Don't Forget Your Hyperbolic Paraboloid Snacks While You Read

Your average, unsullied Pringle is a hyperbolic paraboloid; its equation is (x²)/(a²) — (y²)/(b²) = z/c. Here’s where things get interesting, though (as if hyperbolic paraboloids weren’t interesting enough). Proctor & Gamble doesn’t just shove a bunch of Pringles in a can and call it a day. Rather, they use supercomputers to keep conditions just right to make sure the chips make it from their factory to your house unmolested. ~Source

I hope you found that as interesting as I did. Life is just full of technology-enhanced bits of fun. Don’t you just wish you could get into the head of the person who dreamed this up? Their problem-solving skills are way more superior to mine.

What problems you may ask? How to get a lot of chips into a small cylinder, is one. Since they stack tightly together, space is efficiently utilized.

How to keep chips from breaking and crumbling in the package? Since they stack tight, one on top of the other in an appropriate cylinder packaging, it prevents movement and therefore, breakage. Genius!

The double curvature of the Pringles chip also allows it to maintain integrity despite being very thin. ~Source

But the most awesome aspect of this Hyperbolic Paraboloid shaped snack to me is its ability to scoop into my favorite dip and bring out a large mouthful of deliciousness.

This yummy bit of technology comes in lots of flavors and is a great companion when engrossed in your favorite reading material.

On the Green Side

We walk, run, jump, stomp, dig, mow, feed, water, trim, roll, and weed this amazing vegetation. But most of all, we just enjoy looking at the luscious green color and feeling the plushy softness beneath our bare feet.

In the small town where I live in the southern part of the USA, the condition of one’s lawn is a symbol of character and status. A well-manicured lawn is coveted and envied. Who doesn’t want to see the local garden club’s Lawn of the Month sign proudly displayed next to their driveway?

it’s sad to say that in many cases beautiful lawns are restricted to those who have both the time and money to cultivate and maintain them. Grass seeds, turf, chemicals, fertilizers, and maintenance can be expensive.

Though most of us love grass, we do tend to take it for granted and know few facts about the subject. If you don’t believe me, test your knowledge of grass against my list.

Giant Bamboo is the world’s largest variety of grass

Scientists have managed to find a species of seagrass in the Mediterranean Sea that existed 200,000 years ago. That makes it one of the oldest living organisms to have ever been discovered.

The most expensive lawn in the world is at Wimbleton’s Centre Court and it owes its green surface to 54 million single grass plants

A lawn, 50 by 50 feet releases enough oxygen for a family of four

How did you do? Don’t worry, before I did the research for this story, I’d have scored a (0).

There is so much more to learn about this amazing vegetation and how it enriches our lives. Be sure to take the time to enjoy your next walk in the grass. Take off your shoes and let the little wonders tickle your toes.

Let's get international

Every child should know that a hole to China theoretically starts in Argentina. But do kids even dig anymore?

When I was a kid, I was always digging holes. In the summer, I created very detailed miniature villages where all my stick people lived in leaf and twig huts. I dug them tiny wells and filled them with water. I dug rivers and ponds and filled them with water too. My parents told me that if I kept digging holes that one day I was going to dig my way to China.

Although I had no idea what they were talking about, I believed that such a thing was possible. After all, parents wouldn’t tell a fib, would they?

I look back over those days now and can’t help but grin. The saying that was so popular probably gave a lot of kids plenty of ideas and plans for their adventurous dig to China.

But where did the concept come from?

The first prominent mention of the phrase comes in the middle of the 19th century. In 1854 Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden, “As for your high towers and monuments, there was a crazy fellow in town who undertook to dig through to China, and he got so far that, as he said, he heard the Chinese pots and kettles rattle; but I think that I shall not go out of my way to admire the hole which he made.” ~ Source

My digging days were many decades ago. Today, I wonder if kids even dig anymore. I seldom see children playing outside or creating toys, tools, and structures using their imagination and whatever natural resources are available to them.

Most children today have engineered toys or electronic gadgets that don’t require them to extensively use their imagination, design, or building skills. What a shame. They will never know how fantastical the dream of digging oneself to China really is.

But for that special child or child-adult who still has the genes of an explorer, here is the secret to where to start your quest.

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