Machine

A machine is a tool containing one or more parts that uses energy to perform an intended action. Machines are usually powered by mechanical, chemical, thermal, or electrical means, and are often motorized. Historically, a power tool also required moving parts to classify as a machine. However, the advent of electronics has led to the development of power tools without moving parts that are considered machines.

A simple machine is a device that simply transforms the direction or magnitude of a force, but a large number of more complex machines exist. Examples include vehicles, electronic systems, molecular machines, computers, television, and radio.

Etymology

The word machine derives from the Latin word machina, which in turn derives from the Greek (Doric μαχανά makhana, Ionic μηχανή mekhane "contrivance, machine, engine", a derivation from μῆχος mekhos "means, expedient, remedy").

A wider meaning of "fabric, structure" is found in classical Latin, but not in Greek usage.

This meaning is found in late medieval French, and is adopted from the French into English in the mid-16th century.

Artension

Artension was a North American neo-classical progressive metal band, founded in 1993 by keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij.

History

It was sometime in '92/'93, when Vitalij Kuprij, who was studying classical music in Switzerland at that time, met Roger Staffelbach, a Swiss guitarist who was also studying at the Jazz School in Lucerne.

They soon founded their band "Atlantis Rising", which played several instrumental gigs in Switzerland. After having recorded some demos, they got in touch with Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who showed great interest in the band but suggested to add some vocal lines to their songs.

Vitalij had already known stunning drummer Mike Terrana from one of Yngwie Malmsteen's tours. His friend, bassist Kevin Chown, also joined the band and enriched their sound with solid experience and great musicianship, and Artension was born.

Mike Varney introduced Vitalij and Roger to several musicians, one of them being John West, whose soaring vocals, along with Vitalij's and Roger's lightning-fast solos, became the trademark for Artension's neo-classical and aggressive music.

Simple machine

A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. Usually the term refers to the six classical simple machines which were defined by Renaissance scientists:

A simple machine uses a single applied force to do work against a single load force. Ignoring friction losses, the work done on the load is equal to the work done by the applied force. The machine can increase the amount of the output force, at the cost of a proportional decrease in the distance moved by the load. The ratio of the output to the applied force is called the mechanical advantage.

Simple machines can be regarded as the elementary "building blocks" of which all more complicated machines (sometimes called "compound machines") are composed. For example, wheels, levers, and pulleys are all used in the mechanism of a bicycle. The mechanical advantage of a compound machine is just the product of the mechanical advantages of the simple machines of which it is composed.

Palaú

Palaú is a town in the Mexican state of Coahuila. It is located on the eastern boundary of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the municipality of Múzquiz. Temperatures in the summertime can easily reach 45 degrees Celsius and the winters are mild but wet. The main industry is coal mining.

When an Austrian engineer discovered these energy riches in the late 19th century, the northern portion of Coahuila quickly transformed from a sparsely populated region of cattle ranchers to an industrial powerhouse. Thousands of Japanese immigrants came seeking work; some of their descendents, with Japanese surnames, are still here.

Coahuila coal feeds steel mills in Monclova and Monterrey, the country's third-largest city. Two coal-fired electric plants near the U.S. border supply as much as 8 percent of Mexico's electricity.

Population (INEGI 2005): 16,133 (men 8,063; women 8,070)

References

Coordinates: 27°55′N 101°25′W / 27.917°N 101.417°W / 27.917; -101.417

Pala (surname)

The surname Pala may refer to:

Pala, Chad

Pala is a town in Chad and the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest. The Fula language is spoken in the area. The Roman Catholic bishopric of Pala served Mayo-Kebbi Prefecture, in 1970, Pala included 116,000 of Chad's 160,000 Catholics.

It has the country's first gold mine, opened by the South Korean company Afko. However, cotton picking is the main industry in the area.

The town is served by Pala Airport.

Demographics

References

External links