Sometimes accidents are good…

… and not just because Failure leads us to learning, there are cases like the coca-cola creation that can prove it.

A man called John Pemberton created a beverage from the mixture of carbonated water and a syrup that he invented based in the coca leaf and the kola nut (that’s the reason for its name).

This beverage was created with the purpose of becoming an aid in headaches, and for 8 years it was sold in drugstores. Afterwards it became so popular that it started to be sold in bottles and commercialized as we know it today.

Something similar happened with radioactivity, post-it notes and penicillin. Click here to know more about these and other accidental inventions.

A very original music video

Video: “Her morning elegance” from Oren Lavie.

Personalize your luggage

DotDrops has created a luggage collection that can be personalized and created online. The process is simple:

1. The client chooses the model he wants, the finish and the size of the baggage.
2. Then he executes the design in the same web page.
3. He makes the payment online, and after that the luggage is sent to his home.

An attractive, simple, original and fun concept.

Green Tea

I always had some sort of idea about the WONDERFUL properties of green tea. But everytime I forced myself to drink one cup (to obtain the famous benefits), the horrible taste of sea algae made me leave my cup of tea almost completely full.

A few days ago I tried a green tea sold in a big package with the herbs packed altogether instead of the typical individual little tea bags. Big change, the taste is completely different and now I do take it pretty often. I recommend it not only for the taste, but also because it:

• Delays ageing (contains antioxydants).
• Contains fluoride which helps harden bones and teeth and also prevents cavities (strange but true).
• Reduces risks of some types of cancer.
• Contains diuretic properties:
  • Reduces colesterol levels
  • Helps in digestive processes
  • Reduces liquid retention
  • Collaborates with weight loss

It can be a really good option to keep ourselves hydrated instead of drinking sodas and beverages with a high caloric content.

* Green tea is healthier than other types of teas because it maintains its natural properties which would otherwise be lost in fabrication and packaging processes.

650 million years in 1 minute with 40 seconds

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This video makes me think about the little time we humans  have been around the planet comparing it with its own age (about 5 billion years) and not to mention the universe’s age (about 13.7 billion years).

With this type of reflections my “ecological self” comes out.

This place isn’t just ours, millions of species have been here before (about 3 billion years ago life on earth appeared), and unless we finish with most of the  planet’s natural resources, millions of species will exist at the same time and after us.

We must know that we do make a difference when we turn off the lights when don’t need them, or that using a sheet of paper on both sides can help save trees.

A few links to “green pages” I thought are worth the click:

• CO2 Calculator
• TreeHugger
• Do the Green Thing
• Ecological Footprint
• Green Planet Search
• MetaEfficient
• Meet the Greens

Did you know…

… that the moon used to be much more closer than it is now?

Yes, a billion years ago, the moon had a smaller orbit so it needed only 20 days to go around the earth and complete a month.

At that time a day only lasted 18 hours!

The moon keeps getting away, 1.6 inches each year.

The Earth’s rotation is changing too. It is getting slower extending our days.

In a distant future, a day will last 960 hours. Not bad for those who need more hours during the day.

Confucius quote:

“Find a job you love and you‘ll never work a day in your life.”

Meanwhile I am searching for it.

40 seconds about water

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Video from Tomás Velásquez

I like it

It’s a cube!…

No!

It’s a box!…

No!

It’s a lamp!…

This design form David Graas, who has stand out for creating objects from trash, scraps or waste, is the package and the product at the same time. This lamp is sold as a box with a lightbulb, a plug, a cable and a manual so the purchaser can make the corresponding cuts and adjustments to turn it into an innovative lamp.

Via: Packagings of the World

Pretty, pretty

NGC 7331

This is the NGC 7331 galaxy, and is about 50 million light years away. It is found in the Pegaso constellation and was discovered by William Herschel in 1784.

It has been considered similar to ours, the Milky Way, because of  its mass, number of stars and rhythm on stellar formation. But it has been proved that this galaxy is much more brilliant and massive than ours.

It is really possible there is life in this galaxy and in many others… or do you think we’re alone in the universe?

Image from Vicent Peris (OAUV/Pteam), Gilles Bergond, Calar Alto Observatory.