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

jwf, if as much money had been spent on developing this engine as has been spent on nuclear energy we would have vertualy free energy by now.
As far as the answers go, the red nose is Rudolf the red nosed reindeer who gives us Rudolf Diesel and his Diesel engine then the black kitten who reminds me of Felix the cat and from there we get Felix Wankle and his Wankle engine and the last one belongs to a fine Scotish minister who made his in 1816.

Alji

Virtual, sorry about the slip but the same thing happened to the rev.

Alji

*stunned by the 1816 date*

It never ceases to amaze me how inventive and productive the Scots became in the century following the Clearances.

In truth, the Civil War had similar results in America.
Nothing like a good dust-up to get the juices flowing, wot.

Mind you, the first Doctorates in any of the Physical Sciences were not offered in the UK until 1871, but convincingly, it was at Edimbra!
The Oxbridge crowd, even at this late date, was still being 'philosophical' about the modern whirled.


~jwf~

His engines are unique because their theoretical efficiency is nearly equal to their theoretical maximum efficiency.

He was a minister or the church of Scotland until he was 86.

One design of the engine is made from a test-tube and glass marbles, another nade in New Zealand can produce 750 watts, 230 volts AC or 750W, 12 Volt (or 24 Volt), continuous duty, cogeneration 6 kW water heating. Fuel: Diesel, Kerosene, LPG, CNG etc. Fuel Consumption: approx. 0.8 litre of diesel per hour at full power. Other units have been built which run on solar heat during the day and natural gas during the night.

Alji

I see we have still not come up with the name of the elusive Scottish gent.

Some trivia that may or may not be significant. The year 1816 was the year without a summer because of the eruption of Tambora in the previous year. Did this cause the Reverend gentleman to spend his time developing a power source to light and warm not only a long cold winter but a long cold summer too?

Beth

I think this question involves a lot of hot air

Rev. Robert Stirling, Inventor of the Heat Economiser and Stirling Cycle Engine.

Although reading up on the websites I've found seems to indicate that he patented his air engine in 1816 but is refered to as giving his first sermon in 1833, so he may not have been a Rev at the time although Revs are quite often the ouput of his engines.

Try "hot air engines" on Google.

These engines have always held a facination for me, ever since seeing one at a county show when I was a kid

The Rev'd Robert Stirling applied for the first of his patents for this engine and the economiser in 1816 a few months after being appointed as a minister in the Church of Scotland at age 25.

So after much promptimg Bald Bloke has come in with the third name.
The Stirling engine has erroneously been called the Sterling engine hence my misspelling of virtual and the reference to fine scot(t)ish minister (sterling - fine, highest quality).


Alji

Aljiis

I couldn't see the connection until you expounded on the high efficiency of the engine in your clue.

jwf
Strange you should mention the US civil war, as the designer of the USS Monitor also designed another variation of the (hot) air engine

Is it down to me to provide the next Q ?
If so I will have to go off and have a thunk

Great isn't it? I return after over a week's absence to find the question was answered yesterday.

Yes, Bald Bloke, it is your turn, as the thread title now indicates.

*waiting for BB*
Hey Baggy, did you get to see some of that snow yet? Your last H2G2 Post travelog indicated some disappointment in the snowfall to date.
But since then, they've had two metres (seven feet) in Buffalo just a few miles southeast of you and none in Toronto about the same distance northeast from your location. Logic would suggest you got half the amount, but logic fails to consider the Great Canadian Shield, the Niagara Escarpment or the pollution in Lake Erie.

jwf

A couple of inches here is all, but it made me happy.

Seven foot? Blimey, you'd have to leave the house via the upstairs window.

And Buffalo is mostly Bungalo territory!
Oh wait, I just remembered from the Brit Eng thread, an English bungalo has a storey and a half with dormer windows in the roof/attic.
In America, a bungalo is one floor only, and yep, they are snowed in! They asked Mr Bush to declare a state of emergency there last week. You musta been 'out of the country...' Oh, OK I'll wait for your next Travelog in the Post (tomorrow).
Wanna place a side bet that Bald Bloke goes for an English history question combined with a maths question, like: Subtract the Battle of Hastings from Charles execution, multiply by two and subtract the death of Keats.

peace
jwf

Actually, a bungalow does have one storey, if it's got the dormer windows, then it's a dormer bungalow.

I had heard something about the snow there, though I didn't realise quite how much there was.

Could do with some of that snow over here in Sydney!

The weather here is freaky - in Sydney we are sweltering in bushfires and 30C and in Mount Hotham Victoria they are having summer snow - weird!!

Dear Mr Feisor,

Further to your request for snow, please find enclosed a kilo of prime cut columbian.

Please send by return your remittance for $50,000

Thank you

General Jiminez
Chief Baron
Cartel 2451a
Columbia

Alarm!! a package with white powder! Antrax! Alarm!

....rolls up an Ayrton in preparation....

(Ayrton Senna = tenner)

My apologies for the delay, Wk intervened.

However I see Livzy has been keeping everyone entertained in the meantime with his "Snowman" impressions

Due to lack of preparation on my part (and the fact that upon looking through the backlog the first one I thought of had been used )I shall go for a simple question.

How many official languages does Switzerland have

and of course what are they?