U.S. Navy Adds Futuristic Laser Beam to Its Arsenal

U.S. Navy Adds Futuristic Laser Beam to Its Arsenal

Now we just need some frikkin’ sharks to go with them.

Courtesy of Discover Magazine

Best Before

Interestingly, it seems that the majority of potato crisp “best before” dates are set to a Saturday. While there is no definitive information on this, the most common schools of thought are that the date is actually “Best before week-ending xx-xx-xxxx” as the crisps are made all week and being more specific would be difficult, and that shops perform the majority of stock-taking at the weekends.

Best before dates are also applied to items which are unlikely to require them. Tinned goods, with advances in hygiene and canning technology have a very healthy shelf-life and are often given a BBE* of a couple of years. the best before date in this case is a quality control – the manufacturer is happy that the contents will be fine until date x but anything after that may affect the quality of the produce. It should be noted however that, contrary to popular belief, tinned food will not stay fresh forever! Dried goods like noodles or the 70’s favourite Vesta Curry tend to have a much better shelf life as long as they are sealed and kept dry. With the proviso that any “fresh” components like Soy Sauce are discarded or replaced it is perfectly acceptable to eat noodles for decades after their BBE date.

The best rule when trying to determine whether food is edible after it’s Best Before date is to smell it and check for visible signs of deterioration – if it smells edible and looks edible and it has been kept in suitable conditions , the chances are, once cooked, it will be absolutely fine!

*Best Before End

(Mr Kennedy will not be held responsible if you contract food-poisoning – this post is for information, not life-style planning)

The Science of Cricket

It seems that Cricket has, over the years, been the subject of numerous experiments. Watch the video from those good eggs at Head Squeeze to discover at which point a Batsman decides which shot to play – you may well be astonished.

Incidentally, congratulations to England on a thunderous Ashes victory… Boo to the same for urinating on the pitch and well done on coming clean and apologising.

Counting Flowers on the Wall

Oxford Ragwort

Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus) is a common site in the UK and is often branded a weed, it is however a plant with an interesting history.

The Ragwort was discovered in the early 18th century by touring botanists William Sherard and Fransico Cupani on Mount Etna in Sicily. The plant seemed at home in the desolate volcanic terrain and was even found growing around the lava flow. Fascinated by the plants ability to survive these extreme conditions, the plant was taken to the headquarters of the Oxford Botanical Garden for examination and curation.

Before the close of the 18th century the plant had ‘escaped’ and was found to be growing happily on the rocky walls of the Society Gardens as well as other collages in the Oxford Campus.

With the rise of the Industrial Revolution throughout Britain, Oxford became part of an expanding rail network which enabled the now somewhat prolific perennial to extend it’s reach across the majority of the country by hitching rides on the bottom of trains and flourishing in the rocky clinker.

Oxford Ragwort is now an almost ubiquitous sight along rail lines and walls around the country. You may have been blissfully unaware of its existence until now but soon you will come to realise just how well established this Mediterranean volcano-loving plant has become.

Interestingly, this particular strain of ragwort is only found at a specific altitude in it’s native Sicily and is a hybrid of ragworts that can only inhabit altitudes above and below this zone – it has, in this respect, the best of both worlds in terms of altitude adaptation.

Ain’t that a peach?

• Nectarines are a smooth skinned member of the peach family, not a hybrid.
• Peaches and Nectarines are members of the Rose family
• The rose, traditionally linked to romance, is a subfamily of Rosaceae.
• Rosaceae contains the subfamily Prunus which is predominately a fruiting family which, along with peaches and nectarines, gives us cherries, apricots, almonds and – those other doyens of romance – the strawberry.

• Strawberries are not actually berries as they are not derived from a single ovary but utilise adjacent tissue in their formation. This kind of fruit is known as ‘accessory fruit’.
• All true berries derive from a single ovary and include a wide range of fruit that we would not traditionally refer to as berries. These include tomatoes, bananas, watermelons, coffee beans, peaches and therefore Nectarines. ‘Berries’ that aren’t berries include Raspberry, blackberry and loganberry which are composed of drupelets.

Object of the month: An anatomical demonstration

Another educational curio from the excellent Wellcome Collection. I can heartily recommend a visit.

Loose ends

I am often astonished when considering knowledge that we take for granted. Is the way that you tie your shoes really the best way? It seems not and, which is worse, the evidence has been available but ignored for years.

Ruminations on a chilli

Chilli plants (genus capsicum) are self-pollinating, a process which may be carried out using a cotton bud or soft paintbrush. You need only one chilli plant to produce fruit.

Plant in a warm and airy, though not too bright area and encourage a roundness to your plant by limiting upward growth – nip the top leaves if too much height is achieved.

A plant sown early will produce fruit early but will need special attention paid to warmth in early life.

Chilli plants that survive winter will produce earlier and more abundant fruit – always pick the first batch whilst still green, the subsequent fruits may be left to become red for improved flavour.

I await the harvest with great interest.