BAMF Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 (edited) I was browsing the web tonight and I learned that the Pyramid at Giza is the only remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders. I then realized...hey, I don't even know what the other 7 wonders are! So, I went-a-researchin' and I found out that there is an election for the New 7 Wonders of the World. There are 21 final contenders:The Acropolis at AthensAlhambraAngkorThe Pyramid at Chichen ItzaChrist RedeemerThe Roman ColosseumStatues of Easter IslandThe Eiffel TowerThe Great Wall of ChinaThe Hagia SophiaKiyomizu TempleThe Kremlin and Red SquareMachu PicchuNeuschwanstein CastlePetraThe Pyramids of GizaThe Statue of LibertyStonehengeSydney Opera HouseThe Taj MahalTimbuktuWhat would your choice be? As far as I'm concerned, these are all amazing...it's too hard to choose. I am glad to see a lot of man-made structures on the list, because those are always more awe-inspiring for me. You can learn more about these wonders (I still am!) at this site: The New 7 WondersAs of right now, there is still 35 days left to vote. The winner will be announced on 7/7/07 (how clever!)DO IT!EDIT: Holy effing crap! This should be in the running: Rotating Skyscraper Edited June 1, 2007 by Kori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I was browsing the web tonight and I learned that the Pyramid at Giza is the only remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders. I then realized...hey, I don't even know what the other 7 wonders are! So, I went-a-researchin' and I found out that there is an election for the New 7 Wonders of the World. There are 21 final contenders:The Acropolis at AthensAlhambraAngkorThe Pyramid at Chichen ItzaChrist RedeemerThe Roman ColosseumStatues of Easter IslandThe Eiffel TowerThe Great Wall of ChinaThe Hagia SophiaKiyomizu TempleThe Kremlin and Red SquareMachu PicchuNeuschwanstein CastlePetraThe Pyramids of GizaThe Statue of LibertyStonehengeSydney Opera HouseThe Taj MahalTimbuktuWhat would your choice be? As far as I'm concerned, these are all amazing...it's too hard to choose. I am glad to see a lot of man-made structures on the list, because those are always more awe-inspiring for me. You can learn more about these wonders (I still am!) at this site: The New 7 WondersAs of right now, there is still 35 days left to vote. The winner will be announced on 7/7/07 (how clever!)DO IT!EDIT: Holy effing crap! This should be in the running: Rotating SkyscraperI would like to ADD a few candidates. How about the national electrical power grid and the world wide computer network that is Internet. Why restrict one's self to statues and buildings? Almost any famous bridge (suspension or cable-stay) compares with the Colosus of Rhodes, for example. What about the Cesium Clock that is the basis for the world-wide time system and is the base line time for the the GPS. Or even the GPS itself. That puts any of the ancient wonders to shame. The GPS is a man-made galaxy of stars with which we guide our movements and know our positions. While I admire the works of the Ancients in stone (or even concrete, like the Coloseum) I find the technical wonders even more Wonderful. Ba'al Chatzaf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 It's corny, but I'm going to do it anyway.I would like to add Kitten.Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Michael, if by "corny" you mean "sweet", then yeah, that was effing corny. Hey, if we're able to add people to the list, I propose that all 7 wonders of the world be...ME! I mean, come on...I'm KC's/The World's finest. Don't deny it.Baal, those are great additions to the list! Technology certainly is a wonder. The original list had 200 nominees. I am still trying to find that original list, but I'm having much trouble. Right now, my favorite on the list is St. Basil's Cathedral...it's absolutely breathtaking, even just in a picture. I need to go there and see it one day. Also, even though I'm not religious, I really dig Christ Redeemer.(BTW: Here is another site where you can view great pics of all 21 finalists: 21 Finalists) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Greatest Lists are always fun. Updating the seven wonders of the world was I believe done by a engineering society in the 50ths or 60ths. I would wonder if the Sydney Opera House is too new. It opened in 2003. Even though they have been destroyed and are not on the list I would write in the two towers of the World Trade Center. I might also write in Kori and Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Greatest lists really are fun. It's even more fun to read/watch lists or make your own with friends. It's interesting to see what everyone else's choices are. You get to learn more about those you care about. And also have fiery, passionate arguments over who is RIGHT, goll dern it! I know MY lists are always absolutely PERFECT. Teehee. Chris, the twin towers are a good addition to the list, but I was thinking about just adding New York City in its entirety. Now that's something to behold.This whole 7 Wonders deal has got me thinking, and god dammit, isn't almost everything wonderful?! Okay, not EVERYthing... Chris, I hope you don't think for a minute that I forgot to add you to the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 It's corny, but I'm going to do it anyway.I would like to add Kitten.Michaelpurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Michael definitely belongs on the list, too. He amazes me every day."...a wonder is something that moves you and makes you wonder why they built it and how they built it"I agree that the Sydney Opera House does not belong. It is too new and ugly for the sake of being ugly... maybe it qualifies under the what the hell were they thinking category, but it certainly doesn't move me.The Statue of Liberty would definitely be on my list. I have never been to New York but this is one of the things I want to experience during my lifetime. I'm sure it will make me cry. Rounding out the list, my votes would be for the ancient, the mysterious and the beautiful. Here is my list, in no particular order.1 Statue of Liberty2 The Colosseum in Rome3 Gaza Pyramids4 Taj Mahal5 St. Basil's Cathedral6 Chichen Itza7 Easter Island heads (or Stonehedge) Has anyone been to any of the 21 places on the finalists list? I have not been to any of these. My passport is on the way and I will start doing more traveling. There are some places I want to see, the Eiffel Tower, all the cool ancient stuff in Mesoamerica, etc. Once the list is made I'm sure a savvy tour operator will put together a package to see the new seven wonders of the world. That would be the trip of a lifetime.Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 (edited) Kat;I think you are right about all of Manhattan Island as a one of the seven wonders. I noticed no dams on the final list.It would nice to see the whole list of 500.I would suspect Don Parrish who has been everywhere has been to all 21. Don is a regular attendee at the Objectivist Center Summer Seminar which you can still reserve for until June 21. Edited June 1, 2007 by Chris Grieb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 I agree that the Sydney Opera House does not belong. It is too new and ugly for the sake of being ugly... maybe it qualifies under the what the hell were they thinking category, but it certainly doesn't move me.The Statue of Liberty would definitely be on my list. I have never been to New York but this is one of the things I want to experience during my lifetime. I'm sure it will make me cry. Rounding out the list, my votes would be for the ancient, the mysterious and the beautiful. Here is my list, in no particular order.1 Statue of Liberty2 The Colosseum in Rome3 Gaza Pyramids4 Taj Mahal5 St. Basil's Cathedral6 Chichen Itza7 Easter Island heads (or Stonehedge) Has anyone been to any of the 21 places on the finalists list? I have not been to any of these. My passport is on the way and I will start doing more traveling. There are some places I want to see, the Eiffel Tower, all the cool ancient stuff in Mesoamerica, etc. Once the list is made I'm sure a savvy tour operator will put together a package to see the new seven wonders of the world. That would be the trip of a lifetime.KatYou think that the Sydney Opera House is UGLY?! My goodness...I think it's quite beautiful. I don't think that it should be on the final 7 list, but it is a wonder of the world. If we're going to put architecture on the list, there are much better choices, such as this "Fancy Hotel" (I cannot find what the name of it is) or St. Basil's (which is already on the list). Does something have to be old for it to be a wonder of the world? What about the Internet, like Baal said? That certainly is a wonder to me.Another wonder of the world, which should maybe take the place of Sydney Opera House: The Terra Cotta Army. Amazing!My history teacher has traveled all over and he brought in pictures of Chichen Itza to show the class. He had some great pics of both the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon. I wish I had those pictures now. They were marvelous. Dammit, I wanna do some traveling!My list at the moment (from the 21 finalists) is:St. Basil's CathedralStatue of LibertyTaj MahalPyramids of GizaThe Great Wall of ChinaThe Eiffel TowerChrist RedeemerKat;I think you are right about all of Manhattan Island as a one of the seven wonders. I noticed no dams on the final list.It would nice to see the whole list of 500.I would suspect Don Parrish who has been everywhere has been to all 21. Don is a regular attendee at the Objectivist Center Summer Seminar which you can still reserve for until June 21.Chris, I am still trying to hunt down the list of original nominees. There were 200 of them. I am so curious to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Uhler Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 (edited) ...There are 21 final contenders:...What would your choice be?I plan to check this out later. My *real* choice would be the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo portion of the U.S. space program, but I might cast a vote for the Taj Mahal (for beauty), or for the Statue of Liberty (for nationalism), or for the Great Wall (because I'm impressed that the engineers of the time came up with something so...large). Edited June 1, 2007 by Richard Uhler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I plan to check this out later. My *real* choice would be the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo portion of the U.S. space program, but I might cast a vote for the Taj Mahal (for beauty), or for the Statue of Liberty (for nationalism), or for the Great Wall (because I'm impressed that the engineers of the time came up with something so...large).However impressive the Apollo Project was, it lacked one thing some of the Ancient Wonders had, namely durability. The Great Pyramid still stands, as does the Great Wall of China. Parts of the Colosseum still stand. Add to this the Roman aqueducts and the water tunnels. Even the Roman roads are still there. Modern roads will disintegrate where there is frost.Ba'al Chatzarf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I plan to check this out later. My *real* choice would be the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo portion of the U.S. space program, but I might cast a vote for the Taj Mahal (for beauty), or for the Statue of Liberty (for nationalism), or for the Great Wall (because I'm impressed that the engineers of the time came up with something so...large).However impressive the Apollo Project was, it lacked one thing some of the Ancient Wonders had, namely durability. The Great Pyramid still stands, as does the Great Wall of China. Parts of the Colosseum still stand. Add to this the Roman aqueducts and the water tunnels. Even the Roman roads are still there. Modern roads will disintegrate where there is frost.Ba'al ChatzarfWell, a lot of artifacts and equipment were left on the moon.--Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Uhler Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 '''However impressive the Apollo Project was, it lacked one thing some of the Ancient Wonders had, namely durability. The Great Pyramid still stands, as does the Great Wall of China. Parts of the Colosseum still stand. Add to this the Roman aqueducts and the water tunnels. Even the Roman roads are still there. Modern roads will disintegrate where there is frost.Ba'al ChatzarfTrue enough, and yet...I can't think of anything more "wonder"-ful than men setting foot on the moon - long-term physical artifacts or not. The raw fact that it was done at all impresses me at least as much as a building or a statue or a wall does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Wikipedia's article on the seven wonders lists those on the ancient lists and some on the modern list. One engineering wonder is the Channel Tunnel that does not make the new final list. Another was the Panama Canal which at the time it was built was one of the biggest things ever done. Another is the US interstate highway program begun in the 50ths under Eisenhower As had been said before it be interesting to see the full list of 200 that they started off with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 (edited) One thing to note in all this talk about Wonders, both ancient and modern is that the ancients were -just as smart as we are-! Clearly they did not know as much. Knowledge is built up cumulatively and hierarchically. Even so, in terms of raw brain power, Roman engineers who built the famous water delivery systems (tunnels and aqueducts) were just as smart (and in some cases brilliant) as any engineer of modern times. Likewise the builders of the Great Pyramid were first rate engineers. Their medium was stone, which is what you would expect during the bronze age. Between the Great Pyramid and the Eiffel Tower there were no great tall structures of the same grandness. It took 3000 years to achieve a building whose height was greater than 500 feet from ground level. Ditto for the roads. American roads until the early 20-th century were primitive compared to the Roman roads. They were essentially dirt paths or at best cobblestone ways. If you were to place a Roman engineer who worked on the Colosseum (built with concrete and large cranes) in a time machine and bring him forward to witness a modern building project (say the erection of a skyscraper) he would grasp the essentials immediately. He might be impressed by the size of the machines and how they are powered, but he would be totally at home with the principle of operation.I admire Roman engineering. It is top notch and it helps me get in touch with my Inner Fascist. Whatever else you may want to say about the Romans, you must admit that the got the chariots to run on time.Ba'al Chatzaf. Edited June 2, 2007 by BaalChatzaf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Bob; Your point about Roman engineering is a good one. Is it true that some of aqueducts are still being used? I have heard that some of the games at the Colosseum were spectacular. Some of the things done with elevators were not done until our time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Bob; Your point about Roman engineering is a good one. Is it true that some of aqueducts are still being used? I have heard that some of the games at the Colosseum were spectacular. Some of the things done with elevators were not done until our time.Some of the water tunnels and drainage tunnels are still in use. There are even roman toilet areas that still work because the drainage ways beneath them are still open and functioning. From the collapse of Rome until the middle of the 19th century there were no water delivery systems or waste drainage systems equal to those of Rome at her high point. The Romans were outstanding builders and engineers. As abstract intellectuals that lacked a great deal. I doubt if anyone advanced mathematics in the Roman world from the time that Hypatia was killed by Christians until the fifteenth century (c.e.) Betrand Russel commenting on how Archimedes was killed by a Roman grunt noticed that no Roman would ever die for the sake of proving a theorem.Ba'al Chatzaf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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