Tag Archives: April

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Rhubarb | From the Ground Up

The University of Wyoming Extension service provides research and education to farmers and ranchers; funded by federal, state, and local sources:

  • Agricultural production and management: The Extension service provides information and resources on topics such as crop production, livestock management, and farm business management.
  • Soil and water management: The Extension service offers expertise on soil fertility, irrigation, water quality, and conservation practices.
  • Pest management: The Extension service provides resources and support for integrated pest management, including information on insect and disease control, weed management, and pesticide safety.
  • Youth education: The Extension service offers educational programs and activities for youth interested in agriculture, including 4-H clubs and competitions.
  • Community development: The Extension service works with local communities to support economic development, tourism, and natural resource conservation.

The Extension service also offers consultations, workshops, field days, and other events to help farmers and ranchers stay up-to-date on the latest research and technologies in agriculture.

Standards Wyoming

Morrill Land-Grant Act

Albert Bierstadt: Landscapes of the American West

Easter Bread & Yaupon Tea

“Every year as Easter approaches, if you are lucky, you might catch the scent of baking bread and fragrant anise wafting in the air in my hometown of Clarksburg, West Virginia.  Easter bread, sweet and flavored with anise seed, is a holiday ritual in the Italian-American community here.  With roots stretching back to Calabria, making Easter bread is a foodways tradition that now thrives in North Central West Virginia”  — Lori Hostuttler, Assistant Director at West Virginia & Regional History Center

Standards West Virginia | Lane Department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering


Yaupon Drink: A Medicine Bundle in the Atlantic World

Steven P. Carriger Jr, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Abstract. This dissertation examines yaupon drink, a tea made from yaupon holly along with other ingredients, as a medicine bundle in the Atlantic World. Originally a medicinal drink used by Native Americans across the what is today the American South, over time the tea became a trade good demanded by the Spanish and a medicinal herb sought by European botanists and medical practitioners. Chapter One traces yaupon’s origins across the southeast and bundles the drink into the many cosmic and social connections it held. Chapter Two shows how the Spanish colonial presence offered an alternative to yaupon in Florida, through Christianity and its Sacraments even as the Spanish themselves began to commodify it, demanding it as an item of tribute. Chapter Three looks beyond Spanish Florida into the interior of the southeast as Creek, Cherokee, and Natchez towns negotiated the “Shatter Zone” and shows how towns of the Native Americans preserved or changed how they used yaupon in response to European colonialism. Chapter Four explains how the yaupon became a part of medicine and gardens in early modern Europe and how its leaves negotiated the changes that the Enlightenment brought. Using archaeology and European narrative histories, this dissertation examines yaupon drink within its relational fields, recognizing its affordances and how these help write a small piece of a decolonized history of the tangled relationships among Native Americans and Europeans in Southeast and the larger Atlantic World.

“Spring Turning” 1936 Grant Wood

Related:

Easter Bread (Bosca) & Cowboy Coffee

Malzkaffee

Chicory, surrogate and roasted coffee provide new insights into mechanisms of taste perception

Dr. Gisela Olias, Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, TUM

In some Christian traditions, especially among Catholics who observe dietary restrictions during Lent, chicory root has been used as a caffeine-free substitute for coffee. It’s commonly consumed in Louisiana and parts of Europe.

The term “Muckefuck” (pronounced “Mook-eh-fook”) is a traditional German word for coffee substitutes, particularly those made from roasted chicory root, barley, or other grains.  No joke! “Muckefuck” is a real historical term in Germany, and while it may sound funny to English speakers, it has nothing to do with profanity.

  • The word likely comes from a mix of French and German dialects. One theory is that it originates from the French phrase “mocca faux”, meaning “fake coffee” (literally, “false mocha”).
  • Over time, German pronunciation altered it into “Muckefuck”, referring to coffee substitutes made from chicory, barley, or other roasted grains.
  • It was commonly used in Prussia, Bavaria, and other German-speaking areas, especially during times of war or economic hardship when real coffee was unavailable.

While the word may raise eyebrows for English speakers, it’s completely innocent in German! If you prefer, you can simply ask for “Chicorée Kaffee” or “Malzkaffee” in Munich to avoid any awkward moments.

Coffee

Was it Normung?

Related:

Development of suitable formula for ready-to-drink healthy mixture of chicory and coffee

 

Horologiorum

“Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May” John Herrick | John William Waterhouse

“The Sound of Noon” on the Charlottesville Campus

University of New Hampshire

Westminster Chimes at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

University of Michigan

Hayes Clock Tower

Ars Sonora Bell Tower

Western University Ontario

Trinity College

Mississippi State University

南洋華僑中學

Shelton State Community College Alabama

Winona State University

Oklahoma City Community College

University of Illinois

Bucknell University Pennsylvania

St. Francis Xavier College Missouri

University of Mississippi

University of North Dakota

University of Montana

Gardner-Webb University North Carolina

University of California Berkeley

Auburn University Alabama

 

Indiana University

Sam Houston State University Texas

Otago University New Zealand

Hillsdale College Michigan


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ISO 8601:2004 Data elements and interchange formats — Information interchange — Representation of dates and times

National Institute of Science & Technology: Time and Frequency

National Institute of Science & Technology: Current Reliability of the WWVB Time Code

NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code Chapter 23: Protected Premises Alarm and Signaling Systems

History of Western Civilization Told Through the Acoustics of its Worship Spaces

 

Abstract.  Insights into the history and future of western civilization are found by applying information theory to the acoustical communication channel (ACC) of its worship spaces. Properties of the ACC have both influenced and reflected the choice of message coding (e.g., speech or music) at various times. Speech coding is efficient for acoustically dry ACCs, but hopeless for highly time-dispersive ACCs. Music coding is appropriate for time dispersive (reverberant) ACCs. The ACCs of synagogues, early Christian house churches, and many Protestant churches are relatively acoustically “dry” and thus well suited to spoken liturgies.

The spoken liturgy, dominant in synagogues, was carried over to early Christian churches, but became unworkable in Constantinian cathedrals and was largely replaced with a musical liturgy. After a millennium, the cathedral acoustic was altered to suit the doctrinal needs of reformation churches with its renewed emphasis on the spoken word. Worship forms continue to change, and the changes are reflected in the properties of the ACC. The pulpits of electronic churches may be evolving into radio and television performance spaces and naves into worshipers’ living rooms.

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Evensong “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?”

Sacred Spaces

National Youth Choir of Scotland “Love Divine”

Date & Time: Representations For Information Interchange

“A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery” | Joseph Wright (1766)

Most nations follow the day/month/year format (07/01/19 for January 7, 2019, for example), but the United States adheres to its own format of month/day/year (1/7/19 or 1/7/2019).   The potential for misinterpreting dates across national boundaries is the logic for ISO 8601:2019 – Data Elements And Interchange Formats – Information Interchange – Representation Of Dates And Times, the ISO format for dates represents year, month, and day from the largest unit to the smallest, most specific unit of time.  The ISO date format is the date format used in SQL and is the default date setting on many computers.

ISO 8601-1:2019 Date And Time – Representations For Information Interchange – Part 1: Basic Rules

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Time and Date

How the ISO Date Format Tells Today

ISO Date Format

Date and time formats used in HTML

Making Greenwich the centre of the world

Time & Frequency Services

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is responsible for maintaining and disseminating official time in the United States. While NIST does not have a direct role in implementing clock changes for daylight saving time, it does play an important role in ensuring that timekeeping systems across the country are accurate and consistent.

Prior to the implementation of daylight saving time, NIST issues public announcements reminding individuals and organizations to adjust their clocks accordingly. NIST also provides resources to help people synchronize their clocks, such as the time.gov website and the NIST radio station WWV.

In addition, NIST is responsible for developing and maintaining the atomic clocks that are used to define Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the international standard for timekeeping. UTC is used as the basis for all civil time in the United States, and it is the reference time used by many systems, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the internet.

Overall, while NIST does not have a direct role in implementing clock changes for daylight saving time, it plays an important role in ensuring that timekeeping systems across the country are accurate and consistent, which is essential for the smooth implementation of any changes to the system.

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Time Realization and Distribution

Horologiorum

Rain & Lightning

The thunderbolt steers all things.
—Heraclitus, c. 500 BC

After the rain. Personal photograph taken by Mike Anthony biking with his niece in Wirdum, The Netherlands

Today at 15:00 UTC we examine the technical literature about rainwater management in schools, colleges and universities — underfoot and on the roof.  Lightning protection standards will also be reviewed; given the exposure of outdoor athletic activity and exterior luminaires.

We draw from previous standardization work in titles involving water, roofing systems and flood management — i.e. a cross-cutting view of the relevant standard developer catalogs.   Among them:

American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Plumbing Engineers

ASHRAE International

ASTM International

Construction Specifications Institute (Division 7 Thermal and Moisture Protection)

Environmental Protection Agency | Clean Water Act Section 402

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FM Global

Sustainable Sites Initiative

IAPMO Group (Mechanical and Plumbing codes)

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

Heat Tracing Standards

International Code Council

Chapter 15 Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures

Why, When, What and Where Lightning Protection is Required

National Fire Protection Association

National Electrical Code: Article 250.16 Lightning Protection Systems

Lightning Protection

Underwriters Laboratories: Lightning Protection

Underground Stormwater Detention Vaults

United States Department of Agriculture: Storm Rainfall Depth and Distribution

Risk Assessment of Rooftop-Mounted Solar PV Systems

Readings: The “30-30” Rule for Outdoor Athletic Events Lightning Hazard

As always, our daily colloquia are open to everyone.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

“Rainbow Connection”

The “lightning effect” seen in carnival tricks typically relies on a scientific principle known as the Lichtenberg figure or Lichtenberg figure. This phenomenon occurs when a high-voltage electrical discharge passes through an insulating material, such as wood or acrylic, leaving behind branching patterns resembling lightning bolts.

The process involves the creation of a temporary electric field within the material, which polarizes its molecules. As the discharge propagates through the material, it causes localized breakdowns, creating branching paths along the way. These branching patterns are the characteristic Lichtenberg figures.

In the carnival trick, a high-voltage generator is used to create an electrical discharge on a piece of insulating material, such as acrylic. When a person touches the material or a conductive object placed on it, the discharge follows the path of least resistance, leaving behind the branching patterns. This effect is often used for entertainment purposes due to its visually striking appearance, resembling miniature lightning bolts frozen in the material. However, it’s crucial to handle such demonstrations with caution due to the potential hazards associated with high-voltage electricity.

 

“Gelukkige Koningsdag!” Stamppot

Stamppot is a Dutch comfort food known for its simplicity and versatility. It combines mashed potatoes with various vegetables, typically leafy greens like kale (boerenkool), endive (andijvie), or sauerkraut (zuurkool), and often includes bacon or sausage.

The name “stamppot” comes from the Dutch words “stampen” (to mash) and “pot” (pot). The dish is prepared by mashing the boiled potatoes and vegetables together in a single pot. The result is a  slightly chunky mixture of mashed potatoes and vegetables.

There are many variations of stamppot, depending on the vegetables used. The most common types include boerenkool stamppot (kale stamppot), andijvie stamppot (endive stamppot), and zuurkool stamppot (sauerkraut stamppot). Each variation has its own distinct flavor and texture.

Stamppot runs deep in the Netherlands and is considered a staple of Dutch cuisine. It’s a dish that brings people together, especially during the traditional “Hutspot Day” (Hutspotfeest) celebrations in some regions.

 

Related: Dutch Student Stew

“Dutch Student Stew” also known as “Hutspot” in Dutch. It’s a traditional Dutch dish that consists of mashed potatoes, carrots, and onions, often flavored with salt, pepper, and sometimes bacon. It’s a hearty and simple comfort food that has been popular in the Netherlands for many years. The name “Dutch Student Stew” might be a colloquial or humorous reference to the fact that it’s an easy and inexpensive dish to prepare, making it suitable for students or anyone on a budget.

Nederland

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