Coffee Filters – Who knew?

June 26, 2023

Coffee Filters have joined the mighty ranks of Duct Tape and Baling Wire on account of it’s many useful applications.

Yes, you can grab a 1,000 pack of Coffee Filters from nearly any discount retailer for a buck in most cases, and listed below are the many things you can do with them.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave — Coffee Filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome — Coffee Filters are lint-free so they’ll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a Coffee Filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a Coffee Filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a Coffee Filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free Coffee Filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a Coffee Filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a Coffee Filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee Filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a Coffee Filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a Coffee Filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of Coffee Filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great “razor nick fixers.”

15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

16. Put baking soda into a Coffee Filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18. Use a Coffee Filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.

19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies — Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls

These are just a few of the things you can do with a Coffee Filter — I’m pretty sure that there are even more things you can do with Coffee Filters that aren’t listed here.

Have an idea for Coffee Filter use?

Sound off in the comment section below and tell us about it.

Thanks for the read

Happy Trails

Earth is only 82% habitable

Alan

June 26, 2023

For a planet that we call home, Earth is only 82% habitable, according to the latest calculation that highlights exoplanet habitability.

Still, compared to the rest of the planets in our solar system, Earth is the best candidate to develop life and countless species of aquatic and terrestrial animals and vegetation.

Scorching summer, harsh winter, hasty spring and autumn, these features definitely sound related to a planet with a habitability index of 82%. If we take into account Australian wildlife, poor Earth’s score would drop like a sinking rock.

The actual factors that summed up Earth index rating were based on atmospheric pressure, geology, access to water and the potential absorbed energy from its nearest sun.

Although a habitability index of 82% would seem more than satisfactory, for anyone with no expertise in this field, considering our genesis took place on this planet, the estimated index should be around 100%, setting aside the damage we caused to our planet in the last century alone.

Astronomer Rory Barnes from the University of Washington explains Earth’s low score is due to the close range to the Sun.

Our planet is rather closer to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the solar system and yet, mankind has flourished along the millennia, until this day when we no longer consider our home fit for habitability, inexorably turning our eyes to other places that one day we may call home.

Some people may have a different opinion in reference to our planet being too hot to live on according to the rigorous living standards, raising the fact that a large part of the surface is constantly exposed to incredibly low temperatures like Siberia.

Hypothetically, if we were to spot Earth with our current technology, we would logically assume that the temperatures would be too hot for sustaining life.

In this scenario, for us to be able to adapt to Earths climatic conditions, it would require great efforts to support reasonable living settings. Or maybe humanity’s requirements are too idealistic and demanding for the endless planets that could host our utterly greedy character.

Starting from the same premise, an alien civilization would have come across Earth looking for possible life forms might presume it uninhabitable and focus their attention towards other planets with a higher habitability index.

However, Earth’s alleged low rating can also be an indicator of the human species’ endurance and adaptability to severe living conditions, which should make astronomers think twice before jumping to conclusions whether a foreign planet is inhabitable or not. If we made it so far here, we can thrive anywhere else, especially with the ever evolving technology.

In a grim distant future when we will have to abandon our dying planet, most likely we will not benefit from the perfect conditions the scientists deem we need. This mindset should be adopted when considering a new home for mankind, Earth being the greatest example of our ability to prosper and succeed, no matter how dire the circumstances appear to be.

Since we are not alone in the Universe, we must accept that surely other alien species too, did not evolve in the perfect conditions, for this is the key in evolution itself: a species must face improper conditions to continuously adapt and evolve, in order to achieve transcendence, or how else would one living entity gradually reprogram itself to excellence if not determined by precarious circumstances.

Nothing grows in the shadows, and this applies best to human the race. Our progress was achieved with each harrowing step leading out of the comfort zone to supersede our frailty.

references:

Comparative Habitability of Transiting Exoplanets

Circumstellar habitable zone

Ancient species related to man unknown to science

Alan

June 25, 2023

Ancient species related to man remains unknown to science: Researchers have determined that our genome — of modern humans — is formed by fragments of at least four different species. Three of those species — Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans are known to researchers. However, a new study has proven there is a mysterious fourth kind of species which we know nothing about.

A new study of the genomes of Australasia has revealed sections of DNA that do not match those of any known species of hominid on the planet. The finding shows that the family tree of humans is much more complex than previously thought.

A team of researchers at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) have published in Nature Genetics the discovery of a new ancestor, hitherto unknown, of modern man.

This is a hominid who lived in Southeast Asia and, like Neanderthals and Denisovans, crossed with our direct ancestor’s tens of thousands of years ago.

Although they have not yet found fossils of the new species, the study authors, Mayukh Mondal and Ferran Casals, highlight the importance of genetic studies to reconstruct the origins of our species.

The discovery took place during genetic analysis of a group of individuals of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean, an isolated population of pygmies that has for more than a century raised numerous paleoanthropological questions.

According to the report:

“We also show that populations from South and Southeast Asia harbor a small proportion of ancestry from an unknown extinct hominid, and this ancestry is absent from Europeans and East Asians”

Applying the most modern analytical techniques, the researchers ran into several fragments of DNA that do not have any correspondence in modern humans who left Africa about 80,000 years ago and ended up populating the rest of the world.

By comparing these foreign gene sequences with the DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans, whose heritage we have in our genome, scientists could see that there was not a match with any of them.

Therefore, researchers at IBE concluded that the DNA must have belonged to an unknown hominid who shared a common ancestor with the other two species.

It’s the ultimate proof demonstrating that the actual DNA of humans still contains pieces that come from other different ancestors — ancient species — and that we have no clue about our true origins.

According to Jaume Bertranpetit, principal investigator of IBE, “we have found fragments of DNA from an extinct hominid that are part of the genome of modern humans. Shortly we hope to get the full genome from fossil remains.”

For a long time now, numerous investigations have determined that the genome — of modern humans — is formed by fragments of at least four different species. Three of those species – Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans have been identified by researchers.

Now, researchers have found evidence of the existence of a mysterious fourth kind of species which we know nothing about since researchers have still not found any fossil remains of them.

Could this ancient species be the missing link in the history of mankind?

What we know so far is that there is no doubt that the puzzle of our origins is increasingly complicated.

In order to solve one of the greatest enigmas about our ancient species connection to the known human species, much research will still need to be done.

sourced:

Nature Genetics

Mitigating the effects of fireworks on our pets

Alan

June 25, 2023

Fireworks happen about every year at this time and those of us with pets are once again considering the options of trying to lessen the negative effects that fireworks can have on our dog, cat, or other animals we keep and care for.

Animals don’t really care for the loud unexpected sounds that nature might produce as a rule anyway because every time a storm rolls through with all of the thunder claps and lightning, our dog finds refuge under my desk.

In the case of storms, the noises are accompanied by previous warning signs, so that animals can perceive them in advance. A storm, even with it’s advanced warning, still can cause anguish, but it does not cause them the unexpected fright caused by fireworks, which are sudden and not identifiable.

Dogs are able to hear up to 60,000hz, while humans can’t hear anything above 20,000hz, which is only a third of the capacity of dogs.

This auditory acuity of dogs is one of the reasons the sound of fireworks can be so harmful to them. They show signs of overwhelming anxiety because they can’t escape from the sound.

Every year I venture down to the river to watch the fireworks show and in the back of my mind I can’t help but wonder about the effects the show is having on our nesting Geese population — birds are known to die of fright due to the unexpected decibel levels that fireworks can cause.

In an effort to reduce the symptoms caused by the acoustic stress that fireworks can cause to our pets and wildlife, the small town of Collecchio, Italy is doing something about it.

The town has passed an ordinance that requires it’s citizens to use silent fireworks.

Because most animals are far more sensitive to noise than humans, an entire town in Italy is taking action to protect local animals from the stress caused by fireworks displays.

The ordinance is aiming to ensure that local wildlife is respected and that the stress experienced by animals is lessened substantially.

One of the companies that has recently benefited from the new ordinance is Setti Fireworks, which provides fireworks that produce a spectacular light show without the deafening sounds.

Though the explosive sounds of fireworks may never completely go away, Setti has come up with ways to greatly reduce the extreme decibel levels of it’s product in order to mitigate the disastrous effects on our pets and wildlife

It seems that Setti Fireworks designs their fireworks to fit the venue and event they will be used for.

According to the company website:

Safety is power, safety is reliability.

Our philosophy is enclosed in this concept: we are totally safe, always reliable.
Because we invest more every day in new pyrotechnic technologies.

Setti Fireworks

We humans, as we become more aware of our connective surroundings, can use our science, our intellect, our caring — to come up with ways to mitigate the damage we might do to the creatures that we cohabitate with daily.

We might never come up with ways to prevent the impacts of a storm, but we can come up with ways to help prevent the impacts of us — The technology used by Setti is a good start.

Thanks for the read

Happy Trails

Red Ants Pants Music Festival – Under the Big Sky

Alan

June 25, 2023

The three day Red Ants Pants Music Festival hosts 16,000 people annually, with the proceeds going to the it’s Foundation.

Festival opens on July 27th and wraps up on July 31st.

Visit https://redantspantsmusicfestival.com/festival-info/ for all of the details/pricing/tickets

See the video:

In 2006 Sarah Calhoun moved to the 900 person town of White Sulphur Springs to start an apparel company.

Workwear for women was a product that previously didn’t exist until Sarah came along and recognized the need.

The company’s name came naturally. In colonies of red ants, “women do all the work.”

As excitement and momentum gathered around the company so did the scope of it’s goals.

The Foundation gives out grants to women’s leadership, working family farms/ranches and rural communities, all of which parallel the mission of Red Ants Pants.

The festival takes place on the Jackson Ranch, about three miles outside White Sulphur Springs, and typically spans four days in late July. It’s known for its laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere in a cow pasture setting, emphasizing connection and celebration of the American West.

For more info about the Festival please visit: https://www.redantspants.com