Fossil for Sale Articles

Ever see a fossil? We’re talking about seeing a moment from the ancient past, frozen in time, exactly as it was back then. How was the fossil made? Years of mud and gunk piling on top of it? A flash flood? A volcano erupting? It doesn’t really matter, because you have that perfect representation of what was going on back then - you have that fossil.

That’s what a PDF is like.

PDF stands for Portable Document File. And when they say the document is “portable,” they mean it can be passed around from person to person, just like a fossil, and it doesn’t change. That means no matter who looked at that file, it would always look the same.

And just like the fossil, it doesn’t matter how the Portable Document File was originally made, it will still look the same. Say, for example, someone made a document in the software program called Word, and then tried to pass it around to others. First of all, the others would have to have the Word program (and maybe even the right version of Word) to view the document. Second, if the others didn’t have the same fonts, the document would look different right there.

But if that same document was turned into a PDF, the others could open it whether or not they had Word.

The only catch is this: to turn a document into a PDF, the document’s creator would also need a piece of software called Adobe Acrobat (or some other software that creates PDFs). You have to buy this software.

And to view a PDF, you need a piece of software called Adobe Acrobat Reader. Fortunately, Acrobat Reader is FREE, and can be downloaded at the Adobe website:

* http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

PDFs are great for the Internet, because they let people and businesses save their files in a format that they know won’t get all messed up when opened by the target audience. Better yet, Acrobat Reader can open PDFs saved on a computer (in this case, Acrobat Reader opens as a stand-alone software program) or Acrobat Reader can open PDFs downloaded by a browser (in this case, Acrobat Reader is acting as a plug-in).

And since PDFs and Acrobat Reader are pretty well known, lots of people already know what’s up when a PDF floats their way.

And that’s why a PDF is like a fossil.

Copyright (c) Grant Pasay 2005. All rights reserved.

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Grant Pasay is a writer, musician, moviemaker, and author of the new eBook, “The Internet Is Like A Refrigerator: And Other Weird Comparisons That Make it Easy to Understand Everything From AOL to Zip Files.” Check out Grant’s free/brandable ebook at: http://grantpasay.com/refrigerator/

The prolific trilobite could be called the signpost of the Paleozoic Era. This early arthropod, one of earth’s first, shows up in the fossil record in the early Cambrian Period about 450 million years ago. It flourished in the ancient seas for close to 300 million years before finally becoming extinct at the close of the Paleozoic Era.

Trilobite Popularity
So, what was the trilobite and what about it inspires such fondness among students of all ages? Could it be its unusual body armor that allowed for unique defense mechanisms? Perhaps it’s the almost friendly appearance, with its prominent “face.” Or is it simply because of its broad diversity among the remnants of a long extinct species? A close look at this ancient creature reveals a certain familiarity, sharing characteristics with modern-day species known to us all.

Arthropods of Distinction
I’ve already mentioned that the trilobite was one of the first arthropods. Arthropods still exist today, of course; they are those creepy, crawly bugs that invite themselves to our picnics (ants, spiders, mosquitoes, and the like) or the crusty seafood delicacy that occasionally graces our tables. (Take your pick, shrimp, lobster or crayfish: all arthropods!) The trilobite earned its place among the arthropods because it had a hard exoskeleton, a body that had at least a couple of sections, and jointed legs.

Exoskeleton
It’s pretty easy to observe the hard exoskeleton in a trilobite fossil. It’s the part that turned to stone! That process is another whole story, but the important part is that in the trilobites, the exoskeleton was so distinctive that paleontologists use the characteristics to help place the trilobites into different groups for classification.

Three Lobes?
The trilobite has three easily identifiable sections: the head or cephalon, the thorax, and the pygidium or posterior section. One might suspect the trilobite to be named for these three sections, but it was not. Its name, “trilobite” means three-lobed, referring to the three lobes that run head to tail: an axial lobe through the center and two pleural lobes on either side, left and right. This 3-lobed characteristic is common to all species of trilobite, even though the appearance of the three body sections can vary greatly.

Trilobite Extinction
Trilobites declined in numbers during the second half of the Paleozoic. The Permian Period was the last period of the Paleozoic Era. It ended in an event called the Permian Mass Extinction. Many animals including the trilobites disappeared at this time.

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Claudia Mann is a teacher, and a contributor to http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com where you can find out more about trilobites.

Perhaps the most timeless of fashion accessories – pun intended – is the wristwatch. Aside from their obvious role as a timepiece that has kept us on schedule throughout the decades, the watch plays an equal role when it makes a statement of style and success. The right watch can convey a message about you just as much as your clothes, and while everyone knows the kind of message sent by a Rolex or Cartier watch, it is no secret that their exorbitant price tag is part of that equation. However, with a Fossil watch you can embrace a sense of style without spending hundreds or even thousands, and you can even do it with your own personal flair.

Started in 1984, the Fossil watch company has staked their place on the wristwatch landscape by providing a selection of watches that can appeal to a wide range of tastes and nearly any budget. Offering casual and dress watches that typically cost between $50 and $150 dollars, a Fossil watch is not a cheap watch; it is an affordable, high quality timepiece.

Boasting a selection of watches that rivals any company, with looks to match, Fossil watches could get by on their looks, quality, and price alone. However, Fossil has taken watches to a new, innovative, and original level by offering several lines of watches that are a product of outside-the-box thinking.

The Fossil watch website is a great place to begin looking for that special watch that fits your wrist and personality. At the Watch Bar, you can build your own watch be selecting from a wide variety of styles, sizes, and wristbands. You can literally mix and match, adding what you like until you get exactly what you what. Individual components are priced separately, so you can not only build a style you like, but you can do it for a price that is equally agreeable.

Fossil’s personalized options do not begin or end with the Watch Bar, or your ability to create a watch that suits your tastes. For the sports fan there are watches sporting the logos of your favorite NCAA and NFL teams. Fossil also has a large line of collectible watches featuring some of the most popular characters in pop culture. From Batman to Elvis, Snoopy to Star Wars; Fossil has a wide range of collectible watches for the fan of nearly anything.

For those with tastes that lean toward contemporary, designer looks, there is a Fossil watch for them too. Fossil has teamed with people like Frank Gehry, Philippe Starck, Michael Kors, and Marc Jacobs, to make designer watches at affordable price points. Even the technophile can find a Fossil that will scratch the technological itch. The Fossil wrist PDA and its LCD touch-screen allow you to access your calendar, personal planner, and much more.

Affordable quality, stylish looks, and a price that anyone can afford; it is no wonder that there is a Fossil watch for nearly any budget, taste, or occasion.

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For more information on watches try visiting http://www.Watches4All.com, a website that specializes in providing watch related tips, advice and resources to include information on the fossil watch.

What is a fossil? While this is a simple question, the answer can be simple or a bit more complicated.

The short and sweet answer to that question is “A fossil is the remains or evidence of any creature or plant that lived on the earth in a past geologic age.”

But there are so many KINDS of fossils. A more important question for a curious student is “What kinds of fossils are there?” The answer to that question will take a bit more exploration. You’ll have to dig a little deeper…pun intended!

The Long Answer
There are several fossil classification systems in use today, but the one that I like the best is the one used by Peter Larson and Kristin Donnan in their book, Bones Rock! They group fossils into two categories: Type I-the remains of the dead animal or plant or the imprint left from the remains.

Type I includes:

bones
teeth
skin impressions
hair
the hardened shell of an ancient invertebrate (an animal without a backbone) like a trilobite or an ammonite
impression of an animal or plant, even if the actual parts are missing.

So now you have one short and one long answer to the question: “What is a Fossil?” Let’s build on that.

Type II- Something that was made by the animal while it was living that has hardened into stone. These are called trace fossils.

Type II includes:

footprints
burrows
coprolite or animal poop

Type I fossils can be the actual thing that it once was, like a piece of bone or hair or feather. More often the bone material is replaced by different minerals contained in the liquid of the sediments that buried it. What was once bone is now some sort of crystal or mineral.

This process also takes place with shells, exoskeletons and wood. If the spaces in the bone are filled with liquid minerals which later harden it is called permineralization.

Sometimes the organic material is dissolved by the mineral-laden water. The process happens so slowly that each cell is dissolved and replaced by a particular liquid mineral before it hardens. This is called petrification. In petrification, every detail down to the cellular level is duplicated in the minerals.

Type I can also be molds or casts of the original animal or plant part. If the original organism decays, leaving an imprint and an empty space, it is called an exterior mold or simply a mold. If a space in the structure is filled with minerals as the original animal or plant part dissolves, it is called a cast.

So now you have the short answer and the long answer to the question “What is a fossil?”

Was that more info than you were seeking? I hope not! Fossils are the illustrations on the pages of rock that are the earth’s history. I think the more you know, the more you’ll want to discover about these fascinating traces of life we call fossils.

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Claudia Mann is a teacher, and a contributor to http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com where you can Learn more about fossils and fossil formation. Claudia and her husband own http://www.fossilicious.com a place where you can find great fossils at great prices.