Archive for March, 2011
Will wonders never cease? Engineers in the UK have developed a clock that runs on dead bugs. No, you didn’t read that wrong; the clock really runs on dead bugs!
How it works is unsuspecting flies get stuck on the clock’s flypaper. The flypaper is a sort of conveyer belt that goes to a blade that scrapes the dead bugs into a microbial fuel cell. The fuel cell digests the flies and electrons are extracted to power the LCD screen. It’s not exactly as regal as a grandfather clock, but the is still a fascinating innovation in time keeping.
Miniature Swiss Chalet
My mother is very proud of her Swiss heritage. She learned all sorts of traditional Swiss recipes from my grandmother who learned them from her mother, and so on. Switzerland is known for its decadent cheeses like gruyere, vacherin, and appenzeller. Fondue and raclette are also popular.
For Mother’s Day last year I bought my mother and grandmother chalet cuckoo clocks. Wouldn’t you know that they both hung the clocks in their respective kitchens? My mom says that she likes looking up at the clock when she’s preparing traditional Swiss foods. If it keeps the rosti coming, then maybe I should buy her even more chalet clocks!
“Picker” Shows in High Demand
I’m not sure when the trend started, but it seems that Americans are now fascinated by “pickers.” Antique pickers are specialists that go out and find valuable relics that have been long forgotten. They’re part archaeologists, part anthropologists, and part historians.
There are currently three shows – that I’m aware of – that deal with this phenomenon. The Discovery Channel has two shows, one called “Auction Kings” and another called “American Treasures.” The History channel has a show called “American Pickers.” I’ve really gained insight into the history of the U.S. through these programs. I’ve even seen handcrafted grandfather clocks peaking out of dusty basements; although, none of the episodes, to my knowledge, have highlighted these grand time keepers in particular.