Catseyes – Road Reflectors

When you are driving at night, you see reflective objects on road. These objects reflect the light and guide people to drive safely. It may seem so simple, but the idea of this invention came in an interesting way. One night in 1933 when the road mender Percy Shaw was driving home in Yorkshire, he saw the light of his car headlamps reflected in the eyes of a cat beside the road. This gave Shaw the inspiration that by replicating this effect he could produce a practical way of helping drivers navigate poorly lit roads. Shaw’s challenge was to create a device bright enough to illuminate roads at night, robust enough to cope with cars constantly driving across it, and that also required minimum maintenance. Shaw came up with a small device that could be inserted into the road as a marker. It consisted of fur glass beads placed in two pairs facing in opposite directions, embedded in a flexible rubber dome. When vehicles drove over the dome, the rubber contracted and the glass beads dropped safely beneath the road surface. The device was even self-cleaning. The cast-iron base collected rainwater and whenever the top of the dome was depressed, the rubber would wash the water across the glass beads to cleanse away any grime, just as the eye is cleaned by tears. The patent for the catseye was registered in 1934. And in 2001 the product was voted the greatest design of the twentieth century, ahead even of Concorde.

Fountain pen

The invention of the modern fountain pen is really more a story of perfection than invention. In 1883, more than fifty years after the fountain pen was first invented, a New York insurance broker, Lewis waterman, was set to sign an important contract and decided to honor the occasion by using the standard ink-filled pen of the day. However, fountain pens were notoriously unreliable, especially in their capacity to regulate their ink low, so that it could not be signed, waterman decided to do something about it. Within a year Lewis waterman had designed the world’s first practical, usable, and virtually leak proof fountain pen. To regulate the flow of ink he successfully applied the principle of capillary action, with the inclusion of a tiny air hole in the nib of the along with grooves in the feeder mechanism to control the flow of ink from his new leak proof reservoir to the rib.

As early as the beginning of the eighteenth century, the chief instrument-marker to the king of France, M.Bion, crafted fountain pens with nibs, five of which survive to this day. The first steel pen point was manufactured in 1828, thought to be invented by Petrache Poenaru, and in the 1830s the invented James Perry had several unsuccessful attempts at designing nibs that employed the principle of capillary action. But it was Lewis waterman who overcome every obstacle and crafted a successful pen. It was so successful that by 1901, two years after waterman’s death, more than 350,000 pens of his design were sold worldwide.

Safety pin

When it comes to simple engineering, we can’t avoid safety pin. This useful object is found in households across the globe, it even gained status as a fashion accessory, with the movement in 1970s. Walter Hunt was a New York mechanic who, in 1849, sat wondering how to pay off a $15 loan. He spent around three hours twisting a length of wire in his fingers before he created the answers to his problems, the humble safety pin. Pins were by no means a new idea, having existed for centuries before Walter’s twist on the design. However, his creation was unique as it provided a solution to the potential problem of pricking oneself with the old style variety. His pin has a clip at the top which locks the pin and keeps us safe from not pricking. At the bottom it has a spring like structure made by bending the same pin to maintain the tension of the pin. Hunts design was patented in April 1849, and he sold the rights to his creditor, clearing a $385 profit. Unfortunately hunt had no idea how popular his invention was set to become. Even after 150 years, we are using this safety pin which works on a very simple engineering.  He also designed America’s first sewing machine with an eye pointed needle. But fearing the loss of jobs his creation may cause, he did not patent the idea. It was left to a fellow American, Elias Howe, to claim the credit for this invention some twenty years later.

“A man who could invent a safety pin . .  . was truly a mechanical genius . . .” – New York Times

We have often noticed people say “my wheels are finally turning” when anybody makes a progress in life. Have we ever thought why? Even in the literal sense, life would come to a standstill if the wheels stop turning. All the modes of transport be it cars or trains or ships, will be rendered useless without the existence of wheels. The discovery of wheels have allowed the mankind to conquer distance. But what is it that allows us to flawlessly navigate our way to the destination? It is the steering system. Thanks to the implementation of fine engineering which has allowed a slightest touch to the steering wheel make a car run or change direction smoothly.

The steering system converts the rotation of the steering wheel into the swivelling movement of the road wheels. Better the steering system of a car, more precise is its response. The steering system provides an interface between the human world and the machinery. It is important to have a well functional steering system to handle a car and the panicked last minute swerves effortlessly.
Mentioned below in a nutshell is the necessary information one requires to have about a steering system-

The steering system:-
Steering system is used to establish command on the direction of a vehicle’s motion. It allows the driver to guide its response while it is on the road so that it may give the passengers a smooth route forward . All modes of transport, except the railways, are navigated with the help of steering system.

Components of the steering system:-

Steering wheel, gear, linkage, drop arm, ball joints, drag link, stub axle, column knuckle, power steering fluid reservoir, power steering pump, fluid cooler, king arm, left tie rod, etc.
How does a steering system work?
Before we discuss the working of a steering system, it is important to know the most commonly used steering systems, namely-
• Rack and Pinion Steering System
• Recirculating Ball Steering System
And lastly, we have the Power Steering System which acts as a support to the aforementioned systems.
We shall now discuss their function in detail.

Rack and Pinion Steering System:-
As much as it is preferred for cars, one does not opt for its implementation in heavy vehicles. It gets its name from the usage of the rack, the linear gear, and pinion, the circular gear in its functioning. A picture is given below to help the readers have a clear idea.

FUNCTIONING:- Rotating the steering wheel rotates the shaft which in turn rotates the pinion which makes the rack move linearly thus moving the tie rod. This rod then makes the wheel turn with the help of the steering arm. The pinion amplifies the amount of turning one gets from the rotation applied on the steering wheel thus making it difficult to handle. A small pinion is thus desirable for proper controlling of the car.

Recirculating Ball Steering System:-
Mostly found in old cars and heavy vehicles, the worm gear and the sector gear are the most important components of this system. An image of the system is given below to help the readers have a proper understanding-

FUNCTIONING:- Rotation of the steering wheel rotates the shaft but the gear is prevented from moving up and down which thus makes the block and the worm gear rotate. The moving block moves the sector gear which finally moves the pitman arm. This allows the thread of the worm gear to be filled with ball bearings which are infamous for reducing friction and thus ensure smooth functioning.

Power Steering System:-
This system comes is also called power assisted steering. It gives additional hydraulic or electric energy to the car and helps one overcome the troubles faced while parking. It makes manoeuvring effortless and easy. It gives the car a higher gear steering which means rotating the rim of the steering wheel to a small extent will cause a greater turning in the road wheels. This enhances the response of the steering system thus making it precise. This ensures proper control over the car which helps avoid accidents and allows one to move safely in roads packed with traffic.

Conclusion:-
Mankind has never failed to reach insurmountable success with its inventions. The steering system is one of those discoveries that helped mankind progress by leaps and bounds. I hope this article has successfully conveyed to the readers the working of this marvellous invention, thus allowing them to be well versed with the existence and working of the steering system.

Title– The Great Gatsby ; Written by– F. Scott Fitzgerald ; Genre– Tragedy ; Publisher– F.P Classics ; Pages– 200

It starts off on a philosophical note. We are immediately introduced to the somewhat important character of the novel, if not the main, Nick Carraway. He explains how his wise father taught him “in his vulnerable years”, that whenever he is in a position to judge someone, he should remember not everyone gets the same opportunity as he does. This helped him to be “inclined to reserve judgements”. He is necessarily not the protagonist but it’s his opinion we usually are made to look through at various situations. Apart from its miraculous storyline, there are many side elements, opinions of people and how discriminatory they are to our present generation’s views. There are many beautiful metaphors too, one of my favourite being that of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Set in the summer of 1920s in New York, Nick starts off by moving towards the East egg (east side) from the West egg, to learn bond business. He later came back to West Egg which he claimed to be “the less fashionable of the two”.

“The history of summer really begins on the evening I drove over there (East Egg) to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans” Nick meets Daisy, his second cousin and her rather arrogant husband Tom. Nick also happened to meet Jordan Baker whose role is very uncertified but she did has small roles with Nick throughout the novel. He acknowledged the luxuriously adapted East Egg but also realises the messed up life of the Buchanans. He had a heart-to-heart talk with Daisy and she complains about Nick not being there in her marriage. He explains how he was then still serving time at the War. Daisy is a very sophisticated and polite character who would treat one like fragile, dry flower when instead it was her who was entirely broken from inside, or that’s what it appeared. When she told Nick how Tom wasn’t even there during the birth of their first child, t is seen how helpless she was. Nick describes Daisy in some of the most beautiful possible ways, one of my favourite line is “For a moment, the sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face… Each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children having pleasant street at dusk”. She explains to Nick how she wished her daughter would be a fool as according to her, “That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”. I happened to form an variable opinion of Daisy because although what she meant was simply that the world is cruel to girls, (at least at that period of time) she could have said something more encouraging towards her own child. Daisy, in my opinion was helpless in many situations throughout the story but her decisions are just not understandable and could have been better. It appeared that she lived with Tom only because of his wealth.

Nick later also meets Tom’s mistress and the most disturbing was the fact that even Daisy knew about Myrtle (Tom’s mistress). He thought it to be very absurd when Tom brought him in a small get-together with his mistress but the fact that what Catherine, Myrtle’s sister thinks, thinks about Daisy, put Nick in an utter sense of confusion. Catherine believed that Tom and Daisy could not file a divorce as Daisy was catholic. Nick was stunned since he knew Daisy was certainly everything but catholic. He couldn’t make out why would Tom lie and make them believe so. It was then when Nick realises the messy life of the Buchanan couple. It wasn’t just the end. Even Myrtle had a husband, Wilson, who seemed to be completely unaware of the entire situation.

Nick further meets Jay Gatsby in proceeding chapter in one of the weekly parties that Gatsby organises at his place. He was in awe upon realising how rich Gatsby was even while living in the West Egg, which was the conservative and aristocratic out of the two. We also understand that Gatsby and Nick were acquaintances as both of them served the same division during War. Nick soon comes to know about Gatsby and Daisy’s past and the awkward situation between them. They used to be lovers and Gatsby promised to marry Daisy once he returned back from war. But it was in the meanwhile Daisy met Tom Buchanan and married him instead as he assured to offer her a luxurious and comfortable life. It was a long time ago but Gatsby didn’t seem to have moved on further in his life as he wanted Nick to bring Daisy to one of his party. We are made to ponder over the fact if Gatsby really loved Daisy and if Daisy loved him the same way back.

Nick, and so are we, as we are usually made to look through situations from Nick’s point of view, suspicious of Gatsby’s ravishingly luxurious lifestyle and what his occupation really was, although Nick has always refrained himself from forming judgements at first sight. I personally appreciate how Fitzgerald tried to be realistic in this fact and just did not just portray his character to be rich without any evident reason.

Another line that is really very popular from the book that I really want to mention “The officer (Gatsby is called so, as he was serving at War) looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime, and because it seemed romantic to me I have remembered the incident ever since.”

Overall, I would give this book a 9/10, since there are very few factors that I believe were just not my liking but overall the storyline actually left me in awe. From Mr. Fitzgerald’s style of writing to each character’s unique role, everything played an important part in making this book so popular.

#thegreatgatsby #bookreview #classicliterature #fscottfitzgerald

Some reliable websites to read more book review (spoiler free) of The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby: Book Review

Childhood is the only time when kids enjoy imagining the world beyond reality. Toys help them in providing this joy. Toys can also be used to promote experimental learning in interesting ways. They are useful in learning mathematics ,alphabets as well as science.
By 3 years of age, children start to understand that body, mind and emotions are their own. Now they can answer simple questions and speak in sentences of five to six words. This is the time when they actually start learning. Children are curious, and their job is to ask questions about the world around them. It is our responsibility to help them. BUT HOW?

We can help our children by just giving few educational toys. there are plenty of fun ways to engage children while boosting their development. Some toys are designed specifically to build certain skills. These kind of toys are bright and colorful with shapes that allow your little to explore while having fun. The best toys for toddlers are also made from safe materials, these are safe for your child to play with . here are two types of toys which can help your child learning while having fun.

1. Play with clay and its tools- clay dough has educational benefits for kids. Lets check how it is going to improve your child’s skills.we can molded into an endless number of forms. We all makes mistake while learning something new. sometimes these mistakes can discourage, especially if they are hard to erase .but when it comes to working with clay, your child can easily correct the mistakes.
   playing with clay improves motor skills. In one reaserch it found that having fine motor skill in pre-school is a strong predictor of a child’s later academic achievement in reading.
   It teaches creativity. Children can explore making different objects through clay modeling with even a small amount of clay.
   Clay can also e used as a tool for teaching different subjects to your child. For example- one can mould numbers and alphabet to get better at numeracy and literacy.
   Here are some activities you can try out with your chil.
   a) Can mould a cake-

b) Rain cloud sun-

c) Numbers and alphabets-

2. Alphabet construction toys- The wooden construction toys are a great for introducing the letters of the alphabet, reading and writing in a fun way to a toddler or preschooler. Give your child a head start on learning their ABC’s and numbers.
   It is a great alternative to the handwriting and flashcards. Help child to solve problem on his own. It’s nice to have an old school kind of toy without something that needs to be charged or take batteries.

a) Easy assembly: As these toys are specially design for kids, Assembly is very easy.

b) Skill development: while assembling children can learn alphabet, and develop fine motor skills.

c) Complete set of alphabets : The Letter Construction set comes with all pieces, making it great for home use or school use that makes it great for home use.

• What is insurance and auto insurance?

Insurance, in simple words, is basically a financial cover or protection appertained to health, home, motor vehicle, etc. assured under an indenture by the insurance agency. As per which, the agency takes the charge to compensate the policyholder against a loss, harm, illness, death or damage caused due to an unsought mishap or a natural calamity.

Similarly, auto insurance is a monetary indemnity for an auto vehicle. Under this settlement, the auto insurance agency is at the helm to compensate against any loss or damage caused to the insured auto vehicle.

• Auto Insurance Agencies in Texas

According to bankrates 2021, auto insurance in Texas values annually at an average of $1,823 for full coverage. Whereas, national average cost of full coverage insurance stops off at upto $1,674 per year.

Due to the vast insurance market drawing breath in the field, the rates of insurance are cheaper, hence, affordable. Below, we have curated a list that talks about the best three auto insurance agencies in Texas, have a look:

1. State Farm:
   State Farm is the first largest insurance agency with more than 57,000 employees in The United States of America, which is owned by the State Farm Policyholders, in that way, the auto insurance agency is owned and enjoyed by the same people who pick up and procure its insurance policies. State Farm is a private insurance agency founded in 1922 by George J. Mecherle.
2. GEICO:
   The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) is an American auto insurance company founded in 1936 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is an auto insurance agency that is fully owned by Berkshire Hathaway. After State Farm, it is the second largest insurance agency in the nation with the wide strength of 40,000 employees.
3. Allstate:
   The allstate corporation, an American insurance agency was founded in 1931. Being owned by Sears, since 1967, it is headquartered in Northfield Township, Illinois, near northbrook. Thomas J. Wilson is the chairman, president and CEO at Allstate. With more than 45,000 employees, the existence of the insurance agency is serving people from past 90 years.

Winding up here, hoping that the information provided above was serviceable and worthwhile.

“Black Fungus” or Mucormycosis is a disease that causes blackening or discoloration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and coughing blood. This disease usually infects people with a weaker or subdued immune system. As the second wave of the deadly Covid-19 virus batters India, a new disease has caused a new burden on the already tensed healthcare system. ICMR has informed that black fungus is very vulnerable to people with diabetes and people who have recovered from severe covid-19 infection.

The black fungus has already infected a large number of people from thirteen states and the union territory of India, it has also killed a significant number of people. For now, the number of case stand at 7,250 and the death toll stands 219.

The central government has already asked four states and one union territory to declare black fungus an epidemic as these places continue to see exponential growth in no of infections.

The central government has said in a press conference that, in the normal course, our body’s immune system successfully fights such fungal infections. However, we know that COVID-19 affects our immune system. Moreover, the treatment of COVID-19 patients involves the intake of drugs like dexamethasone, which suppresses our immune system response.

Due to these factors, COVID-19 patients face a renewed risk of failing the battle against attacks mounted by organisms such as micromycetes. The government spokesperson also said that there is a risk for the covid patients who are undergoing oxygen therapy to catch this disease has it has a humidifier where this fungus can easily grow. ICMR has found that this disease is very uncommon in patients without diabetes and has said that recovery depends upon early diagnosis and treatment.

White Fungus another disease on rising?

 How to Treat Black Fungus?

According to the procedure suggested by ICMR, the infection can start with an infection of the skin, it can spread to other parts of the body. Treatment involves surgically removing all dead and infected tissue. In some patients, this may result in loss of the upper jaw or in some cases even the eye. Remedies can also include a 4-6 week course of anti-fungal treatment. As it affects various parts of the body, treatment requires a team of young biologists, internal medicine specialists, intensivist neurologists, ENT specialists, veterinarians, dentists, surgeons, and others.

ICMR also stressed Covid-19 patients with diabetes to take utmost care. It has also asked all the covid-19 recovered patient’s to not lower their guard and take high precautions.

ICMR has asked the doctors to give a controlled prescription of steroids and Covid-19 drugs like Tocilizumob, Itolizumab as these drugs are known to suppress immunity. Hospitals are strictly advised to keep hygienic and sanitary conditions all the time to keep the fungal infection away. Covid-19 patients on oxygen support in ICU with humidifiers are advised to ensure the water in the humidifier is kept clean and refilled regularly. Hospitals are advised to avoid wet surfaces where fungus can breed. Patients are advised to wash hands regularly and keep their body clean.

The press statement released by the government on “Black Fungus”.