Leonardo da Vinci's workshop, though warm and dry had a dark musty feeling to it. Wooden models of all of da Vinci's inventions hang from the ceiling, they start to sway from the draft created by the opening and closing of the door. Hanging on the wall I see the famous flying machine, the ornithopter, and others. On the desk I see the Vitruvian man sketch and propped up in a corner, the Mona Lisa. It feels harmonious that there are so many famous relics in on room and that da Vinci is unaware of there real value.
Now that da Vinci has poured some wine and sat me down we began to discuss what I need to see him for. I tell him that I am a traveler from another Italian city-state, thankfully he doesn't ask for a name or where I live. He tells my about his work, and how he believes some of his inventions work, and how he isn't convinced that the ornithopter will be able to achieve enough lift the get off of the ground because the weight of the four men needed to power it is to much for the meager lift the spiral provides. Although it was a bit boring, I was intrigued by the reasons that he thought some of his machines would work even though modern science would prove it wrong in the future.
After I have heard my fill of the da Vinci's lecturing I ask him the question I have been wondering about all day, whether or not Signor Volpe actually ever studied with him?
"Hmm, that name seems to ring a bell" he answered, " but I can't quite place it. Oh! Yes! I remember now, what a bright young lad, and it seems only yesterday that he just disappeared seemingly into thin air. Why?" he asked me.
"Oh, I know him and I was just curious whether or not his claims were true.
After I left Leonardo's workshop, I strolled around the rest of the city just to see the sights. Because I still had a bit of time until I was required to return to the present, I decided to go the the local daily market. At the market I saw an assortment of things for sale: porcelain from China, the skins of leopards, and lions from Africa and I even saw a hardy looking blacksmith making swords, and armor.
But now my timer is beeping, telling me that it is time for me to leave this wonderful time and place. I look back thoughtfully at the looming Florence Cathedral, somehow I know that I will never return hear, the legitimate birthplace of the Renaissance.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
M11
I am on a mission from Senior Volpe to visit his original mentor, da Vinci himself. I need to first find out were he lives, then I want to make sure that Senior Volpe was actually one of da Vinci's apprentices cause I don't believe him.
I traveled to a dark street in the Florence Italy were there are only street oil lamps to illuminate the road. This time I know were Leonardo da Vinci lives, so set off walking down the street. In the distance I see the Florence Cathedral that I helped to build. As I near a intersection I hear the clamor that come from a bar at this time of night, laughing, the clanking of glass cups. I decide that I have all night and I might as well stop in for a drink, I hear that the Florence wine is excellent.
Well, the wine was excellent and it is know day time and I still need to find da Vinci. I walk out of the bar, I can barely remember the carefully memorized map to da Vinci's workshop. I decide to ask some of the local if they know, but none of them want to talk to me in my drunken state. I try to act authoritative and I finally attract somebodies attention, a older man with cane and strange gleam in his eye.
"Excuse me sir, could you tell me were Leonardo da Vinci's workshop is?" My TTI translator translates my question into Italian.
"Yes I can, come with me." The strange old man leads me into a alley way that I had failed to notice before.
It takes longer than I expected to reach da Vinci's workshop, or maybe the wine just slowed it down. When we arrive the old man pulls a key out of his pocket, and then it hits me, this is Leonardo. Just before he opens the door, turns around, looks at me and asks,
"do now know who I am?" and without waiting for an answer he pushes the door in and steps inside.
The workshop is darker and shabbier then I expected, the only lamp is the one on the workbench and it casts only a small circle of light.
(To be continued)
I traveled to a dark street in the Florence Italy were there are only street oil lamps to illuminate the road. This time I know were Leonardo da Vinci lives, so set off walking down the street. In the distance I see the Florence Cathedral that I helped to build. As I near a intersection I hear the clamor that come from a bar at this time of night, laughing, the clanking of glass cups. I decide that I have all night and I might as well stop in for a drink, I hear that the Florence wine is excellent.
Well, the wine was excellent and it is know day time and I still need to find da Vinci. I walk out of the bar, I can barely remember the carefully memorized map to da Vinci's workshop. I decide to ask some of the local if they know, but none of them want to talk to me in my drunken state. I try to act authoritative and I finally attract somebodies attention, a older man with cane and strange gleam in his eye.
"Excuse me sir, could you tell me were Leonardo da Vinci's workshop is?" My TTI translator translates my question into Italian.
"Yes I can, come with me." The strange old man leads me into a alley way that I had failed to notice before.
It takes longer than I expected to reach da Vinci's workshop, or maybe the wine just slowed it down. When we arrive the old man pulls a key out of his pocket, and then it hits me, this is Leonardo. Just before he opens the door, turns around, looks at me and asks,
"do now know who I am?" and without waiting for an answer he pushes the door in and steps inside.
The workshop is darker and shabbier then I expected, the only lamp is the one on the workbench and it casts only a small circle of light.
(To be continued)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
M10
I am going to take a trip to Florence Italy where Sr Volpe wants me to take part in the building of the Florence Cathedral. I am currently walking down one of the smaller streets in Florence, looking for a way to be hired as a worker on the dome that I know will soon be built by the engineer, Filippo Brunelleschi. As I walk closer to the center of the city the huge octagonal, roofless structure that will become the famous Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore casts a large shadow over the city and me.
I walk up to the base of the unfinished cathedral, on the wall I see a poster saying," Brunelleschi is looking for workers to work on the unfinished dome". This was my chance, I memorized the address and walked straight to a large palace that I recognized as the Medici Palace. I talked to a hardy looking servant about working on the dome, he had me signed up on a long scroll of paper, assigned my work hours and then told me to leave.
The next day I had to wake up early because my work hours demanded it, on the way to the cathedral I bought a light breakfast consisting of bread, olives and wine. Work on the great dome had already begun, the sandstone beams creating an arch had already been laid and there was a quite a bit of work done on the large dome. All of the construction must have cost a fortune, I'm am surprised that they are not bankrupt then I remember that the Medici family is funding this. The main part of the dome was made of brick. I saw the worker that I had talked to when I had first signed up.
Right away they had me climb up to the to of the of the dome where the workers were working, there I saw Brunelleschi drawing a diagram of the dome. One of the top workers told me to take some bricks and go to the edge where the new brick were being laid. I worked on the dome for about 4 months, gathering data on there exact building techniques of Brunelleschi for TTI scrutiny.
During one of the days that I wasn't busy, I heard about the finishing of the dome, it was said that Brunelleschi had to lay the final brick himself because all of the workers were to nervous to walk out in the middle of the dome for fear that they would fall. When It was complete, the Florence Cathedral became one of the symbols of the the most powerful cities in history. Because the dome was complete, there was no reason for me to stay so I set my time travel device to the present disappeared in a flash of blue light.
I walk up to the base of the unfinished cathedral, on the wall I see a poster saying," Brunelleschi is looking for workers to work on the unfinished dome". This was my chance, I memorized the address and walked straight to a large palace that I recognized as the Medici Palace. I talked to a hardy looking servant about working on the dome, he had me signed up on a long scroll of paper, assigned my work hours and then told me to leave.
The next day I had to wake up early because my work hours demanded it, on the way to the cathedral I bought a light breakfast consisting of bread, olives and wine. Work on the great dome had already begun, the sandstone beams creating an arch had already been laid and there was a quite a bit of work done on the large dome. All of the construction must have cost a fortune, I'm am surprised that they are not bankrupt then I remember that the Medici family is funding this. The main part of the dome was made of brick. I saw the worker that I had talked to when I had first signed up.
Right away they had me climb up to the to of the of the dome where the workers were working, there I saw Brunelleschi drawing a diagram of the dome. One of the top workers told me to take some bricks and go to the edge where the new brick were being laid. I worked on the dome for about 4 months, gathering data on there exact building techniques of Brunelleschi for TTI scrutiny.
During one of the days that I wasn't busy, I heard about the finishing of the dome, it was said that Brunelleschi had to lay the final brick himself because all of the workers were to nervous to walk out in the middle of the dome for fear that they would fall. When It was complete, the Florence Cathedral became one of the symbols of the the most powerful cities in history. Because the dome was complete, there was no reason for me to stay so I set my time travel device to the present disappeared in a flash of blue light.
Friday, March 9, 2012
M9
I am going to take a stroll down one of the Japanese villages, have some food, have a nice time. But I just got a call from Signor Volpe, he wants me to get some info on the Japanese aristocracy. As I continue walking down the street I pull out one of the devices that TTI gave me, it lets me find certain places with absolute accuracy. I am going to the house of an aristocrat, so I type in the "the nearest house of a Japanese aristocrat. A little beam of light comes out of the device and I follow it down the road.
I have been walking for some time now, and I am in the richer part of the city, the houses are larger than the little huts on the outskirts of the city. In front of ever house that I walk by I see a gateposts of varying height, I know from my training at TTI that the gatepost represents the rank of the occupants. I come to a place at the road were it makes a 90 degree right turn and in the inside corner lies a house that I huge compared to the rest, there is a man made lake in front of the house with a lot a large docile coy in it, the man who lives here doesn't scrimp. I open the front gate, walk up the steps, and loudly knock on the front door, in a couple seconds the door is opened by a man that I recognize as Fujiwara Machinaga.
My first thought is "dang that TTI device works really well." I introduce myself as a ambassador from a different country which is pretty close to the truth, I tell him that our people recognize his great power and wealth and decided that it would be more productive if I met with him rather than the emperor, He, of coarse was delighted. After the greetings are finished and we are comfortably sitting on the ground I ask him about his role in the government. He says that there are many ways that can use to control the inner workings of the government, one of the things he does is that because he is rich, he is very influential, he influences the people and the emperor, he made sure that his daughters married people in the royal family.
"Did you know," Fujiwara asked, "that I was the step-father of four emperors, and the grandfather of three more?"
"Well," I replied," I can't say I did."
After my discussion with Fujiwara Machinaga I set out to explore the rest of the city, I saw the court were there was a group of nobles playing kemari, a game were you try to keep a leather ball in the air for as long as possible. I look at my watch and see, to my dismay that it is time for me to go back to present.
I find a discrete location, set my time to the present, and off I go.
I have been walking for some time now, and I am in the richer part of the city, the houses are larger than the little huts on the outskirts of the city. In front of ever house that I walk by I see a gateposts of varying height, I know from my training at TTI that the gatepost represents the rank of the occupants. I come to a place at the road were it makes a 90 degree right turn and in the inside corner lies a house that I huge compared to the rest, there is a man made lake in front of the house with a lot a large docile coy in it, the man who lives here doesn't scrimp. I open the front gate, walk up the steps, and loudly knock on the front door, in a couple seconds the door is opened by a man that I recognize as Fujiwara Machinaga.
My first thought is "dang that TTI device works really well." I introduce myself as a ambassador from a different country which is pretty close to the truth, I tell him that our people recognize his great power and wealth and decided that it would be more productive if I met with him rather than the emperor, He, of coarse was delighted. After the greetings are finished and we are comfortably sitting on the ground I ask him about his role in the government. He says that there are many ways that can use to control the inner workings of the government, one of the things he does is that because he is rich, he is very influential, he influences the people and the emperor, he made sure that his daughters married people in the royal family.
"Did you know," Fujiwara asked, "that I was the step-father of four emperors, and the grandfather of three more?"
"Well," I replied," I can't say I did."
After my discussion with Fujiwara Machinaga I set out to explore the rest of the city, I saw the court were there was a group of nobles playing kemari, a game were you try to keep a leather ball in the air for as long as possible. I look at my watch and see, to my dismay that it is time for me to go back to present.
I find a discrete location, set my time to the present, and off I go.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
M8
I transported directly into lake Lake Texcoco where the city of Tenochtitlan is a island on the western side of the lake, boy, it's wet. On the shore I see the city, and the 5 major temples arranged in the center. I swim up to the shore of the island, and pass into the city. I attract a lot of strange looks from the people there, probably because I am soaking wet. I am going to the Great Market in the center of the city, to buy dry clothes and try to blend in with the other Aztecs. As I walk to the market, a Aztec warrior comes up to me and says that I have been chosen to be sacrificed to the Aztec' s sun god, so now I am stuck.
Right now I am tied up to a tree, from what I can tell I am going to be sacrificed to the sun god Tezcatlipoca. The next day a couple of warriors come and untie me, the drag me to the top of one of the main temples. Gathered around the temple are thousands of people waiting to watch me be sacrificed. This would probably be the end of me except that I am in no real danger of being mauled, I can always zap to a different location, but I am not going to. I want to listen to the prayers that the Aztecs say before they sacrifice someone.
I just disappeared right before the Aztecs were going to sacrifice me, using TTI technology I also left a fake heart so I wouldn't mess with there ritual. So now maybe I can sample some of the local cuisine. I have found a small stand that is selling rabbits, so I ordered a dish with rabbit mixed with hot sauce, it is good but it is really hot. I have decided to walk around the market and get a couple little trinkets to take home.
I notice a warrior following me around, I try to escape his notice but soon two of them cornered me, this time they were quite docile.
"Great god, why do you hide from us? We know who you are because of the magic you performed during the sacrifice".
"Well, I guess this is better than being sacrificed" I thought. Because of my godly status, I was treated to a large feast and a lot of apologizing by the priests.
Now it is the middle of the night, and I am in a Aztec equivalent of a fancy bedroom, but I have to go home. I set my time device to the present and ZAP, I am gone.
Right now I am tied up to a tree, from what I can tell I am going to be sacrificed to the sun god Tezcatlipoca. The next day a couple of warriors come and untie me, the drag me to the top of one of the main temples. Gathered around the temple are thousands of people waiting to watch me be sacrificed. This would probably be the end of me except that I am in no real danger of being mauled, I can always zap to a different location, but I am not going to. I want to listen to the prayers that the Aztecs say before they sacrifice someone.
I just disappeared right before the Aztecs were going to sacrifice me, using TTI technology I also left a fake heart so I wouldn't mess with there ritual. So now maybe I can sample some of the local cuisine. I have found a small stand that is selling rabbits, so I ordered a dish with rabbit mixed with hot sauce, it is good but it is really hot. I have decided to walk around the market and get a couple little trinkets to take home.
I notice a warrior following me around, I try to escape his notice but soon two of them cornered me, this time they were quite docile.
"Great god, why do you hide from us? We know who you are because of the magic you performed during the sacrifice".
"Well, I guess this is better than being sacrificed" I thought. Because of my godly status, I was treated to a large feast and a lot of apologizing by the priests.
Now it is the middle of the night, and I am in a Aztec equivalent of a fancy bedroom, but I have to go home. I set my time device to the present and ZAP, I am gone.
Friday, January 27, 2012
M7 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Safari
Today I am going on a safari, I plan on going into the Congo River Basin. We are going to see many different kinds of wildlife, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is known for it's diverse wildlife. We are entering the Basin now, buckle up, here we go!!
First we are going to the habitat of the bonobo, it is one of the three great apes living in the DRC. It looks just like the chimpanzee, but it is slightly smaller. All apes living in the DRC are threatened by bushunting, which is hunting but not for regular meat. The bonobos, like all great apes are very intelligent, and are known to use tools for gathering termites, to break open nuts, and other uses.
Next we are going to the wetlands to meet some hippos, don't be afraid, they might bite, hard.Oh, and they don't like it when you wince, just so you know. We arrived just in time to see to male hippos fighting over rights to dominate a mate, they fight by charging each other with there mouths open and try to bite each other with there teeth that can be up to a foot long.
Now we are going to say hi to some gorillas, did you know that a gorilla's genes are only different from humans by 1.6%. Silver back gorillas, are almost extinct, because of poachers and loss of habitat. The gorillas were originally thought to be a different species of human because an explorer described them as a large hairy man, but it is still uncertain whether he saw a gorilla or something else.
Our adventure is coming to a close, goodbyes are always the worst, but maybe if you commented it would make it easier. Well goodbye, I hoped you learned a lot, until next time.
First we are going to the habitat of the bonobo, it is one of the three great apes living in the DRC. It looks just like the chimpanzee, but it is slightly smaller. All apes living in the DRC are threatened by bushunting, which is hunting but not for regular meat. The bonobos, like all great apes are very intelligent, and are known to use tools for gathering termites, to break open nuts, and other uses.
Next we are going to the wetlands to meet some hippos, don't be afraid, they might bite, hard.Oh, and they don't like it when you wince, just so you know. We arrived just in time to see to male hippos fighting over rights to dominate a mate, they fight by charging each other with there mouths open and try to bite each other with there teeth that can be up to a foot long.
Now we are going to say hi to some gorillas, did you know that a gorilla's genes are only different from humans by 1.6%. Silver back gorillas, are almost extinct, because of poachers and loss of habitat. The gorillas were originally thought to be a different species of human because an explorer described them as a large hairy man, but it is still uncertain whether he saw a gorilla or something else.
Our adventure is coming to a close, goodbyes are always the worst, but maybe if you commented it would make it easier. Well goodbye, I hoped you learned a lot, until next time.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
M6 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
I am traveling to the year 1884, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was a Belgium territory, ruled by King Leopold II. He treated the country like his own personal property, Africans were considered savages and were all full time slaves to the king, I am going to a work site in the 1880s.
The air is filled with dust, everywhere there are hundreds of African men chained together pulling huge blocks of stone. White guards stand by holding rifles, in the distance I hear a cry of pain echo up the canyon, a man is getting one of his hand cut off for not working hard enough. To prove that they are doing there jobs, the leader of the sites will often show government officials baskets of smoked human hands.
In 1908 the Belgium government was embarrassed sufficiently that it persuaded the king to give the country back to the people, but while the work was less brutal, Belgium still made large profits off the then Belgian Congo. But finally France declared the Belgian Congo free and owner ship was given to Patrice Lumumba.
Because of the hurriedly arranged election, two provinces succeeded from the DRC, one of them controlled the copper industry and so, with support from the US and Belgium a civil war broke out. To put a stop to the war, Belgium paratroopers kidnapped and executed Patrice Lumumba. The new leader of the DRC began a period of Africanization, he changed all the names in the country including the names of the citizens to African names, the new name for the country became Zaire. The first and second Congo war happened between the period of Americanization up to the present, with the second war officially ending in 2003 but hostilities continuing up to this day.
Although the people of the DRC have faced many problems in the course of history, they have succeeded and created a country with many problems, but on the rise. The DRC currently receives foreign aid from it's allies because of its strategic location.
The air is filled with dust, everywhere there are hundreds of African men chained together pulling huge blocks of stone. White guards stand by holding rifles, in the distance I hear a cry of pain echo up the canyon, a man is getting one of his hand cut off for not working hard enough. To prove that they are doing there jobs, the leader of the sites will often show government officials baskets of smoked human hands.
In 1908 the Belgium government was embarrassed sufficiently that it persuaded the king to give the country back to the people, but while the work was less brutal, Belgium still made large profits off the then Belgian Congo. But finally France declared the Belgian Congo free and owner ship was given to Patrice Lumumba.
Because of the hurriedly arranged election, two provinces succeeded from the DRC, one of them controlled the copper industry and so, with support from the US and Belgium a civil war broke out. To put a stop to the war, Belgium paratroopers kidnapped and executed Patrice Lumumba. The new leader of the DRC began a period of Africanization, he changed all the names in the country including the names of the citizens to African names, the new name for the country became Zaire. The first and second Congo war happened between the period of Americanization up to the present, with the second war officially ending in 2003 but hostilities continuing up to this day.
Although the people of the DRC have faced many problems in the course of history, they have succeeded and created a country with many problems, but on the rise. The DRC currently receives foreign aid from it's allies because of its strategic location.
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