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

Entry: Anachronisms - A792137
Author: Lucinda (et al) - U129960

Some of Ben's writing and some of ours.
Beware the temporal police

-Lucinda

I think this is an interesting entry, and I can't see much to criticise. There are a couple of niggles however. You say that the Ovation guitar company was founded 'by man' rather than 'by a man'. This does seem to be an error with the original though.

Another point is that you talk about the 'Antikythera Mechanism' but perhaps you could say a bit more about it, as I haven't heard of it, whereas I suspect that more people would be familiar with the other examples of possible anacronisms. For example, how close it was to 'modern' clockwork might be worth noting.

Apart from that I can't see any real problems with the entry, well done .

I think (and Ben thinks) that the Antikythera Mechanism could be a guide entry all on its own. I don't think that this entry needs to go into great detail on what is, after all, just one example of a potential time-travel anachronism.

-Martin

The Antikythera Mechanism was not clockwork (clockwork implies a spring driving cogs) but did contain gear wheels. SEE it here

http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_4.htm

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

I want to write an entry on the A-whatsit Mechanism, I may even manage it at the w/e

B

I added the external link - cheers and I've called it a "clocklike mechanism", rather than clockwork.

Time for a

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

Super entry

Nothing else to add

Well, I think it is great, but I would say that, wouldn't I?

Do you think if we banged together an entry on the whatsit mechanism and mayo we could put it in as a Uni project and not have any of that 'is it suitable' crap?

B

I'm not fond of uni projects, I'm afraid. But I don't see why an entry on the mechanism would be unsuitable. Nor an entry on the origin of mayonnaise, if you include both your and Azara(?)'s view.

*shrug*
-Martin

Yeah, since all my best jokes got pinched for this one, I will need to pad it out with something else.



Looks like a busy weekend then.

B

But at least you get to keep the pastrami on rye...

-Lucinda

Can anarchronism also refer to practices that are still current but have lost their use or relevence? I think it's often used as an implied criticism...

Otto

I was the temporal agent who went back to 1785 - or at least I will be in about 5 years time. I will have been the daughter of the time-cop who likes pastrami and rye, who will die about 8 years ago in an egg-related accident with a food blender.

There is a happy end to the story. I will fall in love with the Duc de Richelieu's chef, and we will marry and settle down, dividing our time between our country house in the 18th century, and our town house in the 21st.

My maiden name is Hellman.



B

This entry seems to be about one particular type of anachronism. The more normal meaning of the word is given by this dictionary definition:

a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place; esp: one from a former age that is incongruous in the present

You don't mention the "especially" bit at all, even though it is what most people mean when they use the word.

Such as Mayonnaise, for example?



B

So Mayonnaise was actually old-hat when it was really colloided instead of something from the future?

Couldn't have put it better myself!



B

So it’s more like the hypothetical anachronism of woollen clothing?

Maybe I (bent temporal copper's helmet on) go back in my time machine several thousand years and murder the original inventor of woollen clothing.

Then, I return to today, swan into Marks and Sparks in Bond Street and say, “Hey I’ve got a great idea how you can make blazers ... first of all you shave the hair off a sheep ...”

So it’s more like the hypothetical anachronism of woollen clothing?

Maybe I (the bent temporal copper) go back in my time machine several thousand years and murder the original inventor of woollen clothing.

Then, I return to today, swan into Marks and Sparks in Bond Street and say, “Hey I’ve got a great idea how you can make blazers ... first of all you shave the hair off a sheep ...”