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[captain-kylie-f]

#40 How is chocolate made ? (bean to bar)

The first video shows the non-industrial process of chocolate making, which I think is a lot clearer than showing you machines rolling and grinding (which obscures the process in a way) (see the second vid).

Have a good Tuesday y’all🤙

[captain-kylie-f]

#39 How are animated movies made ? I was initially looking into the making of VR video games, that led me to the making of 2D…

the 15 steps:

Story

Editorial

Art

Modeling

Rigging

Surfacing

Rough Layout

Animation

Crowds

Character FX

FX

Matte Painting

Lighting

Image Finaling

Sound Design

[captain-kylie-f]

#38 How do soap & hand sanitizer kill bacteria & viruses ?

The second video gives more scientific details behind the mechanism (very edifying).

[captain-kylie-f]

#37 How do touchscreens work ?

Going beyond the science behind touchscreen technology, the video also explains the science behind the top glass protective layer and the OLED displaying layer. Enjoy.

[captain-kylie-f]

#36 How do painkillers work ?

nociceptors, enzymes that catalyze reactions after cells are damaged, and chemicals that block their active sites

[captain-kylie-f]

#35 What is soil ?

So, I have some succulents, and I recently bought a soil mix that is granular and very different from the soil that the succulents originally came with. And when I scooped some soil up and looked at it, I actually couldn’t say what it is exactly. (once again surprised how little I know about something so common)

So I’m delving into this topic, and ask what is soil made of? what makes the different colors and textures of soil?

The next few posts will probably concern with the nutrients in the soil and the process of decomposition of organic matter.

The supplementary video below deals with soil texture, series, profile, structure, taxonomy, and sampling. Help yourself with what you’re interested in knowing. Cheers)

[captain-kylie-f]

#34 Lithium-ion batteries, how do they work?

Recently I bought an electric toothbrush, and I’m quite fascinated by the way it charges. Although this post doesn’t answer this question, let’s start by looking at how the battery itself works!

The first video is a simplified version of the mechanism of lithium-ion batteries. It also offers some tips on how to keep your battery safe and lasting longer.

The second video gives a lot more (fascinating) details (and I swear they’re not difficult to comprehend!). The animation just BLEW MY MIND. I love whoever that made that video. It’s so clear. Thank you so much.

[captain-kylie-f]

#33 Mechanism of a pressure cooker

Ever wondered...?

[captain-kylie-f]

#32 Pepper’s Ghost, how does it work?

I was doing a bit of research on hologram technology and found so much information it’s hard to process. But one thing I got is that 3D illusions created by projecting videos on a 2D screen such as Pepper’s Ghost are not really hologram, despite being frequently called so by the media and laypeople.

And despite it wasn’t my original intention to poke into this 2D technology, it’s still fascinating (and so far has had a lot more applications in real life than true hologram). So I post it here as a primer to a post about some real hologram technologies. Coming up soon. Stay tuned.

[captain-kylie-f]

#31 How do birth control pills work?

Been watching the embryology videos of Prof. Alice Roberts (would like to thank her for the beautiful illustrations) lately, more or less understood the fertilization process and the developments afterwards, and wondered how contraceptives work, especially emergency contraception.

Please watch this video first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu11uty__OY

Tumblr doesn’t allow me to post it here because of the video’s copyright restrictions, and then watch the first video (”Emergency contraception: ...”).

Happy Friday!) 

[captain-kylie-f]

#30 Why is the sky blue? red during sunset? and sometimes multi-colored?

I thought I knew the answer cause I looked it up several times in the past, but then when I really tried to answer it, my brain tumbled on itself... so here’s another attempt.

I watched the video several times (he talks so fast) to understand the whole thing and thought that my mind was just slow. Still didn’t get the gravy thing at the end, then I looked at the comments... thanks guys)))

Here’s a more detailed and comprehensive explanation for the phenomena we see every day:

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html

[captain-kylie-f]

#29 Anatomy of tooth and gum + stages of gum disease

Going off of yesterday’s post, I set out to get a clearer idea of what our teeth are formed of, what types of diseases we are prone to, and how they develop. (It’s all because my hygienist truly scared me by saying that I have the worst gum that she’s seen in a long time + if I don’t start treating it now, I may start losing bones at a very young age. I was like, bones, what bones? and what?)

The first video might feel a little bit overwhelming because of the terms and the pace of the video, so I strongly recommend watching the second video which doesn’t include so much detail but is equally insightful if not more.

After my session with the hygienist, I rushed to buy electric toothbrush, started flossing everyday, bought fluoride mouthwash, and started disinfecting my toothbrush every time before I brush. I can’t help thinking how ancient people dealt with dental hygiene and potential problems. Many of them probably had poor diet and did most of them brush their teeth? as regularly as we do? Did many of them suffer from gum diseases?

[captain-kylie-f]

#28 How do X-Rays work ?

Went to the dentist last week and had my teeth X-rayed. Didn’t how it worked then, all seemed like magic, determined to find out later.

The second video has more details (how X-rays are produced and how they interact with atoms in your body to produce X-ray images) + additional information on how to see soft tissues using contrast liquid and fluroscopy. Enjoy !

[captain-kylie-f]

#27 Why do muscles feel sore after exercise ?

I’ve had legs and hips sore and painful as hell (almost thought that I had muscle injury), and the sensation hit hardest a few hours after I stopped moving, wonder why ?

the answer: 

Muscle soreness is a side effect of the stress put on muscles when you exercise. It is commonly called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS, and it is completely normal.

DOMS usually begins within 6-8 hours after a new activity or a change in activity, and can last up to 24-48 hours after the exercise. The muscle pain is due to inflammation within the muscle, which is one of the main triggers for this muscle soreness.

You are most likely to experience delayed muscle soreness after one of the following:

Starting an exercise or workout program for the very first time

Adding a new activity or exercise to your workout

Increasing the intensity of an exercise already in your program (increasing the amount of weight lifted, number of repetitions, or speed)

Performing the same activity over and over again without a sufficient rest break

*DOMS is often mistakenly believed to be caused by a build up of lactic acid, but lactic acid isn't involved in this process.

How can I treat DOMS?

The best way to relieve muscle soreness is to perform some gentle exercises, like walking or light stretching. It may seem counter intuitive, but the more you move, the faster the discomfort will go away!

A heating pad or warm bath may also help to ease the discomfort temporarily, but ice is a better treatment in the long-run because it actually helps to decrease the swelling and inflammation in your muscles.

These things may also help ease some of the symptoms:

rest

painkillers

massage

Additional facts:

There's not much evidence that warming up will be effective in preventing DOMS(((( But exercising with warmed-up muscles will reduce your chance of injury and improve your performance.

While stretching has many benefits, there's currently no evidence stretching before or after exercise helps reduce or prevent DOMS(((

https://www.kidney.org/content/understanding-muscle-soreness-%E2%80%93-how-much-too-much#:~:text=Muscle%20soreness%20is%20a%20side,48%20hours%20after%20the%20exercise.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/pain-after-exercise/

[captain-kylie-f]

# 26 How is toilet paper made ?

Yes, another toilet idea. This video shocked me all the way through, but no spoilers, you watch for yourself :)

Here’s a British version. It’s fun, I loved it lol.

I tried to find a video on the perforation process but had no luck. (Why I’m interested, it just seems to me that it’s difficult to perforate - difficult to put the blade through, and difficult to do so without tearing the delicate paper apart.) Wish I could visit a toilet paper factory one day myself and see the process close-up.

[captain-kylie-f]

#25 What is Morse Code and how does it work ?

I thought of this question while on toilet... now I have the Code in my head ;)

A remarkable feat, and a moving starting history. Here’s the Morse Code Chart for your (and my) reference.

I find this method invented by Sir Robert Baden-Powell the easiest. I memorized it under five minutes and tested myself - all correct.

[captain-kylie-f]

#24 How did living/reproductive matter arise from non-reproductive chemicals? aka how did living things arise from the dead

This fulfills the promise in an earlier post about the difference between organic and inorganic matter (#22).

Initially this ‘evolution’ seems like such a huge jump for me, because living and non-living things just seem to have a sharp divide between them. I mean, I’m just so different from, say, the dirt (I dare you to argue otherwise, comment below if you dare). But now after watching the video, the divide seems a lot less unbridgeable, since after all there were SO MANY chemicals on Earth and so much TIME, which lead to so many INSTANCES for unprecedented things to happen.

I (re)watched the entire Resident Evil movie series lately, and now I’m thinking that to make the dead back alive, and to create new creatures, is perhaps not an absolute impossibility...

There are two other videos that can serve as good supplementary materials on this topic. The first one gives some interesting, historical fun facts. The second one tells you a lot about hydro-thermal vents (fascinating!). Strongly recommend to watch.

Life is so exciting because of science !