walls, such as those found in chalets, are stacked logs.*

Stacked logs are literally log cabins. Chalets are usually planks on a wooden frame or 1/2 logs attached to a wooden frame.

*A wall of noise.* Could add also 'A wall of silence' -something that happens in police investigations for example.

*Usually, walls. A rampart raised for defensive purposes.*

Isn't walls just a plural of wall? How does 'a rampart for defensive purposes' fit into the definition other than as an example of walls being used for such.

Also, I don't know if you want to use this, but another bit just occured to me.

The walls of castles were made from two separate walls of cut stone facing each other with a gap in the middle. The gap was then filled with offcuts of the cut stones, pebbles, and the like, with mortar mixed in. This was pretty solid and much cheaper and faster than building a thick layer consisting entirely of cut and shaped stone blocks. This technique was sometimes used on other buildings too - for example, it is still visible at the ruins of St Mary's Abbey in York.

Isn't there also a term in running - hitting the wall? When you feel like you can't go any further. Not entirely sure about the details.

Did you mention the phrase "I feel like hitting my head against a brick wall" or other variation - ie. making no progress?

Lovin' it.

I also love Wall's Ice Cream , and I should let you know that the walls of my house are stone in fact you could call them stone walls .... as in Thomas Jonathon Jackson aka 'Stonewall' Jackson

When I was a kid we used to play ball against the outside wall, preferably the gable .... as in Clarke Gable and lately walls have been used for urban art .... or graffiti even.

There is a massive industry around walls, not just the building of them - but the decoration ..... wallpaper .... paint .... mirrored ....

Walls eh!! You set me off on one of my random trains there ....





*Kilroy waz 'ere*

Hi, ST, good to see you! I haven't rewritten the stacked logs or wall of noise bit yet, but I'll bear those comments in mind... unless you want to get a paragraph together? The definition you refer to is from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wall

I've added Elentari's section and Danny's and tinkered with the headers a bit so they sound nicer. I'll look into Elentari and Fizzy's last suggestions in a bit

I had no idea this wasn't in the guide. Well done for rescuing it.

This any help


Hadrians Wall
A Roman wall was started around 122 AD, it is located in northern Britain and built between the river Tyne and the Solway Firth.
In brief the route travels from Bowness on Solway to Drumburgh, Burgh by Sands and on to Stanwix where it crossed to the southern bank of the River Eden. The road then goes on to Castlesteads then to Birdoswald and then to Great Chesters. It then continues to Housesteads, Carrawburgh and Chesters where it crosses the North Tyne River. The wall continues to Halton Chesters, Rudchester, Benwell Hill and Newcastle upon Tyne and a bridge over the River Tyne. The last two forts are on the banks of the River Tyne, the first at Wallsend on the north bank, and the second at South Shields on the south bank at the mouth of the river, a distance of 74 miles.



The Antonine Wall
When emperor, Antoninus Pius succeed Hadrian in 136 AD, he ordered a new wall built 98 miles to the north of Hadrians wall. The Antonine Wall as it was called was started in 142 AD, and it ran from the Firth of Clyde to Bo'ness, Falkirk, on the Firth of Forth.
Built of earth reinforced with timber and stone, with a road to the south, and was protected by a ditch to the north. This was not as well built as Hadrian's wall, but still impressive and an effective fortification, with a fort approximately every 2 miles.


Bob

A wall of noise. Usually noise so loud and unpleasant it feels like a solid, tangible wall.

A wall can also be used to describe a non-physical structure such as 'a wall of noise'. This is where noise is so overwhelming it feels like an invisible wall is there.
There is also a 'wall of silence'. This term is more commonly used in certain types police investigations where a neighbourhood or group of people maintain a silence so deep that it is described as being a wall.


This is something like I would write it Rich.

Thanks, Bob! I've added that and expanded it a little, and credited you. Thanks very much

Bel, thank you as well for the encouragement!

I signed a contract, remember?

I've added those as well, ST, thank you!

I think the proverbs look good with examples of usage as Danny suggested for 'First against the wall'; I've started to continue this through the others. If anyone wants to submit any more with examples, that would be great!

So you did And it's jolly good to see you sticking to it!

Writing on the wall
I belive this is the story
Quoted from the Bible sorry I dont know the edition

"King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords."
"Then they brought in the golden and silver vessels which had been taken out of the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone."



"Immediately the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand; and the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together."

"The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

"Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed; and his lords were perplexed."

"Then Daniel answered before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation."

"And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN."

"This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

"Then Belshazzar commanded, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put about his neck, and proclamation was made concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom."

"That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old."

"That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old."
(Daniel 5:1-31 RSV)

Bit long ut it is the prper story.


Bob...

Hmm. That definitely needs cutting down into a brief synopsis...

Oh and dont forget the wall of death in the fairground/circus

Can the historic walls be put in order of date please.
The wall of Sparta its citezens every man is a brick in the wall. To those who asked to build a wall around Sparta, Lycurgus said: "A wall of men, instead of bricks, is best."

Here are some more ideas
Englands wooden wall The royal Navy - Nelsons fleet.
WWII Atlantic wall
The Maginot Line France
Alpine Line is used for the Franco-Italian defenses

And some more
Great wall Builders
James of St George 1293 Switzerland
Madern Gerthener 1360 - 1430 Germany
Michele Sammichele 1484 - 1550 Italy
Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban 1544 - 1610 France
Chiaramella de Giulino 1560 Italy
Sir Bernard de Gomme 1620 -1685 Holland
Abraham Luther von Grundt 1639 - 1700 Germany
Maximillian de Gosseau 1712 - 1721 France


Bob...