AI: WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE

From the website ‘Historic Talk’ at:

https://www.historictalk.com/en/ai-shows-us-historical-figures-actually?ly=native_one

Technology has made tremendous progress in recent years and has presented us with truly extraordinary things. From cars that can drive themselves to machines that can help cure diseases, AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is found in almost everything these days, including history and art. A recent development allows us to take images of historical figures and reimagine them in today's world, allowing us to see what they were really like as people. Keep scrolling for some truly fascinating AI-generated portraits of the most famous people in history . . .

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Alexander The Great

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Nefertiti Of Ancient Egypt

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Shaka Zulu

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Julius Caesar

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Michelangelo

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The Statue Of Liberty

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Pharaoh Akhenaten

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Napoleon Bonaparte

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Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man

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Genghis Khan

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Queen Hatshepsut Of Egypt

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Mark Anthony

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King Tutankhamun

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Cleopatra

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King Louis XV

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Henry VIII

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Wallis Simpson

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Benjamin Franklin

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Emperor Augustus

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William Shakespeare

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Ludwig Van Beethoven

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George Washington

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Mona Lisa

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Zeus

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Vincent Van Gogh

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Rembrandt

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Hercules God Of Strength

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Thomas Jefferson

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Pocahontas

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Sir Isaac Newton

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 

MOMENTS IN HISTORY

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BROCKLESBY AIR COLLISION

On 29 September 1940, a mid-air collision occurred over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia.

Brocklesby is a town in the Riverina region of south west New South Wales, 45 kilometres (28 mi) north-west of the regional centre of Albury. In the 2006 census Brocklesby had a population of 238.

The accident was unusual in that the aircraft involved, two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School, remained locked together after colliding, and then landed safely.

The Ansons were at an altitude of 300 metres (1,000 ft) over the township of Brocklesby, near Albury, for a cross-country training exercise over southern New South Wales. Tail number N4876 was piloted by Leading Aircraftman Leonard Graham Fuller, 22, from Cootamundra, Tail number L9162 was piloted by Leading Aircraftman Jack Inglis Hewson, 19, from Newcastle.

Whilst making a banking turn, Fuller lost sight of Hewson's aircraft beneath him and the two Ansons collided amid what Fuller later described as a "grinding crash and a bang as roaring propellers struck each other and bit into the engine cowlings".

The two aircraft did not disintegrate, but remained jammed together, the lower Anson's turret wedged into the other's port wing root, and its fin and rudder balancing the upper Anson's port tailplane.

The collision stopped the engines of the upper Anson, but those of the one underneath continued to run, allowing the aircraft to keep flying. Both navigators and the pilot of the lower Anson bailed out. The pilot of the upper Anson found that he was able to control the interlocked aircraft with his ailerons and flaps, and made an emergency landing in a nearby paddock.

All four crewmen survived the incident, and the upper Anson was repaired and returned to flight service while the lower Anson was used thereafter as an instructional airframe.

Gallery:

Ansons of No. 2 SFTS in formation

Two Avro Ansons (L9162 and N4876) "piggyback" in a paddock near Brocklesby after a mid-air collision resulted in the two aircraft being locked together and landing safely in a paddock.

Two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School that collided in mid-air, locked together, and then landed safely near Brocklesby, New South Wales, on 29 September 1940.

Mr Stanley Bruce, the High Commissioner for Australia in London, talking with 402052 Sergeant (Sgt) Leonard Graham Fuller.. As a trainee pilot at No 2 Service Flying Training School (2SFTS) at Wagga Wagga, in Southern NSW, he was involved in a mid-air collision of two Avro Ansons, the two aircraft remained firmly locked together and he was able to make a successful crash landing. He was killed in an accident on 18 March 1944 riding a bicycle.

Avro Anson propeller at Brocklesby, New South Wales

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

 

LOST - BANJO PATERSON

 

Lost

A poem by Banjo Paterson

`He ought to be home,' said the old man, `without there's something amiss.

He only went to the Two-mile -- he ought to be back by this.

He WOULD ride the Reckless filly, he WOULD have his wilful way;

And, here, he's not back at sundown -- and what will his mother say?

`He was always his mother's idol, since ever his father died;

And there isn't a horse on the station that he isn't game to ride.

But that Reckless mare is vicious, and if once she gets away

He hasn't got strength to hold her -- and what will his mother say?'

The old man walked to the sliprail, and peered up the dark'ning track,

And looked and longed for the rider that would never more come back;

And the mother came and clutched him, with sudden, spasmodic fright:

`What has become of my Willie? -- why isn't he home to-night?'

Away in the gloomy ranges, at the foot of an ironbark,

The bonnie, winsome laddie was lying stiff and stark;

For the Reckless mare had smashed him against a leaning limb,

And his comely face was battered, and his merry eyes were dim.

And the thoroughbred chestnut filly, the saddle beneath her flanks,

Was away like fire through the ranges to join the wild mob's ranks;

And a broken-hearted woman and an old man worn and grey

Were searching all night in the ranges till the sunrise brought the day.

And the mother kept feebly calling, with a hope that would not die,

`Willie! where are you, Willie?' But how can the dead reply;

And hope died out with the daylight, and the darkness brought despair,

God pity the stricken mother, and answer the widow's prayer!

Though far and wide they sought him, they found not where he fell;

For the ranges held him precious, and guarded their treasure well.

The wattle blooms above him, and the blue bells blow close by,

And the brown bees buzz the secret, and the wild birds sing reply.

But the mother pined and faded, and cried, and took no rest,

And rode each day to the ranges on her hopeless, weary quest.

Seeking her loved one ever, she faded and pined away,

But with strength of her great affection she still sought every day.

`I know that sooner or later I shall find my boy,' she said.

But she came not home one evening, and they found her lying dead,

And stamped on the poor pale features, as the spirit homeward pass'd,

Was an angel smile of gladness -- she had found the boy at last.

'Lost", by Pro Hart

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

 

FACTS

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Some facts from the website “Today I Learned” . . .

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JFK didn’t invite Sammy Davis Jr. to his 1961 inauguration as Sammy had married a white woman, and JFK was worried that the presence of an interracial couple would upset Southerners. Dean Martin, who was angered by this news, refused to attend the inauguration in solidarity with Sammy.

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Philip Workman, an inmate on death row, requested that his last meal be a pizza for any homeless person located nearby. Prison officials refused, declaring they don’t donate to charity. The public decided to donate pizzas to homeless shelters themselves, in his name, after his execution.

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The first speeding ticket in history was issued to a person caught speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), four times the speed limit of 2 mph (3 km/h). In 1896, Mr. Arnold was pursued for 5 miles by a policeman on a bicycle

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Alaska is so large and deserted, it has the equivalent population density of 16 people living in Manhattan.

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In 2009, three masked burglars broke into Dolph Lundgren's home, tied up and threatened his wife, but fled after finding a family photo and realizing whose home they'd broken into.

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Quentin Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt, was a pilot who was killed in combat in WW1. For propaganda purposes, Germany made a postcard of the dead pilot and his plane, However, this was met with shock by Germans, who were impressed that a president's son died on active duty.

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When a newly discovered sponge-like fungi was named after SpongeBob SquarePants in 2011, a mycological research journal initially rejected the name for being “too frivolous”. When challenged, the scientists stood behind their discovery, saying “we’ll name it whatever we like”.

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Every Australian is entitled to a portrait of the reigning monarch - paid for by the government. After the Queen died, there was a rush to get the last portraits of her before the Charles stock came in.

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Kate Winslet broke Tom Cruise's underwater filming record while filming Avatar 2. Winslet held her breath during a scene for seven minutes and twelve seconds beating the mark of six minutes Cruise set while filming Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

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Researchers testing the Infinite Monkey theorem: Not only did the monkeys produce nothing but five total pages largely consisting of the letter "S", the lead male began striking the keyboard with a stone, and other monkeys followed by urinating and defecating on the machine

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Before the invention of ice cream cones, ice cream was served in reusable glass containers called "penny licks" which were notorious for spreading disease because they were reused & never washed between customers.

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Prisoners in Japan who are sentenced to death only find out on the morning of their execution. The prisoner's family and legal representatives, and also the general public, are informed only after the execution has taken place.

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Deep Lake, a lake in Antarctica that has such high salinity, 10 times saltier than the oceans, that it never freezes, even in the winter. Conditions in the lake are so hostile that almost nothing can survive there.

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In Shanghai every weekend there is a marriage market, parents and grandparents of unmarried adults gather in a park and trade information on their children/grandchildren (height, weight, income, occupation...) with the goal to find them a suitable partner

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The Babushka Lady is an unidentified woman present during the 1963 assassination of JFK, who appeared to be taking photos as other witnesses took cover. Her identity, along with her photos, remain unknown

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 

THEY ALL MAKE GOOD SENSE TO ME . . .

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 

The Fourth Top 10 + 2, continued

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The next instalment of the next Top 10 + 2, the fourth of such lists.

As I have I have previously posted, my Top 10 + 2 films is based on “watchability”, those films which you (meaning me) like to watch more than once and enjoy thoroughly for whatever reasons. Hence Groundhog Day was on the list, Citizen Kane is not, at least in my case never having had the urge to watch Citizen Kane more than once. My friend Steve cringes at my choices .

The reason my first list was called Top 10 + 2 was that I had difficulty whittling the list down to 10.

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The current list so far:

How Green Was My Valley

It Happened One Night

The Maltese Falcon

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Today’s film:

Take the Money and Run

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The film:

Take the Money and Run is a 1969 American mockumentary crime comedy film directed by Woody Allen. Allen co-wrote the screenplay with Mickey Rose and stars alongside Janet Margolin. The film chronicles the life of Virgil Starkwell, an inept bank robber.

Virgil Starkwell's story is told in documentary style, using fake stock footage and 'interviews' with people who knew him.

He begins a life of crime at a young age. As a child, Virgil is a frequent target of bullies, who take his glasses and stamp on them on the floor. As an adult, Virgil is clumsy and socially awkward, and both police and judges discipline him by stamping on his glasses.

The fun continues in that vein.

So many funny moments:

• Virgil playing cello in a marching band

• The escape with the rest of the chain gang, having to speak to the sheriff while shackled together

• The parents on camera wearing false noses, glasses and moustaches so that they can’t be identified

• The demand note to the bank teller during the robbery where they argue over the spelling of “gun”

• The prison escape which fails when he is caught in the rain with a pretend pistol carved from soap

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Movie trivia:

This was the second film directed by Woody Allen. He had originally wanted Jerry Lewis to direct, but when that did not work out, Allen decided to direct it himself. This film marked the first time Allen would perform the triple duties of writing, directing, and acting in a film.

The film was shot on location in San Francisco, including scenes filmed at a Bank of America branch on the 4th of July 1968, and in Ernie's restaurant, whose striking red interior was immortalized in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958).

Other scenes were filmed at San Quentin State Prison,]. One hundred San Quentin prisoners were paid a small fee to work on the film during the prison sequences. The regular cast and crew were stamped each day with a special ink that glowed under ultra-violet light so the guards could tell who was allowed to leave the prison grounds at the end of the day.

Woody Allen later said he was not nervous about his first day but was so excited about shooting on location in San Quentin prison that he cut his nose shaving that morning. The mishap can be seen in the prison scene in the movie. He and his team found the inmates there to be very friendly and cooperative. The prison authorities also eagerly welcomed the production but issued a warning: cast and crew were always to be accompanied by guards and if taken hostage, the gates would not be opened to secure their release.

Virgil Starkwell was born on December 1, 1935. This is Woody Allen's actual date of birth.

The original ending of Virgil dying in a hail of bullets would have been followed by a brief humorous scene at his funeral when his wife hears him whisper from below ground, "Get me out."

The ending was changed and made lighter. Virgil is captured when attempting to rob a former friend who reveals he is now a cop. He is sentenced to 800 years, but remains optimistic knowing that "with good behavior, I can get that cut in half". In the last scene, he is shown carving a bar of soap and asking the interviewer if it is raining outside.

Woody Allen thought of using his then wife, Louise Lasser, for his leading lady (who is called Louise in the story), but she was a screen unknown. He did, however, cast her in a comic interview scene as a neighbor stunned to learn that the "idiot" she knew was actually a criminal mastermind.

The contract Woody Allen had with Palomar Pictures gave him carte blanche to do what he wanted with this film, including final cut, setting the precedent for how he works to this day. "They never bothered me," he said. "It was a very pleasant experience. And from that day on I never had any problems in the cinema from the point of view of interference in any way."

Woody Allen's first cut was deemed to be decidedly unfunny, including his death scene in a slow-mo hail of bullets, like Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Producers Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe convinced him to sit with top editor Ralph Rosenblum to see what could be salvaged. The first thing Rosenblum did was cut out the gory ending, then he restructured the film completely, and generally tightened up Allen's loose narrative. This effort transformed the finished film into a comedy classic. Rosenblum subsequently became Allen's editor of choice on most of his next films, including Bananas (1971), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975) and Annie Hall (1977).

Virgil's inept attempt to escape prison by carving a gun out of soap and turning it black with shoe polish is loosely based on real life bank robber John Dillinger's famous escape from the Crown Point, Indiana jail using a wooden gun blackened with shoe polish.

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Watch the film by clicking on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpcyZmZrZ3k

Official trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2hJQ-eBrfo

“I am pointing a gub at you”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VdMdboymT8

Chain gang:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOaYkT6fsXg

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Let me know how you enjoyed it, Steve

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

 

FUNNY FRIDAY

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A mixed bag of chortles, snorts, laughs and giggles today, readers, which includes some risque content, so ne warned.

Enjoy the weekend.

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SOME HUMOUR:

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A man appeared before St. Peter at the pearly gates. “Have you ever done anything of particular merit?” St. Peter asked.

“Well,” the man said, “once I came upon a gang of bikers who were threatening a young woman. I approached the largest and most heavily tattooed biker and smacked him on the head, kicked over his bike, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground. ‘Now leave her alone!’ I yelled.””

St. Peter was impressed: “When did this happen?”

“Just a couple of minutes ago.”

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A drunk staggered from the bar, careened down the street, and somehow managed to make it up the stairs into the cathedral. Once inside, he crashed from pew to pew, finally making his way to a side aisle and into a confessional.

A young priest had observed his trajectory and figured the fellow needed some help, so he entered his side of the confessional. The priest sat silence, finally beginning to wonder if the man had passed out. “May I help you, my son?” he asked.

“I dunno,” came the drunk’s voice from behind the partition. “You got any paper on your side?”

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A heart surgeon took his car to his local garage for a regular service, where he usually exchanged a little friendly banter with the owner, a skilled but not especially wealthy mechanic.

"So tell me," says the mechanic, "I've been wondering about what we both do for a living, and how much more you get paid than me.."

"Yes?.." says the surgeon.

"Well look at this," says the mechanic, as he worked on a big complicated engine, "I check how it's running, open it up, fix the valves, and put it all back together so it works good as new.. We basically do the same job don't we? And yet you are paid ten times what I am - how do you explain that?"

The surgeon thought for a moment, and smiling gently, replied, "Try it with the engine running

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Whoever coined the term ‘delivery’ for childbirth made a big mistake.

It should have been called takeout instead.

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A woman is walking home with her 3 children.

The oldest daughter turns to her and asks, "Mummy, how did I get my name?"

"Well sweetie, when we were bringing you home from the hospital, a rose petal landed on your head! So that's why we named you Rose.”

The second daughter, now curious, asks the same question.

"Well darling, when we were bringing you home from the hospital, a lily petal landed on your head! So that's why we named you Lily."

The third child, a boy, says "HHGHGNGHGHNG?!?!?! DDDNBHGHBHNGHHH!!!"

"Shut up, Brick.”

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A young couple get married and have their first night together in their new home.

As they are undressing for bed, the husband hands the wife his pants.

"Here, try these on," he says.

"What? Why?" she says.

"Just put them on," he insists.

"They're way too big," she says. "I can't wear those."

"That's right," he says. "I wear the pants in this marriage. Don't you forget it."

"Got it," she says, slipping off her panties and handing them to him. "Here, try these on."

He holds them up and sees how tiny they are.

"Are you kidding?" he says. "I can't get into your panties!"

"That's right. And that's the way it's going to stay until your attitude changes."

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LIMERICK OF THE WEEK:

An awful old bounder. McGee

Used to think he could dip his wick free.

But a harlot named Charlotte

Remarked with a snarl, ‘It

Is business, not pleasure, with me.’

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GALLERY:

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LAW & LAWYERS

The stranger approached the pastor after service and said, “I’d like you to pray for my hearing.”

The pastor placed his hands on the man’s ears and said a passionate, earnest prayer.

“How’s your hearing now?” the pastor asked.

Looking surprised, the man said, “Well, it’s not until tomorrow.”

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CORN CORNER:

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Elton John's pet rabbit is small, but in very good shape.

It's a little fit bunny.

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I can't get the damn qsn to work...

Oh, wait, I had the usb upside down

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The oldest computer can be traced back to Adam and Eve. It was an apple but with extremely limited memory.

Just 1 byte. And then everything crashed.

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My mum suffers with memory loss

Hope it doesn't run in the family because my mum’s got it too

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How many Germans do you need to change a lightbulb?

One, we are very efficient and not funny

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I asked my German friend, “What’s a three letter word for compete?”

Friend: Vie.

Me: Because I’m trying to finish a crossword.

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Took my car to the mechanic because it was making a terrible noise

He removed the Mariah Carey Christmas CD, and now it’s fine.

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