New-Cleckit Dominiencdominie@mastodon.scot
Sep 28, 2026, 7:20 PMGreat moments in Scottish engineering history: James Watt tries to work out how his phone attaches to his selfie stick.
Replies
Pianosaurus 🕴pianosaurus@c.imSep 28, 2026, 9:17 PM@ncdominie Ok, I had to look this up. In case anyone else is curious: The selfie stick is a Watt Indicator, which was used to plot the pressure at each point along a piston's stroke on a piece of paper. The phone is the piece of paper, so presumably he has actually taken it out of the selfie stick already to inspect the result.
Also, that's the second thickest piece of paper I have ever seen.
Sep 28, 2026, 9:33 PM@pianosaurus @ncdominie Thank you, was just about to rabbit hole this and appreciate your efforts!
Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialSep 28, 2026, 9:41 PM@pianosaurus @ncdominie The distance he's holding it, I think he needs either some reading glasses or some longer arms.
Mysturjimysturji@mastodonapp.ukSep 29, 2026, 10:29 PM@timtfj @pianosaurus @ncdominie
In my experience, glasses are cheaper.- New-Cleckit Dominiencdominie@mastodon.scotSep 29, 2026, 6:16 AM
@pianosaurus And for extra Watt bonus points, the Watt indicator probably wasn't invented by Watt.
(There's a status of Archimedes in Siracusa holding his burning mirrors, which he also didn't invent. There's probably scope for a whole art-history series there...)
Isaac Ji Kuoisaackuo@spacey.spaceSep 29, 2026, 2:25 PM@ncdominie @pianosaurus Ah, Stigler's Law of Eponymy strikes again
Squeesquee@mastodon.nzSep 29, 2026, 6:41 AM@pianosaurus @ncdominie well now I need to know what the thickest piece of paper you've ever seen is!
- Isaac Ji Kuoisaackuo@spacey.spaceSep 29, 2026, 2:23 PM
@pianosaurus @ncdominie Thanks, so much! A pet peeve of mine is how people will look at something written and/or illustrated from long ago and say how it's so presceint - while simultaneously being completely incurious about what the source material was actually talking about or what technology was actually available at the time.
Thank you for being among the curious!
Herr TurTurmessieass@procial.tchncs.deSep 29, 2026, 6:36 AM@ncdominie@mastodon.scot
Oh beautiful! Is it from the times when EDGE was the latest and greatest?
Nike LeonhardNike_Leonhard@literatur.socialSep 29, 2026, 6:48 AM
Sep 29, 2026, 7:45 AM@ncdominie 🤣😂
Goth Jessicanormjess@tech.lgbtSep 29, 2026, 9:22 AM@ncdominie "now I had signal just a minute ago... fucks sake" 📶
Nature Punknaturepunk@ecoevo.socialSep 29, 2026, 11:34 AM@ncdominie I bet he was steaming.
Sep 29, 2026, 11:37 AM@ncdominie Great moments in aviation history: Wilbur Wright with his European business agent, who is checking the weather on his phone before a flight
Nick Selby :donor:fuzztech@infosec.exchangeSep 29, 2026, 11:42 AM@jmopp @ncdominie Dude was so far ahead of his time.
The Grim PeterPeteLittle@autistics.lifeSep 29, 2026, 5:49 PM@jmopp @ncdominie this famous one of the woman in 1928 taking a call on her mobile phone ;)
TuchowskiadipoeserPursch@troet.cafeSep 29, 2026, 11:58 AM
Alexander KnochelQuantensalat@scicomm.xyzSep 29, 2026, 1:10 PM@ncdominie And are there selfies of James Watt with his steam engine? Nope.
🇨🇦 CleoQc 🍁🦜🧶🚐🌈CleoQc@cosocial.caSep 29, 2026, 1:54 PM@ncdominie
Similarly from ancient Greece
Dud the Forgetable.BackFromTheDud@mas.toSep 29, 2026, 2:43 PM@CleoQc What's Ancient Greek for "Bugger, my iMac has crashed again"?@ncdominie
JamjarmcJamjarmc@mastodon.scotSep 29, 2026, 2:38 PM@ncdominie that's my work
- Dud the Forgetable.BackFromTheDud@mas.toSep 29, 2026, 2:41 PM
@ncdominie He must be long sighted, judging by the distance the phone is from his face :-)
Ted Mielczarektedmielczarek@mastodon.socialSep 29, 2026, 4:31 PM@ncdominie I guess he must be trying to send a selfie to a WattsApp group chat?
Lilly HunterLaChasseuse@mastodon.scotSep 29, 2026, 10:31 PM@tedmielczarek GROAN @ncdominie
Farhan Ahmedmacronaut@mas.toSep 29, 2026, 4:55 PM@ncdominie He will definitely need a dongle for that!
prince lucijaprinlu@0x.trans.failSep 30, 2026, 9:33 AM@ncdominie and nothing about his outfit in '26?
edit: er.. steampunk?
James Morrisxjamesmorris@mastodon.socialSep 30, 2026, 9:37 AM@ncdominie this statue is missing a traffic cone, if I understand Scotland correctly
