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Spanish Moss

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Spanish Moss

Spanish moss is a mop of scraggy hair.

  • Spanish moss is a vegetation species that is hosted by a variety of trees, and it has no roots or need for soil and it is easily grown from cuttings or broken pieces.
  • The scientific name of Spanish moss is Tillandsia usneoides, and it is from the family Bromeliaceae, the family of bromeliads.
  • ‘Spanish moss’ is also known as an ‘air plant’, ‘Pele’s Hair’, ‘grey beard’, ‘old man’s whiskers’, and ‘old man’s beard’.
  • Spanish moss is native to the moist areas of southeast North, Central and South America; and has become a weed in some parts of Australia.
  • The leaves of Spanish moss have minute scales and appear to be a grey or green colour; and they are quite thin but long, reaching a single millimetre (0.04 inches) in width and 2 to 6 centimetres (0.8 to 2.4 inches) in length.

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  • Spanish moss droops from somewhat shaded or completely exposed tree branches, and the plant can be as long as 6 metres (20 feet).
  • Nutrients and water for Spanish moss are generally obtained from the atmosphere, including precipitation.
  • Spanish moss has been historically used for a variety of purposes, including as a filling for mattresses, and it can also be used as a fibre or for shelter insulation, as well as in creative works.
  • Spanish moss is a common habitat for certain spiders, bats, rat snakes and insects, and is used as nest material for birds.
  • Small fragrant flowers in blue, yellow or green may grow on Spanish moss in summer, and they produce hairy seeds.
Bibliography:
Spanish Moss, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss
Tillandsia Usneoides, 2015, Plants Rescue, http://www.plantsrescue.com/tillandsia-usneoides/
Tillandsia Usneoides (Spanish Moss), n.d, Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/tillandsia-usneoides-spanish-moss

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Laminated Glass

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Laminated Glass

So much glass is laminated glass; quite outstanding, really.

  • Laminated glass is a glass that fails to break apart on cracking, a quality that causes the glass to be categorised as a ‘safety glass’.
  • Laminated glass is made of layers of glass, and resin or acetate, generally PVB or EVA, which bond to the glass and hold it together.
  • When cracked, laminated glass typically fractures in rings, a pattern that is comparable to a spider web.
  • Frenchman Édouard Bénédictus, an artist and chemist, invented laminated glass in 1903, after a flask made of glass failed to scatter into pieces across the floor when he accidentally knocked it off a shelf, as it had unintentionally been coated with a plastic film.
  • Commonly, the glass layers of laminated glass are each 2.5 millimetres (0.1 inch) thick, with a 0.38 millimetre (0.01 inch) thick thermoplastic layer situated between the two glass layers, although thicknesses can vary, depending on their application.
Laminated Glass
Slabs of Laminated Glass
Image courtesy of warrenski/Flickr
  • As a general rule, the strength of laminated glass is directly proportionate to the amount or thickness of plastic and glass layers it has.
  • Édouard Bénédictus filed a patent for laminated glass in 1909, and while it was designed for automobile windscreen use, it was not until after it had been used in World War I for gas mask lenses that it became widely accepted for the use of windscreens and was enforced in some circumstances by the 1930s.
  • Laminated glass with small fractures can be fixed through a process of drilling, filling with resin, and curing the resin with ultraviolet light.
  • Laminated glass is most commonly used in windows for both automobiles and buildings, although it has many other applications.
  • As a glass considered excellent for high security purposes, laminated glass is notoriously difficult to cut, is resistant to many weapon types and is unaffected or safe in the case of natural disasters.
Bibliography:
Laminated Glass, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminated_glass
Laminated Safety Glass, n.d, National Glass, http://www.nationalglass.com.au/catalogues/NGP_Section_05.pdf
Safety Glass, 2007, The Great Idea Time, http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/safglass.htm

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Red-eared Slider

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Red-eared Slider

Go a-slippin’ and a-slidin’ with red-eared sliders.

  • Red-eared sliders are a turtle species native to water habitats of some southern areas of the United States and parts of north east Mexico.
  • The scientific name of red-eared sliders is Trachemys scripta elegans and it is from the family Emydidae, the family of pond turtles.
  • The carapace (shell) of red-eared sliders typically grows to be 12.5 to 28 centimetres (5 to 11 inches) in length, but they are sometimes longer.
  • The shell colour of red-eared sliders varies from vegetation greens to dark greens depending on age, while limbs are usually green with yellow stripes, and behind each eye, a red or orange stripe can typically be seen.
  • Red-eared sliders have been introduced to numerous areas across Europe, Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia, South America and South Africa, where the turtle has become highly invasive in some parts, and it is listed as one of the most invasive species in the world.
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Red-eared Slider
Image courtesy of Jim/Flickr
  • Of all aquatic-based turtles, red-eared sliders are one of the most commonly chosen as pets, especially in America, as they are readily adaptable to new environments, however, they are banned in some countries.
  • Red-eared sliders spend most of their time in the water, however, they have the need to bask in the sun to keep their body temperature up, as they cannot control their temperature themselves and they rely on external sources.
  • Female red-eared sliders dig a hole in the ground to lay the two to thirty eggs that she produces at a time, that generally hatch between 59 and 75 or more days.
  • A red-eared slider is identifiable by its abnormally long claws, red markings on its head, and its tendency to retreat into its shell by pulling its head in straight, rather than it bending horizontally.
  • The diet of red-eared sliders typically consists of aquatic plants, fish, snails, insect young, and crustaceans, and they have a lifespan in the wild of up to 30 years, while those in captivity can live a decade or two longer.
Bibliography:
Red-eared Slider, 2009, National Animal Pest Alert, http://www.pestsmart.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/red-earedslideralert.pdf
Red-eared Sliders, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-eared_slider
Red-eared Slider Turtles, 2015, Brisbane City Council, http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/environment-waste/natural-environment/protecting-wildlife-brisbane/pest-animals-invasive-species/red-eared-slider-turtles

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Mashed Potato

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Mashed Potato

Step on a potato? Turn it into mashed potato!

  • Mashed potato is an edible dish primarily made of cooked potato that has been crushed to a soft and somewhat smooth consistency.
  • Mashed potato’s main ingredient is potato, while additional ingredients often include butter, milk, vegetable oil or cream, as well as flavourings such as spices or herbs.
  • Commonly, mashed potato is served as a side accompaniment with meat or vegetables, and often gravy, although it may be used as an ingredient in dishes such as cottage pie.
  • The earliest known mashed potato recipe published was in The Art of Cookery recipe book authored by Englishwoman Hannah Glasse, in 1747.
  • Mashed potato is typically made with the use of a masher (powered by hand) or a mixer (electric), and modern style masher designs have been available from the mid to late 19th century.
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Mashed Potato
Image courtesy of David K/Flickr
  • Mashed potato can become sticky and somewhat unpleasant if excessively mashed, particularly while using electrical mixers, due to the starch being released because of over-stimulation.
  • Various potatoes can be used to make mashed potato, while some prefer waxy ones, while others prefer to use dry floury potatoes, and the typical texture of the potato once mashed with added ingredients is soft and starchy, and somewhat creamy.
  • It is thought that mashed potato dates back to the 1600s in England, though it is likely that potatoes were first mashed thousands of years ago by the Incas in South America, where potatoes originated.
  • Mashed potato can vary across cultures, with Indian mashes preferring an abundance of flavour with many ingredients, while a French preparation differs somewhat and includes the yolk of an egg.
  • Mashed potato is commercially available in a dehydrated or frozen form, and an ‘instant’ dehydrated flaked version has been available since the 1960s.
Bibliography:
Bulls D, History of the Potato Masher & How to Make Mashed Potatoes, 2015, Kings River Life Magazine, http://kingsriverlife.com/10/09/history-of-the-potatoe-masher/
FAQs: Charlotte to Millet, 2015, Food Timeline, http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq1.html
Mashed Potato, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashed_potato

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Pasterze Glacier

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Pasterze Glacier

Something is frightening the Pasterze Glacier – its retreating quite quickly!

  • Pasterze Glacier is a glacier located in the Eastern Alps in the Hohe Tauern National Park, in Austria, Europe.
  • ‘Pasterze’ of ‘Pasterze Glacier’ comes from the word ‘Pastirica’, which is translatable from Slovenian as ‘shepherdess’, and the glacier is also known as ‘Gletscherweg Pasterze’ and ‘Pasterzengletscher’.
  • Pasterze Glacier spreads a length of roughly 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles), and is Austria’s and the Eastern Alps’  longest glacier.
  • Pasterze Glacier starts at the Johannisberg mountain that has a peak 3,463 metres (11,361 feet) high, and ends at approximately a height of 2,100 metres (6,890 feet) above sea level.
  • Austria’s Grossglockner, the highest mountain in the country at 3798 metres (12,460 feet) high, towers directly over Pasterze Glacier.
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Pasterze Glacier
Image courtesy of Nathan Wong/Flickr
  • Annually, Pasterze Glacier retreats on average more than 10 metres (33 feet), although from 1982 to 2008, it was more than 18 metres (59 feet) per year.
  • Measurements of Pasterze Glacier were first obtained in 1851, however, since then the glacier has lost over half of its volume.
  • The water that melts from Pasterze Glacier feeds into the Mӧll River, some of which is used for hydroelectric power plants.
  • Although decreasingly rapidly, the thickness of Pasterze Glacier is approximately 120 metres (394 feet).
  •  The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is typically used to visit Pasterze Glacier, while a cable railway, known as a ‘funicular’ and a walking trail are usually utilised to access the glacier.
Bibliography:
Bayr K & Hall D, The Recessions of the Pasterze Glacier, Austria, as seen on Maps, Satellite Imagery, and Measured in situ from 1864 to 2008, 2009, Eastern Snow, http://www.easternsnow.org/proceedings/2009/bayr_hall.pdf
Pasterze Glacier, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasterze_Glacier
Pasterze Glacier Trail – Tracking the Ice Age, 2015, Carinthia, http://www.nationalpark-hohetauern.at/en/Articles/View/369

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Skype

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Skype

“Take a deep breath” – Skype

  • Skype is a software application that allows for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), video calling and instant messaging, as well as file distribution, using an internet connection, and other services are also offered.
  • The name ‘Skype’ was originally ‘Skyper’, as an abbreviation of ‘Sky peer-to-peer’, the communication network system that was originally used, and the name was shortened further so a domain name could be secured.
  • Most smart phones, Windows, Linux, Mac, Playstation and Xbox platforms can all utilise a version of Skype.
  • Niklas Zennstrum and Jenus Friss, from Sweden and Denmark respectively, along with programmers from Estonia, produced the peer-to-peer file sharing program that eventually became Skype, although Kazaa, a program that enabled people to share video and music, was its doomed predecessor.
  • In 2003, Skype was launched for public use and by the end of 2005, it had 74.7 million people registered, which increased to more than 660 million registered users in 2011, while in 2013, it reached a record high of 70 million concurrent users.
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Skype Logo
Image courtesy of Skype
  • Some of the original technology and programs used in Skype were initially designed in 1999 for Tele2, a telecommunications company in Sweden, under the instruction of Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, however the project was not successful.
  • Skype was sold to eBay in late 2005, and was eventually taken over by Microsoft in 2011 at a price of $8.5 billion.
  • Skype is particularly useful for meetings, remote education and personal communication purposes, and in 2015 it was able to used in a total of 38 languages.
  • The security level of Skype is controversial, as although calls and messages are encrypted, it has been revealed that some authorities have the ability to monitor conversations.
  • Group calls are a free service now offered by Skype, while calling landlines and mobile phones through the system, typically incurs a fee.
Bibliography:
Decker F, Who Invented Skype?, 2015, eHow, http://www.ehow.com/facts_5125753_invented-skype.html
Skype, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype
Think Skype is safe? Think again, 2013, Akademie, http://akademie.dw.de/digitalsafety/think-skype-is-safe-think-again/

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