The invention of first spectacles is usually accredited to the Italians of eighteenth century. They are to be the most skilful grinders worldwide!

The ancient people could make only lenses by using transparent stones.

 9. Microscope.

The German inventor Zaharia Iansen from Middelburg gave us the possibility to see pinpoint particles. We can be proud of him, because we are able to understand that the Universe is more sophisticated than we see each day.  Perhaps, if he didn't create this apparatus, we would not see the adron collider.

It is worth noting that the author of the more modern microscope is none other than Anthony van Levenguk, a Dutch naturalist.

8. Steam locomotive.

We can say that the invention of the steam locomotive is impossible without the one of rails.

The first rails were described in the Sebastian Munster's book published in 1541 and tested for real railways in 1801 in England between Wandsworth and Croydon. The main material is a cast iron.

 The steam locomotive appeared due to the creation of the steam-engine by James Watt. The locomotive was invented by Merdock, his progeny. But the first experience was unsuccessful, and Trivaitik (Тривайтик) shaped it up.

7.Match.

It is not the toy for kids.

Earlier, people get fire by friction of small stones. 

However, the  matches were invented by Iriny and Remer in 1833. 

6.Oil-pipe-line. 

Does Lukoil know that this miracle was invented by an amazing engineer Kerns?

Yes. it is the first person who proposed to build this system.

5. Bike!

Yeah, it's cool!

 The more prototype bicycle is the painstaking labour of a vet from Dublin. His name is Danlop.

4. Hold the line!

Yes, the more prototype phone (push-button phone) was invented by Alexander Bell. He was a teacher of deaf-and-dumb children. It's touching!

3. Radar.

The first radar is the work of Taylor, Jung and Highland. It is invented in 1933. He was applied for catching signals of torpedo-boats.

2. Computer!

 Pascal's machine is  the first attempt to create a computer. 

As concerns PC, it found itself due to Stephen Vozniak and Steve Jobs.

1. Internet.

It was created in USA in 1969. The company was called APRA! 

 You are right. It was invented in military aims; the Americans try toy hide and save important information.

See ya!

• 26 January 2016
 
• From the sectionEducation & Family

Image copyrightThinkstock

Young people are spending more time playing and socialising online than watching television programmes, according to an annual survey tracking children's media behaviour in the UK.

Staff at research agency Childwise described it as a «landmark change».

Among those watching TV, the Netflix on-demand service was more popular than any conventional television channel.

There was also a surge in children's ownership of tablet computers, up by 50% compared with last year.

The annual media monitoring report, based on a sample of more than 2,000 five to 16-year-olds, has been following children's viewing behaviour since the mid-1990s.

On demand

This year's findings from Childwise are being claimed as a tipping point with children switching from conventional television to spending time online.

The average time spent online is now three hours per day, compared with 2.1 hours watching television.

Young people online

3 hours

amount of time 7-16-year-olds spend online each day

4.8 hours

time 15-16-year-olds spend online

• 2.1 hours spent watching TV each day — down from 3 hours in 2000

• 60% watch TV via a phone, tablet or laptop

• 38% do most of their TV viewing on demand

Among older teenagers in the survey there is an even more pronounced switch away from television, particularly at the time when it is broadcast.

Among 15 to 16-year-olds, less than a quarter would typically watch television as it is broadcast, rather than on a catch-up or on-demand service or through YouTube.

Among this age group, 32% had no favourite television programme.

And across the whole age range, none of the programmes identified as favourites, such as Hollyoaks and Pretty Little Liars, had been seen by more than 2% of young people in the previous week.

Boys had a preference for sport, such as Match of the Day, while girls preferred reality shows like Made in Chelsea.

Rise of tablets

Among television services, Netflix emerged as the most popular choice — overtaking all the conventional channels.

Asked about their viewing in the previous week, 50% had watched programmes on Netflix, compared with 47% for ITV1 and 46% for BBC1, the most popular television channels.

Young people still showed a clear preference for watching television on a television set — with only a relatively limited number watching programmes on mobile phones.

Image copyrightThinkstock

The study shows how much young people's lives are immersed in online activity and computer devices and how these forms of media are overlapping.

While the average time for online consumption is three hours per day, among 15 to 16-year-olds it rises to almost five hours.

The most common way of accessing the internet is the mobile phone, which is described as «near universal» among young people.

But particularly among younger children, there has been a sharp rise in access to tablet computers, now owned by 67% of youngsters, with the iPad by far the most widespread.

For the first time, tablet computers have overtaken other types of computer, such as laptops or desktops.

• BBC iWonder: Are tablets good for children?

Children go online to watch videos, listen to music, play games and research their homework — and older children use it for social networking, particularly among girls.

The study reveals that however young people are accessing the internet, YouTube is the dominant destination.

The video-sharing website is used every day by almost half of all five to 16-year-olds, most often through a mobile phone or tablet, to watch video clips, listen to music and use games-related material.

They particularly want to see «funny» content on YouTube, but about a third watch «how-to» videos, including how to play computer games.

YouTube is also a popular way of watching television programmes, used by 74% of young people, compared with about 40% of this age group who watch programmes through the BBC iPlayer, which is the most popular of the broadcasters' on-demand services.

End of the CD player

Apart from YouTube, other popular online destinations are Snapchat, Instagram, Minecraft and Facebook.

The study also suggests the technologies that are disappearing. A shrinking number of young people listen to music via a CD player, with mobile phones now the leading medium.

It also warns that printed magazines are losing their appeal, with diminishing numbers of regular readers.

Simon Leggett, Childwise research director, said that this year's survey showed that «TV viewing has been redefined».

«Growing access to the internet at any time and in any place, and a blurring of television content across channels and devices, brings a landmark change in behaviour this year.

»Children are now seeking out the content of their choice. They still find traditional TV programmes engaging but are increasingly watching them online and on-demand or binge watching box sets."

[WARNING: You don’t need to be a scientist to understand these but you might need to be a scientist to find them funny.]

Does a radioactive cat have 18 half-lives?

We'll start gently with some one-liners...

1.

«I find it very easy to skim read a non-friction book.»

2.

«I was up all night wondering where the Sun had gone. Then it dawned on me.»

3.

«Does a radioactive cat have 18 half-lives?»

4.

Q: Who was the first electricity detective?

A: Sherlock Ohms

5.

Q: What’s a transistor?

A: A nun who's had a sex change.

6.

Q: Where does bad light end up?

A: In a prism.

7.

Q: Before docking with the International Space Station, what must the pilot of a space module first do?

A: Put money in a parking meteor

8.

Q: Why was Heisenberg such a bad lover?

A: When he got the momentum, he couldn't find the position, and when he found the position, he couldn't muster up the momentum.

And finally, one to get you really thinking...

9.

Einstein gets on a bus heading into town. He asks the driver:

“Excuse me, does the central library stop at this bus?”

Jokes from Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of The Life Scientific.

Jobs, Steve: Steve Jobs with an Apple II computer, 1977credit: AP You may think you can’t live without your tablet computer and your cordless electric drill, but what about the inventions that came before them? Humans have been innovating since the dawn of time to get us to where we are today. Here are just 10 of the hundreds of inventions that profoundly changed your world. What else would be on your list?

So, I guess I'll start! My name is Karina, I'm from Kazakhstan but right now living and studying in Bulgaria at American University in BG. Graduating this year, not sure what the future holds for me! lol

Sometimes person just has to '' Let go'' certain things in his life in order to have a better life. No matter how we call it- fate/ god/ will- we give it our struggle and hard times. Let go your pessimistic thoughts, uncertainties and let god to help you.

 Are their ideas actual in our world? Is this organisation efficacious?  Does it cope with his tasks? Does it follow his ideas actually?

 Imagine that you write your letter to this organisation and to Ban-Ki-Moon and that your aim is to help  the UNO!