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struggle4progress

(118,290 posts) Mon May 27, 2013, 08:26 PM May 2013

An appreciation thread for Alfonso the Wise!

We should remember Alfonso for his wise sayings, like:

Si hubiera estado presente en la Creación, habría dado algunas indicaciones útiles

meaning

Had I been present at the creation, I would have made some useful suggestions

I just noticed a major mistake in the design of the universe: the water in the swimming pool is ALWAYS too warm for swimming in hot weather and too cool for swimming in cold weather

What major mistake have you noticed? What useful suggestions do you wish you could have made?

4 replies

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An appreciation thread for Alfonso the Wise! (Original Post) struggle4progress May 2013 OP

Ahh those epicycles... jakeXT May 2013 #1

People should come equipped with on/off switches! Sekhmets Daughter May 2013 #2

Pommegranites would come with zippers sarge43 May 2013 #3

I concur In_The_Wind May 2013 #4

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)

1. Ahh those epicycles...

Reply to struggle4progress (Original post)

Tue May 28, 2013, 07:37 AM

May 2013

King Alfonso X of Castile (1122-1184) commissioned new astronomical tables calculated according to Ptolemy's theory with Arabic mathematical refinements. Completed in 1252, the Alphonsine Tables remained the best astronomical tables available in Europe for the next three centuries. The complexities of the Ptolemaic system exasperated King Alfonso however. When the intricacies of epicycles, deferents and equants were explained to him Alfonso 'the Wise' is said to have remarked that if the Almighty had consulted him on the matter, he would have recommended something a little simpler... "1

http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/tharriso/ast105/Ast105week04.html

Jim Al-Khalili talks about it around 19 min in.

Sekhmets Daughter

(7,515 posts)

2. People should come equipped with on/off switches!

Reply to struggle4progress (Original post)

Tue May 28, 2013, 09:36 AM

May 2013

I used to think that it was just men who needed to be so equipped. Age has taught me otherwise... I would love to be able to flip the switch on Palin or Bachmann.

On a more serious note, I wish all animals were herbivores. Potable water in constant supply, universally.

sarge43

(28,941 posts)

3. Pommegranites would come with zippers

Reply to struggle4progress (Original post)

Tue May 28, 2013, 02:14 PM

May 2013

Husbands would bear the first and third child.

Our arms would be flexible so we could easily scratch our backs.

We could see in the dark.

Anyone who advocated an aggressive war would lose a body part, starting with fingers or eye, their choice.

In_The_Wind

(72,300 posts)

4. I concur

Reply to sarge43 (Reply #3)

Tue May 28, 2013, 06:07 PM

May 2013

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