Invention of the Mirror

Invention of the Mirror Who invented the first mirror?   Humans and our ancestors probably used pools of still water as mirrors for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Later, mirrors of polished metal or obsidian (volcanic glass) gave wealthy preeners a more portable view of themselves.   Obsidian mirrors from 6,200 BCE were discovered at Catal Huyuk, the ancient city near modern-day Konya, Turkey.   People in Iran used polished copper mirrors at least as early as 4,000 BCE.   In what is now Iraq, one Sumerian noble-woman from about 2,000 BCE called the Lady of Uruk had a mirror made of pure gold, according to a cuneiform tablet discovered in the ruins of that city.   In the Bible, Isaiah scolds Israelite women who were haughty and walk[ed] with necks outstretched, ogling and mincing as they go...   He warns them that God will do away with all of their finery - and their brass mirrors!  Ã‚   A Chinese source from 673 BCE casually mentions that the queen wore a mirror at her girdle, indicating that this was a well-known technology there, as well.   The earliest mirrors in China were made from polished jade; later examples were made from iron or bronze.   Some scholars suggest that the Chinese acquired mirrors from the nomadic Scythians, who were in contact with Middle Eastern cultures as well, but it seems just as likely that the Chinese invented them independently. But what about the glass mirror we know today?   It also came about surprisingly early. Who was it, then, that made a sheet of glass, backed with metal, into a perfect reflecting surface? As far as we know, the first mirror-makers lived near the city of Sidon, Lebanon, some 2,400 years ago.   Since glass itself likely was invented in Lebanon, its not too surprising that it was the site of the earliest modern mirrors. Unfortunately, we do not know the name of the tinkerer who first came up with this invention. To make a mirror, pre-Christian Lebanese or Phoenicians blew a thin sphere of molten glass into a bubble, and then poured hot lead into the bulb of glass. The lead coated the inside of the glass. When the glass cooled, it was broken and cut into convex pieces of mirror. These early experiments in the art were not flat, so they must have been a bit like fun-house mirrors. (Users noses probably looked enormous!) In addition, early glass was generally somewhat bubbly and discolored. Nonetheless, the images would have been much clearer than those obtained by looking into a sheet of polished copper or bronze. The blown bubbles of glass used were thin, minimizing the impact of the flaws, so these early glass mirrors were a definite improvement over earlier technologies. The Phoenicians were masters of the Mediterranean trade routes, so its no surprise that this wonderful new trade object quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world and the Middle East.   The Persian emperor Darius the Great, who ruled around 500 BCE, famously surrounded himself with mirrors in his throne room to reflect his glory.   Mirrors were used not only for self-admiration, but also for magical amulets.   After all, theres nothing like a clear glass mirror to repel the evil eye!   Mirrors were commonly thought to reveal an alternate world, in which everything was backward.   Many cultures also believed that mirrors could be portals into supernatural realms.   Historically, when a Jewish person died, his or her family would cover all of the mirrors in the household to prevent the deceased persons soul from being trapped in the mirror.   Mirrors, then, were very useful but also perilous items! For much more information on mirrors, as well as many other interesting topics, see Mark Pendergrasts book Mirror Mirror: A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection, (Basic Books, 2004).

Email Matters

Email Matters Email Matters Email Matters By Maeve Maddox The ease of dashing off an email is both a convenience and a deadly snare. Emails are not as public as a Twitter tweet, but can lead to grief for the unwary. We’ve all heard the horror stories of the jokester who says something outrageous intended for the eyes of a friend, and then hits the â€Å"Reply All† button by mistake. Because there’s always the chance that an email might go astray, the best practice is what I call the â€Å"Klingon rule†: Don’t say anything in an email that you don’t want a third party to read. (I think it was General Chang in StarTrek VI who said he never uttered anything he wouldn’t want to be overheard. Klingons are always under surveillance.) One way to avoid embarrassing situations with clients or employers is to make a habit of treating every email with care, even the ones you dash off to your friends. Human frailty being what it is, there’s probably no way to avoid saying or typing something stupid at some time or another, but a few tips can save some embarrassment. Common courtesy is the key to writing an email that won’t come back to bite you. Courtesy when writing an email means considering such things as the fact that not everyone can read tiny type or understand texting abbreviations. Depending upon the recipient, sloppy English or attempts at humor can prove deal breakers. In these tippy-toe times of political correctness, it doesn’t take much to offend some people. No one, however, is likely to take offence at standard usage and conventional formatting. Email Address A snappy email handle may amuse your friends, but if you use your account for business as well as social correspondence, you may want to avoid choosing a handle like redhotpapa or partygirl. As the first thing the recipient sees, it can affect the spirit in which the message is received. Subject Line Put something meaningful in the subject line. Be as specific as possible, even for your friends. Instead of â€Å"Hi† or â€Å"Hello,† type something that refers to the message. No one enjoys having to sort through hundreds of emails in order to double check one of them. Font Leave the fancy script and colored text for homemade greeting cards. Choose an easy-to-read font and a dark font color. Dark blue is all right, but black is better. Red is the hardest color to read. Big is better than small. Use a minimum of 12-point. Upper- and Lower-case Use lowercase type with capitals where capitals are called for. Lowercase is easier to read than all caps, but don’t go to extremes and omit capitals altogether. Friends may not mind, but a business colleague may interpret lack of capitalization as evidence of lack of education or energy. Spelling Spell correctly. Use conventional abbreviations. Save texting code for texting. Punctuation It’s easy enough to misinterpret a written message. Reread what you have written before hitting Send. See if the addition of a comma or other punctuation might make your meaning clearer. Salutation Begin your email with the recipient’s name. For a friend or associate, the first name is the obvious salutation. Otherwise, use the full name. I don’t often see â€Å"Dear So-and-So† in electronic correspondence; beginning with the name alone is sufficient. Close The way you end your email will depend upon your relationship with the recipient and the nature of the email. If you are reporting bad news or responding to it, you’re not going to close by writing â€Å"Cheers† or â€Å"Have a nice day.† Here are some options: Best, Best regards, Best wishes, Cheers, Cordially, Kindest regards, I remain yours truly, Regards, Sincerely, Take care, Thanks again, Warmest regards, Yours. If you have asked someone to do something time-consuming for you, your close can be even longer: Thanks for your time and consideration. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"50 Idioms About Roads and PathsCharles's Pen and Jesus' Name