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Terry Pratchett's Self-Made Meteorite Sword
jamie writes "Fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett says he was so excited after being knighted by the Queen that he decided to make his own sword to equip himself for his new status... the author dug up 81kg of ore and smelted it in the grounds of his house, using a makeshift kiln built from clay and hay and fueled with damp sheep manure."
If I'm not mistaken coal is used in blacksmiths kilns to melt iron, at about 1500 Celsius. I'm wondering how he got those kind of temperatures with sheep manure. Maybe the manure had an octarine glow to it ;)
This past weekend I put a huge steel ninja sword I got for 12 bucks into a campfire we were having, and it glowed red after a short few minutes. I easily bent it into a full U shape.
This simple, moronic drunken act made me feel connected to countless other drunken, moronic ancestors before me, all equally intruigued by how fire is able to temporarily confuse physics. I suppose this is why alchemy makes sense, since some form of math has to work inside of a fire. Still, I felt very enlightened to hold one of the four elements so close to my will and desires.
slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
I don't think he'll need to stop publishing, he can just start writing some books from the point of view of the Bursar* :)
*no offence meant, I'm as sad about the situation as anyone else here..
which is totally what she said
Apostrophes.
Elegant weapons for a more civilized time.
Is "I'm looking for the man who killed my father" a valid reason in Spain?
That reason is inconceivable.
"If I have been able to see so far, It is because I went out and bought a damn binoculars" - Ze da Esquina
This story is a complete fantasy. Pratchett has advanced Alzheimer and is not capable of making anything.
I'm not sure if this story is generated by his publisher to get a last moment of fame and sell more books, or that someone is playing a cruel joke on Terry.
Leave the man be, he has enough worries.
Aw I'll bite!
I just saw him in an interview on the BBC and he seemed pretty clear headed to me. Plus of course there's the fact that he is still publishing bestsellers while all you can do is post anonymously in Slashdot.
Pratchett with Alzheimers > You.
"It annoys me that knights aren't allowed to carry their swords. That would be knife crime."
Indeed, if knight-authors were allowed to carry swords, the world would be a much better place.
Qxe4