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What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

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Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#71
post #22
post #9

> The photo was taken about coordinates 50.29092467073664, 4.893099128823844 near modern Wallonia, Belgium on the Meuse River. Great writeup, but I did have a little chuckle reading "it was taken about near here", followed by coordinates precise enough to identify a single atom. https://xkcd.com/2170/

Going to be a different atom once you walk near. Or temperature changes, the wind blows, and so on. We’ll need to give each atom a unique ID. That would solve the problem.

Let's start with electrons. I've got SN001 here with me, but I haven't been able to find any others...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-electron_universe

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#72
post #59
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the person were a prisoner he wouldn't be carrying a rifle..

Thus the joke… It’s a play on words, and the involuntary nature of service in the German military at the time.

German Army had 1.3 million conscripts and 2.4 million volunteers in the period 1935-1939 so odds are he signed up to be there.

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#73

When I toured Jacques Littlefield's Tank Ranch they had, what I believe to be, this exact tank. They told the story of how it had been lost in the river and sat there and they went to see if it was still there and arranged to get it removed and returned to California where they restored it. If someone was so motivated, they could probably go back to the internet archives of the auction that happened after Jacques die…

The stack exchange link and the article about the search say it was recovered in 1941

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#75
post #34

Since Know Your Meme doesn't give the reference for why it's a lake , maybe not everybody is familiar with british lore: The mythical Lady of the Lake : Probably best known via Monthy Python: Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. In short: She teaches Lancelot art…

Upright Citizens Brigade also has a few nice bits about the Lady of the Lake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhPXGABqG5w

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#77
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/panzer-of-the-lake

Went there for the first time and found out it's banned in my country.

Cant allow all the normies to view cool stuff on the internet

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#78
post #34

Since Know Your Meme doesn't give the reference for why it's a lake , maybe not everybody is familiar with british lore: The mythical Lady of the Lake : Probably best known via Monthy Python: Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. In short: She teaches Lancelot art…

This reminds me that Monty Python and the Holy Grail contributed actual historical knowledge about Arthurian legends to my knowledge base while growing up. Other examples of Python unintentional education include knowing the names of a myriad of obscure cheeses (the cheese shop skit), a shocking number of anachronistic synonyms for death (the parrot skit) and notable contributions of the Roman Empire (Life of Brian '…

The problem is that comedy is frequently not factually accurate.

Roman Imperial contributions? Was Roman wine better than pre-Roman wine in that region? Did they improve sanitation, irrigation, medicine etc.? Rome was an oppressive slavery based society.

Then what about the Spanish Inquisition sketch? It keeps repeating "fanatically devoted to the Pope"" The Spanish inquisition was an arm of the Spanish monarchy, at least two Popes tried to shut it down, and some historians have suggested one of its aims was to reduce the power of the Papacy.

I do like the Philosopher's Song, the Dead Parrot and Cheese Shop.

Other comedies are no better. Black Adder has a witchfinder (an early modorn innovation) in a Medieval setting.

Pop culture is not historically accurate!

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#79
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> where you'll discover a bunch of family snapshots and party photos if you click around. Yes, lovely. The sort of site where private moments might be kindly shared by an individual. To be distinguished from the forcible asset stripping and loss of ownership (theft, really) that form the terms and conditions of a large corporate's ToS today.

I still think wikipedia hit those "this is my passion" sites harder than social media did. What's the point of building a site about widgets, when 90% of people are just going to hit the Widget page on wikipedia?

Plus Wikipedia offers arguing about widgets with other widget enthusiasts/detractors as a first-class feature via the Talk page.

Re: What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

#80
post #72
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thus the joke… It’s a play on words, and the involuntary nature of service in the German military at the time.

German Army had 1.3 million conscripts and 2.4 million volunteers in the period 1935-1939 so odds are he signed up to be there.

Those numbers aren’t independent of each other. People about to be drafted will often volunteer to be in a military as a volunteer rather than a draftee, to get the waiting over with, etc.
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