Monday, July 18, 2011
Why buttered toast falls butter side down?
10:35 PM
Khyati
Have you ever observed a Buttered toast? A Buttered toast that is falling from your dinning table, kitchen table or platform where you often butter your bread slices. If you have observed it carefully you will find that the toast has fallen to the floor - butter side down!!!!
In ancient Rome, parents apparently visibly worried about their children's toast falling and landing buttered-side down, since the breakfast table accident supposedly forecasted as bad luck. So, does a floor mysteriously favours butterry side? Or Butter is so heavy that it always flips bread and make it fall - Butter side down? Or Any Other Myths?
Lets explore from Physics point of view, Why Buttered toast falls butter side down?
As per law of physics it all depends how you drop bread slice, from where you drop bread slice and how big is your toasted bread slice. All of this technical factors contribute in deciding whether a toast should fall butter side up or butter side down.
Now, lets analyze why this happens?
Most of the time when we place our Buttered Toasts, Buterred side will be always up. As most of the kitchen tables and work surfaces like kitchen platforms are about waist height. When buttered toast falls from such surfaces, it can manages 180 deegrees rotation or you can say half rotation before it hits the floor. And result is butter side down.
What should be done to make fall toasts, buttered side up?
Answer is simple.
1. Better build your work surfaces twice as high Or
2. Make smaller bread slices so that they have time to complete the rotation.
Posted in: Sci-TechThursday, July 7, 2011
Facebook VideoCalling Feature Reviewed
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced last week that the company had planned to “…launch something awesome” this week. Finally we know what he meant by saying this. Facebook has unveiled a new feature that allows you to make video calls right from your browser, just like Google+ does It with its Hangout feature. It was in news that something was cooking between Facebook and Skype, and now we know what that was.
The new video calling feature has been made possible with the partnership between FB and Skype. Now, don’t worry because you don’t need to install Skype but a small add-in will do the job of integrating Skype video calling feature within your browser. On the hardware front, you need a webcam, a headset or speakers and a microphone. Off course this is what a basic hardware need to do any video calling.
How To Set-UP?
Open http://www.facebook.com/videocalling.
You will be directed to the main page which has a video explaining the feature.
Get Started button on the left of the screen will let you start the feature.
A chat window will pop up on the right hand side, listing all your online Facebook contacts.
Click on one of them to proceed.
If this method does not suit you, Try out this alternate method:
You can start the chat directly from your online friend's profile by clicking on the Call button located on the right hand side of the screen near the top.
After chat window is open, click on the camera icon to initiate a video call.
For first time users Set up Video Calling?
Dialogue is necessary. Click on Set Up to continue.
When prompted, install plug-in. This will help you integrate with Skype video calling feature.
Once the installation is complete, the call is made automatically.
If your friend does not have this plugin he will be prompted to install the same. After he finishes installing the plug-in, the call gets connected.
As the feature is still in Beta stages please don’t expect smooth ride. You can expect few roadblocks before finally getting connected.
But finally when it once it works, you are going to get addicted to it. Your friends can be seen in a large video window, while a smaller thumbnail of your video feed can be seen near a corner of this window, which is similar to the Skype video chat window. The overall quality is satisfactory, but not that good as Skype. Audio quality is as good as Skype.
The new video calling feature has been made possible with the partnership between FB and Skype. Now, don’t worry because you don’t need to install Skype but a small add-in will do the job of integrating Skype video calling feature within your browser. On the hardware front, you need a webcam, a headset or speakers and a microphone. Off course this is what a basic hardware need to do any video calling.
How To Set-UP?
Open http://www.facebook.com/videocalling.
You will be directed to the main page which has a video explaining the feature.
Get Started button on the left of the screen will let you start the feature.
A chat window will pop up on the right hand side, listing all your online Facebook contacts.
Click on one of them to proceed.
If this method does not suit you, Try out this alternate method:
You can start the chat directly from your online friend's profile by clicking on the Call button located on the right hand side of the screen near the top.
After chat window is open, click on the camera icon to initiate a video call.
For first time users Set up Video Calling?
Dialogue is necessary. Click on Set Up to continue.
When prompted, install plug-in. This will help you integrate with Skype video calling feature.
Once the installation is complete, the call is made automatically.
If your friend does not have this plugin he will be prompted to install the same. After he finishes installing the plug-in, the call gets connected.
As the feature is still in Beta stages please don’t expect smooth ride. You can expect few roadblocks before finally getting connected.
But finally when it once it works, you are going to get addicted to it. Your friends can be seen in a large video window, while a smaller thumbnail of your video feed can be seen near a corner of this window, which is similar to the Skype video chat window. The overall quality is satisfactory, but not that good as Skype. Audio quality is as good as Skype.
Posted in: How-Tos