Look At That Fossil, It’s Stuck Over There In the Tar
Wondrous in its variety and remarkably well-adapted to its habitat, the Egana National Geographic Watch is truly a marvel of nature. Or it would be, if it wasn’t man-made.
But our expedition didn’t let qualms like that deter us from our mission: to observe and catalog these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat. None of us were sure what to expect that day as we set off from the 19th street subway station in search of our quarry. When I asked him what he thought about our chances, Mbumi, our native guide, seemed uneasy.
“Will you drop the ‘Mbumi’ crap already? My name’s Josh. Josh, got it? I’ve never been to Africa in my life.�
The first twenty minutes of our journey seemed to confirm his pessimism. The dense, winter-coated crowd packed around us made it difficult to see anyone’s watch, much less spot the elusive Egana NG. Also, Emily Watkiff, our staff photographer, is pretty sure some guy was rubbing himself against her leg for intimate purposes.
But then it happened. Just north of the park, we spotted the unmistakable orange face of the World Traveler Sierra II, known as the NG741GOMK, one of the most beautiful of all Egana National Geographic Watch species. I stifled a cry of joy. The watch perched happily on the wrist of some guy who looked kind of like a fatter Dan Cortez or whatever that one guy’s name was. You know, that cheeseball who hosted the extreme sports on MTV back in the day, with the hair and the backwards baseball hat. Careful not to startle the Sierra II, Emily approached to get a closer look. I scribbled furiously in my notebook and motioned for Mbumi to translate between me and the fat-Cortez native.
“Humblest greetings,� I began, with the elaborate politeness that native etiquette requires. “May I express to you my hope that your family is in good health and that your herds of goat are abundant and meaty?�
Mbumi had apparently fled, probably out of fear of witchcraft. So I was forced to carry on the conversation with the watch-bearing native myself. Fortunately, he possessed a rudimentary knowledge of English, as he replied: “What the hell are you talking about?�
Emily sighed heavily and tried the direct approach. “He just wants to ask you about your watch.�
“Oh, this?� The native’s brow furrowed as his mind raced through the store of watch lore that has been handed down through his people for centuries. The locals, it is said, have 47 words for “Quartz movement�. After a moment he continued: “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, I guess. A large face, but not too bulky, which I like. I picked it up at that watch place at 43rd & 8th. They’ve got the whole line of National Geographic watches there.�
I could scarcely believe my ears. This savage knew of a hidden sanctuary where various species of these creatures mingled freely! If his fantastical tales were true, this discovery could not only change what Western science knows about these mysterious wonders, but it would enable us to wrap up this article before lunch.
We hacked our way through the underbrush to the location described by the native. Sure enough, there they were: some two dozen unique varieties of Egana National Geographic Watch. The regal self-winding Pharoah! The gaudy orange rubber band of the Aviator I! The Skimaster, with its features for logging skiing performance! The distinctive digital blocks that made up the Time Trekker’s seconds timer! And all four colors of the Deep Blue II!
I stood stunned by the awe of the majestic wonder of this glorious marvel. My chest surged with short, urgent breaths. I have no idea how long I stood watching, but my reverie was finally broken when a native sales associate said: “Excuse me, sir, may I help you? Sir? You’re making the other patrons uncomfortable.�
Still in a state of euphoric shock, I let myself be guided out the door. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a parking garage, my jaw aching powerfully, my shoes and socks gone, and my remaining clothing soiled by a greenish substance I could not identify. Of course, Emily and Mbumi were nowhere to be seen. I had no idea how I’d gotten there. But none of it mattered. I’d seen the Egana National Geographic Watches. After such a life-changing experience, I didn’t even care – ironically enough – what time it was.
[edit] A typo previously existed on the brand name in the sales title. No, we don't know what an Engana is either. (Sorry Google for the erroneous trend.)
Modes current time, daily alarm, chronograph, countdown timer, and pacer modes
Special modes: altimeter, altitude, alarm, hiking altitude, and barometer modes
Battery: CR2032 3.0 Volt
Battery life: Approximately 36 months
Water-resistance: 10 ATM, 100 m
Count down mode, target time can be chosen from quick-set values (3, 5, 10, 15, 45 minutes) or can be set up as user-preset value (default: one minute)
Timer Sound Signal: Last ten minutes: beeps once every minute, Last minute: beeps once every ten seconds, Last five seconds: beeps once every second, Count to zero: beeps 30 seconds and the target time will reload automatically after the beeps
Pacer Mode Features:
Beeps at a predefined beeping rate
User can regulate the exercise rhythm by the beeps
Beeping rate can be set between 30 and 180 beats per minute (bpm) in increments of five bpm
Step counter counts the number of beeps (steps) Maximum counting range of the Step Counter is 99,999 steps
Altimeter Mode:
Display exhibits the current temperature, altitude, and current time
Measures in Celsius or Farenheit
Measures Absolute (difference between current altitude and sea level) and Relative altitude (Difference between the current altitude and the relative ground where a relative altitude is set to zero or the starting point of your trek)
Normal and Fast sample modes: Normal mode takes 1 sample per hour, Fast mode takes 1 sample per second
Altitude alarm, beeps will sound when the user passes upward or downward through the set alarm altitude
Altitude Hiking Mode, accumlates all ascending and descending bits into an ascending or descending display. The user can monitor these two readings to manage their hike
Displays the total ascending or the total descending altitude and the current time
Chronograph Mode Features:
Measure elapsed time, accumulated elapsed time, and lap time
Counting limit is 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59.99 seconds
Store up to 99 lap times
Barometer Mode:
Displays the current temperature, barometric pressure, and the current time
Displays measureing unit in either Celsius or Farenheit
Displays Sea Level pressure and Ambient Pressure
Current Time Mode Features:
Day of Week display and Pressure Trend Graph display
Pressure tendency graph displays three bars, which represent the relative barometric pressure for the last nine hours
Displays current time, daily alarm, chronograph, countdown timer, and dual time modes
Special features include ski, ski recall, altimeter, barometer, and compass modes
Electroluminescent backlight
Key lock function
Weather forcast icons for Sunny, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy, and Rainy
12-hour format or 24-hour format avaliable
Daily alarm and hourly alarm
Dual time mode show the current time for a second time zone
Ski Mode:
Exhibits the current ski data on display
Logbook organizes the ski data as Ski Lap and Ski record, Ski Lap is stored while the skier completed a ski run, Ski record stores a series of ski laps, and provides the summary of all ski laps
Logged ski data can be reviewed from the ski logbook in the ski recall mode
Displays current altitude, current temperature the ski run’s current descent speed, total elapsed time, accumulative descent, and accumulative ascent
Chronograph Mode Features:
Measure elapsed time, accumulative elapsed time, and lap time (store a time record while the chronograph is still running)
Counting limit is 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59.99 seconds, stores up to 99 lap times
Displays the time elapsed in hours, minutes, seconds, and 1/100 seconds
Measures the elapse of a fixed period of time (target time) by counting down from the target time to zero
Target time can be chosen from quick-set values (3, 5, 10, 15, 45 minutes) or can be set up as a user-preset value (default: one minute)
Count down timer sound signal, Last ten minutes: beeps once every minute, Last minute: beeps once every ten seconds, Last five seconds: beeps once every second, Count to zero: beeps 30 seconds and the target time will be reloaded automatically after the beeps
Displays current time, daily alarm, chronograph, countdown timer, and dual time modes
Digital compass
Electroluminecent back lite
12-hour format and 24-hour format
Hourly and half hourly chime
Battery: Single 3V lithium battery (CR2032)
Water resistance: 10 ATM, 100 m
Chronograph Mode Features:
Measures elapsed time, accumulative elapsed time, and lap time
Measures time to 1/100 second
Regatta Timer Mode:
Measures the elapse of a fixed period of time (target time)
Timer starts counting down from the target time to zero and then it starts counting up
Target time can be set by using the quick-set value or userpreset value
Timer sound signal, last ten minutes beeps once every minute, last minute beeps once every ten second, last five seconds beeps once every second, count to zero beeps for 30 seconds and the target time will be reloaded automatically after the beeps
Compass mode:
Points to magnetic north
Shows bearing direction
Pointer within the display shows the analog direction of the magnetic north
Includes a backward bearing function
Compass lock function locks the important direction readings
Magnetic declination, allows you to compensate the compass bearing at a place where the magnetic declination is either westerly or easterly
Displays calendar, day of the week, hours, 24 hour hand, minutes, and seconds
Slide Rule dial allows you to calculate things such as multiplication, divison, proportion, Square root, Time required, Fuel consumption, Estimated flight time, Or other flying problems
Movement: Solar quartz 10 ½"
Solar cell type: Amorphous silicon solar cell
Secondary battery type: Titanium lithium ion
Secondary battery size: 9.5 mm x 2.1 mm
Working time: Approx. 6 months (after fully charged)
Slide Rule dial allows you to calculate things such as multiplication, divison, proportion, Square root, Time required, Fuel consumption, Estimated flight time, Or other flying problems
Movement: Solar quartz 10 ½"
Solar cell type: Amorphous silicon solar cell
Secondary battery type: Titanium lithium ion
Secondary battery size: 9.5 mm x 2.1 mm
Working time Approx. 6 months (after fully charged)
Slide Rule dial allows you to calculate things such as multiplication, divison, proportion, Square root, Time required, Fuel consumption, Estimated flight time, Or other flying problems
Reception frequency: 77.5kHz, amplitude
Modulated: DCF coding
Transmitter range (receiver sensitivity): 1,500 km radius of Frankfurt am
Displays hour, minute, second hand, date, quick date change, power reserve indicator
Mechanical timepiece with automatic winding, The timepiece is wound by the natural movement of your arm when you wear the timepiece on your wrist
This timepiece runs for approximately forty hours when it is fully wound, In order to fully wind the timepiece, you should wear it for at least eight hours a day
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD Published: February 26, 2009 Footprints uncovered in Kenya show that as early as 1.5 million years ago an ancestral species, almost certainly Homo erectus, had already evolved the feet and walking gait of modern humans.
Studying the more than a dozen prints, scientists determined that the individuals had heels, insteps and toes almost identical to those in humans, and that they walked with a long stride similar to human locomotion.
The researchers who made the discovery, as well as independent specialists in human origins, said the prints helped explain fossil and archaeological evidence that erectus had adapted the ability for long-distance walking and running. Erectus skeletons from East Asia revealed that the species, or a branch of it, had migrated out of Africa as early as 1.8 million years ago.
No erectus foot bones have been found anywhere, but other well-preserved, yet incomplete, skeletons showed the species to be taller and less robust than earlier hominids. The strides of these footsteps suggest that the individuals were an average of 5 feet, 7 inches tall; one, presumably a child, was 3 feet tall.
The site of the discovery is about five miles east of Lake Turkana, near the village of Ileret, in northern Kenya.
Anatomists analyzing the Ileret prints said the heel, instep, balls of the foot and short toes were considerably distinct from the prints discovered in Tanzania and almost identical to modern humans. Most obviously, the big toe is in line with the rest of the toes, not angling away from other toes, as on an afarensis foot.
The footprints discovered in Kenya, researchers said, indicated that the erectus foot functioned much as a human foot does: the heel contacts the ground first; weight transfers along the arch to the ball of the foot; and the push-off is applied by the forefoot. In apes and apparently earlier hominids, this force comes from the midfoot.
Lieberman and Bramble believe we evolved legs longer than our arms for long-distance running. Read my post here about their theory.
Bears are plantigrade but other carnivores are digitigrade. Go to the excellent Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology to learn more about locomotion. Watch the bear's feet in this youtube video walks as he first backs away from the cougar, then runs away:
Canines and cats are digitigrades. Toe walkers. Here is a video where you can view 3 species of carnivores, gray wolf, mountain lion and hyena, running:
What are baboons? Baboons are basically plantigrade quadrupeds. In other words, baboons walk and run on all four limbs using the soles of their hands and feets. Here's a youtube video of baboons running:
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