Interesting FAQ's

What’s the Giri Raja chicken?
It’s a breed of chicken developed in Bangalore that can be used to produce both meat and eggs. Typically, poultry is reared specifically for one of these purposes. Animalwelfare experts believe that using this breed will be more humane, since the birds won’t develop health problems because of intensive breeding. Also, male laying birds needn’t be slaughtered since this breed can be used to produce both eggs and meat.

What is the Beer Google effect?
The Beer Google effect refers to the tendency to google information on someone we meet for the first time. This generally happens when one consumes alcohol, and under its influence, he looks up the person on the internet. For example, I met Geeta at ABC bar for the first time and she tells me that she works for XYZ Inc. Immediately on returning home, I beergoogle her using the search string ‘Geeta XYZ Inc’.

What is the principle of a voltage stabilizer?
A voltage stabilizer is an electrical appliance used to feed constant voltage current to costly electrical gadgets like ACs and computers, and protects them from damage due to voltage fluctuations. A voltage stabilizer works on the principle of a transformer, where the input current is connected to primary windings and output is received from secondary windings. Whenever there is a drop in incoming voltage, it activates electromagnetic relays which add to more number of turns in the secondary winding, thus giving higher voltage which compensates for loss in output voltage due to drop in incoming voltage. When there is rise in the incoming voltage, the reverse happens, and, thus, the voltage at the output side remains almost unchanged.

What is HAARP?
HAARP is an acronym for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a research initiative aimed at studying the effect on the performance of communication, navigation and surveillance systems by simulated heating of the ionosphere. It was started in 1993 and is expected to continue till 2013. It is defence oriented and funded by various US defence agencies, including the air force and the navy. A powerful HF signal is transmitted to heat a limited area of the ionosphere for a specified time. Scientists then record the effects of temporarily altered conditions through advanced instruments. It’s been at the centre of controversies, with some organizations claiming that the transmission antennae may be used as weapons.

What is argemone oil?
Argemone oil is extracted from argemone seeds. It is mixed with sunflower oil and sesame oil to raise their quantity. Consumption of this oil leads to health disorders among children. To avoid this, we must check the contents of the cooking oil. Many oil brands mention ‘no argemone oil’ on their packs.

What is switchgrass?
Switchgrass, known in Botany as Panicum Virgatum L., is the perennial tall grass found in the prairies of North America and many parts of Mexico. Its height varies from 5 ft to 12 ft, and the diameter of its stem at ground level is about 20 inches. It can grow easily even in poor-quality soil, with low requirement of inputs like fertilisers, and can tolerate hostile environmental conditions, including floods and drought. The grass has both main roots that penetrate deep into the soil, and many temporary fine roots, which enable it to conserve the soil in which it grows, and make the soil nutritionally rich. Therefore, switchgrass has been grown traditionally for soil conservation and to serve as fodder. Since the 1990s, interest in this plant has increased because it generates a lot of biomass, which can be used for producing fibre, ethanol, electricity, and other chemicals.

Which compound is used in making bulletproof jackets?
Bulletproof jackets were being manufactured with ballistic nylon material till the 1970s. In 1965, a compound — poly- paraphenyleneterephthalamide — was invented with the brand name Kevlar. This is a liquid polymer which can be spun into fibre and woven into cloth. Kevlar was originally developed for tyres and, later, for ropes, gaskets and various parts of planes and boats. The efficacy of the material led to its usage for the manufacture of bulletproof jackets. Another product with the brand name Spectra was developed in 1989 as a competitor for Kevlar. Spectra is a polyethylene fibre originally developed as a sail cloth and, later, used to make stronger and lighter non-woven material for bulletproof jackets.

Who invented the board game Monopoly?
Charles Darrow, a US citizen, invented Monopoly in 1931, during the Great Depression. Out of work, Darrow earned a living doing parttime jobs and inventing puzzles and games, to sell to toy-makers. With some difficulty, he sold Monopoly to Parker Brothers on a royalty basis. The game sold so well that Darrow soon became a millionaire. The original game had properties named after streets, hotels, etc. in Atlantic City, where Darrow lived. In India, we initially played with the British version, containing London-based names like Old Kent Road and Piccadilly. Later, an Indian version was released; it was called Trade and featured sites in Mumbai, such as Churchgate Station and Byculla.

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