Get with the 21st Century, Strib! » « Science Writing! Online!

Found on the walls of a mummy’s tomb…

What terrifying curse is inscribed here?

Actually, it would be very surprising to find that in an ancient tomb: it’s a bit of Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Peter Rabbit translated into Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Ah, geeky language nerds. If only they had a time machine, they’d be able to wreak total havoc on history.

Get with the 21st Century, Strib! » « Science Writing! Online!

Comments

  5. roadhazard says

    Technically, it’s “hieroglyphs,” not “hieroglyphics.”

    The latter is an adjective, as in “hieroglyphic writing.” Not sure why everybody gets this wrong. Just sayin’.

  6. says

    I’ve just succeeded in completing my time machine. As as test mission, I’m planning to visit the 1st century, and see if I can insert some piece of random nonsense into the Bible.

    It worked! I managed to convince some early Christians to engage in a bizarre ritual, whereby they pretend to eat the body of Christ. I wonder if they’ll keep that up?

  8. says

    I’ve just succeeded in completing my time machine. As as test mission, I’m planning to visit the 1st century, and see if I can insert some piece of random nonsense into the Bible.

  9. bbgunn says

    Hmmm… The temporal calibration device needs fine tuning. I arrived back a few seconds too early.

    Power spike in the flux capacitor?

  10. ogremeister says

    Hyperdeath @ 7:

    Hmmm… The temporal calibration device needs fine tuning. I arrived back a few seconds too early.

    Wait…if you posted the results without seeing your original post first, how did you know you came back to the right universe? Especially since you didn’t seem to collide with yourself before you left?

  11. christophburschka says

    As as test mission, I’m planning to visit the 1st century, and see if I can insert some piece of random nonsense into the Bible.

    Did it work? I can’t tell…

  12. says

    I wish someone would go back in time and give this set of hieroglyphs to Joseph Smith. Maybe he’d come up with a better “translation” than his boring “Book of Abraham.”

    Book of Abraham Hoax

    An early Egyptologist who found Joe Smith’s explanations of the Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham false was M. Theodule Deveria. In 1856, M. Deveria was working for the Louvre in Paris when he saw a copy of the Pearl of Great Price. Respected as a pioneer in Egyptology, he was asked to comment on Smith’s translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics. His comments were published in Jules Remy’s and Julius Brenchley’s two-volume book Voyage au Pays des Mormons (Paris, 1860). The following year an English translation of Remy’s and Brenchley’s book was titled Journey to Great Salt Lake City (London: W. Jeffs, 1861).

    Egyptologist M. Theodule Deveria found that Joe Smith had not only made a false translation of the Facsimiles, but also had altered some of them from the original source. Together with later Egyptologists, M. Deveria found Joe Smith’s Facsimiles to be funerary documents that were taken from the Osiris mysteries and the Egyptian Book of the Dead….

    http://www.conchisle.com/deveria.htm

  13. brontodon says

    I always liked the hieroglyphic versions of C-3PO and R2-D2 that are visible in the background of some scenes in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

  14. Gregory in Seattle says

    I wish I could find the image, but a few days ago I saw a mockup of a UK historial marker (the blue metal disk) that said something like “John Wentworth lived here 1832 to 1867. Invented the time machine, 2136.”

  16. Happiestsadist says

    If it says anything about lettuces, it should say that one should avoid any offered by Set.

    Also, yay, Beatrix Potter.

  17. stoferb says

    Lynna. BoA isn’t THAT boring, it’s full of “deep doctrine” that any mormon with a brain would rather hide from nonmembers because it’s so utterly ridiculous. It’s the best positive proof we have that Joseph Smith was full of crap.

  19. Rich Woods says

    Power spike in the flux capacitor?

    And don’t forget to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

  20. microraptor says

    I would totally do something like that.

    But only after getting autographed copies of On The Origin of Species and Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman.

  21. madscientist says

    Heresy! Peter Rabbit should be written in coniglioform, not in hieroglyphs.

  22. says

    Ah, geeky language nerds. If only they had a time machine, they’d be able to wreak total havoc on history.

    Okay… Which one of you guys showed PZ the Secret Language Nerd World Domination Plan? That thing was supposed to be a secret, you know.

  25. tricster says

    @Stella 22

    Okay… Which one of you guys showed PZ the Secret Language Nerd World Domination Plan? That thing was supposed to be a secret, you know.

    I swear it wasn’t me! I don’t have that lying around translated in to English…

  26. says

    Ah, geeky language nerds. If only they had a time machine, they’d be able to wreak total havoc on history.

    Somebody already did, check out the bible. The problem is trying to put it back the way it was before.