Cannabis

First of all, thanks for 100 Followers, you guys rock.
But special thanks goes to all the people regularly reading my posts and commenting, always reminding me why I keep this blog active and informative.
Now many of you have already mentioned that one plant is strangely very relevant to them. Cannabis.
I'm wondering why? This plant is used for many different textile products, nothing special about that.
Oh, yeah, now I remember, there was this other thing, too..anyways, let's start this.
The word cannabis is from Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis), which was originally Scythian or Thracian. It is related to the Persian kanab, the English canvas and possibly even to the English hemp (Old English hænep). In Hebrew, the word is קַנַּבּוֹס [qanːa'boːs]. Old Akkadian qunnabtu, Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian qunnabu were used to refer to the plant meaning "a way to produce smoke."
Cannabis is an annual, dioecious, flowering herb. The leaves are palmately compound or digitate, with serrate leaflets. The first pair of leaves usually have a single leaflet, the number gradually increasing up to a maximum of about thirteen leaflets per leaf (usually seven or nine), depending on variety and growing conditions. At the top of a flowering plant, this number again diminishes to a single leaflet per leaf. The lower leaf pairs usually occur in an opposite leaf arrangement and the upper leaf pairs in an alternate arrangement on the main stem of a mature plant.
Cannabis normally has imperfect flowers, with staminate "male" and pistillate "female" flowers occurring on separate plants. It is not unusual, however, for individual plants to bear both male and female flowers. Although monoecious plants are often referred to as "hermaphrodites," true hermaphrodites (which are less common) bear staminate and pistillate structures on individual flowers, whereas monoecious plants bear male and female flowers at different locations on the same plant. Male flowers are normally borne on loose panicles, and female flowers are borne on racemes.
All known strains of Cannabis are wind-pollinated and produce "seeds" that are technically called achenes. Most strains of Cannabis are short day plants, with the possible exception of C. sativa subsp. sativa var. spontanea (= C. ruderalis), which is commonly described as "auto-flowering" and may be day-neutral.
Cannabis, like many organisms, is diploid, having a chromosome complement of 2n=20, although polyploid individuals have been artificially produced. The plant is believed to have originated in the mountainous regions northwest of the Himalayas. It is also known as hemp, although this term is often used to refer only to varieties of Cannabis cultivated for non-drug use. Cannabis plants produce a group of chemicals called cannabinoids, which produce mental and physical effects when consumed. Cannabinoids, terpenoids, and other compounds are secreted by glandular trichomes that occur most abundantly on the floral calyxes and bracts of female plants. As a drug it usually comes in the form of dried flower buds (marijuana), resin (hashish), or various extracts collectively known as hashish oil. In the early 20th century, it became illegal in most of the world to cultivate or possess Cannabis for drug purposes.

Papaver somniferum (Opium poppy)

Today we take a look at a plant which on the one hand is a popular food item, but on the other hand is a rather problematic plant for the human race, at least for some of us.
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine. The Latin botanical name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to the sedative properties of some of these opiates.
But besides the opiates, Poppy seeds of Papaver somniferum are an important food item and the source of poppyseed oil, a healthy edible oil that has many uses. It is widely grown as an ornamental flower throughout Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.

Papaver somniferum has many sub-species or varieties and cultivars. Colors of the flower vary widely, as do other physical characteristics such as number and shape of petals, number of flowers and fruits, number of seeds, color of seeds, and  production of opium.

Prefers a rich well-drained sandy loam in a sunny position. Requires a moist soil  but does not do well on wet clays. Prefers a sandy loam or a chalky soil. Plants often self-sow in British gardens. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deers, rabbits or other animals.

In each country, Opium poppy cultivation is treated in a different way. In the United States, opium is listed as a Schedule II Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition, "Opium poppy and poppy straw" are also prohibited. However, this is not typically enforced for poppies grown or sold for ornamental or food purposes. 

Coffea arabica

There certainly are countless articles about coffee, but what do you know about Coffea arabica, the plant we owe so much? Yeah, probably not that many things, well that has to change.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seed, or "bean", are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the 'robusta' form of the hardier Coffea canephora.
Both are cultivated primarily in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee.

Coffea arabica takes about seven years to mature fully and does best with 1-1.5 meters (about 40-59 inches) of rain, evenly distributed throughout the year. It is usually cultivated between 1,300 and 1,500 m altitude, but there are plantations as low as sea level and as high as 2,800 m. The plant can tolerate low temperatures, but not frost, and it does best when the temperature hovers around 20 °C (68 °F). Commercial cultivars mostly only grow to about 5 m, and are frequently trimmed as low as 2 m to facilitate harvesting. Coffea arabica prefers to be grown in light shade.

Two to four years after planting Coffea arabica produces small, white and highly fragrant flowers. The sweet fragrance resembles the sweet smell of jasmine flowers. When flowers open on sunny days, this results in the greatest numbers of berries. Each tree can produce anywhere from 0.5–5 kg of dried beans.

La fée verte

What do anise, fennel, angelica, and grande wormwood have in common? Well, all of them are ingredients of Absinthe. The principal botanicals are grande wormwood, green anise, and florence fennel, which are often called "the holy trinity". Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), hyssop, melissa, star anise, sweet flag, dittany, coriander, veronica, juniper, and nutmeg.
Currently, most countries have no legal definition of absinthe, although spirits such as Scotch whisky, brandy, and gin generally have such a definition. Manufacturers can label a product "absinthe" or "absinth" without regard to any legal definition or minimum standard. Producers of legitimate absinthes use one of two processes to create the finished spirit: either distillation, or cold mixing. In the few countries which have a legal definition of absinthe, distillation is the sole permitted process. 
Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but can also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as la fée verte (the Green Fairy). It can also be naturally coloured red using hibiscus flowers. This is called a rouge or rose absinthe.

Characteristics and varieties of microphones

Here's a tiny little table I made about the most important characteristics of the most common types of microphones.
I hope this is helpful for your projects.

micro- phone type	acoustic sensitivity	mechanical robustness	best usage	misc notes
dynamic microphone	LOW (lazy mass of the induction coil has to be set in motion by the sound waves)	MEDIUM	uncontrollable conditions -> outdoor recording
condenser microphone	HIGH (thin condenser membran is very sensitive and easily bendable)	LOW (and very prone to humidity)	ideal results in controllable conditions -> studio recording	requires a power source (phantom power, +48V)
electret condenser	MEDIUM	EXTREMLY HIGH	good for very rough conditions -> eg difficult tv reports)	requires no phantom power can be built very small ->"bug"

10 practical rules for professional recording with microphones

Let's get more practical with the audio advice. One of the most important things when home recording is, after having chosen a suitable microphone for your project, the recording process of an audio source itself.
The quality of your recording results may vary dramatically when certain mistakes are being made.
So, here are the 10 basic rules for professional recording with microphones:

1. Point the microphone at the audio source and away from undesired audio sources.

2. Locate the microphone as close as possible to the desired audio source.

3. Use only one microphone per audio source.

4. When recording with multiple microphones, consider the minimum distance of each one.

5. In General use as few microphones as possible.

6. Avoid placing a microphone close to sound reflecting surfaces.

7. Use a wind shield when recording outside.

8. Avoid direct mechanical influences on the microphone (mechanical vibration).

9. Test a microphone by talking or knocking, never blow into the microphone.

10. Place the monitoring speakers in the area of the least directivity of the microphone.

Absorption and Reflection of Sound

Sound tends to "bend around" non-porous, small obstacles.
Large surfaces such as the boundaries of rooms are typically
partially flexible and partially porous. So, when sound strikes
such a surface, some of its energy is reflected, some is absorped,
and some is transmitted through the boundary and again propagated
as sound waves on the other side.

All three effects may vary with frequency and with the angle of
incidence. Mostly, they do not vary with sound intensity.
Over the range of sound pressures commonly encountered
in audio work, most construction materials have the same
characteristics of reflection, absorption and transmission
whether struck by weak or strong sound waves.