Friday, August 8, 2008

The most attested historical event in the Bible?



At least according to one of my professors, it is Sennacherib's invasion of Judah, and his attack on Jerusalem in 701 (according to Sennacherib's Prism). We have archaeological evidence in the writings of Sennacherib, and archaeological evidence in Lachish, as well as three versions in the Bible. It also includes one of the most remarkable, God-centered prayers in the Bible, Hezekiah's prayer in 2 Kings 19:15-19. Sennacherib boasted that he has Hezekiah shut up "like a bird in a cage." To paraphrase Churchill, that's some bird, and its song has made quite an echo throughout history.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Supersonic Stealth

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This weekend I went up to Oshkosh, and got to visit the EAA airshow. This plane was the most impressive: The F-22, the most advanced fighter jet in the world. A few random facts:
  • They each cost $137.5 million
  • The plane uses stealth technology and all its weapons are stored internally. The bay doors open in less than a second.
  • The plane has a top speed near 1,600 mph, (Mach 2.4). Most fighter jets cannot go supersonic.
  • It can also fly very slowly, and we saw it fly by a 90 knots.
  • The planes are so advanced they are not for sale to any foreign country.
  • The planes have only been operational for about three years.