Word: oar
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...because the gondola builders drink so much," Price jokes, though he then explains that the shape is similar to that of an airplane wing, only on its side and in water. It's all related to the way in which a gondola is powered - pushed forward with one oar by one person. The boat naturally veers right because of the asymmetry. But the gondolier rows from the right, which pushes the boat left. On bringing the oar back, he drags it a bit to compensate, thus keeping the boat straight. Centuries of refinement have made for a smooth ride...
...family. Now it's primarily for tourists. The basic shell - no seats, no brass ornaments, no extras - costs about $22,000. If you load it with everything, the price can run to about $36,000. A key element in any gondola is the forcola, which serves as an oar post but in fact is often a work of art. There are only three people left who carve forcole out of large pieces of walnut...
DIED. CLAUDE SHANNON, 84, visionary mathematician who pioneered the use of binary code and employed his brilliant theories as practically as a rower would an oar; in Medford, Mass. Initially geared to help the telephone industry use automatically switching circuits, Shannon's work with binary code became the basis for all modern digital communications networks. His later work with chess-playing machines helped create the field of artificial intelligence...
...Atlanta had announced his intention to retire by gasping, "Anyone sees me near a boat again, they can shoot me," converted his fury into a fifth title. "We knew we were going to win," he said after the British boat edged the Italians by the width of an oar. "Most of the racing we do does not have passion. Today had passion...
...steering oar was slowly replaced by the rudder, a maritime invention from East Asia that had made its way to Europe via Arab mariners...