Logicum – Page 4 – It's Logical to share

July 27, 2017July 25, 2017

Natural Remedies to Avoid Pest at Your Home

Before calling pest control services to take care of infestations, one can first try some natural remedies that can be made at home in order to ward off the pests. These are effective, cost efficient, and safe. Here are 4 of the best examples.

Diatomaceous Earth

This is a fine powder which is made from the fossils of diatoms. The fossils of these algae is basically a very hard shell that is made of silica. It is also very sharp to pests while being completely safe for humans because of how fine it is. It can actually be ingested in order to kill parasites since it is made of silica. However, this must not be inhaled because it can cause irritation to the lungs.

For the home, it is effective to ward off fleas, ants, roaches, and other walking insects when placed in the carpet and possible entry points and habitats.

Essential Oils Spray

The best way to make sure that pests don’t get indoors is to make the immediate outside area unbearable for them. One can do this by using vinegar and essential oils sprays. Mixing these together and applying them to entry ways will repel most pests.

In order to create the mixture, the following ingredients must be mixed together:

2 cups of water
1 cup of white vinegar
50 drops of peppermint essential oil
20 drops of basil essential oil
20 drops of lemon essential oil

Borax

A natural poison for ants can be made with just borax and corn syrup. The reason why borax is used for this method is because it is less toxic than pesticides and this method involves leaving the material out in the open. Using this material means it is less hazardous when accidentally ingested by pets or curious animals.

Both borax and corn syrup will be mixed in equal parts for this remedy. Then the mixture will be spread on an index card. Finally it can be placed anywhere. This is because the syrup will make this poison trap make it look like food to ants. Little do they know that they are actually going to ingest a slow acting natural pesticide. This poison acts slowly – around 2-3 days – by that time the mixture will be taken back to the colony where the rest of their brother ants will eat it and eventually die. Because of this, it is a good long term cure.

Fresh Basil Leaf

The previous remedy may sometimes smell bad. For this remedy, it involves using fresh basil plants which smells wonderful while being able to repel flies. One must simply pot some basil plants and place them near the doors and entryways.

A great benefit of this is having a steady supply of basil leaves for salads and other recipes if maintained well.

Key Takeaway

These natural remedies can keep the hazardous pesticides out of the home as well as the harmful pests that can ruin any home. Try these solutions today at your home.

July 26, 2017July 25, 2017

4 Tips To Find The Best Caterer In Town

Finding the best catering services in town is tricky since there are so many talented caterers out there. With these tips, you can find the perfect one for your wedding:

Get Suggestions

The very first step to finding the best caterer is to narrow down the options to just a short list of choices. If you are not experienced in hiring caterers, then it is best to ask for recommendations from friends and even business colleagues and associates. Another good source is online reviews; watch out for the negative ones in particular to know which ones are known for ruining special days.

Also, the venue manager of your wedding location is great to ask for suggestions because he is the one who has the experience of working with multiple caterers and he know which have the best work ethic.

Menu and Specialties

Caterers make careers out of pleasing people because they have specialties; they don’t spread themselves too thin. For this reason as well as common sense, you don’t ask a caterer who specializes in Chinese food to cook Italian.

Make your preferred menu first for your wedding first and see which ones in your narrowed-down list specialize in the food you want. Doing this will narrow down the list further and bring you that much closer to finding the best caterer for you.

Visit Their Kitchen

The best caterers will have a tasting room for potential customers to literally get a taste of what they have to offer. This is usually situated in the same premises of their main kitchen.

Schedule a tasting session and ask to be able to see their kitchen. First, make sure that you are satisfied with their food. Then, take a look at the kitchen to see if they have a clean and professional environment. If you see this, then it means the staff cares for their work and the service they provide.

A chaotic and dirty kitchen is a sign that working with them will be a bad experience. This is because a kitchen that is dirty is maintained by a team that is not interested and proud in their work.

It is recommended that you do this when you get down to your top 3 choices.

Staff and Manpower

Take note the caterers are only as strong as their manpower. Depending on their booking, they may be down a few people on your special day. The number of crew you will need will depend on how big the celebration will be. You must meet with the head of catering to make sure that your wedding’s demands can be met.

As a guide, follow these guidelines:

You will need at least 2 servers for every 30 guests for buffets with 2-3 runners to clear dishes and restock food.
In sit down dinners, there should be 1 server per table of 8 guests with an additional server for drinks.
Then for the bar, there should 1 bartender and 1 bar-back for every 50 guests.
Also, there needs to be a captain of service for every 6 staff that will be present.

Quite a lot is needed for a wedding which is why you need to make sure they are not undermanned on your special day.

Key Takeaway

Although picking a caterer may seem like a straight forward task, a processed approach like this one is better to pick the one the best suits your needs. It also helps to avoid being torn between 2 or more choices.

July 22, 2017July 21, 2017

Awesome 5 Minute DIY Projects

Have you ever thought what would be the best way to spend 5 minutes of your time? If you haven’t, then a great way to spend those minutes is by making some useful DIY arts and crafts! If you have some spare materials lying around, you can create some nifty and useful things in just a short amount of time. These things would be nice additions to your desk, office, or even at school. Here are some awesome DIY projects that you can do within 5 minutes.

1. Button Thumbtacks

Tired of your old plain thumbtacks? Add some color to it by putting some buttons! To do this, simply get some thumbtacks, glue, and some colorful buttons. Glue the buttons onto the thumbtacks, and you now have a nice set of button thumbtacks to attach to your corkboard.

2. DIY Whiteboard

A nice and nifty way to save some paper is to make your own whiteboard using some stuff lying around at home. All you need is an empty picture frame (with glass) and some colored or patterned paper (you’ll only need one sheet) to make it look nice. Simply cut the paper to the size of the frame and slide it in, and you now have your own portable whiteboard where you can write some of your important reminders, or even some nice motivational quotes.

3. Color-coding your keys

Have you ever experienced having to fumble around with your keys because they look exactly the same? A simple solution would be color-coding your keys! All you need is to apply some nail polish or modeling paint over the keys. You no longer have to struggle to pick the right keys anymore!

4. Mini Jewelry Dish

Need somewhere to place your jewelry over your table, without them falling on the floor and getting lost? Then creating your own jewelry dishes is the best solution. Simply get some old box lids, and some enamel paint. All you have to do is paint your box lids with some bright and vibrant colors, and then you now have some nice decorative jewelry dishes. It is best to place them on your side tables and desks, as they are the most common places where people remove their jewelry.

5. Temporary Tattoo Mugs

Remember those temporary tattoos that you used to put on your skin when you were still a kid? Apparently, they’re still around, and they can give your plain coffee mug some color and style. All you need is a mug, some temporary tattoos, a brush, a decoupage, and a sponge. Simply place your tattoo on the mug and hold it in place with a wet sponge. After removing the film and the sponge, brush the tattoo with layers of decoupage, and you now have a nicely decorated mug.

Key Takeaway

While 5 minutes may not seem like a lot of time, finding ways to maximize those minutes will help you find something productive to do. With these simple 5 minute DIY projects, you are sure to create nifty items with some materials lying around.

July 10, 2017July 9, 2017

Drinking Culture: TOP 5 Original Bars of Strange Design

You never visit bars as you think it is wasting time to go from the bar to bar to drink something. There are many bars and restaurants in the world that are worth visiting just because of the interest to the world culture and architecture. The most of them are situated deep in the underground caves with no sunlight. The others are located on the top of the roof of a high skyscraper. If you want to drink something special and watch animals, you can also find the proper bar. If you want to relax at the ocean view – you welcome! There are also special cafes and bars to watch the North Lights!

Skeletons Bar, Switzerland

There is an interesting Skeletons Bar in the Gruyeres, Switzerland. The world famous designer HR Giger worked to make the bar interior so creative and scaring. The interior impresses you a lot. It looks like you are sitting inside the big monster. The chairs are designed as the skeletons. There are many skulls and other parts of the human body everywhere. These strange elements make the bar interior scaring and attractive at the same time.

The bar is a real city attraction. It is located close to the Giger’s Museum that is devoted to the works of the famous designer. The bar is decorated with plastic, glass and stones. The building is old and beautiful. The most of the old elements were renewed and restored from original. The visitors are offered to seat at the small table at the massive oval window. The bar is popular to rent for exclusive parties and other events. You can try a lot of interesting things here like popular cocktails, elite alcohol and dishes from chef. The bar started work at 1993 to be one of the world popular bars in the world.

Cova d’en Xoroi Bar, Spain

The amazing cave is situated in the South part of Minorca. This is a real historical attraction. There are many interesting legends about it. According to one of these stories, there was a Turkish pirate that was hiding in the cave with a young beautiful girl. The cave is situated in the admiring place – in the rock over the ocean.

The cave was rebuilt in a legendary bar that is the favorite place for tourists to have some rest. The bar visitors can take the table inside or stay on the open terrace to see the ocean view. It is quiet and relaxing during the day and time to party in the evening. You can meet a lot of famous musicians and D-Js.

https://flic.kr/p/GJcBWi

Baobab Bar, South Africa

This is one more interesting bar with exciting decoration that you can visit in the African province. One of many natural characteristics of this territory is the variety of huge baobabs. The bar is located inside the tree. One of locals equipped the bar in the baobab. You can get there through the small door. It is roomy inside. There is also a wine vault and bar counter, resting zones for visitors and dance platforms. It is said that baobab where the bar is situated is the biggest in the world. The tree body is 47 meters diameter and 6 000 years old.

The bar hall gathers about 60 people all together. The bar is equipped with interesting accessories: old dishes, lamps that make the important part of the inner lights. The history of this bar is very interesting. It started work 20 years ago. There were no conveniences like water, lights. The owners of this territory cleaned it, equipped with modern conveniences and started to work. The tree lives and works today.

Lagoon Bar, Iceland

You should know that the chic balneology resort is called The Blue Lagoon. This is the territory of hot basins. So, this is a favorable place for fashionable resorts and one of the most interesting bars in the world that is located on the territory of the resort. The point of it is that you can swim in the hot pleasant water and drink hot cocktails. There is a team of experienced waiters that work in the swimming suits. They are ready to bring your order to different parts of the resort territory. You are offered to try not only the popular cocktails, but ice-cream and other interesting snacks.

If you want to take break from the water procedures, you can spend some time at the wooden terraces with coffee tables. The water temperature at winter time is 40 hot. So, there is nothing strange that the bar is very popular for visitors as they can order something hot or cold. The blue lagoon is 200 meters wide. This is a unique SPA complex now. There is a great restaurant, medical clinic, shops and cafes. SPA complex was opened in 1999. Of course, the locals started swimming in the water of this basin much earlier. So, if you want to visit one of the most interesting bars, you can find it right here.

O’Noir Bar, Canada

One of the main Montreal attractions is the big choice of gastronomy establishments. You can be easily failed in the variety of cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants even of you are experienced gourmand. It is a good idea to hire a car in Montreal and drive over the city to find the best place to drink and eat. There is one place that you should not miss.

The O’Noir Restaurant makes you to eat in the dark space. It is more than strange! The half of the personnel is blind waiters. Why? This is the social program to give work for blind or special people. The can feel food in the dark by touch and smell. For example, the taste of vegetables is stronger, the fish instead becomes tasteless. The chef and personnel are typical Canadians. This is the space not only for dinner but degustation, special thematic parties. The impressions from the dark parties are excited. The restaurants of this type are popular in Europe, Australia, USA, China.

July 3, 2017July 1, 2017

Steps on Recovering From Google Updates

Search engine optimization (SEO) has proven its significance to effective branding and business growth through time. Fortunately, Google has been continuously developing tools and techniques to make everything possible for these businesses’ success and the consumers’ convenience. It releases search algorithm updates that consequently helps increase a website’s traffic, and of course, to provide better, relevant results to users.

However, while the constant evolution in Google’s search algorithm has provided an improved user experience to most, it also has negatively affected a few. With this said, it’s important to note what causes your website’s penalty and how you can recover rankings from Google updates.

What Causes Penalties?

If you’ve noticed that your traffic has suddenly decreased, then it’s best to see what caused it. Most likely, there are two causes that can get your website penalized: an algorithmic penalty and manual action from Google’s spam team.

Algorithmic penalty. This is the easiest one to identify, as you only need to see if the date on when your traffic has suddenly dropped and the date on the current algorithm update has occurred, matches. To do this, you can refer to Google’s algorithm change history as posted in Moz.

Definitely, this has become a disadvantage to some especially if they do not keep in touch with Google or other search engine’s algorithm updates, though the truth is, Google’s tight-lipped with regards to its updates to avoid manipulation on rankings. Now, there’s a few resources you could use to avoid getting this kind of penalty and so as to be updated with the constant updates:

Follow Matt Cuts on Twitter for current changes on SEO.
Subscribe to Google Webmaster’s channel on Youtube to keep updated with the best practices on SEO.
Basically, there are some updates that are not officially recognized by Google, however, are still significant to SEO which you can find at MozCast or Algoroo.

Manual action from the spam team. If it wasn’t an algorithmic penalty, then the second most possible cause is a notification on your Google Webmaster Tools account. This may be a warning message due to unnatural links that should be abruptly addressed to recover your website’s ranking on SERP. Otherwise, you can dig deeper to see the cause of the penalty.

Steps to Recover Your Rankings

Way back in March, Google has released a major algorithmic update called Fred. Fred was believed to target websites with low quality content and bad backlinks, thus, if you’re affected with this update then it’s best to do these steps to recover your ranking.

Check your Analytics and see if you’ve lost traffic or in particular keywords you’re ranking for between dates March 25^th and 20^th.
If yes, see if you can categorize your content into low quality and old and high quality and updated
Correlate your lost keywords with those in low quality and old content based on its previous rankings and traffic volume.
Once determined, it’s best to immediately add length and revise those affected content with the most traffic before the Google Fred update to improve its quality.se
To check bad backlinks, use a backlink spam checker or tool. Instances that Google may take into account in determining your backlinks value are anchor text similarities and dofollow backlinks that contains no value to users (which mostly comes from blog comments). Should you find any, make sure to remove each of them.

Additionally, make sure that your good backlinks appear in reasonable ratios and are natural so Google will not take these as unnatural backlinks.

Key Takeaway

With all the given points above, it’s recommended to keep in touch with the current search algorithm updates. Also, it’s safe to say that the best way to avoid getting penalized by Google is to create remarkable content and natural backlinks.

July 2, 2017July 1, 2017

Will Chatbots Be a Threat to the Call Center Industry?

The booming industry of call center service in the Philippines and India has recently taken its toll towards the rising innovation of customer service. Definitely the deployment of chatbots in customer service makes the service much more efficient, seamless, and convenient for customers, thus huge companies have now implemented this in their brand to attract new customers and of course, take care of their loyal customers – globally.

With this in mind, will chatbots threaten the services of the call center industry? Here’s a few things to ponder to weigh the possibility.

What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is simply a conversation robot powered by artificial intelligence, and is used to address concerns from users which may vary from functional to fun type of conversations. Most likely, they would appear as voice mails or chats which may include Apple’s Siri, for an instance.

How do chatbots work?

There are two particular types of chatbots based on its functions: (a) a chatbot based on a set of rules, and; (b) a chatbot that uses machine learning.

A chatbot based on a set of rules only works for a set of rules, this means that if you ask something beyond the program – definitely, it wouldn’t be able to decipher what you mean. Basically, there are only specific commands that it can respond to.

A chatbot that uses machine learning, on the other hand, is powered by artificial intelligence. Thing is, it understands human language, and can respond to you without being too specific with your concern. Furthermore, the more it interacts with people, the more it gets smarter as it learns from those conversations that it has with the users.

Where did chatbots came from?

If you are familiar with Alan Turing, the Father of Computer Science, you would definitely have an idea with the origination of chatbots. For starters, computer scientists Alan Turing and Joseph Weizenbaum have both envisioned computers communicating like humans, thus artificial intelligence, during 1950’s and 60’s. During that time, experimentation on the Turing Test and invention of the first chatterbot Eliza were both made.

Alan Turing developed the Turing Test in 1950, of which it was basically an attempt to test a computer’s ability to distinguish human from a machine to be defined as “intelligent.” The most standard interpretation of the test was that there are three key players; player C which is the interrogator, which will have to determine which of players A and B is the human and the computer. However, player C is limited to using questions to make its guesses. This test, though it did thrill the users, however still lack on some points due to the basic coding. A reversed form of this test fortunately, is being used all over the internet nowadays, which intends to determine whether the user is a machine or a human – which you would know as the CAPTCHA.

However, the desire for artificial intelligence did not stop there. In 1966, the first ever chatterbot was born of which was called Eliza. Eliza was programmed as a therapist, ran with only 200 lines of code, and interacts with humans to converse with them. Due to its genuine, emotional responses, the users almost mistook her for a human, though most are particularly aware that it is a machine. However, similar to the Turing Test, while the program has proven that artificial intelligence is possible, it was still lacking for anything than a short conversation.

In the present time, sometime in 2016, chatbots were finally introduced to the real world. In consideration of the users’ convenience, companies like Facebook allowed developers to create chatbots. Basically, these chatbots address the users concerns from within the messaging platform to avoid further navigation as moving to a browser application just to reserve a table for an evening’s dinner.

Why would businesses need a chatbot?

Now, the question falls into this: why would a business need a chatbot? Evidently, humans are much more genuine and has already proven quality service specifically in customer service where chatbots are now being implemented.

According to statistics, 85% of customer service in 2020 can be managed without human intervention. Plus, chatbots are expected to be the top consumer applications of Artificial Intelligence over the next 5 years. Thing is, even today, huge companies are making way for chatbots to manage particular customer interactions. An impressive example of this is Nordstrom’s chatbot, which provides gift guides and shopping lists around the holidays to help users manage their shopping and ultimately, give them ideas for the best presents available in their store.

Moreover, it is a fact that chatbots makes it convenient for users to communicate with brands and definitely chatbots are helpful for most businesses in specific matters as attracting new customers and in treating their loyal customers right. So why wouldn’t they?

Key Takeaway

Given these points, it’s evident that the era of chatbots is a threat to the call center industry: it is cost-saving and efficient in particular factors that most agents would work into. While it may be unfortunate for most call center service businesses, the leeway that veterans found to make their way around this is to migrate to high end jobs – which chatbots may not be able to do, at the moment.

July 1, 2017July 1, 2017

How To Choose The Perfect Domain Name As A Photographer

Even if you don’t think so, you absolutely need a website as a photographer. Social networks make it seem pretty easy to promote your business and find customers. But if you want people to take you seriously, you have to create a place where they can see a full range of services you provide and discover you as a professional.

Choosing the right domain name is vital for any new business. Your first impulse would be to use your imagination and creativity and make sure you stand out from millions of other young artists. But you also have to think everything through.

Just like a lot of people at the start of a new chapter in their life you may feel lost. The following tips will help you build a website that can become your digital portfolio.

When Choosing a Name

Don’t Stick with .com

Even if it is considered to be the leading domain nowadays, there are plenty of domain extensions such as .net, .store, .blog, .photography and even .pizza that will help you create a memorable name.

Use Keywords

These are the words that are supposed to tell what your website does. A list of the appropriate keywords will provide a high rank for your website and make it easier to find it. Since most of the keywords are already taken, this is the time to get creative.

Keep It Short

Your domain name should be 15 characters at most. It’s better to have a domain name that is short and memorable. A short domain name will make sure that users don’t enter typos.

Think about the Spelling

Be sure to use your name because you are the one people would want to cooperate with. Sometimes a misspelled character like number or hyphen will make the clients lose interest in your website. So, you might want to avoid using numbers, hyphens or doubled letters.

Be Unique and Brandable

Although millions of creative names are already taken, it is also your advantage because you can visit these websites and get inspired. You can even run a domain name through your friends and relatives to check how it sounds and whether it seems catchy.

Follow-up Work on Your Website

The Registration

Be sure to choose the right registrar because it will define the work of your website in the future. Think about the price of registration that can vary from 9$ to 24$. Google, however, provides a private registration service for free. You can look through this hosting services review that will help you find the company that provides the features you need.

Developing of the Website

Your website keeps will keep growing, so you want to leave the room to expand and develop it. Think carefully about the domain name that will allow you to open a full range of service you might provide in future.

Website Hosting

While some users are sticking to the WordPress, you can discover a variety of other platforms. Some of them can partially free you from the hard work of keeping a website. Others will allow you use their apps and professional tools.

You Have Options

Do some research and pay attention to opinions and suggestions of other photographers. However, don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Good luck designing your website!

June 2, 2017June 1, 2017

5 Clever Tricks to Become a Good Writer

Once you make up your mind on being a writer, you need to start treating writing as a full-time occupation and not merely as a hobby. While some of your friends and family may suggest that you are wasting your time and that you should better do something serious, you need to stay strong and don’t let such an opinion get to you. There has never been a good writer who was born one. They always achieve their proficiency and status through hard work and struggle.

Here, we have collected some useful tips from successful writers on how to refine your writing skills to the point where you can be proud to call yourself a writer.

1) Read good authors

You have noticed how sometimes when reading a great writing, you get carried away by how amazingly the words are put together. Sometimes, you can’t even get a phrase out of your head for the next few days, weeks, or even your entire life. You quote it whenever you can and you – consciously or subconsciously – try to talk and write in a similar manner.

In other words, the first step in becoming a good writer is to get yourself constantly exposed to good literature. If you want to write fiction – read good fiction, if you want to become good speech writer – read and analyze powerful speeches, if you want to be a blogger – read popular blogs to see what makes them so successful, etc.

2) Never stop writing

As we have said, no good writer was ever born such. Writing is a skill, and it needs constant training and exercise. This means that you should write every day to refine your skills. You can engage in active correspondence with some friends, you can write for your blog or for others, you can write for a custom writing company that aids students, you can even do some freewriting – just sit down and write whatever comes into your mind without stopping. The key is that you do it regularly.

3) Write down all ideas

A great idea for a story or a blog can strike you at any time. It can come from a conversation that you have or overhear, it can come from something that you see, an ad that you read or a song that you hear, it might just pop up in your head out of nowhere. So, what do you do? You probably think about how great it would be to add this to whatever it is that you are writing right now and that you should remember it. But how often do you actually remember it? Chances are, not too often.

Therefore, it is always better to have it all written down so you can return to it at any time. Moreover, it is known that you remember things better when you write them down as opposed to just hearing and trying to memorize them.

4) Get rid of distractions

When you sit down to writing, it must be the only thing you do. Be aware that resisting distractions also takes a lot of effort, so it is best when they are simply absent. Your writing software must be full screen, and your browsers and messengers should be off.

If you want to have some music background, you should try several kinds of music before you decide which one works for you better. Some people prefer mellow and relaxing music, like ambient. Others work better with something rhythmic and monotonous, like synthpop. Either way, it should not be too loud, so it did not dominate the working atmosphere.

Also, you should put your smartphone somewhere aside. Have you ever tried to count how many times per day you slide-to-unlock for no reason? This is a waste of attention, so it is better to take your smartphone only when you are done writing for today.

5) Revise your writing

Once you have written a piece, it is good to put it away for some time and get back to it in a few days to give it a fresh look. This way, you can see your strong point, as well as the instances which could have been handled better.

Finally, do not to be too hard on yourself. We are all our own fiercest critic, and nobody can be good instantly.

Here are your few tips to keep in mind on your way to becoming a good writer. These are the most general tips. If you read some great author’s biographies (bonus tip!), you will find that they have all had different approaches to writing and different sources of inspiration. So, don’t be afraid to experiment to see what inspires you!

June 1, 2017May 29, 2017

Awesome DIY Science Projects Must-Try

One of the most memorable moments in a kid’s life in school is when they did their first science projects. For most kids, that was their first hands-on experience with various scientific materials. But the learning does not end inside a school, as you can create your own DIY project ideas from the comfort of your own home. To get you started, here are some awesome DIY science projects you should try. Before trying these, it is important to have adult supervision during these projects for safety purposes.

Indoor rain experiment

Photo Courtesy: icanteachmychild.com

Ever wondered how clouds produce rain? Then this simple experiment can help you figure it out. For this experiment, you’ll need some hot water (adult supervision is needed), ice cubes, a mason jar, and a plate. To begin, pour some hot water inside the mason jar, the next step is to put a plate over the jar and place the ice cubes. The warm heat from the jar would make the ice cubes melt and cause condensation, which simulates rain.

Giant Gummy Bear Experiment

Photo Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org/

Another quick and simple experiment you can do with your kids. This nice experiment about absorption just needs a pack of gummy bears, and a jar of water. Drop in the gummy bear into the jar, and wait for a few minutes. The gummy bear will absorb the water and expand accordingly.

Homemade Hovercraft

Photo Courtesy: restlessmindboosters.blogspot.com

Ever wondered how hovercrafts work? This experiment would show you how hovercrafts float over the surface using simple materials you can find at home. All you need is a balloon, a CD, a push-up bottle cap, and some superglue. Attach the bottle cap on the CD using superglue, and then put the inflated balloon on the bottle cap. Once the balloon is attached, place your hovercraft on a flat surface, and see the whole thing hovers due to the slowly escaping balloon air.

Tornado in a Jar

This nifty little experiment shows you how a tornado looks like, and how it works. All you need is a mason jar, some water, and dishwashing detergent. Fill the mason jar with water until its almost full, and add drops of dishwashing detergent. Shake the jar hard, and then place on the table. When done right, you would be able to see a funnel shaped vortex inside your jar.

Shoebox Plant Maze

Photo Courtesy: room3puketeschool.blogspot.com

This is a fun and fascinating experiment which shows how plants always seek out sunlight. All you need is a shoebox, a few pieces of cardboard, a pair of scissors, some adhesives, and a bean plant.

To begin, add the pieces of cardboard to create your maze, and then put a hole on one end. Place the bean plant at the end of the maze and close the shoebox. Wait for a few days, and then open the box. You’ll notice that the plant’s stem would stretch and grow to reach the other end of the shoebox to get sunlight.

Here are some simple and fascinating science projects you can do at home with simple household materials. Not only are these experiments you can do outside of the school, but also a fun experience with your friends and family.

May 31, 2017May 29, 2017

Top Ten Places to Visit in Nepal

Nepal is a country perfectly blessed with natural and cultural attractions. National parks, temples and monuments, historical places and some trekking routes speak volumes about Nepal.

Here, Travelogy India brings you a list of some of the best places to visit in Nepal.

Chitwan National Park

Chitwan National Park was the first National Park of Nepal established in 1973. In 1984, it was granted the status of a World Heritage Site. The National park is situated in the subtropical southern part of Nepal having rich natural flora and fauna. A total of 544 species of birds, 68 species of mammals and 126 species of fish one can see in the park.

Pashupatinath Temple:

Pashupatinath temple is one of the holiest Hindu temples located about 6 Km from Kathmandu in Nepal. The temple is situated on the bank of the river Bagmati. Visitors can deep in a lush green natural environment of the sacred river Bagmati from the pagoda style temple having beautifully carved doors and gilded roof.

Boudhanath Stupa:

Boudhanath Stupa has situated 11 Km from Kathmandu. This Buddhist Stupa is built on an octagonal base and was built by King Man Deva. The shrine is surrounded by Buddhist priests and Lamas. The stupa is a symbol of enlightenment represents one of the five elements, water, earth, air, fire, and sphere.

Kathmandu city:

Kathmandu is the capital and largest city in Nepal. Durbar Square is the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Carved statues, historic temples, beautiful monuments and decaying buildings create a lively atmosphere on the streets of Kathmandu.

Lumbini:

Situated around 250 kilometres from Kathmandu, Lumbini is the place where Siddhartha Gautama (who became the Lord Buddha) was born in 623 BC. The place is now developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage. Buddhist pilgrims across the world came at this UNESCO Heritage site to feel the spiritual-cultural significance.

Bhaktapur:

Bhaktapur lies on the old trade route to Tibet which is included in the third of the “Royal Cities” apart from Kathmandu and Patan. The whole area of Bhaktapur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nagarkot:

Nagarkot has situated about 35 Km in the east of Kathmandu located between Kathmandu valley and Indravati. It provides the best view of Mt. Everest and the Himalayas. To experience the best sunrise and sunset, Nagarkot should not be missed while visiting Nepal.

Pokhara Valley:

Pokhara valley is surrounded by the highest mountains in the world such as Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and Annapurna-I. This place is the destination for trekkers, hikers, relaxation and excursions. Treks to Jomsom and the Annapurna region start from here.

Everest Base Camp:

The most thrilling, challenging and exciting trek, ‘Everest Base Camp’ takes you to the enthralling world-class journey of the Himalayas which is the highest peak on the earth. It is the gateway for Everest climbers.

Annapurna Base Camp Trek:

Annapurna Base Camp is one of the classic treks in the world which offers to explore the traditional Nepali villages and living life. Annapurna Base Camp is at the height of 4130m. The trek route passes through tranquil landscapes, charming villages, lush green Rhododendron, bamboo and alpine forests.