Karan Gupta
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143
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36
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Pneumatic subway openedIn 1870, New York City's first pneumatic-powered subway line was opened to the public. It was built by Alfred Ely Beach who included a waiting room 120 feet long (the entire tunnel measured 312 feet) and embellished it with a grand piano, a fountain, ornate paintings, and candelabra so customers would not feel they were entering a dank, dreary tunnel. The twenty-two-seat subway car impressed observers with its rich upholstery and spaciousness, and comfortable ride. It fitted snugly into the nine foot diameter, cylindrical tube. Propulsion was provided by a giant fan that the workers nicknamed "the Western Tornado." It was operated by a steam engine, drawing air in through a valve and blowing it forcefully into the tunnel.American inventor and editor of Scientific American magazine which reported on technology developments and patents in the 19th-century. It is still published today, one of the world's leading science magazines. Beach himself invented a tunneling shield and built the pneumatic tube subway which propelled a carriage by means of air pressure generated by huge fans. The tunnel was short—one block—so it operated as a demonstration (1870-73), with one station and train car. In 1856 he won First Prize and a gold medal at New York's Crystal Palace Exhibition. Beach had invented a typewriter for the blind, resembling the modern typewriter in the arrangement of its keys and typebars, but embossed its letters on a narrow paper strip instead of a sheet.[Image: Tunnel entrance.] |
A blonde and a lawyer are seat...
The blonde, tired, just wants to take a nap, politely declines and rollsover to the window to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists and explainsthat the game is easy and a lot of fun. He explains, I ask you aquestion,and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5.00, and vise versa.
Again, she declines and tries to get some sleep. The lawyer, nowagitated,says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5.00, and, if Idon'tknow the answer, I will pay you $500.00."
This catches the blonde's attention and, figuring there will be no end tothis torment unless she plays, agrees to the game.
The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earthtothe moon?" The blonde doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pullsouta $5.00 bill and hands it to the lawyer.
Okay says the lawyer, your turn. She asks the lawyer, "What goes up ahillwith three legs and comes down with four legs?" The lawyer, puzzled,takesout his laptop computer and searches all his references, no answer. Hetapsinto the air phone with his modem and searches the net and the library ofcongress, no answer. Frustrated, he sends e-mails to all his friends andcoworkers, to no avail.
After an hour, he wakes the blonde, and hands her $500.00. The blondesays,"Thank you," and turns back to get some more sleep.
The lawyer, who is more than a little miffed, wakes the blonde and asks,"Well, what's the answer? "Without a word, the blonde reaches into herpurse, hands the lawyer $5.00, and goes back to sleep.