Shiny Circuits

Shiny Circuits Hey guys! I know its been a little while since I have blogged. The problem is that people like pictures. And people like to know about the lives of MIT students. BUT, right now even though I have both pictures and the life of an MIT student, my pictures are not about my life as an MIT student (they tend to be about how neat trees look right after rain in the Fall). Thats because most of the things Im doing now as an MIT student (researching at a Department of Defense Research and Development Laboratory, observing in a local high school classroom, interviewing for cool jobs) expressly forbid taking pictures. So, I decided to take pictures of part of someone elses life at MIT: 6.131 Lab. 6.131 Lab, or Power Electronics is one of those classes that reminds students why they came to MIT in the first place. At this time of year in many other classes, students are cramming as much into their heads as possible for midterms. At this time of the year in 6.131, students have just finished working late nights to create a system that lets them drive a go-cart. Now theyre working on controlling fluorescent lights. Breadboard by Noah S. 10 Why, you might ask, does a fluorescent light need to be controlled? You have likely seen a demonstration of how easy it is to wire up an incandescent bulb; you basically just connect it to a battery. In these more traditional bulbs, the filament is a resistive unit, so the more voltage you put across it, the more current will flow through, and the brighter it will shine. The filament is made out of metal (these days, usually Tungsten), so even though there is some resistance there, it is not very high. In a fluorescent light, instead of a wire filament, there is a tube filled with low-pressure mercury vapor. When the light is turned off, this gas provides a very high resistance. Even though mercury is metal just like Tungsten is, its spread out as a gas. For electric current to flow through the bulb, it needs to be able to jump from one atom of metal to the next, all the way to the end of the bulb. Signal Generator in Power Electronics Lab at MIT So thats the first difference: to get the light going in the first place, you need to provide a HUGE voltage. So why arent fluorescent bulbs just like incandescents with bigger batteries? Well, as soon as you have started the flow of electrons through the tube, the vapor ionizes! This means that its resistance drops very suddenly. If you continued to use the same amount of voltage you used to start the lamp to run it, it would explode! Noah S. 10 Hard at work. See the giant green donut-thing with red wire? Thats a huge inductor. And then the final kicker: The V-I characteristics, or relationships between voltage and current, for the lamp, are really weird. Even if you put a high amount of voltage in to start the lamp, then bring it down to the perfect level, it is a very fragile system. If some tiny little variable changes, like the temperature, it could become unstable, the current could run away, and it would still break! *For 6.131 Professor Leebs explanation of why this happens, see note at the end. The answer to all of our problems! So, the answer, clearly, is to use the circuity represented above. All clear? Just in case its not, lets explain So, the goal is to provide a big initial voltage, then turn it down and set up some sort of self-policing system. Most of the things in the picture above are just made to generate a huge square wave (40 Volts). Theres a part where you can adjust the Duty Cycle, or what part of the time the square wave is high or low. The other really important parts are right next to the part labeled Fluorescent Lamp. They are L and C. The huge square wave comes in through L (an inductor) and then chooses whether to go through the C (capacitor) or lamp. If the lamp is off, it goes through the C, since theres so much resistance in the lamp. If the lamp is on, it goes through the lamp and mostly avoids the capacitor. When the lamp is off, the inductor and capacitor form a resonant circuit. If the frequency of the square wave going in is right, the voltage in the capacitor voltage builds up until it is high enough that the lamp starts. Once the lamp starts, the inductor helps to keep the amount of current in the lamp steady. Other cool things about the lab are winding the big inductors yourself, doing all your own soldering, and working with chips that are getting hot enough that they need huge heat sinks (the big black metal things in the photo below.) Let me know if you have any questions about 6.131 or lab classes in general. And thanks to Noah S. 10 for showing me his circuitry and giving me a refresher course on building a lamp ballast :) Totem board, Noah S. 10 *Im going to quote Professor Leeb himself here, because he explains it so clearly. In the lit fluorescent lamp, an increase in terminal voltage corresponds to a decrease in terminal current, and vice-versa. This happens because, roughly, as the current decreases in the tube, the number of charged carriers in the tube also decreases, decreasing the conductivity of the plasma column in the tube. So a higher voltage is needed to maintain the lower current! Increasing the current on the other hand, increases the conductivity of the plasma. A lower voltage is required in this case to sustain the higher current. With these properties, imagine a slight, inevitable disturbance that momentarily increases the current in the bulb. This disturbance could be a slight change in exterior temperature, for example. The voltage across the tube remains fixed, but now we are off the equilibrium curve, with a larger number of charge carriers in the tube compared to before the disturbance. Off the equilibrium curve, this voltage will push yet more current into the bulb, further increasing the conductivity. If the voltage remains unchanged, the bulb enters a runaway condition, where the current increases until something breaks.

What Makes the “Uncanny Valley” So Unsettling

Have you ever looked at a life-like doll and felt your skin crawl? Gotten an unsettled feeling when you saw a human-like robot? Felt nauseous while watching an on-screen zombie lumber around aimlessly? If so, you’ve experienced the phenomenon known as the uncanny valley. First proposed in 1970 by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori, the uncanny valley is the creepy, repulsed feeling we get when we observe an entity that looks almost human, but lacks some essential element of humanity. Characteristics of the Uncanny Valley When Mori first proposed the phenomenon of uncanny valley, he created a graph to explain the concept: Moris Uncanny Valley Graph translated by MacDornan and Minato.   Wikimedia Commons According to Mori, the more human a robot appears, the more positive our feelings towards them will be—up to a point. As robots approach near-perfect human likeness, our responses quickly turn from positive to negative. This sharp emotional dip, seen in the graph above, is the uncanny valley. Negative responses can range from mild discomfort to severe repulsion. Mori’s original graph specified two distinct pathways to the uncanny valley: one for still entities, like corpses, and one for moving entities, like zombies. Mori predicted that the uncanny valley was steeper for moving entities. Finally, the uncanny valley effect subsides and people’s feelings towards a robot again turn positive once the robot becomes indistinguishable from a human being. In addition to robots, the uncanny valley can apply to things like CGI movie or video game characters (such as those from The Polar Express) whose appearance doesn’t match their behavior, as well as wax figures and realistic-looking dolls whose faces look human but lack life in their eyes. Why the Uncanny Valley Freaks Us Out Since Mori first coined the term, the uncanny valley has been researched by everyone from roboticists to philosophers to psychologists. But it wasn’t until 2005, when Mori’s original paper was translated from Japanese into English, that research on the subject really took off. Despite the intuitive familiarity of the idea of the uncanny valley (anyone who’s ever seen a horror movie featuring a human-like doll or zombie has likely experienced it), Mori’s idea was a prediction, not the result of scientific research.  Therefore, today, scholars disagree about why we experience the phenomenon and whether it even exists at all. Stephanie Lay, an uncanny valley researcher, says she’s counted at least seven explanations for the phenomenon in the scientific literature, but there are three that show the most potential. Boundaries Between Categories First, categorical boundaries may be responsible. In the case of the uncanny valley, this is the boundary at which an entity moves between non-human and human. For example, researchers Christine Looser and Thalia Wheatley found that when they presented a series of manipulated images created from human and mannequin faces to participants, participants consistently perceived the images as life-like at the point where they crossed to the more human end of the spectrum. The perception of life was based on the eyes more than other parts of the face. Perception of Mind Second, the uncanny valley could depend on people’s belief that entities with human-like features possess a human-like mind. In a series of experiments, Kurt Gray and Daniel Wegner found that machines became unsettling when people attributed the capacity to feel and sense to them, but not when people’s only expectation of the machine was the ability to act. The researchers proposed this is because people believe the ability to feel and sense is fundamental to humans, but not machines. Mismatch Between Appearance and Behavior Finally, the uncanny valley may be the result of a mismatch between the appearance of a near-human entity and its behavior. For instance, in one study, Angela Tinwell and her colleagues discovered that a human-like virtual entity was regarded as most unnerving when it didn’t react to a scream with a visible startled response in the eye region. Participants perceived an entity who exhibited this behavior as having psychopathic traits, pointing to a possible psychological explanation for the uncanny valley. The Future of the Uncanny Valley As androids become further integrated into our lives to aid us in a variety of capacities, we must like and trust them in order for us to have the best interactions. For example, recent research suggests that when medical students train with simulators that look and behave like humans, they perform better in real emergency situations. Figuring out how to transcend the uncanny valley is critical as we rely more and more on technology to assist us in everyday life. Sources Gray, Kurt, and Daniel M. Wegner. â€Å"Feeling Robots and Human Zombies: Mind Perception and the Uncanny Valley.† Cognition, vol. 125, no. 1, 2012, pp. 125-130, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2012.06.007Hsu, Jeremy. â€Å"Why ‘Uncanny Valley’ Human Look-Alikes Put Us on Edge.† Scientific American, 3 April 2012. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-uncanny-valley-human-look-alikes-put-us-on-edge/Mori, Masahiro. â€Å"The Uncanny Valley.† Energy, vol. 7, no. 4, 1970, pp. 33-35, translated by Karl F. MacDornan and Takashi Minator, http://www.movingimages.info/digitalmedia/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/MorUnc.pdLay, Stephanie. â€Å"Introducing the Uncanny Valley.† Stephanie Lay’s Research Web, 2015. http://uncanny-valley.open.ac.uk/UV/UV.nsf/Homepage?ReadFormLay, Stephanie. â€Å"Uncanny Valley: Why We Find Human-Like Robots and Dolls So Creepy.† The Conversation, 10 November 2015. https://theconversation.com/uncanny-va lley-why-we-find-human-like-robots-and-dolls-so-creepy-50268Looser, Christine E., and Thalia Wheatley. â€Å"The Tipping Point of Animacy: How, When, and Where We Perceive Life in a Face.† Psychological Science, vol. 21, no. 12, 2010, pp. 1854-1862, https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610388044Rouse, Margaret. â€Å"Uncanny Valley.† WhatIs.com, February 2016. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/uncanny-valleyTinwell, Angela, Deborah Abdel Nabi, and John P. Charlton. â€Å"Perceptions of Psychopathy and the Uncanny Valley in Virtual Characters.† Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 29, no. 4, 2013, pp. 1617-1625, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.01.008

Sandro Botticelli - 1261 Words

Sandro Botticelli | Probable self-portrait of Botticelli, in hisAdoration of the Magi (1475). | Birth name | Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi | Born | c. 1445[1] Florence, Republic of Florence, (now Italy) | Died | May 17, 1510 (aged 64–65) Florence, Republic of Florence, (now Italy) | Nationality | Italian | Field | Painting | Training | Filippo Lippi Andrea del Verrocchio | Movement | Italian Renaissance | Works | Primavera The Birth of Venus The Adoration of the Magi Other Works | Influenced by | Fra Filippo Lippi | Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli (Italian: [ˈsandro bottiˈtÊÆ'É›lli]; c. 1445[1] – May 17, 1510), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to the†¦show more content†¦Even at this early date, his work was characterized by a conception of the figure as if seen in low relief, drawn with clear contours, and minimizing strong contrasts of light and shadow which would indicate fully modeled forms. Maturity The Adoration of the Magi for Santa Maria Novella (c. 1475–1476, now at the Uffizi), contains the portraits of Cosimo de Medici, his sons Piero and Giovanni, and his grandsons Lorenzo and Giuliano. The quality of the scene was hailed by Vasari as one of Botticellis pinnacles. In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV summoned Botticelli and other prominent Florentine and Umbrian artists to fresco the walls of the Sistine Chapel. The iconological program was the supremacy of the Papacy. Sandros contribution included the Temptations of Christ, the Punishment of the Rebels and Trial of Moses. He returned to Florence, and being of a sophistical turn of mind, he there wrote a commentary on a portion ofDante and illustrated the Inferno which he printed, spending much time over it, and this abstention from work led to serious disorders in his living. Thus Vasari characterized the first printed Dante (1481) with Botticellis decorations; he could not imagine that the new art of printing might occupy an artist. The masterpieces Primavera (c. 1482) and The Birth ofShow MoreRelatedSandro Botticelli Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesBotticelli is one of the most famous artists during the Italian Renaissance. He was very well know for the portrayal of the female figure and his ability to incorporate femininity as a symbol of life itself and/or nature illustrated by the changes of seasons. Botticelli most famous figure was that of Venus, the goddess of love. She was incorporated into two of his most famous works, The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Most of Botticellis women had that typical hourglass figure to them . During theRead MoreArt Appreciation : Sandro Botticelli1393 Words   |  6 PagesArt Appreciation 14 November 2016 Sandro Botticelli In 1445, Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi Botticelli, was born in Florence, Italy (Sandro Botticelli Biography | artble.com, n.d.). When first reading the lengthy name, most may dismiss the artist as unrecognizable. However, the name the artist is most commonly referred to as is Sandro Botticelli. There are very limited facts about Botticelli and his personal life, although it is rumored that Botticelli had an attraction towards women heRead MoreAnalysis Of Sandro Botticelli s Venus And Mars Essay1825 Words   |  8 PagesAnalysis of Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (1) Intro: Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars is a tempera and oil on poplar artwork that measures 69.2 x 173.4 cm and resides in the National Gallery of London (ARTstor). The painting consists of the mythological figures of Venus and Mars as they lay in each other’s company, surrounded by a haunted forest landscape with mountains in the distance, and several satyrs playing around the two. Venus and Mars dates back to the early Renaissance NeoplatonistRead MoreDetails Of Renaissance Paintings ( Sandro Botticelli, Birth Of Venus836 Words   |  4 PagesRenaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482) (1984) by Andy Warhol acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen Viewed at Arkansas Arts Center Andy Warhol exhibition (October 28, 2008) A Modern Venus Andy Warhol’s piece titled Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482) represents the face of the goddess Venus. This piece was made in 1984 as a depiction of the face of Venus from the earlier painting The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli that was completed inRead MoreEssay on Analytical Analysis of Sandro Botticelli Birth of Venus777 Words   |  4 PagesSandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus. The Birth of Venus painted by Sandro Botticelli from 1484-1486, depicts the birth of Venus into the world. The painting shows Venus the goddess of love and beauty coming out of the sea as if she was coming into the human world as a beautiful woman. She is nude in the painting covering one of her breasts with her right hand, her left hand holding her long blonde hair, which covers her pubic region. The nudity of Venus in this painting shows not the humility ofRead MoreThe Birth Of Venus By Sandro Botticelli And The Poem Stanze Per La Giostra By Angelo Poliziano1651 Words   |  7 PagesBeauty is in the Eye of the Beholder The two works of art that I have chosen is the painting The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli and the poem Stanze per la Giostra by Angelo Poliziano. The Birth of Venus was created between 1484 and 1486 by Sandro Botticelli. It was created in the early Renaissance period and is currently located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Stanze per la Giostra was written between 1475 and 1478 by the Renaissance poet Angelo Poliziano. Its current location is theRead More Sandro Botticelli: The Renaissance Artist Essay1118 Words   |  5 Pages Sandro Botticelli, born Alessandro Mariano Filipepi, was the son of a tanner. He was born in Florence around 1445 and showed a talent for painting at a very early age. Botticelli was first apprenticed under a goldsmith named Sandro, from whom it is believed he derived his nickname. At the age of sixteen, he served an apprenticeship with the painter Fra Filippo Lippi (Durant, 1953). From Lippi he learned to create the effect of transparency, t o draw outlines, and to give his pictures fluidity andRead More Sandro Boticelli Essay1017 Words   |  5 PagesSandro Boticelli Sandro Botticelli, (1445-1510) was a famous Renaissance arit. His real name was Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi; his nickname came from Botticello (little barrel), which was either the nickname of his older brother or the name of the goldsmith who first taught him. Botticelli was born in Florence to the tanner Marianno di Vanni and his wife in a small place called Smeralda which is now Borgo Ognissanti No. 28 in Florence. He was one of eight children born to his parents,Read MoreEssay on Birth of Venus1018 Words   |  5 Pagesa calming blue background gives Venus an ethereal quality and makes her stand out. This use of color also creates unity and variety. †¢ In this piece, the light source is not seen. However, the light source is to the right of the artwork because Botticelli uses chiaroscuro, or shading on the left side of Venus’s face which makes it seem like a glow is cast upon her face. Content: †¢ The painting’s composition presents Venus, born of the foam of the sea, floating to the shores of her sacred islandRead MoreEssay on Ancient Greek and Roman Art Styles in the Renaissance615 Words   |  3 Pagesto an artistic revolution. One of the most famous painters from this period was Sandro Botticelli. Known for his detail included in his paintings, Botticelli went on to create paintings for influential figures of the Renaissance and a few frescos for the Sistine Chapel. Sandro Botticelli is the Renaissance Idol because he created a unique art style that was widely imitated by the time of his death. Sandro Botticelli was born as Alessandro Fillipeli in the year of 1444. He was the son of a tanner

Outcomes of the Crusades Free Essays

The â€Å"Crusades† was a military campaign of Christians in Western Europe whose purpose is to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Roman Catholic Church stimulated most of the support for the war, showing its intolerance to both Islam and Orthodox Christianity. Although religious in nature, the Crusades had become a bloody frenzy. We will write a custom essay sample on Outcomes of the Crusades or any similar topic only for you Order Now Six military campaigns comprised the period, starting from the First Crusade in 1096, inspired by Pope Urban II, and ending in the Sixth Crusade in 1254, led by the king of France, King Louis IX. To this day, the Crusades is still a controversial because of the military excesses during the battles. However, many outcomes came out of the movement: First, the European horizon expanded; second, the encounters with the different cultures promoted learning as well as commerce between different civilizations; third, as a result of the eastern influence, there was growth in western scholasticism and philosophy; and fourth, it sparked a dangerous concept adapted in monarchy and politics. Among the noted significance of the first crusades was the increased contacts between the Europeans and the Byzantines and Muslims. During this time, the Byzantine was already beginning to decline and Islam was not as powerful as it once was, although still a formidable force. As regards the original intention of the Crusades, the Christians’ success of having Jerusalem under their control never reached permanence. However, the first crusades effected the expansion of Europe, meaning it gained more strength than other competing civilizations did. Moreover, there became a balance of power between the Muslims and the Christians. During the First Crusade, supporters of the movement, such as those from Pisa and Genoa, sailed the Mediterranean Sea to bring help to Jerusalem. As a result, the sea was again reopened to western shipping, and, in turn, communication was reestablished between the east and west. Although at several points the Christians ruled over the Holy Land, Muslims were able to conquer it again in the 12th century. However, the Christians continued to hold power over the sea. Thus, the ports in the countries such as Levant in the border of the sea were under their control. The number of commercial establishments grew rapidly in the ports of Syria and Egypt, and the Christians held autonomy over operations in the areas of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily, which were originally controlled by the Saracens (Riley-Smith 85). The sea routes were open for trade, allowing products of Asia to come in. In short, the Crusades opened the lines of communication and exchange of knowledge between the eastern and western civilizations through the trade. This made a significant contribution to the development of Europe in terms of both knowledge and economy. Some of the practices of Muslim science, literature and philosophy, as well as medicine had found its way to Christian tradition (Riley-Smith 87). In time, the crusading movements were divided into two groups: the external Crusades and the internal Crusades. The former was directed mainly against Muslims, whereas the latter was a war against the perceived enemies of the Christian world. Unfortunately, the development of the internal Crusades enforced a violent thinking—that is, violence is sanctified in ideological pursuits. The Crusades was originally a war to retrieve the Holy Land, but the concept of sanctified violence extended to the monarchy and the political sphere. What used to be the holy cause of defending the Church became a moral duty of defending the state (Riley-Smith 90). Indeed, the Crusades was a crucial moment in history, and one that people can learn from. That is, the good things that came out of it should be emulated, and its detrimental effects should serve as a warning to modern society. Works Cited Riley-Smith, Jonathan. â€Å"The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading†. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1991. 85-96. How to cite Outcomes of the Crusades, Papers

The Life And Works Of Shakespeare Essays - William Shakespeare

The Life And Works Of Shakespeare William Shakespeare is the world's most admired playwright and poet. He was born in April, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, about 100 miles northwest of London. According to the records of Stratford's Holy Trinity Church, he was baptized on April 26. As with most sixteenth century births, the actual day is not recorded but people are guessing that he was born on April 23. Shakespeare's parents were John and Mary Shakespeare, who lived in Henley Street, Stratford. John, the son of Richard Shakespeare, was a maker, worker and seller of leather goods like purses, belts and gloves and a dealer in agricultural commodities. He served in Stratford government successively as a member of the Council , constable , chamberlain , alderman and finally high bailiff which is the equivalent of town mayor. About 1577 John Shakespeare's fortunes began to decline for unknown reasons. There are records of debts. William had seven siblings. He was the third child and first born son. In the sixteenth century Stratford-upon-Avon was an important agricultural center and market town. The building in Henley street known today as the birthplace of William Shakespeare was at the time of his birth, two different buildings that John Shakespeare bought at two different times. William went to school at the Stratford Grammar School. He had to show up at six or seven A.M. depending on the season and stay there most of the day, six days a week. William studied many different authors and dramatists including Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Livy, and Ovid. Ovid was his favorite. Grammar school was the beginning of Shakespeare's career. Almost everything he mastered he learned there. After grammar school, William went to the Warwickshire Countryside. There he played parts in plays and wrote poetry. The years 1594-1599 were momentous for Shakespeare. He produced a steady stream of plays of the highest quality. He continued as a principal actor and manager in the Chamberlain's men, blessed with a stable work environment in the theater. Finally in 1599, he became part owner in the most prestigious public playhouse in London, the Globe. His first works which were heavily influenced by the classical examples he had learned as a student were The Comedy of Errors and Titus Andronicus. He invented a new genre called the history play. His early works in this genre were the three Henry VI plays, and Richard III. He got his idea for Venis and Adonis and Rape of Lucrece from his favorite author, Ovid. Over the years 1594-1599 the Chamberlain's Men had become the most popular acting company in London, being invited to perform at court far more often than any other group. Shakespeare must have done a great deal of acting. He is listed by Ben Jonson in Jonson's magnificent 1616 Folio of his Works as having acted as the chief comedian in Every Man In His Humour in 1598. The Globe Theater burned down in 1613 and many of Shakespeare's manuscripts were ruined. It was then rebuilt by a carpenter named Peter Rose. Shakespeare's last work before he retired was The Temptest. Then he died in 1616 and was then buried in the Parish Church. His death was sudden and they don't know what caused it but they think he could have lived much longer. Almost all his things went to his oldest daughter Susanne. His younger daughter Judith got 300 pounds, and his wife got all the furniture. After he died Judith married John Quiney. He cheated on her and got another girl pregnant. That baby died. Judith and John had three children together. One they named Shakespeare died as an infant. There other two, Richard and Thomas died at the ages of 21 and 19. Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwrights and poets ever. He was a big part in literature. He invented a new genre and made many plays that everybody loves. He was a great man. On his grave it says: GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS SAKE FOR BEAR TO DIG THE DUST ENCLOSED HEAR BLESSED BE YE MAN WHO SPARES THESE STONES AND CURSED BE HE WHO MOVES MY BONES

Definition and Examples of Backronyms in English

Definition and Examples of Backronyms in English Definition A backronym is a reverse acronym: an expression that has been formed from the letters of an existing word or name. Alternate spelling: bacronym. Also known as an  apronym or reverse acronymy. Examples include SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), ZIP code (Zone Improvement Plan), and USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). The word backronym is a blend of backward and acronym. According to Paul Dickson in Family Words (1998), the term was created by Meredith G. Williams of Potomac, Maryland, to cover the likes of GEORGE (Georgetown Environmentalists Organization against Rats, Garbage, and Emissions) and NOISE (Neighbors Opposed to Irritating Sound Emissions). See Examples and Observations below. Also see: Back-FormationFolk EtymologyInitialismIntroduction to Etymology: Word HistoriesMnemonicName That -nym: A Brief Introduction to Words and NamesNeologism    Examples and Observations SOS is an example of a backronym, with people claiming it stands for save our ship or save our soulswhen, in fact, it doesnt stand for anything.(Mitchell Symons, Where Do Nudists Keep Their Hankies? HarperCollins, 2007)Antonyms and BackronymsThis particular kind of etymological myththe after-the-fact association of a word with a phrasehas become so common that it has acquired a whimsical name: backronym. The difference is timing: which came first, the phrase or the word? Scuba, for example, is a true acronym, evolved from self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Golf, on the other handcontrary to widely circulated mythdoes not stand for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. Thats a backronym. Other backronyms wrongly believed to be actual etymologies include Constable on Patrol and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.(James E. Clapp, Elizabeth G. Thornburg, Marc Galanter, and Fred R. Shapiro, Lawtalk: The Unknown Stories Behind Familiar Legal Expressions. Yale University Press, 2011) ACHOOSome people, like me, inherit a genetic oddity that causes them to sneeze when confronted by bright light. Im afraid this syndrome has been given the overly cute acronym of ACHOO (autosomol dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst).(Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses. Vintage Books, 1990)COLBERTWhat do you do when youre NASA and comedian Stephen Colbert wins your contest to name the new wing for the International Space Station? You name an orbital exercise machine after him.The Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or COLBERT, is expected to keep astronauts in shape.With the help of a legion of fans, Colbert got the most votes in the space agencys online poll soliciting names for Node 3, which will be called Tranquility after the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 landed on the moon.(NASA Names Cosmic Treadmill After Colbert. CNN Entertainment, April 15, 2009)SHERLOCK and RALPHFans of Arthur Conan Doyle have a society called Sherlock Holmes Enthusiastic Readers League of Criminal Knowledge, or SHERLOCK, a creative, if strained, backronym. In 1982, admirers of comedian Jackie Gleason organized the Royal Association for the Longevity and Preservation of the Honeymooners, or RALPH, which happens to be the first name of Gleasons TV character, Ralph Cramden.(Chrysti M. Smith, Verbivores Feast, Second Course: More Word Phrase Origins. Farcountry Press, 2006) CabalThe backronym cabal was formed from the names of five ministers of King Charles II. The ministers, Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale, were at the bottom of various political intrigues in the early 1670s. According to history, these five, plus others, defaulted on the national debt by closing the exchequer in 1670, started a war with Holland in 1672, and entered into an alliance with the hated French in 1673. The English use of the word cabal to mean a group of conspirators predates the nefarious schemes of these five men by at least 25 years.(David Wilton, Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends. Oxford University Press, 2009)PerlPerl is a word that has backronyms. Various expansions attributed to the letters in Perl were invented after the programming language was named. Practical Extraction and Report Language is a popular backronym for Perl. A less gracious backronym is Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister.(Jules J. Berman, Perl Programming for Medicine and Biology. Jones Bartlett, 2007) Pronunciation: BAK-ri-nim Alternate Spellings: bacronym

Quotes From Charles Dickenss Oliver Twist

Quotes From Charles Dickenss Oliver Twist Charles Dickens second novel, Oliver Twist, is the story of an orphan growing up among criminals in London, England. The novel, one of Dickenss most popular works, is known for its harsh depiction of poverty, child labor, and life in the London slums of the mid-19th century. Poverty Oliver Twist was published at a time when many of Dickenss countrymen were living in great poverty. The most unfortunate were sent to workhouses, where they received food and lodging in exchange for their labor. The protagonist of Dickenss novel ends up in such a workhouse as a child. To earn his gruel, Oliver spends his days picking oakum. Please, sir, I want some more. [Chapter 2] Oliver Twist has asked for more! [Chapter 2] I am very hungry and tired... I have walked a long way. I have been walking these seven days. [Chapter 8] Bleak, dark, and piercing cold, it was a night for the well-housed and fed to draw round the bright fire, and thank God they were at home; and for the homeless starving wretch to lay him down and die. Many hunger-worn outcasts close their eyes in our bare streets at such times, who, let their crimes have been what they may, can hardly open them in a more bitter world. [Chapter 23] Human Nature Dickens was admired not only as a novelist but also as a social critic, and in Oliver Twist he uses his sharp eye to dissect the weaknesses of human nature. The social canvas of the novel, which includes the poor underclass of London and the criminal justice system designed to contain it, allows Dickens to explore what happens when humans are reduced to the basest conditions. The doctor seemed especially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the night-time; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by the twopenny post, a day or two previous. [Chapter 7] Although Oliver had been brought up by philosophers, he was not theoretically acquainted with the beautiful axiom that self-preservation is the first law of nature. [Chapter 10] There is a passion for hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast. [Chapter 10] But death, fires, and burglary, make all men equals. [Chapter 28] Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughts, exercises, even over the appearance of external objects. Men who look on nature, and their fellow-men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the sombre colours are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision. [Chapter 33] The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the racking thoughts that crowd upon the mind, and make the heart beat violently, and the breath come thick, by the force of the images they conjure up before it; the desperate anxiety  to be doing something  to relieve the pain, or lessen the danger, which we have no power to alleviate; the sinking of soul and spirit, which the sad remembrance of our helplessness produces; what tortures can equal these; what reflections of endeavours can, in the full tide and fever of the time, allay them! [Chapter 33] Society and Class As the story of a poor orphan, and of the downtrodden more generally, Oliver Twist is filled with Dickenss thoughts about the role of class in English society. The author is highly critical of the institutions that protect the upper classes while leaving the poor to starve and die. Throughout the book, Dickens raises questions about how society organizes itself and treats its worst-off members. Why everybody lets him alone enough, for the matter of that. Neither his father nor his mother will ever interfere with him. All his relations let him have his own way pretty well. [Chapter 5] I only know two sorts of boys. Mealy boys, and beef-faced boys. [Chapter 10] Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine. [Chapter 37] We need be careful how we deal with those about us, when every death carries to some small circle of survivors, thoughts of so much omitted, and so little done- of so many things forgotten, and so many more which might have been repaired! There is no remorse so deep as that which is unavailing; if we would be spared its tortures, let us remember this, in time. [Chapter 8] The sun,the bright sun, that brings back, not light alone, but new life, and hope, and freshness to manburst upon the crowded city in clear and radiant glory. Through costly-coloured glass and paper-mended window, through cathedral dome and rotten crevice, it shed its equal ray.  [Chapter 46]