The Improved Elevator Invention of Alexander Miles

Alexander Miles of Duluth, Minnesota patented an electric elevator on October 11, 1887. His innovation in the mechanism to open and close elevator doors greatly improved elevator safety.  Miles is notable for being a  black inventor  and successful business person in 19th Century America.   Elevator Patent for Automatic Closing Doors The problem with elevators at that time was that the doors of the elevator and the shaft had to be opened and closed manually. This could be done either by those riding in the elevator, or a dedicated elevator operator.  People would forget to close the shaft door. As a result,  there were accidents with people falling down the elevator shaft. Miles was concerned when he saw a shaft door left open when he was riding an elevator with his daughter. Miles  improved the method of the opening and closing of elevator  doors and the shaft door when an elevator was not on that floor.  He created an automatic mechanism that closed access to the shaft by the action of the cage moving. His design attached a flexible belt to the elevator cage. When it went over drums positioned at the appropriate spots above and below a floor, it automated opening and closing the doors with levers and rollers. Miles was granted a patent on this mechanism and it is still influential in elevator design today. He was not the only person to get a patent on automated elevator door systems, as John W. Meaker was granted a patent 13 years earlier. Early Life of Inventor Alexander Miles Miles was born in 1838 in Ohio to Michael Miles and Mary Pompy and is not recorded as having been a slave. He moved to Wisconsin and worked as a barber. He later moved to Minnesota where his draft registration showed he was living in Winona in 1863. He showed his talents for invention by creating and marketing hair care products. He met Candace Dunlap, a white woman who was a widow with two children. They married and moved to Duluth, Minnesota by 1875, where he lived for more than two decades. They had a daughter, Grace, in 1876. In Duluth, the couple invested in real estate, and Miles operated the barbershop at the upscale St. Louis Hotel. He was the first black member of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce. Later Life of Alexander Miles Miles and his family lived in comfort and prosperity in Duluth. He was active in politics and fraternal organizations. In 1899 he sold real estate investments in Duluth and moved to Chicago. He founded The United Brotherhood as a life insurance company that would ensure black people, who were often denied coverage at that time. Recessions took a toll on his investments, and he and his family resettled in Seattle, Washington. At one time it was believed he was the wealthiest black person in the Pacific Northwest, but that did not last. In the last decades of his life, he was again working as a barber. He died in 1918 and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

What Makes Next For The Ever Quickening Fast Fashion

What global factors are at play in fashion design?†¨ Global questions are the most complicated ones to follow, as they’ve got an incomprehensible number of factors. However, it’s not impossible to do so. I am convinced that the answer to the question of what global factors are at play in fashion design is â€Å"the majority†, but I will need to provide a bigger picture of the industry to back it up. To do that I identified and researched three questions which in my opinion are able to give you a good picture of events. 1. What is next for the ever-quickening fast fashion? Modern fashion world can be absolutely defined by its speed. If not by it being faster than ever (when the future might be taken into consideration), than definitely by the astonishing milestone it’s now facing. Beforehand fashion was rather paced out, structured, new trends were introduced biannually at the allocated times. Today with that much freedom and technological progress at out hands fashion became instantaneous. Trends used to start being developed years in advance, carefully calculating _______________(year), not with the ever growing popularity of social media the structure and the periodicality of trend forcasting changed drastically(year). There is no more speculations, only research and analysis. Knowing where to look it can be easily found what exactly is growing positively or negatively on the market. Currently there are companies like Inditex, how have new products coming into their shopsShow MoreRelatedCoach Inc. case analysis7833 Words   |  32 PagesTh e competitions in the luxury goods industry are pretty intense. Many competitors of Coach are from France and Italy such as Louis Vuitton, Hermà ¨s, Gucci, and Prada. Having superior brand recognitions and strong impacts on global luxury goods market make them become dangerous rivals of Coach, Inc. Even though Coach Inc. has come up with good strategy, it still suffered from harsh competition. The profit margin was still below the level achieved prior to the onset of a slowing economy in 2007 and itsRead MoreThe Emergence of the Fast Fashion Business Model and Imposed Quick Response Challenges for Chinese Fabric Manufacturers14773 Words   |  60 PagesEmergence of the Fast Fashion Business Model and Imposed Quick Response Challenges for Chinese Fabric Manufacturers Jennie Hope Peterson, Jimmy Chang, Yiu-Hing Wong, and Carl A. Lawrence Abstract This chapter explores and develops fast fashion in the current retailing industry and its impacts on how the Chinese textile manufacturing industry has adjusted to remain competitive. Fast fashion evolved at the turn of the twenty-ï ¬ rst century into a business approach characterized by fresh fashions, shorterRead MoreSelf Service28523 Words   |  115 PagesCommittee Member NORBERTO CRUZ, Ed.D., Independent Reviewer DAL DIDIA, Ph.D, Visiting Professor DELLROY BIRCH, Peer Learner ACCEPTED AND SIGNED: JIM MIRABELLA, D.B.A. Kurt Linberg, Ph.D. Executive Director, School of Business Abstract Customers want fast checkout systems. Retailers are always searching for ways to improve store checkout systems. This study compared the cashier checkout and the electronic selfcheck out systems. 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What organizational and managerial styles will improve chances of project success? How do project managers orchestrate the complex network of relationships involving vendors, subcontractors, project team members, senior management, functional managers, and customers that affect project success? What factors contribute to the development of a high-performance project team? What project manage ment

Calcium Element Essay Example For Students

Calcium Element Essay Calcium Element symbolCA Atomic weight40.08 Element number20 Number ofprotons20 Number of electrons20 Number of neutrons20 Density at68? FBoiling point2,264?F Melting point1,562?F Calcium was discovered by SirHumphrey Davis in 1808. Calcium is a mineral found in abundance in the Earthsouter crust. It is the fifth most abundant mineral in the Earth crust. Calciumis considered a major mineral because it is found in large quantity in the body. Milk also has a high amount of calcium and it is the best way to get calcium. Daily dietary requirements exceed over 100 mg. Calcium forms and maintainsteeth, it helps with blood clotting, it helps build cell membranes, helpscontract muscles, helps nerve transmissions and if the bones did not get calciumthey would not grow properly. Plants also need calcium to grow because withoutand adequate supply of calcium to enrich the soil they would die. Calcium isnever found as a pure element in nature. It is found as calcium hydroxide,calcium oxide (also know as lime(lime stone)), chalk, Iceland spar, coral,pearls, egg shells and calcium carbonate which makes up marble and gypsum. Limestone and marble are used for buildings and building. Gypsum is found inplaster, when in crystal form it is called alabaster which is used by sculptorsto carve, it is also found in cement.

Modernity and the Notions of Public Interest free essay sample

This paper examines the meaning of modernity and the relations between the notions of public interest, ethics and law. By giving an example that raises this issue further, the realm of morality, professional ethics and law is discussed and whether their spheres of jurisdiction would overlap. It also explores the meanings and definitions of the key terms that are of most concern for this topic, and how they relate or differ from each other. A Singaporean example is also shown as evidence to support the discussion. Finally, a counter argument is provided with a reasonable response that follows with this argument. While scholars and philosophers have defined modernity in different ways, the emergence of modernity is also a very important aspect of the term. Before modernity came into prominence, there were the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. â€Å"The essence of modernity can be seen in humanity’s freeing itself from the bonds of the Middle Ages in that it frees itself to itself† (Heidegger, Young, amp; Haynes, 2002). We will write a custom essay sample on Modernity and the Notions of Public Interest or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Modernity refers to human beings starting to rationalize and think for themselves, rather than the traditional way of living life by the rules and teachings of their religion. In simpler terms, it is a shift from religious beliefs to scientific knowledge, as in man thinking by his own free will for himself. The stronghold of the Christian church decreased over the people and science began to be more accepted. The criticism of modernity is that it actually imprisons rather than liberates. Modernity gives rise to people’s opinion and free speech. Therefore, with free speech, restrictions are put into place to protect the freedom of the public. The term modernization refers to the increasing use of science and new technologies, and the political, social and cultural changes that followed through from these developments of modernization (Mann, 2010). Hence modern society is considered modern because of rapid change which is the essence of modern society (Nester, 2010). Today’s society and way of thinking all flourished from modernity. The use of science and technology, the need to understand all things in life through scientific study and experimentation are all traits of what makes modern society ‘modern. Therefore, it promotes a more rational, scientific worldview as religion, superstition and tradition lost their hold over everyday life. With modern thinking, public interest, ethics, law and so on, all of which were taking priority among people in their everyday life and also professionals so that everyone can live in harmony in a liberal democratic society. Public interest is what is justified toward the public which may be against some immediate individual person’s interest† (Downs, 1962). A general explanation for ethics would be that it is concerned with doing the right thing in a moral sense. Fieser (2001) described ethics as systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behaviour, while Spence (2005) said that it is a set of rules and virtues of character that guides interpersonal conduct (Breit, 2007). The Law is a set of rules for society, to protect people’s basic rights and freedoms and to treat them fairly (OrganizationOfAmericanStates, 2007). Certain situations that are of the public’s concern can also be an ethical and legal matter, such as illegal abortions. Abortions are illegal in most countries and even so, some women still require it for the sake of their own well-being. Thus, doctors have to face their own code of ethics in dealing with these issues. This matter is also of public interest because this issue has been an ongoing debate and the public are always concerned about it. In the Singapore context, the case of the ex-MOE scholar, Jonathan Wong having sexual relations with a minor makes a good example that raises this topic. The scholar from the Ministry of Education was at first charged with possessing child pornography in Britain which lead to investigations. The investigations then lead to reveal that he had sexual relations with an underage girl (Channel News Asia, 2012). Although the first charge in 2010 was not a public interest matter, the second charge this year provoked public interest. Aside from the illegality of the case, it sparked public interest due to him being a scholar with the public’s taxpayer money. The MOE’s code of ethics was considered for appointing this student for a scholar. So how do morality, professional ethics and law differ from each other? Morality is an individual’s own personal belief that differentiates right from wrong. It is an individual’s own personal character. Professional ethics is a standard or code of behaviour expected by a group to which the individual belongs to. Morality is a personal trait while ethics is more concerned in the field of profession. Law, however, is another different matter from both morality and professional ethics. But in some cases, their fields of jurisdiction do overlap with one another. In the course reader, Breit (2007) pointed out the ethical dilemma of a journalist on whether to report a story which is in the public interest. The ethical dilemma the journalist faced was due to the embargo of the news, whether to respect it or let the public know about the news immediately. There was also fear of getting sued for not respecting the embargo and for not fulfilling the duty as a journalist. These were the dilemmas that this journalist faced in which the different jurisdictions overlap with one another. Coming back to the example of the case of the ex-MOE scholar, it is illegal to have sex with a minor. This also led to public interest because he was a scholarship student of MOE by taxpayers’ money. Ethical issues were raised on the MOE’s side of the case for choosing this kind of person as their scholar and this reflects badly for the ministry. As for the opposing argument, â€Å"What reasons might be given for thinking that the disclosure of a person’s sexual misconduct serves the public interest? (Archard, 1998)† From the liberalism side of the argument, it states that neither society, government nor anyone else has the rightful authority to tell people what they do in the privacy of their own homes. Each person has rightful authority over how they conduct their own lives in private. Therefore the public does not need to know about all of the intimate details about the case. Although the counter argument is reasonable, the public should have the right to know about this issue because this person was accused for misusing the taxpayers’ money and dealt with actions of misconduct and broke the law in not one but two countries. The first charge was for possessing child pornography while he was studying in Britain and the second was for having sexual relations with a minor in Singapore. Modern thinking has lead to opinions on morality, ethics and law, as well as issues about public interest. Open critical discussions and evaluation of issues that arise from such issues given above is a crucial part of a healthy democracy. In a way, the standards of public interest, ethics and law in each country determines the modernity of the society.