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Scotland Yard (game)

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Scotland Yard (game)

Unleash your detective (or criminal!) self with Scotland Yard.

  • Scotland Yard is a game that involves one team, the detectives, that are to find and capture the criminal (or Mr X), by travelling across a board under a turn limit.
  • The typical goal in Scotland Yard is for the single player criminal, to evade capture by the team of detectives, consisting of multiple players, who strive to capture the criminal.
  • Scotland Yard requires the skill of deduction for the detectives, bluffing for the criminal, and tactics for both.
  • Players of Scotland Yard are required to traverse across the board using marked taxi, subway and bus routes and stations, and specific tickets are used to enable travel through the various transport methods.
  • Generally each detective in Scotland Yard has 22 tickets available for moving, one used up each turn, while the criminal will have the remainder.

Scotland Yard, Board Game, Set, Equipment, Parker Brothers, Trivia, Ten Random Facts

  • Scotland Yard was first released in 1983 in Europe’s Germany, by Ravensburger Games, and was quite successful, receiving the 1983 German game of the year award (Spiel des Jahres).
  • Scotland Yard spread across Europe and eventually reached the United States by 1985, where it was redistributed by Milton Bradley, sporting minor board differences.
  • The setting of Scotland Yard is typically London, although boards featuring New York, Japan and Switzerland have been published.
  • Scotland Yard can become monotonous for the detective team, as actions can become repetitive, frustrating and limited, unlike the criminal, who has a variety of options consistently throughout the game.
  • Scotland Yard is usually played by three to six players and generally takes up to one hour to play.
Bibliography:
Scotland Yard (Board Game), 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland_Yard_(board_game)
Scotland Yard, 2012, Dad’s Gaming Addiction, http://www.dadsgamingaddiction.com/scotland-yard/
Scotland Yard, n.d, Everything 2, http://everything2.com/title/Scotland+Yard

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Baguette

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Baguette

Bag a few baguettes while you are at it.

  • Baguettes are bread-based foods that are well known as a French product, and they are also known as ‘French loaves’ and ‘French sticks’.
  • Baguettes are typically 5 to 6 centimetres (2 to 2.4 inches) in diameter and 65 to 100 centimetres (26 to 39 inches) in length.
  • The term ‘baguette’ translated from French is ‘wand’, ‘stick’ or ‘baton’, referring to the bread’s long, thin shape.
  • Baguettes originated in France, from the mid 1700s, and were used in particular, as breakfast foods, though the earliest use of the modern term in reference to the bread was in 1920.
  • The basic ingredients of a baguette are wheat flour, salt, water and yeast or other rising alternative, and due to having no preservatives, they are best eaten the same day they are made.
Baguettes, Food, Bread, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Brown, Sticks, Long, Tray, Homemade
Baguette
Image courtesy of Nicola/Flickr
  • In France, a number of regulations are in force concerning the commercial production of the traditional baguette – that those sold contain only the four basic ingredients, with only slight variations allowed; that they be baked and sold at the same premises; that they be preservative and additive free; and that they are not frozen prior to selling.
  • Commonly, baguettes are cooked using steam in a deck oven at temperature minimums of 205°C (400°F) to assist in developing its light, fluffy interior, before the exterior crusts over and becomes crispy.
  • Due to the fact that they cook quicker than the rounded alternative, baguettes were particularly popular for baking in the early mornings, especially early in the 20th century when a law was passed regarding bakery employees not being permitted to start work until after 4 am.
  • Baguettes can be eaten plain, although they are sometimes eaten with the addition of butter, cheese or condiments like jam, or used as bread for sandwiches, and the like.
  • Baguettes are eaten in many countries around the world, however, in France, they are so popular that at least ten billion are made annually in the country.
Bibliography:
Baguette, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguette
A Brief History of the French Baguette, 2015, Le Petit Français Inc, http://www.lepetitfrancais.com/history
Marsh J, The Very French Baguette of France, 2015, The Good Life France, http://www.thegoodlifefrance.com/the-very-french-baguette-of-france/
Saint K, History of the Baguette, 2015, The Good Life France, http://www.thegoodlifefrance.com/history-baguette/

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber

You cannot get architecture more classical then Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

  • Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town of significant historical importance, found in Germany’s Bavaria, in Europe,
  • As a German phrase, ‘Rothenburg ob der Tauber’ means ‘red fortress above the Tauber’, referring to its elevated location over the River Tauber.
  • A city wall encircles Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which was built in the 1200s, and the town is notable for its preservation of medieval architecture and history.
  • Rothenburg ob der Tauber covers an area of 41.68 square kilometres (16.09 square miles), and is located along the scenic route known as the Romantic Road.
  • Settlement of Rothenburg ob der Tauber first began in 970 AD, but only become a town and fortress from the 1100s to the 1200s, with the fortress being primarily initiated by King Conrad III.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, Place, Buildings, Stone, Trivia, Random Facts, Europe
Part of Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Image courtesy of Edward Dalmulder/Flickr
  • Rothenburg ob der Tauber was considered to be an example of ideal town life to the German citizens, by Nazi Germany during World War II, when it was also armed for enemy protection.
  • The town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber was partially bombed during World War II, and approximately 45% was destroyed before the Germans surrendered, however, it was rebuilt in the original style with financial contributions from around the world.
  • The films Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010, 2011) both had significant scenes filmed at Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
  • In 1274, Rothenburg ob der Tauber was designated a Free Imperial City, which meant it was self-governed and only answerable to the emperor.
  • Rothenburg ob der Tauber is visited by approximately 2.5 million tourists annually, particularly by day trippers or backpackers.
Bibliography:
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, n.d, Romantic Road Germany, http://www.romanticroadgermany.com/rothenburg/
Short History of the Town of Rothenburg, 2013, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, http://www.tourismus.rothenburg.de/index.php?id=578

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.
Red-eared Slider, Turtle, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Brown, Green, Shell, Rock, Animal
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.
Mashed Potato, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Potato, Culinary, White, Food
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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