Saturday, 30 April 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Over or Under? The Great Toilet Paper Debate
When you really think about it, most of the things we love most about the modern world have been given to us by engineers. Cars, computers, and even awesomely unstable-looking treehouses have all been achievements of that singular science known as engineering. Some feats of engineering, however, though no less ubiquitous than the others, are overlooked because of their serene simplicity and unassuming demeanor. Toilet paper is one of these inventions. Perfectly suited to its one and only task, toilet paper is the unsung hero of daily living. Unfortunately, the brilliant engineers who came up with toilet paper left one problem unsolved: the problem of orientation. Should the loose end go over the roll, so that it's easy to see and grab? Or should it go under, for a more zen-like appearance? There has yet to be a conclusive answer, but the debate has been one of the most captivating mankind has ever known. If you're still on the fence, check out this infographic by Engineering Degree, which analyzes each position from a scientific perspective.
Click for Full-Size Image:
[Source: engineeringdegree.net]
via brainz.org
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
The most massive distant object known
The most massive known object in the young universe, a galaxy cluster dubbed SPT-CLJ2106-5844, is also a probe of conditions in the young universe. This image combines optical and infrared images with intensity contours from the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Galaxies often occur in groups. Our own Milky Way galaxy, for example, and its local neighborhood with about fifty galaxies are at the edge of the Virgo Cluster, a collection of somewhere between 1200 and 2000 galaxies. Galaxy clusters are the most massive objects in the universe, and their formation is thought to have begun from small spatial variations in the density of matter in the early universe. Clusters are therefore powerful probes of the growth of structure in the early universe, and their numbers and masses help astronomers test cosmological models including galaxy formation.
CfA astronomers Ryan Foley, Matt Ashby, Mark Brodwin, Giovanni Fazio, Bill Forman, Christine Jones, Steve Murray, Brian Stalder, Tony Stark, and Chris Stubbs, along with a large team of colleagues, have just published the discovery paper of the most massive distant cluster known, SPT-CLJ2106-5844, weighing in at 1.3 thousand trillion solar masses (more than about a thousand times the Milky Way's mass). This makes it the most massive object currently known in the distant universe. (A few larger ones exist nearby, but they have had billions of years longer to accumulate matter.)
Their detection relied on the property that most of the normal matter in clusters (that is, not considering dark matter) appears not to be in the galaxies themselves, but rather in the vast, intergalactic spaces between galaxies in a cluster. This intergalactic gas is very hot and its atoms are ionized, the result of the matter accreting into the cluster. The hot gas emits X-rays, and also distorts the millimeter radiation as it interacts with the light of the cosmic microwave background.
The scientists used the South Pole Telescope to survey about 3% of the whole sky at millimeter wavelengths, searching for the characteristic brightness dips produced by these clusters. This particular, massive cluster was relatively easily spotted in the millimeter survey data. X-ray images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory were then used to determine the character of the hot gas, and X-ray spectra measured the cluster's distance from its velocity. Sensitive optical and infrared velocity observations were also obtained to confirm the its redshift distance: it is so far away that its light has been traveling for over 7.5 billion years. One of the most interesting results of this discovery is that, if current models of how the universe evolved are accurate, clusters of this size are very rare in the young universe. In fact, this cluster could even be unique.
Provided by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (news : web)
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via physorg.com
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Fw: Family (this is so touching and true) PLEASE READ AND STUDYCAREFULLY !!
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange -----Original Message-----
From: Marion Cox
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 09:16:50 To: ; ; ; ; ; ;
Subject: FW: Family (this is so touching and true) PLEASE READ AND STUDY
CAREFULLY !! Subject: FW: Family (this is so touching and true) PLEASE READ AND STUDY CAREFULLY !!
F A M I L Y I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMI LY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
Pass this message to 7 people except you and me ....
SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT - THINK BEFORE YOU PRINT!________________________________________ This message and any files transmitted with it is intended for the addressee only and may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. Unauthorised use is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the addressee, you should not read, copy, disclose or otherwise use this message, including any picture or graphic and any attachment, except for the purpose of delivery to the addressee. We make every effort to keep our network free from viruses, however, you do need to check this e-mail and any attachments to it for viruses as we can take no responsibility for any computer virus which might be transferred by way of this e-mail. Internet communications are not necessarily secure and may be intercepted or changed after they are sent. We do not accept liability for any such changes. If you wish to confirm the origin or content of this communication, please contact the sender using an alternative means of communication. Please note that WBW Solicitors do not enter into any form of contract via this medium, nor are our staff authorised to do so on our behalf. WBW Solicitors is the trading name of WBW Solicitors LLP which is registered in England under number OC343339 and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Any reference to a Partner means a member of the LLP or an employee with equivalent seniority or experience. A list of Members and Non-Members designated as Partners is available for inspection at the above address.
Please visit our new and improved website at www.wbw.co.uk
________________________________________
From: Marion Cox
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 09:16:50 To: ; ; ; ; ; ;
Subject: FW: Family (this is so touching and true) PLEASE READ AND STUDY
CAREFULLY !! Subject: FW: Family (this is so touching and true) PLEASE READ AND STUDY CAREFULLY !!
F A M I L Y I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMI LY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
Pass this message to 7 people except you and me ....
SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT - THINK BEFORE YOU PRINT!________________________________________ This message and any files transmitted with it is intended for the addressee only and may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. Unauthorised use is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the addressee, you should not read, copy, disclose or otherwise use this message, including any picture or graphic and any attachment, except for the purpose of delivery to the addressee. We make every effort to keep our network free from viruses, however, you do need to check this e-mail and any attachments to it for viruses as we can take no responsibility for any computer virus which might be transferred by way of this e-mail. Internet communications are not necessarily secure and may be intercepted or changed after they are sent. We do not accept liability for any such changes. If you wish to confirm the origin or content of this communication, please contact the sender using an alternative means of communication. Please note that WBW Solicitors do not enter into any form of contract via this medium, nor are our staff authorised to do so on our behalf. WBW Solicitors is the trading name of WBW Solicitors LLP which is registered in England under number OC343339 and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Any reference to a Partner means a member of the LLP or an employee with equivalent seniority or experience. A list of Members and Non-Members designated as Partners is available for inspection at the above address.
Please visit our new and improved website at www.wbw.co.uk
________________________________________
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