Most Interesting Findings
Corkscrews have been widely used for years but there isn’t much evidence about when the first one appeared. Before corkscrews were invented wine used to be stored in clay amphoras and later in wooden barrels. However, several advances in glass manufacturing offered new opportunities which allowed for bottles with thin and long bottlenecks.
It seems that the first patent for a corkscrew dates back to the beginning of the 18th century and was registered to an Englishman. Since then, many more patents followed which were presenting a new innovation or a new design. Designs such as the single lever corkscrew can be found in the nineteenth century.
Today there is a huge choice and diversity of corkscrews offered in the shops and on the internet. They are not just a practical device but can be a creative piece of art, sold for some considerably high amount of money. For example, the world’s most expensive one was sold for about £50,000 and it was a combination of a common Swiss Army knife with some sort of ring puzzles. What increases the cost though, is its 18 carat gold or platinum lever. All the other parts are made out of aviation titanuim.
Although most people think it’s one of the most useful wine accessories , some people claim they can live without it! Most of us must have been in a situation where the corkscrew cannot be found anywhere and you don’t know hot to pour the wine in those wine glasses. Some of the most common ones include a screw and a pair of pliers or the push method where you have to push the cork in the bottle with the aid of a knife or screwdriver. The least recommended method is the one where pressure can be built by hitting the bottom of the bottle against a hard object. That would eventually force the cork out but is not highly recommended as the bottle can break.
Tags: gadgets, glasses, wine, wineries
Posted in Tools · July 8th, 2010 · Comments (0)
Many people in the UK have never been to have their eyes tested, which is a worrying thought considering how important our eyesight is in our general lives. But what exactly do they do during eye exams??
Your eye examination may be routine, or you may have been referred by your GP or you may just have come in with a specific vision problem. For whatever reaons you’re there, you should discuss it in full with the optician before you exam starts. For example, if you think you might require glasses, then discuss it with your optician. Your optician will probably also want to know about your health in general, as well as enquiring into the health of your relatives.
Once you have discussed your situation, your eye sight will be checked using letters and a chart; something that most people are familiar with. If you can’t read, different tests will be utilised, using either images or numbers.
Your optician will then check your outer and inner eye, which consists of shining a light in the front and back of your eyes to see how they react to light, and to generally check their health. This is not an uncomfortable or painful process and will only take a short amount of time. During the inner and outer eye tests you’ll be asked to look in different directions repeatedly.
Your eye muscles will then be checked by the optician, who will perform a simple and quick test to check that all of the muscles in your eye are working and properly controlling eye movement.
The optician will then decide if you need prescription glasses, and can work out your prescription by asking you to read through various different lenses, until you both decide on the most suitable lens.
If you do end up needing glasses, you shouldn’t feel too down hearted about it. Even most designer sunglasses are now made to fit prescriptions. It’s a far better result than losing your sight, and well worth the trip to your local opticians.
Tags: eye health, glasses, Health
Posted in Health Issues · June 17th, 2010 · Comments (0)