Dr Hook

Dr Hook and the Medicine Show, later Dr Hook, was an American rock back, formed in Union City, New Jersey ("Havana on the Hudson"). Their hit "A Little Bit More" (1976) was originally sung by Bobby Gosh (1973). Lead vocalist is Dennis Locorriere.

Tree Sap

Tree sap is a nutrient rich fluid (primarily water) transported in the xylem cells of plants.

Legend of Lord Rayleigh - Co-Discoverer of Argon Known also for Clarity and Simplicity of Diction

Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt) was a force in British physics and a President of the Royal Society.  He also won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904. 

Some of his great achievements include:

• Rayleigh Scattering - which can explain why the sky is blue
• Co-discovered argon gas (one of the so-called noble gases)
• Predicted the existence of Rayleigh waves (surface acoustic wave, which form part of seismic waves during earthquakes)

Rayleigh's intellectual background was distinctly mathematical (leading to initial research into optics and vibrating systems) and he was also known for his clarity and simplicity of diction. His eldest son became a professor of Physics at Imperial College.

Diesel Engines Don't Use Spark Plugs - They use Glow Plugs

A glowplug (also known as glow plug) is a heating device to help start diesel engines. As the pencil-like device heats up, it emits light, hence the name glow plug. 

Ingesting Toxins in New Caledonia - The Evolution of "Hyperaccumulators"

Specialised plants, hyperaccumulators, have evolved to ingest normally toxic metals in their leaves and stems.  Some scientists believe these plants could be used to "clean" soils from toxic metals. 

These have been found in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

New Caledonia is part of a geographical area known as Melanesia off the North East coast of Australia adjoining Polynesia and Micronesia.

Quarter of an A4... or "Postcard Size"

A6 is postcard size. It is roughly one quarter the area of an A4 sheet. Page sizes are part of the ISO 216 standard. A readable guide to the rationale behind the design is available here.

What is Tantalum? A chemical element used in Capacitors.

Tantalum is a chemical element whose name comes from the Greek villain Tantalus.

Tantalus was reputed to live in Tartarus, the deepest portion of the underworld.  He was seen there by the legendary Greek hero of Homer's Odyssey.

Tantalum is a rare, blue-grey transition metal, highly resistant to corrosion. Its main use is in capacitors for computers and mobile phones.

It was first discovered by a Swedish chemist, Anders Ekeberg, in 1802. A trade association (TIC) was formed in 1974 based in Belgium for the tantalum and niobium industries.