RP203 Spray, Connect, Touch

 RP203 Spray, Connect, Touch

Touchscreen technology is commonplace nowadays. It's on our phones, on our TV sets, and on our laptops. At the moment, though, touchscreen technology is limited mostly to small, flat surfaces like phone or computer screens. It isn't really suitable for large or irregular-shaped objects, like toys or living room walls, for example. However, a new invention called Electrick is set to change all that. It could be the first step in turning any surface into a working, interactive touchscreen.

So, what is Electrick exactly, and how does it work? Essentially, Electrick is a conductive spray paint. You spray it on something and send a small electric charge through the object. The electrodes attached to the object then detect where you touch. Though it's not quite as accurate as the touchscreen on your smartphone or laptop, it can detect your finger within about a centimeter. It's also durable, able to retain its sensitivity over hundreds and hundreds of uses. It's not yet known how well it will work under conditions like rain or electromagnetic interference, but it's early days, yet.

So what exactly could the applications of this spray-on touchscreen be? Think about it—you could place shortcuts to your TV's functions on your favorite chair or coffee table. You could turn something like a map into an interactive learning device. How about programming your electric guitar with different sound effects? Then simply turn them on by touching different places on the instrument's body. You could customize toys, your house, your car—anything!—to respond to your touch.

Of course, you must be asking yourself, is it really possible to make anything touch-sensitive? In a word, yes. Electrick technology is not only compatible with traditional manufacturing methods such as spray-coating and casting. It works with newer, state-of-the-art technology like 3-D printing, too. The technology might be brand new, but the possibilities appear to be endless.

RP202 History of Wall Street

 RP202 History of Wall Street

What is now New York City was once a Dutch colony. After the Dutch bought the land from the Native Americans in the area, they built a wall to protect themselves from attacks. The wall lasted for about 50 years in the mid-1600s, but the name it gave to the street that ran along it has lived for centuries.

Wall Street became a center of commerce early in New York's history. Though it was only a handful of blocks long, it connected the East River with other major streets, which made it a convenient place to set up warehouses for imported goods and facilities for exports.

The idea of buying and selling bonds, contracts, and other investments in businesses wasn't new. The first stock exchange was set up in Belgium in 1531, followed by exchanges in Amsterdam and Paris. In New York, wealthy merchants along Wall Street traded stocks by word of mouth. They would meet under a buttonwood tree at the end of the street. In 1792, they got tired of this informal state of affairs. That year, a group of men formally established what they called The Stock Exchange Office, a formal, regulated entity to buy and sell stocks through.

The stock exchange in New York wasn't an instant success. On the contrary, in 1817, some members were upset with the poor performance of their exchange and went to observe the bustling, thriving exchange in Philadelphia. They came back with new ideas and made the first of many changes. In 1863, the organization was given its current name, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The NYSE has weathered the storms, from bubbles, panics, and depression to acts of terrorism. So far, it continues to dominate American finance. In 1800, only about 20 companies were traded publicly. Today, a billion shares change hands every day. Prices rise and fall, but the bell that opens the NYSE every morning just keeps ringing.

RP201 The Voice That Rules the Music World

 RP201 The Voice That Rules the Music World

Adele Adkins was born in North London, England, in 1988. Her mother, Penny Adkins, was 18 years old at the time of her birth. There were some hard times for both of them during the early years. Adele's father left when Adele was just four years old. He would keep in contact with her over the years, but it was often a troubled relationship. Adele eventually broke all contact with him when she was a teenager.

School was a problem for Adele early on. She often felt bored and uninspired in class. Fortunately, things turned around when she was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology. This was the same school that Amy Winehouse attended. The school allowed Adele to develop her love of music and skills in playing multiple instruments, including the flute, saxophone, and guitar.

Adele's big break came when she was still at the BRIT School. She posted a short demo album on her MySpace page. Some studio executives listened to it, and then decided to sign her to a contract.

Adele's rise to fame since then has been incredible. She has recorded three albums: 19, 21, and 25. All of them are named after her age at the time of production. These albums contain memorable songs like Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You. They have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Adele has also received countless awards. She swept the top categories of the Grammy Awards in 2012 and 2017—a first in Grammy history.

Perhaps more important than Adele's commercial success is the way she did it. Adele is unlike other pop stars, who tend to be managed and controlled by their labels. She is driven, independent, and immensely talented. She also feels comfortable in her own skin. Some have even described her as a “force of nature.” It's hard to imagine a better female role model for her millions of fans worldwide.

RP200 Rafflesia, the corpse Flower

 RP1100 Rafflesia, the corpse Flower

Repulsive, foul, stinking—would you guess that all these adjectives apply to a flower?

Rafflesia is the type of flower to which all those words apply. It grows in Southeast Asia. It's very rare, and it is more commonly called the corpse flower. It got this nickname because of its horrible smell. People say rafflesia flowers smell like rotting flesh.

Rafflesias are unusual for a lot of reasons, not only for their smell. First of all, they are parasites. They grow on a particular kind of rain forest vine. Sadly, as the rain forests disappear, rafflesia is also disappearing. The only parts of rafflesia plants that can be seen are their flowers, which are huge. The biggest, Rafflesia arnoldii, can be one meter across and weigh 11 kilograms! It's the heaviest single flower on Earth. Even the smallest blossoms are quite large at 12 centimeters across.

Rafflesia flowers are usually reddish brown with a white pattern that can look like warts. They smell so terrible in order to attract flies—not bees—which pollinate them. Flies land on the flowers, looking for meat, and take pollen with them when they fly away. This helps rafflesia reproduce.

Currently, rafflesia needs some help. For all its great size, it is a delicate genus. The flowers live only a few days, they usually grow in untouched locations, and many of them are difficult to keep alive outside of their natural habitat. Right now, the number of rafflesia flowers in the world is decreasing, so the more reproducing it does, the better. If we want wild, stinky, unusual rafflesias to stay alive on the earth, we must work to protect them and study them, even if we have to hold our noses while we do so.

RP199 Social Contagion

 RP199 Social Contagion

We all understand that certain illnesses are contagious. We don't share a drink with someone who has a cold. We also wash our hands after we cough on them to keep from spreading germs. But we' re discovering now that germs aren't the only things that are contagious. Ideas and states of being can be catching too.

You must have noticed how you'll probably yawn if your friend yawns. Or if a friend tells you an angry story, you may feel yourself getting angry. One person crying tends to make other people cry. This happens because of our genes. When we watch someone else feel something or do something, the very same parts of our brains that would control that emotion or action become active. Human beings were designed to share each other's feelings and emotions. Imitating other people's words and behavior is only natural for us.

Imagine that you have an overweight friend. This friend always orders too much food. When you go out with him, you order a lot as well. Can you see how you'd end up gaining weight that way? That's social contagion. If you have an overweight spouse or sibling, the chances that you will be overweight increase. Or imagine drinking and smoking. If your friends do those things, the chances that you will try them increase.

Understanding social contagion can help us live happier, healthier lives. If you want to quit smoking, spend time with people who don't smoke. Recognize when you and your friends are only encouraging each other to complain. Once you know how other people affect you, you can surround yourself with positive influences.

RP198 Cats

 RP198 Cats

You're sitting on the couch with your cat on your lap. You're petting your cat, your cat is purring, and you're both very happy. But then you feel your kitty's claws on your leg. She's opening and closing her claws against you. Ouch!

Your cat doesn't want to hurt you; she's just kneading. This actually means she's happy and content. Kneading is what cats do to their mothers to make milk flow. When your cat kneads with her paws, she is feeling safe. She's treating you like her mother.

Cats also use their paws to show other things. When they are disgusted, for example, they may shake their paws, one by one. In fact, cats talk with all their body parts. A loving cat may greet you by rubbing her face against yours. If your cat rears up on her hind legs to greet you, she's trying to get her face close to yours. This means she trusts you and wants to give you a sweet greeting.

Cats' tails are important, too. Greeting you with a tail curved like a question mark means she loves you and is happy to see you. Swishing her tail back and forth means your cat is feeling indecisive or aggressive. This is unlike dogs, which wag their tails when they' re happy!

Just like us, cats show emotions with their faces. Flattened ears mean she's scared, as do wide eyes. Blinking slowly, on the other hand, shows that your cat is calm and trusting.

Just because we don't use the same language doesn't mean we can't learn to understand animals. Study cat communication for a few minutes, and you'll be amazed at what your cat can tell you!

RP197 American Football

 RP197 American Football

Huge men sprint across the field like gazelles, then smash into each other like trains. One man is alone inside a clear space while other men fight to protect him. Just before he falls under the weight of other bodies, he throws a ball high into the air. Thirty yards away, it is caught. A touchdown! The crowd goes wild.

This is American football. It's the most popular sport in the United States, but it's not well-known elsewhere. Two teams of eleven men fight to move along a 100-yard field. Each team defends its goal at the ends of the field. The men try to move a ball. The ball can be thrown, carried, or kicked. A team scores six points for carrying or throwing the ball across the other team's goal line, and three points for kicking the ball between the other team's goalposts.

American football (called "football" in the United States) evolved in the 19th century from different types of rugby, which is played in the United Kingdom. Rugby has a similar ball and similar rules to football. While American football is still clearly related to rugby, the two games are now very different.

American football was already a popular high school and college game before it was recognized as a professional sport in 1892. The first football league was established in 1920. Two years later, it changed its name to the NFL (National Football League), which still exists today.

After 1958, when a great championship game was played, football's popularity grew. Now, it is the most popular sport in the United States. The championship, now called the Super Bowl, is watched by more Americans than any other television event. The game, with its violence, strategy, and passion, is deeply rooted in American culture.