Author Archives: Cris

Towel

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Towel

As author Douglas Adams said, towels are the one of the most useful items.

  • Towels are a textile item commonly used to remove and collect moisture, often water, from an object.
  • Towels are generally used by being placed on an object, and are typically pressed and rubbed for maximum effect.
  • Towels are most often made of absorbent material like cotton, bamboo, paper, synthetic fibres or other textiles, and the fabric often has a looped pile and is known as ‘terry cloth’.
  • The size of towels generally range between 30 x 61 centimetres to 76 x 152 centimetres (12 x 24 inches to 30 x 60 inches), although smaller and larger ones are available, and they are usually rectangular in shape.
  • Towels are commonly used after showering or bathing to dry oneself or one’s hands, and they can also be used for, but are not limited to, drying dishes and kitchen items, by sports enthusiasts to remove perspiration, at the beach to lay on, or for decorative purposes.

Towel, White, Blue, Beach, Washing, Bath, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Cotton

  • Towels are often dyed a single colour, although imagery or patterns can be imprinted or woven in, and other decorative features can also be included.
  • Until the availability of mass production machinery in the 1800s, towels were uncommon, due to being time-consuming to make, and as a result, expensive.
  • Towels are generally made by machines that spin, warp, weave, bleach and dye the material, as well as package the product.
  • It is said that towels were invented in Turkey, in the Middle East, and they were originally light and sheet-like.
  • Annually, on the 25th of May, National Towel Day is observed in some countries.
Bibliography:
Bath Towels, 2014, Make How, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Bath-Towel.html
Rodd R, A Brief History of Towels, 2013, Lidtime.com, http://www.lidtime.com/a-brief-history-of-towels/
Towel, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel

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Gyokusendo Cave

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Gyokusendo Cave

Gyokusendo Cave is bright, beautiful and peaceful.

  • Gyokusendo Cave is a large underground cave and water body located underneath the city of Nanjo, located in the southern part of the island of Okinawa, Japan in Asia.
  • ‘Gyokusendo Cave’ is also known as ‘Illuminated Cave’, and it is part of the above ground amusement park Okinawa World.
  • Gyokusendo Cave contains more than a million fragile stalactites that can fall from the ceiling as a response to loud noises that cause vibrations.
  • Gyokusendo Cave is full of moisture, with pleasant air movement, and it has temperatures typically averaging 21°C (70°F).
  • Gyokusendo Cave is lit with numerous multicoloured lights, ranging from yellow, blue and green, among others, to enhance the cave’s natural beauty.
Gyokusendo Cave, Rock, Limestone, Place, Japan, Underground, Lit, Stalactites, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Gyokusendo Cave
Image courtesy of SteFou!/Flickr
  • Although the cave is approximately 5 km (3.1 miles) long, only 890 metres (973 yards) of Gyokusendo Cave can be accessed by the public, and ramps and man-made paths lead visitors through.
  • Gyokusendo Cave was first made known to the public in 1967, when it was discovered by a group from a Japanese university, although it is believed that locals to the area already knew of its existence.
  • Water flow thousands of years ago is the most likely cause of the Gyokusendo Cave, that is made primarily of limestone, while a river can be seen in the cave, as well as small waterfalls.
  • Gyokusendo Cave is the home to much wildlife including fish, bats, insects and reptiles, many of which are on display in the cave.
  • Gyokusendo Cave is a very popular tourist attraction, while access requires an entry fee, and the cave system is the second largest in Japan.
Bibliography:
Going Down in Okinawa, Japan, 2010, Go Backpacking, http://gobackpacking.com/gyokusendo-cave-okinawa-japan/
Illuminated Caves – Okinawa, Japan, 2014, Planet Den, http://planetden.com/architecture/illuminated-caves-okinawajapan
Top 10 Places to See Before You Die, n.d, Funzim, http://funzim.com/top-10-places-to-see-before-you-die/6/

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Serval

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Serval

Servals, worshipped by Ancient Egyptians.

  • Servals are 19 subspecies of cat-like mammals native to Africa’s savannah habitats, south of the Sahara desert.
  • A ‘serval’ is also known as a ‘bush cat’, a ‘tiger bush cat’ and a ‘giraffe cat’.
  • Servals have the scientific name Leptailurus serval, although they are the only species in the Leptailurus genus, and they are from the family Felidae, the family of felids or cats.
  • Servals are most active during the night, when they hunt mostly for rodents, although they also consume birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, fish, hares and hyraxes, and they eat the meat and bones.
  • Servals have the longest legs of any cat in proportion to the animal’s body size, and the legs are used for jumping a height of 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 feet) and they can run at top speeds of at least 64 kilometres/hour (40 miles/hour).
Serval, Animal, Cat, Spot, Zoo, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
A Serval
Image courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar/Flickr
  • Vocalisation among servals includes purrs, hisses, chirps, growls and meows, although meeting with others of the same species often results in fights as they are generally solitary animals.
  • Female servals have litters of one to four blind cubs, most often two, and they can have more than one litter in the year.
  • Servals, although they are classified as ‘least concerned’, have declined in numbers due to poaching and habitat loss.
  • Servals are typically coloured a yellow-orange to brown colour, with dark spots that pattern their coat, and they have very large ears compared with their head, that have distinct markings on the back.
  • Servals are occasionally preyed on by leopards and hyenas, while their lifespan is 10 to 20 years, and they can even reach up to age 23.
Bibliography:
Serval, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/serval/
Serval, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/serval
Serval, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval

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Sesame Seed

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Sesame Seed

Ever heard of the phrase ‘Open Sesame’? It is said that it is a reference to the way sesame seed pods open to reveal their seeds.

  • Sesame seeds are oilseeds from the sesame plant Sesamun indicum, that comes from the Pedaliaceae family, the family of sesames or pedaliums.
  • Sesame seeds are extracted from a pod approximately 2 to 8 centimetres (0.8 to 3.15 inches) in length on a plant that grows 50 to 100 centimetres (1.6 to 3.3 feet) in height.
  • Sesame seeds are generally 3 to 4 millimetres in length (0.1 inches) and can be a variety of colours including cream, tan, black, grey, red and gold.
  • Sesame seeds have been harvested since 4000 to 2000BC in ancient civilisations including Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and other Middle Eastern civilisations.
  • Once sesame seeds have been extracted from pods, the seeds are often sorted for quality and colour using a type of scanner.

Sesame Seeds, Black, White, Assorted, Ten Random Facts, Small, Food, Culinary

  • In 2010, Burma, in Asia, was the largest producer of sesame seeds in the world, with 0.72 million tonnes (0.79 million tons) of the 3.84 million tonnes (4.23 million tons) produced worldwide, while India and China ranked second and third respectively.
  • Sesame seeds can cause a severe allergic reaction and an anaphylactic response, with symptoms include swelling, hives, hay fever and throat problems.
  • Sesame seeds have a nutty flavour, evident once cooked, and are often used to flavour bread items, and can be added to main meals, as well as breakfast cereals.
  • Sesame seeds contain numerous phytosterols that can lower cholesterol levels, reduce the likelihood of specific cancers and increasethe performance of the immunity system.
  • Sesame seeds are very high in calcium, iron, copper, manganese and magnesium, and contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Sesame, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame
Sesame Seeds, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84

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Washer

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Washer

Washers do not wash… but they spread pressure around.

  • Washers are generally a circular shaped item, often thin, with a central hole used primarily to spread pressure from a central fastening point.
  • Some washers are used as a spring, spacer, locker or to prevent corrosion.
  • There are three main different types of washers: ‘plain’, used to spread load and to insulate objects; ‘spring’, to prevent vibrations loosening the fastener; and ‘locking’, to stop the fastener loosening by unscrewing.
  • Washers have numerous forms, which have been classified in the United Kingdom from 1968 using letters A-G, and further classified using diameter and thickness.
  • Washers, although generally flat, can be bevelled or indented, have curved edges or be a split ring.

Washer, Ring, Split, Brown, Gold, Silver, Copper, Assorted, Coned, Ten Random Facts, Tools

  • Washers are typically made of metal, often stainless steel, or plastic, as well as materials such as rubber.
  • Washers can reach sizes of 3 to 175 millimetres (0.1 to 7 inches) in diameter and 0.3 to 14 millimetres (0.01 to 0.55 inches) in thickness.
  • The first reference of the term ‘washer’ originated in the mid 1300s, although its etymology is uncertain.
  • Although generally circular in shape, washers can be the shape of a square, star or gear.
  • Washers are typically silver in colour, although they can be coloured copper or gold, the colour of which is often related to the material used.

 

Bibliography:
Washer (Hardware), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer_(hardware)

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Nottingham Castle

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Nottingham Castle

Siege, take over, destroy, take over, siege, destroy – the life of Nottingham Castle.

  • Nottingham Castle is a ruined medieval castle, now a museum, located in England’s Nottingham, in Europe, on ‘Castle Rock’.
  • The construction of the first known castle on the Nottingham Castle site, was in 1067, at the request of the Norman king, William the Conqueror, although smaller castles may have been built previously, and in the mid to late 1100s a more robust stone castle was built.
  • Nottingham Castle was built in a strategic position, in an area with cliffs reaching 40 metres (130 feet) in height, as well as near a River Trent crossing and prime hunting areas.
  • Nottingham Castle was originally used as an important vantage point during medieval times, and was taken by Prince John in 1194, as well as King Edward III in 1330, and was later destroyed at the end of the English Civil War in 1649.
  • Nottingham Castle was rebuilt as a ducal mansion in the 1670s by Newcastle’s then Duke Henry Cavendish, and was built on top of the castle’s foundations, although it was burnt down in 1832.
Nottingham Castle
Image courtesy of Arran Bee/Flickr
  • Nottingham Castle and the surrounding area has been associated with the legend of Robin Hood and the story’s Sheriff of Nottingham.
  • Nottingham Castle was restored in 1875, and opened as a museum and art gallery, that is still used for this purpose today, and tours can be taken, some venturing into rock caves and secret passageways.
  • Nottingham Castle has numerous gardens and now includes a themed playground for children.
  • Nottingham Castle is owned and cared for by the Nottingham City Council and the property covers an area of 6 acres (2.4 hectares).
  • Nottingham Castle museum and art gallery includes items such as ceramics, paintings, carvings, costumes and other collections.

Edit: The original picture featured in this post was of Wollaton Hall, not Nottingham Castle. This has since been rectified.

Bibliography:
Nottingham Castle, 2014, One Day In, http://www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/discover/nottingham-castle-p357581
Nottingham Castle, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Castle
Visiting Nottingham Castle, 2014, Nottingham City Council, http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/Castle

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