Tuesday 31 January 2012

Illuminations - a most enlightening experience

If you've not yet seen Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings, written and presented by Dr Janina Ramirez, then you've missed a treat. Over three luxurious hours Dr Janina unlocks the secrets of illuminated manuscripts that were custom-made for kings and explores the medieval world they reveal.

And just like the marvellous manuscripts she studies, decoding the complex imagery hidden within every border decoration and illuminated letter, Dr Janina is a rare treasure herself. She is a born communicator, brimming with passion and enthusiasm for her subject. Her insightful ideas regarding what medieval manuscripts say about the people who commissioned them, as well as the times in which they were written, make this one of the most accessible and absorbing History programmes in years.

So don't delay, follow this link, and watch it today!

If you'd like to lock the series away in your own library of wonders, you'll be pleased to hear that the DVD is available now from the British Library online shop.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

From the Children of the Middle Ages to the Private Lives of Medieval Kings

There have been some great history programmes on the BBC lately. First up there's Dr Stephen Baxter's Too Much, Too Young: Children of the Middle Ages.

And then there's Dr Janina Ramirez's Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings.

If you have any interest in medieval history, or British history in general, you should check them both out.

And starting next Wednesday at 9.30pm on BBC2 are The Crusades, this time with Dr Thomas Asbridge.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Six small Maths errors that caused HUGE disasters

If there are any children are reading this, there's one thing you need to know about Maths in the real world.

If you make one tiny mistake, people will die.

Don't believe me? Then check out these six examples of apparently completely forgivable design calculation errors that cost lives.