Because most watches lack a striking mechanism, such as a bell or gong to announce the passage of time, they are properly designated as timepieces, rather than clocks.
WikipediaWednesday, December 27, 2006
A watch
A watch is a small portable timepiece or clock that displays the time and sometimes the day, date, month and year. In past centuries, these often took the form of pocket watches, which today are seldom carried or worn. In modern usage, watch is usually a contraction of wristwatch, a designation for the most popular style of timekeeping device worn on the wrist.
A agenda
Originally agenda was a plural word, a Latin term for "actions to be taken". What is now known as an agenda is a list of individual items, each of which was originally referred to as an agendum. In modern English, however, it is equally acceptable, and more common, to refer to the list as a whole as the agenda for the meeting. This modern English word is singular, and has a plural of agendas. Wikipedia
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG and LSE: GGEA) is an American public corporation, specializing in Internet search and online advertising. The company had 9,378 full-time employees as of September 30, 2006, and is based in Mountain View, California.
Google was co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and was first incorporated as a privately held company on September 7, 1998. Eric Schmidt is Google's chief executive officer, after Larry Page stepped down.
WikipediaA match
A match is a consumable artifact for producing fire under controlled circumstances on demand. Matches are readily available, being sold in tobacconists and other shops. Matches are rarely sold singularly; they are sold in multiples, packaged in either match boxes or in matchbooks. A match is typically a wooden stick (usually sold in match boxes) or stiff paper stick (usually sold in matchbooks) coated at one end with a material, the match head, often containing the element phosphorus, that will ignite from the heat of friction if rubbed ("struck") against a suitable surface.[1]
There are two main types of matches: safety matches, which can only be struck against a specially-prepared surface, and strike-anywhere matches, for which any sufficiently rough surface can be used.
Note: Match-type compositions may also be used to produce electric matches, which are fired electrically. These items do not rely on the heat of friction.
WikipediaGlass
Glass is a uniform material of arguable phase, usually produced when the viscous molten material cools very rapidly to below its glass transition temperature, without sufficient time for a regular crystal lattice to form. The most familiar form of glass is the Silica-based material used for household objects such as light bulbs and windows.
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Glass is a biologically inactive material that can be formed into smooth and impervious surfaces. Glass is brittle and will break into sharp shards. These properties can be modified or changed with the addition of other compounds or heat treatment.
Common glass contains about 70-72 weight % of silicon dioxide (SiO2). The major raw material is sand (or "quartz sand") that contains almost 100% of crystalline silica in the form of quartz. Although it is an almost pure quartz, it may still contain a small amount (< 1%) of iron oxides that would color the glass, so this sand is usually enriched in the factory to reduce the iron oxide amount to < 0.05%. Large natural single crystals of quartz are purer silicon dioxide, and upon crushing are used for high quality specialty glasses. Synthetic amorphous silica (practically 100% pure) is the raw material for the most expensive specialty glasses.
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A stove
A stove is a heat-producing device. The word typically describes an appliance used either for generating warmth or for cooking. In British English, however, the term cooker is normally used for the cooking appliance, and stove for a wood- or coal-burning room-heating appliance. Another American English word for a cooking stove is range.
There are many types of stoves. A kitchen stove is used to cook food, and refers to a device that has both burners on the top (also known as the cooktop or range or, in British English, the hob) and, often, an oven. A cooktop just has burners on the top and is usually installed into a countertop. A drop-in range has both burners on the top and an oven and hangs from a cutout in the countertop (that is, it cannot be installed free-standing on its own).
In industrial usage, stove may refer to the place where fuel is combusted before being fed to a large heat consumer such as an open hearth furnace.
A freezer
The word freezer is generally used to describe an appliance that keeps foods frozen. Freezers are common as household units for storing food but are also used in commercial settings. Most Freezers operate around -18 °C (0 °F).
Domestic freezers can be included with a refrigerator or can be stand alone units. Domestic freezers are generally upright units, resembling a refrigerator, or a chest, which resemble an upright unit laid on its back. Many modern freezers come with an icemaker.
WikipediaA refrigerator
A refrigerator (often called a "fridge" for short) is a cooling appliance for the storage and preservation of perishable food; food kept in a refrigerator lasts longer than that left at room temperature as the cold inhibits bacterial growth. A refrigerator maintains a cold temperature above the freezing point of water; commonly refrigerators are used in conjunction with freezers, which maintain temperatures below freezing, or a refrigerator may have an integrated freezer compartment. The refrigerator is a relatively modern invention amongst kitchen appliances. It replaced the common icebox which had been a household item for almost a century and a half prior, and is sometimes still called by the name "icebox".
Commercial units, which go by many other names, were in use for almost 40 years prior to the common home models. The fact that they operated with toxic ammonia gas systems made them unsafe for home use. Practical household refrigerators were introduced in the 1920s and gained wider acceptance in the 1930s as prices fell and non-toxic, nonflammable synthetic refrigerants, such as Freon or R-12 refrigerants were introduced.
A joke
A joke is a short story or series of words spoken or communicated, ideally with the intent of being laughed at or found humorous by the listener or reader. A practical joke differs in that the humor is not verbal, but mainly physical (e.g. throwing a custard pie in the direction of somebody's face). Some jokes are not funny.
Jokes are performed either in a staged situation, such as a comedy in front of an audience, or informally for the entertainment of participants and onlookers. The desired response is generally laughter, although loud groans are also a common response to some forms of jokes, such as puns and shaggy dog stories.
WikipediaAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol (Arabic: al kohol) is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. The general formula for a simple acyclic alcohol is CnH2n+1OH.
In general usage, the word alcohol, when used alone, usually refers to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol or (older) spirits of wine. Ethanol is a strongly-smelling, colorless, volatile liquid formed by the fermentation of sugars. It also often refers to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). This sense underlies the term alcoholism (addiction to alcohol).
Other forms of alcohol are usually described with a clarifying adjective, as in isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) or wood alcohol ('methyl alcohol, or methanol). The suffix -ol, appears in the official chemical name of all alcohols.
WikipediaA Post-it note
A Post-it note (or simply Post-it), invented and manufactured by 3M, is a piece of stationery with a readherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents, computer displays, and so forth. While now available in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, the most common size of Post-it note is a 3-in (7.5-cm) square, trademark canary yellow in color. The notes use a unique low-tack adhesive that enables the Post-its to be easily attached and removed without leaving marks or residue. The names Post-it and Post-it note—as well as the canary yellow color—are trademarks of 3M, the company which invented and manufactures them. Accepted generic terms for competitors include sticky notes or repositionable or repositional notes; nonetheless, Post-it note is frequently used as a generic term for any such product. 3M manufactures other products towards the Post-it note concept, leveraging the success of the brand. As Post-it have been driven towards computerized versions like Stickies or PtiMemo, 3M markets its own software under the name of 'Post-it software note'. Wikipedia
A paper clip
A paper clip (spelled both as two separate words and as one compound word) is a device which holds several sheets of paper together by means of pressure: it leaves the paper intact and can be easily removed. Wikipedia
A hard disk
A hard disk (commonly known as a hard disk drive or hard drive and formerly known as a fixed disk) is a digitally encoded non-volatile storage device which stores data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. Strictly speaking, "drive" refers to an entire unit containing multiple platters, a read/write head assembly, driver electronics, and motor while "hard disk" (sometimes "platter") refers to the storage medium itself.[1]
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Hard disks were originally developed for use with computers. In the 21st century, applications for hard disks have expanded beyond computers to include digital video recorders, digital audio players, personal digital assistants, and digital cameras. In 2005 the first mobile phones to include hard disks were introduced by Samsung Group and Nokia. The need for large-scale, reliable storage, independent of a particular device, led to the introduction of configurations such as RAID, hardware such as network attached storage (NAS) devices, and systems such as storage area networks (SANs) for efficient access to large volumes of data.
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Sunscreen
Sunscreen (also known as sunblock, suntan lotion) is a lotion, spray or other topical product that helps protect the skin from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and which reduces sunburn and other skin damage, ultimately leading to a lower risk of skin cancer. However, suntan lotion is an incorrect term for sunscreen as it is something entirely different. Suntan lotion is used to attract UV rays in order to better tan where sunblock is used to deflect UV radiation. These are commonly called indoor tanning lotions when designed for use with tanning beds or just suntan lotion if designed for outdoor use and may or may not have SPF protection in them.
The best sunscreens protect against both UVB (ultraviolet radiation with wavelength between 290 and 320 nanometres), which can cause sunburn, and UVA (between 320 and 400 nanometres), which damages the skin with more long-term effects, such as premature skin aging. Most sunscreens work by containing either an organic chemical compound that absorbs ultraviolet light (such as oxybenzone) or an opaque material that reflects light (such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide), or a combination of both. Typically, absorptive materials are referred to as chemical blocks, whereas opaque materials are mineral or physical blocks.
Dosing for sunscreen can be calculated using the formula for body surface area and subsequently subtracting the area covered by clothing that provides effective UV protection. The dose used in FDA sunscreen testing is 2 mg/cm². From a sample calculation in a FDA monograph, if one assumes an "average" adult build of height 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) and weight 150 lb (68 kg) with a 32 in (82 cm) waist, that adult wearing a bathing suit covering the groin area should apply 29 g (approximately 1 oz) evenly to the uncovered body area.
Contrary to the common advice that sunscreen should be reapplied every 2–3 hours, research has shown that the best protection is achieved by application 15–30 minutes before exposure, followed by one reapplication 15–30 minutes after the sun exposure begins. Further reapplication is only necessary after activities such as swimming, sweating, and rubbing.[1]
However, more recent research at the University of California indicates that sunscreen needs to be reapplied within 2 hours in order to remain effective. Not reapplying could even cause more cell damage than not using sunscreen at all, due to the release of extra free radicals from the absorbed chemical.[2]
A significant reduction in sun exposure inhibits the production of vitamin D. However, excessive sun exposure has been conclusively linked to some forms of skin cancer and signs of premature aging. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin type, and sunscreen all have an effect on vitamin D production in the skin, but fifteen minutes per day of direct exposure to the sun is a generally accepted guideline to follow for optimum vitamin D production. Experts generally recommend taking a fifteen minute walk in the morning or evening without wearing sunscreen to meet this requirement.
WikipediaElectricity
Electricity (from Greek ήλεκτρον (electron) "amber") is a general term for the variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. Together with magnetism, it constitutes the fundamental interaction known as electromagnetism. It includes many well-known physical phenomena such as lightning, electric fields and electric currents, and is put to use in industrial applications such as electronics and electric power.
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Light
Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength[1]. The elementary particle that defines light is the photon. The three basic dimensions of light (i.e., all electromagnetic radiation) are:
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- Intensity (or amplitude), which is related to the human perception of brightness of the light,
- Frequency (or wavelength), perceived by humans as the colour of the light, and
- Polarization (or angle of vibration), which is only weakly perceptible by humans under ordinary circumstances.
Due to the wave-particle duality of matter, light simultaneously exhibits properties of both waves and particles. The precise nature of light is one of the key questions of modern physics.
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DVD
DVD (commonly "Digital Versatile Disc", previously "Digital Video Disc") is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs resemble compact discs as their physical dimensions are the same (120 mm (4.72 inches) or occasionally 80 mm (3.15 inches) in diameter), but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density. Wikipedia
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images which represent scenes in motion. Video technology was first developed for television systems, but has been further developed in many formats to allow for consumer video recording. Video can also be viewed on through the Internet as video clips or streaming media clips on computer monitors.
Video is different than film, which captures a moving image as a sequence of still pictures photographically.
WikipediaA mobile
A mobile or cellular telephone is a long-range, portable electronic device for personal telecommunications over long distances. Wikipedia
The telephone
The telephone or phone is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. Most telephones operate through transmission of electric signals over a complex telephone network which allows almost any phone user to communicate with almost any other. Wikipedia
A washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to clean laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets. The term is generally applied only to machines that use water as the primary cleaning solution, as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids, and is generally performed by specialist businesses) or even ultrasonic cleaners.
Television
Television is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. The term has come to refer to all the aspects of television from the television set to the programming and transmission. The word is derived from mixed Latin and Greek roots, meaning "far sight": Greek τῆλε "tele", far, and Latin visio-n, sight (from video, vis- to see). Wikipedia
A camera
A camera is a device used to capture images, usually photographs, either singly or in sequence such as with video cameras. A camera that takes pictures singly is sometimes called a photo camera to distinguish it from a video camera. The name is derived from camera obscura, Latin for "dark chamber", an early mechanism for projecting images in which an entire room functioned much as the internal workings of a modern photographic camera, except there was no way at this time to record the image short of manually tracing it. Cameras may work with the visual spectrum or other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Wikipedia
Glasses
Glasses, spectacles, or eyeglasses are frames bearing lenses worn below the forehead and in front of the human eyes, sometimes for purely aesthetic reasons but normally for vision correction or eye protection or for protection from UV rays. Special glasses are used for viewing three-dimensional images from two-dimensional displays or experiencing virtual reality.
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Modern glasses are typically supported by pads on the bridge of the nose and by temples placed over the ears. Historical types include the pince-nez, monocle, and lorgnette.
Lenses were originally made from glass, but many are now made from various types of plastic, including CR-39 or polycarbonate. These materials reduce the danger of breakage and the greater weight of glass lenses. Some plastics also have more advantageous optical properties than glass, such as better transmission of visible light and greater absorption of ultraviolet light. Some plastics have a greater index of refraction than most types of glass; this is useful in the making of corrective lenses shaped to correct vision abnormalities such as myopia, allowing thinner lenses for a given prescription. Scratch-resistant coatings can be applied to most plastic lenses giving them similar scratch resistance to glass. Hydrophobic coatings designed to ease cleaning are also available, as are anti-reflective coatings intended to improve night vision and make the wearer's eyes more visible.
Polycarbonate lenses are the lightest and most shatterproof, making them the best for impact protection. Polycarbonate lenses offer poor optics because of a low Abbe number of 31. CR-39 lenses are the most common plastic lenses, due to their low weight, high scratch resistance and low transparency for ultra violet and infared radiation.
Some glasses are not designed for vision correction. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or radiation. Sunglasses allow better vision in bright daylight, and may protect against damage from high levels of ultraviolet light.
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A bicycle
A bicycle, or bike, is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. The International Union of Cycling adds the provision that the seat be more or less above the pedals, thus excluding recumbent bicycles.
First introduced in 19th-century Europe, bicycles now number over one billion worldwide,[1] providing the principal means of transportation in many regions, notably China and the Netherlands. They are also a popular form of recreation, and have been adapted for use in many other fields of human activity, including children's toys, adult fitness, military and local police applications, courier services, and cycle sports.
The basic shape and configuration of the bicycle's frame, wheels, pedals, saddle, and handlebars have hardly changed since the first chain-driven model was developed around 1885[2] , although many important details have since been improved, especially since the advent of modern materials and computer-aided design. These have allowed for a proliferation of specialized designs for individuals who pursue a particular type of cycling.
The bicycle has affected history considerably, in both the cultural and industrial realms. In its early years, bicycle construction drew on pre-existing technologies; more recently, bicycle technology has, in turn, contributed ideas in both old and newer areas.
WikipediaA motorbike
A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor used to assist with pedaling. Generally considered as a vehicle, sometimes as a motor vehicle or a class of hybrid vehicle, motorized bicycles are usually powered by electric motors or small internal combustion engines. Some can be propelled by the motor alone if the rider chooses not to pedal, while in others the motor will only run if the rider pedals. Different regulatory authorities use a variety of names and classifications.
Early motorized bicycles were powered by internal combustion (IC) engines. As electric motors have become lighter and battery storage density higher, the electric motor has recently seen an increase in popularity.
Motorized bicycles are distinguished from motorcycles by being capable of being powered by pedals alone if required. Many motorized bicycles are based on standard bicycle frame designs and technologies, although the modifications to the design to support motorisation may be extensive.
In countries where there is a strong bicycle culture (notably in Asia), the motorised bicycle is particularly popular; in 1996 Shanghai had 370,000 motorized bicycles, and 470,000 other vehicles[1].
Wikipediaa car
An automobile (or motor car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to seven people, typically have four wheels and be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. However, the term is far from precise.
As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car for every eleven people), of which 140 million were in the U.S. (roughly one car for every two people). Winkipedia
A house
Humans construct houses primarily as dwelling-spaces for human habitation. Such dwellings generally feature enclosing walls and a roof to protect against precipitation, wind, heat, cold and intruders. Animals may often live inside a house as well, both domestic pets and "unwanted" animals (such as mice living in the walls). The word "house" may also apply to a building provided to shelter animals, especially within a zoo.
The house often provides a very permanent residence for a family or for a similar social unit. When occupying a house routinely as a dwelling, English-speaking people may call this building their "home". People may leave their house most of the day for work and recreation, but typically return 'home", to their house, at least for sleeping.
A house generally has at least one entrance, usually in the form of a door or a portal — but some early houses, such as those at Çatal Hüyük, used roofs and ladders for access. Many houses have back doors that open into what some English-speakers call the backyard and others the back garden. When built in appropriate climates, houses may have any number of windows to let in natural sunlight and to provide views of the outside.
WikipediaCentral heating
Central heating is a common method of providing warmth to the whole interior of a building, or portion of a building, from one point to multiple rooms.
When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate the whole system may be referred to as HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning).
Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation occurs in one place, such as a furnace room in a house or a mechanical room in a large building (which is not necessarily the "central" geometric point). The most common heat source is through combustion of fossil fuel in a furnace or boiler. The resultant heat is then distributed typically by forced air through ductwork, by water circulating through pipes or by steam fed through pipes. Of increasing use, the heat source may be solar powered, in which case the distribution system is normally by water circulation.
In the UK and much of northern Europe and urban portions of Russia, where air conditioning in homes is rarely warranted due to its temperate climate, central heating is installed in most new housing. It is normally gas fired or, where gas is not readily available (as in Ireland), oil fired systems are used. In the western and southern United States natural gas fired central forced air systems are most common; these systems and central boiler systems are both in use in the far northern regions of the USA. Steam heating systems may be fired by coal, oil or gas and are used in the USA, Russia and Europe primarily for larger buildings. Far less energy efficient[citation needed] and less common are electrical heating systems.
WikipediaA ceiling fan
A ceiling fan is a fan suspended from the ceiling of a room. It sometimes has a light incorporated into it to replace any displaced light or to provide additional light. These devices are used in two ways: to create a breeze for an apparent cooling effect ("wind chill"), or to force warm air near the ceiling downward to the occupied part of the room. Ceiling fans can reduce heating costs by reducing the load on heating equipment, and they can reduce cooling costs by making warmer air comfortable. Wikipedia
The toothbrush
The toothbrush is an instrument used to clean teeth, consisting of a small brush on a handle. Toothpaste, often containing fluoride, is commonly added to a toothbrush to aid in cleaning. Toothbrushes are offered with varying textures of bristles, and come in many different sizes and forms. Most dentists recommend using a toothbrush labelled "Soft", since firmer bristled toothbrushes can damage enamel and irritate gums. Toothbrushes are often made from synthetic materials, although natural toothbrushes are also known in many parts of the world. Wikipedia
Personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a microcomputer whose price, size, and capabilities make it suitable for personal usage. The term was popularized by Apple Computer with the Apple II in the late-1970s and early-1980s, and afterwards by IBM with the IBM Personal Computer. A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions.
Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. [1] Today, computers can be made small enough to fit into a wrist watch and be powered from a watch battery. Society has come to recognize personal computers and their portable equivalent, the laptop computer, as icons of the information age; they are what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras, and even children's toys.
Personal Computer by wikipediaThe ability to store and execute programs makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: Any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore, computers with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks so long as time and storage capacity are not considerations.
Computer by wikipediaA vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from carpeted floors, but also from tiled floors and other smooth surfaces. Most homes with carpeted floors in developed countries possess a domestic vacuum cleaner for cleaning. The dirt is collected by a filtering system or a cyclone for later disposal. wikipedia
Things that make life easy
Things that make life easy are those material things we buy to make routine procedures easy and simple. Just to make those procedures take less time and effort. Thinking about those things made me think about creating a weblog about it. If your "thing" is not mentioned on this weblog please do send me a comment and I will add it. Hope you enjoy this weblog as much as I will!
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