Dart

Dublin! Not Dallas!
The DART is a good thing.

The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is an electric train which runs about every 15 minutes from Bray to Howth, and vice versa, along the east coast of Dublin City. Most of the carriages are green (this being Ireland), but there is the occasional sponsored carriage which is adorned with advertising logos and whatnot.

Recently the range of the DART has been extended down the coast to Greystones, although trains to and from the station there are less regular.

Even more recently, the carriage interiors have been redesigned to provide more standing room. Unfortunately, the seats have also been redesigned, making them even more uncomfortable.

The Dublin Area Rapid Transit system is linear. It runs along the coast line.
The stations are as follows, a 'B' following the name of a station means that one can take a bus onward to furthur even more mysterious places. The A beside Howth Junction indicates that you can get an onward bus straight to Dublin Airport, a very handy service and my best recommendation for getting from the Airport to the city.

North

              Howth
Malahide B  Sutton B
Portmarnock Bayside
    Howth Junction A
    Kilbarrack
    Raheny
    Harmonstown B
    Killester
    Clontarf Road
    Connolly Station B
    Tara Street B
    Pearse Station
    Lansdowne Road (Irish rugby team plays here !)
    Sandymount
    Sydney Parade B
    Booterstown
    Blackrock  B
    Seapoint          the sea ----} Wales and England
    Salthill
    Dun Laoghaire B (ferry to wales)
    Sandycove { me born here ... Joyce's Tower
    Glenageary
    Dalkey
    Killiney
    Shankill
    Bray
    Greystones

South 

compiled overview of the 25ton Dart 'Mech, from various BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:

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After the Commando and the Valkyrie were designated as the standard light BattleMechs for the Federated Commonwealth, several battle reports have suggested that the high amounts of ammunition aboard these 'Mechs limits their effectiveness in tight combat situations.

Coventry Metal Works, in an obvious PR move, suggested a new design to the Federated Commonwealth military for their consideration. Much to Coventry's suprise, the Office of Procurement accepted the design and ordered immediate construction.

The Dart is a fast 'Mech equipped with three Magna 200P Small Pulse Lasers as its weaponry. In the fast-strike mentality that pervades the upper echelon of the Federated Commonwealth military, this design will be used primarily in raids on Clan supply depots and in actions to cut off frontline Clan 'Mechs from their supply lines. When more of the Dart 'Mechs become available, they will also serve in scouting missions.

The three pulse lasers were chosen because of their accuracy in short-range situations. The Dart's 3.5 tons of armor provides ample protection from small Clan 'Mechs and Elementals. The 'Mech also has a remarkable speed of 151 kph, making it faster than any known Commando variant in existence.

Before the Clan invasion, standard practice for field-testing was to assign new designs to units garrisoned along the periphery to guard against pirate attacks. Since the tentative peace won on Tukayyid, most new 'Mechs are now being tested on border worlds against the enemy for which they are intended.

Breaking with this new policy, the Federated Commonwealth has decided to test some of their newer designs in what remains of the periphery to maintain secrecy until their designs are perfected. The Dart has been assigned to several light and medium Federated Commonwealth 'Mech units, with encouraging results reported.

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Note: Information used here was released into the public domain shortly before the transfer of FASA's holdings to Wizkids LLC. Copyright of the fluff text is in limbo, but names of persons, places, & things are without any doubt the property of Wizkids LLC. Use of any terms here related to the BattleTech trademark are not meant as a challenge to Wizkids LLC's rights.

In sewing, a tapering tuck, used to fit fabric, which is flat, over a curved surface. The dart goes into an otherwise unsewn area, as opposed to being part of a seam. Most tailored garmets have them.

On a pattern, a dart is marked as follows:

          ·
         /|\
        / | \
       /  |  \
    A ·   |   · B
       \  |  /
        \ | /
         \|/
          ·

To sew the dart, fold the fabric along the vertical line so that dot A and dot B match up. Then stitch along the diagonal lines. Open the fabric up and press it as flat as it will go.

Darts are also used to narrow fabric at an edge, for instance, to fit trousers in the seat. In that case, the dart is marked as follows.

  A       B
__.___.___.__ 
---\--|--/--- <- seam allowance marking
    \ | /
     \|/
      ·

This dart is sewn in the same way as the dart in the middle of a garment.

Deep darts can create not just a concavity in the garment (useful for waistlines), but a distinct pointed effect.

The dart is a throwing weapon and a common item of equipment in many Fantasy Role-Playing games.

Your standard RPG dart looks like a very short arrow, but it is much heavier to allow it to be thrown rather than fired. The often look pretty similar to jarts or lawn darts.

The dart is the number one anti-spellcaster weapon. Its very high rate of fire allows a good chance of disrupting a wizards spell before he can successfully cast it. While this weapon is also popular with many wizards, as it allows them to be effective in combat even if they have no spells to cast. The dart as a primary weapon also helps to keep the unarmored wizard out of the middle of the battle, unlike the more popular dagger and quarterstaff, which puts the fragile wizard right in the thick of things.

Darts are also a popular weapon among the lizard man tribes of the various AD&D worlds. Where it is also used as a hunting weapon.

An update to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit part.

DART member cities consist of: Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Highland Park, University Park, Irving, Richardson, Rowlett, and Plano.

DART provides buses, light rail, commuter rail, HOV lanes, paratransit and vanpools.

The commuter rail line (the Trinity Railway Express) provides a connection to Fort Worth and DFW Airport.

The fare structure is simple. If you are going to only need one bus or train, you pay the regular fare. If you need to transfer, you should buy a day pass.
Reduced: Students, Disabled, Senior Citizens 50 cents regular fare, $1.00 for a day pass.
Local: $1.00 regular fare, $2.00 for a day pass.
Premium: Express buses which take you from one transit center to another via an interstate, with minimal stops, or if you cross county lines: $2.00 regular fare, $4.00 for a day pass.

Some information taken from dart.org, but most from my memory, since I have to ride DART almost everyday.

Dart (?), n. [OF. dart, of German origin; cf. OHG. tart javelin, dart, AS. dara, daro, Sw. dart dagger, Icel. darrar dart.]

1.

A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; a short lance; a javelin; hence, any sharp-pointed missile weapon, as an arrow.

And he [Joab] took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 2 Sa. xviii. 14.

2.

Anything resembling a dart; anything that pierces or wounds like a dart.

The artful inquiry, whose venomed dart Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart. Hannan More.

3.

A spear set as a prize in running.

[Obs.]

Chaucer.

4. Zool.

A fish; the dace. See Dace.

Dart sac Zool., a sac connected with the reproductive organs of land snails, which contains a dart, or arrowlike structure.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Dart, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darted; p. pr. & vb. n. Darting.]

1.

To throw with a sudden effort or thrust, as a dart or other missile weapon; to hurl or launch.

2.

To throw suddenly or rapidly; to send forth; to emit; to shoot; as, the sun darts forth his beams.

Or what ill eyes malignant glances dart? Pope.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Dart, v. i.

1.

To fly or pass swiftly, as a dart.

2.

To start and run with velocity; to shoot rapidly along; as, the deer darted from the thicket.

 

© Webster 1913.