coffee shops, coffee machines & coffee history

With respect to individuals who appreciate caffeinated drinks, drip coffee grinders are some of the most commonly utilised coffee makers in the United States of America employing the best coffee. They use various coffee beans and are easy to make use of and affordable to own and run. Available in all kinds of styles, colours and sizes, you can find a drip coffee maker to fit any kitchen area. One investigation reports that automatic drip coffee makers are probably the most purchased small kitchen gadget. Roughly 14,000,000 automatic drip coffee makers are purchased every year, and when we take the time to think about this topic we can choose to focus on coffee tables or even coffee cake.

Mr. Coffee is 1 of the best known automated drip coffee makers. Other well known coffee maker corporations comprise Braun & Proctor-Silex. Automatic drip coffee makers are used in several homes and corporations. They function by dripping normal water through a filter made up of ground coffee. Two types of filtration systems are available for these devices: paper and permanent.

Paper filters might affect coffee taste as can some plastic long lasting filtration systems. Plastic filter systems do not last as long as metal filters. Metal filters may require that coffee beans be blended a little rougher than is needed for paper filters. Intelligent drip coffee makers offer a variety of particular attributes. From simple equipment to top of the range designs that do everything from milling the beans to brewing it at a pre-set time. Basic automated drip coffee makers offer a water tank, a filtration system container, and warming plate to keep the carafe heated. Nearly all include filter containers that lift out and a simple on/off control.

Added features include indicator lighting, a brew-temporary stop selection, digital control panel, timers, permanent filtration systems an automatic shut off. Top of the range capabilities include water filtration and a built in grinder. Single cup models can be purchased, as are machines generating anywhere from 4 cups to a dozen cups.

Water Bottles Need to be Clean to be Safe: How to Clean Your Water Bottle

You are doing the right thing for the planet by filling up at home and carrying a reusable water bottle and you’ve chosen a safe, non-toxic bottle-but if it’s not kept clean then it may not be healthy.

Whether your drink bottle is a stainless steel bottle, SIGG bottle or a BPA free plastic water bottle, it is important to stop mould and other deposits forming in the bottle.

Wash your drink bottles with warm, soapy water at the end of every day and let the bottle air dry upside down with the top off every day where possible.

Should any mineral deposits or lime scale form inside, fill your clean water bottle with Distilled White Vinegar and let it soak for 24 hours. Then rinse with warm water mixed with one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), rinse out and let dry. Spots inside the bottle that look like “corrosion” are most likely a mineral deposit.

Fill your bottle with filtered water wherever possible. It tastes so much better, but also because water contains different minerals in every area this may affect what happens inside your bottle.

Do not allow liquids such as fruit juice to ferment inside the bottle.

With all reusable water bottles you can also try SIGG cleaning tablets and a specially-designed SIGG bottle cleaning brush, or simply a baby bottle brush. Only ever use a soft brush on aluminium bottles with lining like SIGG so as not to damage the lining. Stainless steel water bottles like Klean Kanteen and Nathan can handle a hard brush.

While all bottles are technically dishwasher-safe, it is recommended to not put them in a dishwasher. Most dishwasher powders are caustic, so they will eat into the metal of your bottle and damage the exterior pattern. Bottle tops should also not be put in the dishwasher because extreme heat expands and deteriorates the plastic.

Never freeze metal bottles as metal can split even with only a little water inside. Water does not always expand in a predictable direction! Freezing plastic water bottles is also not advisable because it may cause the plastic to breakdown and toxins to leach. It is fine to place your bottle in the refrigerator.

Tips on cleaning your water bottle brought to you by Biome Eco Stores Australia.

www.haveahootreadabook.co.uk

Re-using waste for the future

Right through history, recycling has been around in one way or another. Even as long ago as 400 BC signs of early recycling are known to have taken place. Archaeological reports show that ancient waste dumps contained fewer of what is known nowadays as household waste, such as pots, tools and ash, which shows that people were, even in those days, keen to reuse products at a time when natural resources weren’t so freely available. Little did they know that what they were starting would play such a huge role in shaping the world for future generations

Indeed it could be argued that the old ‘rag-and-bone’ man was just an early recycler collecting unwanted goods on his horse and cart, before reusing or turning the collected items into something new. The 60′s TV series, Steptoe and Son, brought this very much to the public eye and greater attention.

During periods such as the World War Years, recycling and re-use were necessary as natural resources became much more difficult to come by. As well as food being rationed, certain materials such as metal and fibre were largely allowed only for use by the government in support of military operations, to meet manufacturing requirements often in the production of weaponry. There was a desperate need to support the military.

Due to rising energy costs, the need to recycle aluminium increased in the seventies.. As a material aluminium utilises much less energy in the production process than some other materials. Also it was much sought after because of its non rusting properties. The need for aluminium saw the rise of scrap metal merchants who were willing to pay money in exchange for good quality metal. Also, in the 70′s in parts of the United States of America, the first vehicles were seen to be collecting waste with a separate trailer for the collection of recyclable materials being towed behind the vehicle.

To the late 1980′s, early 1990′s and as the awareness of managing the global environmental state increased amongst worldwide governments, the focus upon recycling really started to gather momentum. In the UK, the government imposed recycling targets upon Local Authorities and with the introduction of the new legislation upon the waste industry, recycling schemes really began to take off. The once commonly recognised waste disposal companies, began to call themselves waste management companies and demonstrated through the offer of waste collection and recyclable material collection that waste needed to be managed more effectively. Local skip companies needed to become better at what they did.

Today, many hundreds of materials and products can be recycled, ranging from paper, card, glass and plastics, to mobile phones, electrical items, printer cartridges, textiles, clothing and concrete. The demand for different types of collection receptacles has increased dramatically.

What is Recycling?

The term recycling describes the process of converting used materials into new or nearly new materials to avoid the need for potentially useful materials or products to be discarded. Essentially it is diverting waste from landfill.

Recycling plays a key role in a world where climate change is high on the environmental agenda. It helps to reduce the need to unnecessarily send waste materials and products to landfill or other waste disposal options. This in turn diminishes the need or the reliance upon consuming fresh or new raw materials, reduces energy use and air and water pollution, all of which contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Significant contributions to improving the environment.

Recycling is probably most evident through the recycling services now provided by local authorities for domestic refuse and recycling collections and by modern waste management companies who generally offer a full range of waste and recycling collection services.

There will be many companies across great britain who now provide paper recycling, cardboard recycling, glass recycling, energy from waste , recycling services. But to be sure your waste is really going to be appropriately recycled is it important to find a well well-known and trusted company.

In the waste sector, the common promotional activity surrounds the waste hierarchy – ‘reduce, reuse, recycle and recover’. This four R slogan is a simple message designed for a far reaching audience. Think about how you can reduce your waste. Can the waste products or materials be reused? Can the waste product or material be recycled or recovered? Many questions to consider.

The waste hierarchy is a strategy which many waste management companies and local authorities consider when developing new waste management strategies. The strategy is intended to focus the mind around preventing waste being generated in the first place. Consider the options for reuse and recycling but ultimately minimise the amount of waste produced at the end of the cycle.

So the emphasis is very much on the entire production process. The waste hierarchy extends much wider than to waste management companies and local authorities. Working groups have been set up to bring many sectors together to consider the entire waste cycle. For example, the manufacturer of a product needs to consider how the product is to be manufactured. Can parts be used which can later be recycled or reused? Can the amount of packaging which surrounds the product be reduced? When the product reaches the retailer, is it necessary for the product to be placed within an outer package? Once the retailer sells the product, what will the buyer do with the unwanted elements of the purchase, i.e. the packaging? How will the packaging be collected and where will it go? Will it return to a recycling plant, for onward transfer to a reprocessing plant, where the cycle begins all over again? The process must be simple to manage and implement.

How are Materials Collected for Recycling?

Legislation now dictates that all waste should be treated to divert the amount of recyclables and unnecessary waste going direct to landfill. Since 1996, UK government has applied a landfill levy on all waste disposed of within landfill. The rate of tax has increased considerably in recent years rising from the original level of £8 per ton, to today’s rate of £40 per ton. The UK government has previously announced that this will increase further to £48 per ton by the end of 2010/11. This rate applies to all general waste streams, although there is a lower rate for inert materials. Sending waste directly to landfill is an expensive option and finding suitable methods to divert waste away from landfill is now a priority. For inert materials the rate is £2.50 per ton.

So, the message to everyone is clear, segregate your waste to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Traditionally, at home or at work, as soon as you place waste in the container , it is forgotten about. Someone else will collect it and take it away. Nowadays, at home and at work, recycling is being encouraged through the provision of bins in which to place specific recyclable materials. At home, the children are often the keen recyclers.

Perhaps the most common materials to be seen being collected for recycling are paper, card, glass, metals and plastics. But the opportunity to recycle a vast number of materials or products continues to grow. Although technically not seen as recycling, food waste and garden waste collections are increasing, where the food or garden waste is taken back to a plant for processing into a reusable or saleable compost product.

There is a substantial range of paper recycling bins could be set at high usage points for instance close to photocopying machines to gather excess papers.

The methods of collecting materials or waste to be recycled is also increasing and becoming more noticeable within local communities. Dedicated collection sites, often referred to as a bring bank sites, are springing up in supermarket car parks to encourage customers of the supermarket to return such items as bottles, newspapers or card to the bins on their way into the supermarket. Shoppers are therefore encouraged to bring back their recyclables.

Local Authority waste collection crews or their appointed contractors will collect refuse and recyclables from the kerbside usually at the front of your home. Collection from domestic premises generally remains the responsibility of the local council and many have now employed the provision of baskets in which to collect specified recyclable materials or products.

In the industrial and commercial sector, waste management contractors offer separate containers in which the customer deposits the appropriate waste stream or recyclable material ready for collection. The bins will often be clearly labeled as to which recyclable product should be placed within that container or bin. Alternatively, the bins will be colour coded to identify which recyclable materials should be placed within which bins. Waste management companies also may have to deal with special requests from the customer.

The key to a successful recycling initiative is informing the public about what can be recycled and how. In the commercial world getting the co-operation of office employees is crucial. The introduction of any recycling scheme must ensure that in asking staff to separate waste for recycling, it does not become time consuming and affect the efficiency of what employees should be doing in their work. The introduction of any recycling scheme should be kept simple.

The Recycling Process

Various collection systems exist for the collection of the recyclable material . Whichever collection system is utilised , the materials are taken to a recycling centre where they will be segregated from other wastes. This could be done manually or by using mechanical separators.

To begin the recycling process from a collection point of view, the more recyclable material which can be separated at source, i.e. at home or in the work place, the more efficient it will be for the waste collector. That is why separate containers are supplied to the waste producer to encourage segregation at source. If card can be collected on a vehicle, which will collect no other waste material, the card will be kept uncontaminated and therefore will have a higher value when it reaches the processing plant. Similarly, dedicated glass collection vehicles are used to collect only glass. Apart from the obvious health and safety reasons and the weight of collected glass, it will have a much higher value if the collected glass load is not mixed with other waste.

Once collected, the recyclable materials can be taken direct to a reprocessing plant, if the load contains only that specific type of material. So a dedicated glass collection vehicle could take the load directly to a glass processing plant. It is more likely that the glass will have to be bulked up for onward shipment to the processor.

If mixed recyclables have been collected such as paper and card within the same container, it may be necessary for the collector to take the load to a drop off point to unload and allow the load to be sorted into separate paper and card bundles for onward transfer to a paper or card processing plant. Whichever method is used, the recyclable material collected will usually be segregated or cleaned before going through to a reprocessing plant to be converted to a new resource and ultimately used as a new product or in manufacturing.

Because of high density populations, the problem of waste disposal requires more innovative solutions than the old landfill ideas. power in waste is just one such solution, turning waste material into electricity.

The Increasing Importance of Recycling

In the UK around 35% of waste collected from households is recycled or composted. Whilst in the commercial and industrial sector, the volume of waste sent to landfill has declined substantially in recent years and the amount of waste now being diverted for recycling or reuse by this sector has risen above the volumes going to landfill.

Landfill continues to play an important role in the management of waste across the UK as not all wastes can be recycled and some are more suited to landfill disposal than by any other means. However, it’s not just the increasing costs of disposing of waste directly in landfill which is making recycling a more attractive option for businesses. Landfill is becoming scarce, with some experts suggesting that the amount of space available across all UK landfill sites, has less than ten years existence remaining before all sites are deemed to be full. Such countries as Dubai have filled parts of the coastline with their waste and created useful land area to extend the boundaries of their country.

In recent years, waste management companies have had to change their focus, and start to consider and invest in new technologies, such as energy from waste plants, anaerobic digestion plants and mechanical biological treatment plants, as alternatives to landfill. Local Authorities have also changed their views by undertaking comprehensive strategic reviews as to how waste under their jurisdiction should be handled. In some cases this has meant that unitary authorities are implementing plans to introduce long term contracts, usually around 25 years in length, through which to manage their entire waste management requirements. These contracts will often include the need to build a facility through which to handle all waste generated across the region by sorting all waste streams. The contracts may also include the collection of all waste and recyclables from homes across the area. So the face of waste management is changing rapidly. The days of just throw it in the dustbin have disappeared and the advent of new technologies are upon us. The introduction of new technologies will play a huge role in the future of waste management.

Conclusion

Recycling is now a way of life and is here to stay. It has evolved over the years from something that was undertaken without any real thought behind it. The trusty rag and bone man was just trying to make a living. Today, many blue chip organisations are setting out plans for a ‘zero to landfill’ waste policy, where the intention is very clear – reduce waste, reuse waste and recycle waste, but no waste must end up in landfill.

Many homes across the country now have some form of bin in which to separate waste for recycling. The need to separate newspapers, aluminium cans and plastic bottles are almost common place. Whilst in industrial and commercial sectors, there is an increasing list of items to consider for recycling such as printer cartridges, office paper, metal and electrical equipment. Even on street corners and airports you see bins to recycle such items as newspapers and drink cans.

Ideally the whole process would be a complete cycle such as it was in the days of the horse. However the advent of new technologies will accelerate further the way in which our waste is to be managed in the future, but it is highly unlikely that we will ever reach the ultimate waste free society. There will always be a need for waste to be disposed of somewhere, somehow.

Contempory Doors

 TIMBER FUSION ENTRANCE DOORS These doors offer European styling in a Fusion of timbers & metal brings together contrasts in timber species and glazing in unique ways. The Doorstore offers combinations of selected dark Jarrah, Myrtle, Blackwood timbers contrasted against pale Victorian Ash to create an opening statement at the entrance of the home that is truly individual. Unique style and contrast tell a lot about their owners and these are all in stock and ready to be picked up at The Doorstore today – we have Fusion Doors Galore. Open 7 days come and see the Fusion range for yourself and see why they are one of The Doorstore’s best selling doors.

METRO TIMBER ENTRANCE DOORS The Doorstore’s Metro Style Entrance Doors contrast veneers to create a contemporary style entrance. This unique doors contrasting grains and veneers allows you to start the theme at the entrance and continue it through the home. At The Doorstore we have a full range of exciting vertical and horizontal combinations, the same ultra-slim white veneer highlight, the same beautiful timbers of Myrtle with Tasmanian Oak and Victorian Ash with Blackwood, and now with entrance grade construction. For modern style in an entrance door look no further than this range currently in stock and on display – we have modern doors galore at The Doorstore.

WAVE TIMBER ENTRANCE DOORS The Doorstore’s Entrance Doors with Organic curves & oversize dimensions create doors with impact. These doors are visually calming with their organic curved design. The solid Victorian Ash joinery doors feature timber and glazing in horizontal orientation, following a distinctive wave formation. Adding to the effect are radiating lines grooved into the face of the timber which follow the wave. Glazing options for this highly sort after door are Clear or Translucent. The Pivot System on this door uses pivot bearings, not conventional door hinges, to handle the additional weight with ease and functionality and comes complete with everything required for installation.

For more information on these highly impressionable doors call one of our helpful staff or visit to our 2-acre display premises. For Moorabbin’s best range and advice on decking out your home with trendy Doors look no further than 122 Cochranes Road Moorabin, and see for yourself.

MIRAGE TIMBER ENTRANCE DOORS The Doorstore’s Timber & glass Entrance Doors are glazed doors in which panels of timber, highlighted with subtle stainless steel accents, appear to float on the glass surface. Select Victorian Ash is the timber of choice for this door and the “floating” panels are of mitred construction for aesthetic appeal and strength. These stile and rail doors represent superior craftsmanship at its very best. We have many to choose from at The Doorstore so come down andsee for yourself or give our helpful staff a ring and we will help you find the door you want at a fraction of the price.

These door designs offer a modern, streamlined look, with top quality flush construction featuring select hardwood stiles for and core technology to cut down sound transmission. The Doorstore’s contemporary doors plus quality veneers make a first impression that really lasts. Call The Doorstore today and see what one of our contemporary doors can do for your home

The Doorstore is an Australian family owned and operated company stocking mostly Australian made doors. All of our stock is under one roof and we hold the biggest range in Victoria. Go direct to where Australian builders buy their doors. Australian Web marketing by Ozwebbuilders.com.au

What Are The Advantages Of Obtaining A Metal Swing Set Compared To A Wooden Swing Set?

When you’re deciding about a swing set for your play area, there are a variety of things to bear in mind|remember}. Sturdiness, expenditure, and safety are the most significant. Consumers can usually choose amid wood, metal, and plastic play equipment. Plastic is the safest, but it’s only appropriate for very young children, and does not weather well. Wood is now and then thought to be more attractive, but comes with a large price tag. The well known metal swing set, though, performs fine on all three indicators, so long as you take a little care.

Metal swing sets are thought by many to be the toughest option within the industry. Though, it’s crucial to buy a quality set, crafted from galvanized steel that won’t corrode. Normal steel that has just been painted to impede corrosion will get worse if the paint coat is scratched. Sets that don’t use galvanized steel are also often of less quality. There are a variety of different styles and sizes of metal swing set. Some include slides, monkey bars, and other fun toys, while other models have only basic swings.

Lately, wooden swing sets have become a lot more popular. These back yard structures offer the choice for kids to amuse themselves near their own homes, safely, and for parents to keep an eye on them. They are also visually nice-looking, tough, and enjoyable. Although older sets were to some extent unsafe, new improvements to wooden swing sets and play equipment, like plastic slides, coated chains, and well finished wood that helps kids stay away from splinters makes a wooden swing set a good option. However, there are plenty of styles on the market, and choosing could be complex. There’s more to picking a wooden swing set than just purchasing the first set that looks good.

Industrial Boiler Replacement

In the current economic conditions, the cost of replacing entire heating systems can be prohibitive. Facilities managers are faced with difficult decisions regarding the most cost effective method for overcoming failing old heating systems. There are several issues when it comes to changing the entire heating system.

A common problem is that when the boiler plant is nearing the end of its life, the distribution system still appears to be OK. However there are always concerns about dirt being transferred from the existing system into new boiler plant.

The whole system including the boiler can be changed or a retrofit new boiler can be installed and connected onto an old system. Replacing the whole heating system is however very costly and, if the rest of the building isn’t being refurbished, it can create all sorts of problems with closures due to structural work or removal and replacement of pipe work.

Associated closure of buildings during refurbishment or replacement boiler plant can now be avoided by using a temporary portable plant room.

Adding a new boiler onto an old system can cause problems; damage to the new boiler can be caused by the detritus and deposits contained in the old system. There is a strong possibility that an older system will not have benefited from water treatment, dirt or air separation units. Older boilers therefore would have been exposed to progressive corrosion, resulting in large deposits of debris most of which is likely to be ferric in nature. When the system is drained down the silt and magnetite dries out; these deposits then turn it into a fine dust similar to talcum powder. This isn’t too much of a problem in older boilers, which tend to have large, low velocity waterways; however, with the installation of a new boiler this can cause major problems.

The fine powder gets distributed when you refill or flush the system and is then free to flow into the new equipment such as pumps and valves. The silt can also combine with the salts in the refill water and bake hard in the waterways of the new boiler plant. Being magnetic, the silt can clog around the armatures of canned rotor pumps and cause them to seize. Connecting the old system to the new boiler can also cause damage to or failure of the boiler’s heat exchanger; deposits act as an insulator, and the metal of the heat exchanger will retain the heat instead of passing it into the water. The lining of debris that would be left in the heat exchanger of the new boiler will reduce the efficiency of the new boiler. 

The old system can be separated from the new boiler plant by using a plate heat exchanger. The heat exchanger will create a barrier between the old system and the new boiler thus creating a new environment on the primary side of the heat exchanger onto which the new boiler is installed. By separating the new boiler plant from the old system you enable the water to be treated on boiler side, which will extend the life of the new boiler, as well as enabling you to use a modern high efficiency sealed and pressurised boiler.

A Little On Golf’s History

As a participator sport, golfing has been gaining in popularity for quite a while now. But the History of Golf actually goes way back, and has evolved into a very technical sport. Golf is thought to have originated in Scotland in about the fifteenth century. Hitting stones with sticks over grass and sand and into rabbit holes is the legend of its Scottish beginning.

Of course there is no unanimity in the acceptance of that story since there were other more or less competitive activities involving sticks and balls going on. But it is likely that Scotland did help popularize this game of counting the number of hits it takes to hit some kind of a ball into a hole. When the Royal Family took up the sport it was given international exposure, and golf gained in popularity in a big way.

By the early 1800’s golf was being enjoyed by both women and men. Golf clubs at this time, were designed in basically the same way as they are now. The rules of golf were very similar to those of the modern game by this time as well. However, with the handmade clubs and balls being on the expensive side, the game of golf was mostly enjoyed only by people having enough money as well as the time.

Mass production of golf clubs made of metal began late in the nineteenth century, bringing equipment prices down and thus putting the sport in reach of more and more of the world’s sporting population. Affordability did wonders for the popularity of the game. Throughout the world golf courses and the fore runners of country clubs were being built. In 1894 the USGA was founded as participation in the sport of golfing soared. Golf was added as an Olympic sport in 1900 and the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) was formed fourteen years later.

Over the years, rapid improvement in the technical aspects of golf equipment design and production resulted in lower prices and golfers getting better results when hitting the ball. Money increasingly flowed in to the sport as golf tournaments flourished all over the world, providing a huge audience for marketers to hawk their goods and services. At the same time as television began taking off in the 1950′s, the emergence of superstar golfers drew the interest of millions of viewers. The popularity of top golfers drew ever more followers to televised golf and at the same time encouraged more people to take up the game.

In today’s market, a golf-phenom like Tiger Woods attests to the draw of the game of golf by putting the sport on the radar of virtually everyone who looks at the television or newsstand. Pro golfers demonstrate ever more tremendous skill. Weekend players and amateurs play and practice and embrace the developments in the sport. Even Computer Golf Games are able to entertain and challenge millions of virtual golfers.

Throughout the world, people of all ages are enjoying golf. Golf instruction is readily available at courses, clubs, schools and shops, for anyone who wants to learn the basics or to improve their skills. For many, the availability of golf has become an important consideration in planning vacations and business trips. In summary, the game of golf has become immensely popular, entertaining and challenging millions of people.

Lean about Photography and its Development

Photography is the result of combining several technical discoveries . Long before the first photographs were made, Chinese philosopher Mo Ti described a pinhole camera in the 5th century, Albertus Magnus discovered silver nitrate and Georges Fabricius discovered silver chloride. Daniel Barbaro described a diaphragm in 1568. Wilhelm Homberg described how light darkened some chemicals (photochemical effect) in 1694. The fiction book Giphantie, published in 1760, by French author Tiphaigne de la Roche, described what can be interpreted as photography.

Photography as a usable process goes back to the 1820s with the development of chemical photography. The first fixed photograph was an image produced in 1825 by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. However, because his images took so long to expose, he sought to find a new process. Working with Louis Daguerre, they experimented with silver compounds based on a Johann Heinrich Schultz discovery in 1724 that a silver and chalk mixture darkens when exposed to light. Niépce died in 1833, but Daguerre continued the work, eventually culminating with the development of the daguerreotype in 1837. Daguerre took the original photo of a person in 1839 when, while taking a daguerreotype of a Paris street, a pedestrian stopped for a shoe shine, long enough to be captured by the long exposure (several minutes). Eventually, France agreed to pay Daguerre a pension for his formula, in exchange for his promise to announce his discovery to the world as the gift of France, which he did in 1839.

Meanwhile, Hercules Florence had already developed a very similar process in 1832, naming it Photographie and William Fox Talbot had earlier discovered another means to fix a silver process image but had kept it secret. After reading about Daguerre’s invention, Talbot refined his process so that portraits were made readily available to the masses. By 1840, Talbot had invented the calotype process, which produces negative images. John Herschel made many contributions to the new methods. He invented the cyanotype process, now familiar as the “blueprint”. He was the first to use the terms “photography”, “negative” and “positive”. He discovered sodium thiosulphate solution to be a solvent of silver halides in 1819, and informed Talbot and Daguerre of his discovery in 1839 that it could be used to “fix” pictures and make them permanent. He made the first glass negative in late 1839.

In March 1851, Frederick Scott Archer published his findings in “The Chemist” on the wet plate collodion process. This became the most widely used process between 1852 and the late 1880s when the dry plate was introduced. There are three subsets to the Collodion process; the Ambrotype (positive image on glass), the Ferrotype or Tintype (positive image on metal) and the negative which was printed on Albumen or Salt paper.

Many developments in photographic glass plates and printing were made in through the nineteenth century. In 1884, George Eastman developed the technology of film to replace photographic plates, leading to the technology used by film cameras today.

In 1908 Gabriel Lippmann won the Nobel Laureate in Physics for his method of reproducing colours photographically based on the phenomenon of interference, also known as the Lippmann plate.

Processes

Monochrome Images

When photography all began the pictures were only black and white, but with the development of colour film professional photographer still preferred monochrome due to the cheaper cost and the look of the finished image.

It is important to note that some desaturated pictures are not always pure blacks and whites, but also contain other hues depending on the process. The Cyanotype process produces an image of blue and white for example. The albumen process which was used more than 150 years ago had brown tones.

Many photographers continue to produce some desaturated images. Some full colour digital images are processed using a variety of techniques to create black and whites, and some cameras have even been produced to exclusively shoot monochrome.

Colour

Colour photography was explored at the beginning in the mid 1800s. Early findings in colour could not fix the photograph and prevent the colour from fading. The first permanent colour photo was taken in 1861 by the physicist James Clerk Maxwell.

Early colour photographs were taken by Prokudin-Gorskii (1915). One of the early methods of taking colour photos was to use three cameras. Each camera would have a colour filter in front of the lens. This method provides the photographer with the three basic channels required to recreate a colour still in a darkroom or processing plant . Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii developed another technique, with three colour plates taken in quick succession.

A practical application of the technique was held back by the very limited colour response of early film, however, in the early 1900s, following the work of photo-chemists such as H. W. Vogel, emulsions with adequate sensitivity to green and red light at last became available.

The first colour plate, Autochrome, developed by the French Lumière brothers, reached the market in 1907. It was based on a ‘screen-plate’ filter made of dyed dots of potato starch, and was the only colour film on the market until German Agfa introduced the similar Agfacolor in 1932. In 1935, American Kodak introduced the first modern (‘integrated tri-pack’) colour film which was developed by Polish constructor Jan Szczepanik. It was Kodachrome, based on three coloured emulsions. This was followed in 1936 by Agfa’s Agfacolor Neue. Unlike the Kodachrome tri-pack process, the colour couplers in Agfacolor Neue were integral with the emulsion layers, which greatly simplified the film developing. Most new colour films, except Kodachrome, are based on the Agfacolor Neue technology. Instant colour film was introduced by Polaroid in 1963.

Colour photography may form images as a positive transparency, intended for use in a slide projector or as colour negatives intended for use in creating positive colour images on specially coated paper. The latter is now the most common form of film (non-digital) colour photography owing to the introduction of automated photo printing equipment.

Full spectrum photography ultraviolet and infrared

Ultraviolet and infrared films have been available for decades and employed in a variety of photographic avenues since the 1960s. New technological developments in digital photography have opened a new direction in full spectrum photography, where careful filtering choices across the ultraviolet, visible and infrared lead to new artistic visions.

Modified digital cameras can display some ultraviolet light and all of the visible and much of the near infrared spectrum. As most digital imaging sensors are sensitive from about 350 nm to 1000 nm. An off-the-shelf digital camera contains an infrared hot mirror filter that blocks most of the infrared and a bit of the ultraviolet that would otherwise be detected by the sensor, narrowing the accepted range from about 400 nm to 700 nm. Replacing a hot mirror or infrared blocking filter with an infrared pass or a wide spectrally transmitting filter allows the camera to detect the wider spectrum light at greater sensitivity. Missing the hot-mirror, the red, green and blue (or cyan, yellow and magenta) coloured micro-filters placed over the sensor elements pass varying amounts of ultraviolet (blue window) and infrared (primarily red, and somewhat lesser the green and blue micro-filters).

Uses of full spectrum photography are for fine art photography, geology, forensics and law enforcement and even some claimed use in ghost hunting.

Digital Photography

The Nikon D1 was the first DSLR to truly compete with and begin to replace, film cameras in the professional photojournalism and sports photography fields and was the start of something very new.

Traditional photography burdened the commercial photographer working at remote locations without easy access to processing facilities and competition from television pressured photographers to deliver images to newspapers with greater speed.

News photographers at remote locations often carried miniature photo labs and a means of transmitting images through telephone lines. In 1981, Sony unveiled the first public camera to use a charge-coupled device for imaging, eliminating the need for film: the Sony Mavica. While the Mavica saved images to disk, the images were displayed on television and the camera was not fully digital. In 1990, Kodak unveiled the DCS 100, the first commercially available digital camera. Although its high cost precluded uses other than photojournalism and professional photography, commercial digital photography was born.

Digital imaging uses an electronic image sensor to record the image as a set of electronic data rather than as chemical changes on film. The primary difference between digital and chemical photography is that chemical photography resists manipulation because it involves film and photographic paper, while digital imaging is a highly flexible medium. This difference allows for a degree of image post-processing that is comparatively difficult in film-based photography and permits different communicative potentials and applications.

Digital point-and-shoot cameras have become widespread family products, outselling film cameras and including new features such as video and audio recording. Kodak announced back in January 2004 that it would no longer sell reloadable 35 mm cameras in western Europe, Canada and the United States after the end of that year. Kodak was at that time a minor player in the reloadable film cameras market. In January 2006, Nikon followed suit and announced that they will stop the production of all but two models of their film cameras: the low-end Nikon FM10, and the high-end Nikon F6. On May 25, 2006, Canon announced they will stop developing new film SLR cameras. Though most new camera designs are now digital, a new 6x6cm/6x7cm medium format film camera was introduced in 2008 in a co-operation between Fuji and Voigtländer.

According to research made by Kodak in 2007, 75 percent of professional photographers say they will continue to use film, even though some embrace digital.

A survey held in the U.S. showed that over two thirds of the professional photographer group that compared film images to digital images liked the film results better for some circumstances which included:

• film’s superiority in capturing more information on medium and large format films (48 percent);
• creating a traditional photographic look (48 percent);
• capturing shadow and highlighting details (45 percent);the wide exposure latitude of film (42 percent); and
• archival storage. (38 percent)

Digital pictures has raised many ethical concerns because of the ease of manipulating digital photographs in post processing. Many snappers have declared they will not crop their pictures, or are forbidden from combining elements of multiple photos to make “illustrations,” passing them as real photographs. Today’s technology has made picture editing relatively simple for even the novice photographer. However, recent changes of in camera processing allows digital fingerprinting of RAW photos to verify against tampering of digital photos for forensics use.

Camera phones, combined with popular photo sharing web sites, have lead the way to a new kind of social photography. But that is a whole new article.

Author: Peter Davey MA DipM

Heated LED Bathroom Mirrors: The Ultimate Bathroom Accessory?

Introduction

Central to the mythology of mirrors is Narcissus a Boeotian hero, who disliked those who loved him for his own natural beauty. He famously gazed into a pool of water and was so fascinated with the reflection, that he was unable to bring himself to leave the image. Not realising that the image he could see was of his own natural beauty, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the image, and he perished.

The concept of how the mirror works is quite simple. It stems simply from the reflective surface of still water and therefore nature plays its part. When you look down into a puddle or a dark pool of water, the smooth water reflects the light straight back into your eyes. Mirrors work in a similar way, in that a mirror is made up of a coated glass surface which when a polished metal surface or metal film is applied behind the glass, light cannot shine through and so reflects the image back. Young children particularly, are always fascinated when they look into a mirror for the first time and see their own reflection staring back at them. Anyone who has young children will remember the vision of their young child daughter kissing their image on a mirror. My eight year old daughter loves sitting in front of her mirror applying her make up nearly as much as my fifteen year old daughter!

Where would we be today without mirrors? Mirrors are generally used for personal grooming or interior decoration and have evolved from a luxury item into a necessity. There is an enormous variety of mirror shapes and sizes and over the years, mirrors have gradually evolved to meet many different requirements. Today there is a large selection of mirrors , ranging from small mirrors to large mirrors, framed, unframed and includes bathroom mirrors, decorative mirrors, illuminated mirrors, LED mirrors, shaving mirrors, compact mirrors and demister mirrors.
Away from personal use, mirrors are also used as part of scientific apparatus such as cameras, lasers, telescopes and periscopes, to reflect light and used as tools in dentistry and medical care.Not to mention the beauty and hair salon industries.

History of Mirrors

The history of mirrors as far as we can see dates back over 8,000 years. The earliest known mirrors were made from pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring glass from cooled volcanic lava flows. In Anatolia in Turkey, examples of obsidian mirrors dated at around 6000 BC have been found. In south and central America, polished stone mirrors from around 2000 BC on wards have also been found. From around 3000 BC mirrors of polished copper are known to have been crafted in ancient Egypt. In China bronze mirrors were manufactured from around 2000 BC.

The first metal coated glass mirrors are thought to have been made in the first century AD, in Sidon, known today as Lebanon. The Roman author Pliny makes reference to glass mirrors backed with gold leaf in his Naturalis Historia, one of the largest reference books to have survived from the Roman Empire, which focused on natural and man-made objects and was written in around 77 AD. The Romans also created a technique for making crude mirrors by using molten lead to coat blown glass.

In the 10th Century Arabian Physicists, considered different types of mirrors, reflecting mirrors and parabolic mirrors and another discussed concave and convex mirrors in both cylindrical and spherical geometries. In undertaking various experiments with mirrors, finding the point on a convex mirror at which a ray of light coming from one point is reflected to another point was solved.

During the period of the 14th to 17th Centuries, across Europe a method of coating glass with a tin-mercury amalgam was perfected by manufacturers. Venice was recognised for its glass making expertise and soon became a centre of mirror production using this new technique. Glass mirrors from this period were extremely expensive luxuries. Manufacturers also evolved in London, France and Germany.

The particular process of silvering to produce the first silvered-glass mirror is credited to German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1835. He developed a process to apply a thin layer of metallic silver onto glass through the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process was adapted for mass production and led to the greater availability of affordable mirrors and formed the basis of what we now consider the normal way to produce a mirror today.

The evolution of the mirror over the years is quite interesting, if like me you love mirrors! It has developed from a luxury item to an item which is now taken for granted in daily use. Today, walk into any shop to look at mirrors and the selection is vast, with many technology features now finding there way into mirrors, to give added simplicity, luxury and decoration.

Of course no luxury bathroom would be complete without the all important heated illuminated mirror meaning you can step straight out of a hot steamy shower and still be able to see in the mirror, great for shaving.

How are Mirrors Made?

The manufacture of mirrors includes the application to a suitable material of a reflective coating. Glass is the most commonly used material, due to its ability to take a smooth finish and its rigidity. Glass is also more scratch resistant than many other materials.

Early mirrors were made of solid metal, bronze or silver and they were far too expensive for most to be able to afford. Metal is also prone to corrosion and because of polished metal’s low emissivity, antique mirrors were less suitable for indoor use. With indoor lighting at the time supplied by candles or lanterns, the metal mirrors reflected a much darker picturecompared to modern glass mirrors.

In modern times ‘float glass’ is used in the manufacture of mirrors, which is a flat ribbon of glass which is run out of a furnace and along the surface of a bath of molten tin. The temperature of both the glass and molten tin is controlled to enable both surfaces to be made perfectly flat. There are now three common types of mirrors: plain – which has a flat surface, and the two spherical types of mirrors: the convex and the concave. The concave and convex mirrors can be used in an entertaining way, when used at fairgrounds or amusement parks to distort peoples figures reflected in them through bloating, stretching and shrinking, the person or object in front of them.

In some applications, a mirror isn’t a mirror at all. For example, when used in public conveniences, especially in public or factory toilets, where for reasons of cost and the need for greater durability, a single polished metal sheet is often installed as a form of mirror.

Different Types of Mirror

Throughout the ages, mirrors have been employed as symbols of truth, deception and vanity. Mention a mirror and you instantly know that if you look into one, you will see your own reflection staring back at you. The image you see will resemble your own appearance. In optical principles, the reflections in mirrors do not totally match the objects in front of them. When looking into the mirror, trace the contour of the reflection of your head in a mirror. The reflection may correspond in proportion, but will generally be half in actual size.
With such a variety and huge range of mirrors now available, much has been made of the amount of money spent in purchasing mirrors particularly by women, although in this day and age with an increase in men purchasing cosmetics, some men will also be vain enough to carry a mirror. I wonder if in another decade or two, me calling men vain for carrying a mirror will be thought of as ridiculous!

The vain Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs famously asked her special mirror, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Mirrors are synonymous with truth.
Mirrors are frequently used in interior decoration to create an illusion of space, and to decorate and amplify the apparent size of a room. They will be used around the home, the office, a pub, club or restaurant to good effect. They work particularly well in night clubs, reflecting the many images of light in the club or room to create a feeling of a much bigger space.

Infinity Mirrors provide an effect of never reaching an end, known as ‘symmetry breaking’ and are particularly effective when used in a dark environment. I remember experiencing this phenomenon for the first time as a child in a large department store lift, where mirrors where on all sides of the elevator car. For those who are not good in lifts I should think this effect probably does nothing to calm them, perhaps that’s why you don’t see lifts like this anymore Or is it just because I’m getting old and that was a particular style popular in the 70′s!

My next favourite kind of mirror after the infinity mirror is the heated mirror, these mirrors have a heating element or what is called a demister pad mounted on the back. The reason a mirror steams up when you have a shower is because the surface temperature of the mirror is colder than the air temperature and causes the water vapour in the air to condense on the mirror. Some bright spark realised long ago that it if you heated the mirror this would avoid it steaming up, brilliant!

For many years heated mirrors have only featured in very expensive bathrooms usually costing thousands, and quality hotels have used heated mirrors as a neat differentiator from the increasingly popular budget hotels and motels. Of course it is not until you step out of the hotel shower and see yourself in the mirror that you realise it is there! Whilst at the back of your mind you realise this is one of the reasons why this room is more expensive than the other hotel across the street.

Last week I heard the BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce state that the best shave you ever had will have been in a hotel, to which he attributed the benefit of the heated bathroom mirror as the main reason. I have to agree, and every time I stay in (nice) hotel I always have a really good look at the bathroom with a view to reproducing the best of its features in my own home.

If you already have a nice bathroom mirror but it is not heated, and wish you had bought one of the demister mirrors instead it’s possible to order just the demister pad component and upgrade your current mirror. Upgrading your mirror, who would have thought that was something we would be writing about 20 years ago!

In 1980, ska group The Beat had a UK top ten hit with ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ and the bathroom is probably the location where we tend to study ourselves the most in mirrors. Many will say that it is not wise to look at yourself in the mirror first thing in the morning, but the bathroom is often the first port of call in the morning. Many bathrooms feature a main bathroom mirror positioned on a wall and a bathroom cabinet with mirror doors. Other than the “oh my god” do I really look like that expression, the uses of a mirror or mirrors in a bathroom will generally be to aid the application of make up, hair styling or shaving. One of the major problems with bathroom mirrors is that after showering or bathing, the mirror is misted over.

A recent addition in the manufacture of heated mirrors is the inclusion of a demister pad which clears the mirror for use in just seconds. Imagine never having to again wait for the steam of the bathroom to disappear from the mirror, or having to open the window, before using the mirror to shave or apply make up. The bathroom mirror demister or steam free bathroom mirror is a great invention. Some manufacturers refer to these products as fog free bathroom mirrors and there is now a huge range available, again some with back lights, LED lighting and built in shaver points.

Demister mirrors and steam free bathroom mirrors are not the only recent developments on mirrors. As suggested above another reasonably new product is the backlit bathroom mirror. Illuminated mirrors maintain the features of a simple mirror, but will enhance any environment in which they are used with the addition of lighting. As with all mirrors, the range of illuminated mirrors is extensive, with a variety of sizes and shapes available. An Illuminated mirror with shaving point can also be purchased. Illuminated bathroom cabinets with or without shaver sockets are also available.

Mirrors with backlit LED lights will enhance any bathroom or environment in which they are installed. Being of low energy consumption LED, or light emitting diode, are more environmentally friendly than traditional bulbs. They are designed to withstand the moisture of the bathroom environment. So water vapour mist will not cause a problem. As a real luxury mirror, illuminated bathroom mirrors and bathroom mirrors with LED lighting can also include a demister pad, to demist the mirror in just a few seconds and an on/off sensor to activate the lights as soon as motion is detected in front of the mirror. Now bathroom cabinets are also available with inbuilt back lights, and LED lighting for that special something different in your bathroom.
As a bathroom accessory the mirror should come high on the list, in fact can you really have a finished bathroom without a mirror? The enormous selection of styles, types, shapes and sizes means that there must be a mirror to match anyone’s budget. Although some of the latest technological versions such as illuminated, backlit and LED mirrors could be considered to be luxury items, some are not as expensive as you may have thought.

Top of the range bathroom light mirrors feature a demister pad and shaver socket, great for shaving straight out of the shower, or if like me, you always get the second go in the bathroom after someone else has just had a shower!

Mirrors, Superstition and Auspicious Energy Flow

I have always loved mirrors, probably why I have ended up in the mirrors business! When I was at school I did a project on them, this was before the internet was invented mind so I trawled through piles and piles of reference books in both the school and local library for months. These days of course it would only take a couple of hours on Google, kids these days don’t know how easy they’ve got it!

Once you get immersed in mirrors as I did all those years ago, or ‘mirros’ as I frequently misspelled it, and start researching them, you find that they play a major part in all aspects of life. Mirrors also feature in superstitions. One of the most commonly known superstitions is that someone who breaks a mirror will receive seven years bad luck. A popular belief for this superstition is that mirrors are a reflection of the soul and if a mirror is broken, then part of the soul is broken. Added to this, some believe that the soul regenerates every seven years in an unbroken condition, hence the seven years of bad luck. I bet you’ve always wondered what that was about so I’m glad to share that with you!

It is also said that the mirror does not lie. A mirror can show only the truth. It is a very bad omen indeed to see something in a mirror which should not be there! Some cultures also have a custom that a newborn child should not look into a mirror until its first birthday because its soul is still forming.

In the southern United States, it used to be customary to cover the mirrors in a house where the wake of a deceased person was being held. If a mirror was left uncovered or exposed, people believed that the deceased person’s soul would become trapped in any uncovered mirror.

In the ancient art of Feng Shui mirror placement is considered very important. There is a lot of information available about this, and it is a subject that can’t be covered in a mere paragraph or two here. But Chi energy flow can be influenced by mirrors so where the energy needs to be diverted, mirrors can be used for this to great effect. Personally I don’t really conform to these rules, although my mum has mirrors strategically placed all over her house to redirect in-auspicious energy! One of the principles I do follow though is to make sure I don’t have any mirrors facing my bed, or the kids beds, as this is said to reflect your dreams back onto you whilst you are sleeping, which is not a good thing if it’s a nightmare!

Conclusion

A mirror is defined as a coated glass surface for reflecting images. There is a huge range of mirrors for industrial use, and available in many shapes and sizes. The most commonly seen uses of mirrors are for personal grooming and interior decoration. As a race we are thoroughly addicted to mirrors.

Over time, mirrors have evolved from a luxury item to an item of necessity and many particularly women will always carry a mirror in their hand bags. However, today with technological advancements, some mirrors will be seen as a luxury, particularly those which include illumination, LED or demisting devices. As individuals we spend many hours of our life in a bathroom, so why not treat yourself to one of life’s little luxuries and indulge in a stylish bathroom mirror? After all, let’s be honest, who can really live without looking in a mirror at least once a day?

Getting a sunburst wall mirror

There are some things to consider when selecting a wall mirror for your home. You will need to determine where you want to hand the wall mirror and what style will match the rooms theme. First ask yourself where you intend to hang the mirror. This will give you an idea as to the correct style of mirror. Some of the most popular types of wall mirror include modern, frameless, kids, Venetian, and traditional. You wll have lots of choices to make when determining the shape of your wall mirror. Your options include rectangle, square, sunburst, arched, octagon, oval, and round.

You also have the choice of getting a custom wall mirror in virtually any shape out there. Custom wall mirrors are those with a shape that is not uniform. Some ideas of large mirrors include triangular mirrors or sectional mirrors. You will also need to determine if you want flat edge or beveled glass. Your choice here is mainly about what you like best. Some people believe that a beveled glass is more sophisticated while flat edged glass will work best for others. Once you have taken the time to look at samples of both you can decide which one works best for you. Another choice you have when purchasing a large wall mirror is to pick a framed or frameless model. If you choose to have a frame this will open up a host of options.

There are various types of materials that are used in the production of wall mirror frames. Some of the most popular materials are acrylic, glass, metal, and wood. It is also possible to find frames created from nontraditional materials, many times from items which have been recycled. You can almost always find a frame in a color that will blend well with the other accessories in your room. The size of the wall mirror and frame combined is the last choice you will need to make. You will need to take some measurements of the wall where you want to hang your new mirror to figure out the best size. This will give you a general sense of how the mirror will look once it is hung.

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