by Fern Shaw | Jun 17, 2014 | Health and Hydration
Photographer ~Jim Wilson/The New York Times
“Who’s a clever water then? Aw, go on, who’s a clever water then?’’
I haven’t gone barmy, (I think my level of barmy has long since been established), I’m referring to this little marvel:
‘*A lemon tree springs from the soil in Jason Aramburu’s backyard in Berkeley, California, alongside rose bushes, birds of paradise, strawberry plants and squash blossoms. The garden is thriving, but its upkeep requires almost no effort from Mr. Aramburu. Instead, a foot-high soil sensor does much of the work.
The plastic-and-stainless-steel device, topped by a tiny solar panel, determines the amount of water to be delivered to the garden each day, using Mr. Aramburu’s Wi-Fi network to communicate with a valve attached to his irrigation system. If the air is humid, or if rain is forecast, the valve limits or cuts off the supply. If the soil lacks nutrients, Mr. Aramburu receives an alert on a smartphone app telling him to add fertiliser. And it doesn’t hurt that the sensor initially analysed the clay-filled dirt of his yard and recommended which plants would thrive there.
The soil sensor and the water valve are Mr. Aramburu’s creations; he will soon begin selling them through his new company, Edyn. But his plan for his business goes beyond enabling people with upscale private gardens to cultivate things like exotic kale and heirloom beets. He also intends to sell sensors to farmers in developing nations at a low cost to help them grow food more efficiently and sustainably.’
Good on you, Mr Aramburu! Although I don’t mean to sound insensitive, never mind developing nations, his little sensor is something that could very much help my gardening efforts. Despite my best intentions (upending a packet of seeds into planters and hoping for the best), the most my poor garden has produced has been some monstrous dill (which prompted me to suddenly start making kosher dill pickles as it’s the only thing I could remember that needs dill); two rather alien looking peppers which sadly expired on the plant and some rather furry, low growing, to date unidentifiable veggie / herb that looks quite pretty but never produced anything vaguely edible looking.
I am, without question, a failure, when it comes to all things garden. See, that’s why inventions like those of Mr Aramburu are so necessary. No more over / under watering of said poor struggle plants from me. Come harvesting season, I’ll have a crop of healthy, happy, well fed veggies the like of which my garden has never seen.
*Excerpts from an article in the New York Times
by Fern Shaw | Jun 2, 2014 | Health and Hydration
My tongue-in-cheek take about the dieting phenomenon.
I’ve never been a fan or follower of dieting. The last scale I owned was probably more than 15 years ago and all it brought me were misery and depression. I’m sure millions of people can attest to this and why not? If you think about it, what could be more upsetting than stepping onto your bathroom scales every day and due to some unseen influence (water retention; the dreaded 28 day cycle scourge; etc.) and all of a sardine you weigh 2lb.s more than the day before. Much weeping, wailing and self-castigation (and invariably comfort eating) follows. All highly unnecessary in my opinion. I have a pretty fool proof way of knowing if I’ve gained or lost weight – my trousers either do or don’t fit. Solution: time to get off my rear end and do something about it.
I shall, however, freely admit that the Banting Diet appeals. Before you start with the who? what? where? let me fill you in on the skinny:
*William Banting, born in London in 1797, was an upper middle class funeral director, and for five generations the family firm held the Royal warrant until 1928.
From his mid-30s he struggled miserably against his burgeoning size. None of his family suffered from obesity, a condition, he viewed with “inexpressible dread”. He blamed it for the catalogue of ills he suffered as over the next 30 years: failing sight, impaired hearing, insomnia, an umbilical rupture, “many obnoxious boils, and two rather formidable carbuncles”.
Despite trying a variety of weight loss options, none really worked. He then ended up consulting with a Dr William Harvey, totally by chance, as his usual doctor was away.
Harvey took copious notes as Banting described his daily dietary intake. He then advised his patient to cut out potatoes, bread, sugar, milk and beer. He handed him a sheet of paper which detailed his new regime:
“Breakfast, 9am: 6oz of either beef, mutton, kidneys, broiled fish, bacon or cold meat of any kind except pork or veal; 9oz of tea or coffee without milk or sugar; a little biscuit or 1oz of dry toast.
“Lunch, 2pm: 5-6 oz. of any fish except salmon, herrings or eels, or any meat except pork or veal; any vegetable except potato, parsnip or beetroot, turnip or carrot; 1oz of dry toast; fruit out of a pudding, not sweetened; any kind of poultry or game; 2-3 glasses of good claret, sherry or Madeira. Champagne, port and beer are forbidden.
“Tea, 6pm: 2-3oz of cooked fruit, a rusk or two, tea without milk or sugar.
“Supper, 9pm: 3-4oz of meat or fish similar to lunch. For nightcap, if required, a tumbler of grog (gin, whisky or brandy, without sugar) or a glass or two of claret or sherry.”
Skip forward a few 150 years or so and the Atkins Diet revolutionised dieting and poor Mr Banting’s incredible contribution was pretty much forgotten.
But now, Banting is back. With a dropped hot potato (boo) there and the uptake of lashings of butter (yay) there. For once, I paid attention. For two, I actually agree on the ‘what to eat and what not to eat.’
I did, however, find one particular comment rather amusing:
- Water, tea and coffee (all unsweetened)!
After my rather disastrous bring a tree to the office campaign, I pinkie swear that I’m not going to be expounding my wisdom by Google diatribe around the office water cooler anymore, but I most certainly will be drinking more water while I roar through my protein packed lunch.
*Excerpts from an article in The Telegraph.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 2, 2014 | Health and Hydration
Do NOT blame me for whacked out this week. I innocently typed in ‘coolest water coolers global’ (or something thereabouts) and I ended up with *pointing upwards* ‘Coolest Inventions’. But just to make things more ‘cool’ – aha aha – these ‘coolers’ are apparently invented by the Ozzies. No, I’m not talking about the The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy and click-ee red shoes, I’m referring to the land of wombats and wonder – that Oz.
1854: The fridge
There’s one in nearly every kitchen, at least in the Western World, but the ubiquitous fridge was originally conceived in Geelong, Victoria, in the 1850s by James Harrison. His patented ether liquid-vapour compression system, whereby gas was passed through a compressor to be cooled and liquefied, and then circulated through refrigeration coils, is still the most widely used refrigeration system today — not just in fridges, but air conditioners in homes and offices around the world.
1970s: Permaculture
Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, later to become known as the fathers of permaculture, rigorously worked to develop a sustainable method of farming. Modelled on the relationships and patterns found in natural ecologies, the purpose of permaculture is a sustainable and harmonious use of land and resources, putting back what you take out. The end result is a higher level of self-sustainability within communities, lessening the reliance on industrialisation.
1990s: Spray-on skin
Plastic surgeon Dr Fiona Wood was frustrated at treating burns victims; the faster they can be treated the less chance of scarring – but sheets of skin tissue take 14-21 days to grow. Wood also noticed that skin sheets with holes healed faster than the sheets that had more fully meshed, and so she conceived the idea of a skin spray. Made from the patient’s own skin cells, the spray was used to impressive effect after the Bali bombings, but clinical trials are ongoing.
2003: Google Maps
Google Maps actually began as a C++ program designed at Sydney-based Where 2 Technologies. The project was the brainchild of two brothers, Lars and Jens Rasmussen, who originally intended the product as a downloadable app. However, when the company needed venture capital, they pitched the program to Google as a web-based application. Google bought Where 2 Technologies in 2004, and Google Maps was announced in 2005.
All of the above I did not know. Now I do and so do you. Psst! We may not have invented the water cooler erhm … fridge, but we certainly supply the best of … hot, cold, as you like it.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 2, 2014 | Health and Hydration
There’s no avoiding it. Work an eight-hour day (or longer) and you’ll have to stop to eat at some point. Be it a questionable sandwich or a lavish lunch, workers need grub. But what should you eat to achieve maximum results? And is skipping lunch to polish off that e-mail really such a bad thing? In this 2 part blog, we have a look at both sides.
Eating in the office canteen is good for you. In Finland, at least.
The Finnish have done a lot of research into workplace eating habits. One study by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that workers who ate in office cafeterias, compared to those who brought in packed lunches, were eating more fruit and vegetables. This has a lot to with the fact that in Finland, food provided in canteens must meet national nutritional guidelines.
To be sure, the wisdom of eating in a canteen does depend on the quality of what’s on the menu. Staff interviewed at Barnsley Borough Council in London described the food in their cafeteria as “stodgy” and more suited to manual labourers.
Skipping lunch is bad for you.
As explained in his book about workplace eating habits, Christopher Wanjek found that workers who skip lunch are more stressed, less productive and only end up snacking in the afternoon anyway.
The endless cycle of bad nutrition and low national productivity.
Poor eating choices affect productivity. In fact, it causes this shame spiral:
There’s a lot that has gone into this debate. Next week, in Part II, we’ll thrash this out further. For now, at least we know one thing that’s crystal – keeping yourself hydrated at work can only be good for you. Until next week … drink up!
Excerpts from an article in Quartz.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 28, 2014 | Health and Hydration
One would think that there was an end in sight for slightly unusual traditions in the U.K. I mean, it’s not as if I haven’t mentioned them on more than one occasion – see my blogs about Water most Fowl and Eleventy More Water Trivia amongst others.
It would seem, though, that this is so not the case. There are oodles of quirk packed into the island(s)!
In honour of April, here’s the skinny about how April Fools’ Day originated.
Change of Calendars
One belief is that the reason All Fools’ (or April Fools’) Day now falls in April is related to the 1582 implementation of the Gregorian calendar reform in France, which shifted the marking of the arrival of the new year from a week-long gift-giving celebration spanning March 25 to April 1 to a single-day observance on January 1.
In the Julian calendar, the old calendar, New Year was celebrated from March 25th to April 1st. The first day of the Gregorian calendar is January 1st.
“When some people, whether out of stubbornness or lack of information, persisted in celebrating the New Year at the end of March, others started to mock … with gag gifts and other teasing gestures”.
Britain didn’t accept the new calendar until 1752. (Because we’re a little pig-headed like that).
April fooling became popular in England and Scotland during the 1700s.
The best known public prank is the 1957 news show broadcast by Panorama. It was a three-minute segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland. This was apparently because of an unusually mild winter and the “virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil,” with video footage of a Swiss family pulling pasta off spaghetti trees and placing it into baskets. The show said: “For those who love this dish, there’s nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti.”
Hundreds of people phoned the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this query the BBC simply said: “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
Now you must know that this was a good April Fools’ prank because I wasn’t even dreamed of in 1957, but I remember hearing about the spaghetti trees story as an adult many, many moons later.
I personally have zero sense of humour about being pranked and have so become a tad wary about any interaction on the morning. I am still rather amazed though, about a particular wicked prankster friend and another horribly, horribly gullible mutual friend. I won’t detail the prank suffice to say that it involved news of a pregnancy and the ‘fact’ that the baby was not the husband’s. I’m still gobsmacked that said gullible friend didn’t catch on.
Anyhow, that’s my input about April Fools for you. I’m heading off to our water cooler to replenish my water glass & to eavesdrop – see if I can pick up on any other corkers that have worked. Slainté!
by Fern Shaw | Apr 25, 2014 | Health and Hydration
It seems as it was just yesterday that we were all in the icy grip of winter and then lo and behold, the crocuses peeked their beautiful heads out of the soil and officially call spring.
So, without being able to take a breath, the seasons rollercoaster past us (is it just me, or does it seem as if time is speeding up?)
Being ever practical (aside from the whacked out kooky side) I thought it’d be a good idea to get ahead of the pack and introduce dispel some myths regarding your garden and water usage.
Myth: The best time to replace the lawn is in the spring, as plants get ready to bloom.
Reality: Sowing seed in the spring sets one up for potential problems, as heat sets in during the summer months and weeds compete for space. The best time to sow seed is in autumn, when the temperatures are more consistent and highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, have gone dormant.
Myth: You should water new plants every day to prevent them from drying out.
Reality: Overwatering kills as many plants as lack of water. It is better to make sure you are wetting the entire root system of your new plant, and then allow the soil to dry to the point that it is only moist.
Myth: To have a healthy lawn, you need to de-thatch in the spring.
Reality: Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material, including the crown, roots, and stems of the turf grass plant. The brown on the surface at the beginning of the spring will slowly recede into the background all by itself as new leaves emerge. While de-thatching is a common and sometimes necessary practice, it should be done only when thatch is excessive.
Myth: It’s a good idea to remove clippings after mowing.
Reality: There is a misconception that grass clippings contribute significantly to thatch. Grass clippings are mostly water and decompose rapidly, returning significant amounts of fertilizer to the lawn. Research shows that up to one-third of applied fertiliser can be recycled by simply returning clippings.
Remember to not only be kind to your garden and plants (no mollycoddling now, just in case you love your plants to death) with their watering but also to keep yourself properly watered. Hydrated is the word I know, but we’re referring to watering now aren’t we.
Speak to us at AquAid for all your water requirements (we’ve something for all seasons). We offer a range of water coolers whether it is for water coolers for the little ‘uns at school; the office; the warehouse; building sites and the list goes on.
