Audiostretto 59/4/24 English

Fire has good but also destructive properties. It can warm and thus preserve life, but it can also extinguish life through uncontrolled fire. For a fire to exist, it needs two things: combustible material and oxygen. If you remove one of the two, the fire will go out. We also know fire as an expression in the sense of a figurative comparison. The fire of passion or having an inner fire for somethi...

I like wool. In addition to the pleasant material with its good warming effect, the context of wool is fascinating. A prime example of a win-win situation. The wool is obtained from the sheep by shearing them. This extraction benefits everyone involved and is sustainable. The wool grows back and the animal is not deprived of something it will never have again. People obtain a raw material that ena...

We know the law of cause and effect. So when something happens - what triggers it or what are the consequences. Sometimes it's as simple as, for example, if the price of a product is too high, people buy less of it. If something is given away for free, many copies are distributed and used. But it's not always that clear. For example, what about traffic: if you expand an overloaded road net...

I woke up the other night because my eye was itching. I had a severe irritation in my eye and couldn't sleep because of it. I rubbed my eye and tried to get rid of the itching. To no avail. I realised that it was probably a small speck of dust in my eye that was affecting my whole body and preventing me from sleeping. How annoying! I had to get up, go to the bathroom, wash out my eye and after...

In Greek mythology, Poseidon is worshipped as the god of the sea. He was a brother of Zeus. He is famously depicted with a trident, which he could apparently use to trigger earthquakes when he was in a bad mood. At that time, sailors apparently prayed to Poseidon for safe passage and even sank horses in the sea for him. When he was in a good mood, Poseidon created new islands and made the sea calm...

"One moment please!" - by this we mean: please wait a moment. We all understand what is meant: just wait a moment. But what exactly is a moment? A second? or a minute? or less than a second? In German, for example, we don't always say "one moment please" as we do in English, but "a wink please". This makes an exact definition even more difficult: what is the durat...

Our visual organ, the eye, is something marvellous. Be it the sensitivity to light, which protects us from too much radiation and brightness to our detriment, or the high resolution, which allows us to see small things clearly. Provided, of course, that the eye is healthy. However, the eye is also receptive to altered information - in the best case for our benefit: magnifying glasses or other lens...

In language, we distinguish between three time periods: past, present and future. We conjugate verbs accordingly to make it clear whether something has already happened, is happening or will happen. So what concerns our lives? Isn't it the case that we are often already living in the future - in what we are planning and must not forget to organise? In grammar, the term 'present tense'...

A rifle usually has a kind of aiming aid when aiming at the target - the front sight. This helps the shooter to align the rifle barrel more precisely with the target before the shot is fired. This gives the shooter an extended view from the nearer part of the rifle over the front sight to the target. This line of sight is intended to increase accuracy. This also works very well and is a good idea...

If we want to protect ourselves from prying eyes, we hide ourselves, stand behind an opaque object or position ourselves so that we cannot be seen. This is sometimes necessary to protect our privacy. At home, we use curtains on the windows for this purpose. These can be opened if we wish or closed to protect us. Sometimes curtains not only help to protect us from prying eyes from outside, but also...

As a child, yoghurt was something extraordinary for us. We were given it on rare occasions, for example when we were ill, to cheer us up. I still like to eat yoghurt today, but preferably without sugar, because I think most of them contain too much unnecessary sugar. But what all yoghurts have in common is that they usually have very attractive packaging: a buttery pot with an equally colourful li...

On the occasion of birthdays and parties, children have the opportunity to have their faces painted. Many have their faces painted as animals and then wear a corresponding costume at carnival, for example, so that it is clear to everyone around them what kind of animal they are. Depending on the child's personality, they then behave in the same way: they hiss or move in the same way as they ha...

Nets in sport can be found on the goals in football or in handball. They help to recognise whether the ball is actually in the goal or not. A wall as a solid surface would quickly throw the ball back again and it would remain unclear whether the ball was really in the goal or just outside or on the post. The net catches the ball within the defined area - for example the goal. If necessary, the net...

Surely you have also felt the need for a familiar conversation. You wanted to discuss something, ask a question or simply share something personal. For this to work well, at least one thing is important: no time pressure. And ideally undivided attention from the other person. While you can pass on instructions or information spontaneously and in passing, this is not ideal for personal matters and...

Switzerland has THE spice: Aromat! As children, we were allowed to eat bread with butter and Aromat with a host family. It was like a special meal. Aromat is officially and neutrally known as a seasoning and comes in a container similar to salt or pepper, but larger. However, Aromat has the property that it clumps together relatively quickly - and so it can happen that the sprinkling container is...

In nature, we marvel at lush plants, especially those that serve us as food: Gorgeous cherry trees or apple or pear trees or berry bushes with their fruit. It is a pleasure to harvest and then enjoy them. The same applies to strawberries, which grow close to the ground and can be enjoyed from the bush to the mouth. And then there are the herbs. These are relatively small and yet often look rather...

If you have a cold, your nose is blocked. This is unpleasant. Sometimes only one nostril is affected and you can still breathe normally to some extent. If both nostrils are blocked, you have to breathe through your mouth, which is also not very pleasant. All in all, it's annoying, but you can still cope relatively well with everyday life. Nasal drops can help by decongesting the mucous membran...

Shaken When you make coffee with a portafilter, you fill it with ground coffee powder. However, before you insert the portafilter into the machine and brew the coffee, you tap the portafilter a few times on a hard surface so that the powder you have just filled in collapses and then you press it flat with a tamper. Only then is the coffee brewed. This means that nothing remains of the original hei...

Stairs are a practical way of overcoming a difference in height. You overcome the difference in height step by step - whether up or down. In the vast majority of cases, you also have a good foothold, so you can step safely and firmly, which is helpful when ascending and descending and protects you from unintentionally slipping. However, there are different types of steps: those that feel ideal for...

They say 'hard shell, soft centre'. The image of the nut is used here. To open the nut, a nutcracker is used, for example, which transfers the force to the shell and cracks it so that the kernel of the nut becomes accessible. The shell often splinters in the process and the kernel is also damaged by the violent opening. This is the force variant. However, there are also suitable tools whic...

Food storage boxes keep food fresh. However, they also need the right environment. So what needs to be stored in the fridge also belongs in a food storage box in the fridge and what does not, does not. Some boxes can be sealed airtight, others are more open. Some are light-proof because this is better for storing certain foods, while others are transparent and allow an overview of the contents at...

In forests or free-standing trees, the weather side can often be recognised by the heavier moss growth or greenish discolouration of these trees. The weather side is the side of an outdoor object - which can also be a building - that is mainly exposed to wind and precipitation, i.e. the weather. So on the one hand, the weather leaves traces and on the other hand, the objects absorb these impressio...

Not so long ago there was this provocative slogan "Stinginess is cool" and many people meant it not just ironically, but seriously. Financial optimisation, as much yield or return as possible for as little investment as possible. In the western world, we can afford such ideas or approaches. In many areas, we are in a better position than the poor. But this actually means: the more power,...

Old bunkers often have small hatches. These were used to give the soldiers in the bunker the greatest possible ability to react to the outside with the smallest possible attack surface and the opportunity to get a visual impression of the situation outside. It is only a very small area in which the defence can be attacked and, as mentioned, in addition to the field of fire to the outside, it is al...

To send a letter, you must affix a stamp to the envelope. If this is not done, the letter may be sent, but you will subsequently receive a request for payment. The stamp is therefore a kind of credit system: I buy a certain amount beforehand and can spend it and send letters as long as this credit is still available. Today, we often live the other way round: we first spend money that we don't...