Fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral

[Keyrock]

Definitely a major tragedy. Hopefully something can be salvaged, although it'll probably take decades to rebuild. This is also why all the world's great art and architecture needs to be digitally scanned in fine detail -- who knows when some random events will take it from us.

Yes, we should definitely take all the steps we can to avoid another Library of Alexandria level loss of knowledge and/or art. The problem with making digital copies is that we're all a single major coronal mass ejection away from every single piece of digital anything being wiped out.

[Gorth]

Probably a carpenter forgetting to switch off something when leaving work.... sad to see. Lot's of history around that building. As for when the fire brigade shows/showed up, I don't think central Paris is easy to get trucks through and the cathedral was located on an island in the river. As somebody mentioned, water bombing the place would just have brought down the stone walls too.

 

I guess the question for me is, why wasn't more done to 'fire proof' such a historical building?

[Malcador]

 

View from inside

[Gorth]

"I have something to say: it's better to burn out than to fade away!" (unnamed Kurgan in a church)

[Katphood]

Damn shame. I remember visiting the place some 20 years ago with my parents. Good times, the good ol' 90's...

[Raithe]

 

 

[Humanoid]

Saw a Twitter-sized version of the photo above, and if I hadn't heard the news previously I wouldn't even have noticed anything amiss. So, that's a good thing I guess?

[Guard Dog]

[Malcador]

I don't get the reference.

[algroth]

[Sargallath Abraxium]

...while I's not religious, me heart skipped as I's was watchin' 'er burn; 'specially when the steeple fell in...good that most of her artwork an' such was saved; guess theys gonna display the stuff at the Louvre fer now...

 

 

...WHO LUVS YA, BABY!!...

[LittleArmadillo0]

I don't get the reference.

Game of Thrones Spoiler for season 6 episode 10

 

 

Cersei burns down the Sept with wildfire

 

 

[Bartimaeus]

The Crown of Thorns was saved from the fire by a fight-fighting priest: "Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain of the Paris Fire Brigade, saved the Blessed Sacrament and the Crown of Thorns from the burning cathedral on Monday night when he bravely went in with firefighters. Fournier "went with the firefighters into Notre Dame Cathedral to save the Crown of Thorns and the Blessed Sacrament". It was brought to Paris in 1238 by French monarch Louis IX. The hallowed object was contained in an elaborate gold case which was stored in the cathedral's treasury and is only occasionally displayed for people to see." Original article: https://news.sky.com/story/revealed-fearless-priest-saved-priceless-relics-from-burning-notre-dame-11695316

 

Even though the relic is very unlikely to truly be *the* crown of thorns that Jesus allegedly wore, it is still a 1500+ year old relic.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Bartimaeus

[BruceVC]

http://www.wtol.com/2019/04/16/french-billionaires-pledge-million-euros-help-rebuild-notre-dame/

 

Excellent news, 2 of Frances richest families have pledged over 300 million Euros to rebuild Notre Dame

 

Its just not true that wealthy people dont give there money away to good causes 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

[Raithe]

[Malcador]

Big surprise he advertises himself as atheist. It's like CrossFit

[injurai]

 

God made the melting point of gold high because he intended for humans to worship him with it in the form of his preferred symbols. Clearly you have holy logic'd this through to it's conclusion.

[Hurlshort]

I doubt that cross is entirely gold though. 

[ShadySands]

Still though, I can only think of a few metals that would melt under 600 degrees

 

PS I'm a not metal melting expert thought I did once perform in a radio play as Robert Goulet dressed liked Mr. Bean playing the Scarecrow in a Summer Stock production of the Wizard of Oz dedicated to Tony Randall

Edited April 16, 2019 by ShadySands

[Guard Dog]

Lead melts at half that. Tin is pretty low too.

[ShadySands]

I had lead, tin, and zinc in mind

[Guard Dog]

Ironically the more stable a metal is atomically the lower it's melting point. Larger (atomically larger) metals that ionize easily (meaning electrical conductors) tend to have high melting points. This seems like something I used to know the why of but I believe that brain cell that held that data was killed by bourbon. 

[Malcador]

Apparently that cross was in an alcove, so was well off, all considered. Hm, wonder what it is called to describe metal behavior at different temperatures

[Guard Dog]

Apparently that cross was in an alcove, so was well off, all considered. Hm, wonder what it is called to describe metal behavior at different temperatures

When you were in college you likely took a class call Strength of Materials, or Engineering Materials, or something along those lines. For me it was a four class series all Eng undergrads took no matter what discipline they were in: Statics, Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Strength of Materials. The Comp Sci guys were bored out of their minds!