An interesting Triangulation was achieved by two members of the party who had brought a motor car with them. This device, little more than a box with wheels and an internal combustion engine, enabled them to roam around at high speed, often leaving the town itself for more rural areas. A chieffactor in these nocturnal derives by the Night Patrol was to find a suitable place to sleep undisturbed by the police or other undesirable elements.The first night a field was found in the vicinity of Shepherd's Pit, a hamlethalf a mile north of Bayswater Mill, close to Stanton St, John. The second night was spent in a gateway leading to the Templar's Court Country Club,premises owned by Magdalen College.
Imagine our surprise when it turned out that these two points were very close to forming an equilateral triangle with St. Margaret's Well! The error was between 30 and 80 metres in a total distance of 8 Kilometres. This is a level of accuracy that even Sony are hard put to match with their latest satellite technology.
"Now geographers and urban planners, as well as traffic engineers and developers, are enthralled by the imminent prospect of basing the management of complex urban systems -traffic flows, zoning, and so on-on LANDSAT satellites linked to GIS [Geographical Information Systems] software. Since the image resolution capabilities of commercial satellite systems are now approaching the threshold of distinguishing individual automobiles, and perhaps even people and their pets, it will be possible to monitor the movement of entire populations."
Mike Davis interviewed by Covert Action in Clash #7 (available from Stichting Marinus vd Lubbe, Postbus 11149, 1001 GL Amsterdam, Netherlands for £1.50)
We felt much relief when careful map work revealed that the centre of thee quilateral triangulation we had carried out was located at Zippo's circus in the park by Headington Hill. Although one of the sides of this triangle went through the centre of Temple Cowley (which got its name from the land donated by Queen Matilda to the Knights Templar in 1135), we could find no link with outbreak of joy-riding and ensuing confrontation with the police which took place at Rose Hill on the Friday night.
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