The Amazing Web

Once in a while I need to stop and praise the amazing Web. This occasion was prompted by something that happened yesterday.

My wife was cleaning one of our cats' water dishes using vinegar to remove the mineral deposits and noticed a slimy-looking substance in the vinegar. Neither of us had seen anything like it before.

Later I typed something about this into Google and immediately discovered that the slime is common and even has a name, "Mother of vinegar." It's a combination of "cellulose and acetic acid bacteria" according to a Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_of_vinegar

Before the Internet, discovering a well-known fact like this might have required a trip to the library. Now after a few pokes, the answer is yours. It's a whole new world.