Saturday, May 23, 2020
Ocean Currents Affect Coastal Climates - 889 Words
Wind powered surface currents and waves, along with moon and sun powered tides, greatly impact Earthââ¬â¢s coastlines. As warm or cold water ocean currents affect coastal climates, waves release energy, shifting sand and sediments, eroding and replenishing coastline shores; all while tides raise and lower sea level. Floridaââ¬â¢s east coast, encompassed by barrier islands, is affected by subtropical ocean waters provided by the Gulf Stream, facilitating warm and humid climates, as well as hurricanes. As these warm ocean waters interact with Floridaââ¬â¢s barrier islands, through wave action and tides, its coastline continuously transforms. The ocean current that flows north alongside Floridaââ¬â¢s east coast, the Gulf Stream, is one of the most important factors in determining Floridaââ¬â¢s climate. Beginning near the equator, the warm waters of the North Equatorial Current eventually feed into the Gulf Stream, which begins at the southern tip of Florida. This Equatorial transfer of heat through ocean currents is what facilitates Floridaââ¬â¢s warm and humid climate. To illustrate the influence ocean currents have on coastal climates, we can compare the climate of Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur with the climate of Miami, Florida, because they reside on North Americaââ¬â¢s west and east coasts respectively, around the 25ââ¬â¢N Latitude line. Puerto San Carlos has a desert climate, averaging under 3 inches of precipitation per year, with 70 degree average temperatures; while Miami has aShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Ocean And How It Moderates Climate868 Words à |à 4 PagesTHE EFFECTS OF OCEA N AND HOW IT MODERATES CLIMATE The ocean has existed for around 4.6 billion years after the Earth was created. It plays an essential part in order to maintain life on Earth by maintaining the habitable climate. Due to the ocean, the Earth is able to sustain moderate weather and temperature, in contrast to the moon, which has extreme temperatures. The ocean and atmosphere are tightly linked, so when one fluctuates, the other will too. For example, weather in the atmosphere canRead MoreThe Effects Of Climate Change On Oceans1284 Words à |à 6 Pagessurface temperatures, oceans also provide scientists with evidence of climate change. Oceans play a major role in climate change because they absorb almost all (90% from 1971-2010) of the energy increase in the climate system (ââ¬Å"Summaryâ⬠, 2013, p. 8). Scientists are confident that ocean surface temperatures have increased since the beginning of industrialization (ââ¬Å"Summaryâ⬠, 2013, p. 8) and that humans have contributed to this ocean warming (â⬠Å"Summaryâ⬠, 2013, p. 17). From 1971-2010, ocean surface temperaturesRead MoreClimate Change Has Become A Significant Policy Issue Debated By The Entire Global Community1421 Words à |à 6 Pages Climate change has become a significant policy issue debated by the entire global community. Through out earthââ¬â¢s existence, climate change has been a part of the evolutionary process. Earthââ¬â¢s climate goes through a sequence of glacier and inter-glacier periods. These are periods where the earth heats up and global warming takes over the land. Then, there will be a period of an ice age, where snow and ice encompass most of the land. Recent studies provide evidence to this theory and additionallyRead MorePotiential Future Effects of Global Warming1834 Words à |à 7 Pages Introduction Climate change is one the biggest threats to nature and mankind in the 21st century. The impacts of climate change are visible everywhere, whether its melting glaciers, rising sea level, severe storms, heavy flooding, reduced snowfall in the north and a severe drought in the south. It will also have a number of effects on the flora and fauna in the future. Scientists predict that global warming in the near future may cause a mass extinction of wildlife, affecting more than 1 millionRead MoreImpact Of Climate Change On The Environment1338 Words à |à 6 PagesIntroduction: Climate change is an issue that is currently threatening the entire world, it is occurring as a result of human activity intensifying the greenhouse effect and concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, resulting in negative changes to the global climate (Lohmann, 2002). Tourism is particularly vulnerable to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change as the climate influences the appeal, attractiveness and suitability of a destination (Rutty Scott, 2014). Moore (2010)Read MoreThe Causes And Effects Of Climate Change1690 Words à |à 7 Pagesnumerous debates about the pros and cons of climate change and what are the causes and effects of climate change. There are those who argue that the rising levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases in our environment are as a direct result of human activities. Some activities that are at the top of the list include but are not limited to the burning of fossil fuels, the cutting down of our forest, these activities are causing signifi cant and increasingly severe climate changes which include global warmingRead MoreThe Effects Of Coral Reefs On Earth1245 Words à |à 5 Pagesecosystems, but they also provide billions of dollars in food, jobs, and provide coastal protection. Coral reefs are being affected and destroyed by humans in many ways, some are; water pollution, mining and construction around sea coasts, and climate change. The greatest threat is climate change caused by global warming, due to greenhouse gases resulting from human activities. Rising temperatures are warming the ocean, and due to the rise in temperature coral reefs are bleaching. During coral bleachingRead MoreClimate Change : Its Causes, Effects And Impacts On The Globe And Mitigation Strategies1307 Words à |à 6 Pages1. Climate Change: Its causes, effects and impacts on the Globe and mitigation strategies The ââ¬Å"Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakersâ⬠addresses the observed changes and their causes; future climate change risks and impacts; future pathways for adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development; adaptation and mitigation. Through various scientific researches, it has been confirmed that human influence on the climate system is clear and recent anthropogenic emissions ofRead MoreClimate Change1617 Words à |à 7 Pagesrise projected areas to assess future coastal submersion of New York City. New York is very susceptible to the impacts of sea-level rise, including storm surge and coastal flooding. Many scientist deem man-made creations the cause of changes to the worldââ¬â¢s climate and are promoting dramatic swings in the weather, such as, more floods, hurricanes, droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves. Rising sea levels are anticipated to worsen storm flooding in low-lying coastal areas, and permanently engulf some partsRead MoreTemperature Pattern Exercise Essay1635 Words à |à 7 PagesCelsius all year round. (Brazil Climate, 2011). In addition, the height of mid-day sun is never less than at the equator. Twice in a year the suns rays are vertical at the equator. Thus, the temperature is uniformly high in the equatorial region, and the annual range of temperature is negligible. (Rajan, 2012). Resources Brazil Climate. (2011). Brazil Climate. Retrieved from http://www.brazil.org.za/climate.html Rajan. (2012). The following Are the Factors That Affect and Control the Annual Range
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Cold War Essay - 976 Words
War is normally associated with destruction and death to end a conflict or some sort of disagreement but that is not always the case. After World War II the United States and the Soviet Union began a war that would span decades yet there would be no direct battle between the two nations. This time is called the Cold war because of its lack of battle between just the two nations. Even though it was never the soviets verse the Americans the Soviets often fought the Americans. What could have went so horribly wrong that two nations who at one point were fighting on the same side can suddenly disagree so violently that they aid others to fight each other? The reasons are many and in-depth but it all started at the end of World war II. Whenâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The reason that the soviets were looking for backing was because with the USââ¬â¢s use of nuclear weapons there was no army that could match their sheer power. To try and even level the power struggle in 1945 the United Nations was started with the United States and the Soviet Union as two of the members of the permanent Security Council. With the US and the Soviets being allowed to veto anything that the UN decided it became a stagnant with each side vetoing the other sides ideas or anything that may help the other side. With nothing getting done in the UN the United States were looking for other ways to handle the Soviets. That is when George Kennan came into the picture with this idea of containment. Containment is stopping Soviet expansion with negotiations instead of force. The negotiations are backed by force by that is a last resort. In 1947 the containment policy was implemented. To futher push containment the United Sates was offering aid to countries that were destroyed by war and also met certain requirements. Western Europe agreed and took the aid while Eastern Europe refused the aid and its restrictions. For the first time Europe was definitely divided into two halves. Winston Churchill referred to the division as an ââ¬Å"Iron Curtainâ⬠drawn down the middle of Europe. To strengthening Eastern Europe the Soviets planned to eliminate any noncommunist power from the area. The Czech Communists and the Chinese CommunistsShow MoreRelatedThe War Of The Cold War Essay1525 Words à |à 7 PagesOne major war ended and another to begin. The Cold war lasted about 45 years. There were no direct military campaigns between the United States and Soviet Union. However, billions of dollars and millions of lives were lost. The United States emerged as the greatest power from World War 2. (Give Me Liberty 896) The country boasted about having the most powerful navy and air force. The United states accounted for about half of the worldââ¬â¢s manufacturing capacity, which it alone created the atomic bombRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War757 Words à |à 4 PagesAs tensions continued to augment profoundly throughout the latter half of the Cold War period, they brought forth a movement from a previous bipolar conflicting course, to one of a more multipolar nature. The se tensions were now not only restricted to the Soviet Union and United states, but amongst multiple other nations of the globe. It became a general consensus that a notion of ââ¬Ëpeaceââ¬â¢ was sought globally, hence, the emergence of dà ©tente. The nature of this idea in the short term conveyed itselfRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War1123 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Cold War consist of tensions between the Soviets and the U.S. vying for dominance, and expansion throughout the world. Their complete different ideologies and vision of the postwar prevented them from working together. Stalin wants to punish Germany and make them pay outrageous sum of money for reparation. However, Truman has a different plan than Stalin. Truman believes that industrialization and democracy in Germany and throughout the world would ensure postwar stability. Stalin also wantedRead MoreThe Cold War1676 Words à |à 7 PagesHistorical Context: The Cold War started by the end of the Second World War. The aim of this war was to spread opposing ideologies of Capitalism and Communism by the two world superpowers without the result of a hot war. The war was between the Capitalist West - namely: the United States of America, Britain and France ââ¬â and Communist East ââ¬â known to be Russia and all the satellite states which communism had taken over. An agreement made at the Yalta meeting of 1945 was that Germany would be dividedRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War2020 Words à |à 9 Pages How Did America, With the Help Of Ronald Reagan, Win The Cold War? The Cold War was a ââ¬Å"competitionâ⬠between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, occurring from approximately 1945 through 1991. The Cold War received its name because it did not evolve into armed warfare or physical conflict. The 46-year-long war began immediately after the conclusion of World War II. Some believe it was Joseph Stalin who started it by saying, ââ¬Å"He hated westerners in the same way as Hitler hated JewsRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War2020 Words à |à 9 Pages How Did America, With the Help Of Ronald Reagan, Win The Cold War? The Cold War was a ââ¬Å"competitionâ⬠between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, occurring from approximately 1945 through 1991. The Cold War received its name because it did not evolve into armed warfare or physical conflict. The 46-year-long war began immediately after the conclusion of World War II. Some believe it was Joseph Stalin who started it by saying, ââ¬Å"He hated westerners in the same way as Hitler hated JewsRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War1253 Words à |à 6 PagesFor almost 15 years the U.S. has been in a constant state of war. Various terrorist organizations, from al-Quade, to the Taliban, and now Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have maintained our focus so much so that we have almost forgotten about prior threats. Ten years prior to the start of the conflict in the Middle East, the Cold War had officially concluded, ending almost 45 years of server political and military tensions between the U.S. and Russian following WWII. During thi s period ofRead MoreThe Cold War1537 Words à |à 7 Pagesseem and that every mental event in life its self can be perceived and interpreted many ways which are all true for each of the participants but not as a truth for all. This fed the cold war paranoia that even your next-door neighbor would be a communist. With the impending insanity of the M.A.D. policies of the cold war cultivated a nationwide paranoia that was brought out in many films like Dr. Strange-Love. In 1967 Theodore J. Flicker wrote and produced The President s Analyst which presents theRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War2250 Words à |à 9 PagesDuring the year 1945, there were quite a few reasons for the start of the Cold War. Hysteria was one of the major catalysts towards the start of the Cold War. Many American citizens shared the extensive fear of communist attacks against America, while the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) feared the same from the Americans. Another reason being that the United Stat es wouldnââ¬â¢t share their advances in the study of nuclear fission due to the USSRââ¬â¢s aim of spreading world communism. The USSRRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet War911 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Cold War began at the resolution of WWII and continued into the 1990ââ¬â¢s. The Cold War was fueled by many factors such as ideological differences, mutual mistrust, Americaââ¬â¢s fear of the spread of communism, and nuclear weapons. The war ultimately resulted in the collapse of communism. The war was supported by allied nations although the main instigators of the war were Russia and the United States. A major short term factor that lead to the Cold War was USSRââ¬â¢s fear of Americaââ¬â¢s newly acquired
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern Free Essays
string(132) " part the prints called the face, was easily broken off and smoothed before it was used for the printed pageâ⬠\(Fontana 30\)\." There are many ideas and concepts that facilitated the transition from the Medieval Era to a more modern, Renaissance society, but it can be argued that Johann Gutenbergââ¬â¢s invention of the printing press was the most important factor to this change in Europe. The creation of the press was no easy task for Gutenberg; he was faced with many obstacles. However, once created, the press benefited people around the world for centuries and continues to be a fundamental part of our society today. We will write a custom essay sample on Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern or any similar topic only for you Order Now Before the invention of the printing press, books were extremely expensive, limiting education to the very wealthy. Because only the upper class could afford to purchase books, education was a means of separating the aristocracy from the lower classes. It was nearly impossible for the less fortunate to move up in society since they could not educate themselves. The reason books were so pricey was due to the methods employed to create each page individually. For a scribe to copy an entire novel by hand would take much patience and many hours. A common method of producing copies was for one man to read the original word by word, and a group of scribes would write each word as the reader said them. ââ¬Å"By this method,â⬠describes John Fontana in his work Mankindââ¬â¢s Greatest Invention, ââ¬Å"one manuscript served as the source of reproduction for many copies when the scribes finished writing the last of the readerââ¬â¢s orally presented wordsâ⬠(13). Not only was this time consuming, but the more copies that were made, the more errors were made. Eventually, a method of creating copies without such a high margin of error came about. People would hand carve blocks of wood with raised letters and cover the blocks with ink. Then they would place a sheet of paper on the block to make a copy. To make the process even more difficult, they had to carve the letters and words backwards so they would print correctly, and they had to make these letters look normal when reversed. Albert Kapr, in his book Johann Gutenberg: The Man and his Invention, describes how ââ¬Å"a calligrapher had first to write out this text, which was traced as a mirror-image reversal on to a planed limewood plank and then cut out with a knife in such a way that the lettering was left as a raised surfaceâ⬠(21). This method is called xylography, and while it was an improvement in that it reduced mistakes, carving a block of wood for each page to be printed was even more time consuming than writing the words by hand, and books remained as expensive as ever. Johann Gensfleisch Gutenberg, a goldsmith from Mainz, Germany, wanted to change all this. His idea was to replace the wood blocks with separate letters made of metal. One would be able to move the letters around to make words and sentences, and then reuse them. ââ¬Å"The key to this new method was not as is generally believed, the discovery of the value of movable type, for movable letters had been known and used for centuries,â⬠explains Fontana. ââ¬Å"It was the mechanism for making the typesâ⬠(28). This type of printing press was, in fact, already being used in China, but the technology to create such a machine was yet to be discovered in Europe. In working to build this machine, Gutenberg was faced with obstacle after obstacle. Just when he would think he might have mastered it, he would encounter another problem to solve. ââ¬Å"The invention of typography was not,â⬠noted Theo DeVinne in his work The Invention of Printing, ââ¬Å"the result of a happy thought or of a flash of inspiration. It was not born in a day . . . it was thought out and wrought outâ⬠(376). To begin with, he had two main concerns: finding a device that would keep the letters in place, and making a press that would print clearly. Gutenberg soon came up with a solution to the first of the two issues. He paid a carpenter for the use of his winepress, so as to have ââ¬Å"a suitable bed for a page of metal letters to rest on,â⬠and arranged the letters on one side of it (Fontana 22). He wanted to come up with a frame to hold the paper; then when one was ready to print, they could twist a screw to press the paper up against the letters. The letters were to be created by pouring melted metal into a mold. Then Gutenberg came across several more problems. The first was the question of how to make all of the letters exactly the same thickness so that when they were pressed against the paper, they would print evenly. Also, he needed a solution for putting narrow letters on narrow metal bases and wide letters on wide bases. Using the same base for all letters would not only be impractical in that it would waste space, it would also make the words look uneven, with different sized spaces between letters. Regardless of the width of the character, each metal piece had to be the same height so the lines would not be crooked. DeVinne made the point that ââ¬Å"if the types of one character, as of the letter a, should be made the merest trifle larger or smaller than its fellows of the same font, all the types, when composed, will show the consequences of the defectâ⬠(52). Gutenberg came up with two brilliant ideas to solve the problems. In order to make all of the letters the same thickness, he made the mold the desired height and added extensions on the sides to catch any overflowing metal. That way he could make sure that they would not be too thick, and as long as he poured metal to the top, they would not be too thin. Once dried, ââ¬Å"this extra piece at the bottom of the metal letters opposite to the part the prints called the face, was easily broken off and smoothed before it was used for the printed pageâ⬠(Fontana 30). You read "Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern" in category "Papers" As for making the letters different widths, he had to make an adjustable mold. He first experimented using wood, and once perfected, he made one out of metal. He came up with a mold that consisted of two L-shaped pieces that could fit together, and slide back and forth to make the enclosed area larger or smaller. Here Gutenberg encountered further setbacks. The lead he had been using to make the letters was too soft-it was printing unevenly after just a few pages had been printed. Gutenberg solved the problem of making the typeface hard enough to resist pressure by mixing the lead with parts of tin and a substance that acted like antimony,â⬠hardening the metal and preventing expansion or shrinkage while the metal dried (Fontana 30). It also took a lot of searching to find ink that was the right consistency to leave a thin layer on paper. Should it be too thin, it would spread through the paper, and should it be too thick, it would clump and appear uneven. Upon fixing these problems, Gutenberg had come up with his first working printing press. With it, he printed copies of the first, second, and third editions of the Donatus. However, few people would purchase the pages because many considered his invention immoral, as they believed hand-written script to be a sacred art. Also, there were still problems with the press. The type face varied too much-the lines would go from thin to thick and back to thin again, and the ink did not stick to paper well. DeVinne tells us that ââ¬Å"judged by modern standards, the types are ungraceful; the text letters are too dense and black, and the capitals are of rude form, obscure, and too small for the textâ⬠(421). The press itself took a lot of strength, especially when making multiple copies. All of these parts needed improvement, so Gutenberg got to work. He created more defined molds and stronger metal letters, which allowed for thinner printed lines. In hopes of eventually printing the Bible, Gutenberg worked to create letters that would, when placed together, resemble the handwriting of scribes. It was a difficult task, but he managed to finalize pages of beautiful lettering, each having two columns. The only problem was that only thirty-six lines would fit on a page, and Gutenberg wanted to fit forty-two lines. Otherwise, the amount of pages to print the Bible would be much greater and more costly. ââ¬Å"If he had been only an ordinary dreamer about great inventions,â⬠believes DeVinne, ââ¬Å"he would have abandoned an enterprise so hedged in with mechanical and financial difficultiesâ⬠(416). It was around this time that Gutenberg met John Fust, who offered to help finance his project if they could form a partnership. Gutenberg agreed as he was greatly in need of a means of paying for new equipment to make a forty-two-page press. DeVinne reports that these ââ¬Å"small types were unique; they were never used, so far as we know for any other workâ⬠(406). This was most likely Gutenbergââ¬â¢s greatest mistake, because when Fust did not get a quick return on his money, he sued Gutenberg for almost all of his equipment, including the new printing press. This was a set back from which Gutenberg never recovered, and though his invention greatly benefited many, he died a poor man. The printing press made a dramatic impact on European culture in many ways. One important way that it affected society was to bring about a higher level of individualism than had been before experienced. As Marshall McLuhan noted in his book The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographical Man, ââ¬Å"the portability of the book, much like that of easel-painting, added much to the new cult of individualismâ⬠(206). Because there was no longer the need to be a part of a University or monastery in order to have access to books and education, people began spending more and more time on their own, teaching themselves, and therefore, becoming more and more independent. The distribution of a highly increased number of books due to the invention of the press also facilitated individualistic ideas by giving more people the opportunity to read, forcing them to interpret information themselves. In an oral culture, one is taught by the verbal explanations of others, allowing little opportunity for personal interpretation or for discovering oneself through thought and analysis of material, as is possible in a written culture. ââ¬Å"To the oral man the literal is inclusive, contains all possible meanings and levels,â⬠and through the introspection demanded by this increase in reading, individualism soared (McLuhan 111). With this increase in individualism came much higher levels of education and literacy. McLuhan, in discussing the advantages the press gave to learning, said ââ¬Å"this very natural inclination towards accessibility and portability went hand in hand with greatly increased reading speeds which were possible with uniform and repeatable typeâ⬠(207). Because the printing press used the same mold for multiple copies of the same letter, it was much less difficult to read than when it was necessary to accustom oneself with each scribeââ¬â¢s handwriting with which one was encountered. The significant decrease in the price of books that occurred in conjunction with the printing press paved the way for the education and rise of a new middle class. ââ¬Å"The book became a source of productive energy for a new breed of merchants and entrepreneurs,â⬠and where before these people had been held back from penetrating the higher levels of society, they could now afford to educate themselves (Kapr 20). This education led to a cycle that allowed the middle class to make more money, which allowed them to purchase even more books and further educate themselves. While this new class of people did not have the social status of the aristocracy, Wyndham Lewis stated that ââ¬Å"birth or training, in this age that has been called that of bastards and adventurers, never mattered lessâ⬠(qtd. in McLuhan 119). Another important change that the invention of the printing press brought about was the new concept of mass production. Before the press, nobody had thought of the idea of creating something that could produce multiple copies of anything, so multiple copies of pages were just the first of endless possibilities. ââ¬Å"Just as print was the first mass-produced thing, so it was the first uniform and repeatable commodity,â⬠and the realization that exact duplicates could be made of products other than books was one that has been acted on for centuries to bring us mass-production as we know it today (McLuhan 125). Clearly Gutenbergââ¬â¢s invention of the printing press with movable type was a turning point in history from medieval to modern times. While its creation took many practice runs and a lot of trial-and-error, Gutenbergââ¬â¢s incredible patience and determination paid off and helped to build the new culture of the Renaissance. The press was not just a means of copying the written page, but a vehicle for the concept of individualism, the rise of education and the new middle class, and an introduction to mass production. How to cite Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern, Papers Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern Free Essays string(132) " part the prints called the face, was easily broken off and smoothed before it was used for the printed pageâ⬠\(Fontana 30\)\." There are many ideas and concepts that facilitated the transition from the Medieval Era to a more modern, Renaissance society, but it can be argued that Johann Gutenbergââ¬â¢s invention of the printing press was the most important factor to this change in Europe. The creation of the press was no easy task for Gutenberg; he was faced with many obstacles. However, once created, the press benefited people around the world for centuries and continues to be a fundamental part of our society today. We will write a custom essay sample on Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern or any similar topic only for you Order Now Before the invention of the printing press, books were extremely expensive, limiting education to the very wealthy. Because only the upper class could afford to purchase books, education was a means of separating the aristocracy from the lower classes. It was nearly impossible for the less fortunate to move up in society since they could not educate themselves. The reason books were so pricey was due to the methods employed to create each page individually. For a scribe to copy an entire novel by hand would take much patience and many hours. A common method of producing copies was for one man to read the original word by word, and a group of scribes would write each word as the reader said them. ââ¬Å"By this method,â⬠describes John Fontana in his work Mankindââ¬â¢s Greatest Invention, ââ¬Å"one manuscript served as the source of reproduction for many copies when the scribes finished writing the last of the readerââ¬â¢s orally presented wordsâ⬠(13). Not only was this time consuming, but the more copies that were made, the more errors were made. Eventually, a method of creating copies without such a high margin of error came about. People would hand carve blocks of wood with raised letters and cover the blocks with ink. Then they would place a sheet of paper on the block to make a copy. To make the process even more difficult, they had to carve the letters and words backwards so they would print correctly, and they had to make these letters look normal when reversed. Albert Kapr, in his book Johann Gutenberg: The Man and his Invention, describes how ââ¬Å"a calligrapher had first to write out this text, which was traced as a mirror-image reversal on to a planed limewood plank and then cut out with a knife in such a way that the lettering was left as a raised surfaceâ⬠(21). This method is called xylography, and while it was an improvement in that it reduced mistakes, carving a block of wood for each page to be printed was even more time consuming than writing the words by hand, and books remained as expensive as ever. Johann Gensfleisch Gutenberg, a goldsmith from Mainz, Germany, wanted to change all this. His idea was to replace the wood blocks with separate letters made of metal. One would be able to move the letters around to make words and sentences, and then reuse them. ââ¬Å"The key to this new method was not as is generally believed, the discovery of the value of movable type, for movable letters had been known and used for centuries,â⬠explains Fontana. ââ¬Å"It was the mechanism for making the typesâ⬠(28). This type of printing press was, in fact, already being used in China, but the technology to create such a machine was yet to be discovered in Europe. In working to build this machine, Gutenberg was faced with obstacle after obstacle. Just when he would think he might have mastered it, he would encounter another problem to solve. ââ¬Å"The invention of typography was not,â⬠noted Theo DeVinne in his work The Invention of Printing, ââ¬Å"the result of a happy thought or of a flash of inspiration. It was not born in a day . . . it was thought out and wrought outâ⬠(376). To begin with, he had two main concerns: finding a device that would keep the letters in place, and making a press that would print clearly. Gutenberg soon came up with a solution to the first of the two issues. He paid a carpenter for the use of his winepress, so as to have ââ¬Å"a suitable bed for a page of metal letters to rest on,â⬠and arranged the letters on one side of it (Fontana 22). He wanted to come up with a frame to hold the paper; then when one was ready to print, they could twist a screw to press the paper up against the letters. The letters were to be created by pouring melted metal into a mold. Then Gutenberg came across several more problems. The first was the question of how to make all of the letters exactly the same thickness so that when they were pressed against the paper, they would print evenly. Also, he needed a solution for putting narrow letters on narrow metal bases and wide letters on wide bases. Using the same base for all letters would not only be impractical in that it would waste space, it would also make the words look uneven, with different sized spaces between letters. Regardless of the width of the character, each metal piece had to be the same height so the lines would not be crooked. DeVinne made the point that ââ¬Å"if the types of one character, as of the letter a, should be made the merest trifle larger or smaller than its fellows of the same font, all the types, when composed, will show the consequences of the defectâ⬠(52). Gutenberg came up with two brilliant ideas to solve the problems. In order to make all of the letters the same thickness, he made the mold the desired height and added extensions on the sides to catch any overflowing metal. That way he could make sure that they would not be too thick, and as long as he poured metal to the top, they would not be too thin. Once dried, ââ¬Å"this extra piece at the bottom of the metal letters opposite to the part the prints called the face, was easily broken off and smoothed before it was used for the printed pageâ⬠(Fontana 30). You read "Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern" in category "Papers" As for making the letters different widths, he had to make an adjustable mold. He first experimented using wood, and once perfected, he made one out of metal. He came up with a mold that consisted of two L-shaped pieces that could fit together, and slide back and forth to make the enclosed area larger or smaller. Here Gutenberg encountered further setbacks. The lead he had been using to make the letters was too soft-it was printing unevenly after just a few pages had been printed. Gutenberg solved the problem of making the typeface hard enough to resist pressure by mixing the lead with parts of tin and a substance that acted like antimony,â⬠hardening the metal and preventing expansion or shrinkage while the metal dried (Fontana 30). It also took a lot of searching to find ink that was the right consistency to leave a thin layer on paper. Should it be too thin, it would spread through the paper, and should it be too thick, it would clump and appear uneven. Upon fixing these problems, Gutenberg had come up with his first working printing press. With it, he printed copies of the first, second, and third editions of the Donatus. However, few people would purchase the pages because many considered his invention immoral, as they believed hand-written script to be a sacred art. Also, there were still problems with the press. The type face varied too much-the lines would go from thin to thick and back to thin again, and the ink did not stick to paper well. DeVinne tells us that ââ¬Å"judged by modern standards, the types are ungraceful; the text letters are too dense and black, and the capitals are of rude form, obscure, and too small for the textâ⬠(421). The press itself took a lot of strength, especially when making multiple copies. All of these parts needed improvement, so Gutenberg got to work. He created more defined molds and stronger metal letters, which allowed for thinner printed lines. In hopes of eventually printing the Bible, Gutenberg worked to create letters that would, when placed together, resemble the handwriting of scribes. It was a difficult task, but he managed to finalize pages of beautiful lettering, each having two columns. The only problem was that only thirty-six lines would fit on a page, and Gutenberg wanted to fit forty-two lines. Otherwise, the amount of pages to print the Bible would be much greater and more costly. ââ¬Å"If he had been only an ordinary dreamer about great inventions,â⬠believes DeVinne, ââ¬Å"he would have abandoned an enterprise so hedged in with mechanical and financial difficultiesâ⬠(416). It was around this time that Gutenberg met John Fust, who offered to help finance his project if they could form a partnership. Gutenberg agreed as he was greatly in need of a means of paying for new equipment to make a forty-two-page press. DeVinne reports that these ââ¬Å"small types were unique; they were never used, so far as we know for any other workâ⬠(406). This was most likely Gutenbergââ¬â¢s greatest mistake, because when Fust did not get a quick return on his money, he sued Gutenberg for almost all of his equipment, including the new printing press. This was a set back from which Gutenberg never recovered, and though his invention greatly benefited many, he died a poor man. The printing press made a dramatic impact on European culture in many ways. One important way that it affected society was to bring about a higher level of individualism than had been before experienced. As Marshall McLuhan noted in his book The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographical Man, ââ¬Å"the portability of the book, much like that of easel-painting, added much to the new cult of individualismâ⬠(206). Because there was no longer the need to be a part of a University or monastery in order to have access to books and education, people began spending more and more time on their own, teaching themselves, and therefore, becoming more and more independent. The distribution of a highly increased number of books due to the invention of the press also facilitated individualistic ideas by giving more people the opportunity to read, forcing them to interpret information themselves. In an oral culture, one is taught by the verbal explanations of others, allowing little opportunity for personal interpretation or for discovering oneself through thought and analysis of material, as is possible in a written culture. ââ¬Å"To the oral man the literal is inclusive, contains all possible meanings and levels,â⬠and through the introspection demanded by this increase in reading, individualism soared (McLuhan 111). With this increase in individualism came much higher levels of education and literacy. McLuhan, in discussing the advantages the press gave to learning, said ââ¬Å"this very natural inclination towards accessibility and portability went hand in hand with greatly increased reading speeds which were possible with uniform and repeatable typeâ⬠(207). Because the printing press used the same mold for multiple copies of the same letter, it was much less difficult to read than when it was necessary to accustom oneself with each scribeââ¬â¢s handwriting with which one was encountered. The significant decrease in the price of books that occurred in conjunction with the printing press paved the way for the education and rise of a new middle class. ââ¬Å"The book became a source of productive energy for a new breed of merchants and entrepreneurs,â⬠and where before these people had been held back from penetrating the higher levels of society, they could now afford to educate themselves (Kapr 20). This education led to a cycle that allowed the middle class to make more money, which allowed them to purchase even more books and further educate themselves. While this new class of people did not have the social status of the aristocracy, Wyndham Lewis stated that ââ¬Å"birth or training, in this age that has been called that of bastards and adventurers, never mattered lessâ⬠(qtd. in McLuhan 119). Another important change that the invention of the printing press brought about was the new concept of mass production. Before the press, nobody had thought of the idea of creating something that could produce multiple copies of anything, so multiple copies of pages were just the first of endless possibilities. ââ¬Å"Just as print was the first mass-produced thing, so it was the first uniform and repeatable commodity,â⬠and the realization that exact duplicates could be made of products other than books was one that has been acted on for centuries to bring us mass-production as we know it today (McLuhan 125). Clearly Gutenbergââ¬â¢s invention of the printing press with movable type was a turning point in history from medieval to modern times. While its creation took many practice runs and a lot of trial-and-error, Gutenbergââ¬â¢s incredible patience and determination paid off and helped to build the new culture of the Renaissance. The press was not just a means of copying the written page, but a vehicle for the concept of individualism, the rise of education and the new middle class, and an introduction to mass production. How to cite Gutenbergââ¬â¢s Press and the Transition from Medieval to Modern, Papers
Friday, May 1, 2020
Small Businesses Go Online Essay Sample free essay sample
The Internet is fast going known non merely as the information gateway. but besides the new platform for different sorts of concerns. These concerns advertise their goods and services in changing ways and most of the immense 1s really have their ain web sites. Theyââ¬â¢ve besides outdone themselves in footings of services because people donââ¬â¢t have to travel out of their houses merely to pay measures or store for things. The little concerns donââ¬â¢t truly have to worry because it is possible for them to travel online besides without holding to pass so. Suzanne Morrison ( 2001-2007 ) offers some advice on this. She says that when 1 has their concern thought and their merchandises. the following measure is for them to analyse their competition. Morrison uses a plan for this called Wordtracker. which analyzes the keyword phrases that are frequently used in hunt engines. With that. one can analyse the top web sites those keyword phrases produce and one can be after consequently. We will write a custom essay sample on Small Businesses Go Online Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Then. one should analyse their merchandises. excessively. Sample inquiries one should be able to reply are: Are these merchandises in demand right now? Are these what the clients need? Before one makes a determination. one should calculate what their net income border will be and how much money one would gain based on the estimated traffic Wordtracker has generated. The following measure is for one to take a sphere name. Many web sites sell sphere names for less than $ 10 a twelvemonth. It would be better if one would take a sphere name that has some of the popular keywords. Remember that short sphere names are really easy to retrieve. After this measure. itââ¬â¢s clip to take a web hosting company. There are many of these and some even offer their services for free. Avoid these free services because as Morrison says. this looks unprofessional. Besides. they are bound to set ads on your website anyway. which wouldnââ¬â¢t truly be that nice since youââ¬â¢re traveling to be seting your ain on it. Now. when sing web hosting companies. be certain to look into the disc infinite and bandwidth allowances the company provides. These should be big plenty for you. Besides. see their client support services. their dependability in footings of expected down clip and if itââ¬â¢s easy for you to upload files. No demand to worry since there are bes ides websites that compare the hosting bundles of different companies. Last. one has to do and market the concern web site. Depending on the proprietor. he may do the web site himself or engage person. If he decides to do it himself. he doesnââ¬â¢t have to worry if he doesnââ¬â¢t have adequate cognition of hypertext markup language since there are plans like Dreamweaver and FrontPage which could assist him do it. In doing a web site. it should look clean. unlittered. looks professional and easy to voyage. One can inquire person else to look into the web site to proofread everything in it before establishing it online. After the creative activity of the web site. one should get down marketing it via solo or classified ads. articles. or pay per chink ( PPC ) advertisement such as Google Adwords and Overture. Puting a concern online is no easy undertaking. It takes forbearance. doggedness and creativeness to do a web site that would do people maintain coming back. As last words. Morrison adds that with research and doggedness. one will acquire their preferable consequences. Mentions Morrison. Suzanne ( 2001-2007 ) . Seven Stairss to a Money Making Website. Retrieved 27 June 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //bucarotechelp. com/design/general/95062202. asp and hypertext transfer protocol: //bucarotechelp. com/design/general/95062202. asp? x=49 A ; y=7 A ; page=2
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