Monday, 19 October 2015

"Left brain-right brain conflict" quite interesting fact!

The brain is divided into two halves (hemispheres).
Usually, the left half of the brain controls the right side of the body.
The right half of the brain controls the left side of the body.
your right brain tries to say the color and your left brain insist to say the word, thus, causes you to slow down the process.

Sources – http://www.unbelievable-facts.com/

Bhangarh ” The story behind … most abandoned places in India “

Bhangarh ” The story behind … most abandoned places in India “
How many of us believe in ghosts? Do they actually exist? Can they be felt? Believers will reply in affirmative and non-believers will perish the thought. But everybody would like to take a trip to THE den of the ghosts and such was the trip to Bhangarh, considered India’s “most haunted” place.
According to legend, the city of Bhangarh was cursed by the Baba Balnath. He had sanctioned the construction of the town on one condition, “The moment the shadows of your palaces touch me, the city shall be no more!” When a descendant prince raised the palace to a height that cast a shadow on Balanath’s forbidden retreat, he cursed the town. Balanath is said to be buried there to this day in a small samadhi.
Another myth is related to the Princess of Bhangarh, Ratnavati. She was believed to be the jewel of Rajasthan. On her eighteenth birthday she began to get offers of marriage from other regions (i.e. nobility). In Bhangarh lived a tantrik (wizard), a magician well versed in the occult, called Singhiya, who was in love with the princess but knew that the match was impossible. One day Singhiya saw the princess’s maid in the market and used his black magic on the scent she was purchasing so that upon touching it the princess would surrender herself to him. The princess, however, seeing the tantrik enchanting the scent, foiled his plan by pouring it on boulder which crushed Singhiya. Dying, the tantrik cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it.[6] The next year there was a battle between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh in which Princess Ratnavati perished. Legends says that there are ghosts of Singhiya and other locals in Bhangarh Fort and that is why entry is prohibited for tourists in the fort after sunset and before sunrise.[6] The locals believe that the princess Ratnavati has taken birth somewhere else and that the fort and the empire of Bhangarh is waiting for her return to put an end to the curse.

Saturday, 17 October 2015

The Wright Brothers were NOT the first to fly a plane – a German pilot beat them to it two years earlier in a flying car, claims leading aviation journal


Gustave Whitehead is believed to have flown his Condor plane in August 1901 – more than two years before the Wright Brothers’ infamous flightCondor was designed to be part-car, part-plane and may have been the first flying car, according to the prestigious aviation journal Jane’s
The Wright Brothers are famous for flying the world’s first successful airplane in 1903 – yet they may have been beaten to the record two years earlier, according to a prestigious aviation journal.
Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft claims in its 100th anniversary edition that German aviation pioneer Gustav Weisskopf was actually the first man to successfully build and fly his ‘Condor’ plane in August 1901.
And according to reports, Weisskopf – who emigrated to America and changed his name to Whitehead – may have also been the first person to invent the flying car.
Gustave Whitehead next to his Condor No.21 aircraft. This photo was taken in 1901, the year Whitehead is said to have flown his ‘flying car’ model for a mile and a half at 50 feet above the ground
History rewritten: Wilbur and Orville Wright face being written out of history now that the Whitehead story has been given credability
The journal claims that after studying evidence put forward by aviation expert John Brown in support of Whitehead: ‘ [Whitehead’s flight], it must be stressed, was more than two years before the Wrights manhandled their Flyer from its shed and flew a couple of hundred feet in a straight line.
‘Thanks to the meticulous researches of John Brown — to whose website http://www.gustave-whitehead.com we earnestly recommend readers seeking greater detail — an injustice is rectified with only slight bruising to Wilbur and Orville’s reputation.
The Wrights were right; but Whitehead was ahead.’
Although reports have both supported, and denied Whitehead’s achievement since 1901, the claims in Jane’s journal is the first time it has been officially recognised by such a widely-respected aviation body.
THE NO.21 CONDOR AIRCRAFT
Whitehead designed an aircraft in the early 1900s that could be driven like a car, but was fitted with wings that could be unfolded, turning the car into a plane.
Whitehead then built his Condor aircraft, also known as No.21, based on this flying car model.
The aircraft had two engines; a 20 horsepower engine used to fly the vehicle, and a 10 horsepower engine used for driving.
The idea was that the pilot could switch between engines depending on whether they wanted to drive or fly the vehicle.
Condor was also fitted with two propellers that were controlled and powered when the plane engine was selected.
Reports in the Bridgeport Herald in August 1901 claim Whitehead drove the Condor to a a field outside Connecticut in the US, unfolded the wings and made two demonstration flights.
During the second flight, Whitehead is said to have flown for a mile and a half and reached a height of 50 feet.
Further reports claim he updated the model, called No.22, and made another demonstration flight on 22 January 1902 in front of 17 witnesses.
Gustave Whitehead emigrated to the States from Bavaria in the 1890s.
He designed a ‘roadable aircraft’ that was small enough to fit in a garage like a car.
Whitehead envisaged owners being able to drive the car to a field, or suitable runway and then unfold wings on the side of the vehicle that would then turn the car into a plane.
He then built his Condor aircraft, also known as No.21, based on this flying car model.
The aircraft was fitted with two engines; a 20 horsepower engine used to fly the vehicle, and a 10 horsepower engine used for driving.
The pilot could then switch between which engine they wanted to use, and when the flying engine was turned on it would help power the craft’s twin propellers.
A report in the Bridgeport Herald on 18 August 1901 details eyewitness accounts of Whitehead’s flight, which took place in Connecticut four days earlier. The journalist confirms that the flight took off from Fairfield, flew for about a mile and a half, made two turns and then landed safely
Gustave Whitehead emigrated to the US from Bavaria in the 1890s. He was originally called Weisskopf but changed his name when he settled in Connecticut
Reports in the Bridgeport Herald in August 1901 claim Whitehead drove the Condor to a a field outside Connecticut in the the U.S., unfolded the wings and made two demonstration flights.
The journalist who wrote the story is said to have witnessed the flight himself.
During the second flight, Whitehead is said to have flown for a mile and a half and reached a height of 50 feet.
Further reports claim he updated the model, called No.22, and made another demonstration flight on 22 January 1902 in front of 17 witnesses.
If these reports are true, it means Whitehead beat the Wright Brothers to the record.
Orville and Wilbur Wright designed and flew their Flyer plane in December 1903.
Five people were said to have witnessed the flight including John T. Daniels who took photographic evidence.
Claims that Whitehead beat the Wright Brothers to the record first emerged in 1937.
Orville Wright is said to have called the story a hoax and chief aviation historian at the Smithsonian Institute, Tom Crouch, rejects the claims.
Writing in a blog for the National Air and Space Museum, Crouch said that Whitehead contradicted himself when giving evidence of his flight: ‘Over the next decade, as aviators in America and Europe took to the sky following the pattern established by the Wright brothers, Whitehead would continue to built aircraft for other enthusiasts. Not one of those powered machines ever left the ground.’
Crouch then concluded: ‘Either Whitehead had somehow forgotten the secrets of flight, or he had never flown a powered machine at all.’

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

Art education has great impact on kids.

Source:pinterest
Teaching art to elementary aged students is such an amazing experience for me. I get to encourage a child’s creativity when they are feeling frustrated by their fine motor skills and lack of experience with using certain tools or drawing certain things. I get to watch them work together and solve problems. I enjoy watching kiddos, as young as 5, take the directions given and go a different way. And I want to clap for them. And then have a dance party. And this is the reason why: when you feel comfortable being exactly who you are and taking chances in a supportive environment, then your ability to learn is boundless. When you can take chances, ask questions, and develop your own ideas, then real learning can happen. And what I mean here is the kind of learning that makes you ask big questions and solve big problems, not the “I memorized a worksheet” kind.
To make our way from kindergartners into successful adults, we have to learn what to do when we mess up. We have to learn how to use resources well. We have to think in non-linear ways.
If I’m a recruiter looking for my next best employee, I want big thinkers who are creative and adaptable. I want problem solvers. And guess what? Art education encourages all of these types of skills easily and well. And as an added bonus, there’s no test at the end. All parents and educators can be thankful for that.
Remember, the earth without art is just “eh.”
Photos below are kinders and first graders doing their creative thing.
Kindergarten & first graders funky peacocks.
Monet art history lesson for kindergarten and first graders. They used oil pastels and watercolors to create their works of art.

Monday, 21 September 2015

HOW IT WORKS:GENEVA MECHANISM

We mechanical engineers know about theGeneva Mechanism.
Ever wondered how to convert a continuous rotatory motion to an intermittent one? Well, the Geneva drive, or commonly called the Maltese Cross, is all that you need.
As you can see, for one complete revolution of the driving wheel (left one), the driven wheel (right one) rotates only one-sixth of a revolution, thus making the output intermittent. The rotation frequency of the driven wheel can be changed by changing the number of slots in it.
Even though the official patent of this mechanism credits Thomson Albert R as its inventor in 1940s, uses of this mechanism date back to 1890s in film projectors. It has a variety of applications:
Mechanical Watches
Interestingly, its usage in watches have attributed the name Geneva, because Switzerland was an important center of watchmaking then. Initially, this was used as a stop work in vintage mechanical watches which use a wound up spring for the watch’s movement. It functioned as a stop work by limiting the torque exerted by the mainspring and essentially provided watches a stable run.
Did you wonder how the date was changed on mechanical watches before the arrival of digital ones? Simple. A variant of Geneva mechanism was used in combination with some gears which changed date once a day!
Interior of “Prim Sport II, calibre 68, vintage diving watch”, the Geneva mechanism (both driven and driving wheel) can be spotted.
The most famous “Iron Ring Clock” made by students of McMaster University, Canada, is a giant clock which uses a Geneva mechanism for the motion of its hour ring i.e. to increment the hour ring once per hour.
Old Movie Projectors
Remember the old projectors, where a wheel containing the film rotates in front of a light source to project movie on screen? As we know, an image can persist in human eye up to one-twenty-fifth of a second and this persistence of vision is taken advantage by the motion pictures by projecting and changing discrete images within a specific time to trick the brain into actually watching a continuous scene. Generally, a theatrical film runs at 24 frames per second.
This is where Geneva Mechanism steps in! The intermittent output of a Geneva drive upon supplying constant rotatory input, will be used to accurately drive the film at the same time rate which is needed. And because of the wheel’s motion in tandem with the movement of the shutter (which blocks the light source at very small time intervals), the motion of the film cannot be seen by the audience.
Modern film projectors, however, are now using stepper motors instead to achieve the required intermittent motion.
Today
Today, this classic mechanism is used in indexing of milling machines with automatic tool changers, changing of tolls in CNC machines, currency note counting machines, indexing in assembly lines, and more.

Why diesel engines can't be used in two wheelers?

Diesel engines can’t be used in two wheelers:
It is because diesel engines don’t use a spark plug. It uses heat of compression. It creates a flame, stress is more because of which size of the engine should be more. It obviously increases the weight of the vehicle. A diesel engine also have knocking behavior which creates more vibrations.
A diesel engine needs a fuel-injection system. These extra things need more space. Space and weight limitations are there. So a diesel engine is not advisable to be used in two wheelers.
A high compression ratio is also one of the major factoear. It means high pressure in the cylinder.
In spite of these limitations there were bikes with diesel engines.
Royal Enfield:

Hero RNT Diesel Hybrid Scooter(Upcoming):

Saturday, 19 September 2015

The Dubai-Miracle gardens

Awesome

The Dubai Miracle Garden features over 45 flower species
imported from all over the world. A multitude of shaped
archways, flowerbeds and structures can be seen at the
18-acre site

The colorful array is watered by a system that recycles
waste water while avoiding evaporation

Dubai Miracle Garden is world’s biggest flower garden. It is situated
in the North West Quadrant of Arabian Ranches interchange

This amazing tourist attraction is a Guinness Record Holder for the
Largest Vertical Garden . Also popular is the heart-shaped flower
beds at the Alley of Hearts
Dubai Miracle Garden has more than 45 million blooming
flowers with stunning color combinations

Bordered by windmills, this area provides parking, sitting areas,
a prayer room and shops for visitors to Dubai Miracle Garden
The Dubai Miracle Garden features a sensational 45 million flowers
over a 18-acre site, from breathtaking flowerbeds to heart-shaped archways and adorned castles

The spectacular bonanza provides a colorful oasis for the eyes
of city workers, who can escape to the natural splendor
In order to create a fresh experience for guests visiting the
rainbow gardens, the displays are changed seasonally
These have included millions of flowers in the shape of the UAE’s flag, floral clock, a Ferrari car with driver decorated by flowers, a vertical buried car zone, flower apple structures, artificial animals, flower boats and an Islamic Arch Design
At the moment, there are 45 species of flowers in the garden,
which are imported in from all around the world
If the natural landscape was not incredible enough, what makes this attraction particularly impressive is the unique sub-surface irrigation system that recycles waste water via drip irrigation while avoiding evaporation and saving up to 75 per cent of water and energy
A fantasy flower house at the Miracle Garden , which has
plants growing over its turrets, doors, walls and towers
A pathway shaded by umbrellas at the Miracle Garden ,
provides a colorful walkway for visiting guests
Peacock topiary covered in an array of colorful flowers
at the largest natural flower garden in the world
There is no limit to the imagination gone into the design
of the gardens, which include flowers streaming
like hair from a giant human
Barrels tipping streams of flowers, and peacocks with
colorful plumages are featured in the creative attraction
Even Disney characters such as Mater from Cars can be
seen at the Dubai oasis, of course decorated with flowerbeds
Giant structures can be viewed in the park,
covered from top to bottom in an array of flowers