I have just about completed assembling notes and diagrams for the 'Steampunks Primer of Steam"

Thus, a question needs be asked. Before I begin putting it all together, I wonder what you would like to see. I know that it needs a large section of the workings of steam generation and steam engines, but would you all like to see sections on the science, physics, math and economics of steam (the basics, at least), and sections on historical setam (Victorian era) and a on steam locomotives? I think I have suffsicient material to do a small section on steam autos as well..
What say ye? (also, what format would be preferred - PDF, HTML,DOC or??)

Cheers
Harold

Your kidding, right? OF COURSE WE WANT TO BLOODY SEE IT! Honestly Harold, you asking one of us if we would like to learn more about steam is like Vermeer asking a painting student if they would like to learn more about light! .pdf is fine by the way. Your generosity is astounding. Thank you for even thinking about sharing your wealth of knowledge. You sir, are a treasure.

DB

Thanks..
Question is, though, what content is of most interest? History? How it works? Math of steam? Oddball steam?

Cheers
Harold

Well ...

I think it would be good if it could go in the Wiki, which, of course, isn't any of the common formats. Additionally (or instead, if it must be), I think I'd go for PDF.

I had limited success converting HTML from the BG forum into Wiki - not that it didn't work, but it did require some tweaking and was, overall, rather labor-intensive, involving several steps.

Since it's relatively simple to render HTML into PDF (either via pseudo-printer or a plugin), that might be the better way to go.

DOC format would be the least useful, IMnsHO.

Dusza Beben wrote:Your kidding, right? OF COURSE WE WANT TO BLOODY SEE IT! Honestly Harold, you asking one of us if we would like to learn more about steam is like Vermeer asking a painting student if they would like to learn more about light! .pdf is fine by the way. Your generosity is astounding. Thank you for even thinking about sharing your wealth of knowledge. You sir, are a treasure.

DB

Which reminds me (and not to threadjack this), we were in the midst of being treated to a wonderful series of posts on painting when BG went down. I wish we had some way to contact the author. Any discussion on this in a new thread, please.

One Caveat.. my typing skills and output are severely limited by arthritis, so please be patient. This however could be the excuse for some speech-to-text software...

Cheers
Harold

HAC, thank you so much for taking this on. I know I could do with some education in this area, and I'm definitely not alone. History is always a hit with us, and "oddball" even more so, but I think the most benefit would come from a science section -- "How it works". I'm sure I'm not the only one here with retro-futuristic writing projects underway, and anyone who comes along offering to write a new research tool is on my tip o' the hat list.

HAC wrote:One Caveat.. my typing skills and output are severely limited by arthritis, so please be patient. This however could be the excuse for some speech-to-text software...

Cheers
Harold

My wife has rheumatoid arthritis, and is using Dragon Naturally Speaking for sections of her thesis. She says it has made her work a lot easier.

As for which sections, I would be interested in at least some brief notes on the history and economics of steam power of the era. I always find it easier to understand something if I have an idea of why things are done that way, as well as how they are done.
Of course, oddball examples are always entertaining as well, and might inspire the more creative folks here in what might have been, had they worked.

I want it ALL! (He cries from the skull throne in his evil lair)
Seriously though, the real science with oddball examples added in would be fantastic.
I don't think anybody here or in the default world can resist the weird. Being an engineer that hates math
I will recuse myself on the mathematics vote. I know that math works and it even prooves things and makes them safer
but where's the fun and explosions in that?

DB

As a very, very novice steamworker, I would be most appreciative of any and all background information, underlying science, math, physics, etc. that you might be able to cram into it. However, in order to facilitate reading for those who are not so novice, perhaps such information could be included in the form of addenda and appendices, the way a foreign-language direct-translation dictionary might have a grammar primer in the very back of the book.

Also, if you have recording software and the subsequent ability to affix your thoughts to an audio file, I have fingers that type 120 words per minute with very high accuracy. Please do let me know if you find the voice-to-text programs to be inadequate, as I often have. As an added bonus, I am an expert both in sentence structure and grammar, making the need for heavy proofreading and "redlining," as they say, unnecessary. Again, do keep me in mind as an alternative. I will gladly donate my services to your cause.

This is excellent news indeed.

I won't make any suggestions about content or format, just write whatever seems logical and say where to look and I shall read it.

Whoop de doo!

Dr. Q.

Thanks, Dr.Q..
I have roughly 8GB of scanned steam engineering texts (not counting images) to go through and sift out the good bits for the compilation..

Cheers
Harold

FYI... Thought it needed an old book looking cover....



Cheers
Harold

Beauty, eh!