My Science School

The Infinity Gauntlet was a powerful Dwarven-made Uru glove that was designed to channel the power of all six Infinity Stones.

The Infinity Gauntlet was specifically made to allow the wielder to channel the powers of all six Infinity Stones; it even allows the use of their powers in unison, such as using the Space Stone to send the Power Stone's energies to Titan's moon. The Stones seem to be drawn towards the Gauntlet; the wielder has only to hold the stone over an empty pocket and the stone fuses to it by itself. Upon completion of the Gauntlet, the user is able to accomplish almost anything at will — even wiping out half the universe with a snap of the fingers. Despite the great power it grants its wielder, the Gauntlet has a flaw, intentionally incorporated by Eitri: it must be clenched before the power of any Stone could be accessed. Additionally, the Gauntlet's wearer must possess a substantially high level of mental fortitude and physical strength capable of withstanding the severe strain caused by using even just one Infinity Stone.

The Infinity Gauntlet is tremendously durable; able to withstand having all six infinity Stones embedded into it and able to provide protection from Captain Marvel's photon blasts even in its damaged state. However, Thanos using the power of all six Stones at once put too much strain on the Gauntlet, heavily damaging it, though it remained functional enough for Thanos to use the Stones to both heal himself and escape. The Gauntlet, though heavily damaged, would again survive yet another full-scale use of it when Thanos utilized it to destroy the Infinity Stones themselves. The aftermath of this action was complete inoperability of the Gauntlet beyond that point while leaving severe burns on the left side of Thanos' body leading up from his left arm up to the left side of his face. Additionally, the Gauntlet's remains were fused to Thanos' left arm permanently.

Picture Credit : Google

The Room of Requirement, also known as the Come and Go Room, was a secret room within Hogwarts Castle, that only appears when a person is in great need of it.

Dumbledore's Army used the room as their headquarters and practice area. Among the items provided by the room for the D.A. were Dark Detectors and shelves of helpful books such as A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions, The Dark Arts Outsmarted, Self-Defensive Spellwork, and Jinxes for the Jinxed. Around Christmas, which was the last meeting before the break, Harry was cornered by Cho Chang under some mistletoe and the two shared a kiss. They were eventually discovered by the Inquisitorial Squad; due to the Squad wanting evidence, the Room provided the meeting room and the list of members.

The Room of Hidden Things may have had a special protection that prevented a Summoning Charm being used in it, meaning students had to physically find what it was they were looking for. This was the case when Hermione attempted to summon Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, but failed, although this may be because the diadem was a Horcrux. She, Ron and Harry had to go searching for it instead.

Picture Credit : Google

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a children's book by British author Roald Dahl. It is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, continuing the story of young Charlie Bucket and chocolatier Willy Wonka as they travel in the Great Glass Elevator. The book was first published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1972, and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin in 1973.

The story picks up where the previous book left off, with Charlie and family aboard the flying Great Glass Elevator after Willy Wonka has rewarded him with the ownership of his chocolate factory. The Elevator accidentally goes into orbit, and Mr. Wonka docks them at the Space Hotel USA. Their interception of the hotel is mistaken by approaching astronauts and hotel staff in a Commuter Capsule and listeners on Earth (including the President of the United States) as an act of space piracy and they are variously accused of being enemy agents, spies and aliens. Shortly after their arrival, they discover that the hotel has been overrun by dangerous, shape-changing alien monsters known as The Vermicious Knids. The Knids cannot resist showing off and reveal themselves by using the five hotel elevators (with one Knid in each of them) and spell out the word "SCRAM", giving the group time to evacuate. As the group leaves, a Knid follows the Great Glass Elevator and tries to break it open, but to no avail, which results in the Knid receiving a bruise on its backside and hungering for payback. 

Picture Credit : Google

Mary Poppins is a magical nanny who sweeps into the Banks home on Cherry Tree Lane and takes charge of the Banks children. She never acknowledges her strange and magical powers, and feigns insult when one of the children refers to her previous adventures. She first arrives to them when she is blown to Cherry Tree Lane by the East Wind. At the end of the first book she opens up her umbrella to the West Wind and lets it lift her up into the air and away from the children. In the 1964 Disney film of the same name, she is portrayed by Julie Andrews; in the 2018 sequel Mary Poppins Returns, she is portrayed by Emily Blunt; in the 2004 BBC Radio 4 drama, she is played by Juliet Stevenson.

The first book introduces the Banks family from Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, their children Jane and Michael, and baby twins John and Barbara. When the children's nanny, Katie Nanna, storms out in a huff, Mary Poppins arrives at their home, complete with her travelling carpet bag, blown in by a very strong East wind. She accepts the job (agreeing to stay "till the wind changes"), and the children soon learn that their nanny, though stern, vain and usually cross, has a magical touch that makes her wonderful. Among the things Jane and Michael experience are a tea party on a ceiling with Mr. Wigg, a trip around the world with a compass, the purchase of gingerbread stars from the extremely old Mrs. Corry, a meeting with the Bird Woman, a birthday party at the zoo among the animals, and a Christmas shopping trip with a star named Maia from the Pleiades cluster in the constellation Taurus. In the end, in what is perhaps the most iconic image associated with Mary Poppins, she opens her umbrella and the West wind carries her away.

Picture Credit : Google

A Howler is a nasty letter sent to tell someone off. It arrives in a red envelope, smoking slightly. It must be opened immediately or it explodes. Upon opening, the Howler screams at the recipient in a voice magically magnified for maximum effect.

The purpose of the Howler is to deliver a message expressing anger or great displeasure in a manner which standard writing cannot adequately convey.

Instead of simply being a red envelope that can explode, in the film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ron's Howler resembles a mouth with teeth (simulated by the red envelope and white paper, with a ribbon for the tongue) that loudly conveys its message to the recipient, then blows a raspberry and tears itself to shreds once it has finished scolding the recipient. Also, Mrs. Weasley added a congratulation directly to Ginny for making into Gryffindor, stating that her parents are proud of this sorting. This implies that the film version's Howler possesses a certain degree of sentience and awareness of it's suroundings, as it turned to face Ginny to make this comment, changing its tone into a more calm and kind one.

Picture Credit : Google

The lightsaber, also referred to as a laser sword by those who were unfamiliar with it, was a weapon usually used by the Jedi, the Sith, and other Force-sensitives. Lightsabers consisted of a plasma blade, powered by a kyber crystal, that was emitted from a usually metal hilt and could be shut off at will. It was a weapon that required skill and training, and was greatly enhanced when used in conjunction with the Force. Though also used by the Sith, the lightsaber was synonymous with the Jedi, with some in the galaxy believing only Jedi could use lightsabers.

The intended purpose of the lightsaber was that it was to be used to bring an end to conflicts, being designed so that they could injure no more than its wielder chose. Additionally, there was no collateral damage from lightsaber strikes unless the blade happened to hit a target on accident. If death was deemed necessary, the blade was designed to kill quickly. Even though the Jedi held themselves to these rules, the groups like the Sith chose to use their lightsabers in ways that could cause suffering. Jedi Padawan Bell Zettifar also felt that the lightsaber was designed so as to give an enemy a chance to surrender, as it was easy to spot and hear.

Lightsaber combat was the preferred fighting method used by lightsaber wielders. Throughout the millennia, many combat styles were refined into the seven "classic" forms that serve as the standard, and numerous other fighting methods that call for advanced levels of skill. Lightsabers were most often held with both hands during combat.

Picture Credit : Google

The alethiometer, nicknamed the symbol-reader, was a compass-like device that was used to communicate with Dust and find truthful answers to one's questions. Only six alethiometers were ever made.

The alethiometer was invented by Pavel Khunrath in Prague in the 17th century. It was intended to be used for astrological purposes, such as measuring the influences of the planets. The experimental theologian discovered that an alloy of two particular rare metals could be used to create a needle that pointed towards the truth. The first alethiometer consisted of this needle suspended over a celestial chart showing the signs of the zodiac, with Khunrath asking questions and receiving responses.

To read the alethiometer, the user first directed three needles to lie over certain symbols on the face of device to create a question. Then, the user held this question in their mind, without grasping at the answer, but being content not to know - meaning an alethiometer could only answer questions a reader didn't earnestly want the answer to. At this point, the fourth needle swung into action, moving from one symbol to another to create the answer.

Picture Credit : Google

The Cloak of Invisibility is a magical artefact used to render the wearer invisible, and one of the fabled Deathly Hallows. This invisibility cloak was the only known one that would not fade with age and would provide everlasting protection to the wearer, something no normal invisibility cloak could provide. As such, it was the only Hallow known to have been successfully passed down from generation to generation since Ignotus' time. In 1991, it passed to the possession of Harry Potter who used it to great success in the Second Wizarding War and resolved to pass it down to his own children.

Although powerful, the Cloak of Invisibility is not infallible. While the Cloak itself resists spell damage, it does not shield the wearer from spells used against them personally. For example, Harry was immobilised while under the Cloak twice during the 1996–1997 school year with the Full Body-Bind Curse.

As the last of the Hallows, the Cloak is shown as the wide triangle that encompasses the circle and the line intersecting at their very middle; and being the only one to be properly treated as an heirloom, the Cloak of Invisibility seems to represent survival at most.

Picture Credit : Google

Nancy Drew is a fictional character, a sleuth in an American mystery series created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer as the female counterpart to his Hardy Boys series. The character first appeared in 1930. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene.

Well, she was, until a new comic series seemingly killed her off.

She's the presumably dead star of the upcoming Dynamite comic, "Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew." The monthly series will see the Hardy Boys investigate the literary heroine's death.

Longtime readers of Drew were flummoxed by the news: Why celebrate the 90th anniversary of a beloved female character by making her a ghost in her own story?

Some fans criticized the decision to apparently "fridge" Nancy Drew in her own series. "Fridging" is a comic book trope in which a female character is killed to build a male character's development and motivation.

Picture Credit : Google

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is offering free audiobooks and ebooks to the first novel in her series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone”, throughout April, to help families in lockdown during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Rowling has also launched a new digital hub called “Harry Potter at Home”. Each week on “Wizarding Wednesdays”, it will offer a range of activities, quizzes, and other things to do, like how to draw a Niffler — the Fantastic Beasts creature attracted to shiny things. And every Friday, you'll get new ideas in your inbox with an email newsletter, if you sign up.

The free audiobook version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will be available on Audible's newly-launched Audible Stories in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese, with the English-language version narrated by Stephen Fry. Better yet, you don't even need an Audible account to listen. As for the ebook, you can borrow it for free in over 20 different languages from a participating local or school library, at digital library supplier OverDrive, via its Libby app

Picture Credit : Google

Baloo is by far the most laid-back bear in the jungle. He gives the best advice a man-cub could ask for, has a groovy singing voice, and is cooler than we could ever hope to be.

Baloo is easily characterized by his laid-back, gentle nature. Often speaking with a soft, smooth tone, the sloth bear is known for his ideals of remaining relaxed as often as possible, and preventing the pressures and responsibilities of life holding one down, as vocalized through his song, "The Bare Necessities". Bagheera, the wise panther, describes him as a "jungle bum"; a seemingly useless member of animal society, only focused on lounging, snacking, scratching his back, and other minimal activities labeled as lazy pastimes. Though lazy, stubborn, and foreign to true responsibility, Baloo has a large heart, often taking his ideals (which are seen to have successfully led him to a happy lifestyle) and sharing it with others, including Mowgli, the man-cub, in hopes of spreading the happiness he's been fortunate enough to experience.

In the sequel, Baloo is more social than ever and feels his life is somewhat empty without Mowgli, the only one who truly understood him. Overcome with nostalgia, Baloo sneaks into the Man Village where he reunites with the man-cub and takes him back to the jungle. However, he sees later on that Mowgli has matured since their last time together; the man-cub now has grown attached to his own kind and is not as threatened by responsibilities as he once was despite his carefree nature. As a result, Baloo realizes he was wrong to take the boy back to the jungle and after gaining respect for Shanti, Mowgli's close friend, he encourages the man-cub to go back with her to the civilization where he truly belongs.

Picture Credit : Google

Emily Jane Brontë was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte and Anne titled Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell with her own poems finding regard as poetic genius. Emily was the second-youngest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother Branwell. She published under the pen name Ellis Bell.

In 1846, the sisters' poems were published in one volume as Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. The Brontë sisters had adopted pseudonyms for publication, preserving their initials: Charlotte was "Currer Bell", Emily was "Ellis Bell" and Anne was "Acton Bell".

Charlotte contributed 19 poems, and Emily and Anne each contributed 21. Although the sisters were told several months after publication that only two copies had sold, they were not discouraged (of their two readers, one was impressed enough to request their autographs). The Athenaeum reviewer praised Ellis Bell's work for its music and power, singling out his poems as the best: "Ellis possesses a fine, quaint spirit and an evident power of wing that may reach heights not here attempted", and The Critic reviewer recognised "the presence of more genius than it was supposed this utilitarian age had devoted to the loftier exercises of the intellect."

Picture Credit : Google

Malgudi is a fictional town located in South India in Ramanathapuram in the novels and short stories of R. K. Narayan. It forms the setting for most of Narayan's works. Starting with his first novel, Swami and Friends (1935), all but one of his fifteen novels and most of his short stories take place here. Malgudi was a portmanteau of two Bangalore localities - Malleshwaram and Basavanagudi.

Malgudi is located on the banks of the fictional river Sarayu, near the also-fictional Mempi forest, on border of the states of Mysore and Madras and a few hours' away from Madras.

Narayan's assertion that Malgudi is work of fiction has not deterred readers from speculating about its actual location being Mysore, with a river on one side and a forest on the other, and buildings and lanes similar to those of Malgudi, such as Lawley road, Variety Hall, and Bombay Anand Bhavan. Other possible 'locations' include Lalgudi situated on the banks of the river Kaveri and Yadavgiri in the erstwhile state of Mysore.

Malgudi was a portmanteau of two Bangalore localities - Malleshwaram and Basavanagudi, the story is apocryphal. He created the town on September 1930, on Vijayadashami, an auspicious day to start new efforts and thus chosen for him by his grandmother. As he mentioned in a later interview to his biographers Susan and N. Ram, in his mind, he first saw a railway station, and slowly the name Malgudi came to him.

Picture Credit : Google