NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: suggestion for a satisfactory celnav narrative
From: Courtney Thomas
Date: 2005 May 31, 17:01 -0500
From: Courtney Thomas
Date: 2005 May 31, 17:01 -0500
Thank you Jim. First, I plan no project of my own, rather was suggesting that the list have a coherent description of the process to provide the uninitiated, which you've already admirably done :-) I'll be in Cape Breton for the summer in a week or two, but unfortunately have so much to accomplish regarding the moving process, I won't be able to sail over to PEI this summer. But certainly plan to do so next summer and hope to call on a stop-over at that time. Incidentally, do you have any feel for residential construction costs in the Nova Scotia area ? We have a house but need a large barn and I'm trying to get a handle on possibilities. Cordially, Courtney On Tue, 2005-05-31 at 15:06, Jim Thompson wrote: > Courtney -- I have been trying something like this (I think) at: > http://jimthompson.net/boating/CelestialNav/CelestNotes/IntroCN.htm > If any of that is useful to your project, then let me know. > > Jim Thompson > jim3 at jimthompson dot net > www.jimthompson.net > -------------------- > Outgoing email scanned by Norton Antivirus > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Courtney Thomas > > As one who has struggled with a plethora of publications that purport to > > convey the celnav gospel, I'd like to suggest a group project of > > composing a "minimal" narrative of the essentials of celestial > > navigation that would at least do the following, though additions are > > welcomed as the group sees fit, of course, as I'm sure I'm not even > > sufficiently proficient to provide a satisfactory outline, and therefore > > only hope to induce the competent to collaborate: > > > > Also assuming Godelian proficiency unnecessary :-) and hoping an > > included bibliography will gratify those whose requirements are > > unsatisfied by the final group consensus, as well as those merely more > > curious, I submit the following as starting suggestions: > > > > 1-a summary narrative - to fully setout a statement of the problem and > > it's currently regarded state of the art solution, omitting all math and > > drawings. This might, for example, omit considerations such as sextants > > and their use, historical considerations, etc., i.e. adhere only to a > > conceptual basis, ignoring the procedural, hence avoiding the conflation > > and inflation of other authors. > > > > 2-definitions - only that necessary to familiarize a novice > > with the terminology > > > > 3-math & science axioms & drawings - the plane geometry, trigonometry, > > astronomy, physics, etc. deemed indispensible, with a suitable > > bibliography > > > > 4-a summary outline - sort of a table of contents writ large, setting > > out a celnav process > > > > 5-for each section in #4, a brief narrative of motivation to textually > > succeed each topic - [To maintain reader clarity, for example, for a > > section on, say, the intercept method, to describe HOW it fits into the > > overall scheme and WHY it is valid.] > > > > 6-a summary with example(s) - a final assembly... embodying the initial > > summary, described in #1, but utilizing the actual nuts&bolts contained > > in #s 2 & 3, with nothing more included > > > > [Goal Statement: to layout a minimal, though complete, celnav procedure > > for a novice without omitting unity, while avoiding concision that > > leaves confusion and wonderment.] > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Please leave me out of any debate on the desirability and feasibility. > > If you think it undesirable or infeasible, ignore this suggestion, else > > I thank you for your contribution to it's realization, as will all those > > who follow. > > > > Courtney Thomas > > > >