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Ballpoint Pen

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Ballpoint Pen

Do you ever take ballpoint pens for granted?

  • A ballpoint pen is a pen that distributes ink along a writing surface, and it has a very small ball in the writing tip that moves in the process.
  • ‘Ballpoint pens’ are also known as ‘biros’, ‘ball pens’ and ‘Biromes’.
  • The main design of a ballpoint pen originated from an 1888 patent for a pen that could write on leather, by leather tanner John Loud, an American, but the design was unsuitable for writing on paper.
  • Practical ballpoint pens were patented in 1938 by an editor of a Hungarian newspaper, László Bíró, which led to the common name of the modern pen, ‘biro’.
  • Ballpoint pens were introduced to America by Milton Reynolds, an American entrepreneur, who changed Bíró’s design in the mid 1940s, although it wasn’t until the 1950s that a more reliable pen was invented by Marcel Bich in France, that did not leak and had smooth ink flow, and was sold under the name ‘Bic’.

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  • Ballpoint pens can be disposable or refillable, often with a removable lid or a replaceable tip and reservoir, as well as retractable tips that retract back into the pen cylinder.
  • Ballpoint pens are the most commonly used writing instrument, and they are also used by some artists in their artwork, although any mistakes made generally cannot be removed, unless a pen with erasable ink is used.
  • Ballpoint pens range in colour and designs, and most often have ink coloured blue or black, and the next most popular ink colours are red and green.
  • Due to the availability of mass production, ballpoint pens have become increasingly cheaper and are more commonly used.
  • Ballpoint pens range in numerous shapes and sizes, leading some to become collector’s items; while some brands have been featured in the United State’s New York Museum of Modern Art, including the Bic Cristal pen.

 

Bibliography:
Ballpoint Pen, 2006, The Great Idea Finder, http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/ballpen.htm
Ballpoint Pen, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen
The History of the Ballpoint Pen, 2002, Cosmopolis, http://www.cosmopolis.ch/english/cosmo30/history_ballpoint_pen.htm

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Dunnottar Castle

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Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle famous for its romantic spots and… constant destruction.

  • Dunnottar Castle is a ruined castle located in Scotland’s north east, in the United Kingdom in Europe, that was originally built in the medieval period.
  • Dunnottar Castle covers an area of 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares), and sits on a sea cliff that rises to 50 metres (160 feet) in height.
  • ‘Dùn Fhoithear’ is the Scottish-Gaelic for Dunnottar Castle, and means ‘fort on the shelving slope’.
  • The date the first castle was built on the Dunnottar Castle site is uncertain, although it, or a fort, was possibly erected before the 7th century, as there is reference to a siege in the area in the late 600s.
  • Dunnottar Castle was a significant administration location in the county, under the rule of King William the Lion who reigned from 1165 to 1214.
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Dunnottar Castle
Image courtesy of Christian Kadluba/Flickr
  • Dunnottar Castle was bought in 1720 by the York Buildings Company, who removed much of the interior including the floors and roof.
  • Restoration of some parts of Dunnottar Castle began after new owner, the 1st Viscount Cowdray, Weetman Pearson from Yorkshire in England, purchased the property in 1925, and it was eventually passed down to one of his great grandsons, Charles Pearson, who was the owner in 2014.
  • Dunnottar Castle is open to the public and has become a popular tourist attraction, and was visited by approximately 52,000 tourists in 2009.
  • William Keith, a Marischal of Scotland, and his family, were the predominant owners of Dunnottar Castle from the 1300s to 1700s, and it was seized from them by the king in 1716.
  • Throughout its history, Dunnottar Castle was burnt to the ground a number of times, sometimes by the Scottish to kill the invading English.
Bibliography:
Dunnottar Castle, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnottar_Castle
Ross D, Dunnottar Castle, n.d, Britain Express, http://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/ruins/Dunnottar-Castle.htm

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Markhor

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Markhor

Markhors look splendid with horns and a beard.

  • A markhor is one of nine species of wild goat in the Capra genus and is native to south-western Asia.
  • Markhors have the scientific name Capra falconeri, and are from the family Bovidae, the family of cloven-hoofed mammals that are ruminants.
  • ‘Markhor’ is believed to come from the Persian words for ‘snake’ and ‘eater’, ‘mar’ and ‘khor’ respectively, due to the idea that it can kill snakes, or the shape of the horns.
  • The height of markhors typically ranges from 65 to 115 centimetres (26 to 45 inches) up to the shoulder, and weigh 32 to 110 kilograms (71 to 243 pounds).
  • Markhors have long spiral shaped horns and a beard, both of which are larger in the males, and are typically coloured a combination of brown, tan, white, grey and black.
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A Male Markhor
Image courtesy of Marie Hale/Flickr
  • Markhors live in small herds in mountainous forests, and eat vegetation including twigs, grasses, herbs and leaves.
  • Markhors are preyed on by snow leopards, wolves lynxes, eagles, bears and jackals.
  • Although hunting markhors is generally an illegal practice, they are often poached and have been prized game for experienced hunters, and due to trophy hunting in the past, as well loss of habit by deforestation, the species is now endangered.
  • Markhors have one kid per birth, sometimes two, and they have a life span of 10 to 13 years.
  • There are three subspecies of markhors, the Astor, Kabul and Bukharan, and the mammal is the national animal of Pakistan.
Bibliography:
Markhor, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/markhor/
Markhor, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markhor

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Amoxicillin

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Amoxicillin

Have you ever been prescribed amoxicillin?

  • Amoxicillin is a medical drug often prescribed to treat bacterial problems or infection.
  • Of all antibiotics, amoxicillin is the most frequently used antibiotic that is given to children.
  • ‘Amoxicillin’ is also known as ‘amoxycillin’ and ‘amox’, and it is packaged under numerous brand names.
  • Amoxicillin was created by The Beecham Group, a pharmaceutical company from the United Kingdom, Europe, in the 1960s, and was first made publically available in 1972.
  • Amoxicillin can cause rashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness and other reactions, often as a result of an allergic reaction or incorrect use.

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  • Amoxicillin was the second aminopenicillin belonging to the penicillin family, that was made publicly available in the world, and it contains a β-lactam (beta-lactam) ring in the molecule structure that inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis.
  • Amoxicillin is made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur, in a chemical structure of C16H19N3O5S, and it is listed in the World Health Organistion’s Model List of Essential Medicines as a required medicine for basic healthcare.
  • Amoxicillin is most commonly available in the form of a liquid, capsule, chewable tablet, and powder, and it is usually only available by prescription
  • Typically, amoxicillin is required to be taken during or within an hour of the consumption of food, and should be taken at the same times daily until it is finished.
  • Amoxicillin is often taken by way of mouth, although it can be injected into a vein.

 

Bibliography:
Allen H, Amoxicillin for Infections, 2013, Patient.co.uk, http://www.patient.co.uk/medicine/amoxicillin-for-infections
Amoxicillin, 2014, Drugs.com, http://www.drugs.com/amoxicillin.html
Amoxicillin, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoxicillin

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Origami

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Origami

Did you know that there is an art to folding paper? Well, it is called origami.

  • Origami is the art of folding paper, generally without cutting or gluing, that is believed to have originally started in the first or second century AD, in China.
  • Origami generally involves folding a square piece of paper into a two or three dimensional object, while the most common or well known folded object is a paper crane (bird) or ‘orizuru’.
  • In the sixth century AD, origami was introduced to Japanese people, and it eventually became ingrained into the Japanese culture, so much so, that it has been, and is still strongly associated with Japan.
  • Origami paper sizes typically range from 2.5 to 25 centimetre (1 to 10 inch) squares, although they can be larger, and the most common size is 15 cm (5.9 inches).
  • Although folding paper in origami is typically performed by hand only on a smooth surface, tools including a scorer, embosser, paper clips and tweezers can be used for better folds or holds.

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  • Some origami models have moving mechanisms once interacted with, and designs include simple jumping frogs and flapping wings to complex models of a figure playing a paper instrument.
  • ‘Origami’ comes from the Japanese words ‘ori’ and ‘kami’ meaning ‘fold’ and ‘paper’ respectively.
  • The final design size of an origami model is dependent on the paper size; and a number of computer programs have been designed that can simulate the art of paper folding, and can also create designs.
  • Origami has a strong link to mathematics, and can be seen used in practical solutions such as airbags in vehicles, and it has been a common subject of copyright issues, as designs have been often stolen and republished.
  • Origami paper is available in a wide range of colours and patterns, that usually range between 55 to 90 gsm in weight, and the paper is often thin, allowing for ease of folding.
Bibliography:
History, n.d, Kid’s Web Japan, http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/origami/origami01.html
Origami, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origami

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Isaac Newton

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Isaac Newton

“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” – Isaac Newton

  • Isaac Newton was a scientist and mathematician who was an important contributor to the field of physics and its discoveries.
  • Isaac Newton was born on Christmas day, the 25th of December, in 1642 (on the Julian calendar) in Woolsthorpe, in England’s Lincolnshire county in Europe, and he did not meet his father, who had died three months earlier.
  • Isaac Newton spent a number of years at The King’s School in Grantham, England, and was discharged by his mother, who wanted Newton to become a farmer, much against the juvenile’s wishes, although he did later return to school.
  • In 1661, Isaac Newton extended his education at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, and earned himself a scholarship in 1664 that continued until the completion of his degree, that was awarded to him in 1669.
  • Isaac Newton was quite knowledgeable on the subject of mathematics, producing many papers, and among many other things, he discovered the visible spectrum through a prism, defined the laws of motion and gravity and created the concept of Newtonian fluid.

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Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton
Image courtesy of Paukrus/Flickr
  • Isaac Newton died at age 84 on 20 March 1726/7, in the capital of England, London, and was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey, and his death may have been caused by mercury poisoning.
  • Isaac Newton is commemorated by a number of statues, including one at Oxford University Museum and one at Westminster Abbey, and he is known officially as ‘Sir Isaac Newton’, as he was knighted in April 1705 by Queen Anne.
  • A tooth that is believed to have been that of Isaac Newton’s, was sold in 1816 for £730 and in 2001 was said to be worth £25,000 or US$35,7000.
  • It is commonly believed and accepted, that Isaac Newton decided to look into gravity after watching an apple fall from an apple tree.
  • Isaac Newton became ‘Master’ of the Royal Mint in the late 1600s, and he calculated that approximately 20% of coins received where fake, and he caught many offenders.
Bibliography:
Isaac Newton, 2014, Biography, http://www.biography.com/people/isaac-newton-9422656
Isaac Newton, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton
Isaac Newton’s Life, 1998, Isaac Newton Institute, https://www.newton.ac.uk/about/isaac-newton/life

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