Audiostretto 59/4/24 English

There are older houses in our old town that have really beautiful roof decorations. The gutters, which often have an animal or mythical creature head where the collected water flows out, are striking. In the past, this was done to ward off evil. Today, in our supposedly enlightened world, this is hardly possible any more. For one thing, nobody believes that it would work and for another, nobody wo...

Sometimes you have the choice between an absolute and a relative approach. For example: I spend 200 francs on a pair of shoes. That's a lot of money in absolute terms, but not much in relative terms if you compare it with an annual income of CHF 80,000. Or vice versa: I consume half a gram of zinc. That's very little in absolute terms in terms of weight - but a lot in relative terms: it&#3...

It's right in the centre of your face and some people like it, others don't: your own nose. I find it interesting that it so prominently characterises a person's face. Its job is to detect odours and to filter and regulate the temperature of the air we breathe in. But why isn't it simply flat or less visible, perhaps at the back of the head or inconspicuously on the neck? Why is it...

When I went to school, suddenly trainers came onto the market that no longer had to be tied, but had a Velcro fastener. That was new, revolutionary and I thought it would be the new future and laces would disappear. Why? Because it was so much easier, quicker and more comfortable and younger children in particular would no longer have to learn to tie their shoes. I was wrong. It didn't turn ou...

In our times, our world is becoming more and more virtualised. I noticed this in the logo of an app on my smartphone: the icon of the app for digital payment shows coins. How contradictory: the payment is not physical with coins but purely virtual. I can't even see what's happening. Social contacts via social media are also becoming increasingly virtual. Online meetings in shops. Tickets o...

Not so long ago, you had to go to the post office or bank with your savings book and ID to make a deposit. This was a somewhat time-consuming process, as many people had the same plans towards the end of the month when wages were paid out and the queues at the counters were correspondingly long. Today, this can be done much faster and at any time via eBanking, without the hassle of travelling to t...

A parrot has a striking beak that it can use both to open hard nuts and as a kind of third foot for climbing. The beak, or rather its shape, is characteristic of the parrot and it knows how to use it very purposefully. If we think in evolutionary terms, the question arises: has the beak developed in such a way that the parrot can survive or has it adapted its lifestyle and diet so that it can use...

A filter has the task of separating substances. It allows certain substances to pass through, while retaining others. This is clearly illustrated with coffee: before the brewing process, the coffee powder is one component, all in one. Then hot water is poured over the powder in the filter and a separation process takes place: the powder and certain substances are retained, while the caffeine and o...

Many decades ago, there was a campaign "Love is..." and then this sentence was continued in different variations. It always featured - as I interpreted it - a married couple (or today we would say lovers more neutrally) in a kind of comic strip form. The sayings were short and somehow simple, deliberately undifferentiated. For example: Love is... knowing that you always have your back -...

I've always liked golf balls. Maybe because of their shiny surface or because of the dents on the surface. I think there's something classy about a golf ball, so you can easily put one up as decoration. I had wondered where these dents in the ball came from - whether it was simply a peculiarity or functional. I was surprised to learn that the first balls were smooth. However, with use, the...

In nature, there are coarser and finer structures. I think of trees: the strong branches, but also the very fine twigs. The latter are more likely to be found on the ground when it's windy or stormy, while the strong branches stay on the tree. Why does nature have these weak parts at all if they are obviously so susceptible to adversity? These fine structures are often important links: the lea...

At a funfair there are sometimes bumper cars. Small cars on a magnetic surface with which you deliberately drive into other such vehicles and thus deliberately bump into each other - or try to avoid all these attacks. It's fun and makes great memories. You need a chip for each ride, which you can buy at the ticket office. The chip cannot be used for anything else. It is made of plastic. Practi...

Have you already thought about ethical behaviour? About demands on others and on yourself? The fact is that none of us leads a flawless life - we fail in our thoughts alone. One of these catalogues of standards can be found in the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. Jesus sets out the standards for a righteous lifestyle that apply before God. But none of us can live up to these standards. So...

What do you think is better? A mobile phone or a paper clip? Which would you choose? Probably the mobile phone. It is certainly more modern, can do much more, etc. But I still maintain that the paper clip will outlive or outlast the mobile phone. Did you know that the paper clip has been around for over 125 years, whereas the mobile phone has only been around for a few decades? The modern or most...

As children, it was more common for us to take baths than showers. Today it's the other way round for me. Maybe because we were taught that showering uses less water or maybe because it's quicker. Apart from that, a shower cubicle takes up less space in the bathroom. So there's a lot to be said in favour of showering instead of bathing. Nevertheless, I remember how as small children -...

Ideally, when you move into a new flat or holiday home, there will already be cupboards in the rooms. Cupboards are basically functional objects, but in my opinion they are not just that. Free-standing cupboards in particular are part of the room furnishings and therefore also have a certain aesthetic function. Carpenters are able to customise this aesthetic. In the past, there were also cabinets...

I can eat ice cream straight from the box or I can use an ice cream scoop to prepare it nicely in a suitable dish, maybe add a biscuit or other decoration and then eat it that way. In terms of quantity and energy intake, there is no difference. Consumption is consumption. But how you eat it does play a role. Why a scoop of ice cream tastes different or perhaps better to me than if I were to eat th...

There are many fakes in the world. Those that are very easy to recognise and those that can only be recognised by experts. The fact is, however, that counterfeiting is usually only done on really valuable things - because that's where it really pays off. In other words, large banknotes and not small change. Pictures by well-known artists and not by no-names. When we look at our behaviour, it i...

In the German language we have the phrase "Ohrwurm" (earworm). It means that you can no longer get a melody out of your mind or memory. The origin of the saying is probably that in the past, ear diseases were treated with dried and crushed earworms. It is interesting that the medicine for the treatment has become the term for this sometimes rather annoying phenomenon. As annoying as the...

If I stand in front of a building and look at it from all sides, I can form a good opinion of it, at least from the outside. But I will never be able to judge it fully if I have not seen and experienced it from the inside. I also don't have a top view - I can't judge the roof from my position on the ground. It's the same with us humans: we could only judge each other if we could see ou...

Imagine you have the choice between a glass of cool sparkling water and a glass of fresh spring water straight from the source. Most people will probably choose the spring water. Even if the cool sparkling water is good - the spring water is still of exceptional quality and beats all other options. Why is that? I suspect it's because it's the original, the most original version of the prod...

The peacock reminds me of an animal that slowly strides along, fanning out its wheel and showing off its beautiful feathers. In our language, we speak of the proud peacock because its behaviour is interpreted as wanting to show everyone how beautiful it is with its slow gait, raised head and beautiful feathers. Human interpretation. The peacock has beautiful feathers. That is a fact. And he doesn&...

Have you noticed that others do certain actions or other everyday things differently to you, or that you think they do them in a strange way? The normal thing would be the way you do it... well, that applies to your perspective. From their perspective, perhaps you are the one who does things a little strangely. Take a look at how often you notice this in everyday life. And then I invite you to eva...

There are many different types of pumpkin and their preparation. For example, I discovered the spaghetti squash a year ago. Externally, it only differs from the others in shape and colour. But they do the same among themselves. Inside, it looks the same as the others: the flesh and the seeds. But... its flesh has the peculiarity that when it is cooked, it can be pulled through with a fork and then...

We often use certain words or come across them and pass them by carelessly. As if we were simply inserting an additional filler word into a sentence or nothing more than a conjunction. Yet these words or terms have a content and meaning to offer that is enormously profound and can actually leave us speechless. For me, the term 'joy' is one of these. It is used very lightly and quickly. But...