ringleheim

I found Episode 1 to be a minor let-down. It was somewhat slow overall, yet the enormous issue of telling Jon Snow his true lineage seemed rushed and needlessly accelerated! I also found the dragon riding scene to be pretty silly and totally not in keeping with the spirit of the books, where it was clearly presented that only those with dragon blood could ride a dragon and many people died trying to do so. It could only be accomplished with a lot of practice, etc. The show took the opposite tack, with Dany basically saying "No big deal, just hop on and go for it!" From the very beginning, I have always said that Dany would emerge as the monarch sitting on the iron throne, even at a time when that seemed like a long shot. So I have to stick with it now! I have no idea how it will turn out though.

I'm a huge fan. It's been the best show on TV for several years now. Sad to see it leaving, but I guess it will be replaced by a sequel series. We should have a discussion thread for the show here with spoilers. Anyone else interested?

From BBC: Billionaire François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the Kering group that owns the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent fashion brands, pledged €100m (£86m; $113m) towards rebuilding Notre-Dame, AFP news agency reports. Another €200m was pledged by Bernard Arnault's family and their company LVMH - a business empire which includes Louis Vuitton and Sephora - on Tuesday morning, according to Reuters news agency. The French charity Fondation du Patrimoine is launching an international appeal for funds for the cathedral, a Unesco World Heritage site.

I would be shocked if they rebuilt it using steel or other modern materials, particularly for visible components. They may combine modern technology with the old in some capacity, however. I can see some type of fire detection/repression system perhaps being implemented along with the traditional engineering and materials. I'm thinking of the massive renovation project in the Sistine Chapel. That included installing a modern air conditioning system so that the cyclical air flow processes that lead to the deterioration of the frescos on the ceiling would not repeat. I'm really curious to see what condition the organ and pipes are in. I assume it's all destroyed beyond repair. Replacing that alone will be a massive job.

You're right that it won't be the same building, but I would be surprised if this project does not move forward quickly. I think French national pride will try to get the work done as quickly as possible. It will certainly not be a quick, easy job however!

President Macron just confirmed that it will be rebuilt. That effort starts tomorrow. The main facade and 2 bell towers are also saved and structurally intact (at least it sounds that way). They are also reporting now that many works of art have been salvaged and removed from the church before they were consumed by the flames.

I hope we see a very smartly engineered, high profile fundraising effort for the rebuilding. I'd be shocked if people from all over the world don't donate all they need and more to rebuild her.

Surely has to be related to the renovation work going on. There is quite a lot of scaffolding up. I'd be shocked if that is not the cause of this.

I am watching live on CNN and am sick to my stomach. This is just sickening.

Saw this on another forum and it made my day!

This newest generation of Tamiya kits (that the Mossie belongs to for sure) are simply unbelievable. People joke how Tamiya models "build themselves" but if you can believe it, I was working on the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire Mk. IX with a part being held in tweezers, trying to figure out exactly how it was to be positioned on the model. It slipped out of the tweezers and literally fell into position. The engineering was so good that the part basically wanted to seat itself correctly as long as you got it roughly in the right spot. No one but Tamiya makes models on that level, at least IMO. This would be an easy decision for me, but I have not built either of these Mossie kits!

Oh I see, so as to launch 3 independent satellites on a single flight so as to reduce costs I guess. I would love to see video of this thing's first real mission!

I've never worked with them, but just watched the cartoon video you referenced. What aspect of this in particular are you confused by? One thing I noticed and which seems like good advice is that when applying a mask, do not try to adjust and tweak parts of it with other parts of it firmly stuck to the model. You will stretch and distort the mask if you do that. Rather, the video suggested picking the whole mask up and putting it back down again as a whole so as to eliminate distortions or stretching. There must be a trick for how to gently place and position the entire mask without getting it stuck onto the model. Then when you have it as you want it, firmly seating it onto the model. Someone will no doubt be able to help here!

I just realized the 2 fuselages are only connected at the wing. I'm glad I wasn't the guy who designed that and had to say "Don't worry, it won't break in half!"