Elastications

by in Plain and simple, R vs History | 1 Comment

In 1844 Mr. Charles Goodyear took out his first patent on Vulcanization of Rubber, making rubber more useful. One year later, in Britain, Mr. Stephan Perry took out the first patent on the Rubber Band, employing Mr. Goodyear’s process.

Rubber bands were first seen as useful in making bundles of paper. However, it cannot have taken long for the first paper wad to become airborn, via the Rubber Band, whizzing through the air at the unsuspecting.

It is from this missile inauguration that this famous phrase arose: “You’re going to put someone’s eye out that way!” (If that is not a fact, it ought to be, as any Rhino would tell you.)

Needled

by in Plain and simple, R Lite, R vs History | Leave a comment

Knitting is a fiber artform by which you can make a cardigan or socks or cap. Some of the results are attractive.

The knack is to take sticks and yarn and tweedle them in such a way that they form knots, etc., etc. It turns out Rhinos are not good at it. This may be the result of having only 3 digits per limb. We can usually triumph over such limitations, but knitting confounds Us.

This fact explains why you seldom see a tag inside a sweater saying “Knit by Rhino”.

Row, Row, Row your Boat

by in R Lite, Rhino Nifty | 1 Comment

As you may recall, the last line of this ditty is “Life is but a dream”, a Rhino sentiment if there ever was one.

Rhinos are not nautical in a literal sense, but We can go for a short cruise any time it strikes our fancy. That’s because it is an exercise in Imagination, not Seamanship.

Each of Us is our own Cruise Director, guaranteeing a fine time. Ahoy, Matey!

Fossils and their uses

by in Naturally Speaking, R Mindset, R vs History | 2 Comments

Mr. Wm. Buckland (b. 1784), a British eccentric and paleontologist, was the first person to write a reasoned description of a prehistoric critter and its lifestyle, working from fossil remains. His efforts were enthusiastically received both publicly and scientifically.

He called his critter Megalosaurus, meaning Big Lizard. That was in 1824, for you who can recall it.

Were his findings conclusive? Not particularly, but he set a trend for exploration and investigation of the lives his discoveries led. Rhinos often think the same sense of wonder could be applied to our own relatives, the live ones as well as the extinct.

RhinoDocket

by in Plain and simple, R Life Lessons, R vs History | Leave a comment

The average YIR Reader is probably familiar with Calendars. These charts are broken up into daily bits, all adding up to Weeks and Months, theoretically organizing Time. Each bit gets a name ending in ‘day’.

For Rhinos that is no help; We do not use words. The issue is that these “days” don’t Smell. How is anybody going to tell them apart? Right. It can’t be done.

And why bother? Tomorrow, with its own Redolence, is coming anyway, no matter what you call it.