Apropos nothing much: In 1995, Alex Lewis read a paper at a Tolkien Society Seminar, called 'The Palantiri: A Study'. Part of this paper was taken up with the possible use of the Palantiri as a sort of ship-to-ship communications system; but the basis of Lewis' argument is flawed - the question he asked was basd on a mis-reading of the rhyme of lore called 'Tall ships and Tall Kings' which gandalf chants to Pippin on their way to Minas Tirith. But instead of the correct reading:
'What brought _they_ from the foundered land?'
Lewis has:
'What brought _them_?'
- and so jumped to a spurious conclusion.
This paper was published in the Tolkien Society booklet 'Travels and Communication in Tolkien's Worlds' ed. Richard Crawshaw, 1996. pp.9-18. I've never actually got round to finish reading it, myself.
