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=== Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:Article of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
=== Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:Article of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
[[Image:Tapping_coherer.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Classic "tapping" form of a glass tube "filings coherer".]]A '''[[coherer]]''' is a type of [[radio]] detector, popular in the earliest days of radio development, beginning around 1890. Coherer receivers, used in conjunction with [[spark-gap]] transmitters, were the first devices to make radio communication practical. However, although hailed at the time as a "marvelous electric eye", their relative insensitivity and unreliability led to their replacement by more sophisticated detectors, so the device that helped create a communications revolution disappeared from commercial use by around 1905.
[[image:Benfranklin.jpg|150px|thumb|Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (circa 1785) by [[Joseph Siffred Duplessis]] ]]
'''Benjamin Franklin''' (1706-1790), known as "the First American", was an American statesman whose efforts were critical to the success of the [[American Revolution]] and the unification of the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] into a new nation.  Serving as the American minister to France, he secured decisive military and financial support during the Revolution, while asserting the values of democracy and [[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]]. He assisted [[Thomas Jefferson]] in writing the [[Declaration of Independence]] in 1776 and helped legitimize the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1787. His effective diplomacy, creative nationalism, promotion of civic virtue and devotion to [[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]] earned him high rank as a Founding Father.


The defining characteristic of a coherer detector is a "light-contact" segment that is normally a poor electrical conductor, but which undergoes a sudden change in conductivity &mdash; usually a marked increase &mdash; in response to increased voltage, including that induced by a received radio signal. A limitation of coherers is that they cannot be used for full audio reception of radio signals, and are limited to receiving simple on-off transmissions, such as the telegraphic dots-and-dashes of Morse code produced by the intermittent keying of a transmitter.
Franklin was also a world class scientist during the [[Enlightenment]], famed for his discoveries in [[electricity]] and his invention of the [[lightning]] rod.  He was also a noted printer and civic leader in Philadelphia.
<font size=1>[[Coherer|['''more...''']]]</font>
<font size=1>[[Benjamin Franklin|['''more...''']]]</font>


=== New Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:New Draft of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
=== New Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:New Draft of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
[[Image:Whale-meat-dish.jpg|right|thumb|200px|{{#ifexist:Template:Whale-meat-dish.jpg/credit|{{Whale-meat-dish.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Whale meat is considered a delicacy in [[Japan]]. Here, the meat has been sliced into a strip of 'whale bacon'.]]
[[Image:Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.jpg|left|thumb|150px|{{#ifexist:Template:Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.jpg/credit|{{Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Colonel Benjamin Thompson, FRS, in British army uniform. Painting by Thomas Gainsborough 1783]]
'''[[Whale meat]]''' refers to the edible flesh of various [[species]] of [[whale]]. It can be prepared and eaten in various ways, and for example forms one part of traditional [[Japan]]ese cuisine (鯨肉 ''gei niku'' 'whale meat'). Servings also appear on menus in [[Norway]] and [[Iceland]], where whales are also [[whaling|hunted]], and also some [[Aboriginal]] communities take whales for their [[meat]].
'''Count Rumford''' (born '''Benjamin Thompson''', 1753&ndash;1814) was an American born soldier, statesman, scientist, inventor and social reformer. He is most famous for his scientific work, publishing over seventy papers mostly related to [[light]], [[heat]], food, and [[cooking]].  During his time in the military, his work with cannons led him to discover that [[friction]] can generate an inexhaustible amount of heat, which challenged the [[caloric theory]] that regarded heat as a substance.


In recent years, however, concerns have been raised about the levels of [[pollution|pollutants]] in samples of whale meat,<ref>''[[New Scientist]]'': '[http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2362-extreme-mercury-levels-revealed-in-whalemeat-.html Extreme mercury levels revealed in whalemeat]'. 6th June 2002.</ref> and many people around the world object to the hunting and eating of whales and [[dolphin]]s. In turn, pro-whaling representatives have argued that eating whale meat is more [[global warming|environmentally friendly]] than consuming meat raised from [[cattle]].
Thompson's other career achievements include attaining the rank of colonel in the British army, being elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] in England in 1779, being knighted by [[King George III]] in 1781, and being ennobled to Count of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] by the Duke of Bavaria in 1792.
<font size=1>[[Whale meat|['''more...''']]]</font>
<font size=1>[[Count Rumford|['''more...''']]]</font>
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Revision as of 19:22, 1 April 2008

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Draft of the Week [ about ]

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (circa 1785) by Joseph Siffred Duplessis

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), known as "the First American", was an American statesman whose efforts were critical to the success of the American Revolution and the unification of the 13 colonies into a new nation. Serving as the American minister to France, he secured decisive military and financial support during the Revolution, while asserting the values of democracy and republicanism. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and helped legitimize the U.S. Constitution in 1787. His effective diplomacy, creative nationalism, promotion of civic virtue and devotion to republicanism earned him high rank as a Founding Father.

Franklin was also a world class scientist during the Enlightenment, famed for his discoveries in electricity and his invention of the lightning rod. He was also a noted printer and civic leader in Philadelphia. [more...]

New Draft of the Week [ about ]

PD Image
Colonel Benjamin Thompson, FRS, in British army uniform. Painting by Thomas Gainsborough 1783

Count Rumford (born Benjamin Thompson, 1753–1814) was an American born soldier, statesman, scientist, inventor and social reformer. He is most famous for his scientific work, publishing over seventy papers mostly related to light, heat, food, and cooking. During his time in the military, his work with cannons led him to discover that friction can generate an inexhaustible amount of heat, which challenged the caloric theory that regarded heat as a substance.

Thompson's other career achievements include attaining the rank of colonel in the British army, being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in England in 1779, being knighted by King George III in 1781, and being ennobled to Count of the Holy Roman Empire by the Duke of Bavaria in 1792. [more...]

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