The concept of the bucket truck design initiated with the original usage of this vehicle in orchards. Because of the way they were used, they were first called ' cherry pickers ' because they were used by orchard workers to harvest cherries. As others found out that this particular application made this vehicle suitable for other types of jobs that involved working at elevated heights, it didn't take long for this news to spread to other industries to allow for consideration of this truck for their own particular yet similar usage.
Two of the major industries that have come to rely a great deal on the services of these vehicles are the electric and telecommunications industries. They found that this means of transportation was a specialized piece of equipment based on a truckframe and equipped with hydraulically powered telescopic booms and buckets. Although a similar model template applies to many trucks of this type regardless of size or capacity needs, these particular vehicles come with many variations that allow for a more specific application to each segment.
Specific Designs of Bucket Trucks
Articulated-BoomThese vehicles come with articulated joints which can be folded or extended. The addition of articulated joints helps increase the working height of booms without compromising the balance of the vehicles and makes the design compact whenever the booms are not in use. Extendable Boom-This variation is equipped with telescopic booms that can be retracted or extended depending onthe required working height. The design is simpler with a smaller number of moving parts. Hybrid-This version is a combination of articulated and extendable booms. The combination of these two features increases the reach of the bucket truck. The downside of this design is the high cost and maintenance due to its sheer size.
Bucket trucks come in many shapes and sizes, yet the formula for a successful model revolves around only two things: safety and reliability. Considering that they are used for carrying workers at certain heights and with the inherent dangers associated with this type of employment, designers must strive to create a means of transportation that is both safe and reliable for workers to use. A visit to a dealer of these vehicles woulddemonstrate that most of the different versions come with failsafe systems to make usage of them safer.
Current Design Trends
A few minor modifications are expected to be made with this equipment. The deregulation standards imposed on the American electrical industry have a huge impact on the manufacturer's perspective for designing this particular vehicle. With the new standards, electric deregulation, companies are being forced to streamline their workforce and cut down on their employee numbers to decrease operating costs yet maintain productivity.
The reduction of the workforce is expected to affect the number of crews assigned to each utility vehicle. For this reason, the newer trucks are expected to come with smaller frames which is a sensibledesign strategy since this new model will require fewer crew members to operate the equipment.
In order to improve productivity, the new layout is also expected to come with more functionality. Instead of equipment that could only perform a single task, new bucket trucks are expected to have more numerous useful features which would certainly increase productivity. To further trim maintenance costs, upcoming designs are expected to have longer maintenance intervals and better fuel efficiency than their predecessors.
Evolving Bucket Truck Design: Pleasing Both User and Employer! Click here to Read more...
The Milky Way and Her Official Black Hole.
I remember the first time I heard about a Black Hole I was somewhat scared. The idea behind this has been around for many years. Yet there are still people that believe it is a theory. Astronomers knew they existed, but recently found conclusive evidence that there was one lurking in the middle of our own galaxy.
A mere 30 000 light years away is not very far in astronomical terms but it is far enough that the black hole will leave us in peace. In a recent study, a German team of Astronomers managed to produce conclusive evidence that the Milky Way circled around a Black Hole. It is big, super and massive. Since the center has a lot of dust and gas, the black hole is obscured. This means we can not see it and have to use radio signals to penetrate the center to see what it does to stars. This was done and by using the orbits of 30 stars they could calculate what was causing them to behave the way they did. The center of the Galaxy lies in the direction of Scorpio and this is also where the stars were studied. The observations revealed enough detail to tell us what we already believed. A Black Hole holds them captive.
The center exerts immense gravitational fields and it showed a star rotating around the center within the 16 year research period. Astronomers have been studying Black Holes in other galaxies but this was the first time they could produce evidence that we can now study our own Black Hole. Behind the dust it will always be shy but we know it is there and just have to better our instruments. Infrared wavelengths can tell us much more than visible light and so we do not really need more for now at least. Just like the Sun shapes the paths of the planets the Black Hole also shapes that of the Sun.
The latest studies also pointed out that we are 27 000 light years from the center, a bit closer than our anticipated 30 000 light years. The astronomers at the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile brought the evidence using telescopes and specially fitted cameras. They found a bee hive of activity as the stars race around the center. Our Sun takes 225 million years to orbit the center and that puts the speed of the stars on the inside in perspective.
The Milky Way Galaxy Center - Is the Black Hole There? Click here to Read more...Traverse winding is winding a coil or other strip of material onto a spool rather than in a coil. For example, a roll of duct tape is not transverse wound, but is rather made in a single coil. On the other hand, twine comes traverse wound, as do fishing line and spools of thread. Coils can only be built up so far before they tend to "telescope" and become impossible to control. Traverse winding, however eliminates the risk of telescoping and allows several coils worth of metal strip to be wound onto a single spool.
Traverse winding minimizes the danger of breakage, damage, or twisting of the material being traverse wound. Metal strips may be spooled onto open cores (a straight cylinder) or flanged cores. With metal, as with any type of material, there are three factors that must be determined to produce a stable traverse wound spool: pressure (which establishes spool density); pitch (which determines the winding pattern); and pull (the tension, which is the most important factor in spool quality and appearance). Traverse position accuracy depends on a direct link between the rotational velocity of the winding spool and the increasing diameter as the spool grows. Specifically, a closed loop tension feedback system will cause the rotational speed to decrease as the diameter of the spool increases.
Traverse winding lines are metal processing lines that unspool metal strips from coils and rewind it traverse style onto spools. There is no one traverse winding pattern that is best for every material. Rather, the best pattern for a given material depends on the material characteristics, handling conditions, unwinding requirements, and payoff speeds.
There are several basic traverse winding patterns.
- The level wind is done so that the turnaround point of each layer is the same.
- The index wind consists of programmed, stacked lanes, each with a specific programmed index to the next lane. Also called step wind.
- The taper wind causes each transverse layer to taper a certain amount from the edge to make a spool that is thicker in the middle.
- The reverse or inverse taper wind tapers from the edges toward the middle and requires flanged spools.
- The magpak wind has an index wind pattern on the ends, but with a level wind in between.
It is clear why a coil joining machine is needed in this process. The goal of traverse winding is to have a much longer length of metal strip wound onto one single spool. A coil joining machine of some form is needed to produce the lengths of metal strip necessary to fill a spool.
Some coil joining machines are partly automatic and partly welder operated. Some of them are fully automatic and stationary. In most cases, the coil ends are joined together abutted rather than overlapped. The coil joining machine will shear a square edge on the trailing end of one coil and do the same to the leading end of the new coil. The two ends will be abutted, and the weld head will be positioned either by the welder or by the machine itself. TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding is a common type of coil end joining because it produces strong welds and doesn't always need filler material. MIG (metal inert gas) and laser welding are also used in some applications. The type of weld is tailored to the material being processed.
The welds produced by a coil joining machine are consistent, reproducible, and of high quality. Because they are as strong as the parent material and of the same thickness, the welds have no trouble going through the traverse winding lines.
The Need For Coil Joining Machines in Traverse Winding Lines Click here to Read more...
The question is which of the market leaders in the field of optics can lay claim to having produced the world's best binoculars?
It's not too hard to identify those that deserve a place in a directory for the world's best binoculars, optics are specialist bits of kit and there is a clear divide between the basically poor, the reasonable to good quality and the exceptional. However to single out one of the exceptional as the out and out best binoculars isn't so easy given that personal taste and binocular application both have a strong influence in the decision.
What can be said is that for any pair of binoculars to feature in a world's best binoculars list they must create a passion, excite you when you pick them up and make you never want to put them down. An exceptional pair of binoculars should not only have outstanding quality optics but be so well balanced that you don't even know they are in your hand allowing you to observe for extended periods of time in perfect comfort.
Unless you have experienced the difference between good and absolutely superb you won't ever understand how the world's best feels, so, if you really want to know just test a pair of Swarovski 8.5 x 42 EL's against perhaps a Pentax DCF SP 8 x 43. The Pentax is good, very good but the Swarovski is special. One word of warning, don't do this unless you can afford to upgrade as lesser priced binoculars will never seem the same again!!
As I said personal taste is important and there will often be disagreements with one user believing that Swarovski are the world's best binoculars while another will swear by Leica (for example) but what the top binoculars have in common is the manufacturers absolute attention to detail in regards to design, weight, size and balance and the exceptional quality of the optics and optical coatings.
Application is really important because the world's best binoculars for birding would be absolutely useless for astronomy or for the marine environment and binoculars that work well for sports, travel or theatre wouldn't be so good for observing nature or hunting.
For marine use the Steiner Commander binoculars are hard to beat. They are the only marine binoculars to come with Steiner's Nano protection against the environment, they are salt water resistant, waterproof to 10mtrs, have long life NBR rubber armouring, high performance optics, interchangeable eyecup system with a specific eyecup for spectacle wearers and a 30 year guarantee. These are truly professional marine binoculars which deliver an amazing performance in all light conditions, a strong contender for the world's best binoculars in a marine environment. Other options are the Nikon Stabileyes which are twice the price but offer image stabilizing technology or Canon IS binoculars although these are specifically designed for marine use.
If you are after image stabilizing binoculars take a look at the Canon 10x42 WP IS binoculars. Users absolutely rave about them. They are the first binoculars with lenses which carry the red L-series ring only previously found on Canon professional camera lenses, are fully waterproof and have unrivalled IS capabilities (in any moving environment).
For the world's best binoculars for birding you might want to try the Swarovski EL 8.5 x 42's, a truly outstanding bit of kit which delivers a user experience you will never forget. Another great bird binocular is the Leica Ultravid 42 series, absolutely stunning binos, compact (for their class) and yet exceptionally bright.
The best giant binoculars can deliver some stunning views of sky objects and the right ones make an excellent addition to the astronomer's toolbox. Fujinon produce top quality astronomy binoculars (up to 150mm objective diameter) although at a price which is beyond the reach of the average user. The Nikon 10 x 70 IF SP WP's are more affordable and make an excellent pair of astronomy binoculars.
Fujinon also make some of the world's best night vision binoculars but they come with a very high price tag!
For every application there is often a different short list for the 'world's best binoculars' in that class so as a starting point you need to decide exactly what you want to use your binoculars for. This will then enable you to narrow down your search in regard to magnification, size of objective lens etc. and manufacturers generally indicate suitable applications for their binoculars. Always check out the quality of the lenses and lens coatings, don't settle for anything less than fully multi-coated optics and Bak-4 prisms (unless price is an issue for you). Price isn't always an indication as to how good a pair of binoculars is so birding / astronomy forums etc are a good place to find those little gems that perform as well as the known top performers but for a lesser price tag.
Happy hunting for the world's best binoculars.
The World's Best Binoculars, A Personal Choice Click here to Read more...It was Prince who said "Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999!" He was right. Although the 90s seem like they were really just about yesterday (in the big universal time-line of things), 90s theme parties are still a hot and funky theme to consider when throwing parties. For one thing, all theme parties need to have plenty of good music and the 90s marked the beginning of new and diverse types of popular music. It is important to have lots of big name groups like Nirvana, Salt & Peppa, Snoop Dogg, Hootie and the Blowfish, Pearl Jam, and oh-so-many boy bands (i.e. 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, Boyz 2 Men, etc.), Smashing Pumpkins, Shania Twain, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Tom Petty on hand to mix it up a little.
Use your 90s theme party as a way to encourage people to dress the way they remember the fashions of the 90s. You will be amazed at what some people remember the fashions being. Have a fashion show and a Miss 90s for the night award based upon audience participation.
If you have any access to musical instruments, you may want to set up a garage band audition - grunge style! Divide your 90s theme party guests into bands and give them time to come up with a name and write some lyrics to a song. Then, give them the option of trying to create the background music with real instruments or fit their words to a famous campfire song, nursery rhyme song or Christmas Carol. The results are guaranteed to be hilarious. Try to have the video recorder going for this.
Another 90s theme party activity is to find political and movie quotes from the decade and play a game of "who am I" or "who said it" trivia. Top news makers and stories of the 90s included Oklahoma City Bombing, Waco, Los Angeles Riots, O.J. Simpson Trial, Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas, Columbine, Al Quaeda, Bill Clinton, Magic Johnson, Dolly the Cloned Sheep, Rwanda, Balkan War, Hubble Space Telescope is placed into orbit, Pentium processors, e-commerce activities, the dot-com crash, and a lot of other things that were going on during this decade. Television offered Friends, Seinfeld, Sailor Moon, The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Ren and Stimpy, South Park, Boy Meets World, and the Real World just to list a few.
So, slip a few black lights in where your normal energy saving bulbs are found, select some fun party accessories from your favorite party supplier and get ready to be the talk of the block for weeks, months and maybe years to come. Because, all of these 90s icons, and any others you may think of, will make a great foundation for an incredibly edgy and "totally awesome" 90s theme party. Have fun!
Look To The 90's For A Great Party Theme Click here to Read more...The secular world is always attacking Christmas. Oh, how the economy would suffer if we ever STOPPED celebrating this holiday! There's no denying that there are many who would prefer that Christ had nothing to do with Christmas.
Before we Christians get our lederhosen in a twist in defense of our beloved holiday, let's consider a few things about this celebration of "the night of our dear Savior's birth." We may be surprised to find that Christ - and many Christian traditions - had little to do with Christmas as we know it.
I'M NOT BEING A GRINCH BUT...
When it comes to Christmas Pageants and Nativity scenes, let's acknowledge how erroneous they are. Invariably, they combine the visit of the Shepherds (found in Luke’s Gospel) with the visit of the Magi (from Matthew’s Gospel) into one harmonized birthday celebration.
See, in Luke’s Gospel, the account goes something like this: Shepherd’s are in the field and an angel appears to them and directs them to visit Bethlehem where the baby has been born (Luke 2). Verse 16 declares, " So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." Let's not overlook that point: a BABY in the manger. The Greek word used there means clearly refers to a newborn baby. Nowhere does Luke mentions “wise men” or “magi."
Then, as we examine Matthew, we read nothing about shepherds or a manger. Here’s how Matthew tells his story (Chapter 2): “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, etc." After Jesus was born, these Magi showed up in Jerusalem and asked where a king would be born in this particular kingdom. They are told, in Bethlehem. So, off they go. The story picks up in verse 11: “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Did you catch that? When the Magi arrive, they enter a HOUSE and find, not an infant - as in Luke - but a toddler, older than an infant, according to the Greek definition.
These facts demonstrate two things for us:
1) The Shepherds arrived immediately after Jesus’ birth and visited him while he was still in the manger.
2) The Magi arrived about two years later and visited the toddler in his parent's house in Bethlehem.
Matthew and Luke are telling two different stories that we have somehow attempted to blend together. The birth accounts need NOT be combined because they describe different phases in the childhood of Jesus. The fact that Herod killed all Bethlehem boys age 2 and under could be evidence that Jesus was about that age.
Hence, when Christmas Pageants and Nativity Scenes include both Shepherds and Wise Men, they do so against Biblical testimony and contrary to the Gospels themselves. In short, they telescope two separate, distinct events into one. Does this mean such pageants are evil? No, but it does mean they are inaccurate.
THE MEANINGFUL GIFTS OF THE MAGI
The gifts were given to the baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men (Magi) from the East. Were there REALLY three? Probably not but there were at least two. Let's look at what those gifts were and what they represent. The three gifts we read of in Matthew 2 are a BIG part of the Gospel story for they are symbolic of the reason that Jesus was born in a human body; they are an expression of His ministry on earth.
Matthew 2:10-11 "...After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him... they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
First, the Gold is telling of His royalty, that He is the true King of kings.
Second, the Frankincense tells of His true reason for leaving the glory of Heaven and becoming man...His priesthood. We read in Hebrews 2:17 that He became like us that He might be our "faithful high priest in things pertaining to God."
And, third, the Myrrh represents His death on the cross "to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).
After Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, had been granted the right to remove Jesus from the cross and lay Him in the tomb built for Joseph himself; Nicodemus came, bringing embalming materials, to help with the burial of Jesus. We are told in John 19:39: "Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight." Myrrh was used as an embalming ointment. Myrrh was also an incense frequently used in perfumes. You will recall, in John 12:1-7, that Mary, sister of Lazarus, took a jar of costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. When Judas Iscariot chastised her for this, Jesus told him, ". . . Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the joy of My burial."
On the web site, Bible Fragrances --- http://www.biblefragrances.net/nard.html --- we read:
In the Old Testament, nard is referred to in the Song of Songs, as a symbol of the intimate nature of the Bride’s love. This is the point at which relations with her beloved are initiated. When the perfume of nard is named, the bride recognizes her beloved as such.
With that in mind, we see that Mary was representing what ALL Christians have been down through the ages, i.e., the Bride of Christ, recognizing, worshipping, and adoring the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
So, we see the Gold representing His royalty; the Frankincense representing His priesthood; and the Myrrh representing His death. That is the true meaning of gifts at Christmas as they tell the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ all by themselves. If you want to really give your family, especially your children and grandchildren, the very best gift possible for Christmas, share with them the story of Jesus' birth and why He came to earth, as the Mediator between God and man.
Don't go broke buying gifts. Instead, give your family the most precious gift, Jesus Christ.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS?
I know that many will say that Christmas is not really the true time of Jesus' birth. That's true, for no one really knows the true date of His birth. We DO know that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census decreed by Caesar Augustus, that all must go to their own city to be registered and counted. Now, since the Roman government heavily taxed the Jews, they would certainly have waited until AFTER the fall harvest to call them to leave their fields Otherwise, the harvest to be taxed would be smaller. The Romans wanted more bang for their buck, one might say.
Also, I've read that it was most likely the early Fall when the shepherds were still in the fields with their flocks. In December, it would be too cold for them to have their sheep in the fields.
It is also true that December 25th was chosen because it was a pagan holiday, Saturnalia, a Roman festival and holiday, and it has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. Put yourself in the place of the Christians during that time. They were seeing all the revelry of the Roman Saturnalia festival; they were seeing many of their friends and family being lured toward the good times of that festival. What could they do? Just as today many Christians offer Halloween "alternative parties" for their children to keep them from the pagan rituals of Halloween, the Christians in that day decided to celebrate an alternative to Saturnalia. What better thing to celebrate than the birth of Jesus Christ? The natural thing to do was to give the Christians a holy event to celebrate while their neighbors were busy celebrating their pagan holiday. That is why we celebrate December 25th as the birth of Jesus Christ.
If you think about it, we should be celebrating His birth every day for there is no greater gift than that free gift given to us by God, the birth of His Son who came to be our be our King of kings, to be our High Priest, and, to die in our place, that we might have an opportunity to be born again, free from sin.
Share this priceless gift with your family. Tell them the TRUE story of Christmas.
Have an incredible Christmas! Uh...by the way, the word "Christmas" comes from the Middle English "Cristemas" and from the Old English "Cristes Messe," or Christ's festival....in case you were interested.
Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
A servant of God
[http://www.YourTown4Jesus.org]
The True Christmas Story - It's Worth Telling Click here to Read more...We have many options to finding telescopes for sale. You can buy new and you also can buy used telescopes for sale. Which is the best option to go with? Whether you are buying new or buying used telescopes for sale, there are benefits and negatives to both.
You may have stumbled upon a used telescope for sale. The price looks good, and it looks like you can get a much bigger telescope, than if you found telescopes for sale in a retail telescope shop. So, is it a good idea to find used telescopes for sale or simply buy brand new?
* Benefits Of Finding Used Telescopes For Sale
Finding and buying used telescopes for sale has many benefits. You get a great bargain! There is nothing like being able to buy something at a fraction of its price. Used telescopes for sale make this a possibility.
Imagine buying a telescope at the fraction of its price when new. You likely will also get a few more extras then you would have, if you purchased new. If you buy a used telescope and the original owner was a big astronomy fan, then he or she likely purchased extra equipment for it, over the years.
The are negatives to buying used telescopes. For example the optics are not going to be as pristine as new, and if there is any damage to the optics, it will have major adverse effects in its power.
It is a good idea to check the optics, such as in a reflector, check the mirror. Any damages here will mean that the telescope is as good as smaller telescopes. This makes buying new a better option than buying a big telescope with damage to the optics - unless you are willing to invest in getting them repaired, and then new seems like a better idea.
* Benefits Of Finding New Telescopes For Sale
Buying a new telescope has many benefits. The biggest benefit is that it is obviously new! And being new, it likely has a warranty, which you likely will not need, but is useful to have.
Another benefit of buying a new telescope is that it will last you a lot longer than if you purchased a used telescope. You will need to consider what point you are most interested in. For example, if you have a small budget, then used telescopes can be a great way to get a good telescope for less than a new telescope. However, if you want performance more, then a new telescope may be the best way to go.
The biggest problem with buying new is that you will likely pay full price. Even though some stores online can offer great prices, it still can't beat the price for a used telescope for sale.
Is it Better to Buy Used Telescopes For Sale Or Buy a New Telescope? Click here to Read more...