Archive for October, 2007

Pull switch

Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

A pull switch is a switch that is actuated by means of a chain or string.

An electric pull switch is attached to a toggle type switch: one pull to switch on and next pull to switch off.

The most common use of a pull switch is to operate an electric light. The ceiling fan is another appliance often operated by pull switches. Pull switches may be either two position (open and closed) or multi-position (allowing for different fan speeds or levels of illumination).

In a damp environment, electrical pull switches have a safety advantage because the user is separated from the electricity by a significant distance.

Most commercially available pull switches use a short length of ball chain, which may then be connected to any number of optional leads for added length or decoration. Leads for decoration or utility are usually made of metal or plastic. They can come in many different shapes ranging from animals, geometric shapes, or look just like a weight.


See also

  • Light switch


External links

  • Image of a pull switch.
  • Fan Pulls

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Gesamtkunstwerk

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

Gesamtkunstwerk (”total,” “integrated,” or “complete artwork”) is a German term attributed to the German opera composer Richard Wagner which refers to an operatic performance encompassing music, theater, and the visual arts. Wagner felt that in ancient Greek tragedy, these had been fused, but at some point they drifted apart — he was critical of the opera of his time which he felt emphasized the music too heavily and did not contain quality drama.

The term, which might also be translated “synthesis of the arts,” is commonly used (especially by Germans) to describe any integration of multiple art forms.

The term is also used in architecture to describe a building where every part is designed to be part of a whole.

Wagner placed great importance on “mood setting” elements, such as a darkened theater, sound effects, and seating arrangements which focused the attention of the audience on the stage, completely immersing them in the imaginary world of the music drama. These concepts were revolutionary at the time, but they have since come to be taken for granted in the modern operatic environment.

This term was also used by the Vienna Secessionists to describe their ultimate aesthetic goal.

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Park Theatre

Saturday, October 6th, 2007

Park Theatre or Park Theater may refer to:

  • Park Theatre (Manhattan), opened 1798, destroyed 1848
  • Park Theatre (Brooklyn)
  • Park Theatre (Estes Park) in Colorado
  • Park Theatre (Vancouver), located at West 18th Avenue and Cambie Street.

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Dominion Chair Company

Friday, October 5th, 2007

Dominion Chair Company is the name commonly used to refer to the wooden furniture manufacturing company that operated from 1860 to 1989 in Bass River, Nova Scotia, Canada. The company still operates a general store.

The hand-crafted furniture produced at Dominion Chair (as it is locally known) was sold to retailers throughout Canada and the northeastern U.S.. The company employed between 40 and 70 from the local area at any one time from the late 19th century to its end. At the time of their founding the Maritime home furnishings retailer Bass River Chairs choice their company name because of their then retailing Dominion Chair furniture.

George Fulton and William Fulton, brothers and great-grandsons of the first settler of Bass River, “Judge” James Fulton, began by making wood furniture out of their home in 1860. (Hemeon, 1987) George continued by founding a “joint stock company” in 1875, naming it Union Furniture and Merchandise Company. (Ibid) The name Dominion Chair Company Limited was adopted in 1903. Operations continued despite at least five devastating fires, a severe explosion, a four-month long general strike of workers in the 1979, and a change in ownership that resulted in a further name change in 1985. A sixth fire in February 1989, completely destroying the plant’s main building and facilities, did irreparable damage to company’s ability to operate. Manufacturing was moved briefly to nearby Debert where operations ceased in the mid 1990s.


References

  • S. Ward Hemeon. History of Bass River, Nova Scotia. 1987: (unpublished manuscript)

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