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2012年2月28日星期二

The History of Copy Machines: Chester Floyd Carlson

Carlson's motivation came during his time as a patent analyzer. A large portion of his job was re-creating flawless copies of drawings submitted by inventors, and Carlson quickly realized what an invention that effortlessly made photocopies would mean. So he sat out to design and create was is known today as copy machines.


He graduated with a degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1928, smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression. The legend goes, 22-year-old Carlson applied for over 80 jobs before finally being hired by Bell Laboratories in New York… and was fired within a year.


Carlson would find work again for a patent attorney near Wall Street. About a year later he was hired by P.R. Mallory (now known as Duracell), an electrical parts manufacturer, where he became the head of their patent department.. When not working, Carlson attended New York Law School, and eventually received his LL.B. degree.


It was during his time at the patent attorneys office that Carlson came up with what would be his greatest accomplishment. And in the fall of 1938, Carlson and an assistant, using a complicated procedure that involved glass slides, zinc plates, lamplights, negatively charged powder and heat to make a copy of a slide written in ink that said "10-23-38 ASTORIA."


Despite this incredible creation, no company would financially support Carlson enough to assist him in developing and improving it. It wasn't until 1944, when a nonprofit organization called Battelle Memorial Institute, agreed to financially back Carlson, in exchange for a portion of the profits… if there were any.


However, the Battelle Memorial Institute funding was limited, and Carlson quickly became aware he'd need more financial support to complete his project.


That support arrived from Rochester, New York, home of the Haloid company and their Head of Research John Dassauer. Daussuer's company joined Carlson in 1946 as a research paper, and was also responsible for changing the name of the process from "electrophotography" to "xerography," the name used today. It is derived from the Greek words "xeros" and "graphos," which mean "dry" and "writing," respectively.


In 1947, Haloid manufactured the first copier. By 1949, the first photocopier was offered for public purchase. However, it was massive and difficult to operate, and initially did not succeed financially.


However, technology continued to improve, and Carlson adapted his project to produce a better project. The final result of Carlson's invention was the first commercial automatic copy machine, The Xerox 914, which was released in 1960.


Carlson passed away eight years later. His greatest invention, the Xerox 914, currently sits on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

2012年2月25日星期六

RIP Kerr MacGregor - Solar Panels Inventor

Being an inventor is a pretty cool job. You get to, in most cases, improve society through technological advancements. This means that, from the point of view of someone with an economics degree, increase everyone's well-being because society can make more output from limited inputs.


What could be even better than being an inventor? Being an inventor in the field of renewable energy. This means that whilst society can produce a greater output and economic well-being, negative externalities (pollution) is cut simultaneously, producing an even greater positive effect.


Kerr MacGregor was one of Britain's leading solar inventors. His work led to the invention of Solartwin. This is a solar water-heating panel which is freezable, unlike the majority of other systems currently on the UK market. Standard thermal solar panel systems rely on thick anti-freeze being mixed in with the water system so that the panels don't freeze over the winter. The issue with this is that whilst conventional thermal systems can operate without any issues, MacGregor's system is better. Anti-freeze is viscous and clogs up the pipes, requiring a powerful pump to circulate the fluid around the system. These pumps use a lot of energy, compared to Solartwin's 5 watt pump that's required to operate the system. Solartwin works because it uses flexible thermally conductive pipes which actually freeze solid in winter without cracking. In sun, they then thaw out quickly to produce hot water.


Kerr also produced a wide range of solar inventions, not just domestic thermal panels. He invented solar clip fins which are used in DIY solar collectors worldwide, underground solar heat storage for greenhouses, large solar collectors for swimming pools and transpired fabric solar collectors for drying timber. In particular, his thermal slates are used across hundreds of Scottish homes, where they produce dehumidified and heated air at low cost.


More novel inventions include his famous solar-powered bagpipe - he would arrive at international conferences, wearing a kilt, smiling and piping the Gay Gordons. The Guardian reports that at the Patent Office, a technical description of his Thermoscreen, a folding heater, includes a photo of a prototype he built, in tartan!


Kerr originates from Scotland, although he spent his early childhood in India and then went to boarding school in the UK. He was always a great thinker - interested in politics, music and travel. Not to mention motorbikes, kilts and the latest green gadgets, obviously!


Unfortunately, Kerr MacGregor passed away last week aged 70, leaving his wife, four children and two grandchildren. He will be sorely missed - there are more than 5,000 Solartwin installations in place across the world, so his name and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will go on even though he is no-longer with us. Indeed, the average system can reduce carbon dioxide by almost 1,000kg per year, so that's 5 million kilogrammes of carbon dioxide being saved by his systems every single year - we should all be grateful to him.

2012年2月20日星期一

That is the Inventor of Soccer? - Self Help

Football creation is fantastic. You realize that soccer is among the most well-known activity in the world. All people on the planet like soccer and love the fantastic football gamers like Pele, Maradona, and the current multi proficient soccer player like Messi also as Ronaldo. Soccer alone is actually a perplexing game where a ball is cased by twenty two players. However it may be the pride of a nation and it need strong and skillful athlete. Even there are lots of football club enthusiasts club like the followers of MU, the enthusiasts of Real Madrid and so on. Nonetheless, the soccer creation is complicated given that several nations confess that it's invented by them.


America which may be the representative of Usa of The us features a distinct viewpoint about the football invention given that they've their particular "football" which is various through the widespread football that is played by several individuals across the planet. In their football creation there's an identify that is extremely popular in American football. He's Walter C. Camp. He's a coach and activity writer. He produced rugby till it gets to be the game which is popular in US today. He invent the phrase of Scrimmage Line in American soccer. Are you currently satisfied about this different soccer creation?


Many people in Canada claimed which the football invention is occurred in their region and they admitted that football game reflected their tradition so that they referred to as that football is genuinely Canadian activity. So it is possible for them to think that the inventor of soccer is really a Canadian. In Canada, soccer is produced when British soldiers conquered Quebec in 1600s. Right after that the Canadian University released this football to the American University in which it is the initial time for the American heard concerning the football. Regardless of this soccer invention is both right or incorrect, now there exists an expert soccer league in Canada.


The most popular football invention is recognized from England. Many publications noted the soccer which can be almost comparable using the soccer today was played in England in 1200s. Nonetheless this sport was played with out specific rules so it grew to become the rude video game and it could make the players got injuries. It that time King Henry VI did not permitted this game. Though it was a forbidden game, it ongoing developing and now it is the most famous sport in the world especially in England because in this nation there's the best football league on the planet along with Italy and Spain League. The football invention is extraordinary.

2012年2月17日星期五

The Inventor of Modern Refrigeration

Born on June 11, 1842 in Berndorf, Germany, an engineer named Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde came up with an idea that led to the invention of the refrigerator.


His studies of a continuous process of liquefying gases in large quantities served as the basis for the refrigeration technology. He was able to complete his work in 1876.


Before the invention of the fridge, cellars were provided with packed snow and ice to cool food and serve as a not so modern refrigeration system.


Today most of us have our own refrigerators at home. We have grown accustomed to its presence. But what exactly is refrigeration and what is the science behind a refrigerator that makes it work that way?


What is refrigeration?


Refrigeration is the process of lowering temperature by removing heat from an enclosed space or substance.


How does a refrigerator work?


It's all about the nature of physics. Through compression, a liquid undergoes a rapid evaporation. The rapid expansion of vapors requires kinetic energy. The vapors get energy from immediate surroundings, thus, the area loses energy and becomes cool. This process is the primary basis of today's refrigeration system.


Many devices have inspired our modern refrigerator before it was successfully done as a safe cooling appliance at home. In 1748, William Cullen demonstrated the first know artificial refrigeration at the University of Glasgow, but did not apply it to any practical purposes.


Oliver Evans, an American inventor, designed the first refrigeration machine in 1805. The use of ether was used in the first practical refrigerating system introduced by Jacob Perkins in 1834.


In 1844, an American physician named John Gorrie made a refrigerator for his patients with yellow fever through the use of ice to cool the air inspired by the design of Oliver Evan(1844).


Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde came up with the idea of liquefying gas later.


There were also parts of the refrigerator history where such chemicals were used only to find out they were too dangerous to use. From the late 1800's until 1929, ammonia(NH3), methyl chloride(CH3CL), and sulfur dioxide(SO2) were used as refrigerants.


Fatal accidents happened due to these chemicals. Further research led to the utilization of Freon for compressor refrigerators. It was later found out that these chlorofluorocarbons endangered the ozone layer.


Through the advancement of modern cooling systems, people enjoy the convenience of food preservation without the arduous effort of someone in history long before the invention of refrigerators, given much appreciation, of course, to Carl von Linde with his precious scientific ideas that produced the advent of more effective refrigerators.


Carl von Linde died at the age of 92 in 1934. He had been awarded three Honorary Doctorates, Bavarian crown achievement medal. He was also honored with elevation to personal nobility status among many other honors.


We owe a lot to Carl von Linde. From the simple kitchen fridge to giant walkin coolers and freezers, Carl von Linde helps us keep our food fresh even today!

2012年2月15日星期三

The Inventor of the Roulette Wheel

The invention of the Roulette wheel is attributed to a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. It is said that he invented it in the seventeenth century. In this short article we will look at some of the other inventions of this great man.


Blaise Pascal was a man born before his time. He was not only a great mathematician; he was also a great inventor of many things. One of the things he invented was the Pascaline. In appearance this has several features in common with the Roulette wheel, though in fact it is a calculator, and one of the first calculators to be invented.


Blaise Pascal's father was a tax receiver and as a result was often engaged in arithmetic. Blaise sought to help him by making a machine that would help in the tedious task of adding up and subtracting seemingly endless columns of numbers. The machine was the first mechanical calculator that was able to carry tens and hundreds. The numbers to be processed are set up on a series of discs. The calculation is then performed by cranking a handle. The machine was difficult and expensive to build and was quite controversial in that it threatened the jobs of accountants' clerks. Only fifty were ever built.



Two of his other inventions were the hydraulic press and the syringe. Both inventions were the result of his work on the relationship between pressure and force in hydraulic fluids, and went on to show that there was such a thing as vacuum, something that had been refuted previously.



Pascal devoted much of his mathematic work to probability theory. Much of this work concerned gambling and involved a number of conjectures. One of these was the Problem of the Points. This concerned two dice players in a winner takes all game. The game ends prematurely and the question is how to slit the money fairly; equally was rules out as id disadvantaged to person who was ahead; neither was it fair to give everything to the leader. The fair split would be to calculate each player's possibility of winning. Pascal was able to do that with the mathematic construction known as Pascal's Triangle.



Pascal demonstrated that the odds of winning a game of chance such as roulette could be calculated mathematically. It is amazing that no one had done this before him.

2012年2月10日星期五

The Inventor of Modern Cooling

While many of us are still shivering in much of the country, soon the chill of winter will be behind us and we will be looking for a way to stay cool. If you're someone who loves to know where things come from, here is a basic synopsis of where the origins of air conditioning and refrigeration got its start.


The Man Behind Modern Cooling Systems


When the dog days of summer hit, think of John Gorrie and thank him for inventing what eventually led to modern air conditioning. John Gorrie, who lived from 1803 to 1855, was a Renaissance man in the truest sense. He was a physician, scientist, inventor, and even a humanitarian.


For the sake of this article, we want to concentrate on his passion for invention. But, in a way, his "cool" invention is connected to his medical career. Dr. Gorrie was involved in medical research on tropical diseases. In the 19th century, the prevailing theory for airborne diseases was that they were caused by bad or polluted air. What Dr. Gorrie believed was that warm air caused diseases such as malaria. So, he ordered the cooling of "sick rooms."


What started out as a misguided effort to minimize contagious diseases ended up as the start for modern cooling systems. Since ice at this time had to be imported (can you imagine?), Gorrie began to experiment with making artificial ice.


By 1845, Dr. Gorrie gave up his medical practice and explored refrigeration. On May 6, 1851, Gorrie was given Patent No. 8080 for a machine that would make ice.


But ultimately, the story of Dr. Gorrie and his great idea can be seen as a tragedy. In the midst of raising money for his venture, his partner passed away and so did the project. Dr. Gorrie died in seclusion in 1855. But the original model of his ice making machine and the scientific articles he wrote are housed at the Smithsonian Institution.


The story doesn't end there. In fact, there's talk of foul play. According to John Gorrie's biographer, Vivian M. Sherlock, Frederic "The Ice King" Tudor, was suspected of being instrumental in the failure of Gorrie's invention. Tudor launched a smear campaign against the invention.


Why would anyone do something like that, you ask? Well, there's a reason Frederic Tudor of Boston, Massachusetts was referred to as the Ice King. He was the founder of the Tudor Ice Company, through which Tudor made a boat load of money - literally. That's because he shipped boat loads of ice to places like the Caribbean, Europe, and even India.


While Dr. Gorrie's invention never got off the ground, it laid the groundwork for Willis Haviland Carrier who invented the air conditioner in 1902.

2012年2月8日星期三

Tesla Secrets

Nikola Tesla and other inventors have made efficient generators that would and could help abolish use of fossil fuels to power the world. Can anyone tell me of other inventors and their generators who the government and/or other companies have suppressed from becoming an asset to the economy and environment?


You have to understand that while Tesla was a genius, he was also a loon. He claimed to be from Venus. Modern Quantum Electro Dynamics is about as perfectly tested as a theory can get; it has been found accurate to one part in 10 to the 15th, and that was 30 years ago, and that was as close as they can measure.


However many people simply cannot believe his claims over the proven success of QED. Anyway, there are so many places that could investigate, if there were something to his claims, someone would be exploiting that; you think North Korea wouldn't love to have free energy and be trying to make a Death Ray?


Many people are trying to use this system today to generate electricity to power their homes for free. There are many guides out there which teaches people how to use such technologies to build generators or coils that will produce electric changes and power homes. Many Americans have built such generators and they seem to work just fine.


Today there are some quite a few systems you can use to generate free electricity to power your home. You can create different systems which can tape energy form the sun or the wind. There are also magnetic generators which have proven to generate some degree of energy too. But creating a Tesla generator is becoming more and more popular as we speak.


Do you want to learn how you too can generate free electricity to power your house at no cost? If yes, then you might want to download a copy of the Tesla Secret Handbook.