Apollonicon

The Apollonicon was presented to the public the first time in 1817 built by the English Organ builders Flight & Robson in London.
It was an automatic playing machine with about 1,900 pipes and 45 organ stops with a technic familiar to the barrel organ. It was inspired by Johann Nepomuk Mälzels Panharmonikon. It also had five keyboards, one of them used as the pedal keyboard, so the instrument could be played by a few persons in manual mode as well.
A very detailed description with drawings can be found in the "Mechanics Magazine" from 1828. A notice about it is to be found in "Polytechnisches Journal", 1828, with the Germanized name "Apollonikon".


List of Hammond organs

The Hammond organ is an electric organ, invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Various models were produced, which originally used tonewheels to generate sound via additive synthesis, where component waveform ratios are mixed by sliding switches called drawbars and imitate the pipe organ's registers. Around 2 million Hammond organs have been manufactured, and it has been described as one of the most successful organs ever. The organ is commonly used with, and associated with, the Leslie Speaker.
Tonewheel organs.
Tonewheel organs generate sound by shaped mechanical wheels, that rotate in front of electromagnetic pickups. Each tonewheel assembly creates tones with low harmonic content, close to a sine wave. Inside the coil is a permanent magnet. As the profile of the tonewheel pass by, the strength of the magnetism changes—when the highest part is closest to the tip of the magnet, the magnetism is strongest. As the magnetism varies, that induces an alternating current (AC) in the coil, which becomes one of the frequencies used in harmonic synthesis.
Two models in Church-styled cabinet were made under military specifications, and named G (G for "Government contract", with
chorus), and G-2 (with vibrato), to be installed in chapels and officer's messes of U.S. Army and Navy.
Vacuum tube musical instruments.
Vacuum tube musical instruments mean electronic musical instruments generating sound with vacuum tube-based electronic oscillators. Hammond Organ Company commercialized it in the late-1930s as Novachord (1939–1942) and Solovox (1940–1948). Especially, new designs introduced on Novachord — subtractive synthesis and frequency divider — were immediately followed by many manufacturers of electronic organs and polyphonic synthesizers during the 1940s-1970s. However, Hammond Organ Company did not adopt these on main products until the late-1960s, except for S series chord organ (1950–1966) and "Solo Pedal Unit" on RT series and D-100 (1949–1969).
Transistor organs.
Hammond started to produce transistor organs when the production of tonewheels became too expensive, switching to full-time Integrated Circuit (IC) models in 1975.
Digital organs.
After the Hammond Organ Company ceased trading in 1985, production initially went to Noel Crabbe's Hammond Organ Australia, and then to Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation, who, under the name Hammond-Suzuki, manufacture digital organs.


Preisach model of hysteresis

Originally, the Preisach model of hysteresis generalized magnetic hysteresis as relationship between magnetic field and magnetization of a magnetic material as the parallel connection of independent relay "hysterons". It was first suggested in 1935 by Ferenc (Franz) Preisach in the German academic journal "Zeitschrift für Physik". In the field of ferromagnetism, the Preisach model is sometimes thought to describe a ferromagnetic material as a network of small independently acting domains, each magnetized to a value of either formula_1 or formula_2. A sample of iron, for example, may have evenly distributed magnetic domains, resulting in a net magnetic moment of zero.
Mathematically similar model seems to have been independently developed in other fields of science and engineering. One notable example is the model of capillary hysteresis in porous materials developed by Everett and co-workers. Since then, following the work of people like M. Krasnoselkii, A. Pokrovskii, A. Visintin, and I.D. Mayergoyz, the model has become widely accepted as a general mathematical tool for the description of hysteresis phenomena of different kinds.
Nonideal relay.
The relay hysteron is the fundamental building block of the Preisach model. It is described as a two-valued operator denoted by formula_3. Its I/O map takes the form of a loop, as shown:
Above, a relay of magnitude 1. formula_4 defines the "switch-off" threshold, and formula_5 defines the "switch-on" threshold.
Graphically, if formula_6 is less than formula_4, the output formula_8 is "low" or "off." As we increase formula_6, the output remains low until formula_6 reaches formula_5—at which point the output switches "on." Further increasing formula_6 has no change. Decreasing formula_6, formula_8 does not go low until formula_6 reaches formula_4 again. It is apparent that the relay operator formula_3 takes the path of a loop, and its next state depends on its past state.
Mathematically, the output of formula_3 is expressed as:
formula_19
Where formula_20 if the last time formula_6 was outside of the boundaries formula_22, it was in the region of formula_23; and formula_24 if the last time formula_6 was outside of the boundaries formula_22, it was in the region of formula_27.
This definition of the hysteron shows that the current value formula_8 of the complete hysteresis loop depends upon the history of the input variable formula_6.
Discrete Preisach model.
The Preisach model consists of many relay hysterons connected in parallel, given weights, and summed. This is best visualized by a block diagram:
Each of these relays has different formula_4 and formula_5 thresholds and is scaled by formula_32. Each relay can be plotted on a so-called Preisach plane with its formula_33 values. Depending on their distribution on the Preisach plane, the relay hysterons can represent hysteresis with good accuracy. As well, with increasing formula_34, the true hysteresis curve is approximated better.
In the limit as formula_34 approaches infinity, we obtain the continuous Preisach model.
The formula_36 plane.
One of the easiest ways to look at the Preisach model is using a geometric interpretation.
Consider a plane of coordinates formula_36. On this plane, each point formula_38 is mapped to a specific relay hysteron formula_39.
We consider only the half-plane formula_40 as any other case does not have a physical equivalent in nature.
Next, we take a specific point on the half plane and build a right triangle by drawing two lines parallel to the axes, both from the point to the line formula_41.
We now present the Preisach density function, denoted formula_42. This function describes the amount of relay hysterons of each distinct values of formula_38. As a default we say that outside the right triangle formula_44.
A modified formulation of the classical Preisach model has been presented, allowing analytical expression of
the Everett function. This makes the model considerably faster and especially adequate for inclusion in electromagnetic field computation or electric circuit analysis codes.
Vector Preisach Model.
The vector Preisach model is constructed as the linear superposition of scalar models. For considering the uniaxial anisotropy of the material, Everett functions are expanded by Fourier coefficients. In this case, the measured and simulated curves are in a very good agreement.
Another approach uses different relay hysteron, closed surfaces defined on the 3D input space. In general spherical hysteron is used for vector hystersis in 3D, and circular hysteron is used for vector hystersis in 2D.


Micropower impulse radar

 Micropower impulse radar is a low-power ultra wideband radar developed in the mid-1990s at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, used for sensing and measuring distances to objects in proximity to each other.
Commercial applications include:


Barrage jamming

Barrage jamming is an electronic warfare technique that attempts to blind ("jam") radar systems by filling the display with noise, rendering the broadcaster's "blip" invisible on the display, and often those in the nearby area as well. "Barrage" refers to systems that send signals in many bands of frequencies compared to the bandwidth of any single radar. This allows the jammer to jam multiple radars at once, and reduces or eliminates the need for adjustments to respond to any single radar.
Early radar systems typically operated on a single frequency, and could only change that frequency by changing internal electronics. Against these radars, it was possible to use conventional radio sets to send out signals on the same band, causing the radar display to be filled with noise whenever the antenna was pointed in the general direction of the jammer. However, given that each individual radar would be operating on different frequencies, this "spot jamming" technique required multiple radio sets in order to jam more than one radar at a time, and true wide-band barrage jamming was very difficult.
Early barrage jammers in World War II used photomultiplier tubes to amplify a wideband noise source, But the technique became practical with the introduction of the carcinotron in the early 1950s, a vacuum tube that generates microwaves whose frequency can be adjusted across a very wide band simply by changing the input voltage. A single carcinotron could be swept through the entire bandwidth of any potential radar network, jamming all of the radars in such rapid sequence that it appeared to be constant noise on all frequencies at all times. A downside to this approach is that the signal only spends a brief period of time at any one radar's frequency; depending on the scanning rate, the radar may only be jammed during certain periods, but if the rate is increased to offset this, the amount of noise in any one pulse period is reduced. More complex jammers can scan only the bands it sees being used, improving its effectiveness.
Barrage jamming was extremely effective against 1950s radars, to the point where there was some belief that the carcinotron might render ground-based radars useless, especially in the early warning radar role. By the 1960s a number of techniques had been introduced to combat barrage jamming. Frequency agile radars, which change their frequency from pulse to pulse, force the jammer spread its signal across the entire bandwidth, ensuring the signal is diluted. Combining this with extremely powerful signals and highly focused antennas allowed new radars to overpower the jammers, "burning through" the jamming. Simple techniques, like turning off the receivers when the antenna was pointed close to the jammer, allowed the radar to continue tracking other targets. The use of phased array antennas and signal processing techniques that reduced sidelobes also improved performance.
Barrage jammers also have the disadvantage that they are very easy to detect using a wideband receiver. This can be used to track the jammer using a variety of techniques. A well developed instance of this was deployed by the RAF in their RX12874 network, which could track jammer-carrying aircraft with accuracy equal to a radar. More generally, a barrage jammer's signal is so easy to receive that it makes an excellent early warning signal on its own.


486th Flight Test Squadron

The 486th Flight Test Squadron is a secretive unit, with a somewhat misleading designation, assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and which is associated with United States Department of State Foreign Emergency Support Team activities. The squadron motto is "Non semper ea sunt quae videntur" which translates as "Not always what they seem". It was apparently assigned to the 227th Special Operations Flight, later redesignated the 150th Special Operations Squadron, 108th Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, but is currently assigned to the 96th Test Wing at Eglin, and operates a pair of Boeing C-32B or Boeing 757-23A aircraft, on stand-by alert for special operations and intelligence missions world-wide. Official documents make it clear that operations fall under the aegis of Air Force Special Operations Command.
Operations.
The 486th Flight Test Squadron was activated by 1995. One former employee describes it as a "classified unit" and "a selectively manned, one-of-a-kind unit." Very little is officially acknowledged about the classified missions of the 486th FLTS, which is, in fact, not a test unit at all, but a quick-reaction transportation operation utilized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Domestic Emergency Support Team, and the Foreign Emergency Support Team to respond to terrorist incidents worldwide. The aircraft may also be utilized in conjunction with the Special Activities Division of the Central Intelligence Agency. The P-1 Line Item Nomenclature on page 4-24 of the unclassified USAF Aircraft Procurement FY 2001 Amended Budget Request, Volume 1, dated February 2000, identifies these airframes as C-32B FEST/DEST Aircraft, and cites total procurement cost for one in FY 2000 as $73.000 million and $71.963 million for the second in FY 2002 for a total procurement cost $144.963 million.
The test unit designation was probably selected to blend in with the type of operations that are conducted regularly at Eglin AFB by Air Force Material Command whose mission is the development, acquisition, testing, deployment and sustainment of all air-delivered non-nuclear weapons. The vast Eglin complex is also home to the headquarters of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, as well as the United States Army's 7th Special Forces Group, which relocated from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2011.
Equipment.
Two aircraft have been identified as being operated by the 486th FLTS, both of them either C-32B or 757 former-airliners. Both wear non-descript all-white paint schemes. Boeing 757-23A, serial number "02-4452", marked 24452, is apparently c/n 25493/523, ex-N84WA, originally delivered to Ansett Worldwide as N59AW on 26 February 1993, and which passed through six different owner / operators, with seven different registration numbers, the most recent of which was the enigmatically named Kodiak Associates LLC. Boeing 757-23A, serial number "02-5001", marked 25001, c/n 25494/611, is ex-N987AN, originally delivered to Avianca on 22 April 1994, and which passed through the hands of Raytheon E-Systems, but which has also been reported carrying "98–6006", "99–6143", "00–9001", but, most usually, "02-5001". The C-32B aircraft are reported to use the callsigns TERRA, DACTYL and FUME. The callsign JENNA, used by non-FBI aircraft engaged in Federal Bureau of Investigation operations, has also been recorded.
Accidents.
On 1 May 2003, a Boeing C-32B, marked as "00-9001", assigned to the 486th Flight Test Squadron suffered a ~0300 hrs. landing accident at North Auxiliary Airfield, South Carolina, when the nose gear collapsed in a heavy landing. Air Force spokeswoman Major Linda Pepin said that there were no serious injuries, "There was a crew of 10 on board. Two sustained minor injuries and were treated and released." The nose gear on the plane collapsed and the plane's position on the ground is not parallel to the runway. Major Pepin stated that the incident will be investigated in days to come by an Air Force safety board, "In any case where there's an incident that involves aircraft safety to ensure that whatever happened in this incident we can avoid next time." Pepin said that they don't know how long the aircraft will stay on the runway, "It's really too early to know when it will get it up and moving." North Auxiliary Airfield is used for C-17 Globemaster III training by the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base. Extra security was put in place at North Auxiliary Airfield while the C-32 was being repaired.


MACS M3

The MACS M3 .50 BMG heavy sniper rifle is a rifle manufactured in Croatia since 1991.
The version of the previous model MACS M2-A has been enhanced, and
This rifle is intended for action by live power, unshielded and lightly-armed vehicles, ground planes, radar and other communication antennas and systems. It is also used for the elimination of enemy snipers, the destruction of unexploded ordnance and the like. The most effective results are achieved at distances up to 1500 m.
It is essentially the MACS-M2A reconfigured into a bullpup layout by moving the butt stock assembly forward so that the bolt action protrudes well to the rear. This has been done to reduce the overall length to 1.11 m and reduce the weight, with bipod and optical sight, to 8.8 kg. Many of the components, including the manual bolt action and the optical sights, remain the same as those on the MACS M2A, although the barrel length has been reduced slightly. The ballistic performance of the MACS M3 remains similar to that of the MACS M2A. This rifle can only be fired from the right shoulder.


Eric Laithwaite

Eric Roberts Laithwaite (14 June 1921 – 27 November 1997) was a British electrical engineer, known as the "Father of Maglev" for his development of the linear induction motor and maglev rail system.
Biography.
Eric Roberts Laithwaite was born in Atherton, Lancashire, on 14 June 1921, raised in the Fylde, Lancashire and educated at Kirkham Grammar School. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1941. Through his service in World War II, he rose to the rank of Flying Officer, becoming a test engineer for autopilot technology at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough.
On demobilization in 1946, he attended the University of Manchester to study electrical engineering. His work on the Manchester Mark I computer earned him his master's degree. His subsequent doctoral work started his interest in linear induction motors. He derived an equation for "goodness" which parametrically describes the efficiency of a motor in general terms, and showed that it tended to imply that large motors are more efficient.
He became professor of heavy electrical engineering at Imperial College London in 1964 where he continued his successful development of the linear motor. He was involved in creating a self-stable magnetic levitation system called Magnetic river which appeared in the film "The Spy Who Loved Me" where it levitated and propelled a tray along a table to decapitate a seated dummy.
He also worked at applying linear motors on the Tracked Hovercraft until its cancellation.
In the 1980s, he was involved in creating a device to extract energy from sea waves. Although the technology was successful in trials, it could not be made storm proof, so it never became a commercial success.
Laithwaite was an able communicator who made many television appearances. Notable among these were his Royal Institution Christmas Lectures to young people in 1966 and 1974. The latter of these made much of the surprising properties of the gyroscope.
In 1974, Laithwaite was invited by the Royal Institution to give a talk on a subject of his own choosing. He decided to lecture about gyroscopes, a subject in which he had only recently become interested. His interest had been aroused by an amateur inventor named Alex Jones, who contacted Laithwaite about a reactionless propulsion drive he (Jones) had invented.
After seeing a demonstration of Jones's small prototype (a small wagon with a swinging pendulum which advanced intermittently along a table top), Laithwaite became convinced that "he had seen something impossible". In his lecture before the Royal Institution he claimed that gyroscopes weigh less when spinning and, to demonstrate this, he showed that he could lift a spinning gyroscope mounted on the end of a rod easily with one hand but could not do so when the gyroscope was not spinning. This was discussed in the BBC science series 'Horizon - 2015-2016: 2. Project Greenglow - The Quest for Gravity Control'.
In his 1974 lectures, Laithwaite suggested that Newton's laws of motion could not account for the behaviour of gyroscopes and Laithwaite suggested that they could be used as a means of reactionless propulsion. The members of the Royal Institution rejected his ideas and his lectures were not published at the time, a first for the Royal Institution. His lectures were subsequently published independently as "Engineer Through The Looking-Glass" and also on the Royal Institution website.
Despite this rejection and the fact that Laithwaite later acknowledged that gyroscopes behave fully in accord with Newtonian mechanics, he continued to explore gyroscopic behaviour, maintaining the belief that some form of reactionless propulsion could be derived from them. Laithwaite set up Gyron Ltd with William Dawson and, in 1993, applied for a patent entitled "Propulsion System". A United States Patent, Number 5860317, was granted in 1999. To this very day, research is conducted to account for the physics behind gyroscopic effects, directly pointing to Laithwaite's work as motivation.
Although Laithwaite is best known for his ideas concerning gyroscopes, he also held an idea concerning moths. He proposed that they communicate via ultra short wave electromagnetic phenomena (Inventor in the Garden of Eden, E R Laithwaite 1994 page 199). He persisted in this belief even after the pheromone which they actually use had been isolated and could even be bought "over-the-counter" — seemingly contradicting his account. However, he had argued in 1960 that there must be "two different mechanisms" for detecting pheromones: (i) The orthodox account of chemical-gradients (effective only at short-range), and (ii) some method for long-distance detection (> "100 yards") even when the wind was in an unfavourable direction — and the only credible solution then had to be electromagnetic (probably infrared). This explanation did not account for where the necessary energy might come from — a matter later taken up by P. S. Callahan, though he too suffered considerable controversy (largely due to Laithwaite's detractors overlooking his "(i)/(ii)" distinction).
Laithwaite retired from Imperial College in 1986, but was offered no other research post until 1990, when he became Visiting Professor at the University of Sussex. He was persuaded by George Scelzo of PRT Maglev Systems in Chicago to submit a proposal to NASA for an electromagnetic launch assist track originally inspired by John C. Mankins of NASA. He died within weeks of the contract being awarded.
The initial stage has been successfully continued by William Dawson and the contract with PRT for this development is still active. The track uses both levitation coils and linear induction motors and it can be seen in the "Magnets" episode of "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel.
Personal life.
Laithwaite was also a keen entomologist and the co-author of "The Dictionary of Butterflies and Moths" (1975); he had one of the finest British collections of specimens. He married, in 1951, Sheila Gooddie; they had two sons and two daughters.


Fender Contempo Organ

The Fender Contempo Organ is a combo organ made by Fender during the late 1960s. It was designed to compete with similar instruments such as the Vox Continental and Farfisa Compact, and was only in production for a few years.
History.
In the early to mid-1960s, there was an influx of inexpensive portable combo organs introduced by companies such as Vox, Gibson and Farfisa. Fender wanted to diversify from their established guitar and amplifier market and create more musical instruments. The Fender Rhodes was already entering production, so a combo organ seemed the next logical step. The Fender Vibratone, a copy of the Leslie speaker, was introduced at the same time.
The Contempo featured a keyboard built by Pratt-Read, who also helped construction with the Fender Rhodes. By the time the instrument was introduced on the market, combo organs were on the wane and the Hammond organ and electric pianos were becoming more popular. There was a limited amount of trade interest, and production ended in 1969.
Features.
The Contempo was enclosed in a black vinyl cabinet similar in appearance to the Fender Rhodes piano. It was single-manual instrument with 61 keys. The bottom octave's keys were reverse-colored as on a Harpsichord which could be used as a separate bass section or act as an additional octave to the main tones. A series of rocker switches allowed selection of 16', 8', 5⅓' and 4' tones, and vibrato and tremolo options. The 5⅓' stop allowed the Contempo to sound closer to a Hammond organ than similar instruments. Each voice had an additional "boost" switch that changed its volume. The instrument had individual output jacks for the treble and bass sections.
Sonically speaking, the instrument lay somewhere between the thick weedy "buzz" of a Farfisa Combo Compact, and the breathy, piercing flutey tones of the Vox Continental. The Contempo set itself apart with the inclusion of the 5-1⅓' stop tab (often not included on combo organs, though seen on a Hammond), a tremolo effect and a unique triple axis volume pedal, which controlled both volume on the up and down motion, and tone on the left to right motion. This pedal was adapted from the triple axis tone\volume pedals sold with Fender Pedal Steel guitars at the time.
Users.
The Contempo was commercially unsuccessful and few models were manufactured, and was not used by many professional musicians. One of the most famous users is Keith Jarrett when he played in Miles Davis group. The organ can be heard played together with Rhodes piano on the Miles Davis record Live-Evil and by itself on some live recordings with the Miles Davis group, when Chick Corea took over the Rhodes and Jarrett only played the Contempo.
References.
Citations
Sources


Shelf (computing)

The Shelf is an interface feature in NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP, and is used as a repository to store links to commonly used files, directories and programs, and as a temporary "holding" place to move/copy files and directories around in the file system hierarchy. In macOS, items may be dragged onto the sidebar area of the Finder, but these do not behave as placeholders and cannot be manipulated in the below manner.
The dynamics of the Shelf in file system operations can be illustrated by comparison with the metaphor used in the Microsoft Windows operating systems. In order to move a file the following steps may be taken:
With the NeXT operating systems, in addition to moving files by dragging them from window to window, the following method can be used:
Note that the file, when dragged to the Shelf, has not moved anywhere and is not changed in any way. The Shelf icon is merely a placeholder for the file. In moving the placeholder "off" the shelf, the actual action occurs.
The NeXT functionality builds upon this concept by allowing the destination directory to be put on the Shelf as well, and the file can be merely dragged to the destination directory icon.
The process is similar to the Microsoft Windows functionality of copying or cutting file system objects (a file or files, a folder or folders, or a combination of both) to the clipboard; the objects are not copied or removed from their original location until the paste operation to the new location is completed. The Shelf concept, though older, is more powerful in that the file system objects, their sources and destinations are persistent and available as long as they are on the Shelf (in the Windows cut, copy, and paste metaphor the objects and locations persist until one copy/move operation is complete or until something else is placed in the clipboard).
Since Shelf icons are 'placeholders' of sorts, icons can be put on the Shelf representing commonly used directories, and commonly used programs can be put on the Shelf as well.
The NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP file management application (called FileViewer and run by the Workspace Manager) also allowed users to have different shelves associated with particular directories. Users simply opened a new browser rooted in a particular subdirectory, and that browser window would show the corresponding shelf, allowing users to have many different shelves based on whatever folder hierarchy they happened to be using to organize their files.


SR-3 Vikhr

The SR-3 Vikhr ("СР-3 Вихрь", Russian for "whirlwind") is a Russian 9×39mm compact assault rifle. It was developed by A. D. Borisov, V. N. Levchenko and A. Tyshlykov at TsNIITochMash (Central Institute for Precision Machine Building) in the early 1990s and was manufactured in 1994. Heavily based on the AS Val, but lacks an integral suppressor, has a newly designed folding stock and charging handle for ease of concealed carry. The abbreviation "SR" stands for "spetsialnaya razrabotka" — special development.
Because the SR-3 Vikhr is a rather expensive weapon for its small size and weight, it was not mass produced for the Russian military. It was primarily used by the Russian Special Operations Forces and certain government officials' security details.
History.
After the adoption of the SR-3 Vikhr, the FSB established new operational requirements with a goal to combine the qualities of the SR-3, AS Val and VSS Vintorez, resulting in a new variant designated as the SR-3M ("СР-3М").
Design.
The SR-3 is a compact assault rifle chambered in 9×39mm subsonic cartridge. It is primarily used with the SP-6 armour piercing ammunition with a hardened steel penetrator, that can penetrate a 6mm steel plate at a range of 200 metres. Along side the SP-6, a lower cost SP-5 ball ammunition with a heavy bullet and PAB-9 ammunition is also used. The SR-3 is based on the AS Val, but lacks the integral suppressor. As a result, it is much more compact than the AS Val.
The SR-3 is a select-fire, gas-operated action with a long stroke piston. It uses the same rotating bolt group from the AS Val, and fires from a closed bolt. It has a more compact, top-folding buttstock and a simplified flip-up rear sight which can be set for 100 metres or 200 metres distance compared to the AS Val. The redesigned charging handle, made in the form of dual sliders above the forearm, and must be grasped by thumb and index finger and then retracted to load the weapon. The trigger unit is generally the same as in the AS Val, but the AK-type safety is replaced by ambidextrous lever above the pistol grip. The fire mode selector is of cross-bolt, push button type and located behind the trigger, inside the trigger guard.
Variants.
SR-3M.
The SR-3M is a modernised variant of the SR-3 Vikhr. It receives an improved polymer furniture, a more convenient charging handle, an AS-style controls (safety lever, semi-automatic/full automatic selector switch is inside the trigger guard), an AS-style side-folding stock, a redesigned handguard with a folding foregrip and where the rear sight is now located, a specially developed quick-detachable suppressor, a Warsaw Pact rail mount, and a new magazine with a 30-round capacity which provides a more reliable feeding during automatic fire whilst still compatible with the 10- and 20-round magazines from the SR-3, AS Val and the VSS Vintorez. It is also worth to mention that the 30-round magazine is also compatible with the AS Val and VSS Vintorez.
SR-3MP.
The SR-3MP is a further modernisation of the SR-3M. It features a new Dovetail rail mount for mounting various optical sights. The handguard receives two Picatinny rails on each side for mounting laser sights, tactical flashlights and other tactical accessories. An additional rail is added below the pistol grip for the folding stock to be mounted for operators who wears a full-face shield mask, bullet-proof helmet or night vision gear to still be able to aim by the shoulder without the stock getting in the way.


Dexter S. Kimball

Dexter Simpson Kimball (October 21, 1865 – November 1, 1952) was an American engineer, Professor of Industrial Engineering at Cornell University, early management author and President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1922-23.
Biography.
Born in New River, New Brunswick, Kimball grew up in California, and obtained his AB in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1896.
Kimball had started his career as engineering apprentice in 1881. From 1887 to 1893 he worked at Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California, and from 1896 to 1898. From 1898 to 1901 he was lecturer in machine design at Cornell University. After another working period in industry, he was appointed Professor of machine Construction at Cornell University. And from 1915 to his retirement in 1936 he was Professor of Industrial Engineering and Dean of its College of Engineering.
Kimball was elected President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for the year 1922-23. He was awarded the Worcester Reed Warner Medal in 1933.


Atlantic torpedo

The Atlantic torpedo ("Tetronarce nobiliana") is a species of electric ray in the family Torpedinidae. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, from Nova Scotia to Brazil in the west and from Scotland to West Africa and off southern Africa in the east, occurring at depths of up to . Younger individuals generally inhabit shallower, sandy or muddy habitats, whereas adults are more pelagic in nature and frequent open water. Up to long and weighing , the Atlantic torpedo is the largest known electric ray. Like other members of its genus, it has an almost circular pectoral fin disk with a nearly straight leading margin, and a robust tail with a large triangular caudal fin. Distinctive characteristics include its uniform dark color, smooth-rimmed spiracles (paired respiratory openings behind the eyes), and two dorsal fins of unequal size.
Solitary and nocturnal, the Atlantic torpedo is capable of generating up to 220 volts of electricity to subdue its prey or defend itself against predators. Its diet consists mainly of bony fishes, though it also feeds on small sharks and crustaceans. It is an aplacental viviparous species, wherein the developing embryos are nourished by yolk and later maternally provided histotroph ("uterine milk"). Females give birth to up to 60 young following a gestation period of one year. The electric shock of this species can be quite severe and painful, though it is not fatal. Because of its electrogenic properties, the Atlantic torpedo was used in medicine by the Ancient Greeks and Romans and became the namesake of the naval weapon. Prior to the 19th century, its liver oil was used as lamp fuel, but it is no longer of any economic value. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this species as Data Deficient; it is caught unintentionally by commercial and recreational fishers, but the impact of these activities on its population is unknown.
Taxonomy.
The first scientific description of the Atlantic torpedo was published in 1835 by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte, in his principal work "Iconografia della Fauna Italica". Sixteen specimens were designated as the syntypes. The assignment of the southern African "great torpedo" to this species is provisional. Another type of electric ray found in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique may also belong to "T. nobiliana". The Atlantic torpedo is placed in the genus "Tetronarce", which differs from the other genus in the family Torpedinidae, "Torpedo", in having generally plain coloration and smooth-margined spiracles. Other common names include Atlantic electric ray, Atlantic New British torpedo, black torpedo, crampfish, electric ray, numbfish, or torpedo.
Description.
The Atlantic torpedo has a nearly circular pectoral fin disc 1.2 times as wide as it is long, with a thick and nearly straight front margin. The eyes are small and are followed by much larger spiracles, which do not have papillae on their inner rims. The nostrils are close to the mouth; there is a flap of skin between them three times as wide as long, with a sinuous rear margin. The mouth is wide and arched, with prominent furrows at the corners. The teeth are pointed and increase in number with age, ranging from 38 rows in juveniles to 66 rows in adults; the first several series of teeth are functional. The gill slits are small, with the first and fifth pairs shorter than the others.
The pelvic fins are rounded and slightly overlapped by the disc at the front. The first dorsal fin is triangular with a rounded apex, originating in front of the pelvic fin insertions. The second dorsal fin is only one-half to two-thirds as large as the first; the distance between the dorsal fins is less than the length of the first dorsal fin base. The stout tail comprises about one-third of the total length, terminating in a caudal fin shaped like an equilateral triangle with slightly convex margins. The skin is soft and completely devoid of dermal denticles (scales). The dorsal coloration is a plain dark brown to gray, sometimes with a few diffuse spots, and darkening at the fin margins. The underside is white, with dark fin margins. The largest of the electric rays, the Atlantic torpedo can measure long and weigh . However, a length of and weight of is more typical. Females attain a larger size than males.
Distribution and habitat.
The Atlantic torpedo is widely distributed in cool waters on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it is found from northern Scotland to the Gulf of Guinea, including the entire Mediterranean Sea (but not the Black Sea), the Azores, and Madeira, as well as from Namibia to western South Africa. In the west, it occurs from southern Nova Scotia to Venezuela and Brazil. It is rare in the North Sea and the Mediterranean and south of North Carolina.
Juvenile Atlantic torpedoes are primarily bottom-dwelling and usually found at depths of over sandy or muddy flats, or near coral reefs. As they mature, they become more pelagic in habits, and adults are often encountered swimming in the open ocean. This species has been recorded from the surface to a depth of ; in the Mediterranean, it is most common at depths of . It is said to make long migratory movements.
Biology and ecology.
Like other members of its family, the Atlantic torpedo is capable of generating a powerful electric shock from a pair of kidney-shaped electric organs in its disc, for both attack and defense. These organs comprise one-sixth of the ray's total weight and contain around half a million jelly-filled "electric plates" arranged in an average of 1,025–1,083 vertical hexagonal columns (visible beneath the skin). These columns essentially act as batteries connected in parallel, enabling a large Atlantic torpedo to produce up to a kilowatt of electricity at 170–220 volts, provided that it is well-fed and rested. The discharges from the electric organ occur in a series, or train, of closely spaced pulses each lasting around 0.03 seconds. Trains contain on average 12 pulses, but trains of over 100 pulses have been recorded. The ray regularly emits pulses even without an obvious external stimulus.
Solitary in nature, the Atlantic torpedo is often seen resting on or half-buried in the substrate during the day, becoming more active at night. Large and well-defended from attack, it seldom falls prey to other animals. Known parasites of the Atlantic torpedo include the tapeworms "Calyptrobothrium occidentale" and "C. minus", "Grillotia microthrix", "Monorygma" sp., and "Phyllobothrium gracile", the monogeneans "Amphibdella flabolineata" and "Amphibdelloides maccallumi", and the copepod "Eudactylina rachelae". Some accounts suggest that this ray may be able to survive out of water for up to a day.
Feeding.
The diet of the Atlantic torpedo consists mainly of bony fishes, including flatfishes, salmon, eels, and mullet, though it has also been known to take small catsharks and crustaceans. Captive rays have been observed lying still on the bottom and "pouncing" on fish that pass in front of them. At the moment of contact, the ray traps the prey against its body or the bottom by curling its pectoral fin disc around it, while delivering strong electric shocks. This strategy allows the sluggish ray to capture relatively fast-moving fish. Once subdued, the prey is maneuvered to the mouth with rippling motions of the disc and swallowed whole, head-first. The ray's highly distensible jaws allow surprisingly large prey to be ingested: an intact salmon weighing has been found in the stomach of one individual, and another contained a summer flounder ("Paralichthys dentatus") long. This ray has been known to kill fish much larger than it can eat.
Life history.
The Atlantic torpedo is aplacental viviparous: the developing embryos are sustained by yolk, which is later supplemented by protein and fat-enriched histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females have two functional ovaries and uteruses, and a possibly biennial reproductive cycle. After a year-long gestation period, females bear up to 60 pups during the summer; the litter size increases with the size of the female. When the embryo is long, it has a pair of deep notches at the front of the disc marking the origin of the pectoral fins, and the curtain of skin between the nostrils has not yet developed; on the other hand, the eyes, spiracles, dorsal fins, and tail have reached adult proportions. Newborn rays measure long, and still have the anterior notches in the disc. Males and females reach sexual maturity at lengths of and respectively.
Human interactions.
Though seldom life-threatening, the electric discharge of an Atlantic torpedo is quite severe and may be enough to knock a person unconscious. However, a greater danger to divers is the disorientation that follows the shock. The Atlantic torpedo is of no commercial value, as its meat is flabby and tasteless. It is caught incidentally by commercial and recreational fisheries in bottom trawls and on hook-and-line. When caught at sea, it is generally discarded or cut up for bait. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not yet have enough data to assess the Atlantic torpedo beyond Data Deficient; it could be negatively affected by fishing mortality, though specific data on catch rates and population trends are lacking, as well as by the degradation of coral reefs that are important to juveniles. Its slow reproductive rate would limit its capacity to recover from population depletion.
Various electric fishes, including the Atlantic torpedo, were used in medicine during the classical era. In the 1st century, Roman physician Scribonius Largus wrote of the application of live "dark torpedo" to patients afflicted with gout or chronic headaches. In 1800, the Atlantic torpedo became the namesake for the naval weapon when American inventor Robert Fulton began using the word "torpedo" to describe bombs that submarines could attach to ships (although these early devices were more akin to modern-day mines). Before the widespread introduction of kerosene in the 19th century, the liver oil of this species was regarded as of equal quality to sperm whale ("Physeter macrocephalus") oil for use in lamps. Before the 1950s, its oil was also used in small quantities by fishermen in the United States as a treatment for muscle and stomach cramps, as well as to lubricate farm machinery. Along with several other species of electric rays, the Atlantic torpedo is used as a model organism in biomedical research because its electric organs are rich in acetylcholine receptor proteins. These proteins play an important role in mediating many neurological processes, such as those involved in the functioning of anesthesia.


Rio Star

The Rio Star is a cantilevered observation wheel in the Santo Cristo neighborhood, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is Latin America's tallest cantilevered observation wheel.


Jean Robieux

Jean Robieux (15 October 1925 – 14 June 2012) was a French physicist. A graduate from École Polytechnique and Doctor of Science, he is a leading French specialist in laser and optronics.
He is the former scientific director of the Research Center of Alcatel Mobile Phones at Marcoussis, and during many years, head of the Robotics college at the École centrale Paris. He is a chairman of the board of directors of the school and chairman of the Scientific Council. He followed in particular the development the materials department. He suggested the initial creation of the ECAM Rennes - Louis de Broglie school in 1988.
Biography.
He is a graduate from École Polytechnique (1946–1949), École nationale de l'aviation civile (1949–1951), and received a Doctor of Science from University of Paris and also a Master of Science from the California Institute of Technology.
In 1952, he was engineer at the California company Helipot and then responsible for controlling the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment ordered by the Civil Aviation.
Engineer, then head of laboratory at the Research Center of Wireless Company, he helped the foundation of the Centre de Corbeville from 1954 to 1961 where his work focuses on achieving high-speed wireless cable, the theory of the influence of precision manufacturing of antennas on their performance, the theory of general laws of the link between wave radiators, applications to surface waves and propagation, the innovations that drive the electrical control of the beam by ferrite antennas and semiconductors, methods currently used in radar. He founded the Company Cofelec.
Founding Director of the Department "Physical Research Base" of the Centre de Recherches de la Compagnie Générale d’Electricité in Marcoussis, he is responsible for : Lasers Materials Semiconductor components and Chief Scientist and Scientific Advisor of the president of the Center research from 1975 to 1990.
He was a professor at the École centrale Paris and founding director of the Robotics Option in 3rd year between 1982 and 1989.
Jean Robieux was a president of the Société d'encouragement pour l'industrie nationale, whose purpose is to highlight successful entrepreneurs in the development of techniques and new industrial processes, from 1984 to 1991.
Then he turned to the decentralization of training and research by creating the École Louis de Broglie in Rennes in 1990 which he is the founding president. The school trains engineers in computer science, materials and lasers. The management of the school Louis de Broglie and the training is provided by experimented engineers in mechanical and electrical industries. It has partnered with two other engineering schools: ECAM Lyon and EPMI in Cergy-Pontoise (Electricity, Manufacturing, Industrial Methods) to create the ECAM group which trains about 300 engineers per year.
To create new technologies from research in mechanics, especially for the automotive industry, he founded the Institut Maupertuis in Rennes in 2003. Processing technology with the laser is studied, particularly for the reduction of vehicle weight.
He has a membership of the French Academy of Sciences and of the Académie des Technologies (Academy of Technologies).
Works.
Jean Robieux is responsible for the discovery of the principle of control of laser fusion in 1961 and the discovery of the principle of laser isotope separation, and the creation of elementary particles by laser. All contributions are outlined in his book « High Power Laser Interactions : Isotopes Separation - Nuclear Fusion Control - Elementary Particles Selective Creation ». He obtained the realization of a neodymium-doped laser emitting 500 joules in 30 ns, 30 times more powerful than lasers built in the world at that time.
He carries out experiments to demonstrate the principle possibility of issuing average powers exceeding 1 MW. They open the way for the laser weapon in 1967. Using a laser made by the research center in Marcoussis, CEA Limeil produced in 1969 for the first time ever in a reproducible, neutrons during the interaction laser / material, he allows then to pave the way towards the control of fusion. Today, Jean Robieux is involved in research on laser fusion.


Date picker

A date picker, popup calendar, date and time picker, or time picker is a graphical user interface widget which allows the user to select a date from a calendar and/or time from a time range. The typical practice is to provide a text box field which, when clicked upon to enter a date, pops up a calendar next to or below the field, allowing the user to populate the field with an appropriate date, or provides a text box with an icon of a calendar such that when the icon is clicked on, the calendar (or time field) appears, or show calendar widget directly (inline).
The date picker provides several advantages, including:
In the case of a time picker, many similar functions are available, such as ensuring the user
An example of a programmable date picker is shown in the documentation for the jQuery UI JavaScript user interface library at: http://jqueryui.com/datepicker/


Meantone organs in North America

Pipe organs that are tuned in meantone temperament are very rare in North America. They are listed here, by type of temperament and sorted by date of construction. North America is defined here as Canada, the United States of America and Mexico. All instruments listed are playable but unplayable instruments may be added with a note.


Netherworld Haunted House

Netherworld Haunted House is a self-guided, walk-through haunted attraction located near Atlanta, Georgia, in unincorporated Gwinnett County. It is a seasonal Halloween-based event which opened in 1997.
Netherworld is distinguished by having developed an original theme which was not based on popular movies, such as slasher films, but rather on a unique storyline. It operates during October of each year.
History.
Beginning in 1997, there was only a single haunted house. A second smaller haunt was added in 1999, featuring a 3-D ChromaDepth experience. This coincided with a move to the Georgia Antique Center in Norcross, GA. In 2000, a third event was added at a remote location for one year, called Bloodfeast, a replica of a Medieval Torture Chamber. This event can now be seen every Spring at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. In 2003 Netherworld expanded with a third attraction that was located one floor below the larger one. It began as Tomb of Darkness, a very dark show, and slowly evolved into a more gory reality based event when compared with the traditional gothic horror elements of the upstairs haunt. In 2007 The 3-D Show and the Main show were combined in Leviathan, and a new introductory section and gift shop were added.
As of 2016, Netherworld Haunted Attractions LLC announced that they would be moving the entire attraction to Stone Mountain, Georgia. This move was announced in 2016, and as of 2017, the new location was open featuring three indoor "escape games" (escape rooms). In 2017, the main haunted houses remained at the Norcross location. After the 2017 season ended, Netherworld packed up over 20 years of props and monsters and moved to its new location at 2076 West Park Place Boulevard in Stone Mountain, GA.
Netherworld later had yet another address change, but in this instance, no physical move was necessary. In 2020, Gwinnett County, GA, granted Netherworld the new street name/number of 1313 Netherworld Way, replacing their former 2076 West Park Place address.
Attractions.
The current haunted attractions, as of 2019, are "Night of the Gorgon" and "Cold Blooded", which are both indoor haunted houses. In addition, the company is running "Escape the Netherworld", four escape room games, at their location in Stone Mountain. The themes of the escapes rooms are Sasquatch, Nosferatu, Terror on Tiki Island and The Haunted. In 2019, Netherworld also opened Laser Tag Battle Area, a fun outside laser tag game.
Netherworld has always created original monsters and props, rather than using movie or television intellectual properties, as many other haunted attractions customarily do. Netherworld is known for its elaborate sets, innovative special effects, lighting and sound. Some of the actors perform stunts such as bungee jumps and sliding toward guests. A number of actors also stalk the queue line and Midway before the haunted house actually begins, starting the experience the moment guests get out of their cars. This is a somewhat different take on "scare zones", which are utilized by the larger theme parks.
Media and awards.
The 2009 Movie Zombieland had portions filmed inside of Netherworld, and members of the Netherworld crew participated in the films production. Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2 2009 film also rented props from the event and used Haunted House staff. Many Netherworld crew are now involved with production of the AMC TV series, The Walking Dead. Several key staff are members of the Special Effects Makeup and Costuming unions.
Netherworld won the #1 haunted house in America for 2017, according to Hauntworld.com, in their selection of the top 13 scariest haunted houses.


Adventureland (Iowa)

Adventureland is a family-owned amusement park in Altoona, Iowa (just northeast of Des Moines). It is marketed as featuring over 100 rides, shows and attractions.
History.
Construction of Adventureland Park began in the spring of 1973. According to park operators, the Disney company assisted with some early park planning. Years later, Adventureland gave advice to the operator of the Wild West World Park in Wichita, Kansas and allowed them to use photos taken at Adventureland in early promotional materials while that park was under construction. These photos could still be seen on the park flyers just before opening.
Damage from the tail end of a tornado delayed the opening until July 28, 1974, with the first rides opening on August 16. The first full season for Adventureland began in 1975. The official grand opening was on May 31. Congressman Neal Smith, Altoona Mayor Lloyd Sievers and Adventureland president Jack Krantz spoke at the opening ceremony. The Skyride from the World's Fair in Spokane, Washington was added that year.
In 1978 construction began on Adventureland's largest wooden roller coaster, the Tornado, which opened on July 4, 1978. The Tornado was soon listed among the top ten wooden roller coasters in the world.
The following year, the County Fair area with its games of skill was added. Also in 1979, Adventureland purchased the aging Riverview Amusement Park in Des Moines and moved some of the attractions to their own themed area just south of the park in 1980. Some of these attractions included the infamous weight guessing booth, Hi-striker game (now in storage at Adventureland), Haunted House ride (used as the station for the defunct Dragon roller coaster), Mirror/Funny Maze (found upon exiting the Dragon roller coaster ride at Adventureland), Skee-Ball games, the Riverview carousel, as well as other well-known and loved attractions. In 1990, the Riverview theme area was transformed into the Dragon Island, home of Adventureland's double-looping upside-down steel roller coaster, which opened on May 12, 1990.
1993 brought the largest park expansion since Adventureland was built. Outlaw Gulch, a western themed area, was built on at a cost of approximately $5 million. Outlaw Gulch consisted of three rides: Wrangler (a Scrambler), Chuck Wagon and The Outlaw roller coaster.
In 1999 Adventureland announced the addition of the Space Shot. The Space Shot is a structure that towers over Adventureland launching riders up at 4.5 G's and ending with a free fall of negative 1 G.
In 2002, Adventureland undertook an 8 million dollar project that nearly doubled the size of the hotel, adding a second courtyard, new pools with interactive water features and new poolside rooms and suites. It also added a new water ride in the park, a spinning white water adventure, called Saw Mill Splash. The ride is themed around an old saw mill and fits into the western motif of Adventureland's Outlaw Gulch area.
In 2006, Adventureland added two more rides, The Splash Over and Frog Hopper. In 2008, Adventureland embarked on its most extensive addition yet – a new water area named Adventure Bay. The first water attraction in this area is Kokomo Kove.
On February 20, 2010 (about 4:00 p.m.), a fire broke out in the toy store of main street after its roof collapsed due to the weight of ice and snow. The collapse caused an electrical fire. The fire went out of control and engulfed the corner portion of Main Street and destroyed the section that encompassed the bingo parlor, restaurant, toy store and arcade. The fire was brought under control about an hour later and was completely extinguished an hour thereafter. None of the adjacent structures or rides were harmed and no one was injured. The buildings were destroyed so quickly because, due to their age, sprinklers were not required to be installed. The park opened as planned on April 24, 2010, with the east side of Main Street completely cleared to dirt surrounded by a chain link fence. Banners on the fence stated that "Plans are well underway to build Main Street back better than ever."
All of Main Street was rebuilt when the park opened in April 2011 and featured an even larger arcade with an indoor ride. The park's Scrambler ride, previously known as the Wrangler, was brought out of storage and moved to the G-Force's location after the G-Force was moved into the Main Street arcade. On December 15, 2011 (about 3:45 a.m.), another fire broke out, this time destroying the Rally Round corn dog stand. Crews said the fire had engulfed the structure when they arrived but they were able to put it out quickly. According to fire officials, an electrical transformer behind the corn dog stand was the cause. A larger food location would be built in its place.
On September 6, 2013, Adventureland posted on their official Facebook page that a new attraction called Storm Chaser would be added. A 3D rendering of the ride was posted on the page, as well as an interview with park officials, showed that the new ride is a Mondial WindSeeker model. Park officials also stated that it would be replacing the aging Silly Silo due to that ride's frequent down time and the company no longer making parts to fix it.
On July 8, 2015, Adventureland announced that they were adding a new roller coaster called The Monster, a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster and the first of its kind in the United States. It opened to the public on June 4, 2016 after park employee previews a few days earlier. It replaced the River Rapids log ride, which ran since the park first opened. The Monster features a unique nighttime LED light display made up of 137 track mounted fixtures that synchronize to the ride vehicles, and 46 ground lights.
On September 20, 2017, Adventureland announced a new children's area called Bernie's Barnyard. It opened on July 20, 2018 it includes two family rides, a playground and kiddie arcade games. It replaced the Country Picnic area just behind the Storm Chaser.
Sometime in mid-April 2018, crews dismantled the Inverter, which had been sitting on the spot where Super Screamer used to be since 2000. It broke down early in the 2017 season and was closed the rest of the year, and was later determined that the ride would be taken down and put up for sale. It is currently sitting in pieces in the maintenance shed at the front of the park. For the 2018 Oktoberfest, the Inverter's old space was used for inflatables for the adults. On December 11, 2018, Adventureland announced on its Facebook page that it will be adding Phoenix, a $6 million spinning coaster from Maurer Rides. It opened on July 4, 2019, replacing the Inverter. It is the park's sixth roller coaster and the second-largest investment on a ride in Adventureland history behind the Monster.
On May 17, 2020 Adventureland teased a picture of a knight slaying a dragon (reference to the park's 1990 O.D. Hopkins double looping rollercoaster, the Dragon). The same day, crews were spotted dismantling the Dragon and a new teaser was posted with the title "The Dragon Slayer." This coaster is set to open in June 2021.
Location.
Adventureland is located off exit 142A of I-80, along U.S. Highway 65, in Altoona, just east of Des Moines, Iowa.
Themed areas and attractions.
The park contains many design nods inspired by Disneyland: The entrance has a train station with two tunnels (on the left- and right-hand side) leading into the Main Street area, just like at Disneyland or Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom (and also similar to many other parks built since Disneyland opened in 1955); over in Outlaw Gulch, there are several tombstones that have virtually the same wording as tombstones outside of Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion attraction; the rocking pirate ship (Galleon) has played a soundtrack that included splashing water and an excerpt from the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, "Yo Ho". Adventureland is a theme area of its own at Disneyland. The different themed areas in Adventureland are:
Adventure Bay.
Adventure Bay is the water park section of Adventureland. Except for Kokomo Kove, it was new for 2010. In addition to the water features, it offers changing areas, lockers for rent, lounge chairs and food service which includes a full-service bar named the Sand Bar.
Games areas.
The games department consists of three games areas:
Food.
The park features counter service eating locations, including the (new for 2018) Doc and Leone's Diner and Bar on Main Street, Chicken Shack, Rally Round, Petunia Pig, Taco Villa, Sub sandwich Land, River City Pizza, Rathskeller, Spectator's and Outlaw Gulch Foods.
Alcohol.
While the park has sold beer (and sometimes wine coolers) in the past, in recent years they have added more adult beverage locations.
Other food locations serve canned beers and similar beverages.
Special events.
Every year on July 4, Adventureland presents fireworks 15 minutes before the park closes.
Adventureland also hosts various events during the off-season when the park is closed. Visitors enter through an open gate at the front entrance and are allowed only in the Main Street Palace Theater which is connected to the Doc and Leone's Diner on Main Street for food and snacks.
During the first few weekends of operation, various school bands are invited to play in the park.
Each year, substance-free days are held in conjunction with D.A.R.E.
Over Memorial Day weekend there is a military promotion.
There are four park areas available for company picnics, reunions or other large gatherings.
On October 3, 2015, Adventureland hosted its first Oktoberfest event. A $10 admission (with free parking) included one beer and access to a limited selection of rides and attractions during this one day event. Dozens of food and drink stands were brought in to the park (many from outside vendors). The 2nd annual Oktoberfest was held on October 1, 2016 and the third was held on September 30, 2017. Pricing and dates for future Oktoberfest events are posted on their website.
Mascots and characters.
The park's official mascot is Bernie Bernard, a St. Bernard dog. A cartoon drawing of Bernie appears on park guides and maps, and a walk-around character poses for photos in the park. In 2017, a new version of Bernie appeared in the park, with a much rounder look. In 2018, Bernie received his own area of the park: Bernie's Barnyard.
Another character, "Toby" the tiger, also walks around the park. According to Adventureland's public relations department, "Toby the tiger has been around about as long as Bernie, but is not in our ads, so he might not be as recognizable."
There are two additional dog characters: Heather, also seen in the park; and Henry, who used to appear and was even sold as a stuffed animal.
For a special promotion in 2001, Garfield the cat appeared in the park with a special photo opportunity on Main Street.
An actor who plays an old west miner appeared for many years in TV commercials and his voice is heard in The Underground narration (and as the voice of the old miner animatronic in the pre-show). A cartoon caricature of him appears as the "must be this tall to ride" sign outside of The Outlaw.
At the ticket window of the Palace Theater, an animatronic character named P.T. Barnaby spiels about park happenings each year. He is currently voiced by Billy Martin, the ringmaster of the Royal Hanneford Circus.
There are many other costumed characters that have appeared in the park over the years.
Incidents.
Several incidents have occured at Adventureland, one of which resulted in the death of an employee.
Dragon, June 1991.
On June 8, 1991, four riders were injured on the Dragon when its lift chain broke. All four were released from the hospital after treatment of their injuries and the ride was repaired.
Tornado, July 2006.
An 11-year-old girl sustained head trauma when a piece of wood was left behind by maintenance staff on the Tornado. Mackenzie Hooper and two others were struck by the board when it became dislodged during the ride operation. One of the other two guests was treated at the park and the other sought treatment off-site. The injured girl sustained head injury and was transported to a local hospital. Witnesses on scene reported that neither local law enforcement, fire rescue services nor an ambulance were called to the scene. Hooper was reportedly transported to Mercy Medical Center by park staff where she underwent surgery to remove a blood clot, reduce swelling and suture lacerations on both sides of her head.
Splash Over, May 2008.
During the day, the Splash Over had about 16 riders on the ride, when it malfunctioned and held riders stuck upside down for a long period of time. No major injuries occurred.
Raging River, June 2016.
On June 7, 2016, 68 year old seasonal employee, Steve Booher was assisting on the Raging River ride when he fell onto the conveyor belt that moves the ride rafts through the loading/unloading station. Mr. Booher was injured, fell into a coma and died three days later at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. The operator prematurely set the rafts in motion while both assistants were standing partly on the raft and partly on the ride platform assisting guests as prescribed by the operator manual. OSHA conducted an investigation and found no evidence that the park had violated safety protocols, and that the ride was operating as designed. Therefore, the park was fined $4500.00 and suggestions were made to install safety cutout devices for the assistants to ensure the ride vehicles could not be operated without intervention from all three ride operations staff. The ride was allowed to continue to operate as built for the rest of the park's operating season.
Underground, July 2019.
A child injured his foot as the ride was leaving the station when it became lodged between the ride car and the loading platform. The ride was emergency stopped and the child was treated at a local hospital.


Monitor mount

A monitor mount is a supportive bracket or arm designed to hold up a computer monitor, laptop, notebook or other display screen. Monitor arm and monitor bracket are other common terms for this device.
History.
Flat panel monitors became increasingly popular as the technology grew less expensive during early to mid 2000s. These lighter monitors were better suited for a wider range of movement than the heavier cathode ray tube monitor that was previously sold with most computers. The patent for inventing the monitor mount belongs to Rob Mossman and is dated from September 20, 2006; however monitor mounts have been available for at least six years before the patent was issued. Several companies like Ergotron, Multibrackets ab, Mount- it, Loctek and Herman Miller have been producing mounts since the early 2000s.
Significance.
The added functionality of monitor mounts has made them very popular. Depending on the model, monitor mounts can move up and down, rotate, tilt, retract and swivel.
VESA is an organization that manages the standards for mounting solutions. In 1997, VESA came up with a standard hole size and screwing pattern for flat panel screens, called Flat Display Mounting Interface (usually known as "VESA mount"), which is still valid today. Almost all monitor mounts follow this VESA standard in one form or another. Monitor manufacturers typically create a standard VESA hole pattern on the back of the monitor for mounting purposes.
Health advantages.
A monitor mount placed at the appropriate height, distance and angle can help “prevent possible health effects such as excessive fatigue, eye strain, and neck and back pain.” Monitor mounts are especially important for anyone using a standing or walking desk because of the dynamic height and stability requirements for those applications.
Manufacturers.
Each of the major monitor mount manufacturers offers different products with respect to shape, functionality, etc. The one feature common to all manufacturers is the improved ergonomic benefits of a properly adjusted computer workstation. Monitor mount brands sold in the United States and Europe include Ergotron, Multibrackets ab, Humanscale, Herman Miller, Lumi, Loctek, Chief, In Europe


Palette window

The graphical control element palette window, also known as utility window or floating palette, floats on top of all regular windows and offers ready access tools, commands or information for the current application.
Applications use palette windows to prevent toolbar clutter. While toolbars and ribbons are typically horizontal, locked to window or screen borders, and of fixed length; palettes are usually scaled to fit their contents, movable, and vertical, consuming less of a computer's commonly landscape oriented screen space, and work better with multiple monitors.
Some palettes are standard and provided by the OS, reappearing in many applications, while other palettes are unique to each individual application. An example of a common application-specific palette window is an inspector window. On the Macintosh, palette windows are only visible while their parent application has focus. In a multiple document interface program, palettes are sometimes independent from the parent window.


Apple Wireless Keyboard

The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers and compatible with iOS devices. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations have low-power features when not in use.
It was discontinued on October 13, 2015, and was succeeded by the new Magic Keyboard.
History.
First generation (A1016) M9270LL/A (4 batteries).
The first generation Apple Wireless Keyboard was released at the Apple Expo on September 16, 2003.
It was based on the updated wired Apple Keyboard (codenamed A1048), and featured white plastic keys housed in a clear plastic shell. Unlike the wired keyboard, there are no USB ports to connect external devices. The bottom of the keyboard features space for four AA batteries and has an on/off switch.
Second generation (A1255) MB167LL/A (3 batteries).
On August 7, 2007, Apple released a redesigned model of the Apple Wireless Keyboard. Like the wired Apple Keyboard, the new model is thinner than its predecessors and has an aluminum enclosure. Another addition is the new functions added to the function keys, such as media controls and Dashboard control. Unlike the previous version, the Wireless Keyboard now has a layout similar to the MacBook. The power button has been relocated to the right side of the keyboard, and the layout does not include a numeric keypad. This model added accidental caps lock prevention: the key has to be held down for a moment for caps lock to engage. This keyboard required only three AA batteries, one fewer than its predecessor.
Third generation (A1314) MC184LL/A (2 batteries).
In October 2009, a slightly revised third model was released. New model number A1314 replaced the A1255, two years and two months after the initial release. The new model now uses only two AA batteries instead of three originally. Additionally, Mac OS X 10.5.8 is now the minimum OS over the original Mac OS X 10.4.10. This model of keyboard became standard with new generation of iMacs introduced on the same day.
Fourth generation (A1314) MC184LL/B (2 batteries).
On July 20, 2011, following the release of Mac OS X 10.7/OS X Lion, Apple updated the keyboard slightly, updating the label on the Exposé key to Mission Control and changing the Dashboard key to a Launchpad key.
Languages and layouts.
Keyboard layouts with a rectangular Enter key are available in American English and Korean.
Keyboard layouts with L-shaped Enter keys are available in:
Boot Camp keyboard mapping in Windows.
Due to the missing keys for Windows PCs (such as the PrintScreen Key), Apple has made keyboard mappings.
Note. These keyboard mappings will work on a Mac operating under Windows 7 when running Boot Camp, but may not work if the user selects the Boot Camp option of "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys"
Non-Apple support.
Although Apple includes support solely for Macintosh computers, it can also be used on a Microsoft Windows PC providing that a Bluetooth receiver and appropriate Bluetooth stack is installed and properly configured.
The Linux kernel supports Apple Wireless Keyboards via the hid-apple module, which is present in 2.6.x+ kernels.


List of electricity sectors

This is a list of electric power industry sectors in every country or region around the world.


Tagged queuing

Tagged queuing is a method for allowing a hardware device or controller to process commands received from a device driver out of order. It requires that the device driver attaches a tag to each command which the controller or device can later use to identify the response to the command.
Tagged queueing can speed up processing considerably if a controller serves devices of very different speeds, such as an SCSI controller serving a mix of CD-ROM drives and high-speed disks. In such cases if a request to fetch data from the CD-ROM is shortly followed by a request to read from the disk, the controller doesn't have to wait for the CD-ROM to fetch the data, it can instead instruct the disk to fetch the data and return the value to the device driver, while the CD-ROM is probably still seeking.


FZ-mount


Mark tree

A Mark tree (also known as a nail tree, chime tree, or set of bar chimes) is a percussion instrument used primarily for musical colour. It consists of many small chimes – typically cylinders of solid aluminium or hollow brass tubing 3/8" in diameter – of varying lengths mounted hanging from a bar. The chimes are played by sweeping a finger or stick through the length of the hanging chimes, or the strings that suspend the chimes. They are mounted in pitch order to produce rising or falling glissandos.
Unlike tubular bells, another form of chime, the chimes on a Mark tree do not produce a definite pitch, as they produce inharmonic (rather than harmonic) spectra.
The mark tree is named after its inventor, studio percussionist Mark Stevens. He devised the instrument in 1967. When he could not come up with a name, percussionist Emil Richards dubbed the instrument the Mark tree.
The mark tree should not be confused with two similar instruments:


Chilean torpedo

Tetronarce tremens, commonly known as the Chilean torpedo, is a species of fish in the family Torpedinidae. It is found in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is open seas.


Remington R4

The Remington R4 is a firearms platform based on the AR-15/M16/M4/M4A1 series designed and manufactured by Remington Arms. In 2012, when the R4 was introduced, the platform was available in four variants: the 7-inch R4-C, 11.5-inch R4-E, 14.5-inch R4 and 20-inch R4-M. In 2018, the platform changed to three variants: the R4 Patrol, R4 Operator, and R4 Enhanced.
In 2012, the Queensland Police Service placed an order for 420 R4 carbines at a cost of almost AUD$1 million to replace the Ruger Mini-14.
In 2013, Remington announced it had been awarded a US$47 million contract by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, for the Philippine Army and the Philippine Marine Corps, placing an order for over 40,000 R4 carbines. The Armed Forces of the Philippines later increased the order to 63,286 R4s which are designated as the R4A3 which is equivalent to the Colt M4 RO977 model and replaces early model M16s.
In March 2015, Remington announced that it would offer the R4 to the civilian market.
In July 2018, Remington announced that it had been awarded a US$28 million contract by the United States Army for 5.56mm carbines on behalf of key international allies.
R10.
In 2019, Remington unveiled a modified version of the R4, intended to function as a battle rifle by firing the more powerful 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.


Short octave

The short octave was a method of assigning notes to keys in early keyboard instruments (harpsichord, clavichord, organ), for the purpose of giving the instrument an extended range in the bass range. The rationale behind this system was that the low notes F and G are seldom needed in early music. Deep bass notes typically form the root of the chord, and F and G chords were seldom used at this time. In contrast, low C and D, both roots of very common chords, are sorely missed if a harpsichord with lowest key E is tuned to match the keyboard layout. A closely related system, the broken octave, added more notes by using split keys: the front part and the back part of the (visible) key controlled separate levers and hence separate notes.
Short octave.
First type.
In one variant of the short octave system, the lowest note on the keyboard was nominally E, but the pitch to which it was tuned was actually C. Nominal F was tuned to D, and nominal G was tuned to E. Thus, in playing the keys:
the player would hear the musical scale of C major in the bass:
The actual note assignments can be seen in the following diagram, which shows the lowest eight keys of an early keyboard:
The rationale behind this system was that the low notes F and G are seldom needed in early music. Deep bass notes typically form the root of the chord, and F and G chords were seldom used at this time. In contrast, low C and D, both roots of very common chords, are sorely missed if a harpsichord with lowest key E is tuned to match the keyboard layout. When scholars specify the pitch range of instruments with this kind of short octave, they write "C/E", meaning that the lowest note is a C, played on a key that normally would sound E.
Second type.
A second type of short octave used the keys
to play the G major scale
Here, the exotic bass notes C and D are sacrificed to obtain the more essential A and B. The notation for the pitch range of such an instrument is "G/B". The following diagram illustrates this kind of short octave:
In stringed instruments like the harpsichord, the short octave system created a defect: the strings which were tuned to mismatch their keyboard notes were in general too short to sound the reassigned note with good tone quality. To reach the lower pitch, the strings had to be thickened, or tuned too slack. During the 17th and 18th centuries, harpsichord builders gradually increased the size and bass range of their instruments to the point where every bass note could be properly played with its own key.
Short octaves were very common in the early organ. Here, the practice would not have yielded poor tone quality (since the associated pipes would have to be built with the correct length in any event). Far more than on stringed instruments the financial savings would have been quite considerable, as the long pipes entailed quite an expense, even in materials alone. But as harmonic music developed more complexity in the late 17th and 18th centuries and the desire arose for completely chromatic bass octaves, short octaves ultimately came to be abandoned in organs as well.
History.
The 18th-century author Quirinus van Blankenburg suggested that the C/E short octave originated as an extension of keyboards that went down only to F; the addition of just one key (nominal E) and the reassignment of the F and G added three new notes to the bass range. Van Blankenburg says that when the short octave was invented, it was called the "new extension" for this reason. According to Frank Hubbard, harpsichords and organs of the 16th and 17th centuries "almost always" had short octaves.
Edward Kottick notes that the short octave persisted for a long time, suggests that a kind of mutual inertia between composers and instrument builders may have been responsible:
Our forebears were much more practical than we are. Since nobody wrote music that required those notes, why go to the expense of putting them in? And what composer would bother to write them if few keyboard instruments had them?
A transitional stage toward the final adoption of chromatic keyboards was seen in certain English virginals of the later 17th century. On these the lowest key could pluck two different strings, depending on the slot in which its jack was placed. One of these strings was tuned to low G (the normal pitch of this key in the G/B short octave) and the other to whatever missing chromatic pitch was desired. The player could then move the jack to the slot that provided the desired note, according to the piece being played.
Broken octave.
A variant of the short octave added more notes by using split keys: the front part and the back part of the (visible) key controlled separate levers and hence separate notes. Assume the following keys:
with both F and G split front to back. Here, E played C, the front half of the F key played D, and the (less accessible) rear half played F. The front half of the G key played E, and the rear half played G. As with the short octave, the key labeled E played the lowest note C. Thus, playing the nominal sequence
the player would hear:
The actual note assignments can be seen in the following diagram:
It can be seen that only two notes of the chromatic scale, C and D, are missing. An analogous arrangement existed for keyboards with G instead of C at the bottom.
According to Trevor Pinnock, the short octave is characteristic of instruments of the 16th century. He adds, "in the second half of the 17th century, when more accidentals were required in the bass, 'broken octave' was often used."
Viennese bass octave.
The short/broken octave principle not only survived, but was even developed further in one particular location, namely Vienna. The "Viennese bass octave" (German: "") lasted well into the second half of the 18th century. Gerlach (2007) describes this keyboard arrangement as follows:
The notes leading down to F1 were accommodated on the keys of a "short-scaled octave" from "c" to "C" (only "F"1 and "G"1, as well as "C" and "E" continued to be omitted.
The assignment of notes to keys, which strikingly included a triple-split key, was as shown in the following diagram, adapted from Maunder (1998):
Maunder (who uses the term "multiple-broken short octave") observes that the Viennese bass octave, like its predecessors, imposed distortions on the string scaling of the harpsichord: it "leads to extreme foreshortening of the scale in the bass." Hence, it required unusually thick strings for the bottom notes, on the order of .
The Viennese bass octave gradually went out of style. However, Maunder notes instruments with Viennese bass octave built even in 1795, and observe that advertisements for such instruments appear even up to the end of the century.
Music written specifically for short-octave instruments.
While the short octave seems primarily to have been an economy measure, it does have the advantage that the player's left hand can in certain cases span a greater number of notes. The composer Peter Philips wrote a pavane in which the left hand plays many parallel tenths. This is a considerable stretch for many players, and become even harder when (as in Philips's pavane), there sometimes other notes included in the chord. Of this piece harpsichord scholar Edward Kottick writes, "The sensuality of effortlessly achieving tenths is so strong, so delightful, that one cannot really claim to know the piece unless it has been played on a short-octave keyboard."
A later composer who wrote music conveniently playable only on a broken-octave instrument was Joseph Haydn, whose early work for keyboard was intended for harpsichord, not piano. As Gerlach (2007) points out, Haydn's "Capriccio in G on the folk song "", H. XVII:1 (1765) is evidently written for a harpsichord employing the Viennese bass octave. The work terminates in a chord in which the player's left hand must cover a low G, the G an octave above it, and the B two notes higher still. On orthodox keyboards this would be an impossible stretch for most players, but as on the Viennese bass octave it would have been easy to play, with the fingers depressing keys that visually appeared as D–G–B (see diagram above).
When Haydn's Capriccio was published by Artaria in the 1780s, the Viennese bass octave had mostly disappeared (indeed, the harpsichord itself was becoming obsolete). The publisher accordingly included alternative notes in the places where the original version could be played only on a short octave instrument, presumably to accommodate the needs of purchasers who owned a harpsichord or piano with the ordinary chromatic bass octave.


Static fire


G-mount

G-mount or G mount may refer to:


Denel NTW-20

The NTW-20 is a South African anti-materiel rifle, developed by Denel Mechem in the 1990s. It is intended for deployment against targets including parked aircraft, telecommunication masts, power lines, missile sites, radar installations, refineries, satellite dishes, gun emplacements, bunkers and personnel, using a range of specialised projectiles. As with other weapons of this type, it can also be used for counter sniping and ordnance disposal (shooting explosive ordnance from a safe distance).
Development.
The weapon was designed by Tony Neophytou (co-designer of the Neostead combat shotgun). Development of the system began in August 1995 under the "Aerotek" name and a working prototype was ready for testing four and a half months later. This rapid progress was made possible by Neophytou's expertise in the field of recoil reduction systems, having worked on helicopter turrets in the past. To further reduce the amount of research and development, the project recycled the barrel, bolt and barrel extension of the existing Vektor GA1 automatic cannon. It was put into production by Denel Land Systems in two versions; 20 x 110 and 20 x 82. The latter model is also available in 14.5 x 114 and conversion between the calibres can be done in the field by swapping the barrel and bolt assembly. The significantly larger 20 x 110 model cannot be converted to another calibre. The rifle was accepted into service with the South African National Defence Force in 1998..
Features.
Switching between the two calibres of the NTW (20×82mm and 14.5×114mm) requires changing the bolt, barrel, sighting gear and magazine. (A third variant, the NTW 20×110mm has been developed, but is not designed for barrel calibre switching.) Caliber switching the NTW 20/14.5 can be accomplished in the field without specialised tools. The magazine protrudes from the left side of the receiver. The NTW can be disassembled and packed into two backpacks for carriage. A muzzle brake is fitted on the end of the barrel which absorbs an estimated 50%–60% of recoil. This is further supplemented by a buffered slide in the receiver.
Influence.
Denel Land Systems was contracted to supply weapon systems for the Indian Armed Forces, including anti-materiel rifles and self-propelled howitzers. However, following allegations that it had paid kickbacks to secure a deal for anti-materiel rifles, Denel was blacklisted by the Indian government. Subsequently, the Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT), in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), began developing an indigenous anti-material rifle called Vidhwansak, which borrowed heavily from the Denel NTW-20. The development of Vidhwansak was completed in November 2005. The embargo against Denel was lifted in 2018 after investigations found the allegations to have been false.


Electromagnetic formation flight

Electromagnetic formation flight (EMFF) investigates the concept of using electromagnets coupled with reaction wheels in place of more traditional propulsion systems to control the positions and attitudes of a number of spacecraft in close proximity. Unlike traditional propulsion systems, which use exhaustible propellants that often limit lifetime, the EMFF system uses solar power to energize a magnetic field. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Space Systems Laboratory is exploring this concept by developing dynamics and control models as well as an experimental testbed for their validation.
How it works.
The magnetic fields for EMFF are generated by sending current through coils of wire. The interaction between the magnetic dipoles created is easily understood with a far field approximation where the separation distance between two vehicles is large compared to the physical size of the dipole. By controlling the dipoles on various vehicles, attraction, repulsion, and shear forces can be created. Combined with reaction wheels, any desired maneuver can be performed as long as the formation’s center of mass is not required to change.
Applications.
The EMFF system is most applicable in cases where multiple spacecraft are free-flying relative to one another and there is no need to control the center of mass of the system. NASA’s Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission and space telescope assembly are just two such types of missions. EMFF provides the foremost advantage of reduced dependence on consumables. In addition, it eliminates thruster plumes and enhances the capability of replacing a failed element more economically.
Testbed.
The MIT-SSL constructed two EMFF testbed vehicles for demonstrating control of 2-D formations on a large flat floor. Vehicles are suspended on a frictionless air carriage and are completely self-contained using RF communications, microprocessors, and a metrology system. Liquid Nitrogen maintains cryogenic temperatures and batteries provide the power to the high-temperature superconductive (HTS) coils. The testbed has demonstrated control of the relative degrees of freedom (DOF) in open loop and closed loop control using linearized controllers and a nonlinear sliding mode controller.
Awards.
Former Space Systems Lab associate director Dr. Raymond Sedwick (now at the University of Maryland, College Park) has been awarded the first Bepi Colombo Prize for a paper on electromagnetic formation flight. According to Aero-Astro Professor Manuel Martinez-Sanchez, who worked with Colombo and was a juror in the competition, "The jury was unanimous in that Ray's paper best represented 'Bepi' Colombo's spirit of innovation and originality, combined with rigor."
Collaborators.
Research on electromagnetic formation flight or similar projects is also ongoing at:


Min Ping Yu No. 5202

Min Ping Yu No. 5202 was a 50-foot mainland Chinese fishing boat from , Pingtan County, Fujian Province that sank on August 13, 1990, drowning 21 people, after being hit by Taiwan's naval vessel ROCS "Wen Shan" PF-834 while carrying out a repatriation operation of mainland Chinese illegal immigrants. Of the 50 mainland Chinese on board, 29 were rescued by Taiwan's Navy. It was the second tragedy in repatriation of mainland Chinese illegal immigrants in less than a month after "Min Ping Yu No. 5540" incident.
Background.
Fujian fishermen numbering in thousands each year sneaked across the strait into Taiwan after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan in 1987, as the economy of Taiwan was much better than that of mainland China at the time. Since the ROC government refused any contact with the PRC government, the ROC government repatriated them by seized mainland Chinese fishing boats. Taiwanese authorities ordered that deportees be locked in sealed holds to prevent them from forcing the ship to return to Taiwan. On July 21, 1990, 25 mainland Chinese illegal immigrants died from suffocation on fishing boat "Min Ping Yu No. 5540" in a repatriation operation, which had caused indignation in mainland China and Taiwan.
In response to criticisms from the Taiwanese public, on August 13, a high-profile repatriation was arranged by the Taiwanese authorities. Legislators and the media were invited to witness the repatriation of mainland Chinese illegal immigrants. Before the repatriation operation, legislators including Jaw Shaw-kong, Lin Cheng-chieh and Stella Chou visited "Jinglu" detention center and talked to the mainland Chinese illegal immigrants to be repatriated in this operation. The boat departed from Nanfang'ao Port, Su'ao Town, Yilan County, Taiwan Province carrying 50 mainland Chinese illegal immigrants and was accompanied by Taiwan naval vessels.
Incident.
At 10:08 pm on August 13, at 13 nautical miles to the north of Keelung, the fishing boat was hit by the accompanying frigate ROCS "Wen Shan" PF-834 and broke into two pieces. The rear part of the boat sank. A rescue operation by the Taiwan's Navy followed and saved 29 people. They were taken back to Keelung military port at 4pm the next day and a press conference was held. According to the captain of the frigate, the boat accelerated and veered to the left in front of the frigate, so the frigate hit the boat, while survivors said that the frigate hit the boat while swerving to avoid a Taiwanese fishing boat. The survivors also accused the Taiwan's Navy of delaying rescue operation which had caused more deaths, which the Navy captain denied. The survivors also said that people had been kept in sealed holds, but they had opened the covers before the incident, otherwise there would have been more victims. Later, the Taiwan military did not allow the survivors to speak out to the media while being held again in the detention center.
Aftermath.
The Taiwan government was under heavy criticisms for the two repatriation operations which caused a total of 46 deaths in less than a month. ROC Premier Hau Pei-tsun said that the repatriation was a matter of national security and the public should support the military. The Red Cross organizations of Taiwan and mainland China signed the Kinmen Agreement and took over the repatriation mission on September 12, 1990.
The shipwreck had caused a public outrage in Pingtan, Fujian, as it was the second incident claiming many lives of people from there. The deputy director of Taiwan Affairs Office of Pingtan County Xue Laijin said that it was not an accident, but a result of Taiwan government's constant maltreatment of mainland Chinese illegal immigrants.
An investigation by the Control Yuan found that the frigate had failed to keep distance with the fishing boat, and the Navy had not actively carried out the rescue operation after the shipwreck, and had not made full effort to salvage the boat to preserve evidence, so the Navy was responsible for the shipwreck.


Horace B. Cheney

Horace Bushnell Cheney (May 19, 1868 – August 15, 1938) was an American administrator, who was general manager and vice-president of Cheney Brothers Silk Manufacturing Company, in the nowadays called Cheney Brothers Historic District.
In 1934 he was awarded the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal by the ASME for being the sponsor of Henry Gantt's pioneering work at Cheney Brothers Silk work.
Life and work.
Born in South Manchester, Connecticut in 1868, Cheney was the son of Frank Woodbridge Cheney and Mary Bushnell, and grandson of Ward Cheney. After attending St. Paul's School and Hartford Public High School, he studied at Yale College obtaining his undergraduate degree in 1890.
After graduation Cheney and his father made a tour de Europe, and on return he started as regular apprentice in the Cheney Brothers Silk Manufacturing Company at the broad goods department. In the next decennia he worked his way up from manager of the department to general manager of mill, and vice-president of Cheney. In 1909 he became director of The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company for a short period.
Beside his work at the Cheney Brothers, Cheney participated in various municipal and state affairs. In the state of Connecticut he participated in its first State Tuberculosis Commission, and in the Silk Association of America he chaired the committee on legislation.
After his retirement he wrote some works about the history of the Cheney family and of the history of Manchester, and widened his interested in the art of woodcarving and painting. In August 1936 he died in Santa Fe Hospital, due to injuries from a car accident.
The mansion One Cheney build for his family in the mid-1890s, the Horace B. Cheney House, is one of the remarkable historic buildings of Connecticut.
Work.
In 1934 Cheney was awarded the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal by the ASME for being the sponsor of Henry Gantt's pioneering work at Cheney. The "Mechanical Engineering Magazine," (1937) summarized his contributions as follows:
The cooperation between Cheney and Gantt dated back to the 1910s. Henry L. Gantt's connection with the firm of Cheney Brothers had started in the fall of 1912.
External links.
[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1936 deaths]]
[[Category:American businesspeople]]
[[Category:People from Manchester, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Henry Laurence Gantt Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Yale College alumni]]