Having read through the thread titled "Hebrew slinger 1000B.C.", started by Johnny on July 6th, and seeing the enthusiasm for a book about the sling, I've decided that a new section of the forum should be created to help coordinate this ambitious project.

The collective knowledge of the people on this forum is enormous, and I think the time is has come to leverage this enormous potential and enthusiasm and begin work on a formal project.  The sling is an enormous topic, and so by distributing the various sections to different people to research and write, we can collectively produce an impressive and complete text.  While one person might be overwhelmed at the scope of such a volume, a group of enthusiastic writers could cooperatively work together, produce a similar text, and not interfere with their existing responsibilities.  

I am posting Johnny's proposed outline below for people unfamiliar with this topic to review.  Obviously, there are many ways to make this outline more comprehensive, but none-the-less, provides a good start.  

ANCIENT SLINGER
   1.Prehistory
   2.Biblical(Hebrew)
   3.Assyrian
   4.Greek
   5.Roman
   6.Balearic
   7.Various(Celtic,German, etc...)
 
MEDIEVAL AND MODERN
   1.Saxon,Norman,Arab
   2.Aztec,Inca,
   3.Palestinian
 
THE SLING AND PROJECTILES
   1.Anatomy of the sling
   2.Stones, lead, ceramic
   3.Darts(cestrosphendon)
 
SLING MECHANICS
   1.Overhand hurl
   2.Underhand hurl
   3.Horizontal hurl
 
MAKING A SLING
MAKING PROJECTILES
FINDING PROJECTILES


Chris

May I make the first suggestion?  "Making Slings" -- have at least two sections, Ancient Methods ann Modern Methods.  Obviously, there's no way the book could list every possible method of making a sling, but the book could maybe give an overview of slings as they probably were made (composites, braided, woven, etc.) and then offer some ideas on how to make them today (20 steps to a sling, simple design, etc.).  That way, the reader could make a sling easily from readily available materials, but the book would still have some cultural and historical examples of sling design.

Wow... ambitious project. Any idead how the mechanics of this board should work Chris? This may be a section where "sticky" threads could be used to good effect.

How much of a sucker for punishment are you? I mentioned it in the other thread but I'll suggest again that a wiki would be ideal for this type of project. The administrative "issue" of potential vandalism could be worked around pretty easily with this group if the forum served as a "public" discussion and a sub group of members (anyone who wants to participate) had write access. The "open" files are seperate from the main site's data, so the worst case scenario is that we might lose the wiki for a while until a mod could restore the archived pages. I think Twiki (gpl'd) can cohabitate nicely with YaBB.

I look forward to seeing this Giant project grow!

Matthias

I think a wiki will be a bit overkill, plus I'd like to keep as much content housed in this single forum.  If there is a pressing need to upgrade, I'll consider it.  It's a good idea, don't get me wrong.  

I don't foresee people posting their text here in the forum.  I would prefer to think of it as a staging ground, where we can ask questions, keep others updated about our progress, and coordinate.

The first step is developing a good outline.  From there, people can "Sign up" for parts they are willing to properly research and then write.  

Chris

....in NO MORE than 50 words, what IS the OBJECTIVE of creating the book??   This kind of statement, agreed to in advance by all participants, should be useful in keeping the project "on track".

Same for up-front agreement on an "editorial board", and the purpose/authority of this board.

mgreenfield

PS:  I'm a pretty good technical editor.  Problem is everything comes out reading like a machine assembly & operation manual.   Sad but true.    ;D

This looks amazing, I'm only a Sophmore in high school so I don't have a lot of the knowledge or skill you guys do But I would love to be a part of this project. If there's anything I can do, I'm here





                                                             

Just a question about how the book will be like. I don't know if any of you have the tradional bowyer's bible, but will the book be kinda like that with many authors. I fyou don't have the book it has chapters written be a different author about how to make different kind of bows.

Given the diverse background of all potential contributers, I'd just like to throw out word of caution to anyone without a background in research...  cite your sources!!  This will lend validity to the finished work, guard against accusations of plagiarism, and give readers a way to follow up if they want more info on a particular aspect of the weapon.

It will basically be a compilation of individual papers, but with a directed focus.  Each one can be small, some maybe only a few pages.  Even the busiest of people can spare a few hours and contribute something.  

Yes, as Hobb explains, this is a serious book.  Most of the sections are heavily reliant of historical evidence and other people's articles.  People need to cite their texts.  It's really very easy, and shouldn't be a deterrent.  If you take a statistic or fact from lets say Korfmann's Scientific American article, just insert a little [Korfmann, 1973] after that sentence.  I'm used to citing text, and would be more than happy to help people if they are having problems.  You can use what ever system you want, and I'll standardize it for everyones work.  

Chris

Re: SLING MECHANICS - Wanting to learn how to sling is why a lot of folks would pick up the book.   Promoting slinging as a sport is a main reason for assembling the book in the first place.

Somehow, we have to settle on 2-3 BASIC/SIMPLE styles, from which the reader can pick one, then see it clearly enough described to duplicate the style himself, and get the maximum in success/gratification with a minimum of frustration AND DANGER to himself or others.  

ALSO, for a writing style/vocabulary, I much recommend imitating the Wall Street Journal to reach as many people as possible.  

"Men of true science use but few hard words, and those only when none other will do.   Whereas dabblers in science  believe that by mouthing hard words, they prove mastery of difficult concepts."  anon  (Wish I'd said that!)

Short words.  Short sentences.  Short paragraphs.  Short chapters.  Lots of pictures and diagrams.  In short, eschew obfuscation!

mgreenfield

Quote:

Somehow, we have to settle on 2-3 BASIC/SIMPLE styles, from which the reader can pick one, then see it clearly enough described to duplicate the style himself, and get the maximum in success/gratification with a minimum of frustration AND DANGER to himself or others.

Safety's easy enough.  Just strongly recommend that the reader use tennis balls, wadded paper with tape around it, etc. until comfortable enough to move on to "real" projectiles.

One would be hard pressed to find a man of 'true science' that would adhere to that anonymous statement.  Webster once said something to the effect:  'take from me all that I possess and I should gain it all back with my mastery of words'.   True,  the neophytes enjoy puffing themselves up with their newfound 'word-toys'.  

These ones closely resemble the subjects of this quote:  "Teach a man to think that he's thinking and he will love you.  Make him really think and he may hate you."   In this day and age, where the english language is awash in a sea of wave upon wave of new slang terminology,  I for one, find it refreshing to come across new and useful words to enrich my word power.  


So too,  one should always consider who they are talking too and try to communicate effectively without losing one's audience.   :-[

The person with the most extensive vocabulary is the one who chooses precisely the right word to convey his meaning to his audience, without counting syllables.  I agree with mgreenfield:  e-chew obstetricians!  (that's what he said, right?)   ;) :)

This raises a good point, though.  Who's the book for?  Laymen?  Scholars?  Are we going for a coffee-table kind of vibe, or are we looking to be cited in professional journals?

Well put,  Hobb.   The most effective form of verbal expression relies upon more than one agenda.  

Well said MG ;D

Hows that for short and simple? ::) Yet we must not appear too simple. Hows that for diplomacy?

Chris, you said that you could do a section about slings used by groups of people. Is this going to be in the book? I would have a interest in doing a section on Viking or Norse slingers. Although I do not have any research done, I would do the work for it. Also, what is the timeline of this book? Do we need to have it done by a certain time period or is this just work as we go until we get done? And what would be the word count or page count need to be. I know that some sections do need to be longer than others. I am trying to give a small section, but I am just curious for me and ever other person hear. What do you think?

Wow.
Like shaun, I'm pretty young (junior in highscool) but I'd love to help.  As far as I know, there are few (if any) books like this already written, and there needs to be.  
As far as the vocabulary goes, my opinion is: keep it simple, but don't hesitate to use words that will make what you're trying to say more clear.  A book like this should be fairly easy to follow and understand, but not so elementary that people don't feel like reading it.

I think that it is a huge advantage that we have such a diverse group of people here at slinging.org. I imagine that we collectively represent a pretty nice sampling of the type of people who would be interested in a book about slinging (surprise surprise ;)) That said, the language should be that that the group as a whole is comfortable with.

I hope that no one holds back due to a perceived lack of experience etc. All of you guys (young, ancient or otherwise) are valuable contributors to the forum, and that will hold tru for any book. We have a host of editor-types (most with technical backgrounds it seems :-X) to sort out language/grammar/vocabulary/style once text starts coming together.

Matthias

Looking through the other posts in the "project Goliath" forum, I'm astounded at your enthusaism and knowledge. I'm sure it is merely the tip of the iceberg :)

In a couple of weeks I will be beginning college, and I am hoping I can write a report or do a mathematical study of slings. That way, I can make a solid contribution to project Goliath and get a grade for it!

This is a very ambitious project.  I'm afraid I won't be able to write anything, because no doubt someone would try to correct my real English with that pidgin you call American English.  The word is GREY not GRAY.  Etc.
 Seriously though... No direct contribution can be made by myself, but I will try to research as much as possible at the British Museum, the British Library and any other institutions I can find about slings, in Britain and abroad.  There will doubtless be some things I can find.  I'm going up to London soon, so maybe I'll give it a go.

;) Hey, English, I am sure you can contribute a lot to the book, even more after researching at the British Library and at the British Museum! Uau! these must be really great, when I'll visit England, I will spend all time in both of these places... :) if they aallow me, I can even sleep inside these places!!! ;D ;D ;D
You mentioned something that is really curious for anyone who is no-english speaker... there are also written differences  between english and american english ... but undoubtly they don't seem much different when I read them, but when I watch some movie, or TV news, oh my God, it doesn't seem to be the same language... ;D. I studied british english, and a close friend of mine is a US Citizen living in Nevada; well, when I call him, if anybody else answers the call, it is difficult to me to understand, and I am surely that it is for them too... once, a friend of him asked if his friend (me) was Arabian speaker... >:( >:(
The same occurs with the portuguese spoken in Portugal and in Brasil... ;)
We are all waiting for the results of tyour interesting researchers, o.k.???

:-[ oh, oh!
I put a sad  ??? at the end of the message for mistake...
Sorry again... :-[

Oh well. It is getting you post up high each time you do it friebejr.  ;D

higher  ;) Now you have got me doing it too.

;) Oh, no! if "high" means "under alcoholic influence", nobody can even wonder our super-hero "Slinging Super Squirrel" doing this... I think he prefers some "nuts juice"!!!!

Lol you guys... You do know that you can edit your own posts after the fact? (hit "modify" next to the post you want to fix)That confused little smiley turns up whenever you use three question marks (or two ? bracketing a ! - what's up with that?) !?!  ?!! are safe... I used to be a fan of the triple ? for "really want to know" or "incredulity" but am gradually weaning myself...

Matthias

English, sounds good.  Any new images or reference you can find would be fantastic!

Chris

Thanks Matthias for the advice. I think plenty of people on this forum did not know this.

And i meant nothing about being High. I am wirery enough without that stuff. Plus slinging super squirrel has to be on his toes to dodge the stones from his little sling.

I am not saying for definite I will find anything in either of those institutions, because they are both enormous archives; you need to know exactly what you are looking for.  But the British museum should have at least an Egyptian sling or two, that kind of thing.

I too would like to suggest using a Wiki to write and edit this journal. It allows for everyone to edit and proofread while keeping only one version.

I've worked on writing projects before, and keeping track of the edits is difficult at best even when using a 'track changes' feature.

I've started one at http://riters.com/ProjectGoliath/index.cgi/FrontPage?action=show I used the chapters in the Proposed Outline v2. Each of these wiki pages can have subchapters, too.  It can also be setup so you receive emails when it is finished.

You might want to license the book under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0, or whatever works for you. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

I like it... but I guess I've already used my vote ;). I mostly like being able to _see_ the whole thing. Maybe once more chapters start to come together. Wiki collaborative works tend to be less fragmented than compilations of different authours tend to be.

Matthias

yeah that sound great. The more proof readers the better. I just got finished with english 2 in college and have all the the english book so i am fresh with sentices and paragraph structshore. I am not a spelling corrector ( as you can tell) that is what the computer is for. I will help if you need it. Just ask!  ;)

While I think wikis work for some types of literature, I don't see it working particularly well for this one (just my opinion).  Each section is going to be a sophisticated and detailed piece of text that doesn't lend well to many people making additions and edits.  I think sections need to be "adopted" by a single person, or at least a dedicated few.  Each person will become essentially experts in their little category.  I want everyone to focus on hunting down contacts, new sources, and writing, not reviewing other work.  At this point, where the project is in it's infancy, it's important we dedicate what ever time we have to get the ball rolling.  If we can't reach some kind of critical mass over the next few months, the project will just fizzle out.  Once there is perhaps 30% of text completed, and a dedicated crew eager to finish the rest, maybe a wiki would be great to pull in everyone else and polish the text.  

With only one section done, the preface, we've got a lot of work ahead of us.  I've started on my next section, and hope to see some other completed sections soon.

Chris

Chris,
I'm getting things together on the various battles where the sling was used. I will be using quotes from most of the ancient historians(Diodorus,Thucydides,etc...). I'm not much of a creative writer and will be using large quotes from these historians. I will add a little commentary and just let the ancients speak for themselves.
Thanks
Johnny

My name is Dave Nessia and I am an instructor for Boulder Outdoor Survival School. This forum is very interesting to me for I have just started researching for a series of articles on the sling. One Article will be a basic historic overview, one will be the Mechanics of the sling, and the third will involve creating a woven sling. As I research this subject more I will love to share any information that I come in contact with. I am hoping to publish these articles in The Society of Primative Technology For I know the editor. This does seem to enhance my chances. Any info anyone can throw my way will also be greatly appreciated.

Great.  Anything you produce would certainly be helpful for our effort.

Chris

If you like I have a pre written article on games with the sling and how to make a target that allows you to save your ammo. I understand completely if you dont want it cosidering that it wouldnt really fit into any of the chapters.

Make it to the book or not, do you mind sharing the infomations anyway? :o  I am very interested in the games!

I agree, please put it on the forum.
If only to tell the police my sling is part of an inocent game.  "Officer, see the rules, it is a game!!!!"

Willeke

sure but you will have to wait im going to make it an article with pics and stuff it should be up in at least 2 weeks

I added search results on latin sources about slingers to the discussion section of the roman page in the slinging.org wiki. Maybe here is somebody who actually understands latin and likes to look through them.

Zwiebeltuete

Have added kind of a "Proposed Structure" for the section The Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands on the Wiki

http://www.slinging.org/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:The_Iberian_Peninsula_and_the_Balearic_Islands&rcid=139

I don't want to do more without knowing what others think about that structure.

I think it is really cool.  You have my vote!

What in my opinion would be necessary is a style guide for the book. That doesn't have to be very detailed, but it should describe what the aim of the project is (What is the target audience? What should these people learn from the book?) and what therefore should be included (Information sources like in scientific publications?) and how should it be styled/structured (The current wiki-format can mislead the writers to write like they would on Wikipedia.).

Zwiebeltuete

I'm pleased to see the project moving forward!  It will be a great contribution.  I originally suggested, or co-suggested, using a wiki for the writing and edit phase. But what to do when this is finished?

Certainly, you could put it on the website as articles.  But I wonder if we couldn't do more with it?

Why not use one of the publish-on-demand services like www.iuniverse.com and create a book?  The cash could support server costs.  Maybe this has been thought of already, Dan

Do you have the right to publish it as a book? If I do an anonymous submission I get:

Please note that all contributions to Slinging.org Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then don't submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Project:Copyrights for details). DO NOT SUBMIT COPYRIGHTED WORK WITHOUT PERMISSION!

So everybody is doing submission only for publication as a Wiki at slinging.org? (Btw. Project:Copyrights is empty.) I would ask a lawyer in the country where the Wiki is or where the person is who considers doing the work to publish it as a book and if necessary restart the Wiki. (Better to think about legal things at the beginning than after all the work is done.)

Zwiebeltuete

I think the ultimate goal is to get it published in one way or another.  This can be done with the wiki material.  The publisher would have to understand that the material was from many sources, and that it would also be available online.  They would simply be making a paper version.  

The wiki should be under the Creative Commons Licensce, but I'll double check after this post.  

Chris