roslyn217/science

100 Years Ago: The Amazing Technology of 1910

The early years of the century saw the general public finally able to enjoy the fruits of what was achieved in electrical engineering during the previous century. By 1910, many suburban homes had been wired up with power and new electric gadgets were being patented with fervor. Vacuum cleaners and washing machines had just become commercially available, though were still too expensive for many middle-class families.

The telephone was another hot new commodity in 1910, with millions of American homes already connected by manual switchboard. Those who did not have a phone to call their neighbor still had to rely on the paper for their news, however; though radio technology was in its infancy, regular broadcasts were still several years away.

Chemistry also charged full steam ahead in 1910. Advances in the use of gases chilled the world out with the release of the first electric refrigerators and air-conditioning units, while French inventor Georges Claude harnessed neon in glass tubes and debuted neon lighting in Paris, changing the face of seedy advertising forever.

Other new inventions, both influential and inane, that were making waves one century ago included:

* Bakelite plastic
* Escalators
* Teabags
* Cellophane
* Instant coffee
* Disposable razor blades

Things We Learned About Us In 2009

Infants cry in their native tongue. Even when babies are only a few days old, their cries resemble their native language, researchers in Germany found this year. For instance, the cries of French infants have a rising melody pattern from start to finish â€" a characteristic of the French language. On the other hand, German infants have cries with falling melodies â€" a pattern found in German speech.

Most children lack vitamin D. A national survey of U.S. children showed that about 70 percent do not have sufficient levels of vitamin D, a result the researchers deemed "shocking." They pinned the blame for the low vitamin levels on poor diet and too little sunshine. Vitamin D deficiency can put people at risk for bone disorders, such as rickets, as well as heart disease. So, perhaps, a New Year's resolution to get the kids outdoors may be in order.

Could you speak into my right ear please? If you want someone to do you a favor, you may be better off speaking into their right ear than their left, a study this year suggests. The results showed that people would rather be addressed in their right ear, and they are also more likely to grant favors if the appeal is made to the right ear. This preference may be due to the fact that speech coming into the right ear is mostly processed by the left side of your brain, the hemisphere that is thought to process verbal information.

More at the link:
livescience.com/culture/091223-top-9-2009-about-us.html [livescience.com/culture/091223-top-9-2009-about-us.html]

The Cryptozoology Museum



Cryptozoology is the study of hidden or unknown animals. These are usually larger zoological species that, to-date, remain unverified by science, such as Yetis, Bigfoot, Lake Monsters, and Sea Serpents, as well as hundreds of other yet-to-be-found animals (cryptids) worldwide, but which compelling ethnoknown evidence has been collected for their possible existence. It also encompasses the study of animals of recent discovery, such as the coelacanth, okapi, megamouth shark, giant panda, and mountain gorilla.

Surprising Facts About The Universe


The Boomerang Nebula

Did You Know...

... ... you are statistically more likely to be killed by a large asteroid strike than by a lightning strike or air crash?
(Chances of being killed by large asteroid strike: 1 : 3,000,000. Chances of being killed by lightning or an air crash: 1 : 4,000,000)

... the coldest spot in the known universe is in Finland? A team from Helsinki Universe of Technology cooled a piece of rhodium down to 1/10th of one billionth of a degree above absolute zero (-273.15 degrees Celsius). The Boomerang Nebula is the coldest place known outside a laboratory.

... the first man-made object to break the sound barrier was the whip, invented in China 7,000 years ago. The "crack" sound you hear when you snap a whip is the tip breaking the sound barrier. The Bell XI was the first aircraft to break the sound barrier (in 1947)

Unusual Watches



No thank you




This timepiece is not only a watch, but it is a ring. It will display your calendar and the time all while being worn like your favorite ring.

I like it.

Space Hotel

An artists rendering of a shuttle docking with the Galactic Suite hotel is seen in an undated publicity photo.



By Stuart McDill - Mon Nov 2, 4:32 pm ET

BARCELONA (Reuters) - A company behind plans to open the first hotel in space says it is on target to accept its first paying guests in 2012 despite critics questioning the investment and time frame for the multi-billion dollar project.

The Barcelona-based architects of The Galactic Suite Space Resort say it will cost 3 million euro ($4.4 million) for a three-night stay at the hotel, with this price including an eight-week training course on a tropical island.

During their stay, guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes. They would wear velcro suits so they can crawl around their pod rooms by sticking themselves to the walls like Spiderman.

Galactic Suite Ltd's CEO Xavier Claramunt, a former aerospace engineer, said the project will put his company galacticsuite.com [galacticsuite.com] ) at the forefront of an infant industry with a huge future ahead of it, and forecast space travel will become common in the future.

"It's very normal to think that your children, possibly within 15 years, could spend a weekend in space," he told Reuters Television.

news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_hotel [news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_hotel]

Top 10 Phobias

10. The Dentist

9. Dogs

8. Flying

7.Thunder and Lightening

6. The Dark

5. Heights

4. Other People

3. Small Spaces

2. Spiders

1. Slithering snakes



Considered one of the most common phobias, an extreme fear of snakes could be evolutionarily imprinted in people, studies suggest. Long ago, spotting a snake (or even a spider) would have been an advantage to a person's survival, according to one study in which adults and children could pick out images of snakes among various non-threatening objects more quickly than they could pinpoint frogs and flowers. The ability to spot a snake in the blink of an eye, the researchers say, likely helped our ancestors survive in the wild.

Internet We Ancients Salute You


From the page:

First-time Internet Use Alters Activity in Older Brains

Adults with little internet experience show changes in their brain activity after just one week online, a new study finds.

The results suggest Internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults.




Images show brain scans of those with minimal prior Internet experience compared to those with a lot of web experience. Note during the second brain scans, which is after Internet training, both Naives and Savvies have similar brain patterns. Credit: UCLA

Full article:
livescience.com/health/091019-internet-brain.html [livescience.com/health/091019-internet-brain.html]