America's Smoky Mountains

America's Smoky Mountains (within America's most visited National Park) in Tennessee are a great place to see Fall foliage. Spruce-fir forests, roaring waterfalls and year-round wildflower blooms surround the onlooker. It has 800 miles of trail. Staying on marked trails is advised to prevent getting lost. Proper footwear is needed for hiking.

Curioser and Curioser Thought Alice

MIT OpenCourseWare has some dope online materials to learn some of the most interesting things in the known universe.  Here are some recommendations; tried and tested for total coolness..

The Early Universe, Professor Alan Guth (first lecture asks: Is Our Universe Part of a Multiverse?)

Physical Chemistry, Professor Robert Guy Griffin, Professor Troy van Voorhis (first lecture: Where does quantum physics fit into chemistry?)

Bio-Inspired Structures, Professor Leo Daniel (first lecture: observing birds leading to human flight, quite natural given Professor Daniel specialises in aeronautics).

Kielder Reservoir

Kielder Water, the name of the reservoir at Kielder, is the site of the UK's largest hydroelectric plant.

Rivendell

Rivendell is a valley in Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Interlaken

Interlaken is a resort town in Central Switzerland. It lies between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Old timber houses and parkland feature prominently. Grindelwald is a nearby village and base for mountain ascents up the Eiger mountain. Lauterbrunnen is another nearby village associated with Tolkien said to be the inspiration for Rivendell. Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is the nearest big city to Interlaken (about an hour by train). It traces its origins to the 12th Century. It is less populated than Zurich and Geneva.

Harburg

Harburg is 1.5 to 2 hours north-west of Munich by road. It is one of Germany’s oldest fortifications. It was built in the 11th or 12th Century.

King Ludwig II

King Ludwig II created many interesting palaces, like the exquisite Linderhof and the unfinished Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neues Rathaus

The Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) in Munich. It is built in neo Gothic style contrasting it with buildings of the royal family. It was designed by George von Hauberrisser following an ideas competition when he was just 25 years old! He had studied in Munich, Berlin and Vienna. The clock has 43 bells, the lightest 10kg, the heaviest 1300kg. The clock is known as Rathaus-Glockenspiel. The tower can be climbed between 10am and 8pm.

Fussen and the Castle

Fussen is 3.5 miles from Neuschwanstein Castle

Bayern

Bayern is the German name for the southeastern state of Bavaria (one of 16 German federal states) and the home of Bayern Munich football club (FC Bayern Munchen) founded by German football player Franz John in 1900.

Halstatt

Halstatt is a village in Upper Austria (capital Linz, bordering Germany) in the Salzkammergut region. It lies on the south-western shore of Lake Halstatt. Salt mining has taken place there since prehistoric times.

Mirabell Gardens

The Mirabell Gardens (Mirabellgarten) surround the Mirabell SchloB in Salzburg. At the Southern end there is Mozarteum University Salzburg a renowned arts university specializing in music, drama and to a lesser extent graphic arts. There is also a playground (spielplatz) within the garden grounds. A statue of Nicholas Copernicus, by sculptor Josef Thorak (an artist with Salzburg roots) created in 1943 also sits within the grounds in the Zwerglgarten (dwarf gatden) and has been there since 1950.

The Salzach

The Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a tributary of the Inn. The Staatsbruche bridge connects new and old parts of Salzburg and crosses the Salzach.

Schonbrunn Palace

Is located in Hietzing the thirteenth district if Vienna. It is to the South West of Wien Westbahn and North West of Wien Meidling. It was the summer palace of the Habsburg rulers and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Directly behind the palace is a fountain of Neptune (Neptunbrunnen) and a gloriette, a raised construction overlooking the garden grounds.

Tiergarten Schonbrunn

Tiergarten Schonbrunn or Schonbrunn Zoo is located within the palace complex. It is the oldest zoo in the world established in 1752.

Richard the Lionheart

Richard the Lionheart is associated with the Wachau Valley having been imprisoned at Durnstein after a falling out with a Duke of Austria.

Melk - A Town on the Danube

Melk is an Austrian town in the Wachau Valley around 50 miles west of Vienna known for the 11th Century abbey above the town. It is renowned for having one of the largest monastic libraries in the world. It is a Benedictine monastery which follows the concept of staying in one place and shaping it sustainably. It is written as Stift Melk on maps in German. The Baroque garden pavillion is a special feature of the Abbey Garden which was opened in the year 2000. It hosts special events like International Baroque Music days. The Wachau region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been settled since prehistoric times.

Lower Austria

Lower Austria is one of the nine states of Austria, with capital Sankt Polten, and sits in the northeastern corner of Austria. Its German name is Niederosterreich. Its population is around 1.7m. It has rivers, mountains, lakes and natural caves. It borders Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Hofburg Imperial Palace

Construction began in 1275 in the reign of King Ottakar, and decades later, when the Habsburgs came to power, they made it expanded and beautiful. From 1533 numerous generations of Habsburgs made their own additions. They ruled territories of Austria, Hungary and Spain. The Habsburg Monarchy collapsed at the end of World War I with the fall of Austro-Hungarian Empire. The House of Habsburg takes its name from a castle (Schloss) in Switzerland. Many statues adorn the grounds of the Hofburg palace.

What is a Type F Plug?

Type F plugs are two pronged plugs common in Germany, Austria and Netherlands, as well as Spain, Greece and Portugal. Also known as Schuko, it was invented by engineer/entrepreneur Albert Büttner in Germany in 1925. They are not used in France.

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is in Middletown Connecticut. Its values include boldness, rigor and practical idealism. Wilbur Fisk was its first President in 1831. Its name comes from John Wesley the founder of Methodism. Its initial focus was on the liberal arts.

Kharif Crops

Kharif crops are also known as monsoon or autumn crops. 

"Kharif" means autumn in Arabic, and "autumn" is when the crops are harvested (sowing happens in the monsoon). Monsoon happens around June to November in India, depending on the area. The crops are generally harvested from the third week of September to October.

Rice is the major Kharif crop of India.

POPS and POPOS

POPS are privately owned public spaces, and POPOS are privately owned public open spaces. They are prevalent in London, New York and San Francisco. 

Engine Oil Dilution

Engine oil dilution is also known as "crankcase dilution" is a common occurrence in combustion engines and causes wear on the engine. Fuel and exhaust gases migrate to where oil is used.  It is a process that happens slowly.  The oil serves as a less effective lubricant and therefore wear inside the engine increases, as there is more friction between moving parts. 

The AdBlue Injector

The AdBlue system uses an injector to spray the calculated amount of DEF into the system.  The injector is prone to clogging and failure, which can lead to dashboard warning lights and even limp mode. If the electronics are working fine, the injector can be cleaned with an ultrasonic bath.

Diesel Basics - AdBlue and SCRs

Diesel cars emit mono-nitrous-oxide gases (NOx) which contribute to smog and acid rain, and, together with sunlight, the generation of tropospheric ozone (which can irritate the respiratory system).  

Modern diesel engines are equipped with SCR systems (SCR = Selective Catalytic Reduction) featuring an AdBlue system to clean up emissions, reducing harmful nitrous oxides into diatomic nitrogen and water.  

This process is aided by a catalyst.  Catalysts tend to be oxides (for example of vanadium, molybdenum and tungsten). Porous ceramic materials are used as supports e.g. titanium oxide.

AdBlue is the brand name for a Diesel Exhaust Fluid. This combination of demi water (demineralized water) and urea is added to the exhaust gases to clean up NOx.

This multistage cleaning process operates as follows:

1. Exhaust fumes created

2. Fumes passed thru DPF taking out soot particles (cause particulate pollution)

3. NOx sensor measures the mono-nitrous-oxides (NOx)

4. Based on NOx reading, AdBlue control unit determines amount of fluid needed to clean up NOx

5. Fumes enter catalyst, injector sprays DEF cleaning up NOx from fumes

6. Another NOx sensor measures post catalyst NOx. Remainder of NOx, with nitrogen and water, leaves the exhaust pipe.

This process is required by emissions standards such as Euro 6. It does not stop the generation of the generation of pollutants but rather is an aftertreatment system to post process the pollutants into less harmful chemical products.

What is DPF Forced Regeneration?

DPF forced regeneration burns off soot and other particles accumulated in the diesel particulate filter. It is used when the DPF reaches a certain level of particulate matter usually 40%. A diesel engine used mainly for short journeys can create the need for DPF forced regeneration if soot (created due to incomplete diesel combustion) doesn't get burned off. This can also reduce fuel efficiency. 

What are turbo boost controllers?

Boost controllers regulate the boost pressure created by your turbocharger (this pressure is used to push more air into your engine, creating more power). Too much pressure, though, can damage your engine and this is where the boost controller comes in. It ensure a same amount of air is forced into the engine to amp up its performance.

Bangla Sahib

Bangla Sahib is a gurdwara in Delhi associated with Guru Har Krishan Ji, eight guru of the Sikhs, and the youngest guru in Sikhism (hence also known as Bal Guru), appointed by Guru Har Rai before his death. The site was originally the location of a bungalow of Raja Jai Singh. 

It is said Guru Har Krishan died by contracting smallpox while successfully healing his followers. He had the shortest reign of any Guru lasting just under two years and six months.

Bangla Sahib gurdwara has an inscription "Sri Har Krishan Dhiaeai Jis Dithai Sabh Dukh Jaee".

Maruti Nandan

An epithet for Hanuman, meaning "son of the wind". Maruti refers to Vayu, god of the wind. Nandan means "delighting" and can also mean "son". Hanuman is also referred to as "Pavan Putr" which has the same meaning.

India Gate

India Gate is a war memorial in New Delhi located near the Rajpath. It is a memorial to the 74,187 soldiers of the Indian army who died in the First World War.

Revisiting Ferlinghetti

Lawrence Ferlinghetti is an eminently quotable American poet whose signature spirit is eminently critical of politicians and the status quo. This can be felt in his poem "I am waiting".

"I am waiting

for the American Eagle

to really spread his wings"

He served in the US Navy and saw the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. He told the New York Times "In Plato’s republic, poets were considered subversive, a danger to the republic… I kind of relish that role". He was interested in freedom and revolutionary movements.

Azimuthal Quantum Number

Azimuthal quantum number is a quantity that is being increasingly talked about in chemistry.  The concept comes from quantum mechanics, and is a number assigned to an atomic orbital - a function that describes the wave like behaviour of an electron in an atom. Certain classes of elements in the periodic table such as transition metals are classified by their azimuthal quantum number.