Nicola Tesla essays

Nicola Tesla essays Imagine electricity so powerful it can shoot through the air 130 feet, yet safe enough to travel through a person and light a bulb in his hand. Its not fiction with modern electronics. Most of todays modern electronic discoveries have their roots in the writings and patents of one genius who very few people know. Radios, blenders, fans, neon lighting, hair dryers, X-rays, fluorescent bulbs, speedometers, the automobile ignition system, and the basics behind cellular phones, radar, electron microscopes, and the microwave oven all seem to have listed inventors like Marconi, Roentgen, or Edison, but visions of all of these and many more inventions were in the mind of a man named Nicola Tesla long before any of them had otherwise been heard of. Tesla was man deemed as eccentric for the wild claims he made for his time, and public image marred by bad propaganda circulated by individuals who were to say the least jealous of his talents and as a result is not commonly known or accredited fo r his great accomplishments. His story begins in 1856 when he was born into a Serbian family in a mountainous area of the Balkan Peninsula. Teslas mother was a gifted inventor herself commonly devising new and easier ways of doing common household chores, while his father was a skillful writer and poet. In his youth he studied in Croatia where he learned of the great Niagara Falls, and imagined great things that could come of it. Tesla became very passionate about mathematics and science, and went on to study engineering at the renowned Austrian Polytechnic School at Graz. It was here that Tesla saw the problems with current electronics, specifically the Direct Current motor. Later while living in Budapest, Tesla devised his idea for the Alternating Current motor, an advance in technology that would change the world. Tesla was employed by companies throughout Europe to improve their DC generation facilities, but was interested in gaining...

Blah, Blah, Blah

Blah, Blah, Blah Blah, Blah, Blah Blah, Blah, Blah By Maeve Maddox Since ancient times, speakers of every language have made up nonsense syllables to indicate contempt for what other people were saying to them. We’ve even inherited the ancient Greek nonsense syllables bar-bar-bar in the word barbarian: The Greek word barbaros meant â€Å"foreign, strange, ignorant.† According to the OnlineEtymology Dictionary, the word barbaros was an onomatopoeic formation echoing the unintelligible speech of a foreigner. The most common nonsense syllable used to represent empty talk in the United States is blah: The earliest OED documentation of blah in the sense of â€Å"meaningless, insincere, or pretentious talk or writing; nonsense, bunkum† is 1918. Blah is usually repeated when the sense is â€Å"empty talk†: When big data is just so much â€Å"blah, blah, blah† Getting Past â€Å"Blah, Blah, Blah† When Talking to Prospects Sometimes a single blah means the same thing: Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of jabber in the world – its a vast cloud of blah. As a plural noun, â€Å"the blahs† are a state of despondency: You’ve got the blahs.   You’re not feeling hopeless, but you’re not feeling good either. As an adjective, blah means â€Å"lethargic, unenthusiastic, listless, or torpid†: What to Do When You Feel Blah About Your Job â€Å"Blah, blah, blah† recently found its way into the news when a political candidate in Oregon blasted a newspaper reporter who demonstrated his lack of interest in what another candidate was saying by writing down â€Å"blah, blah, blah† instead of her actual words. And perhaps the longest sequence to date of this string of nonsense syllables occurs in a television ad in which actor Gary Oldman holds a telephone to his ear and says â€Å"blah blah blah† for five seconds straight. Another set of nonsense syllables is â€Å"yada yada yada.† Variations of this utterance are documented in the OED beginning in 1947. I first heard it on the Jerry Seinfeld show where I understood it to mean â€Å"details too boring to mention.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should AvoidThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OU"To Tide You Over"

Historical Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Historical Research - Essay Example Historical research can offer the business or management researchers a variety of means to achieve extensive knowledge to understand, solve or interpret a situation at hand. Knowledge of the underlying information to any matter enhances the levels of understanding whilst improving the ability to discern and decide on the right or wrong decisions in business management. Historical background information adds to the chances of easier understanding why for instance the reasons implying the general trends in the present (Mehran, 2010). Historical research in the business context Historical research is not a major topic in business and management. Additionally this field lacks supply of enough attention as an independent c research field. Historical research in management studies takes care of various issues requiring this form of research methodology to assist in comparisons with other research methodologies (Sullivan, 2010). Historical research is used in decision making and in evaluati ng  intercultural negotiation in business. ... It involves; formulation of a research question as the starting point (Ribeiro, 2011). There is no reason why historical research will not incorporate some features quantitative research. Conversely, the main emphasis is mostly interpretivistic. The question on review has to be defensible. The relevance check- a historical researcher ought to note that for his work to uphold relevance, it is important to check if the work at hand is track. Note; I. Whether there is prior evidence holding essential concerns on how present decisions are to be made and the means through which future current policies are to be instituted. II. Whether there exist suggestions that the business had encountered a related issue in the past, how they were met, and the outcome of the decisions drawn at that time. III. Whether there is a possibility that the matter at hand may be as a result of a cycle. Is there enough understanding of the matter and the cycle’s nature and how it would be of importance in solving the present situation? Next is the need to determine the scope the business management issue extends. This cannot be easily perceived by a novice researcher as it calls for deep consideration of the domain for examination. The domain for examination establishes the principle discipline that the historical research will require to consider (Stefanie, 2007). A research project of this kind often applies marketing and financial knowledge and concepts. An aspect cannot be understood independently from other related aspects in business management. This indicates that the researcher ought to understand the history of the matters he or she is comparing. This type of idea also deeply applies to business management studies. There is no chance of having an

The Porters Five Force Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Porters Five Force Analysis - Research Paper Example Product innovation and wider range of products is another platform for competition. Companies need to expand their reach to cater to more and more customers, both geographically and demographically. Competition will intensify in relation to environmental measures and energy use, as customers' attitudes to the environment become gradually more important. In this scenario, basic technological trends will lead to a variety of technical vehicle-related innovations. With the shift in focus to customer retention and loyalty, companies now have to invest in better customer service to ensure customer satisfaction. Better service also includes better geographical advantage to serve where the customers are located. There is little bargaining power for buyers in the luxury car segment as there are numerous buyers scattered all around the globe. There is better transparency and huge amounts of information available to buyers regarding the pricing and cost of manufacture of cars and hence they have some leverage in negotiating the purchasing price. This advantage is mostly over-ridden by the fact that buyers for this segment are mostly individuals and are not grouped together for a collective advantage. Since luxury cars are sold typically by the company or direct dealers, there are few players in the distribution channel at present. Luxury cars have lower or no resale value as compared to economy cars. This is an enormous factor that influences buying decisions in the case of luxury cars. Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers to large premium segment manufacturers would typically be large and medium manufacturers themselves. Since quality is the biggest product differentiator in this segment, it is imperative that companies choose their suppliers with care and efficiency. In such a case, it would be difficult to replace or change suppliers with ease. As a result they have some flex in determining product pricing, delivery and distribution. Threat of new entrants The threat of new entrants in this segment is very low due to the many entry barriers that exist in this industry. There are too many well established companies with stiff competition among them. A huge amount of capital is required to enter into this sector. There should also be tremendous amount of tacit and explicit knowledge of products and constant innovativeness to compete in this industry. The luxury car segment is driven by quality and goodwill as well and this comes with time and experience in the sector. With all the above barriers, few companies would look into entering this industry . However, there is the threat of companies already existing in the auto industry, entering into the luxury car segment. Many companies, which originally were small and economy car makers, have now entered into the luxury car segment and are giving the bigger and better established giants in this segment a run for their money. Threat of substitute products The most prominent substitute to cars is public transports such as buses, taxis and aircrafts. The bigger companies in the premium car segment have taken steps to compete with public transportation by manufacturing luxury buses and providing pick-up service in their premium cars as part of the hospitality sector. The other

martin luther and Birth of Protestantism :: essays research papers

Thesis statement: Martin Luther was responsible for the break-up of the Catholic Church Martin Luther was a representative during the 16th century of a desire widespread of the renewal and reform of the Catholic Church. He launched the Protestant reform a continuation of the medieval religious search. From the Middle ages, the church faced many problems such as the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism that hurt the prestige of the church. Most of the clergy lived in great luxury while most people were poor and they set an immoral example. The clergy had low education and many of them didn’t attend their offices. Martin Luther had witnessed this himself, â€Å"In 1510 he visited Rome and was shocked to find corruption on high ecclesiastical places† During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, â€Å"Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone† (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, â€Å"this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation†. To construct Saint Peters Basilica, Archbishop Albert borrowed money from the Fuggers (wealthy banking family). To pay for this loan Pope Leo X gave permission to Archbishop Albert to sell indulgences in Germany. An indulgence is a way to reconcile with God, by confessing your sins to a priest and perform a penance. By the later Middle Ages people believed that indulgence removed all their sins and ensured entry to heaven. The selling of indulgence troubled Luther, he thought people were ignorant to believe that they didn’t have to repent after they bought an indulgence. Martin Luther was a friar very devoted to the Church but after analyzing all these aspects he decided to do something about it. On October 31, 1517 he attached to the door of Wittenberg Castle a list of 95 theses or propositions on indulgences. These theses criticized papal policies and were objections about he church put on hold for discussion.

John Taylor Gatto Against School Essay

When it comes to the traditional education, John Taylor Gatto’s â€Å"Against School† questions whether we really need the nine month, drawn out, traditional curriculum. Gatto goes on to name several successful people through history that were not products of a contemporary school system. When I think of Gatto’s theory of forced schooling, a friend of mine named John Smith who goes by the alias of Viper comes to mind. Viper is in his late 20’s, lives in South Philadelphia, and has worked as a Roofer for the past 10 years. Viper went to a public school in South Philadelphia. Viper went to a school where said, â€Å"It wasn’t easy. I was scrawny and white and we were poorer than the jigs that went to school wit us, so we caught alota shit.† Viper’s school was extremely underfunded. â€Å"Some days there would be trash laid out by the trash cans cause nobody would change the trash bags, the food was shit, and the bathrooms†¦forget i t.† He would walk twelve blocks back to his house just to go to the bathroom. There were no extracurricular activities like book clubs and band and the school was rundown and decrepit. Eventually he started to miss classes regularly. He felt that the teachers did not care. Classes were extremely boring to him. He was actually approached by his biology teacher and told he could cut class everyday as long as he turned in his work and he would receive a D at the end of the year. He was not amused by the offer, he was not even interested in graduating anymore. â€Å"I expected to be a laborer for the rest of my life so I felt like education was unimportant.† Viper’s education started taking a back seat to work around his sophomore year of high school. He was the middle child in a family of four, all of whom have dropped out of high school and are laborers today. â€Å"My parents made me get a job when I was thirteen, that’s the way it was with all my brothers,† says Viper. Eventually he started to make a decent amount of money and admits to being extremely naà ¯ve, saying â€Å"Why the fuck was I gonna go ta school for eight more years if I was makin’ 25-30 thousand dollars a year. Do the math, instead of spendin 100 thousand dollars in college and waste my time in school I coulda made 200 thousand dollars by the time I was 24.† One day Viper decided to make an appointment with a school counselor. He was hardly going to class, working every day when he was supposed to be in school, and partying every night and having fun. School was more of a social event. He was just going to school to see his friends and make plans for the weekend. When he told the school counselor that he was planning on dropping out the counselor stood up, looked him in the eye, extended his hand and said, â€Å"Good Luck!† â€Å"The guy didn’t even give a shit!† Viper said. By the time December came around of his sophomore year, he was a high school dropout. He was working everyday by that time already so he was not stagnant. He was still living with his parents. The fact that he dropped out was ok with them because he could â€Å"contribute to the house,† as his father put it. Viper eventually saved enough money to get his own place and now lives with his wife of three years and their two children who are two and five years of age. He said, â€Å"I always thought I learned more out of school than in high school, but it’s not what my kids are gonna do†. He aspires to open his own roofing company one day. Although I do not agree with the path that Viper chose in life, he is happy and successful today. He is a great father and happily married. He does not drink anymore and devotes every second of his free time to his family. In a way he is almost a survivor to me. He is not well spoken or the brightest guy in the world, but he would d o anything in his power to help any person in a bind.

Elizabeth Van Lew Southerner Who Spied for the Union

Known for: Pro-Union Southerner during the Civil War who spied for the UnionDates: October 17, 1818 - September 25, 1900 Slave power crushes freedom of speech and of opinion. Slave power degrades labor. Slave power is arrogant, is jealous and intrusive, is cruel, is despotic, not only over the slave but over the community, the state. -- Elizabeth Van Lew Elizabeth Van Lew was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Her parents were both from the northern states: her father from New York and her mother from Philadelphia, where her father had been mayor. Her father became wealthy as a hardware merchant, and her family was among the wealthiest and most socially prominent there. Abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew was educated in a Philadelphia Quaker school, where she became an abolitionist. When she returned to her familys home in Richmond, and after her fathers death,  she convinced her mother to free the familys slaves. Supporting the Union After Virginia seceded and the Civil War began, Elizabeth Van Lew openly supported the Union. She took items of clothing and food and medicine to prisoners at the Confederate Libby Prison and passed information to U.S. General Grant, spending much of her fortune to support her espionage. She may also have helped prisoners escape from Libby Prison. To cover her activities, she took on a persona of Crazy Bet, dressing oddly and acting strangely; she was never arrested for her spying. One of the Van Lew freed slaves, Mary Elizabeth Bowser, whose education in Philadelphia was financed by Van Lew, returned to Richmond.  Elizabeth Van Lew helped get her employment in the Confederate White House. As a maid, Bowser was ignored as she served meals and overheard conversations. She was also able to read documents she found, in a household where it was assumed that she would not be able to read. Bowser passed what she learned to fellow slaves, and with Van Lews aid, this valuable information eventually made its way to Union agents. When General Grant took charge of the Union armies, Van Lew and Grant, though Grants military intelligence head, General Sharpe, developed a system of couriers. When the Union troops took Richmond in April, 1865, Van Lew was noted as being the first to fly the Union flag, an action that was met with an angry mob.  General Grant visited Van Lew when he arrived in Richmond. After the War She had spent most of her money in her pro-Union activities.  After the war, Grant appointed Elizabeth Van Lew as postmistress of Richmond, a position that allowed her to live in some comfort amid the poverty of the war-torn city. She was largely shunned by her neighbors, including anger from many when she refused to close the post office to recognize Memorial Day. She was reappointed in 1873, again by Grant, but lost the job in President Hayess administration. She was disappointed when she also failed to be reappointed by President Garfield, even with support for her plea by Grant.  She retired quietly in Richmond.  The family of a Union soldier she had helped when he was a prisoner, Colonel Paul Revere, raised money to provide her with an annuity which allowed her to live in near poverty but stay in the family mansion. Van Lews niece lived with her as a companion until the nieces death in 1889. Van Lew refused at one point to pay her tax assessment, as a statement for womens rights since she was not permitted the vote. Elizabeth Van Lew died in poverty in 1900, mourned mainly by the families of the slaves she had caused to be freed.  Buried in Richmond, friends from Massachusetts raised the money for a monument at her grave with this epitaph: She risked everything that is dear to man -- friends, fortune, comfort, health, life itself, all for the one absorbing desire of her heart, that slavery be abolished and the Union be preserved. Connections The black businesswoman, Maggie Lena Walker, was the daughter of Elizabeth Draper who had been an enslaved  servant in Elizabeth Van Lews home. Maggie Lena Walkers stepfather was William Mitchell, Elizabeth Van Lews butler.) Source Ryan, David D. A Yankee Spy in Richmond: The Civil War Diary of Crazy Bet Van Lew. 1996. Varon, Elizabeth R. Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy 2004. Zeinert, Karen. Elizabeth Van Lew: Southern Belle, Union Spy. 1995. Ages 9-12.