TW Steel: Luxury Watch Making at its Best

Headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the TW Steel watch manufacturing company is owned by a father and son team. Jordy Cobelens and his father Ton Cobelens founded the company in 2005. They are especially known for producing oversized watches as well as chronographs. On the 20th of June the brand celebrated its fifth anniversary in Holland, where the company was originally founded.

This father and son team has quite a history when it comes to watches and watch making, starting back in 1980. Ton was a distributor of watches, though he was designing private label products for airlines. He then went on to begin a promotions company that created the advertising campaigns for Swatch. In 2005 when the tw steel Company was founded, Ton made Jordy the CEO of the company. Ton’s extensive watch making and watch designing experience has played an important role in this new company.

The TW Steel brand of watches offers a number of different models including Canteen, Diver, Goliath, Grandeur, Tech, CEO Canteen, Icon, CEO Tonneau, RF1 Pilot and RF1 CEO Tech. The range of watches that this company offers come typically in 45mm as well as 50mm diameter variants which are made out of stainless steel. Canteen models offered by TW Steel have a crown cap attached either by a hinge or a hook on the side of the watch. This is similar to numerous other brands of Italian made watches, such as the U-boat watch range.

The TW Steel Company has many different brand ambassadors including Dario Franchitti and David Coulthard. Both are regularly seen as wearing these watches while on television, and they also take part in a variety of promotional activities for the watch brand as well. TW Steel sponsored the Renault F1 team for 2010 and they have created several specialty edition watches with specific Renault F1 branding as well.

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High Flouride = Low IQ

Parents start worrying from conception about how to best take care of their children and how to supplement their regular diet to make them as healthy as possible. There has always been a debate over water to use for your child and levels of fluoride. Some toothpastes even market their product as ‘fluoride free’ and safe to swallow using the coattails of that disagreement to sell their products.

Fluoride is, on average, added to 70% of all public drinking water and a study published in Environment Health Perspectives says that there seems to be a link between levels of fluoride in water and the link to lower IQs among children ages 8-13. According to Paul Connett, Ph.D. “This is the 24th study that has found this association.” This last study was monitored very closely and certain variable such as lead and iodine levels were watched very closely so they could not be considered to have an impact on the fluoride effects. The education options were also very similar.

Two cities in China were the subjects of the study. One city had high levels of fluoride, almost twice the allowable amount, and the other city had less than a third of the proper amount. The high fluoride city had only 8% of children considered to be bright and 15% considered to be mentally retarded. In contrast, the low fluoride city had 28% of students who tested to be bright and only 6% who were considered mentally retarded.

This link shows correlation and not causation, but with the findings in this twenty fourth study, the scientist have a more solid foundation to move forward on to show an actual causation relationship between fluoride levels and IQ levels. Many fluoridation tests have been run in most countries, but, Connett says that “no work has been done in the U.S.”

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Virtual Field Trips

Have you ever wanted to visit the natural wonders of the world, tour a natural history museum, or maybe see a live volcano? Advancing technology now allows us to accomplish these goals without ever leaving our homes or classrooms. Whether you are enrolled in an online degree program, or attend class in person, virtual field trips and virtual tours can allow you to see the many different places and science based experiences that we cannot always see in person. Virtual field trips cover a wide range of topics ranging from volcanoes to aquifers, while virtual tours allow you to view places and museums from a natural history museum to roman villas.

Virtual tours provide the audience with opportunities to see museum exhibits such as, touring the butterfly gardens, visiting the Museo Galileo, or even the Museum of the History of Science. The tours provide visitors with 360 degree pictures of exhibits or portions of the museum. Visitors are allowed to read the accompanying material prior to viewing each room and are often directed to other areas of the tour for facts, tips, or general information on each item located in the exhibit. Some exhibits provide 3D pictures to enhance the visitor’s virtual tour experience.

Virtual field trips allow the trip takers to experience different places through internet access. The trips provide participants with structured paths through the internet to various websites on a specific destination path. Each stop provides the audience with information, videos, pictures, visual diagrams, and the occasional interactive activity that teaches visitors about that particular destination. Additionally, visitors can choose many different field trip experiences from aquifers and the natural wonders of the world to oceans, volcanoes, and wild fires, complete with tip guides or journals that allow you to document your experience.

For those who wish to experience far off destinations, plan a field trip for their children or classroom, visit a museum, or explore the inter-workings of an aquifer, a virtual tour or field trip can provide you with this opportunity.

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Increasing Interest in Science education in secondary classrooms

For many students, science classes can be intimidating or lack interest. So how do we address this issue and help students become more interested and less intimidated by science classrooms. One answer is to make science content more accessible and enjoyable for students. Multiple techniques can be implemented that educators, parents, and students can use to help students enjoy their science classes.

A variety of techniques can be used to increase interest, student motivation, and participation in the classroom. The first way is to provide material in multiple ways, such as communicating information to students in written format, along with verbal information, and visual information.

To provide students with information visually, multimedia presentations such as PowerPoint presentations, student made videos, or even visual organizers where students can draw connections between materials can all be implemented either in a classroom or by the students themselves.

Hands-on activities can be used to incorporate lab tests into the classroom information or can be completed at home as a means of demonstrating information.
Written material can be incorporated with different forms of note-taking in the classroom where students take notes on one side of a page and then write questions, concerns, connections to other information, or predictions for future outcomes on the other side of the page.

Finally, students or teachers can use interactive materials such as online experiments or virtual field trips to allow students to get involved with the information.

These techniques can be used to increase motivation and participation in science instruction. Additionally, using a variety of these strategies can help create and maintain interest and participation. Moreover, many of these strategies are methods that students or parents can use outside of the classroom to help with understanding material or increase interest in homework even if these strategies are not used in the classroom.

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Technology in Education

What does educational technology really mean? Most people consider technology use in education to mean the implementation of computers in the classroom. However, educational technology can mean so much more. Technology use in education commonly refers to technology that is used by students or teachers to present material, organize material, demonstrate student knowledge, or integrate learning and interaction.

The most common current technologies used in education today typically revolve around presenting or delivering material or knowledge. This includes common devices and programs such as overhead projectors, document projectors, smart boards, PowerPoint presentations, multimedia presentations, internet use for research, and software applications for educational purposes.

Moreover, most consider using these devices as the major function of educational technology. However, it is how you use the devices and the extent to which an educator uses them that makes them successful in improving student achievement and learning.

To truly impact the success of student achievement, educators must integrate technology in a majority of instruction not only as an occasional use, but more as a consistent means of instruction. This can mean presenting educational materials as multimedia presentations, incorporating a variety of student activities throughout instruction with software programs, and integrating technology use into assessment.

Technological devices that can aid educators in integrating educational technology include using smart boards and interactive white boards to present material to students that address multiple learning styles. Additionally, educators can use programs to help student create graphic organizers for material that integrates educational technology and a variety of teaching strategies that aid students in visualizing information, organizing material, and making connections to concepts and other materials. Finally, educators can provide students with multiple opportunities to use technology when demonstrating their knowledge in subjects.

As technology advances and access increases, educators will continue to use technology in the classroom that will only improve success for the current technologically driven generation.

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Coral Reefs of the World in Danger

Coral Reef, Cebu, Philippines
Image by patoy via Flickr

Many people are not aware of the problems that are going on with the coral reefs in the world. Between human interaction in the oceans and the significant climate changes that are happening in the world, these beautiful reefs are having a hard time being able to stand up to the changes. These reefs may seem like just a pretty thing to see when you go deep sea diving, but realistically, they are very important part of the world’s environmental and even economical standing.

It has actually been shown that the decline in health of coral reefs has been happening for quite a significant amount of time. The thing we must discover further is why some reefs are able to bounce back from a hard time, with little to no lasting damage, while others never recover, and end up just a big mass of weeds. Though human interaction has pushed many of these reefs to decline for centuries, it is alarming to many scientists how much they have been impacted just over the last 50 years. In 2008, it was reported that nearly 54 percent of the coral reefs in the world have been effectively lost to us, or are on their way, because of the interaction of humans. Even the 46 percent that remains essentially unaffected by humans are under potential danger from the changing of climates that the world is currently experiencing, as well as the acidification of the oceans.

There are currently steps being taken to help keep the coral reef population in tact, and even help those reefs that are currently suffering, reverse the damage that has been done. Some of these steps that are currently under way are to help control the amount and type of fishing that is done in certain areas where the coral reefs are, improve the laws that may help protect the reefs, and take strides to help damaging water run off from land into the oceans.

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New Findings – Why Men Sweat More Than Women

When you head to the gym, you may notice that a lot of the men are sweating a lot more than most of the women. It has recently been found that the body of a man is actually more efficient at sweating than the body of a woman. It has also been shown that exercise training can help both sexes become more efficient sweating machines, but even then, men tend to sweat more.

When it comes to why men sweat more than women, scientists have come up with a few different theories. Most likely they all work together. One of the biggest findings is that the testosterone level in men helps them produce sweat much easier. It is believed that the testosterone in men helps enhance the response to high heats and exercise, therefor initiating the sweat response. There is also the belief that there are evolutionary factors as to why men sweat more than women, as well. Thought most people tend to try to stay as hydrated as possible, in general, most women have a lot less fluid in their bodies than men do. This causes them to become much more susceptible to dehydration. Because of this, the body will respond with a lower amount of sweat being produced in women, to help the women stay as hydrated as possible. Along with this, men having more body fluids to lose gives them a better efficiency of labor or action.

It has also been theorised that these differences in how men and women react to heat, and how their bodies produce sweat, may also be a clue as to why men and women react differently to temperature changes. Women tend to have a more difficult time dealing with heat waves, and this could simply be because their bodies are not able to produce as much sweat as men, and therefore they are not as easily cooled in the warm weather.

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Honey Bees Dying off in Droves

A jar of honey with honey dipper
Image via Wikipedia

You may have noticed the price of honey going up recently. You may not have heard, though, about the death of honey bees. There has been an very large number of bee colonies dying without explanation over the last few year. Since the problem was first noticed in 2006, scientists, ecologists, and even beekeepers have been searching for the reason. The death of honey bees can mean a larger issue than a lack of honey. These bees pollinate our plants, and without this, there could be a huge problem with the growth and production of fruits and vegetables, as well as all other plants.

There were many ideas of what might be causing the mass deaths, with everything from pesticides to viruses. In October of 2010, scientists and other researches feel that they have found the reason. The most possible cause of the death of these bees is actually a combination of things. More specifically, a specific fungus and virus combined. In fact, the virus that was found in the dead bees was very closely related to a different virus that almost completely wiped out the population of bees about 20 years ago in India.

Unfortunately, there is still a very large amount of research and testing to be done. We need to make sure that this is the reason for the deaths, as well as why it is happening. There is also research that has been started to look into the possible cures for this problem. If this problem persists, and there is no cure found, we may be looking at a significant lack of bees in the world, and that can be a huge problem for everyone.

Until there has been a fix found for the problem, the bees continue to die off. Many beekeepers and scientists are taking measures to try to keep the bee population alive and going, though it has been a long, difficult battle.

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Science has Many Interrelated Branches

Schuren en polijsten
Image via Wikipedia

There are so many avenues to consider when it comes to choosing a scientifically based area of study for a degree that it can seem overwhelming, with the various choices often leading to interest in other fields of study. An interest in helping other people seems straightforward enough—one could study nursing. However, a common refrain among nursing students with practical experience is that dealing with people in pain is a very trying experience. Often, they’ve dealt with people who treated them badly, perhaps as a direct result of perceived pain or even just because some people haven’t learned to ask politely for help from others, even medical staff whose job it is to provide care. Or, witnessing baseless claims of injury, an astute observer might think they’d prefer to deal each day with food science, where the subject matter is less subjective and tempermental, yet the microbes and bacteria are similar to those found in living patients.

Given time though, staring at strains of cheese mold through high powered microscopes can become a cheerless, somewhat limiting proposition. The curious mind might wander towards learning more about all strains of mold and bacteria, which leads straight to chemistry. Chemistry is widely regarded as the study of everything, which can be quite taxing in its own right.

Looking to then narrow one’s focus, one could visit the chemical engineering field, where science and mathematics intersect. From here, perhaps bored with the status quo, one might see opportunity in the creation of new things—leading to materials science, or perhaps be drawn away from science altogether, pulled into an electrical engineering direction. All of these fields of scientific study are interrelated in their own right. However, the aspiring, entrepreneurially thinking scientist would want to round out their experience roster by achieving a Business Administration degree online. Thus prepared, they could begin their own science based business.

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Earth Science

The array of scientific avenues in the Earth Science discipline covers both time and space. Time is theme of Archeology, Paleontology, and Geology. Beyond each of these disciplines are the areas of Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Geophysics and Tectonics. Space incorporates Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physical Cosmology and Stellar Astrophysics.

There are numerous sub-divisions of each of the disciplines sited above and more research is being assisted world-wide with the advent of the Internet. Scientists from all over the globe are able to conduct research, publish findings and communicate with fellow researchers like never before in human history. This advantage creates unending networks of scientists, theoreticians, researchers and others who can investigate, catalog, and report discoveries within moments of their revelation from different points on the globe.

Archeology and Paleontology, long the disciplines of earth-bound discoverers, have benefited greatly from tools and technology stationed far off in space. Satellites using infra-red, photo and radar imaging have brought about amazing discoveries for the earth-bound searchers, enabling them to locate and record data from regions previously inaccessible. More importantly, many discoveries remained unexplored due to the size and physical area incorporated in their structure. Ankor Wat, the amazing city built thousands of years ago in modern day Cambodia, was long thought to be a system of temples and buildings covering a ten-mile square area. Satellites have shown Ankor Wat is actually hundreds of square miles in area, due to the photographic and radar-enhanced views beamed to earth. Scientists are now re-writing the books on the scope and dimension of this early civilization’s impact on the entire region of Southeast Asia.

Technological wonders like the space-based telescopes employed by the new wave of scientists investigating the Cosmos have given new insight into Earth’s place in the solar system and the galaxy at large. Vast distances, unimaginable fifty years ago, can be viewed through the eyes of the orbiting platforms sending back amazing images, spectral light scans and detailed chemical analysis of what the stars are truly made from. Theoretical science has, in many aspects, become proven scientific facts thanks to these space-based microscopes focused on our universe.

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