Wednesday, October 23, 2024

SearchResearch Challenge (10/23/24): How is it made?

 It's that time of year... 

Image by Gemini. [young woman wrapped in flannel blanket at window, pre-Raphaelite]

... "thou mayst in me behold / when yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang..."  

Or, less poetically, the time of year when the flannel comes out.  

As I put on my beloved flannel overshirt on this chilly morning, I got to thinking about the fabric.  While I have a pretty good idea about how most fabric is made, I really don't know the mechanism of flannel.  It's warm and comfy, but how do they DO that?  How do they make it so soft and warm?  

More generally, how things are made is always a great SRS topic.  As a flute player, I've wondered how flutes got built.  There are several great YouTube videos showing the entire construction process.  (Here's an older video showing all of the steps.)  Fascinating--and now I know.  

But back to flannel... how?  

1. Can you find out how flannel cloth (e.g., that used for comfy sheets or shirts) is actually made?  How is that distinctive nap made?  


To continue the theme of how-things-are-made, the other day I happened to see a snake zipping down a forest trail in front of me.  A bit later, I saw a reference to someone as a "snake oil salesman."  I understand what that means, but every snake I've ever seen has not a gram of fat on it.  So... how? 

2. Is snake-oil a real thing, or is the falsity of "snake oil" that it doesn't really exist?  How much fat is on a snake that could then be rendered into oil?

When you search these things out, be sure to track HOW you found your answers and let us all learn how you did it.  

Still wondering about flannel creation... 

Keep searching.  

19 comments:

  1. I searched flannel manufacturing process. Some videos shown with the how. Those made me remember when combed cotton is made. It's very interesting and the cloth or threads is so so soft.

    Also made me think about polar clothes. I learned that apparently it's also called Manchester.

    Dr. Russell do you like more flannel or polar?

    I'd search for Q2. It's totally new to me. Also new was to read about Hawaiian snails. They are sadly almost gone and they are beautiful

    Achatinella lila
    https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-4906557/hawaii-tree-snail-endangered-species-biodiversity

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did a quick search on the snake oil. [Snake oil] links to Wikipedia. If we only read the beginning then we miss something. History tell us more.

      Then tried [how much oil snake produced] I think I need to uses produces better.

      Results similar to the data on Wikipedia

      Apparently, "...Chinese water-snake oil may indeed have health benefits because of its high content of omega-3 fatty acids..." That is now the snake I will search for.

      The current meaning is not snake and not good. In Chinese Medicine is or was (I haven't found that) something that really was for health

      Delete
    2. Searched [define nap] it's not siesta like results show if you don't go to a dictionary.

      [Polar clothing vs Flannel]

      Term is polar fleece.

      Polar Fleece vs Flannel: Comparing Warmth and Comfort
      https://luckyneedles.com/polar-fleece-vs-flannel

      Delete
    3. I was searching for an AI and found this article that mentions Andy Search as the top with correctness. Do you agree?

      https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ai-search-engines/497061/

      Any of you have tried using Henk van Ess suggestions. He says we should ask: Analyze this text. Instead of just summarize

      Delete
  2. #2 - it appears real until it isn't…
    Omega 3s - Erabu sea snake
    https://en.rattibha.com/thread/1598279954348707840
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-banded_sea_krait
    "Irabu soup, or irabu-jiru (ja:イラブー汁), is said to taste like miso and a bit like tuna. This dish was a favorite of the royal court of the Ryukyu Kingdom; it is thought to have analeptic properties."
    https://youtu.be/9kWV2XsxzHk?si=9VkSYgoBo83zpk-x
    https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1298331
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Stanley
    https://www.thequota.co/articles/the-story-of-clark-stanley-the-original-snake-oil-salesman
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Snake_Oil
    https://www.tomsguide.com/news/vpn-big-claims-truth-shmoocon22
    https://youtu.be/aBavDwK6jBA?si=TlJn8GKVKCaI44BJ
    https://theholyblack.com/products/the-holy-black-snake-oil-shave-oil?_pos=1&_sid=b4a085992&_ss=r

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  3. "It's that time of year..."
    is that a flannel Abert's? (AI can be a fickle visionary)
    https://i.imgur.com/wLq1Uhv.jpeg
    vegetable flannel, Léopold Lairitz:
    https://books.google.com/books?id=zF02AQAAMAAJ&newbks=0&pg=RA1-PA256#v=onepage&q&f=false

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gwlanen>waldwolle
      https://www.rockymountainflannel.com/blogs/news/what-is-flannel-your-definitive-guide-to-our-favorite-fabric?srsltid=AfmBOooms9lEQnr3MVgTACMA9ccrEaiR4m8pEOQtQlx6qAkfR_L3oT5y
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_flannel
      https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8soAAAAYAAJ&newbks=0&pg=PA366#v=onepage&q&f=false

      Delete
  4. I feel as though I'm cheating by using AI for these questions. Yes - I did check the answers but Perplexity seems to have given stuff that was good enough. (I'll justify this as search is changing - and AI is part of it. Not using AI to search is a bit like running a race with both legs tied together. Unless the aim is to create a handicap, it's now the way I search - although I'll always check the results).

    So the first question gave an interesting (Chinese) video which showed the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1yarZ-V0I (with the napping - they call it brushing - shown 10 seconds in) and also a detailed description on the website of Hockerty - a clothing retailer on the process. https://www.hockerty.uk/en-uk/blog/what-is-flannel. This was confirmed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannel.

    Asking the AI about the Napping process also gave https://www.cottontextiles.co.uk/cotton-flannel-can-be-woven-in-plain-weave-which-napping-can-hide.html that had further details.

    I got these sites (and much more detail) by asking Perplexity your question "How is flannel cloth (e.g., that used for comfy sheets or shirts) actually made? How is that distinctive nap made?" and then "What are the different techniques used to create the nap on flannel fabric" which Perplexity suggested. Finally I asked Perplexity "What is the difference between brushing and napping in flannel production" and that gave https://bespokeedge.com/blog/all-about-flannel which states "...much of today’s flannel garments are not like our grandfathers’ flannel. It’s not as sturdy and durable, but softer and far less Paul Bunyan than we probably like to admit."

    Finally this site describes different types of flannel - https://www.dutchlabelshop.com/en_uk/blog/flannel-sewing-care-uses/. (Again - thank you Perplexity).

    I did the same for question 2 which I found really interesting. My question was "Sometimes people talk about snake oil salesmen as scammers. How did the term arise? Was there ever such a thing as “snake oil” and what is it?" followed by "How much fat is in a snake that could then be rendered into oil"

    The answer is yes - there is snake oil. An article in Plos One (which should be reliable) states "The whole-body fat content ranged from 2.3% DM in an emaciated juvenile python (Python molurus) to 42.8% DM in an obese adult male corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus). Liver fat content also showed a wide variation (3.4–49.8% DM)." (DM is Dry Matter). So some snakes have a high BMI - is there snake Ozempic or would this be snake oil?

    And the answer to the origins of the term was in https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-17/snake-oil-traditional-medicine-history-bad-reputation/100485044 which states that snake oil was a traditional Chinese medicine brought to the USA by Chinese migrants and then taken on by sales people who claimed to be selling authentic medicines that turned out to be fake (i.e. snake oil) - e.g. Clark Stanley's product: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-snake-oil-became-a-symbol-of-fraud-and-deception-180985300/ that was claimed to be from Rattlesnakes. Stanley claims this was a Hopi remedy but he was a conman - and Rattlesnakes have a different fat / oil composition to the water snake used in Chinese medicine.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for this. FWIW, I agree-- the nature of search is changing, and we have to adapt as well.

      Delete
    2. using bing: (the changing nature of internet search engines)
      https://binmile.com/blog/role-of-ai-in-future-of-search-engines/
      https://www.bing.com/search?q=the+changing+nature+of+internet+search+engines&filters=ex1%3a%22ez3%22&qs=GS&pq=the+changing+nature+of+internet+search&sc=10-38&cvid=867F03DD102E4A82A8153A57D0AC05B3&FORM=000017&sp=1&lq=0&qpvt=the+changing+nature+of+internet+search+engines
      "According to Darwin's Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself."
      https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/people/about-darwin/six-things-darwin-never-said/evolution-misquotation

      Delete
    3. partial:
      https://www.seomechanic.com/complete-history-search-engines/
      https://www.lawrencehitches.com/history-of-search-engines/
      reasoning engine -
      https://youtu.be/PwRKogsjQf8?si=hC0mGz-_y_v6VQ5U

      https://www.youtube.com/@microsoftaiskills

      Delete
  5. is it cursory versus submersive?

    https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/fun-fact-what-was-snake-oil-used-to-treat-in-the-american-west-in-the-19th-century
    https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/the-history-of-snake-oil
    " In 1989 an analysis of snake oil bought in San Francisco’s Chinatown found that it contained 20 per cent eicosapentaenoic acid, which is more than is found in popular omega-3 food sources such as salmon."
    Mountebank
    "A few years ago, researchers in Japan evaluated the effect of Chinese sea-snake oil on a number of outcomes in mice. They found that, compared with lard, snake oil significantly improved the rodents’ maze-learning ability and swimming endurance.

    So it seems that snake oil salesmen may not be such mountebanks after all, provided they sell the right sort of oil for the right indications."

    https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mountebank
    …so, will the search we know today become the buggy whip of the internet? very Darwinian.
    https://futurist.com/2023/06/01/snake-oil-salesmen-and-new-tech-evangelists/
    https://www.integrityline.com/expertise/blog/elizabeth-holmes-theranos/
    https://www.forbes.com/profile/elizabeth-holmes/
    https://www.michigandaily.com/news/campus-life/michigan-engineering-hosts-theranos-whistleblower-erika-cheung/
    https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/03/224904/theranos-edison-machine-blood-test-technology-explained
    https://www.quora.com/With-Theranos-Edison-machine-it-was-a-simple-case-of-physics-that-was-the-issue-why-couldnt-anyone-at-Theranos-work-that-out

    "Side effects of omega-3 supplements are usually mild. They include unpleasant taste, bad breath, bad-smelling sweat, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, and diarrhea. Several large studies have linked higher blood levels of long-chain omega-3s with higher risks of prostate cancer."
    https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/omega3-supplements-in-depth
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/snake-oil-salesmen-knew-something/
    I just went 2024 -
    https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2024&q=snake+oil&hl=en&as_sdt=0,6

    ReplyDelete
  6. another source - not native american or Chinese…
    https://recipes.hypotheses.org/18336
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Zahrawi
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6077085/
    https://bulgarian-photography.com/en/resources/i19/Black-Viper-(Vipera-berus).html#google_vignette
    https://dare.wisc.edu/words/quarterly-updates/quarterly-update-6/black-viper/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_kaznakovi
    "Take three parts sesame oil and pour into a ceramic pot. Throw in five to ten black vipers, depending on their size. Close the pot’s lid and cook on a small flame. Take off the fire and leave to cool a little. Then open the lid, careful of the steam, and leave until it has cooled completely and the vapour is gone. Strain into a bottle and use as we have described by brushing it [onto the skin] with a brush. If you see that it causes harm, stop using it, then take it up again until it cures you, God willing. الزهراوي"

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  7. more snake oil?
    https://youtu.be/yvkkPCReSQU?si=quuwTgLGFP98Zz1S
    active component: eicosapentaenoic acid
    https://www.google.com/search?q=eicosapentaenoic+acid&rlz=1CAACAC_enUS1032&oq=eicos&aqs=chrome.1.0l2j69i57j0l3.14745j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eicosapentaenoic_acid
    https://chemapps.stolaf.edu/jmol/jmol.php?model=O%3DC%28O%29CCC%5CC%3DC%2FC%5CC%3DC%2FC%5CC%3DC%2FC%5CC%3DC%2FC%5CC%3DC%2FCC
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209320/
    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17290-omega-3-fatty-acids
    history overview
    https://youtu.be/T0HYi37C4AE?si=o6GFsAl9C72GoDa8


    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm out of the market
    https://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/p/loro-piana-mens-vincenzo-tartan-cashmere-flannel-overshirt-prod188760267?utm_source=google_shopping&ecid=BGCS_GP_CV_NC_PR_NONE&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Py4BhCbARIsAMMx-_IF1rpm1ytw0XPxHzL2byczfuJO73Nl-knEO6ZrRvEjFDdWVZ0XtjsaAmb3EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
    https://gearjunkie.com/apparel/best-mens-flannel-shirts
    https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/flannel-guide-fall-fabric/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Catostomus latipinnis
    …not sure I'd wear it, but maybe dine on it?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catostomus_latipinnis
    https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5206795.pdf
    https://mexican-fish.com/flannelmouth-sucker/
    https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/flannelmouth-sucker
    https://fishwithjd.com/2020/03/19/how-to-cook-a-suckerfish/

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    Replies
    1. I did NOT expect this! The convergence of the two threads of this week's Challenge! Nice.

      Delete
    2. https://globetrotteradventures.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/heatonsuckerkiss.jpg

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    3. flannel voguing, ~57 secs. in -
      https://www.facebook.com/GrandCanyonNationalPark/videos/minute-out-in-it-flannelmouth-suckers/745603876122362/

      Delete