Adrianna Responds to Carbon Dating...

Adriana Penco left a comment on my post "Carbon Dating or Dating Carbon":

"Well... I have to say that we in Argentina still use some carbon paper ... To keep a mandatory copy of hand-written invoices for instance. Or in any hand-written form that needs one or more copies. You can easily get them at any stationery shop. This is common in South America, so I'd imagine that in a lot of other places it is too."


What I thought was one of the best inventions leaving carbon paper for time capsules was the invention of NCR paper. Even here in Hungary all of our invoice books use NCR and not carbon paper. This is why I was so shocked the district office was not using it. NCR comes in multiple colors and can be printed to order just like any other paper product.

Definition of:NCR paper

"A multiple-part paper form that does not use carbon paper. The ink is adhered to the reverse side of the previous sheet. Originally developed by NCR Corporation and known as 'NCR brand, carbonless paper,' it has also been called 'no carbon required' paper." PCMag.com

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Budapest Innovations Video

A few weeks back, I taught a Master Writing course for an adult education program. One of the students sent me an e-mail saying he lent out my hand-outs to a co-worker and she lost them. He wanted me to e-mail him what I distributed once again. At the bottom of his e-mail was a video about Budapest and Hungarian inventors. I thought it was quite interesting to see which things I knew Hungarians were responsible for and which were new surprises. The helicopter was the only one I was not aware of. One question in my mind is which of these inventors invented these things while still in Hungary or after they left for a new homeland? The Biro pen was patented in Paris in 1938. The Biro brothers fled to Argentina in 1943 to escape the Germans.

There seems to be some confusion over the invention of the helicopter. Hungarian sources give credit to Oszkár Asbóth as the inventor, while other sources credit many others with models and prototypes, but the credit of successfully building the first working model goes to...drum roll please...Russian born Igor Sikorsky. He has been called the "Father of the helicopter".

If you want to prove or disprove other parts of the video, you are on your own. Either way, I think they put together a pleasant little piece of Budapest entertainment.

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One List I Am Happy Budapest Is Not On

Pickpockets are everywhere and the people they like the most are the tourists, whose wallets are usually full of money to be spent on souvenirs. Where are your handbags and wallets the most in danger? Tourism-review.com brings the Top 10 of the most dangerous pickpocket places and cities announced recently by TripAdvisor.

1. Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain

Pick pocketing in Las Ramblas can be easily compared to generally practiced and accepted sport such as soccer. So if you want to stay offside or out of field be careful and watch your things!

2. Rome, Italy
The ancient buildings and astonishing cultural and historical buildings draw attention of the tourist. So it is no wonder that Rome is the number two among the top 10 pickpocketing cities. Hundreds of people admiring Trevi fountain or Pantheon are an ideal place for pickpockets to snatch their cameras out of their bags!

3. Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic
Crowds of tourists from all over the world crossing Charles Bridge every day – that is the picture of today’s Prague. So before taking picture of the famous Prague castle panorama make sure your camera is in a save place.

 

4. Madrid, Spain

Chaos, cars, thousands of people in the streets – that is the modern Madrid. All the time you are walking through the narrow Madrid streets you have to careful not to be run over by a car. Pickpockets often use such situation! So pay attention to the cars and also to your bag!

 

5. Paris, France

Another famous city that tourists love visiting every year. Eiffel Tower and Mona Lisa are not drawing only the tourists but also the pickpockets. So think about it while visiting the French capital. Especially in the metro the travelers should be enormously careful. 

 

6. Florence, Italy

It is no wonder that people admiring the perfect body of Michelangelo’s David don’t pay much attention to their belongings. So be careful even in this beautiful historical city. Otherwise it is very probable you will have the unique opportunity to admire local police station from within, which is not what you really want, is it?

 

7. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Don’t cry for your wallet in Argentina, might be an alternative name of the world famous song. Don’t mistake friendly locals with overly “friendly” kids and adults who might be interested in nothing else but the contents of your wallet. 
 

8. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

It's easy to forget your whereabouts in this city full of fun and the many things to see and do. But don’t be lulled into carelessness by the beauties of the city and the laid-back atmosphere – pickpocketers often take advantage of tourists admiring this enchanting city. 

 

9. Athens, Greece 

As in almost every city that attracts crowds of tourists, many people head to the world known sites – including the pickpockets. Acropolis is definitely a must if you travel to Greece – but be careful.

10.  Hanoi, Vietnam

Let’s move to Asia. Charming Old Quarter makes Hanoi a very attractive place for tourists. So again pay attention.

Reprinted from Tourism Review

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