FrontPage Archive - January 2009
Created | Updated Feb 1, 2009
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2 January 2009
The Fracture Mechanics of Spaghetti - A demonstration of how uncooked pasta can demonstrate engineering principles.British Orchids: Saprophytes - These plants have no leaves but get nutrition from dead vegetation and animal material.
® Vincent van Gogh, Artist - This legendary Dutch artist, one of the greatest of the 19th Century, sold just one painting in his lifetime.
QOTD: The scariest ones from my offspring usually start with something along the lines of: "You know how you've always said you don't mind what we do as long as it makes us happy? Well,..."
5 January 2009
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK - A Regency town which owes its growth and prosperity to the discovery of its saline spa waters.De Aguilar and Guerrero, Mayan Captives - An adventure story which is symbolic of the conflict in American in the 16th Century.
® The Machine Gun, 1914 - 1918 - Only towards the end of World War I did the invention of the tank end the supremacy of this weapon.
QOTD: Failing that, I could fashion a hook out of a twig and crochet some doilies for the baked bean breakfast table.
6 January 2009
The Three Wise Men - The story of the three wise men is one of the most vivid stories of The Bible, yet who were they?Orchids of the British Isles: Miscellaneous - Continuing a fascinating collection of Entries on these diverse and abundant flowering plants.
® Clerihews - This is a short humorous biographical poem named after the English detective novelist, Edmund Clerihew Bentley.
QOTD: I can catch, kill, clean & cook animals.
7 January 2009
Lake Garda, Italy - An undoubtedly beautiful place in the triangle formed by Brescia, Verona and Trento.The Bechdel Test: Women in Film - Initially a joke, this test is now a starting point for analysing the portrayal of women in popular culture.
® Bubble and Squeak - This meal is a triumph of thriftiness, using leftover vegetables to tasty effect.
QOTD: Has the human race reached its zenith, and we were all too busy playing Tetris to notice?
8 January 2009
The Quadratic Formula - Get your calculators out and a pen and paper as this entry explains what the quadratic formula is and how to use it. Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK - Located some 48 miles to the south-west of London, Basingstoke has more to it than meets the eye.
® Particle Accelerators - After splitting the atom, Rutherford realises that his experiment produced a fundamental particle, the proton.
QOTD: It had several decks below the water line, all filled with fish. … It was a multi-storey carp ark.
9 January 2009
The Pleiades - This open star cluster is one of the most identifiable celestial objects, even for the novice astronomer.Tasmania, Australia - The southernmost state of Australia is an island shaped like a rough equilateral triangle.
® The War of the Crows - For thousands of years the carrion crow and the hooded crow have scrapped it out for survival.
QOTD: I never thought the day would come when I had to explain how I know where my towel is
12 January 2009
'Atheophobia' - This is a neologism, or new word, meaning the fear of or explicit dislike of atheism.Orchids of the British Isles: Helleborines (Epipactis) - Continuing our serialised exploration into the diverse world of orchids.
® How to Skim Stones - An essential skill which aims to make any given flat stone bounce upon the water as many times as possible.
QOTD: In Germany, we don't seem to have a choice of colours of loo roll.
13 January 2009
The Tooth Amoeba - Fascinating look at a number of microscopic creatures that happily live out their entire lives in our mouths.The Ropen: Antipodean Cryptid - This huge, pterodactyl-like creature is the subject of Papua New Guinea legend.
® Lucerne, Switzerland - It was one of the first cities in the world to make tourism a major source of income.
QOTD: To what extent are dragons responsible for climate change? I wouldn't imagine they are entirely methane-neutral, for one thing...
14 January 2009
Ronda, Andalucia, Spain - A Muslim stronghold as recently as 1485, Ronda evokes great history, expertly brought to life in this Entry.Orchids of the British Isles: Tresses - Continuing our exploration of orchids, today we look at Creeping Lady's Tresses, among others.
® Kirkkonummi, Finland - Although traditionally a cluster of small rural villages, Kirkkonummi is now shaping into a suburb of Helsinki.
QOTD: I can make my eyeballs flicker very quickly from side to side. Not quite sure what use it will ever be apart from freaking people out.
15 January 2009
Amerigo Vespucci - An explorer listed, possibly erroneously, as the man after whom the American continents were named.The Maya Civil War - Until the end of the 20th Century, archaeologists thought that the Mayans were not a single, unified culture.
® Oink! - This controversial comic carried a number of often tasteless parodies of the sort of strips found in its competitors.
QOTD: To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
16 January 2009
Cary Grant - A wonderful, subtle comedian and cinematic legend, Cary Grant has become a byword for style, grace and good taste.Orchids of the British Isles: Twayblades - There are two British species of the genus Listera, their common name being Twayblade.
® Ants - Mainly comprising a caste of 'workers', ants are profoundly social insects living together in colonies supporting at least one queen.
QOTD: The time has come again my friends for another random thread.
19 January 2009
Carrie Fisher - An actress and writer who has survived the trench wars of Hollywood relatively intact and has made us laugh in the process.'Lego Star Wars' - This video game does not feature blood and guts; characters leave the bricks that made them in a neat pile on the floor.
® Postcrossing - This project is the brainchild of a Portuguese man who likes to send and receive snail mail.
QOTD: What's chocohol? What's workohol? What's shopohol?
20 January 2009
Two: the Dichotomous Number - Today we are immersed in the fascinating world of doubles, duos, pairs and braces.The US Electoral College - Elected members cast the ballot which in turn elects the President of the United States.
® Bingo For Beginners - Although it has a reputation as game for the blue-rinse brigade, its appeal may be more widespread than that.
QOTD: I had an upper canine done (twice) and was half expecting the file to come out my nose the way he was going at it!
21 January 2009
Bette Davis - An extraordinary actress who was instrumental in creating better roles and working conditions for women in film.Orchis - In past times this orchid, mentioned by Shakespeare, was also known as 'long purples' and 'dead mens' fingers'.
® Gregor Mendel - It's hard to believe that the science of genetics was established by a 19th Century monk who enjoyed a spot of gardening.
QOTD: bathrooms are so wet, carpet in them would quickly develop its own ecosystem.
22 January 2009
Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) - Long-remembered as the Lady of the Lamp, her nursing skills saved the lives of hundreds.Albany, Western Australia - A quiet place that nonetheless brings hordes of tourists attracted to its very beautiful scenery.
® Australian Rules Football - A potent combination of soccer and Gaelic football, it can appear 'utterly and absolutely violent'.
QOTD: I dont think it was "Alien Vs Predator", but perhaps "Alien Vs Mumma Mia"? … Now THERES a film I'd pay to see!
23 January 2009
Charles II: Enthronement and Escape to Exile - An utterly enthralling Entry that describes in detail a dramatic period in Charles's life.Pyloric Stenosis - This is a narrowing of the section of gut directly after the stomach, leading to obstruction and projectile vomiting.
® Selected Pretentious Literary Terminology - Wow your peers with a sophisticated and verbose command of the English language!
QOTD: This is a real eye opener. I hadn't realised that sleeping was so dangerous. I don't think I'm ever going to sleep again.
26 January 2009
The 'Dirk Gently' Novels of Douglas Adams - Dirk Gently, an unconventional detective, is 'rounder than the average undergraduate'.The Pharos Lighthouse - Dated by Eusebius to 283 BC, it was the last of the Seven Wonders of the World to be built.
® The Thameslink Rail Service, UK - This mainline railway service runs from the very south of England to Bedford via central London.
QOTD: i'e drunk to muxh. i;p, in sn internbeyt fonr boc and my cimpyter iswnt bsck til the sfternkion.
27 January 2009
The History of Spain: First Inhabitants - First in a lovely series of Entries on Spanish history, part of an h2g2 University project.Kurt Cobain: Musician and Songwriter - The poster boy for 90s grunge, Kurt Cobain's music resonated around the world.
® The City Gates of London - London's first defensive wall was built by the Romans around 200 AD, 150 years after Londinium was founded.
QOTD: What nonsense. Learning to love Marmite changes anyone's life.
28 January 2009
Cricket: How To Shell A Catch - They say that 'catches win matches', but they all too easily lose them as well. Here's how to do the latter.The 1689 Siege Of Derry - One of the longest sieges in Irish history, 'The Maiden City's' defences were severely tested but never breached.
® Piers Of The Isle of Wight, UK - An appreciation of this glorious English island and its several piers built around it over the years.
QOTD: People in the UK who refer to 'the fast lane'. There ain't no such animal!
29 January 2009
'She'll be Coming Round the Mountain' - Based on a negro spiritual, this US folk song is known and sung by children all over the world.Amnesty International's Greetings Card Campaign - From 1 November until 31 January Amnesty runs a special campaign.
® So You Want to Write a Play! - Great Entry for budding playwrights giving sound advice for those willing to work hard.
QOTD: I woke up this morning with my duvet wrapped around my neck and all the blankets that had been on top of it wrapped around my feet
30 January 2009
The History of Spain: the Roman Era - Continuing an excellent series of Entries, we examine how Rome left its mark on the country.Intussusception - An acute medical condition in which one section of the bowel telescopes inside another, strangling the blood supply.
® Floccinaucinihilipilification - Pronounced 'FLOK-sih-noh-see-NEE-hee-lee-PEE-lih-fih-KAY-shun', it's one of our longest words.
QOTD: Soulless identikit facsimiles that scar our towns and cities. … the tombstones of the working man.
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