Well WuseMajor, i have my comments from the old site saved, but unfortunately my comment was not on either Terry Pratchett or footnotes, although i love both and the “this is not a Moose” footnote remains an all time classic. For those old time fans, here is my old comment re-instated.
“Wait one ore-hewing second here…
Bauxite? The primary ore of aluminium? Bauxite is basically useless for anything except the production of aluminium. Ok, so aluminium is dammed useful, but to extract metallic aluminium from bauxite using traditional smelting is imposable. Considering we have seen little evidence of anything beyond the tech-lever of bloomary iron in this comic (although presumably Diggers comments on the quality of various weapons indicates a knowledge of proper steel alloying, as I would hope to see from a wombat) and to extract aluminium from bauxite requires electricity; heat alone wont break the chemical bonds in bauxite. That’s why Napoleon III had an aluminium cutlery set- At the time the cost of smelting before widespread eclectic use made it more valuable than gold.
Presuming, not unreasonably, that electricity does not exist in this context, although wombats appear to have very advanced knowledge, especially with chemistry (the glow light) how do they use bauxite? Can you magic bauxite from its ore, and if so, who the hell does it given that the wombats themselves appear unlikely to take kindly to smelting by spell.”
Bunnyrock, Bauxite has uses beyond Aluminum, that could be wombatable. 1. though bauxite has large amounts of aluminium, it also amounts of Iron Oxide which can possibly be smelted into iron (and thus steel) or kept as a weak metal iron oxide 2. Bauxite is largely made of Kaolinite, which is an easily mold able Ceramic that could be used for many things such as plates, statues, etc. Very wombatty!
I have got to ask… what does Bauxite have to do with any of this? I mean, I realize that its a comment from the old forums. But how did the conversation develop from this panel into Bauxite?
*is not peeved, but genuinely curious*
Hm. It’s relatively easy to make alum out of bauxite, using chemicals that have been known to humans since antiquity. Alum is extremely useful for dyeing and for treating drinking water, so if there are no native alum deposits in wombat-held land, bauxite would be an important source of it.
And Knowing is half the Battle! (curse you internet: I picked that idiom up entirely online. I’m not even sure if that cartoon was ever screened in the UK, if it did I have no recollection of seeing it: My memories of cartoons of my youth are too full of the metal scars caused by “Animals of Farthing Wood” to recall other, less violent cartoons. Fifteen odd years on I still flashback to the scene with the Shrike, the thorn-bush and Ms Mouse’s babies. Usually around four AM.)
Thanks for the info on Bauxite guys. I love how odd some of the comments here are and just how much useful detail you guys give.
Huzzah! There are odd comments about rocks that I don’t understand again! I can die happy now. Although I would much rather live happy, for the moment.
Animals of Farthing Wood was the awesomest, creepiest, most mind-shaping cartoon I ever saw as a kid. I still sometimes wonder how the heck anyone could put children through watching that, and why every person aged five and up aren’t forced to watch it until they learn a thing or two about animal suffering.
I think Digger and Mole should meet and talk. They could discuss… well, digging. And Frog (or was it a Toad?) should talk to the Oracular Slug. They’re both kind of far-fetched in an interesting way. *And* they’re both slimy.
Another bit of your original commentary I miss, is the one on footnotes and Terry Pratchett.
‘remember tunnel 17’! I love that. Cafepress, where are you?
Well WuseMajor, i have my comments from the old site saved, but unfortunately my comment was not on either Terry Pratchett or footnotes, although i love both and the “this is not a Moose” footnote remains an all time classic. For those old time fans, here is my old comment re-instated.
“Wait one ore-hewing second here…
Bauxite? The primary ore of aluminium? Bauxite is basically useless for anything except the production of aluminium. Ok, so aluminium is dammed useful, but to extract metallic aluminium from bauxite using traditional smelting is imposable. Considering we have seen little evidence of anything beyond the tech-lever of bloomary iron in this comic (although presumably Diggers comments on the quality of various weapons indicates a knowledge of proper steel alloying, as I would hope to see from a wombat) and to extract aluminium from bauxite requires electricity; heat alone wont break the chemical bonds in bauxite. That’s why Napoleon III had an aluminium cutlery set- At the time the cost of smelting before widespread eclectic use made it more valuable than gold.
Presuming, not unreasonably, that electricity does not exist in this context, although wombats appear to have very advanced knowledge, especially with chemistry (the glow light) how do they use bauxite? Can you magic bauxite from its ore, and if so, who the hell does it given that the wombats themselves appear unlikely to take kindly to smelting by spell.”
Well, what else are they going to build those magma pumps out of?
Bunnyrock, Bauxite has uses beyond Aluminum, that could be wombatable. 1. though bauxite has large amounts of aluminium, it also amounts of Iron Oxide which can possibly be smelted into iron (and thus steel) or kept as a weak metal iron oxide 2. Bauxite is largely made of Kaolinite, which is an easily mold able Ceramic that could be used for many things such as plates, statues, etc. Very wombatty!
Remember Koom Valley!
Well, she *did* say she woke up mean…
I have got to ask… what does Bauxite have to do with any of this? I mean, I realize that its a comment from the old forums. But how did the conversation develop from this panel into Bauxite?
*is not peeved, but genuinely curious*
‘REMEMBER TUNNEL 17!!’ beats ‘REMEMBER THE ALAMO!’ hands down.
12Many: Read the footnote at the bottom of the comic.
12Many, the footnote is about a fight over “a particlularly promising vein of bauxite.” We digress a lot on these comments. 😀
Hm. It’s relatively easy to make alum out of bauxite, using chemicals that have been known to humans since antiquity. Alum is extremely useful for dyeing and for treating drinking water, so if there are no native alum deposits in wombat-held land, bauxite would be an important source of it.
And now I know!
And Knowing is half the Battle! (curse you internet: I picked that idiom up entirely online. I’m not even sure if that cartoon was ever screened in the UK, if it did I have no recollection of seeing it: My memories of cartoons of my youth are too full of the metal scars caused by “Animals of Farthing Wood” to recall other, less violent cartoons. Fifteen odd years on I still flashback to the scene with the Shrike, the thorn-bush and Ms Mouse’s babies. Usually around four AM.)
Thanks for the info on Bauxite guys. I love how odd some of the comments here are and just how much useful detail you guys give.
Huzzah! There are odd comments about rocks that I don’t understand again! I can die happy now. Although I would much rather live happy, for the moment.
Animals of Farthing Wood was the awesomest, creepiest, most mind-shaping cartoon I ever saw as a kid. I still sometimes wonder how the heck anyone could put children through watching that, and why every person aged five and up aren’t forced to watch it until they learn a thing or two about animal suffering.
I think Digger and Mole should meet and talk. They could discuss… well, digging. And Frog (or was it a Toad?) should talk to the Oracular Slug. They’re both kind of far-fetched in an interesting way. *And* they’re both slimy.
One internaet to the first person to bring me Digger-AOFW fanfic!