Tag Archives: Invention

Hunting Trophy

By | |
Leave a comment
Hunting Trophy

Would you ever display a hunting trophy on your wall?

  • Hunting trophies are objects made of hunted game specimens, typically put on display like a trophy, and they can be as simple as animal horns, tusks or teeth, or it can be the taxidermied head or body of a hunted animal.
  • Generally, elderly animal specimens are favoured for exhibiting as a hunting trophy, due to their impressive size, and hunting these animals will usually have little or no impact on the general population of the species.
  • The practice of hunting animals for the purpose of gaining a hunting trophy is known as ‘trophy hunting’, and most animals that are used for this purpose come from Canada or African countries.
  • If undertaken randomly and without control, trophy hunting can disrupt populations of animals, reproduction patterns and the genetic pool.
  • In the 1800s, taxidermied animals became sought after and were commonly displayed, and during this time, the hunting trophy became popular among Europeans.

Hunting Trophy, Invention, Taxidermy, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Deer, Head

  • Trophy hunting is often considered to be highly beneficial for African countries, as it contributes greatly to the country’s economy with little negative effect, and in 2008, across a small selection of African countries, $190 million USD was injected into the African economy as a result.
  • Investigations conducted suggest that the controlled hunting of some animals for hunting trophies, especially those in Africa, controls and potentially increases a species’ population, due, in part, to locals of the area wanting to protect the animals so that can collect large sums of money from those wanting to do the hunting.
  • Hunting for the purpose of a hunting trophy is prone to being controversial, as it is commonly claimed that it is inhumane and dangerous to animal populations, however many of the major wildlife organisations have supportive or neutral views on the subject.
  • Hunting trophy animal heads and antlers are commonly mounted on a wall, most often in an office or one’s house, often in a specially designated ‘trophy’ or ‘game room’.
  • A number of places and organisations, including a number of airlines, have banned the handling or importing of hunting trophies, mainly because they don’t agree with the killing of animals for sport purposes.
Bibliography:
The History of Trophy Hunting, 2015, Timeline, https://www.timeline.com/stories/the-history-of-trophy-hunting
Hunting Trophy, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophy_hunting
Ting I, Hunting trophy imports to Australia rise as global trophy imports fall, 2015, The Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/hunting-trophy-imports-to-australia-rise-as-global-trophy-imports-fall-20150807-giuagr.html
Trophy Hunting, n.d, In Defense of Animals, http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/wild-free2/habitats-campaign/anti-hunting/hunters/trophy-hunting/

Amazon:       

Airport

By | |
Leave a comment
Airport

Airports are the terminals of activity that enable travel to far-off places.

  • Airports are a construction that provides assistance in the flying, taking off and landing of aircraft, as well as the storage, service, repair and maintenance of aircraft.
  • Airports usually consist of a type of runway for aircraft to land on, and often have hangars, terminals and control towers for further functionality.
  • When an airport has large amounts of traffic they will generally have at least one control tower, which is used to monitor aircraft arrivals and departures, dangers due to weather conditions and other factors, and to ensure there are no aircraft collisions.
  • It is generally considered that the world’s oldest airport still in use is the College Park Airport of the United State’s Maryland built in 1909, while one of the earliest commercial facilities still in use is Sydney Airport in Australia which officially opened in early 1920.
  • Airport runways vary depending on the facility size, with smaller ones generally having grass, gravel or dirt based runways of under 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) in length, while larger runways are made of concrete or asphalt and reach lengths of 2 to 5 kilometres (1.2 to 3.1 miles).

Airport, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Place, Port, Aircraft, Aeroplane, Qantas, Australia

  • Despite the majority of airports being of smaller size, most are owned by a government organisation, rather than by business corporations or an individual.
  • The first airports were, on the most part, reserved for military use until after World War I; many of which were later used for commercial purposes.
  • Each airport has its own letter code, known as an International Air Transport Association (IATA) code, and generally also an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) code, and the facilities usually have an official name, and sometimes a common name, which may be more well known than its formal title.
  • In 2013, there were 41,821 airports in the world, and almost a third of those were located in the United States, while Brazil had the second biggest number of facilities with almost ten percent of the world’s total.
  • Airports are generally split into two sections, landside – which is open to the public and includes roads and transport options, and airside – which has restricted access and includes airplanes, runways, hangars and so on.
Bibliography:
Airport, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport
Field Listing: Airport, n.d, The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2053.html
The History of Airports, 2015, AvJobs, http://www.avjobs.com/history/airports.asp

Amazon:       

Scotland Yard (game)

By | |
Leave a comment
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

Amazon:        

Baguette

By | |
Leave a comment
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/

Amazon:        

Laminated Glass

By | |
Leave a comment
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

Amazon:       

Mashed Potato

By | |
Leave a comment
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

Amazon:       

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...