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Joseph Priestley - Oxygen man

4/11/2016

Who discovered oxygen?
When Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in 1774, he answered age-old questions of why and how things burn. An Englishman by birth, Priestley was deeply involved in politics and religion, as well as science. When his vocal support for the American and French revolutions made remaining in his homeland dangerous, Priestley left England in 1794 and continued his work in America until his death.
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/josephpriestleyoxygen.html

Brain trickery

We might think we have direct access to reality but, in order to produce that feeling, our brain is stitching together all the different information from our senses and filling in the gaps using its best guess as to what is out there in the world. We notice the things that our brain thinks are important and can process very complex information quickly because our brain sometimes takes shortcuts. Normally we don’t even notice these shortcuts but visual illusions have helped us understand lots of the shortcuts used by the brain. Many illusions are based on your expectations – things that you have encountered in the past that have become wired into your brain. This is knowledge that influences the way we interpret and experience the world. This is because we assume that the world is fairly reliable based on our previous encounters so we assume that it is predictable.

The remarkable thing about illusions is that even when you know things are not what they seem, you still cannot force your mind to see it any other way. This is because your conscious mind is a product of your brain, which is feeding you the information.
http://thebrainbank.org.uk/teaching-materials/brain-function/illusions/

World's most expensive lipstick

In 2007, more than one hundred years after French parfmuier Monsieur Guerlain started mucking about with bitter almonds, anise and herbal notes, the multinational that now owns the Guerlain brand released the most expensive lipstick ever made.

So what was the wieghty price tag for this rich-pouter's unguent? An eye-popping $62,000. American. And remember: that was back in 2007. This is clearly NOT the sort of lippy one drops on the loo floor after sucking back too many drinks at the Club.

So...why the crazy price tag?
In reality, the lipstick itself is nothing special —it's made from the usual suspects of beeswax (boasting a mix of 300 tasty chemical compounds) and lanolin, secreted by the glands of (ew!) sheep. This lippy is pricey because it’s hawked in an 18 karat gold case studded with 199 sparkling diamonds. Here's a sample of how the House of Guerlain whipped up a selling frenzy back in the day:

“Lipstick is simple, yet mysterious. One never really knows what she may uncover when the top is removed. This element of surprise creates curiosity and longing, which is what I hope each woman experiences when she clutches KissKiss Gold and Diamonds in the heart of her hand. It is powerful and unimaginable, unique and desired, obtainable and unobtainable at the same time,” says KissKiss co-creator Herve Van Der Straeten. (Sounding like a man with an awkward and undiagnosed paraphilia).
http://www.alux.com/the-most-expensive-lipstick-in-the-world/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2728711/Whats-really-lipstick-From-chillies-insects-bizarre-ingredients-perfect-pout.html#ixzz4P2j5JTBR

Who has taken the most wickets in a single test match?
answer is the next blog headline!

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