Do you test the water of your shower to make sure that it is warm before you get in? Like most people, you probably do not want the water to be freezing cold when you get in. This great new shower head changes colour with the temperature of the water that flows through it, so you can see when the temperature is perfect for you! (more…)

Most people have forgotten their mobile phone at home at some stage only to have missed several important phone calls. Many people have misplaced their phone and have searched for ages trying to find it somewhere in their home. The new bluetooth watch is just the answer for people who rely on their mobiles yet have a tendency to leave it behind. (more…)

Have you ever walked away from someone and wished that you could turn around and see their expressions? Ever wondered if people were making gestures behind your back? The new spy spec sunglasses look just like normal sunglasses but allow you to see exactly what is going on behind you. You will no longer need to miss a single trick with this great gimmick. (more…)

The Citizen Eco-Drive watch has a solar panel which it uses to run itself. This eco-friendly watch can use either sunlight or any incandescent light to charge itself which means that you will never have to change the batteries. The watch converts light into electrical energy which it then stores, so that it can last a very long time without any light. The Citizen Eco-Drive only needs three minutes in the sunlight to be able to power itself for an entire day, and around two hours of light in an office environment. Once the watch is fully charged, it will be able to run for 45 days without seeing any light source at all. (more…)

The best flower pot in the world is one that can tell you exactly the way that your plant is feeling. So many people love to keep plants around the home, but with busy work schedules it can sometimes be easy to forget to water your plant. How many times have you had flowers or cacti around your home and all of a sudden discovered that they have died somewhere along the way.

(more…)

Industrial Age was a time great technological and social change. Though there were some adverse effects, on the whole it was beneficial to the mankind. World and civilization we live in were made possible by the transformations that took place during that age.

Great inventions of that age changed the way people live in fundamental way. Though what I consider the best invention of the age, the Steam Engines, is no longer in much use, its influence should not be underestimated.

Improvements in the production methods of iron and textiles demanded power to run bellows, machines, and mines as well as to transport goods and raw material. Answer came in the form of steam engine.

Basic Idea of Steam Engine
Boiled water produce steam, which confined to a limited area, creates pressure, which in turn can be used to move various things, including in most engines a cylinder in a piston.

Evolution of Steam Engine can be better studied as a series of inventions, each contributing significantly to the final product. There is no one inventor, but several people contributed, only the most prominent will be mentioned here.

The basic idea of harnessing the power of steam to accomplish tasks has been around since the time of Ancient Egypt. However, until Industrial Age it was never used with much effect.

Edward Somerset first sketched an engine in 1665. Denis Papin created a low powered cylinder and piston based engine in 1690. Thomas Savery got a patent in 1698 using an improved version of Somerset design. Thomas Newcomen created a new engine improving the ideas of both Savery and Papin in 1705.

James Watt improved design by adding the condensing chamber to cylinder thus generating more power. He got a patent for that in 1669. John Wilkinson’s precision iron boring tool improved the cylinder manufacture and improved power generation further.