Believe it or not the origins of the term 'Redneck' are Scottish. This term was used in refrence to the supporters of the National Covenant or "Covenanters". The supporters consisted mostly of Lowland Presbyterians that later fled Scotland or Ulster during persecutions by the British Crown. The Covenanters of 1638 and 1641 signed documents stating they would not accept the Church of England as their official church. Many signed in their own blood to make a point and wore red pieces of cloth around their necks as sign of their refusal to accept the church. This is where the term 'redneck' came into existence. The term redneck soon became slang for Scottish dissenters. Due to the fact that many Scottish immigrants that ended up in the south were Presbyterian the term Redneck became a term not just for Presbyterians but their later descendants as well.
Source
Wilkinson, Todd J. "Scottish Hillbillies and Rednecks?" Scottish History Online.
Date Accessed Online 12, 21, 2007 http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/rednecks/rednecks.html
Friday, December 21, 2007
Can Plasma TVs Freeze?
Well, as stated with LCD screens, anything can freeze, it simply is a matter of getting it cold enough. The question here should be, is it possible to freeze a plasma TV through 'normal' weather conditions? I would say, through the scientific evidence available, no. My reasoning? Here it is:
To start, plasma TV's work like any other TV. Based on the information fed to the television it lights up thousands of pixels on the screen using a high-energy beam of electrons. In most systems there are three pixel colors; red, blue, and green. These colors combine themselves in different amounts to form the entire color spectrum. A plasma TV functions by illuminating thousands of tiny colored florescent lights to form the image using the same colors as your basic cathode ray tube TV would use; red, blue, and green.
Plasma is the essential ingredient in florescent light. It's a gas formed from free-flowing ions and electrons. By adding electricity you create a chain reaction that eventually leads to the production of light.
The 'plasma' in a plasma TV is actually xenon and neon gas which is contained in hundreds of thousands of individual cells positioned between two plates of glass. The rest of the system is made up of electrical components and wires that feed the needed information and electricity to this area but those are not essential to answer our question. We already know electronics can be affected by the cold, but at what temperatures do xenon and neon gases freeze?
Xenon's freezing/melting point is : 161.45 K which is equal to -111.7°C and -169.1°F
Neon's freezing/melting point is: 24.703 K which is equal to -248.447°C and -415.205°F
Due to the fact that Xenon's freezing point is so low, I highly doubt anyone would be able to even think of accompanying a plasma TV anywhere near where it would be cold enough to freeze the gas inside. Taking into consideration that the lowest ever recorded temperature on earth was -129°F (In Antarctica) I believe it is safe to assume that you won't encounter any weather condition that is able to actually freeze a plasma TV. Having said this don't assume that just because it can't freeze it will do well in cold weather. As with most electronics you should let it get to room temperature before running it after it has been exposed to the cold.
Sources
Kenneth Barbalace. Periodic Table of Elements - Xenon – Xe. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2007. Accessed on-line: 12/21/2007
http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Xe.html
Kenneth Barbalace. Periodic Table of Elements - Neon – Ne. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2007. Accessed on-line: 12/21/2007
http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Ne.html
Harris, Tom. "How Plasma Displays Work" Snopes.com 12, 21, 2007 http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/plasma-display.htm
"Lowest Recorded Temperatures" Infoplease 2007 Person Education Inc. 12, 21, 2007 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001377.html
To start, plasma TV's work like any other TV. Based on the information fed to the television it lights up thousands of pixels on the screen using a high-energy beam of electrons. In most systems there are three pixel colors; red, blue, and green. These colors combine themselves in different amounts to form the entire color spectrum. A plasma TV functions by illuminating thousands of tiny colored florescent lights to form the image using the same colors as your basic cathode ray tube TV would use; red, blue, and green.
Plasma is the essential ingredient in florescent light. It's a gas formed from free-flowing ions and electrons. By adding electricity you create a chain reaction that eventually leads to the production of light.
The 'plasma' in a plasma TV is actually xenon and neon gas which is contained in hundreds of thousands of individual cells positioned between two plates of glass. The rest of the system is made up of electrical components and wires that feed the needed information and electricity to this area but those are not essential to answer our question. We already know electronics can be affected by the cold, but at what temperatures do xenon and neon gases freeze?
Xenon's freezing/melting point is : 161.45 K which is equal to -111.7°C and -169.1°F
Neon's freezing/melting point is: 24.703 K which is equal to -248.447°C and -415.205°F
Due to the fact that Xenon's freezing point is so low, I highly doubt anyone would be able to even think of accompanying a plasma TV anywhere near where it would be cold enough to freeze the gas inside. Taking into consideration that the lowest ever recorded temperature on earth was -129°F (In Antarctica) I believe it is safe to assume that you won't encounter any weather condition that is able to actually freeze a plasma TV. Having said this don't assume that just because it can't freeze it will do well in cold weather. As with most electronics you should let it get to room temperature before running it after it has been exposed to the cold.
Sources
Kenneth Barbalace. Periodic Table of Elements - Xenon – Xe. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2007. Accessed on-line: 12/21/2007
http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Xe.html
Kenneth Barbalace. Periodic Table of Elements - Neon – Ne. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2007. Accessed on-line: 12/21/2007
http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Ne.html
Harris, Tom. "How Plasma Displays Work" Snopes.com 12, 21, 2007 http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/plasma-display.htm
"Lowest Recorded Temperatures" Infoplease 2007 Person Education Inc. 12, 21, 2007 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001377.html
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah, Khanukah, and Ckanukka.... Which one is right?
Quite simply put Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah, Khanukah, and Ckanukka... and several others are correct. There is not one spelling that has been deemed correct over the other's, it's simply a matter of preference when writing in the English language. In Hebrew though, there is only one spelling and that is all that matters. The reason that English has adapted so many spellings has entirely to do with the phonetics of the word. How one pronounces it will most likely determine how they spell it so, in the end, it is up to you to decide which version you prefer rather then which one is right.
Sources
Shuman, Ellis. "How do you spell Hanukkah?." Israelinsider
12, 9, 2001. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.israelinsider.com/channels/politics/articles/pol_0082.htm
"Can you spell 'Hanukkah'? Sure, any way you want" News Channel 34
2003. The Seattle Times 12, 20, 2007
http://www.newschannel34.com/guides/holiday/story.aspx?content_id=AA7B1469-4F76-432C-AD37-53AAA0EEC786
Sources
Shuman, Ellis. "How do you spell Hanukkah?." Israelinsider
12, 9, 2001. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.israelinsider.com/channels/politics/articles/pol_0082.htm
"Can you spell 'Hanukkah'? Sure, any way you want" News Channel 34
2003. The Seattle Times 12, 20, 2007
http://www.newschannel34.com/guides/holiday/story.aspx?content_id=AA7B1469-4F76-432C-AD37-53AAA0EEC786
Did Santa Really Get his Red Suit from Coca Cola?
Dear old Santa Clause. He can almost always be found in shopping malls taking pictures with children or on signs advertising toys around the Christmas season, but where did that red suit of his come from? Some people claim it came from Coca Cola's use of the jolly old man in their ads, but as a matter of fact it isn't. And the old man's jolly history is one worth talking about....
Santa Clause as we know him to day, started out as a real person, a Monk by the name of St. Nicholas that lived around 280 A.D. St. Nicholas became popular through his kindness and as such became a part in many legends that spoke of his good will. So popular for his kindness was St. Nick, that he became revered as the protector of children and sailors. After his death on December 6th it became a day of celebration for the Saint so well known and loved. Even when the celebration of saints was discouraged St. Nick continued to have a place in peoples hearts.
Santa first touched the hearts of America in the December of 1773 and again in 1774 when a New York newspaper printed an article about a group of Dutch gathering to celebrate his death. The name Santa Clause eventually spread as John Pintartd went on in 1804, to distribute woodcuts that depicted scenes we are familiar with today, such as Santa standing before stockings filled with toys. In 1809 Washington Ivring called Santa Clause the 'Patron Saint of New York' in his book The History of New York. In 1812 Irving revised his story, adding to the original picture of a tall figure with long robes. He wrote about St. Nick 'riding over the tops of trees, in that selfsame wagon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children." No doubt this is where Santa's sleigh came into existence. His first reindeer was later added in 1821 when William Gilley wrote a poem about St. Nick dressed all in furs and driving a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer.
On Christmas Eve 1823 the other 7 of Santa's 8 reindeer were born to the world when Clament Clark Moore's poem "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" (Commonly known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...') was published. This version of Santa was also where the classic chimney entrance was introduced.
On the other hand, in parts of Europe such as Germany, Nicholas was replaced by a representation of the infant Jesus, or Christ Child which was also known as Christkindlein. The Christkindlein joined Nicholas-like figures such as Pere Noel in France, or traveled with the dwarf0like helper Pelznickle, a St. Nick with furs. Often this helper was represented by adults dressed in furry disguises that visited children while they were still awake. When the children fell asleep and woke up the next day though the presents they found were always credited to 'Kriss Kringle' whose name originated from 'Christkindlein. Eventually though both Pelznickle and Christkindlein became confused as Santa and soon enough they added their own pieces to the evolution of Santa Clause.
The man-sized version of our jolly old man came into existence in 1841 when J. W. Parkinson hired a man to dress as 'Criscringle' and climb th chimney outside his shop.
It wasn't until 1863 that Santa took on the adventure to being molded into the gift giving man we know today. It was then that Thomas Nast added to the picture of Santa. His version had a flowing set of whiskers and dressed in fur from head to toe while also establishing dear Santa Clause as a maker of toys. In 1869 both Nast's drawings and a poem by George P. Webster were paired together into a book that named the North Pole as Santa's home.
For years after Santa's size ranged from large to small, fat and skinny and in all different colors including red and white. Santa was in fact depicted in a red suit long before the Coca Cola company hired Haddon Sundblom to help them come up with a way to advertise soft drinks as not just a summer time drink. Winter time was always a slow time for the soft drink company and they needed a way to promote their bubbly drinks so that even during the holiday season there would be a craving for them.
And Huddon Sundblom did just that, in 1931 the 'classic' red and white Santa we know today became a part of their advertising during the winter months. Sundblom turned to Irving and Moore for inspiration, drawing from one of Ivring's image of Santa in red and white and from Moore's jolly old man with a belly of jelly to create a very warm Criss Cringle.
This version of Santa Clause was so popular throughout the 33 years Sundblom painted him that people fell in love with him. They paid so much attention to him that each time a change was made the Coca Cola company received letters asking why. One such incident was when Sundblom removed the wedding ring from Santa's hand, only to result in fans asking what happened to Mrs. Clause.
Clearly Santa has changed a lot over the years, but he was certainly not created by the Coca Cola company. The red coated version of Santa became popular through supporting Coca Cola's colors while Coca Cola supported this portrayal of St. Nick, helping to mold the Monk from 280 A.D. into the jolly old man we know, and many love, today.
Sources
"Coke Lore"
The Coca Cola Company. Coca Cola Corporation. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html
"Evolution of Santa"
The History Channel 12, 20, 2007
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=1276&display_order=4&mini_id=1290
Mikkelson, David P. , Mikkelson, Barbara. "The Claus That Refreshes".
Snopes.com. 3, 16, 2007. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp
Santa Clause as we know him to day, started out as a real person, a Monk by the name of St. Nicholas that lived around 280 A.D. St. Nicholas became popular through his kindness and as such became a part in many legends that spoke of his good will. So popular for his kindness was St. Nick, that he became revered as the protector of children and sailors. After his death on December 6th it became a day of celebration for the Saint so well known and loved. Even when the celebration of saints was discouraged St. Nick continued to have a place in peoples hearts.
Santa first touched the hearts of America in the December of 1773 and again in 1774 when a New York newspaper printed an article about a group of Dutch gathering to celebrate his death. The name Santa Clause eventually spread as John Pintartd went on in 1804, to distribute woodcuts that depicted scenes we are familiar with today, such as Santa standing before stockings filled with toys. In 1809 Washington Ivring called Santa Clause the 'Patron Saint of New York' in his book The History of New York. In 1812 Irving revised his story, adding to the original picture of a tall figure with long robes. He wrote about St. Nick 'riding over the tops of trees, in that selfsame wagon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children." No doubt this is where Santa's sleigh came into existence. His first reindeer was later added in 1821 when William Gilley wrote a poem about St. Nick dressed all in furs and driving a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer.
On Christmas Eve 1823 the other 7 of Santa's 8 reindeer were born to the world when Clament Clark Moore's poem "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" (Commonly known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...') was published. This version of Santa was also where the classic chimney entrance was introduced.
On the other hand, in parts of Europe such as Germany, Nicholas was replaced by a representation of the infant Jesus, or Christ Child which was also known as Christkindlein. The Christkindlein joined Nicholas-like figures such as Pere Noel in France, or traveled with the dwarf0like helper Pelznickle, a St. Nick with furs. Often this helper was represented by adults dressed in furry disguises that visited children while they were still awake. When the children fell asleep and woke up the next day though the presents they found were always credited to 'Kriss Kringle' whose name originated from 'Christkindlein. Eventually though both Pelznickle and Christkindlein became confused as Santa and soon enough they added their own pieces to the evolution of Santa Clause.
The man-sized version of our jolly old man came into existence in 1841 when J. W. Parkinson hired a man to dress as 'Criscringle' and climb th chimney outside his shop.
It wasn't until 1863 that Santa took on the adventure to being molded into the gift giving man we know today. It was then that Thomas Nast added to the picture of Santa. His version had a flowing set of whiskers and dressed in fur from head to toe while also establishing dear Santa Clause as a maker of toys. In 1869 both Nast's drawings and a poem by George P. Webster were paired together into a book that named the North Pole as Santa's home.
For years after Santa's size ranged from large to small, fat and skinny and in all different colors including red and white. Santa was in fact depicted in a red suit long before the Coca Cola company hired Haddon Sundblom to help them come up with a way to advertise soft drinks as not just a summer time drink. Winter time was always a slow time for the soft drink company and they needed a way to promote their bubbly drinks so that even during the holiday season there would be a craving for them.
And Huddon Sundblom did just that, in 1931 the 'classic' red and white Santa we know today became a part of their advertising during the winter months. Sundblom turned to Irving and Moore for inspiration, drawing from one of Ivring's image of Santa in red and white and from Moore's jolly old man with a belly of jelly to create a very warm Criss Cringle.
This version of Santa Clause was so popular throughout the 33 years Sundblom painted him that people fell in love with him. They paid so much attention to him that each time a change was made the Coca Cola company received letters asking why. One such incident was when Sundblom removed the wedding ring from Santa's hand, only to result in fans asking what happened to Mrs. Clause.
Clearly Santa has changed a lot over the years, but he was certainly not created by the Coca Cola company. The red coated version of Santa became popular through supporting Coca Cola's colors while Coca Cola supported this portrayal of St. Nick, helping to mold the Monk from 280 A.D. into the jolly old man we know, and many love, today.
Sources
"Coke Lore"
The Coca Cola Company. Coca Cola Corporation. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html
"Evolution of Santa"
The History Channel 12, 20, 2007
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=1276&display_order=4&mini_id=1290
Mikkelson, David P. , Mikkelson, Barbara. "The Claus That Refreshes".
Snopes.com. 3, 16, 2007. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp
Can LCD screens really freeze in the cold?
At some point everything freezes, it's simply a matter of dropping the temperature low enough for the molecules to almost stop moving. LCD screens are no different, but the paste-like liquid inside does not freeze at the same temperature as water and can survive in even lower temperatures then 32 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, LCD's are not only a liquid-like substance inside but they are electronics, and like most electronics and liquids it will react to the heat and cold. The basic rule for LCD screens is that you treat them with care and try not to leave them in extreme temperatures.
Sources:
Tyson, Jeff. "How LCDs Work"
HowStuffWorks. 12,20, 2007 http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm
Putman, Pete. "Flat-Panel Monitor Myths and Urban Legends"
StudioDaily. 7, 1, 2005. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.studiodaily.com/main/technology/issues/5196.html
Sources:
Tyson, Jeff. "How LCDs Work"
HowStuffWorks. 12,20, 2007 http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm
Putman, Pete. "Flat-Panel Monitor Myths and Urban Legends"
StudioDaily. 7, 1, 2005. 12, 20, 2007 http://www.studiodaily.com/main/technology/issues/5196.html
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Introduction
Every now and then someone hears a fact from a friend that heard from a friend that heard from a.... Well you get the picture.... The problem is when facts move from mouth to mouth you cant know for sure whether or not these 'facts' are indeed true. Verity vs Verisimilitude exists for the soul purpose of figuring out whether or not these obscure facts are true while also, when not searching for answers for some of them, providing research and resources on specific topics that can range from historical happenings to current events.
If at any time you think of a fact you want information on leave it in a comment and Verity vs Verisimilitude will attempt to address as many brought up as possible.
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First 'Fun Fact'
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Verity is defined by Webster's Dictionary as the quality or condition of being true, factual, or real and verisimilitude is defined as the quality of appearing to be true or real. So in essence Verity vs Verisimilitude means Fact vs Fiction.
If at any time you think of a fact you want information on leave it in a comment and Verity vs Verisimilitude will attempt to address as many brought up as possible.
--------
First 'Fun Fact'
--------
Verity is defined by Webster's Dictionary as the quality or condition of being true, factual, or real and verisimilitude is defined as the quality of appearing to be true or real. So in essence Verity vs Verisimilitude means Fact vs Fiction.
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