Pay It Forward Curation Contest: Nominations

This is my entry for the #payitforward curation contest, https://steemit.com/payitforward/@thedarkhorse/pay-it-forward-curation-contest-week-5-win-sbi-and-steem-bounty, sponsored by @thedarkhorse.

I believe I am eligible for the first time entry bonus--I was featured by @bengy.

As I understand them, the rules for this contests are that authors of nominated blogs must have a reputation below (50). This was my first screening criterion as I looked for candidates. After satisfying that contest qualification, I applied my personal criteria. These were 1) Not only did the post have to be of high quality, it also had to tell me something I didn't know. And... 2) The author had to explain what I didn't know without giving me a headache.

I started looking at "New" posts in my feed and then went to the "science" tag, because I'm not a scientist and there's bound to be a lot of stuff there I don't know. Each of the three nominated posts satisfy all the criteria. There are many worthy posts, but these were the first I found.

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The nominees are listed in alphabetical order, so I'll start with

@dhien-jb (rating 46) and his post, how the process of making civet coffee (luwak). the most popular coffee in Indonesia
https://steemit.com/steemiteducation/@dhien-jb/steemiteducation-life-blog-writing-science-99f679287729a

@dhien-jb offered me the opportunity to learn about civet coffee, which is made in Indonesia. In explaining this process of brewing coffee, the author also helped me to drop the cultural lens from which I was inclined to view the custom. Civet coffee is made from droppings. Beans are harvested from the leavings of civets. The beans are cleaned, and then brewed. The author emphasizes that beans from wild civets result in a better-tasting brew.

I'd like to add (after reading up on this) that serious animal rights issues surround farm-raised civets, so if you're inclined to drink this coffee, please insist on beans harvested in the wild.

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My second nomination is
@flyyingkiwi (rating 47), and his blog Why your $5 Calculator is Faster than you at Math. Serial vs Parallel Processing https://steemit.com/psychology/@flyyingkiwi/why-your-usd5-calculator-is-faster-than-you-at-math-serial-vs-parallel-processing

This blog very clearly explains the difference between serial processing and parallel processing. Calculators use serial processing, and humans use parallel processing. The difference between these two forms of information management, @flyyingkiwi explains, is the reason calculators "think" so much faster than we do.

This is a very technical subject. My background is in literature and history, so when such a technical subject is made clear to me, I think the author has accomplished a great deal.

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My third nomination is
@imbagaming (rating 44), and his blog, Biological clock. What is aging and how is the age of the body determined? https://steemit.com/science/@imbagaming/biological-clock-what-is-ageing-and-how-is-the-age-of-the-body-determined

@imbagaming takes a subject that interests people of all ages--why and how we grow old. The author explains the biological basis of aging, at least as it is understood today. Besides explaining what science can tell us about the aging process, @imbagaming has practical information that may help us in our everyday lives: taking anti-oxidants may not be the best course and restricting calories may actually be helpful.

Of the three articles I've nominated, the last was perhaps the most technical, but in no way obscure. It was chock full of good information.

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I heard about this contest from @bengy, who suggested I follow through by putting the work of other authors forward. Finding those authors has been fun. I'm really grateful to @bengy for nominating me, to @thedarkhorse for running the contest, and for the encouraging words offered by @wolfart.

Good luck to all nominees!