Category Archives: Inventions

Stencil

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Stencil

Versatile stencils!

  • Stencils are art, craft or stationery items used to imprint designs on a surface with the use of paint or other medium, and are generally made from plastic, paper or metal sheets, although other materials can be used.
  • Stencils are typically reusable, as long as they can be removed from surfaces and don’t break.
  • Stencil designs often have an inner section to the design, called an ‘island’, that will be a loose piece, unless attached by a small portion of stencil material, known as a ‘bridge’.
  • Stencils are an ancient innovation, and hands or other objects were painted over in cave paintings thousands of years ago.
  • Home-use stencils are common, often used for neat painting and decorating features on walls or furniture, and are commonly used in craft related hobbies for embossing, painting and decorating, or lettering.

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  • Stencils are used by government, business and military organisations, often to letter objects, signs or vehicles.
  • Stencils for children are commonly available, which enables them to draw basic or more detailed shapes or letters, and gives them the opportunity to be creative by filling in more details, or colouring the shape.
  • Stencils were historically used by Eskimos and Ancient Egyptians, Romans, Chinese, Greeks and Japanese, while some of the materials used were cloth, leaves and animal skin.
  • Throughout history, stencils were commonly used for mass production, for clothing, religious art and wall designs among others.
  • Today, stencils are often used professionally by artists especially for screen printing and airbrushing, and some graffiti artists use them for their unique and ‘political’ look.

 

Bibliography:
Gilbert M, The History of Stencilling, 2014, EHow, http://www.ehow.com/about_5380158_history-stenciling.html
History of Stencilling, 2011, Royal Design Studio Stencils, http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/blogs/how-to-stencil/3763542-history-of-stenciling
Stencil, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stencil

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Typewriter

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Typewriter

Tap, tappety, tap-tappety tap.

  • Typewriters are machines that print carbon or ink characters on paper, requiring input from a person by pressing buttons, and are mechanically or electro-mechanically driven.
  • Most typewriters were replaced by word processors and computers by the late 1980s, although they are still in use in developing countries, as well as in prisons due to the ban of computers.
  • Typewriters were commonly used in offices and sometimes in homes, for the purpose of typing letters, documents, and other information.
  • The first typewriter ever invented was possibly by Englishman Henry Mill in 1714, for which he received a patent, and other early typewriters include inventions by Pelligino Turri, an Italian, in 1808 who also invented carbon paper, and William Austin Burt, an American who is most commonly credited for the invention of the typewriter, in 1829.
  • Fast typists can type around 100 words a minute on a manual typewriter, although records have been set for more than 150 words a minute.

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  • Typewriters generally require the manual insertion of a sheet of paper, and when the end of a page is reached, it is removed, and a new piece of paper is inserted into the machine.
  • Due to the permanency of the printing, typewriters would require a high level of typing accuracy, with competitions deducting points for inaccuracy, although mistakes could be erased with an abrasive hard rubber, or correction fluid, and various other means were also employed.
  • Thomas Edison invented the first electric style typewriter in 1870, which used an electrical input to type remotely, however the technology was not widely used until decades later.
  • The typically used English QWERTY keyboard layout on typewriters, known as the ‘Sholes’ or ‘Universal’ keyboard, were originally arranged by Sholes & Glidden typewriters in 1874, and are said to be laid out so that the most commonly used keys were separated to decrease the likelihood of jamming from fast typing.
  • The word ‘typewriter’ is generally considered the longest English word (10 letters), that only uses one row of the QWERTY keyboard layout, although a flower, ‘rupturewort’ can beat that record (11 letters).

 

Bibliography:
Typewriter, 2014, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter>
Typewriters, 2014, Mary Bellis, http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/Typewriters.htm

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Binder Clip

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Binder Clip

Binder clips are binding necessities.

  • Binder clips are small stationery items that can grip onto other objects or hold objects together, typically paper, and can be easily removed.
  • A binder clip’s body is generally a triangular prism shape made of spring steel, with attached metal wire loops that are used as handles for opening and closing the body.
  • Binder clips typically range from 0.5 to 5 centimetres (0.2 to 2 inches) in body size.
  • Binder clips are typically used for temporarily grouping many sheets of paper together, but they can also be used as bookmarks, money clips, and holding objects in place, among others.
  • It is believed that binder clips were originally invented by American Louis E Baltzley, for his father who was a writer, in USA’s Washington D.C. in 1910, and he received a patent for the invention in 1915.

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  • Binder clips’ bodies are typically black in colour, but can range in colours and styles, and can include coloured patterns.
  • The original 1910 clip design is very similar to the one used today, and it is said that the first company to manufacture binder clips were the L.E.B Manufacturing Company.
  • ‘Binder clips’ are also known as ‘banker’s clips’, ‘foldback clips’, ‘foldover clips’, ‘bulldog clips’ and ‘handbag clips’.
  • Binder clip handles typically can face upwards or downwards, or they can be removed to make the clip more permanent.
  • Binder clips are often used as a paperclip alternative as they have a better grip and are rust resistant, and with one handle up, the clip can hang papers from a hook.

 

Bibliography:
Binder Clip, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binder_clip
Pash A, Our Favourite Office Objects: The Endlessly Versatile Binder Clip, 2010, Life Hacker, http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2010/09/our-favourite-office-objects-the-endlessly-versatile-binder-clip/

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Computer Mouse

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Computer Mouse

Click, click, click-click, click; goes the computer mouse.

  • A computer mouse is a technology input device, generally used to move a pointer on a computer screen, although the technology is also used for some game consoles.
  • A computer mouse typically has two buttons, one on the left and one on the right, and a small wheel in the middle, known as a ‘scroll wheel’, and in some designs, it can also be pressed like a button, but it is generally used to scroll through information on a computer screen.
  • A computer mouse typically fits underneath one’s hand, with a finger on each of the left and right buttons, and was named so, because it originally resembled a mouse, with the cord as its tail.
  • The plural of computer mouse is ‘computer mice’, and ‘computer mouses’ is also an acceptable plural, often used by a person to distinguish it from the rodents.
  • Computer mice were invented by American Douglas Engelbart, an engineer, in the United States, in 1963, and were proven to be one of the most efficient cursor moving devices, although they were not commonly available for personal computer use until the early 1980s.

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  • A computer mouse can perform actions via clicks of the buttons, with single and double clicks performing different actions depending on the button, and holding or moving the mouse with a button held activates different responses on the computer screen.
  • A computer mouse is typically connected to a device via cord, such as a USB, or wireless, often with a USB or serial receiver that plugs into the computer.
  • The outer layer of a computer mouse was originally made of wood, but are now typically made of plastic, and are found in all shapes, sizes and colours.
  • A computer mouse movement is measured in mickeys, as in ‘Mickey Mouse’,  which refers to the number of pixels the cursor has moved, compared to how many inches or centimetres the mouse has moved.
  • A modern computer mouse generally contains optical sensors like light-emitting diodes and photodiodes, and sometimes laser diodes, that track movement of the device.
Bibliography:
1963: Douglas Engelbart invents the Mouse, 2014, Berkley Engineering, http://coe.berkeley.edu/about/history-and-traditions/1963-douglas-engelbart.html
Mouse (computing), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_(computing)

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Barbecue Grill

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Barbecue Grill

“Throw another shrimp on the barbie” – Paul Hogan

  • Barbecue grills are generally large appliances used for cooking food outdoors, with direct or indirect heat, depending on its design.
  • Barbecue grills’ are also known as ‘barbeques’, ‘barbeque grills’, ‘barbecues’, ‘BBQs’ and ‘barbies’.
  • Barbecue grills have a heating source generally derived from gas, electricity, charcoal or wood.
  • The word ‘barbecue’ is believed to be derived from the Caribbean Taíno word ‘barbacòa’ or ‘barbakoa’, meaning ‘framework of sticks’.
  • Barbecue grills can cook almost anything, but are generally used to cook vegetables and meat, and are common in America and are particularly popular in Australia.

Barbeque Grill, Barbecue, BBQ, Rectangle, Gas, Black, Grey, Bench, Ten Random Facts, Cook, Food,

  • One of the first modern barbecue grills was invented by American George Stephan, a welder, in 1952, that used half a steel buoy attached to legs as the base, with a dome shaped lid, that famously became known as the ‘Weber’, or ‘Weber kettle’.
  • Barbecue grills typically have the shape of a rectangular prism, hemisphere or semicylinder, although they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.
  • Gas barbecue grills were invented in the late 1950s or early 1960s, and usually use bottled gas, and have now become one of the commonly available barbecues.
  • Barbecue grills typically consist of a heat source and a cooking grill or plate and depending on the type of barbecue and its design, it may also have a heat shield, temperature controls, hood or cover, rotisserie, racks, thermometer, trolley, wheels, cabinet, and so on.
  • The largest barbeque grill made, was for the Discovery Channel in 2004, measuring 4.7 metres (15.3 feet) in height, 6.2 metres (20.2 feet) in length and 2.4 metres (8 feet) in depth.

 

Bibliography:
Barbecue Grill, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_grill
Green A, A Brief History of the BBQ Grill, 2014, Popular Mechanics, http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/a-brief-history-of-the-bbq-grill-11000790

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Black Box Flight Recorder

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Black Box Flight Recorder

Black box flight recorders are a great help for determining the cause of an accident.

  • Black box flight recorders are devices located in aircraft to record data in case of an accident, and are made to survive at least 1000°C (1832°F) and a g-force of 3400.
  • ‘Black box flight recorders’ are also known as ‘black boxes’ and ‘flight recorders’, usually refers to two separate containers; one a ‘flight data recorder’ or FDR, and the other, a ‘cockpit voice recorder’ or CVD, although sometimes they are held in the same sealed container.
  • It is not known for certain why black box flight recorders are referred to as ‘black boxes’, as they are generally coloured in special bright orange or yellow reflective paint, so that they are more visible in search situations, and they are usually labelled with a warning: ‘FLIGHT RECORDER DO NOT OPEN’ in English and French. 
  • Two of the first innovators of black box flight recorders were François Hussenot and Paul Beaudouin of France, in 1939, and their recorders used a photographic film process.
  • Black box flight recorders have the function of recording aircraft performance, voice and audio signals, and sometimes visual footage, although this is not common.

Black Box Flight Recorder, Orange, Cockpit Voice Recorder, CVD, DO NOT OPEN, Two, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

CVD Flight Recorder
Image courtesy of Joe Kunzler/Flickr
  • The first black box flight recorders to include both flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders were invented in the 1950s, in Melbourne by Australian David Warren, a chemist, and a prototype was completed in 1958.
  • Black box flight recorders were originally included in the front of an aircraft, but later placed near the tail, as they are more likely to survive damage in that section of the plane.
  • Black box flight recorders include an underwater locator beacon (ULB) that is automatically activated in water and sends an ultrasonic signal, known as a ‘ping’, that can be transmitted from up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) under water, for approximately 30 days – the duration of its battery life.
  • In 1960, black box flight recorders were required to be on all commercial planes in Australia, the first country in the world to have such a law, and these laws now extend to most aircraft in the world that can carry at least 20 passengers.
  • It is suggested that black box flight recorders may become obsolete, as live streaming of information from aircraft via satellites to a base station would provide a much easier means of retrieving the information in a crash situation, and this technology is already used on some aircraft.
Bibliography:
Flight Recorder, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_recorder
What is a Black Box?, 2014, National Geographic Channel, http://natgeotv.com/uk/air-crash-investigation/black-box

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