Short stories of human inventions
Archive for February, 2009
Depression and Divorce – 3 Steps to Easing Depression During a Divorce, Part 2
Depression is a common occurrence for people who are facing the process of divorcing form a spouse. There are many changes and feelings of loss involved. Relationships with mutual family member and friends, living arrangements, access to children, finances, and a sense of lifestyle and the ideal of family life are impacted in significant ways. Lingering sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, low energy, anxieties about the future, and changes in sleep or appetite can signal that depression is settling in. For severe cases, medical invention might be needed, but for many milder cases of depression, more natural approaches may manage the problem successfully. Here are the final 3 of 5 steps to easing the depression of divorce:1. Implement a doctor approved exercise program. Exercise is one of the most important ways to elevate mood. If you choose cardiovascular exercise, you will receive great benefits. This is because the sustained, elevated heart rate that occurs with such exercise produces endorphins in the body that give us the “feel good” sensation. Biking, swimming, running, the treadmill, elliptical and basketball can all be good cardio activities.2. Take… More >>
5 Ways to Keep Relationships Strong During Tough Economic Times
How are you doing in your relationship during these difficult economic times? It is normal to be concerned, scared, and even terrified to lose your job, home, retirement fund, etc. However, I imagine that you do not want to also lose your partner. Is your relationship suffering, or are you dealing with the issues constructively? Working together during hard times can actually strengthen your relationship, as it does any successful business.The following guidelines will help you maintain a healthy, strong, partnership.1. Avoid Blame.Pointing your finger at others or yourself will only hurt everyone involved. Fear based anger and guilt feelings increase your fears, create more problems, and do not resolve anything.Suggestion: Accept the situation.When you accept what happened, you are calmer and you can begin to deal with the issues constructively. Ask yourselves what you can learn from the experience, so that you can prevent it from happening again.2. Avoid taking the situation personally.Lose of money and things do not mean that you are not smart, good enough, a good provider, household manager, etc.Suggestion: Realize that the situation is outside of you, and no matter what happens you… More >>
The Invention and Inner Workings of the Fluorescent Lamp
February 18, 2009
by merlin
in Technology
One of the inventions that did not make it into the book was the fluorescent lamp (or tube). That is not to say it isn’t a fascinating story – it certainly is. The trouble is that there is not one big “eureka” moment. It could be said that the fluorescent lamp was never
really invented at all but that it evolved over time.
The creation of the fluorescent lamp was a truly joint effort spanning a century: Here are the milestones:
1675: Jean Picard, a French astronomer, noted that mercury in a barometer tube would glow when shaken. He recorded this observation but did not understand it
1846: Julius Plcker, German mathematician and physicist, theorized and experimented with colored light produced by passing electricity through various
gasses. He worked with glassblower Heinrich Geissler who invented what was to become known as the Geissler tube in which the experiments were conducted.
1850′s: Heinrich Geissler continued to develop light emitting tubes
1857: Frenchman Alexandre Edmond Becquerel experimented with electric discharge tubes coated on the inside with various luminescent materials… More >>
A Hundred Years of Invention – The First Computer
February 8, 2009
by merlin
in Technology
There’s been a controversy in the computing world when discussing what was the first computer invented.
For years, the accepted pioneer of the digital age was the ENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, perhaps because the story associated with the development was one worthy for tabloids and television.
As World War II was coming to a close, the Army had run short of mathematicians and were willing to recruit women. Six women were accepted to work on “Project PX” at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering, under John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. The woman’s job was to program firing tables and ballistic trajectories using ENIAC. Their work laid the groundwork for programming. The completed machine was unveiled on Feb. 14, 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. The military had funded the cost of almost $500,000. It occupied about 1,800 square feet and used about 18,000 vacuum tubes, weighing almost 50 tons. It is widely considered to be the first computer invented, considering its highly functional status through the late 1950s.
However, its “first”… More >>