Environmental Issue raised in the Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling

Environmental Issue raised in the Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling In the article, â€Å"Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling†, weather change was the major environmental issue affecting the United States. This change comes in different forms such as vicious storms, famine and high temperature, which have adverse effects on the nation’s infrastructure (Wald and Schwartz par. 1).Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Environmental Issue raised in the â€Å"Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Notably, the environment is susceptible to human and natural activities; for instance, the heavy construction of highways in the country affects the natural ecosystem. In addition, the article indicated that the nuclear power plant in Illinois affects the natural attributes of the environment due to the consequences of reacting components. There are considerable environmental effects arising from complicated engineeri ng, steel and concrete works in the US, which have altered of natural ecosystem (New York Times 1). The article further outlines the affects of asphalts on the landscape. For example, the condition interferes with the flight operations because jets sometimes stick in the asphalts, thus threatening the human life (Wald and Schwartz par. 2). Similarly, train operations are also affected by the stretching of the track. This means that the environmental disasters could pose danger to the human life and interfere with the natural aspects of the ecosystem. Another observation in the article was its revelation that the excess heat interferes with the behavior of clay soil, especially those found beneath the highways. This condition makes the soil shrink (Wald and Schwartz par. 2). Consequently, it affects the roads since they crack to adjust to the weather conditions, thus becoming risky to the users. As outlined in the article, the other effect of heat on the environment was that it could lead to unprecedented expansion of certain sections of the highway.Advertising Looking for article on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This expansion sometimes goes beyond the planned limits and the force excreted from each end could lead to jarring and other dangerous speed bumps, which alter the traffic flow in the affected areas. The article also pointed out that the intense heat affects the grid, a situation that increases changes in the environment. For instance, the temperature of a water pond in Chicago that was used to cool the units in a nuclear plant increased to a high of 102 degrees, which has serious consequences on the aquatic life (Wald and Schwartz par. 3). Since the temperature of the pond should only reach 100 degrees, an increase beyond this limit is environmentally disastrous. The other aspect of the environmental issue that was presented in the article was the devastating s torms, flood and forest in some areas of the United States. For example, the article highlighted the flooding in New Orleans, which brought several damages to the environment and the inhabitants of the area, such as washing away bridges, roads, plants and loss of human life (Wald and Schwartz par. 8). On the other hand, the forest fires and storms were attributed to prolonged drought and intense heat respectively. They create environmental disasters in the areas affected, thus must be controlled. Solutions to the Environmental Issues According to the article, the author proposed that since extreme weather patterns effect environment and the country’s infrastructure, the construction of highways and nuclear plants should be done while considering such extreme episodes (Wald and Schwartz par. 4). For example, the designs for roads and railway tracks should consider the seasonal changes in rainfall and temperature because this could help minimize their affects on the environment . It could also reduce the amount of money wasted on the construction of highways on disaster prone areas.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Environmental Issue raised in the â€Å"Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More New York Times, Environment. 7 Aug. 2012. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/section/climate Wald, Mathew and J. Schwartz. Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling, 25 Jul. 2012. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/us/rise-in-weather-extremes-threatens-infrastructure.html?_r=1ref=earth

The Early History of the Internet

The Early History of the Internet On a cold war kind of day in 1969, work began on ARPAnet, the grandfather to the Internet. Designed as a computer version of the nuclear bomb shelter, ARPAnet protected the flow of information between military installations by creating a network of geographically separated computers that could exchange information via a newly developed technology called NCP or Network Control Protocol. ARPA  stands for the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a branch of the military that developed top secret systems and weapons during the Cold War. But Charles M. Herzfeld, the former director of ARPA, stated that ARPAnet was not created due to military needs and that it â€Å"came out of our frustration that there were only a limited number of large, powerful research computers in the country and that many research investigators who should have access were geographically separated from them.   Originally, there were only four computers connected when ARPAnet was created. They were located in the respective computer research labs of UCLA (Honeywell DDP 516 computer), Stanford Research Institute (SDS-940 computer), University of California, Santa Barbara (IBM 360/75) and the University of Utah (DEC PDP-10). The first data exchange over this new network occurred between computers at UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute. On their first attempt to log into Stanfords computer by typing log win, UCLA researchers crashed their computer when they typed the letter g. As the network expanded, different models of computers were connected, which created compatibility problems. The solution rested in a better set of protocols called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) that were designed in 1982. The protocol worked by breaking data into IP (Internet Protocol) packets, like individually addressed digital envelopes. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) then makes sure the packets are delivered from client to server and reassembled in the right order. Under ARPAnet, several major innovations occurred. Some examples are  email  (or electronic mail), a system that allows for simple messages to be sent to another person across the network (1971), telnet, a remote connection service for controlling a computer (1972) and file transfer protocol (FTP), which allows information to be sent from one computer to another in bulk (1973). And as non-military uses for the network increased, more and more people had access and it was no longer safe for military purposes. As a result, MILnet, a military only network, was started in 1983. Internet Protocol software was soon being placed on every type of computer. Universities and research groups also began using in-house networks known as  Local Area Networks  or LANs. These in-house networks then started using Internet Protocol software so one LAN could connect with other LANs. In 1986, one LAN branched out to form a new competing network called NSFnet (National Science Foundation  Network). NSFnet first linked together the five national supercomputer centers, then every major university. Over time, it started to replace the slower ARPAnet, which was finally shutdown in 1990. NSFnet formed the backbone of what we call the Internet today. Here’s a quote from the U.S. Department report The Emerging Digital Economy: The Internets pace of adoption eclipses all other technologies that preceded it. Radio was in existence 38 years before 50 million people tuned in; TV took 13 years to reach that benchmark. Sixteen years after the first PC kit came out, 50 million people were using one. Once it was opened to the general public, the Internet crossed that line in four years.