Topic: Philately (Page 2)
You are looking at all articles with the topic "Philately". We found 14 matches.
Hint:
To view all topics, click here. Too see the most popular topics, click here instead.
π 2020 United States Postal Service Crisis
The 2020 United States Postal Service crisis is a series of events that have caused backlogs and delays in the delivery of mail by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The crisis stems primarily from changes implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy shortly after taking office in June 2020. The delays have had substantial legal, political, economic, and health repercussions.
There is controversy and speculation about whether the delays are unintended consequences of restructuring operations, or if they were intentionally created for political and/or financial gain. DeJoy has supported and donated to President Donald Trump, who has publicly linked his opposition to emergency funding for the Postal Service to his desire to restrict voting by mail in the 2020 elections.
On August 18, 2020, under heavy political and legal pressure, DeJoy announced that he would be "suspending" the policy changes until after the November 2020 election. He testified to the Senate on August 21, and to the House of Representatives on August 24, concerning the changes and their effects.
Discussed on
- "2020 United States Postal Service Crisis" | 2020-12-20 | 29 Upvotes 2 Comments
π Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791Β β 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.
Considered by some to be a father of the computer, Babbage is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex electronic designs, though all the essential ideas of modern computers are to be found in Babbage's Analytical Engine. His varied work in other fields has led him to be described as "pre-eminent" among the many polymaths of his century.
Parts of Babbage's incomplete mechanisms are on display in the Science Museum in London. In 1991, a functioning difference engine was constructed from Babbage's original plans. Built to tolerances achievable in the 19th century, the success of the finished engine indicated that Babbage's machine would have worked.
Discussed on
- "Charles Babbage" | 2015-08-17 | 17 Upvotes 5 Comments
π Loose Lips Sink Ships
The Office of Censorship was an emergency wartime agency set up by the United States federal government on December 19, 1941 to aid in the censorship of all communications coming into and going out of the United States, including its territories and the Philippines. The efforts of the Office of Censorship to balance the protection of sensitive war related information with the constitutional freedoms of the press is considered largely successful. The agency's implementation of censorship was done primarily through a voluntary regulatory code that was willingly adopted by the press. The phrase "loose lips sink ships" was popularized during World War II, which is a testament to the urgency Americans felt to protect information relating to the war effort. Radio broadcasts, newspapers, and newsreels were the primary ways Americans received their information about World War II and therefore were the medium most affected by the Office of Censorship code. The closure of the Office of Censorship in November 1945 corresponded with the ending of World War II.
Discussed on
- "Loose Lips Sink Ships" | 2019-12-09 | 16 Upvotes 5 Comments
π The Prague Pneumatic Post system (early mechanical networking)
The Prague pneumatic post (Czech: PraΕΎskΓ‘ potrubnΓ poΕ‘ta) is the world's last preserved municipal pneumatic post system. It is an underground system of metal tubes under the wider centre of Prague, totaling about 55 kilometres (34Β mi) in length. The system started service in 1889 and remained in use by the government, banks and the media until it was rendered inoperative by the August 2002 European floods.
Sold on by former owner TelefΓ³nica O2 Czech Republic after some limited attempts to make repairs, the system now belongs to businessman ZdenΔk DraΕΎil, who has announced plans to repair and reopen it as a working tourist attraction. As of 2012, however, it remains closed.
Discussed on
- "The Prague Pneumatic Post system (early mechanical networking)" | 2009-08-12 | 18 Upvotes 3 Comments