Development, Frameworks and Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Development, Frameworks and Methods - Essay Example Since 1983, cellular phones have evolved from what was Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to the current iPhone 5 (Burgess, & Burgess, 2012). Besides the initial models lacking the many incorporated features, they were also bigger in size with protruding antennae compared to the current models. The phones also weighed much compared to the current ones. From basic conversation gadgets, cellular phones were later designed to take up more tasks including multimedia functions. This was a milestone achievement in the history of phones and no one could envisage any other advancement. In that era, phones were used to take personal images and record fascinating event in occasions like wedding and parties (Burgess, & Burgess, 2012). It is true that technology never stops to evolve. After the amazing feature in the history of the phone, another functionality was invented. The phone could now be used to access internet by either mobile broadband or Wi-Fi. Again, it was astonishing that computer based services could now be accessed using cell phones. This technology made it possible for the phone users to keep track of the word breaking news and to explore the various internet social sites like Facebook and twitter (Kling, 2010). Access to information was widened and just by having a phone, one could get direct access to all the information they needed. This technology made it possible to believe that cell phones could be made to suit any human need. Currently, cell phones can be used as Global Positioning Devices (GPS) that are able to receive satellite signals. In this regard, current position and location of the phones can be determined. This technology has been used to trace stolen or missing phones (Kling, 2010). It has been used to track criminals for apprehension by providing the exact longitude and latitude where the device is on the earth surface. GPS

Appalachian Mountain Top Removal (strip mining) Essay

Appalachian Mountain Top Removal (strip mining) - Essay Example Everyone is aware of the dangers of black lung and cave-ins, but the coal has to be brought out at any cost. The long-suffering people in these company towns buried deep in the folded mountains and valleys of the Appalachians are the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, like most legends, the realities of modern coal mining have relegated these people to the realm of fiction. Thanks to mining methods such as Mountain Top Removal (MTR), the coal industry barely needs people at all anymore. MTR became a popular method of mining coal in the 1970’s. Traditional deep shaft mining using lots of skilled labor and traditional techniques had been growing increasingly expensive due to increasing labor costs and safety regulations. Large coal companies began to use a technique commonly called â€Å"strip mining†, where the overburden covering the coal seams was entirely removed. This method allowed for the extraction of large amounts of coal using machinery instead of human labor. This is more economical for the company but provides fewer jobs for the people most affected by the mining. MTR is much like strip mining except it happens on a massive scale. The nature of this type of mining has lead to devastating consequences for the environment, economy and society surrounding these mines. MTR in the Appalachian region, centering on the states of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky is largely a product of the geology of the area. Through geologic time, the Appalachian Mountains have been folded and compressed. Coal seams often follow the general topography of the surrounding mountains. Traditional methods of mining involved an angled shaft that penetrated overlying resistant rock in an effort to get at the coal seam. In MTR, the entire top of a ridge is blasted away, exposing the seam. The seam is then worked from top to bottom and down slope using massive dragline and excavation machinery. The environmental