Friday, April 30, 2010

pseudoscope


A pseudoscope is a binocular optical instrument that reverses depth perception. It is used to study human stereoscopic perception. Objects viewed through it appear inside out, for example: a box on a floor, would appear as a box shaped hole in the floor.

It typically uses sets of optical prisms, or periscopically arranged mirrors to swap the view of the left eye with that of the right eye.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bikejoring


Bikejoring, is a dog mushing activity related to skijoring, canicross, and dog scootering. It is a recreation or sport where a harnessed dog or team of dogs attached to a towline, pull and run ahead of a cyclist. Bikejoring is a non snow season (dryland) activity. Bikejoring and canicross are both dryland mushing activities that probably developed from skijoring and dogsled racing. Bikejoring is also sometimes used to train racing sled-dogs out of season.

Although any breed (or non-breed) of dog can be used, Siberian Huskies, Samoyeds, Malamutes, Alaskan Huskies, Sled Hounds and Pointers are probably the most popular breeds for bikejoring. However, any type of dog that can be taught to pull, run, and to accept a few lead dog commands can be used to bikejor. Bikejoring and dog scootering are activities that can be beneficial to the health and fitness of dogs. It can be used to provide dogs with work and exercise, without letting them run off leash and endangering wild-life or livestock.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

tittle


A tittle is a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j. The tittle is an integral part of the glyph of i and j, but diacritic dots can appear over other letters in various languages. The tittle of i or j is omitted when a diacritic is placed in the tittle's usual position (as í or ĵ), but not when the diacritic is elsewhere (as į, ɉ), and traditionally not in Vietnamese.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Pashto


Pashto, also known as Afghani, is an Indo-European language spoken primarily in Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. Pashto belongs to the Eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian language family. There are nearly 40 million Pashtuns. As defined in the Constitution of Afghanistan, Pashto is a national and official language of Afghanistan.

Monday, April 26, 2010

scapular


The term scapular (from Latin scapula, shoulder) as used today refers to two specific, yet related, Christian Sacramentals, namely the monastic and devotional scapulars, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular".

The "monastic scapular" appeared first, perhaps as early as the 7th century during the Order of Saint Benedict.

It is a somewhat large length of cloth suspended both front and back from the shoulders of the wearer, often reaching to the knees. It may vary in shape, color, size and style. Monastic scapulars originated as aprons worn by medieval monks, and were later extended to habits for members of religious organizations, orders or confraternities. Monastic scapulars now form part of the habit of monks and nuns in many Christian orders. The "devotional scapular" is a much smaller item and evolved from the monastic scapular. These may also be worn by individuals who are not members of a monastic order and the Roman Catholic Church considers them sacramentals. The devotional scapular typically consists of two small (usually rectangular) pieces of cloth, wood or laminated paper, a few inches in size which may bear religious images or text.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Kaymak


Kaymak, kajmak, or kaimak is a creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream, made in the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and India. It is made from the milk of water buffalos in the East or of cows in the West.

The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the milk slowly, then simmer it for two hours over a very low heat. After the heat source is shut off, the cream is skimmed and left to chill (and mildly ferment) for several hours or days. Kaymak has a high percentage of milk fat, typically about 60%. It has a thick, creamy consistency (not entirely compact due to milk protein fibers) and a rich, mildly sour taste (depending on how long it matured).

Friday, April 23, 2010

Ajvar


Ajvar (Macedonian: Аjвар)(pronounced [ˈaɪvar]) is a Macedonian paprika relish made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chili pepper. It is predominantly popular in the Balkans, mainly in Macedonia. Depending on capsaicin content in bell peppers and the amount of added chili peppers, it can be sweet, piquant (the most common), or very hot. The oldest and most crucial form of this recipe can be dated back to the 17th Century.

Ajvar is part of the so-called "zimnica" (winter foods), which include pickled chili peppers, pickled tomatoes, and anything else that can fit in a jar that gets prepared just before winter.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Capsaicin


Capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. It is an irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Kristallnacht


Kristallnacht (German pronunciation: [kʁɪsˈtalˌnaxt]; literally "Crystal night") or the Night of Broken Glass was an anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany on November 9–10, 1938. It is often called Novemberpogrom or Reichspogromnacht in German.

Kristallnacht was triggered by the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a German-born Polish Jew. In a coordinated attack on Jewish people and their property, 91 Jews were murdered and 25,000 to 30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps. More than 200 synagogues were destroyed and thousands of homes and businesses were ransacked. Kristallnacht also served as a pretext and a means for the wholesale confiscation of firearms from German Jews.

While the assassination of Rath served as a pretext for the attacks, Kristallnacht was part of a broader Nazi policy of antisemitism and persecution of the Jews. Kristallnacht was followed by further economic and political persecutions and is viewed by many historians as the beginning of the Final Solution, leading towards the genocide of the Holocaust.

Pictured is a Burning synagogue on Kristallnacht.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Ossobuco


Ossobuco alla milanese (in English, often spelled 'osso buco', or as 'osso bucco' with two c's, noted by Merriam-Webster as an alternate spelling) is a dish from Milan, Italy, capital of Lombardy, of braised veal shanks. It is usually sprinkled with gremolata, a mix of parsley, garlic and lemon peel, and served with risotto alla milanese, a risotto enhanced with saffron threads.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

rochambeau

rochambeau: A nut-kicking contest, usually performed between two males, taking turns to see who can take the most kicks in the nuts.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Funicular


A funicular, also known as a funicular railway, incline, inclined railway, inclined plane, or cliff railway, is a type of self-contained cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a very steep slope, the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalancing each other.


The word is from the Latin funiculus, a diminutive of funis, "rope".


Pictured is the Angels Flight, Los Angeles, California, USA. It has a three-rail configuration with passing track.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

catenary


In physics and geometry, the catenary is the theoretical shape a hanging chain or cable will assume when supported at its ends and acted on only by its own weight. The curve is a hyperbolic cosine which has a U-like shape, similar in appearance to a parabola.

The word catenary is derived from the Latin word catena, which means "chain".

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

jackfruit


The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a species of tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae) native to parts of South and Southeast Asia. It is well suited to tropical lowlands. Its fruit is the largest tree borne fruit in the world[1], seldom less than about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. Even a relatively thin tree, around 10 cm (4 in) diameter, can bear large fruit. The fruits can reach 36 kg (80 lbs) in weight and up to 90 cm (36 in) long and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter. The jackfruit is something of an acquired taste, but it is very popular in many parts of the world. The sweet yellow sheaths around the seeds are about 3–5 mm thick and have a taste similar to that of pineapple, but milder and less juicy.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Unobtainium



Unobtainium is a humorous term that refers to an extremely rare, costly, or physically impossible material needed to fulfill a given design for a given application. The name is a blend derived from unobtainable + ium (the suffix for a number of elements). Variations include unobtanium and unattainium, with the same meaning.

The properties of any particular "unobtainium" depend on the intended use. For example, a pulley made of unobtainium might be massless and frictionless. However, if used in a nuclear rocket, unobtainium would be light, strong at high temperatures, and resistant to radiation damage.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

portcullis


A portcullis is a latticed grille or gate made of wood, metal or a combination of the two. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defense during time of attack or siege. Each portcullis was mounted in vertical grooves in castle walls and could be raised or lowered quickly by means of chains or ropes attached to an internal winch.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

catagmatic

In pre-modern medicine, the term catagmatic generally referred to any treatment purported to heal bone fractures, by promoting the formation of a callus. The principal catagmatics were Armenian bole, gum tragacanth, osteocolla, Cyprus nuts, frankincense, aloes, and acacia. The word comes from the Greek καταγμα, "fracture".

Friday, April 9, 2010

Crepitus

Crepitus is a medical term to describe the grating, crackling or popping sounds and sensations experienced under the skin and joints.

The sound can be created when two rough surfaces in the human body come into contact - for example, in osteoarthritis when the cartilage around joints has eroded away and the joint ends grind against one another, or when the fracture surfaces of two broken bones rub together. This makes the presence of crepitus a useful and common (albeit painful) definitive symptom of bone fracture.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Aran


The Aran is a style of sweater that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the West Coast of Ireland.

The sweaters are distinguished by their use of complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single garment. The word choice of "jumper" or "sweater" (or indeed other options such as "pullover" and "jersey") is largely determined by the regional version of English being spoken. In the case of Ireland and Britain "jumper" is the standard word with "sweater" mainly found in tourist shops. The word used in Irish is geansaí, a gaelicization of guernsey which has been re-Anglicised to gansey in Hiberno-English.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

carbine


A carbine is a firearm similar to a rifle or musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power. Many carbines, especially modern designs, were developed from rifles, being essentially shortened versions of full rifles firing the same ammunition, although often at a lower velocity.

Monday, April 5, 2010

outpatient

An outpatient is a patient who is not hospitalized overnight but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment. Treatment provided in this fashion is called ambulatory care. Outpatient surgery eliminates inpatient hospital admission, reduces the amount of medication prescribed, and uses a doctor's time more efficiently.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Abdominoplasty

Abdominoplasty or "tummy tuck" is a cosmetic surgery procedure used to make the abdomen more firm. The surgery involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall. This type of surgery is usually sought by patients with loose tissues after pregnancy or individuals with sagging after major weight loss.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

jautsies

jautsies: A modification of the game 4-square, where post it notes are used instead of painted squares.

lordosis

  Lordosis is historically defined as an abnormal inward curvature of the lumbar spine.