Friday, August 24, 2007

Uncyclopedia

Taking the Wikipedia concept, and putting even more comedic, disturbing, and purely random content on the Internet... :-)


Uncyclopedia

for example, want to know HowTo Install Linux On A Dead Badger?

perhaps you're interested in Chuck Norris?

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Uncyclopedia's sista projects

Uncyclopedia is hosted by the Uncyclomedia Foundation, a non-profitable organization that also hosts a range of other
projects.








UnNews


UnNews
The news source on crack
Uncyclopedia

Uncyclopedia
The content-free encyclopedia
Undictionary

Undictionary
The ick!tionary of all things best left unsaid

UnTunes

UnTunes
Where noisy things can live and prosper
Wilde Project

Wilde Project
Uncyclopedia's founder tells all
UnMeta

UnMeta
How Uncyclopedia doesn't work

UnBoons

UnBooks
Content-free books
Unquotable

Unquotable
Useless misquotes galore
Uncycloversity

Uncycloversity
If it makes sense, we don't want it

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

How do you get a research gig like this?

Potato Chip Flavoring Boosts Longevity Of Concrete

Summarized from : http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/iecred/2007/46/i16/html/ie070527l.html

The ingredient that helps give “salt & vinegar” potato chips that tangy snap is the key to a new waterproof coating for protecting concrete from water damage, scheduled for the current (August 1) issue of ACS’ Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a bi-weekly journal. Awni Al-Otoom and colleagues in Jordan point out that concrete’s unique properties have made it the world’s most widely used structural material. Concrete, however, is so porous that water soaks in, corroding steel reinforcing bars and meshes that strengthen concrete roads and buildings and causing cracks as water expands and contracts during freeze-thaw cycles. Sealants are commercially available, but they have serious shortcomings, the study notes. In the new report, researchers describe the use of sodium acetate as an inexpensive and environmentally friendly concrete sealant. One of sodium acetate’s many uses is in flavored potato chips. In laboratory studies using freshly made concrete, the researchers showed that sodium acetate seeps into pores in concrete and then hardens and crystallizes upon exposure to water. The resultant swelling blocks entry of additional moisture, they said. Under dry conditions, the crystals shrink back to their original size and allow moisture to evaporate. The net result is “a significant reduction in water permeability,” that “can be expected to increase the service life of the concrete,” the report said.