Movable books: The precursors to Pop-Ups

 (1) Toward the end of the Middle Ages, Europe saw the advent of numerous inventions that revolutionized the technology of the day. As early as the fifteenth century, books were designed with ingenious devices that allowed a reader to discover more on a page than what first met the eye. Some pages contained flaps that could be peeled back to reveal hidden (2) illustrations, others incorporated discs that rotated, showing information through windows cut into the page. At the height of their popularity, books with moving pieces contained elements such as tabs that linked dynamic parts on a page, interconnected slats of paper that morphed one illustration into another as they were pulled, and (3) illustrations indicative of skilled artisanship.

One of the early masters of the movable book (4) were German artist and illustrator Lothar Meggendorfer (1847-1925). Meggendorfer invented a way of connecting individual pieces of an illustration with tiny hidden rivets and springs so they could all be moved together. (5) For example, when a reader pulls one tab in Meggendorfer's book Always Jolly, a (6) naturalists' arm swings a butterfly net downward just as the butterfly takes off from a (7) flower. This causes the would-be lepidopterist's mouth to drop open and his eyes to look up in dismay.

The book starts with a warning to children to be gentle when pulling the tabs because they are made of only paper: "And therefore, I advise, That care and caution should be paid, Lest woe and grief arise." The rest of the book consists of eight poems (8) in agreement with eight movable figures, including a lion who reiterates the warning to handle the book carefully. With his mouth opening and closing, displaying his (9) fangs. The lion assures any children reading the book that he intends them no harm; rather, it is the reader who "May tear the Lion in your play, By being rough to him one day."

Movable books were works of art, made largely by hand and assembled from specialized materials by skilled artisans. Meggendorfer created a model of each book in its entirety. Once he was satisfied with the arrangement of the moving pieces and other details, he (10) is providing the artisans with elaborately detailed instructions for how to assemble each page. The illustrations were produced through a refined printing process that resulted in beautiful colors and great detail; however, the labor-intensive production kept the price of the books too high for any but the wealthiest patrons.

Fortunately, these incredible feats of engineering and artistry can still be seen-moving-in videos on the Internet. (11) The Internet is an excellent tool for learning about and sharing important feats from history.

Monopolizing "The Landlord's Game"

Monopoly is one of the best known board games in the world, having been licensed in at least 114 countries and produced in more than 47 languages since its introduction by Parker Brothers in 1935. Monopoly players use colorful play (12) money, to buy and develop properties on a game board. Other players who land on the properties are charged rent, (13) uplifting the property owner, who can then buy and develop more properties.

(14) Initially, one player bankrupts all the others and wins the game. By rewarding players who are successful in (15) taking money from the other players and using that money to make even more, Monopoly seems to celebrate the cutthroat, winner-take-all competition that many associate with modern capitalism. However, Elizabeth Magie, the creator of the game on which Monopoly was based, (16) wanted to change the world.

Magie was a follower of Henry George, an economist who taught that private ownership of resources common to all, such as land, is both unjust and detrimental: such a system enables a lucky few (the landlords) to prosper, while all others (the tenants) are exploited and impoverished.  The purpose of "The landlord's Game," which Magic patented in 1904, was to spread George's ideas: as she explained, the game was a "practical demonstration of the present system of land-grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences." Although George and Magie were dismissed by many as anti-capitalist radicals, (17) however a look at the history of Monopoly suggests that she may have had a point-one that still resonates today.

In addition to the "winner-take-all" concept familiar to Monopoly players, Magie's original game featured a second set of rules allowing players to share the (18) game's property's, bringing equal benefits to all. (19) Players also created alternate versions of the game, modifying game boards to suit their own interests. But all this variety came to an end in the 1930s. An unemployed salesman named Charles (20) Darrow sensed a moneymaking opportunity, designing a game board of his own, penned a single set of standard rules, and enlisted the help of a printer to have boards made quickly. In 1935 Parker Brothers purchased the rights to Darrow's Monopoly and paid off the holders of patents for any similar games. The deal made millions for Parker Brothers and Darrow and about $500 for (21) Magie effectively illustrating the very point her game was attempting to teach. It is a lesson worth reflecting on as the economy continues to produce  (22) ridiculous remuneration for a few, and for most everyone else, the "usual outcomes and consequences."

Insulation Work Is Heating Up

The goal of reducing energy costs has brought fresh attention to a feature of buildings that usually goes unseen: insulation, the layer of material inside (23) walls; under floors and around pipes, help prevent heat loss. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, updating a building's insulation and adjusting the amount used can lower energy costs by about 15 percent. Homeowners, business owners, and (24) in municipalities are not only upgrading the insulation of existing buildings but also installing new types of insulation in new eco-friendly buildings. Their efforts are creating opportunities for insulation workers.

There are two main types of insulation workers: floor, ceiling, and wall insulators, who install insulation in private residences, and mechanical insulators, who work primarily in commercial buildings. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects both types to see (25) in the coming years. The number of floor, ceiling, and wall insulator jobs is anticipated to increase between 2012 and 2022 — (26) a gain of 26 percent. Mechanical insulator jobs should see even greater gains, with a 47 percent increase in jobs by 2022. The expected growth rate of (27) insulation jobs as a whole will reach 38%. Indeed, the number of jobs for insulation workers may ultimately increase even more than projected because the field is changing in ways that provide additional opportunities. For example, many customers, those working on new building projects, are requesting nontoxic insulation materials made from renewable resources. For years, workers have used a sprayable polyurethane foam that is relatively inexpensive and easy to apply. (28) Meanwhile, this foam is made from a nonrenewable resource, petroleum, and has been deemed (29) unsuitable for use by environmentally conscious building groups. These groups are instead recommending cotton denim insulation, which (30) is made from industrial (31) scraps; or cellulose insulation, composed of recycled paper and natural fibers. Both of these materials are safe, low in toxins, and sustainable. (32) They are less difficult to remove from homes than polyurethane foam, requiring specialized equipment and additional workers to mix and apply the materials.

It seems likely that workers who are skilled in installing these new materials will be in great demand in the coming years. Devin O'Brien, owner of a New York insulation (33) company— says bio-based insulation materials and eco-friendly buildings are "the future of the industry." It's a future that looks very bright for insulation workers.

Neither Wind nor Ice nor Gloom of Night

On April 11,1934, the staff at Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire began to experience meteorological conditions that were extraordinary, even in a place that bills itself as the "home of the world's worst weather." Rising high above the other peaks in the Presidential Range at the nexus of several storm paths, Mount Washington routinely experiences hurricane- force winds, below-zero (34) temperatures: and year-round snow. Still, as two intense systems-a high-pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean and a low-pressure system over the Great Lakes-converged near the summit, the observers knew that (35) he or she might witness a unique weather event.

The observatory workers woke up on April 11 to clear skies, (36) facing the first day since crew member Robert Stone had been taken down the mountain for medical attention for his bruised hip. A steep pressure difference developed over a very short (37) distance; driving winds to extreme speeds and contributing to the formation of a foot-thick layer of rime (a type of ice). (38) The staff members waited to see if conditions would continue to deteriorate, and the observatory's anemometer, a pinwheel-like apparatus used for measuring wind speed, had previously (39) malfunctioned because of excessive winds and accumulations of ice.

With a new anemometer that was electrically heated and tightly anchored to the roof, the scientists now had a device that could withstand an extreme storm.[1] As the wind speed rose to 136 miles per hour (mph), the researchers wondered whether the intensifying winds would reach record speeds. [2] At 4:00 a.m. on April 12, one researcher, Wendell Stephenson, woke from a short nap to find that the anemometer reading had fallen to 105 mph. [3] Stephenson could tell from the noise outside that the wind gotten stronger while he was asleep, and he reasoned that the anemometer, despite its improved design, was not working properly. [4] He put on his winter gear, picked up a club used for dislodging ice, and (40) has opened the door to go outside. [5] Back inside, (41) his efforts, he learned, had been successful; the readings now showed that the wind speed was approaching the previous site record of 164 mph.  [6] In fact, that record was shattered: at 1:21 p.m., The station recorded a new world-record wind speed of 231 mph. (42)

Though automated instruments have since recorded higher speeds in cyclones, the 1934 record stands to this (43) day. It stands as the highest wind speed measured by human observers. (44) However, Mount Washington Observatory continues to operate as the staff carries on the work of recording and studying weather data using newer equipment but remaining inspired by the past-those scientists who came before.