BS: A *great* TV commercial

Subject: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Apr 13 - 07:30 PM

Surely one of the most beautiful, in my jaded opinion:

http://www.youtube.com/user/OMEGA

If you're a philosopher/theologian you'll be thinking "Paley's Proof." Well, don't let me stop you.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 28 Apr 13 - 07:41 PM

Definitely aimed at UKers

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: gnu
Date: 28 Apr 13 - 08:42 PM

Love the ad because of what it truly says.

Don't have a clue what you mean, JtS???

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 28 Apr 13 - 09:34 PM

It is made for people living in the United Kingdom.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: michaelr
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 01:23 AM

Obviously based on this NOVA program from PBS.

"In 1900, a storm blew a boatload of sponge divers off course and forced them to take shelter by the tiny Mediterranean island of Antikythera. Diving the next day, they discovered a 2,000 year-old Greek shipwreck. Among the ship's cargo they hauled up was an unimpressive green lump of corroded bronze. Rusted remnants of gear wheels could be seen on its surface, suggesting some kind of intricate mechanism. The first X-ray studies confirmed that idea, but how it worked and what it was for puzzled scientists for decades.

"Recently, hi-tech imaging has revealed the extraordinary truth: this unique clockwork machine was the world's first computer. An array of 30 intricate bronze gear wheels, originally housed in a shoebox-size wooden case, was designed to predict the dates of lunar and solar eclipses, track the Moon's subtle motions through the sky, and calculate the dates of significant events such as the Olympic Games. No device of comparable technological sophistication is known from anywhere in the world for at least another 1,000 years. So who was the genius inventor behind it? And what happened to the advanced astronomical and engineering knowledge of its makers? NOVA follows the ingenious sleuthing that finally decoded the truth behind the amazing ancient Greek computer."

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Will Fly
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 03:49 AM

Compare the ad with this.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 05:28 AM

I agree with you Lighter, it's very beautiful. I like the gentle colours and the clever use of everyday objects made magical by the artistic effects. I feel the music adds a great deal of emotion and atmosphere to what could have been a very prosaic subject. Who would have thought that precise watch movements could be so enchanting?

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 06:09 AM

Will, the site says "This video does not exist."

That *is* a contrast.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Will Fly
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 06:24 AM

Mmmm...

Another try...

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 06:57 AM

Thanks. It's fascinating!

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 07:15 AM

Wow. To both.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 07:22 AM

Life's too short.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 07:36 AM

Interesting. Still don't see any national bias though.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 08:26 AM

I remember hearing about the Ankythera whatsis back in the '60s, before it could be reconstructed in detail. One archaeologist said it was "like finding a flying saucer inside a pyramid."

Cue Twilight Zone theme.

The colors and activities suggest a spring or autumn day clearing up after a shower in a world that combines the familiar and the wonderfully inexplicable. All action is effortless and everyone's on vacation. The soothing and nostalgic "Lord of the Rings"-type music supplants all other sound. No crazed gunmen or terrorist bombers in this place! No bird flu or income tax either! And all of it is imaginary: like some magical construction toy you wish you had when you were a kid.

I bet it's tough getting it all into a watch, though.

The downside is that everybody is just springs and gears and clockwork. But you can't have everything. Beside, I can't prove we're not pretty much like that anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Will Fly
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 10:16 AM

Eliza: Who would have thought that precise watch movements could be so enchanting?

It's one of the main reasons I collect old pocket watches and some 1940s wristwatches - the beauty and precision of the movements. Here's an example:

Time and Motion

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 12:11 PM

Nice one, Will.

Subject: RE: BS: A *great* TV commercial
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 01:11 PM

Thanks for the link, Lighter. It's delightful. (I turned the sound down to nothing and just watched.)