Month: October 2016

How House Numbers Came About

0002321_solar-mailbox_360House numbering gives a unique number to every building in an area or street to make it easier for someone to locate a certain building. But the numbering schemes differ from one place to another.

The Invention Of House Numbers

House numbers are considered an invention of the Enlightenment. Before houses were numbered, they had names or were found based on their position in relation to a landmark – the house opposite the church, the white house, and so on.

During the 15th century, examples of numbering like Paris’s Pont Notre-Dame numbered properties. However, it was only in the 18th century that house numbering took off. Among the initial widespread uses was the numbering of Jewish houses so inhabitants can be controlled and confined in the Prague ghetto.

The US also took part in the introduction of house numbers, wherein odd and even numbers were used on alternate sides of the street. In fact, this has become an international default. But this innovation from Philadelphia has led to low numbers being directly opposite high numbers. It was thought to be peculiar. Hence, it was changed in 1790 to the system that is being used worldwide today.

House numbers were originally introduced for subscription, control, and taxation. It is believed that this mechanism is the ultimate paradox of house numbers.

Trivia Info Resource: www.sandleford.com.au

Captivating Facts About Pillows

pillows-1090461_960_720Pillows were primarily used by wealthy men in Asia. Also, they were found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. The highly decorated pillows became prized commodities first in China and Persia.

In Tudor England, pillows were widely-used; however, it was believed that only the weak men and those women giving birth must use one. Mass production of decorated pillows happened only during the Industrial Revolution.

Before, pillows were made of wood, stone, porcelain, and metal instead of stuffed fabric. Today, there is what you call “therapeutic pillows”.

The word “Therapeutic” came from the Greek word “Therapeutikos”, which means “to treat” or “to attend”. It is used to describe something that is related to helping improve a person’ health and well-being.

The Invention Of Therapeutic Pillows

Ed Keilhauer, an award winning ergonomic designer, suffered from severe neck problems in the late 1980s. After several years, he was a patient of a chiropractor who was determined that Ed’s posture while sleeping was having a bad effect upon his neck and back pain. He further emphasized that with the use of the right pillow, Ed’s condition can be treated.

But since there was no pillow that can solve Ed’s problem before, the chiropractor has presented Ed the challenge of solving such problem. Hence, Ed (assisted by his chiropractor) invented an ergonomically designed therapeutic pillow. It actually took him several years to refine the designs as well as develop a superior non-toxic eco-friendly foam.

Trivia Info Resource: bodyinbalance.com.au

Fascinating Facts About Aerial Photography’s History

10250309_1452278695015330_2345759870751603684_nIn 1858, the first known aerial photograph was taken by Gaspar Felix Tournachon aka “Nadar”, a French photographer and balloonist. In 1855, he patented the idea of using aerial photographs in surveying and mapmaking; however, it took him 3 years to experiment before becoming successful at producing the very first aerial photograph.

But Nadar’s no longer survive. Hence, the oldest aerial photography known to be still existent is an image of Boston taken by James Wallace Black from a hot-air balloon in 1960. In 1879, the first free flight balloon photo mission was performed by Triboulet over Paris.

Improvements In Photography Technology

In 1882, E. D. Archibald successfully took photographs from kites. He made use of a string of kites, with the camera attached to the last.

In 1903, Julius Neubranner invented a tiny breast-mounted camera for carrier pigeons. The camera can be set to take automatic exposures at 30-second intervals while the pigeon flies.

In 1897, Alfred Nobel took the first successful aerial photograph using a rocket mounted camera. In 1909, Wilbur Wright took the first aerial photograph from an airplane.

During the First World War, aerial photography replaced drawing and sketching by the aerial observers. Cameras designed for use in airplanes were invented; however, stability and shutter remained a problem. Towards the end of the war, a camera with the shutter located inside the lens was invented by Sherman M. Fairchild. This invention has significantly improved the quality of photographs. Most importantly, it became the standard for aerial camera systems over the next 50 years.

Today, most aerial cameras are digital. Photographers make use of gyro-stabilizers to counteract the aircraft’s movement.

Trivia Info Resource: www.goaerials.ae

Career Coaching – What Is It?

dollarphotoclub_73542986_2_According to the International Federation of Coaching, a career coach partners with you in a creative and thought-provoking process inspiring you to maximize your personal and professional potential. Coaches will honor you as the expert in your life and work and believe you are resourceful, creative, and whole.

The client is the expert in the coaching relationship. It is actually the client’s agenda that is paramount because as a client, you have all the answers you need inside you.

What Career Coaching Is All About

Personal Responsibility – The client will have more control over their life than they think they have. It is through coaching that the client can create dedication, determination, and commitment within the client in order to achieve their full potential.

Self-awareness – You need to know who you really are so you will know what you want. An excellent philosopher once said that the unexamined life is not worth living. Coaching will help the client to determine their limiting beliefs that may have hold them back and replace them with beliefs that will ensure that client’s progress.

Action-based & Results-focused – Tolerations are addressed, goals will be set and action plans will be created – all of these will motivate as well as empower the client to move forward with a clear vision of the end in mind.

Did you know that coaching started in the USA? It came about as a result of several synchronistic factors like the success of sports coaching, the need in business of optimizing performance, and the realization by most therapists that patients actually had nothing wrong with them. It was actually within this context that coaching as a career was born.

Trivia Info Resource: pathwayproject.ae

The Evolution Of Road Rollers

2012_01_09_05_10_31_A road roller is a compact type engineering vehicle that is used to compact gravel, soil, asphalt, or concrete in the construction of foundations and roads.

Road Roller History Facts

Did you know that the first road rollers were horse-drawn? The roller was an agricultural tool used for breaking up huge clumps of soil or for flattening land. During this time, there were no trucks; hence, the roller was pulled mostly by animals like oxen and horses.

During the 19th century, peoples started building roads with concrete, mixing aggregates, asphalt and clay together. This road type was soft and tough. As a result, people made use of the transformed rollers in order to flatten and harden roads. This is actually how the road roller came about.

But since horses could just bear limited, self-powered vehicles replaced the rollers drawn by horses. The very first replacement was steam rollers. The invention of steam rollers was indeed very remarkable.

During the 20th century, rollers powered by kerosene, gasoline, and diesel replaced their steam-powered counterparts. The very first internal-combustion powered road rollers were quite similar to the steam rollers they have replaced. But most companies did not like these rollers. So as a result, almost all road rollers in commercial use today are diesel-powered.

Trivia Info Resource: www.TS-EXPORT.com

What You Did Not Know About Suits

036Suit tailoring is a traditional practice. If it was a celebrity, it would be Bob Dylan who is a bit eccentric after a lifetime at the top of his musical game but still cool. Indeed, donning a suit is the vital statement in masculine style and it has the distinctive credential of making a man look great.

Facts About Suits

Do you know what a Super Number denotes? This represents the fineness of the individual fibres making up the suit fabric. Higher numbers will designate a thinner, silkier fabric. Oftentimes, this has a higher price tag.

Have you heard of Melton? This is the dense, woollen cloth that is under the suit collars. The fabric originates from the Leicestershire town of Melton Mowbray, which is also the home of the pork pie. Its main purpose is to offer durability, strength, and to help maintain the shape of the collar over time.

Do you know why suits have buttons along the cuffs? This was to accommodate the work of surgeons. Cuffs must be rolled up and out of the way during surgery.

Tradition commands that you must always leave your suit jacket’s bottom button on undone. Hence, if you have a 3 button, you just have to fasten 2.

Trivia Info Resource: www.regentandbrummell.com

Restaurant Facts You Did Not Know

14232399_1031525690295571_1252496027871801938_nRestaurants have actually been around forever because the concept of selling food for profits can be traced back to ancient civilization, where street vendors sold wine and bread to people in cities.

Fascinating Facts About Restaurants

Fine dining was invented by the French Revolution. When Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads during the French Revolution, the chefs employed by noble households became jobless. Most of them open up their very own establishments and offer excellent meals to the masses. In no time, the French style of dining out spread out worldwide.

Do you know some of the world-renowned restaurants? As for the largest restaurant in the world, it is actually found in Syria. The oldest restaurant in the US, on the other hand, is in Boston – The Union Oyster House, which served up fresh oysters since 1826. But the oldest operating restaurant in the world is in Spain.

Did you know that restaurant is a French term? This term was once used to label the rich bouillons served at taverns and public houses in France in order to restore the spirits as well as to relieve ailments.

The most expensive burger in the world costs $5000. Indeed, there are plenty of expensive burgers out there but the most expensive ones are those of Fluer de Lys at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, offering an astonishing $5000 burger.

Trivia Info Resource: www.palazzoversace.ae

Interesting Facts About Lawn Care In Massachusetts

Colorful flower garden

Did you know that anyone applying any kind of pesticides for hire in Massachusetts (MA) must be licensed by the State? Also, Massachusetts has very clear advertising guidelines when it comes to lawn care. Among the most obvious is the word “safe”. In fact, it is illegal to use this word on any piece of advertising for a product or service like pesticides in the Commonwealth.

Selecting Grass Seed

There are actually 4 major cool-season grasses for home lawns in MA. These are Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Fine Leaf Fescue, and Tall Fescue. Be aware that Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass will require high maintenance like adequate watering and regular fertilizing. Fine leaf fescue, on the other hand, will perform well under low and very low maintenance conditions. Though tall fescue is also considered lower maintenance grass, it won’t perform well under very low maintenance.

Common Diseases In MA Lawns

Some of the common diseases to Massachusetts lawns will include brown patch, powdery mildew, dollar spot, melting-out and leaf spot, fusarium blight, summer patch, smut and rust, and pythium blight.

The best way to prevent a severe disease outbreak is to promote healthy growth and avoid conditions causing stress to your grass. Optimal maintenance practices, on the other hand, are the best ways for avoiding stressed lawns.

Did you know that even when a pathogen is present in the soil, infection won’t happen unless the environment is conducive to disease development? If turf illnesses become active, they can actually case heavy damage when not treated properly and instantly.

Trivia Info Resource: www.molloylandscape.com