NavList:

Hi All

Has been a while since I contributed – though I try to read every post and follow the threads – though not always easy.

As an ex-RNZAF P3BOrion tactical Coordinator – navigator (aeronautical) – it is hard to watch the science, the art of navigation being displaced so readily and easily by every 2^nd gadget on the market that sports a GPS – and every user instantly being able “to navigate” to where they want to and believe they are navigators.

Try telling youngsters who had a mobile in their wet little hands before they even latched on to mother’s breast, that you are a navigator and found your ways in the middle of no where with a “SEXTANT” – wtf – “SEX”   “WHAT”  - yep.

They think I am pulling their leg.

I sometimes take my WWII aero sextant to work in Canberra – in land Eastern Australia to practice shots and they look at it as though I dug this thing up from the tip.

Some are curious but – navigate using the STARS, moon, sun – why – just use a GPS.

Sometimes I silently wish for someone to blip a small EMP somewhere – maybe by mistake to take out a few GPS satellites just to give everyone a heads up on a “WHAT-IF” – believe me it isn’t that unrealistic.

We are seeing power shortages as the greenies stop oil and gas exploration believing solar and wind will fill the gap ( and banning nuclear) – so having your own solar and storage is not fanciful anymore.

Your posts are wonderfully full of so much information and hot gen – alas at almost 71 I am still gainfully fully employed and have very little time to practice my navigation skills.

Though we are trying to sell our home in the Southern Highlands – and the house we are looking at buying sits rural Canberra with a big hill right behind on the property and I have ear-marked it for a small home made observatory – if wishes came true – but it is possible.

Someone mentioned the book by Sir Frances Chichester “The Lonely Sea and the Sky” and the use of a sextant whilst flying low level in a biplane on a round the world – I immediately downloaded it on my kindle from Amazon – at 0100 – and started reading it wonderful read.

The info on Horrocks and Kepler – Newton  – fascinating stuff – though I am not a classic mathematician I found maths easy at school and devour maths books of explanation –

Though I retrained as a veterinary surgeon after leaving the military – my mathematically, diagnostic, problem solving tilt went towards software/database development ( whilst I practiced as a veterinarian).

At 71 I am full-time employed in my son’s private cloud business – as finance manager – but I do all the software development – database and software development.

I use C#.NET ( probably one of the foremost OOP development languages ) and MSAccess – one of the foremost dbase development platforms around – what keeps my mind active – or what gives me the tilt towards this work – mathematics – the constant drive to solve problems – find solutions – explain it in mathematical terms. Interestingly I am constantly being challenged on my ideas and problem solving methods in these projects – and now they don’t challenge me. Zoom meetings – I always turn video on so they can see I am not as youthful as them ( I chuckle!!)

Interestingly – I am also reading a book called “The Probability of GOD” – the author is using Bayesian Statistics to try to show this probability – fascinating ( no I am not a religious person – the opposite but age gives you a broader outlook on life)  - I digress – the author describes Mathematics as the language of the GODS – interesting.

The king of languages!!!!

Love the posts peoples.

Yes agreed – pseudo sextants ( marine) – caveat emptor!!!!!!!!

Regards Howard G