Cigar Smoking 101

Cigar - Photo: Pixabay

What are the basics of cigar smoking?  How do you light a cigar?  How do you draw on the cigar properly?  Do you inhale?  What are the dos and don'ts of cigar smoking?  If you have ever pondered any of these questions, read on.  Here is a simple and accessible primer designed to help you gain familiarity with the sometimes confusing, always enigmatic world of cigar smoking.  

First Step:  Lighting Up 

First, all new cigar smokers should learn how to properly light a cigar.  Use a clipper designed for cigars to clip off the edge of the head (the section you put to your mouth). If possible light the foot of your cigar with a cedar match.  Avoid regular cigarette lighters.  They produce a nasty odor that can linger and ruin a good cigar.  If you must use a lighter, use butane lighter.  These will keep the odor to a minimum.  However, you should always strive to use a wooden match because lighters can easily taint the foot of your cigar.  How do you light up?  Simply strike a match and hold the edge of your cigar over the flame.  Avoid touching the cigar to the fire, simply hold the cigar over the flame and draw deeply until the cigar is lit. 

Second Step:  Burn it down to a nub?

Should you burn your cigar down to a nub?  Experts recommend you leave at least two inches to your cigar.  Even the finest cigars will tend to get bitter if you let it burn all the way down.  What about ashes?  Should you knock the ashes off of your cigar?  Rather than knocking the ashes off the edge, let the cigar rest in the ashtray when you're not smoking it.  The ashes will fall off naturally.  

Third Step:  Relax and Enjoy

A cigar should never be rushed.  By design, cigars should be savored, preferably after dinner and with a glass of good brandy.  Hold the cigar between your thumb and fingers—anything else might be considered bad taste.  Also, don't inhale deeply.  The smoke should not reach your lung.  This is very bad for your health, and it will not help you taste the cigar any better.  Of course, you should always be considerate of those around you.  If possible, smoke in the company of other cigar smokers. A good cigar can be enjoyed alone and even more so with friends.  

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Ancestry.com: The Best Website to Learn About Your Genealogy

Field laborers of Japanese ancestry - Photo: Wikimedia

Many people try and trace their ancestry for a lot of reasons. Some do it for medical reasons to find out about a mysterious disease that their family is suffering from, others do it for honoring their dead relatives, and there are people who find it as an interesting hobby and find it fun to do so. It is a fact that it's always interesting to know about facts about your family's past. You never know, maybe your great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a famous person back in the old days.

These are some of the reasons why you should learn about your genealogy. Maybe if you find out enough about your family, there might be an illegitimate child that gave birth to the great-great-great grandfather of the President of the United States which makes you and the president very distant relatives. It is always fun and also a bit surprising finding out about your past.

However, you have to consider that as time progresses, some pasts are forgotten in the mists of time. It is very important that you should consider that finding out about one's past is very difficult especially if you don’t know about your great-grandfather for some reasons. You also have to consider past historical events, such as war, the Great Depression, and migration. In the United States, you have to consider that this country is composed of different races. There are people living here who have different traces of ancestry. There are Germans, Africans, Russians, Latin, and others. Some people don’t even know that they had foreign ancestry and you also have to consider that some last names have been Americanized.

These are some of the reasons why it can be difficult to trace your genealogy or your ancestry. However, technology can make it easier for you to find out about your past. There are available websites today that specializes in genealogy. One of these websites that are considered to be reputable and can definitely help you find long-lost relatives is the Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com is a genealogy website that can help you find out about your family's past.

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There are professionals here that can help you gather documents, such as birth, immigration, death, marriage documents, medical records, and other vital documents about your family. You need to realize that these documents are very hard to find and will require you to pay a fee for the professionals working with Ancestry.com to find it for you. Today, there are more than four billion names in Ancestry.com database. If you know the complete name of your grandparents or great-great grandparents, you can start your search for your ancestors from here.

Ancestry.com offers the best services at a very reasonable cost. You have to consider that knowing about your family's past is priceless. Who knows, maybe you are the great-great-great-great-great-grandchild of a famous Native American or a famous European who migrated in the United States.

So, if you want to know about your genealogy the easy way, you should get the services of Ancestry.com. Here, you can start your very own family tree and show it to the members of your family and friends about your proud past.

Major garage transformation

Garage - Photo: Wikimedia

One of the most commonly encountered questions when thinking about converting your garage for a new use is the warmth of the floor. Whether you are choosing to convert your garage into a spacious home office or to convert it into a gym room, you have to take into consideration some improvements for your floor.

Since the garage has a concrete and uninsulated floor you should focus on making it warmer and more resilient. Furring up the floor with wood and plywood can accomplish both tasks. As a warning, you should use pressure-treated wood or protect the wood which is in contact with the concrete by placing a layer of felt paper between the wood and the concrete.

First of all measure and determine how much you want to raise the floor. All garage floors have some amount of slope from the back wall to the wall with the garage door in it to allow the water runoff. To achieve a level floor you will have to adjust the joists, for this if you are placing the joists perpendicular to the slope in the floor each of them would have to be ripped down or shimmed up and if the joists are parallel to the slope, you can rip them on a taper or use shims to level them.

Ok, you finished remodeling the floors, now it’s time to examine your walls. You might be surprised to find out that your walls are not even with the foundation they sit on. They may be set back from the foundation or maybe overhang it in other areas. Only one step will solve these problems: selecting a lumber size that is deep enough to extend the framing past the concrete. By notching each end of the furring strip and attaching one strip to the face of each wall stud will result in an even wall that completely hides the foundation. Also, it will be deep enough for the R-21 wall insulation, this type of insulation being the most common code requirement. 

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When remodeling the walls and the floor several obstructions may appear. Obstructions like pipes, ducts, wires and other impediments to smooth walls may exist. For small obstructions such as wires or small pipes, you could adjust the furring strips enough to accommodate them. The solution for larger obstructions is to box around them. If the obstruction is a water heater or something that you will need access to, you can frame it in and enclose it on three sides and then provide a removable access panel for the fourth side.

A building permit may be required for a garage makeover. Of course, all the methods presented here are purely theoretical and only for guidance. All garages are different and some adjustments to the used methods or materials may be required in order to accommodate to your garage. 

Mountain Bike Anatomy

Maintain Bike - Photo: Pixabay

A mountain bike is the one thing you need before you go mountain biking.  A mountain bike contains many parts, which will be covered below:

1.  Bottom bracket - This attaches the crankset to the body of a bike. 

2.  Brake cable - This is the cable that connects the brake lever to the brake mechanism.

3.  Brake lever - The lever on the handlebar to activate the brakes.  The left side is the front brake and the right side is the rear brake.

4.  Chain - The circular set of links that transfer power from the chainring to the cogs.

5.  Chainring - The toothed rings that attach to the crank to hold the chain.

6.  Crank - The lever that extends from the bottom bracket to the pedal, transferring the power to the chainrings.

7.  Derailleur - The mechanism for moving the chain from one cog to another.

8.  Downtube - The section of the frame that extends downward from the stem to the bottom bracket.

9.  Front shock - The shock absorber on the front fork.

10.  Handlebar - The horizontal bar attached to the stem with handgrips on the end.

11.  Headset - The mechanism in front of the frame that connects the front fork to the stem and handlebars.

12.  Hub - The center part of the wheel that the spokes are attached to.

13.  Idler pulley - The bottom pulley of the rear derailleur that provides spring tension to keep the chain tight.

14.  Nipple - A threaded receptacle that holds the end of the spoke to the rim.

15.  Pedal - The platform to pedal on; attaches to the crank.

16.  Rear shock - The shock absorber for the rear tire on dual suspension type bikes.

17.  Rim - The metal ring that holds the spokes on the inside and the tire to the outside.

18.  Saddle - The seat.

19.  Seat post - Offers support for the seat. 

20.  Skewer - The metal rod that goes through the hub, attaching the wheel to the dropouts of the frame.

21.  Spindle - The free rotating axle that the crank arms attach to; also a part of the bottom bracket.

22.  Spokes - The thick wires that join the hub to the rim.

23.  Stem - A piece that attaches the handlebar to the steering tube.

24.  Wheel hub - The center of the wheel that the spokes are attached to.

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Archery Targets

Archery targets - Photo: Pixabay

Archery is the game that involves the shooting of arrows that are released from the bow and shot at a target. The closer you shoot the arrow to the archery targets, the more your score will be. The scored targets of each player are added and the person with the highest addition is declared as the winner. 

This game is categorized into two types i.e. field and target. The player shoots the arrow from various distances at one target in archery targets and in field archery, the players are allowed to move around in the course and shoot at the targets of various sizes from various distances. The bows that are used in the later type of this game have a traditional look. 

The bows that are used in the archery targets and the field target are made up of fiberglass or carbon and are fitted with stabilizers and sights. These bows are attached with stabilizers to stabilize the bows while playing the game. The arrows are attached with a pointed tip of metal in the front and at the back; these arrows are provided with slots to attach the strings of the bows. Straw ropes are stitched together to make the butts or the targets and then the canvas targets are pinned with colored papers. 

The adventurous archery targets involve many rules that need to be followed by the players or the shooters. During the competitions, the players can use any other bow except the crossbow. One of the rules of the game also specifies that every player should have a different colored crest on his/her arrows as a sign of identification. The arrows can only be shot when the player is given the signals. 

Every player is allowed to shoot only six arrows at the specified target. The shots are counted valid even in the circumstances like: after shooting, the arrows that fall down from the bow or the bows that do not reach the shooting line. The longest distance is to be shot first and the distance of shooting gradually increases after the first shot. 

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The shooting distances are different for the men and the women competitors. For men, the distances are 90 meters, 70 meters, 50 meters, 30 meters and for women, the distances are 70 meters, 60 meters, 50 meters and 30 meters

Listed below are some of the archery targets that are available in the market. The pro weave target faces are durable and are stuck together by pressure and heat. These types of boards can be used for improving the shooting skills.

The 3D archery targets will add a lot of excitement to the game. These types of targets are available in the market and can be used by the beginners as well as the expert shooters. These archery targets can be made at home also by using corrugated cardboard, cording, foam padding, 2x4 wooden boards, excelsior etc. 

Archery is a game of skill and concentration and if practiced regularly it can certainly be improved.

Basic Burglar Alarm Equipment

Photo: Wikimedia

Security and disaster alarms are no longer new to most people. These devices have already been available for quite some time now and have been continuously innovated. 

These deterrent instruments are usually found in business establishments. The very reason for installing such devices is for protection of properties against attempted burglary and destructive disasters like fire.

Banks and jewelry shops are examples of businesses that need high security. By using burglar alarms the security that these businesses need is met. In fact, they are being required by their insurance companies to have the most complex and effective burglar alarm that they can have. The higher the security needed the more complex the burglar alarm must be. 

Burglar alarms that are installed in homes use the basic principle of an alarm system. By simply using the electrical flow, alarms can be triggered to sound when conditions are met. For example, for a closed circuit alarm, when the door opens, the current flow powers the sounder. Contrary to the open circuit alarm because when the current is cut, the alarm sounds. 

There are only three main parts or major equipment a burglar alarm has. These are 1) the control panel, 2) signaling device and 3) detectors. These parts are being interconnected for it to work. There are systems that use radio frequency, infrared, and the like in order to connect one part to another. The system that uses radio transmitters and receivers is called the wireless system.

Control Panel

A control panel is the central processing device of the system. It is where you program the system to work according to the specifications of the home or building. It is also where you can turn on, turn off or reset the alarm system. The control panel can be accessed using remote keypads. All specifications of a control panel may differ according to the prerogative and design of the manufacturer. The detector zones can be programmed in the control panel so whenever the detector receives unusual frequencies, the control panel processes it and let the sound device alarm. A control panel also contains a memory chip that stores the user’s settings. There are other features that a control panel may contain. It can be found in the user manual or specified in the product brochure.

Signaling Devices

These burglar alarm equipment make sounds whenever the condition is met for it to alarm. A sounder may be a bell, a buzzer or a chime. Most commonly the sounder that is being used for burglar alarm systems are those that are loud enough and that can cause panic to the burglar. These days, sounders are already partnered with a strobe. A strobe is a special lighting device. It has a lamp inside that is mounted in such a way that it rotates as the sounder sounds. The most common colors used for the strobe are red, blue and yellow. Speech dialers or telephone relays are also part of the signaling equipment. 

Detectors

Detectors are also called as sensors. These equipment are responsible for reporting unusual movements to the control panel. There are several types of detectors that are used for a burglar alarm system. Here are some of the commonly used detectors:

• Magnetic Contact Detectors – this type is usually used in windows and doors. These devices are mounted on the edges of the doors and windows. 

• Infrared Detectors (passive infrared) – these are basically used to detect motions or unusual irregularities in the place. This can also be used to detect temperature changes and smoke. 

• Vibration sensors – these devices are quite more sensitive than the magnetic contact detectors because a little vibration from the window or door can be interpreted by the device as unusual and may possibly trigger the control panel to sound the alarm.  

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A Brief History of Parachutes

Skydiver - Photo: Pixabay

The physics behind a parachute is easy to understand. But making real ones are far from easy. Making toy parachutes seem like a good idea for an easy science project but experimenting with different variations is not as easy as tying strings to a fabric. Making parachutes for use in real life takes a lot of risk and accuracy.

Before modern parachutes gave us the thrill of skydiving it took a lot of guts for early investors to design parachutes that actually work and not fall them to their death. The history of parachutes went through a lot of development and a few deaths. 

The modern parachute was invented by Louis-Sébastien Lenormand in 1783. However, there are earlier versions of parachutes created by a few centuries earlier. Before the silk parachute was invented, there were basic designs built that worked on the same principles. 

Parachutes, past and present

The earliest form was a cloak attached to wooden struts. It was made by an Arab Muslim named Arem Firman in the 9th century. He jumped from a tower in Cordoba and suffered only minor injuries. Parasols were used in China for entertainment. It allows entertainers to jump from high places and float to the ground.

Leonardo da Vinci also sketched parachute with conical designs. It served as an escape device to enable people to jump from burning buildings. In 1617 Faust Vrancic was the first person to be able to make a successful jump with a parachute. 

Jean Pierre Blanchard developed his own parachute as a means to get off a hot air balloon. His first demonstrations were done with a dog as the passenger. He later on unintentionally put his invention to the test as he escaped from his ruptured hot air balloon. 

In the 1790's he made a parachute out of silk which was more stronger and lighter than previously used materials. Early parachutes were made of linen with a wooden frame.

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Andre Garnerin invented the vented parachute in 1797 and made a successful jump using Blanchard's design. The vented parachute improved stability during descent. Gleb Kotelnikov invented he knapsack parachute. It was popularized by Kathleen Paulus and Paul Letterman.

The first major use of parachutes was in the military. It was by artillery spotters and pilots. Unfortunately, the parachutes were heavy and pilots were not able to use it entirely. The German Air Service provided parachutes to their pilots. Unfortunately, there were many setbacks that most of the pilots died when using them. 

Leslie Irvin was able to invent a parachute that can be used by pilots when jumping out of the airplane in 1919. The Irvin parachute became successful leading to the creation of the Caterpillar Club. 

Experiments on parachutes were continued by several countries. It was then used in surprise attacks by dropping soldiers in enemy lines in World War II. The soldiers were called paratroopers. Airborne forces and crew were trained and equipped with parachutes.

Their designs were developed and improved over time. After the war parachutes were used in skydiving which is an extreme sport. The latest parachute is called Ram-air which has the same capability of a paraglider.

It enables its passenger to control the speed and direction of the parachute for a soft landing. It's made of nylon and uses the latest technology to prevent tearing.