Robert Fitzroy had a knack for interesting people and fascinating things. The captain took a young Charles Darwin on a cartographic journey around the world, fighting many a battle with the natural scientist. Also on board the Beagle was a mysterious device which, together with the usual baro-, hygro- and thermometers, allowed Fitzroy to sail around fierce weather.
Fitzroy's "storm glass" was a hermetic glass tube filled with camphor in alcohol, saltpeter, salmiac and distilled water. Depending on the looming weather, the glass would be clear (a bright day), show dots (fog), have crystals near the bottom (frost) or be cloudy (overcast), for example.
How the glass works is unclear, but it might have to do more with electromagnetic waves than with temperature and pressure.
Either way, some swear the storm glass predict the weather and locate storms at sea as reliably as Gmail locates unread mail in your labels:
›› Want to see all — and only — your unread messages in Gmail? A short search does the sweet trick.
Fitzroy's "storm glass" was a hermetic glass tube filled with camphor in alcohol, saltpeter, salmiac and distilled water. Depending on the looming weather, the glass would be clear (a bright day), show dots (fog), have crystals near the bottom (frost) or be cloudy (overcast), for example.
How the glass works is unclear, but it might have to do more with electromagnetic waves than with temperature and pressure.
Either way, some swear the storm glass predict the weather and locate storms at sea as reliably as Gmail locates unread mail in your labels:
›› Want to see all — and only — your unread messages in Gmail? A short search does the sweet trick.
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