Search

A biography of metal finisher and electroplater William Blum is presented. Blum was born in Philadelphia on December 28, 1881. After attending local schools, he obtained a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated in Chemistry. Under the guidance of Dr. Edgar Fobs Smith, he specialized in electroanalysis and thus his interest in electroplating started. He had won numerous awards and published several notable scientific papers.

The present paper is a translation of the Chan monk Hongzhi Zhenjue's biography in the Daming gaoseng zhuan (GREAT MING BIOGRAPHIES OF EMINENT MONKS) and includes an introductory essay that places the biography in context. In particular, the introductory essay suggests that the inclusion of Hongzhi's biography in the Daming gaoseng zhuan is important in light of the diminished popularity of the Eminent Monks series and the growing popularity of the Chan hagiographic genres of yulu ('records of sayings') and denglu ('records of the lamps'), which implicitly represented Chan as distinct from other Chinese Buddhist traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kiva is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper offers some new insights into aspects of the life and work of the shipwright William Sutherland (1668-1740). He went to sea in 1679 and advanced to master carpenter by 1692. Afterwards he served three years as quarterman at Portsmouth under his uncle William Bagwell. At Deptford in 1715 he became embroiled in controversies over timber measurement abuses. He was appointed master caulker at Sheerness in 1717 and died there in 1740. Patronage from the Earl of Sutherland was not sufficient to allow his greater advancement. His theoretical ideas about ships' moulding based on Royal Society papers and Newton's Solid of Least Resistance were sometimes over rigid and often out of step with contemporary practices, while highly perceptive relative to specific practical needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]