Author Archives: Cris

Phonograph

By | |
4 Comments
Phonograph

Some say it is ancient technology…

  • Phonographs are also known as record players and gramophones.
  • Phonographs are machines that are used to reproduce sound.
  • Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877.
  • Thomas Edison’s phonograph could record and reproduce sound on a special cylindrical tinfoil sheet.
  • Modern phonographs consist of a turntable and a needle or stylus, and are usually connected to an amplifier and speakers to project the sound.  The record, a grooved vinyl disc, is placed on the turntable and the stylus travels in the grooves which causes vibrations, which in turn generates sound.

Phonograph, Record Player, Old Music, Disic, Pin, ULM Dual Record-Player CS 505-3, 1923, lid, Ten Random Facts

  • The use of phonographs declined when compact discs (CDs) started being produced in the 1980s.
  • The term ‘phonograph’ comes from two Greek words translated phonē and graphē meaning ‘sound’ and ‘writing’ respectively.
  • The cost of phonographs ranged from $100 to $100,000.
  • Thomas Edison used the phonograph inside toys, especially dolls, and as a dictating machine, to reduce the need of a stenographer.
  • Cylinders were used on phonographs until the early 1900s, when the popularity of discs took over.

Bibliography:
Chang, P 2013 Infomation on the Phonograph, eHow Tech, <http://www.ehow.com/about_5076499_information-phonograph.html>

Phonograph, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph>

Beetroot

By | |
Leave a comment
Beetroot

Red, red and more red.

  • Beetroot is also known as beet, garden beet, table beet, and red beet.
  • Beetroot is commonly eaten in North America, Central America and Europe.
  • Beetroot is eaten grilled, roasted, boiled, raw, pickled, or in soup.
  • The leafy part of beetroot is also edible and is often boiled or steamed.
  • Beetroot is high in antioxidants, magnesium, sodium, potassium, betaine and vitamin C.

Beetroot, Red, Cut, Sliced, Tinned, Homebrand, Bowl, Many, Lots,Ten Random Facts

  • Since the red colouring in beetroot doesn’t break down when eaten, some beetroot consumers may think they have hematuria, blood in the urine.
  • Beetroots are proven to lower blood pressure and possibly prevent liver disease.
  • Sometimes beetroots are used as a dye.
  • Betanin, the red colouring from beetroot, is commonly used to enhance the colour of food such as icecream.
  • In the Middle Ages beetroots were used to cure blood and digestion sickness.
Bibliography:
Beetroot, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetroot>

Blue Swimmer Crab

By | |
Leave a comment
Blue Swimmer Crab

Clickety Click, Clickety Click… big nippers.

  • Blue swimmer crabs are also known as blue manna crab, flower crab, blue crab, sand crab and ‘blueys’.
  • The scientific name of the blue swimmer crab is Portunus armatus, originally Portunus pelagicus.
  • Blue swimmer crabs are large crabs native to the Indian and Pacific Ocean, and the middle east coast of the Mediterranean.
  • Male blue swimmer crabs are blue with white spots and female crabs are a dull green brown.
  • The main body, or carapace, of blue swimmer crabs can grow up to 25 cm (9.8 inches) in width.

Blue Swimmer Crab, Coast, Live, Australia, Queensland, Undersize, Ten Random Facts

  • Blue swimmer crabs can’t live very long out of water.
  • Blue swimmer crabs bury themselves in the sand or mud for most of the day.
  • Blue swimmer crabs feed at high tide, mainly on fish, worms, molluscs and, crustaceans.
  • Blue swimmer crabs are often caught for its meat, as it is very sweet.
  • Male blue swimmer crabs are believed to become more territorial in cold waters than warm waters.
Bibliography:
Portunus Pelagicus, 2013 Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunus_pelagicus>

Playing Cards

By | |
Leave a comment
Playing Cards

Shuffle, deal, shuffle, deal.

  • Playing cards are generally small enough to fit in your hand and have a thin plastic coating on thin cardboard and are used in card games.
  • Beside games, playing cards are sometimes used in magic tricks, cardistry or card structures.
  • A complete set of playing cards is called a ‘pack’ or a ‘deck’, and a bunch of cards in one’s  hand is called a ‘hand’.
  • The front of playing cards have a picture or a number, and the back of the cards have a pattern that is the same on every other card in the deck.
  • Playing cards were invented in the 800’s in Ancient China.

Playing cards, Deck, Hand, Many, 52, Blue, Old, Red, Back, Game, Ten Random Facts

  • Playing cards were brought to England in the 1300s with suits such as swords and coins.
  • Playing cards were originally hand made and hand printed or painted.
  • A deck of playing cards consists of 52 cards, and is said to be symbolic of the 52 weeks in a year.
  • Modern playing card suits are typically French, and are clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.
  • Playing card sizes are generally B8 paper size or 63 by 88 mm (2.5 by 3.5 inches).
Bibliograpy:
Playing cards, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_card>

Taj Mahal

By | |
Leave a comment
Taj Mahal

What is the Taj Mahal??

  • The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum, or tomb, in Uttar Pradesh, India, that is constructed mainly of white marble.
  • Shah Jahan, a Mughal Emperor, commissioned the Taj Mahal for his third wife and the building started the year after she died.
  • The Taj Mahal was built between 1632-1653.
  • The Taj Mahal is commonly viewed as a Muslim masterpiece and includes designs from Turkish, Islamic, Persian, and Indian architecture.
  • The Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Taj Mahal, Indian, Palace, Muslim, Tomb, Asia, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

Taj Mahal
Image courtesy of Hal Brindley/ Free Digital Photos
  • At the Great Gate of the Taj Mahal there is calligraphy that says ‘O soul, thou art at rest, return to the Lord at peace with him, and he at peace with you’.
  • The garden of the Taj Mahal is 30o meters (980 feet) square.
  • By the 1800s parts of the Taj Mahal were badly damaged and restoration took place under the supervision of Lord Curzon, a British viceroy, which was completed in 1908.
  • The wooden structure of the tomb in the Taj Mahal is rotting, which could possibly cause the tomb to collapse by 2016.
  • Two million people visited the Taj Mahal in 2001.
Bibliography:
Taj Mahal, 2013 Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal>

Lilly Pilly

By | |
3 Comments
Lilly Pilly

It is not a lily…

  • Lilly pilly is also known as lillpilli, brush cherries and satinash.
  • Lilly pilly is a flowering plant from the family Myrtaceae, the family of myrtles.
  • Lilly pillies are split into three genera, Syzygium, Waterhousea, Acmena.
  • Lilly pillies are evergreen trees and shrubs.
  • Lilly pilly plants generally have white, fluffy flowers and produce small red, pink or purple fruit that are edible.
Lilly Pilly, Red, Berries, Bunch, Green, Australia, Plant, Berry, Ten Random Facts Lilly Pilly
Image courtesy of Val Laird
  • Lilly pilly is native to Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific.
  • Lilly pilly fruit is sometimes used in jams and jellies.
  • Lilly pilly is sometimes confused with the eugenia species.
  • There are 62 species of lilly pilly native to Australia.
  • The lilly pilly psyllid is a pest that feeds on lilly pilly and causes pimples on the leaves.
Bibliography:
Syzygium, 2013 Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium>
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...