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South African (Off-Topic) Quiz

DamhuisClan

By DamhuisClan
in South Africa

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Carbon Hunter

+Carbon Hunter

Posted
Posted

South Africa has recently regulated the Renewable Energy Feed In Tarriff opening the way for many wind farms in the country.

 

There are only 7 sizable wind turbines in operation currently in SA (3 at klipheuwel and 4 at Darling).

 

39_12_55---Lowestoft-Wind-Turbine_web.jpg

 

Question: What is the central nousing that is on top of the mast and that the blades are connected to called?

 

nacelle?

 

Pooks - yep you're it - nacelle is the correct word.

the pooks

+the pooks

Posted
Posted (edited)

Don't know how that word popped into my brain! Had a look at wikipedia afterwards and the housing that contains an aircraft engine is also called a nacelle.

 

An idea stolen/borrowed from the UK forums:

 

What is the name of the cache in the top right of this image

 

44aaac7f-7d8b-4b2b-b48b-762155201985.jpg

Edited by the pooks
the pooks

+the pooks

Posted
Posted (edited)

Is this the large world globe somewhere in the States?

Nope - here in good ol' South Africa

 

PS: That thing in the states is called something like the Apcot Centre - haven't googled - so not quite right.

Edited by the pooks
cincol

+cincol

Posted
Posted

The building in the centre of the picture looks suspiciously like the SALT near Sutherland. However, not having done any caching there I have no idea what the name of the cache might be without having to do a search on gc.com to find out. I am sure someone like cownchicken will know the name as they have no doubt done that cache! :mad:

the pooks

+the pooks

Posted
Posted

Good enough Cincol. The cache is called SALT of the Earth II, but the image is indeed of the SALT telescope. The question was just rigged to work geocaching into it.

 

Over to you.

besem

besem

Posted
Posted

Geodetic systems that cover the entire globe? If you're looking for what the abbreviations mean, I think they are World Geodetic System '84 and Universal ... something Mercator. Universal Traverse Mercator, perhaps?

 

I did a cache a while ago that required you to work with three systems - the Dutch Grid, WGS84 and UTM. That's the only reason I vaguely know what UTM stands for. q:

cincol

+cincol

Posted
Posted

We all use our GPSr's often but normally just take the settings for granted. Recently I had to help a newbie get his GPSr's settings sorted out as it was totally inaccurate - only to discover that he had set it to QNG [Qatar National Grid] when the default should have been WGS84. While working through the settings I was amazed to see how many different settings are available on the Garmin and decided to look at what they all mean.

 

Well done besem - and also thanks to our resident land surveyor Jors for further explaining.

Carbon Hunter

+Carbon Hunter

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Posted

Also ran into this recently - all farm boundaries in SA are supplied in the SA "standard" format - and when trying to convert these to WGS84 for in field checks on the Garmin

 

Proved interesting

 

Also heading off on holiday soon to Southern Oman - and there is an intersection of 2 systems there too

Jors

+Jors

Posted
Posted

.... convert(ing) these to WGS84 for in field checks on the Garmin Proved interesting ....

 

 

Do I smell a puzzle cache in the making? :o

the pooks

+the pooks

Posted
Posted

.... convert(ing) these to WGS84 for in field checks on the Garmin Proved interesting ....

 

 

Do I smell a puzzle cache in the making? :o

 

I got formulas from Trig Survey in Mowbray quite a while ago. The formulas are very involved, but I developed macros in Excel so that I ride around on the farm taking track logs of boundaries fields, convert it to cadastral x,y coordinates and import this into a CAD program (automatically via a script) so that I have a (reasonably) accurate and to scale drawing of the farm and fields.

 

If someone is interested in a closer look of the formulas they can PM me.

besem

besem

Posted
Posted

In 1882 there was a rare transit of Venus. By that time Kepler has developed an accurate model of the solar system, but it lacked one ingredient - scale. The Venus Transit allowed astronemers to measure the distance between the Earth and the Sun, hence there was a big hooh-hah to observe the transit properly. Several expeditions were sent to various observing sites in South Africa. My question is about the British expedition: they erected two concrete pillars at their observing site to be used for mounting their instruments. These pillars were engraved with the names of the astronomers working on site and are still there today. It was declared a national monument in 1938.

 

What is the (modern) name of the town where the British had their observing station?

 

It's possible to visit the pillars today, but you'll have to know exactly where they are - they're located in the backyard of a liquor store in a rather shabby area. It's sad to see a national monument hidden away like that...

cincol

+cincol

Posted
Posted

I think it is in Touws River - opposite the caravan park near the old hotel. remember going there some years back when we stayed over at the caravanpark.

besem

besem

Posted
Posted

I think it is in Touws River - opposite the caravan park near the old hotel. remember going there some years back when we stayed over at the caravanpark.

 

Touws River it is! I expected cownchicken to come up with the answer first. (; cincol, next question please!

cincol

+cincol

Posted
Posted

Lots of rusting old trains and steam engines?

 

Yep -it is those steam engines that brings enthusiasts from the world over to Touws River. Apparently the humidity levels are extremely low and therefor rust is not a problem hence the steam "graveyard".

DamhuisClan

+DamhuisClan

Posted
  • Author
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Name Winnie the Pooh's buddies - and what are each of them? :)

Hay I know this one or is it four!!!

 

But will give some other people a chance!

 

I see there are a few of us with no Friday Night life..

GlobalRat

+GlobalRat

Posted
Posted

Name Winnie the Pooh's buddies - and what are each of them? :)

mmmm...ok

 

Kanga = Kangaroo

Roo = Joey

Eeyore = Donkey

Owl = Owl

Piglet = Piglet

Tigger = Tiger

Rabbit = Rabbit

Christopher Robin = Human

GlobalRat

+GlobalRat

Posted
Posted (edited)

We have a lurker amongst us who loves Winnie!! Well done. :)

 

When your kids watch the same movies over and over and over and over and....

 

Question: What is Kenneth Arnolds famous for?

Edited by GlobalRat
DamhuisClan

+DamhuisClan

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Question: What is Kenneth Arnolds famous for?

What a coincidence, our son just walked in and asked the same question. Oh wait ... he must have read the same forum. We looked it up for him, so can no longer answer. VERY interesting answer though.

Wazat

+Wazat

Posted
Posted

Guy who first reported UFO sightings i believe.... sometime just after WW2 1947/8 - Funny, I was just looking for the photos I took when this question was asked.

GlobalRat

+GlobalRat

Posted
Posted

Guy who first reported UFO sightings i believe.... sometime just after WW2 1947/8 - Funny, I was just looking for the photos I took when this question was asked.

 

You're it

 

He is best-known for making what is generally considered the first widely reported unidentified flying object sighting in the United States, after claiming to see nine unusual objects flying in a chain near Mount Rainier, Washington on June 24, 1947. Arnold described the objects' shape as resembling a flat saucer or disc, and also described their erratic motion as resembling a saucer skipped across water; from this, the press quickly coined the new terms "flying saucer" and "flying disc" to describe such objects, many of which were reported within days after Arnold's sighting.
Wazat

+Wazat

Posted
Posted

Helps to have been one of the crowd... LOL.

 

George Thomson was known for something that he did with no formal training... what was it?

DamhuisClan

+DamhuisClan

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Helps to have been one of the crowd... LOL.

 

George Thomson was known for something that he did with no formal training... what was it?

A Flyer: Building bridges?

or

Architecture?

Carbon Hunter

+Carbon Hunter

Posted
Posted

There was a missionary in Central and West Africa called Thompson who was also an avid plant collector and had a number of local species named after him.

So my guess is he was a trained missionary and untrained botanist?

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