Fire Protection Engineering in the 21st Century Essay Example for Free

Fire Protection Engineering in the 21st Century Essay Abstract Fire protection engineering is the application of scientific and engineering principles to protect people, their property, and their environment from the destructive effects of fire. Fire protection engineers are involved in almost all aspects of fire safety and fire prevention. Among their function is the design, review and recommendation of fire prevention systems, which has two classifications: active and passive. Active fire protection systems react to conditions created by fire, such as increase in temperature or smoke, and act to extinguish the flame. Passive fire protection systems are incorporated in the structural design of the building to prevent spread of fire or smoke, and to prevent structural collapse. Fire protection engineers also adhere to building and fire safety codes. They also participate in the development of these codes, as well as review and enforce them. Fire protection engineers also predict fire behavior by simulating fire conditions through modeling. By this process, certain characteristics of the fire can be predicted. Models may simulate the development of a fire inside an enclosure, look at activation times of output systems such as thermal and smoke detectors, simulate egress situations, or measure the ability of a building to withstand fire. Risk assessments are also done by fire protection engineers and involve hazard analysis, consequence analysis and likelihood analysis. Fire investigation nowadays also involves fire protection engineers that can construct the scene before and during the fire. Fire Engineering 5 I. Introduction Fire protection engineering, the application of scientific and engineering principles to protect people, their property and their environment from fires, is used interchangeably with fire engineering and fire safety engineering. Although this paper uses â€Å"fire protection engineering† to simplify terminologies, it should also be understood that it likewise refers to the two latter terms, except in instances wherein there is a need for differentiation. Several centuries ago, the primary aim of fire protection engineering is to prevent fires, which in those days, has the possibility to devastate entire cities (Hurley 2006). In the 1900’s, the objective of fire protection engineering is to contain a fire in its building of origin. As technology advances, this objective has evolved to containing the fire in the room or object of origin. Towards the end of the twentieth century however, fire protection engineering has evolved to become a professional discipline having its own set of principles (Lucht 1989 cited in Hurley 2006). II. Professional Definition of Fire Protection Engineering Fire protection engineering is the employment of science and technology to protect people and their environment from destructive fires. Some of these principles include design of fire protection systems, analysis of fire hazards, carrying out of risk assessment, fire modeling and post-fire investigation and analysis. Fire protection engineers also review fire protection systems, participate in third-party review of fire protection designs, as well as participate in development of codes that would protect life and property from fire. Furthermore, they may also be called upon to interpret and enforce existing building and fire codes (Koffel 2003). During the design phase of a building, fire protection engineers may work with architects and other engineers to ensure a fire-safe structure. They make Fire Engineering 6 recommendations for cost-effective fire protection solutions to guarantee that the building and its occupants are adequately protected (Society of Fire Protection Engineers 2008). According to a roundtable discussion by fire protection engineers from all over the globe regarding the international practice of fire protection engineering, such a description is true of fire protection engineers in the United States wherein fire protection engineering and fire safety engineering is taken to be the same. According to Koffel (2003), who facilitated the discussion, such a broad definition is differentiated in Australia where fire protection engineers and fire safety engineers offer distinct services. Fire protection engineers are those that design active fire protection systems such as sprinklers, and fire detection and alarm systems according to the appropriate standards. This task is usually done by mechanical engineers who have specialized in active fire protection systems. The design of passive fire protection systems, which are usually incorporated as part of the structural design of a building, is specified by structural engineers and architects. Fire safety engineers, on the other hand, are those that develop fire safety strategies for a building or facility. The same is true in the United Kingdom where â€Å"fire protection engineering† is not a common term. That term is also generally used for those who design and install active fire protection systems. Fire safety engineers are those that assist in the design of buildings and structures in order to meet the life safety requirements of the law. Such requirements in the design include means of escape, structural fire resistance, internal and external fire spread, fire spread through cavities and internal openings, and access and facilities for fire service. Let it be reiterated, however, that for the rest of the paper, fire protection engineering refers to the broad description used in the United States. By training, education and experience, a fire protection engineer is expected to be familiar with the nature and characteristics of fire, analyze how fire starts, how it grows and Fire Engineering 7 affect people, buildings and property, and how it can be detected, controlled and extinguished (Hurley 2006; Society of Fire Protection Engineers 2008). Furthermore, they should be able to anticipate the behavior of buildings, structure and apparatus so as to better prevent life and property from fire. III. Fire Protection Systems In the event of a fire in a building, the protection of the occupants as well as of property is accomplished by a combination of active and passive means. Active fire protection systems are only used when fire is already present. Such systems are usually activated by a combination of sensors or mechanical means (Evans et al. 2005). A sprinkler system, a smoke alarm and a fire defence are just a few examples of active fire protection systems. Passive fire protection systems, on the other hand, insulate a structure by increasing its fire resistance. These systems become an integral part of the building layout and construction materials, and include (but not limited to) compartmentation and fire barriers, stairways for rapid evacuation, and spray-on fire proofing. Both systems are complimentary, not competitive (Cafco International 2007). The law recognises them as being able to (and should) work together to ensure safety in the event of fire. A. Active Fire Protection Systems The most common active fire protection systems used inside buildings are fire alarm systems, smoke control systems, water sprinklers, and portable fire extinguishers and hose reels. Each of these will be discussed in detail in the succeeding discussion. A. 1 Fire Detection and Alarm Systems The purpose fire alarm systems is to detect fires, alert the occupants, send for emergency rescue, and provide information that will facilitate emergency response (Evans et al. 2005). These systems have several main functions depending on the fire scenario, the type Fire Engineering 8 of building, the number of occupants and criticality of content and mission (Artim 2007). First, they provide a means to recognize a developing fire, either by manual or automatic means. Second, they notify building occupants to the fire condition and the necessity of evacuation. Third, they may also transmit signal to emergency responders such as the fire station to alert them of the building’s condition. They may also be used to shut down electrical and air handling equipment, and may be used to set off automatic suppression systems. The control panel is considered the fundamental component of any fire detection and alarm system. Its function is to monitor the â€Å"input† devices, such as the components that detect smoke and fire and then activates the alarm â€Å"outputs† such as horns, bells, warning lights, emergency telephone dialers, and building controls (Artim 2007). Although human beings are excellent fire detectors as they are normally equipped with senses that can detect smoke, heat, flame and odor, they can, in some cases, become an unreliable detection method. A person may not be present during the fire, may not raise an alarm effectively or may not be in perfect health to perceive fire signals. It is for these reasons that automatic fire detectors have been developed. There are many kinds of automatic fire detectors; the most commonly used are thermal detectors, smoke detectors and flame detectors.

Style and Supervenience :: Technology Computers Computer Essays

Style and Supervenience ABSTRACT: Cope's Computers and Musical Style (1991) describes a computer program that allegedly can represent and replicate musical styles solely on the basis of compositions that have been entered into it. If this claim is correct, then it must be that an oeuvre ¡Ã‚ ¦s stylistic characteristics locally supervene on its textual features, which roughly means that its stylistic properties are entirely determined by its textual properties. In my paper I argue that stylistic properties do not locally supervene on textual properties, and thus that neither Cope ¡Ã‚ ¦s program nor any other that essentially works like it can represent or replicate styles. Cope (1991) describes a computer program that allegedly can represent and replicate musical styles solely on the basis of compositions that have been entered into it (ix, xi ¡Xall page-references are to Cope 1991). If this claim is correct, then it must be that an oeuvre ¡Ã‚ ¦s stylistic characteristics locally supervene on its textual features, which roughly means that its stylistic properties are entirely determined by its textual properties. This paper argues that stylistic properties do not locally supervene on textual properties, and thus that neither Cope ¡Ã‚ ¦s program nor any other that essentially works like it can represent or replicate styles. 1. Cope's Composing Computer David Cope is a composer and music theorist who got interested in the applications of computer science to music. The direct cause of his interest was a composer ¡Ã‚ ¦s block; this made him turn to computer programming in the hope to find a  ¡Ã‚ ¥composing partner ¡Ã‚ ¦ (18). Eventually his search resulted in a program he termed Experiments in Musical Intelligence (EMI). Let me briefly sketch what EMI does and how it works. What EMI does is easily explained: musical data, like for instance a number of Mozart piano-sonatas, are (in coded form) fed into the computer, which then outputs new musical material. This new material is then hoped to be and, according to Cope, also often is, in the style of the music that was entered. How the program works is not so easily explained, but the following simplified account will do for the purposes of this paper (cf. 152ff for details). The two most important components of EMI are a pattern-matcher and a so-called Augmented Transition Network. The first searches for common patterns in the works that have gone into the computer, and stores these in a  ¡Ã‚ ¥style dictionary ¡Ã‚ ¦ (together with a weight, indicating how  ¡Ã‚ ¥common ¡Ã‚ ¦ they are).

Rock ‘N’ Hip, Hop ‘N’ Roll, and the Integration of Music

From bell bottoms to Barbies, every generation has its own distinct trends. While various fads have cropped up in each era, music has always been a key element of culture. Starting in the 1950’s, music became integrated within the American culture as the favored form of expression. The popular types of music found on the Top 100 lists today however, have changed dramatically since then. What has promoted this obvious change in music choice? While rock ‘n’ roll still holds its own in the music billboards of 2010, the general public now prefers the mechanical sounds of hip hop and pop. So which trends in music and in thought made the rebellious rock ‘n’ roll such a craze in the 1950’s, but not now? Each era has had specific trends, schools of thought and attitudes that have veered them into a specific genre of music. Rockin’ Out Before 1950, the American culture held firm social expectations. Males were expected to enroll into the military or work, and women were expected to stay in the kitchen. America was pulling out of the depression, and wealth and prosperity was not considered a necessity. As the United States prevailed in World War II however, America started to change startlingly. While many people were focused on conforming with their neighbors, the social structure was revolutionized. Soldiers returned, many experiencing traumatic psychological and physical problems. Women who had integrated themselves into the work force now found themselves replaced by returning soldiers. Most importantly, families started experiencing a great deal of economic independence. This increasing affluence gave teenagers a chance to break away from their parents’ lifestyles. Teens started creating their own clothing trends, dance fads, and hairstyles (Cox). As these new fads and styles starting breaking away from social norms, rock ‘n’ roll became the sound of change. Conservative parents viewed rock ‘n’ roll, and the hip gyrations that came with it, as a gift from the devil. Despite their parents protestations however, teenagers idolized musicians like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis. So what made rock ‘n’ roll the epitome of 1950 culture? Four recording companies-Decca, R. C. A. , Columbia and Capital-had a virtual monopoly over the popular music field in the early 1950’s. This control made rock ‘n’ roll wildly popular, simply because there was no competition (Lewis 47). As the 1950’s went on, their control weakened, yet rock ‘n’ roll still prevailed as the dominant music genre. A contributing factor to its increasing popularity was the lack of musicians being schooled in theory, technique and composition. Rock ‘n’ roll paved a golden road for a small, charismatic group of people. They provided music rapidly to the American public, without having to compose masterpieces rivaling the music of Bach, Liszt and Debussy. Rock ‘n’ roll also created an easy and fun way to express complex emotions through beating rhythms and twisting ostinato patterns. Simon Anderson explains, â€Å"The amplified bass seems to produce a kind of second-level rumble, a subsidiary moaning and groaning, an incantation of the adolescent subculture, where no one really knows or cares how they feel about life. † This â€Å"incantation of the adolescent subculture† spoke to the class, gender and racial conflicts tearing through America at the time. Rock ‘n’ roll introduced the American white culture to black music. Teenagers soon became addicted to the rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll, all of which was black-inspired. The crossing of racial culture helped the disintegration of the color line. Appreciation of black music helped increase recognition of blacks in popular culture (Bertrand). Though the rhythms and beat of rock ‘n’ roll spoke to the carefree teenager life, often the lyrics promoted conventional values and strength in relationships. 83. 4% of songs in 1955 were love ballads in the conversational mode (Carey 723). Most songs told of lovers, yearning for each other in some type of sense. This theme reflects the attitudes of teenagers in the 1950’s, as this was the first generation people were allowed to marry for love. Women had more freedom to travel into the workplace and finally be on equal grounds with their husbands. Husbands did not have to leave their wives for war. Children had more autonomy as parents no longer dictated who and when they were going to love. However, as this freedom was increasingly integrated into American culture over time, the amount of love related songs dramatically dropped. In 1966, only 69. 5% of produced songs were about love and courtship (Carey 723). Rock ‘n’ roll provided the perfect form of expression in the 1950’s. It combined lyrical ties to radical social changes and catchy rhythms unique to its generation. What’s Hip Now? The change tearing through America in the 1950’s persists to this day. 2010 has brought a busier, more materialistic, culture than ever before. The trends of women working outside of the home and increasing teenage autonomy persists. American teenagers are given more discretionary time than ever before in history. Reed Larson studied this continuing trend and explains, â€Å"If we look back over the past 200 years, the most striking historic change in young people’s use of time is that youths spend much less time on labor activities today than they did in America’s agrarian past† (160). Some teenagers use this newfound source of time dedicated to structured voluntary activities such as sports, theatre, work, etc. others dedicate escalating amounts of time to mind-numbing entertainment. And with hundreds of new forms of mass media, it is hard to not get caught up in the technology tornado sweeping through the nation. The endless barrage of t. v. , facebook, internet sites, music, iPhone’s and iPod’s, video and computer games can easily overwhelm the distracted teenager. Mass media however, is not promoting enlightening or uplifting ideas or values. Instead, popular music now screams lyrics advocating ridiculous displays of wealth, substance abuse and the need for physical love. Top rated songs like â€Å"Billionaire,† â€Å"Raise Your Glass,† and â€Å"Low† are all examples of this. Misogynistic rap lyrics have become a dominant feature in the work of several artists. Often in hip-hop and pop music, â€Å"women serve as mindless props or accessories to be doused with expensive champagne or to shake their half-naked bodies to repetitive beats and sexist lyrics† (Murry 6). In Eminem’s recent hit to â€Å"I Love the Way You Lie,† his last verse reads, â€Å"I'm tired of the games/ I just want her back/ I know I'm a liar/ If she ever tries to f***ing leave again/ I'mma tie her to the bed/ And set the house on fire. Songs like this expressing control over women physically, sexually and emotionally predominate popular culture. How did songs depicting such unrealistic and immoral ideals become the rage in American teenage culture? Perhaps it is hip-hop’s diligent presence in pop culture. For the last two decades, hip-hop has â€Å"prided itself on being misunderstood; it lacks sentimentality and is not easily thwarted by moralizing efforts† (Murray 8). And for the last two decades, American teenagers have prided themselves on being misunderstood, and have not been easily thwarted by moralizing efforts. A mass culture trend has changed communication from the sincerity of face to face conversation to the simplicity of texting and Facebook. This has lead to a decrease in sentimentality and an increase in misunderstandings between people. Moral beliefs practiced by preceding generations have also disappeared. Ethics such as chastity, honesty and virtue have become unfashionable and undesirable. The change in lyrics from conventional love ballads in the 1950’s to the focus on money and sexual prizes reflects the changes in behavior and schools of thought throughout the generations. Lyrical Art The lyrics found in any genre of music influences the emotions of the listener (Krumhans 45). Martina McBride’s pop hit â€Å"Concrete Angel† is a fantastic example of emotion correlating with song lyrics. The heart-wrenching song tells the story of an little girl who is killed because of physical abuse in her home. The chorus reads, â€Å"Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone/ In a world that she can’t rise above/ But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place/ Where she’s loved/ Concrete Angel. Though the melody, key, tension or dynamics help create an emotional state throughout this song, the lyrics were what made this song so emotionally powerful. â€Å"Concrete Angel† acquires its emotional meaning through the association of events that the general audience can relate too. Though the majority of the listeners will not have experienced physical abuse first hand, they can sympathize because they are aware o f the emotional, physical and mental damage violence incurs. Musicians know of the power lyrics hold. Lyrics can tell stories that make hearts melt, enlighten schools of thought never explored before, or create strong physical reactions. But lyrics that the majority of the public can relate to, sell better. This is the reason why the general themes songs have expressed have changed so dramatically over the last sixty years. The teenagers in 1950 were just starting to experience economic prosperity and free love. To listen to music completely revolving around money and sex would be crossing a line they hadn’t invented yet. And the youth in 2010 will not easily relate to ballads focused around falling in love with that one person because most are not looking for one person to love. Both the love-bound lyrics of the 1950’s and the materialistic lyrics of pop songs today accurately reflect the culture they predominate. Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Several other factors influence what makes cultural music popular. Lyrics must be in a proper combination of rhythm, harmony, key, dissonance, tension and dynamics for a song to reach it’s full potential. Even the untrained ear can distinguish feelings associated with the mode of the piece. Major, fast paced songs are associated with happy feelings while minor, slow, soft songs are correlated with sad feelings. Dissonant, unstable, tense songs often invoke feelings of fear. These feelings can all be present without powerful lyrics. Much of the world’s music is instrumental, and most of these create powerful emotion in the listener (Krumahns 48). So which musical factors specifically influenced popular music in the 1950’s and today? The drumming beats found in most rock ‘n’ roll pieces created a powerful sound teenagers revolved around. The harsh rhythms, instability of sound and rockin’ dance moves associated with rock ‘n’ roll all helped increase its popularity. Popular music today features fast paced songs with mechanical sounds in the background. Songs incorporate an inordinate amount of words per second, often leaving the listener wondering what they just heard. In the new hit single â€Å"Love Like Woe,† the listener hears, â€Å"Cause I got some intuition/ Or maybe I’m superstitious/ But I think you’re a pretty sweet pill that I’m swallowing down/ To counter this addiction/ You’ve got me on a mission/ Tell me darling, can I get a break somehow? Could I say no? ,† all in a mere ten seconds. The fast pace of songs are easily correlated with the fast pace of teenagers lives today. Teenagers are expected to excel in school, extracurriculars, athletics, music, and family life all at the same time. Pop music is branching away from traditional instruments to a more machine based background. The popular song â€Å"Like a g6† even goes as far as making the chorus voices sound computerized. Classical music appreciation has severely declined and sounds symbolizing a mechanical, over the top life, have taken control of the musical industry. The Ensemble Musical preference is very much behavioral. In the words of Simon V. Anderson, â€Å"If music educators did not believe that musical preference is socially conditioned. . . They would not work in the public classrooms at all, but rather, they would spend their time and energy in the science laboratories searching for the virus . . . that impairs musical judgment† (39). Popular music preference has much to do with the language, values and beliefs of the teenagers perspective of popular culture. Trendy music will be the music that teenagers can relate to and create for them the feelings they desire. Music choice however also reflects how the music makes one feel while listening to it. Popular songs in 1950 and 2010 reflect the culture they predominate through the general theme of lyrics and background noises. In each culture, music has been a favored form of expression and creates emotion based on what the culture wants. As even now, popular culture changes from liking bell bottoms to skinny jeans and back again, pop music changes with it to accurately reflect the culture it has been rooted upon.

Gadamer’s On the Natural Inclination of Human Beings...

Gadamer’s On the Natural Inclination of Human Beings Toward Philosophy follows an idea that a desire for knowledge, in researching philosophy and sciences, can be related to Platos thaumazein, the idea of wonder. The specifically human function of thinking starts, not routinely or in merriment, but at †¦a point where something strikes us as alien because it runs counter to habitual expectation. (Gadamer 143) The fascination and wonderment towards ideas Gadamer claims, †¦comes to me above all in the face of the alien and the strange. (145). He is emphasizing that it is philosophy specifically, in the practice of thinking and understanding is susceptible by technology and contemporary society. Self-knowledge alone is capable of saving a†¦show more content†¦Our inclination stems from our need to fulfill that wonder, and in fact becomes much more of an important subject because of the growing need for instant gratification. He does call into question whether or not the definition of philosophy is the same as that of past philosophers. He is point of whether â€Å"†¦there (is) still time for leisure and for leisurely speculation about the insoluble questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (139) does resonate more now than when written in 1979. It’s amazing to see how well he predicted our growing dependency on technology when not much was to be known about how one lives in today’s â€Å"technology, instant-gratification, gimme-gimme† society. The overall idea of what philosophy is in itself a Greek idea. However, he strives to claim that even though the â€Å"old† idea for philosophy does not answer the current idea, it is still prevalent in different forms. As he explains, Plato’s â€Å"definition† states the well known Greek idea that the meaning is the â€Å"†¦incessant though constantly unfulfilled striving after truth, whereas knowing is for the gods.† (141) Being that Western ideas now take a different path of science, and that definition being Platonic, Gadamer gives a more â€Å"contemporary† definition. This is the most important thing in human understanding, to genuinely experience and grasp for knowledge Gadamer emphasizes that being wise, the ability to