Audiostretto 59/4/24 English

Did you know that the tree crown is the part of the tree with needles or foliage between the base of the crown, i.e. the first green branch, and the top of the tree? I always thought it was just the topmost part. So it may be that one tree has very light foliage compared to another fully leafy species - but nevertheless in both cases one speaks of the tree crown and means the leafy part - regardle...

In my youth, there was an electronic game that had four different luminous fields and sounds. The game was simple: a sound and colour sequence was played and had to be confirmed correctly. The sequence became more and more difficult until one made a mistake. Memory training. I think it is a privilege to have the ability to remember something or to be able to consciously remember something. I belie...

I went swimming in the Rhine the other day. As a rule, I can orientate myself well even during the crawl. Then a ship came by and there were strong sideways waves that also caught me. Due to the ups and downs caused by the waves, I was totally confused in my usual orientation. I absolutely could no longer rely on my sense of direction, but had to stop and orientate myself with my eyes. This remind...

For some years now, coffee capsules have been very common and also popular. Of course, first there was a manufacturer of both the capsules and the corresponding machine. Then came the imitations - both machines and capsules from other manufacturers were imitated to get a share of the market, which grew steadily. We humans are sometimes also in danger of behaving in an analogous way: someone is suc...

I see a photo in front of me from my teenage years. That was almost 40 years ago. Yet the memories of the picture are as fresh as if it had been taken only recently. The style of dress and the hairstyle make it clear that the picture does not fit into our time. Such a picture triggers memories, feelings, experiences that I would otherwise not be able to actively bring to mind. When I look at the p...

For me, doors signal transitions with conditional access. That means: someone has the authority to open the door and grant me access or to close it and keep me at a distance. That is absolutely legitimate. What I find strange from this point of view are glass doors: they can be open or closed in the same way as ordinary doors and mean the same thing: Access or not. But because they are made of gla...

I imagine how a painter or painter with her brush very carefully takes the mixed paint on the brush and then applies it in the right place. At first this only looks as if material stuck to the bristles is now transferred to the canvas and somehow spread. But this technically easily recognisable and comprehensible process is in reality the completion of an image that already exists in the artist's...

As far as I know, bricks are generally used for building houses or for the façade of a house. In some cases, they are also used decoratively on a bookcase or as a pen holder. I was recently in a town where, in the old part of town, the bricks were used as paving stones. That was a bit unusual for me: walking on red ground. But then I thought: yes, why not? There is no rule on how to use bricks cor...

In times like these, when a virus has so much impact on both global social and individual lives, it is striking that something as small as a virus can have so much impact on the very big. Or think of a mosquito that can transmit a pathogen and from which one can hardly protect oneself. So man, in all his size, is actually very vulnerable and fragile, even if he has invented weapons of tremendous d...

We all know tears. They can be caused by external stimuli, but they can also be emotional. In the latter case, they are a kind of language - for a counterpart or for oneself. For me, tears help me to express something to myself that I cannot do verbally or in any other form. It gives voice to something that goes beyond words. It also purifies. This is so in the physical - so for example, if someth...

When I was in the US the other day, I noticed the hydrants. They were strikingly red and looked like little firemen. They were not hidden or underground, but a noticeable part of the road infrastructure. But hydrants are actually very rarely in use, I think. But when you need them, they are enormously valuable: if there is a fire and the fire brigade can get running water as close to the burning o...

The proverb about the glass of water being half full or half empty is a common saying and I think it is very appropriate, also for our time and society. The culture in which we live shapes us and shapes our thinking, our perception and also interpretation of what we perceive. For example, certain cultures tend to be optimistic, positive-minded, grateful for what is - in other words, see the glass...

The purpose of a street lantern is to illuminate a public area. Both the height of the lanterns and their distance play a role. If the distance is too far, dark places are created between the lanterns. If the distance is too close, an unnecessarily large number of lanterns are placed, which does not make economic sense and can also lead to conflicts with other street furniture. We humans also have...

I recently met a professional colleague who told me he worked in the Black Forest. It was immediately clear to me where that was. On further reflection, however, it struck me: we both knew that the term Black Forest referred to a certain area. So we could assume that we both knew what was meant. Literally, however, it would be easy for someone unfamiliar with the term to assume that the colleague...

Napoleon was a defining figure in the history of Europe. Remarkable because he neither came from a famous family nor was he perhaps a scientifically outstanding personality. But he managed to advance from nobody to emperor. An entire nation followed him. A people listened to what he commanded. It is interesting how in the course of history such examples are reported again and again of how individu...

With our eyes, when they are healthy, we can see. So they are a sensor that gives us visual information and this helps us to find our way around and make decisions. In theory. But we also see with other sensors such as our feelings, our mind and partly also with our experience. On the other hand, we can see with our eyes and yet not recognise. We perceive, but are not able or willing to correctly...

I really enjoy a piece of grilled lamb. But when I see the lambs on the pasture, I am also overcome by a protective instinct and would like to take such a small animal and protect it. You can't do both: protect the animal and eat its meat, which means slaughtering it. Maybe that's why we say we don't eat lamb or anything else. The motivation lies in the fact that when we have established a persona...

We live in a time when we are becoming more and more efficient in many things. I.e. we save time. For example, an email is written and sent much faster than a letter. Or through modern technologies we save time and there are numerous examples in everyday life such as the smartphone: today we can be reached better and retrieve information faster. But what do we do with the time we have gained? Ofte...

Surely you have already rolled out a dough with a rolling pin. This is mega practical and works much better than flattening a dough with your bare hands. Whether it's cake or biscuit dough, a rolling pin is extremely useful for both. Now, while I rave about and praise this tool - it is forgotten that this rolling pin only really works well - if... yes, if it can be used on a flat, solid base. A ta...

As human beings, we experience happy times from time to time, but also difficult times. The former are easier to bear than the latter. One gift we are given as human beings is to have a sense of humour. Humour helps not to lose courage or perspective even in difficult times. It expresses itself in different ways. For example, through a joke. Here is one that I heard recently. It fits into the cont...

I was called the other day and informed that as a result of a burst water pipe in the house, the whole basement was under water and it now had to be cleared. This meant that everything that had direct contact with the ground was soaked by water and destined for disposal. Sad - because all my educational documents and also many other things with memories of sometimes decades were affected. Just get...

I see before me the contrast of a designed surface with drawings of random round arcs in various colours. It seems somehow harmonious in all the randomness of the design, even with different shades of colour. In contrast, I perceive jagged lines as nervous and strenuous - and somehow unnatural. The comparison reminds me of nature: in the mountains, walks where there is only rock are jagged. You ha...

A waterfall is an impressive natural spectacle. The water, which is still flowing so softly and delicately, suddenly takes on a tremendous force through the fall. The greater the fall of the water, the harder it seems. So, when I stand under a waterfall with the water coming from just above me, it is a pleasant shower. But if the water falls from, say, over 20m, it hurts (or so I imagine). So the...

Speculation and hope are not the same thing. Both are about an expectation that something that can only be influenced to a limited extent will happen. However, while speculation focuses on one's own ego, hope involves the humility of accepting that I am dependent on a higher power. Exposed to this, I hope that a good outcome will occur. That is much closer and more reconciliatory for me, and somew...

Unlike the eyes, our ears are not located in a plane with the same orientation, but are placed exactly opposite each other, i.e. facing away from each other. Both serve to receive information, but in completely opposite directions. Hearing does not mean understanding. Hearing, in the sense of understanding, does not only happen with the ears. Only when I pick up signals and draw conclusions from t...