Man's search for flight--A Miscellany

This is a great NOVA special on a group of contemporary flight experts recreating the Wright Brother's twelve years of experimentation leading up to their successful flight at Kitty Hawk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo0kpCU03-U

And, for something completely different, a short clip of a Burning Man "flight":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmsKI73QmNQ

And, for something completely different still, here is an electronic copy of Progress in Flight Machines, a 1897 book by O. Chanute, an American civil engineer who would later assist the Wright Brothers, detailing man's many attempts at flight. It has lots of illustrations! (Although not all of them are scanned here. I have a physical copy of the book as well, for those who might wish to take a look):

http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Contents.html#WebNote

Here's another website detailing various historical flying contraptions:

http://www.flyingmachines.org/

The Architect's Brother

David found these remarkable photographs by Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, which were collected in an exhibition (and accompanying book) called The Architect's Brother. You can see more of the images, and learn more about the artists, at their official site:

http://www.parkeharrison.com/slides-architechsbrother/index.html

Or at this page from the George Eastman house:

http://www.geh.org/parkeharrison/

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Resources

In Icarus, Daedalus (or Patient X, as he is called) suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Here are some online resources on the condition:

This is the web site for the National Center for PTSD, which is housed under the Department of Veteran Affairs. Lots of great information, although obviously geared towards veterans, their families and caregivers:

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/index.asp

This is the overview on the condition from the Mayo Clinic:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246

Here is a news special on PTSD from the University of California Television, featuring several experts on the topic. It provides a good overview of the condition and its treatment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvFJgNevlzY

This is a lecture panel from the University of Washington on PTSD, which goes into greater depth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4xWUgykSEw&feature=related

Perdix is for Partridge

Depending on the version of the myth that you read, Perdix is either the name of Daedalus's sister or of her son, the prodigy who Daedalus killed out of jealousy. The genus name for partridges is, indeed, perdix ; gray partridges are perdix perdix.

It's said that a partridge (the spirit of the nephew or sister, depending on who you're reading) haunted Daedalus when he buried Icarus. In our production, a black partridge-like bird appears at every death.

Here's a YouTube clip of a gray partridge (not a nail-biter, but it gives you some sense of how they move):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEi8u2OLkLU

And here's another short clip, where you can hear the calls they make:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqmPnVmq0M

And one more: apparently partridge fighting is quite popular in South Asia. Not endorsing animal fighting, but it gives a different perspective on their movement patterns):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zl_HMPe1V8

Finally, one more (audio) clip of a partridge call and flight alarm:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray_Partridge/sounds