Hard (Zürich)

Hard is a quarter in the district 4 of Zürich.

It was formerly a part of Aussersihl municipality, which was incorporated into Zürich in 1893.

The quarter has a population of 12,715 distributed on an area of 1.46 km².

Coordinates: 47°22′46.59″N 8°30′57.64″E / 47.3796083°N 8.5160111°E / 47.3796083; 8.5160111

Hard (surname)

Hard is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Hardcourt

A hardcourt (or hard court) is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. They are typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic material to seal the surface and mark the playing lines, while providing some cushioning. Historically, hardwood surfaces were also in use in indoor settings, similar to an indoor basketball court, but these are now rare.

Tennis

Tennis hard courts are made of synthetic/acrylic layers on top of a concrete or asphalt foundation and can vary in color. These courts tend to play medium-fast to fast because there is little energy absorption by the court, like in grass courts. The ball tends to bounce high and players are able to apply many types of spin during play. Flat balls are favored on hard courts because of the extremely quick play style. Speed of rebound after tennis balls bounce on hard courts is determined by how much sand is in the synthetic/acrylic layer placed on top of the asphalt foundation. More sand will result in a slower bounce due to more friction.

Calico

Calico (in British usage, 1505,AmE "muslin") is a plain-woven textile made from unbleached and often not fully processed cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but it is still very cheap owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance.

The fabric was originally from the city of Kozhikode (known by the English as Calicut) in southwestern India. It was made by the traditional weavers called cāliyans. The raw fabric was dyed and printed in bright hues, and calico prints became popular in Europe.

History

Calico originated in Kozhikode (also known as Calicut, from which the name of the textile came) in southwestern India during the 11th century. The cloth was known as "cāliyan" to the natives.

It was mentioned in Indian literature by the 12th century when the writer Hēmacandra described calico fabric prints with a lotus design. By the 15th century calico from Gujǎrāt made its appearance in Egypt. Trade with Europe followed from the 17th century onwards.

Chintz

Chintz (from the plural of chint) was originally glazed calico textiles, initially specifically those imported from India, printed with designs featuring flowers and other patterns in different colours, typically on a light plain background. Since the 19th century the term has also been used for the style of floral decoration developed in those calico textiles, but then used more widely, for example on chintzware pottery and wallpaper. Chintz designs are mostly European patterns loosely derived from the style of Indian designs themselves reflecting, via Mughal art, decorative traditions in Islamic art such as the arabesque, and especially the Safavid art of Persia.

Unglazed calico was traditionally called "cretonne". The word calico is derived from the name of the Indian city Calicut (Kozhikkode in native Malayalam) to which it had a manufacturing association. In contemporary language the word "chintz" and "chintzy" can be used to refer to clothing or furnishings which are vulgar or florid in appearance, and commonly in informal speech, to refer to cheap, low quality, or gaudy things, including personal behavior.

Calico (company)

Calico LLC is an independent research and development biotech company established in 2013 by Google Inc. and Arthur D. Levinson with the goal of combatting aging and associated diseases. In Google's 2013 Founders' Letter, Larry Page described Calico as a company focused on "health, wellbeing and longevity." The company's name is an acronym for "California Life Company".

In August 2015, Google announced plans to restructure into Alphabet Inc., wherein Google and Calico would become two of the subsidiaries of the new company along with others. This restructuring was completed on October 2, 2015.

Partnerships

In September 2014, it was announced that Calico, in partnership with AbbVie, would be opening up a R&D facility focused on aging and age-related diseases, such as neurodegeneration and cancer. Initially, each company will invest $350 million, with an option for each to add an extra $500 million later on. In the same month, Calico announced a partnership with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and 2M Companies regarding drug development for neurodegenerative disorders.