Chester Floyd Carlson

Chester Floyd Carlson Chester Floyd Carlson Chester Floyd CarlsonWhen he welches growing up, Chester F. Carlson dreamed of making inventions that would help him escape a life of poverty and change the world. Born in 1906 in Seattle, WA, he spent a disadvantaged childhood living with his sickly parents. He worked before and after school hours to help support his family by the time he was in high school he was the main provider. When he was 17, his mother died from tuberculosis and his father was crippled with arthritis.Throughout his adolescence, Carlson was intrigued by science, chemistry, engineering, and graphic arts. He studied the lives of inventors. His favorite possessions as a boy were a rubber stamp set and a typewriter.The idea of making an invention appealed to me as one of the few available means to accomplish a change in ones economic status, while at the same time bringing to focus my interest in technical things and making it possible to make a contribution to society a s well, he wrote many years later.After high school, Carlson enrolled at the California Institute of Technology, where he was a solid but not spectacular student, graduating with a degree in physics in 1930at the onset of the Great Depression. Jobs were scarce. After applying to 82 companies, he took a low-paying job as a research engineer at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York City.Carlson quickly became bored and transferred a year later to the kapitnspatent department, where he assisted the companys attorneys. Here his creativity began to take hold and he recorded hundreds of ideas for new inventions in his personal notebooks. After being laid off in 1933, he found a job with PR. Mallory Company, an electronics firm. At night, he studied law and earned a law degree from the New York Law School later he was promoted to manager of Mallorys patent department. Here he quickly realized how much time was wasted in the department because there were not enough carbon copies for the patent paperwork if more copies were needed, documents had to be retyped and proofed again. Carlson decided to invent a copying machine that would make a copy of an existing document with the push of a button.Chester F. Carlson with the Xerox Model A in the 1960s.Carlson was especially inspired by the research of Hungarian physicist Pl Selnyi, a leader in the little-known field of photoconductivity and electrostatic images, whereby an image could be formed on a specially coated, electrically charged plate through the application of light. Carlson conducted many experiments at home in his kitchen, some of which caught fire and filled the room with smoke.From 1939 to 1944, he sought funding from about two dozen companies, all of which turned him down, including IBM. Carlson was even rejected by the National Inventors Council. Despite these setbacks, in 1942 the U.S. Patent Office issued Carlson a patent for his electrophotographic device.Two years later, an engineer from the Battelle Memorial Institute named Russell Dayton visited Mallorys patent department and had discussions with Carlson. As they talked, Dayton learned about Carlsons invention and encouraged Battelle to get involved. Two years later Carlson, Battelle, and Haloid Photographic Company signed an agreement to commercialize Carlsons electrophotographic device (Haloid later became the exclusive licensee for the invention).Much of the early work was funded by the U.S. Army. The first versionthe XeroX Model Awas shipped in 1949. Reviews were subdued because the machine was difficult to use and required 39 steps to make a copy. Several better versions were released over the next 10 years, culminating with the Xerox 914, the first modern photocopier. The 914 fulfilled Carlsons dream of building a machine that, with the simple push of a button, delivered a perfect copy on plain paper.Huge success followed. In 1961, Haloid Photographic Company changed its name to Xerox Corporation. Although Carlson became one of the wealthiest men in America, he never forgot his impoverished roots and donated over $150 million to charitable causes and actively supported the NAACP. He developed a keen interest in Hinduism and Buddhism and frequently hosted group meditations in his home. Carlson died of a heart attack in New York City at the age of 62. In 1981, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. His groundbreaking invention transformed the way business is conducted around the world and is the cornerstone of todays multibillion-dollar photocopying industry and newer light-based copy machines, such as the laser printer.Mark Crawford is an independent writer.The 914 fulfilled Carlsons dream of building a machine that, with the simple push of a button, delivered a perfect copy on plain paper.

10 Tech Companies that Offer Their Employees the Coolest Benefits and Perks

10 Tech Companies that Offer Their Employees the Coolest Benefits and Perks10 Tech Companies that Offer Their Employees the Coolest Benefits and PerksThese companies treat their employees like kings and queens. Check out the 10 best companies offering the best benefits.AdobeAdobe is most famous for graphic software such as photoshop and illustrator. With their ideas about employees, it seems like a really cool place to workWhats the secret to Adobes success? Our employees, of course. Thats why we design our benefit and compensation packages to attract and retain the best and brightest. As an Adobe employee, you can be confident your needs will be met, your hard work recognized and rewarded.In Adobe, they feel like education is the most important thing above all. Thats why they provide their employees with engineering or science courses on the Stanford Instructional Television Network (SITN). Of course, any employee is not forced into unterstellung courses if they are not interested.A irbnbThanks to Airbnb people all over the world can list, find, and rent lodging.Airbnbs perks for its employees are connected to traveling as well. They get $2,000 bonus for their travel expenses.Besides that, employees can bring their pets to work and can even enjoy sailing trips.AsanaAsana is very cool software wich enables teamwork without unwieldy emailing. This young company treats its employees fairly well.As they say We are committed to empowering all of our employees to help humanity thrive. With that in mind, every Asana is supported by a host of benefits that allows them to do great things every day.For example, every full-time employee is given $10,000 which they can spend on their computer, cell phone or anything that will make their work easier, or will make them feel better.AskDo you have any questions you would like to get answers for? Check out Ask.com. It is question answering-focused web search engine, which will answer you almost any question. It has can even ans wer what the meaning of life is.If you worked for Ask, you wouldnt have to worry about the vacation policy. Here is why We believe the best measure of success is what you accomplish, so we dont need to measure how much time you take off to enjoy life. They sure have a pointDream Works AnimationsThis animation studio might be responsible for some of your favorite animated movies such as Shrek, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon.They are surrounded by movies all the time, but its something all the employees truly love. Thats why behauptung employees can enjoy movies screening or even short movie festivals frequently. What can be more relaxing and stress relieving than a good movie, right?Free food, health insurance, and 401k plan are a matter of course.EventbriteFind events and buy tickets right from this global marketplace in 190 countries.Eventbrite knows, that cool experiences stick people together like a superglue. Thats why its employees are encouraged to go out together and do anything that is fun. It doesnt matter if its breakfast, biking, wellness or jumping on trampolines.After these activities, people get usually hungry, so this company supplies its employees with all kinds of tasty snacks.EvernoteEvernote helps milions of people around the world to get organized. Write notes, fill your calendar or archive.These people sure like to be organized, but they know, how much time can cleaning the house consume. Their solution of this problem is simply brilliant. These employees have their house cleaned for free twice a month.FacebookEveryone knows facebook, so we can probably go straight ahead to the best perks for its employees.If any of the employees from Menlo Park, California has a new baby, they get 4 moths of maternity/paternity fully paid. Beautiful working spaces, free food and all kinds of antistress activities are the part of this job as well.TwitterWe bet, that you have an idea what Twitter isWhat you may not know is that employees in differe nt Twitter branches enjoy catering breakfast, free laundry, and dry cleaning services along with in-office yoga and pilates. Not mentioning all of the beautiful offices.YammerYammer is a private tool for enterprise communication. It is usually described as enterprise social software.Anyway, do you like beer? Of course you do, everyone sane does. Well in Yammer you can have delicious tap beer while at work. Top it with unlimited food and snacks. Of course to have their employees fit, they provide for them all kind of fitness classes and other physical activities. They even get cupcakes with hearts on top on Valentines day. Awwwww.source businessinsider.com, thenextweb.com, fubiz.netDo you like this story? Share it with your friends.Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments

5 Ways Successful People Spend Their Weekends - The Muse

5 Ways Successful People Spend Their Weekends - The Muse5 Ways Successful People Spend Their WeekendsWhat do super successful people have in common? Drive? Impressive accomplishments? Influence? Yes, yes, and yes, but they also share a surprising number of weekend habits. They dont simply maximize their hours while theyre at work, high-achievers also use their days off to supercharge themselves. And you can adopt the same habits and be mora productive and happy, too. Here are five ways to maximize this time, inspired by some of the most successful people around. 1. Pursue a PassionWould you believe that former U.S. President George W. Bush is an avid painter, that three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep knits for leisure, or that billionaire investor Warren Buffett plays the ukulele in his spare time?Youre more than just a cog in a machine You have interests and passions. Cultivating a hobby is a fantastic way to unwind after a long week, whether youre playing a sport, pursuing photography, or even scrapbooking. But this is about more than unwinding engaging in side projects and creative hobbies can result in enhanced work performance by way of encouraging creative thinking to solve work-related problems. Bottom line dont feel guilty about making time for your hobbies. Related How to Find and Make Time for Your Passion Even When Youre Busy2. UnplugArianna Huffington makes it clear to employees that she doesnt expect them to answer emails on weekends or while on vacation. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, spends his Saturdays hiking. On Sundays he focuses on reflection, feedback, and strategy. This is what allows him to be super-focused come Monday.As worthwhile as technology is, being connected to your inbox 24/7 prevents you from enjoying a badly needed separation from work, which could eventually lead to burnout. If you feel like youre answering emails around the clock, check in with yourself and see if you can change your usage habits. If the pressure is external and you think your boss always expects you to be available, check out Muse Career Coach Melody Wildings advice for discussing work-life balance with your workaholic boss.3. Spend Time With Family and FriendsFormer President Barack Obama makes the most of his free time with his two daughters Malia and Sasha. Billionaire Mark Cuban may be a shark on TV, but switches to Dad mode at home with his wife and two daughters. Even if you dont have kids, you can apply the same principle, which is that you carve out time where youre focused on your loved ones. Maybe you work too many hours during the week to check in on your relationships The weekend is the perfect opportunity to meet for a meal or a walk, or schedule a phone call. Thisll help you be less resentful come Monday, because you wont feel like work comes first seven days a week.4. Take a NapFormer U.S. President Bill Clinton and inventor Thomas Edison are just two of the many famous people who swear by the power nap. In fact, napping at work is actually good for your productivity.However, not all bosses are on board with it, so you may have to forgo a nap Monday through Friday. Plan on taking one on the weekends, just dont spend all afternoon in bed. Short power naps of no longer than 20 minutes leave you feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to accomplish your personal to-do list, so you can focus on work come Monday.5. VolunteerThe super successful find time to give back. Maybe you cant Monday through Friday, but thats OK. Sites like volunteermatch.org will let you sort local opportunities for days of the week so you can find one for a Saturday or Sunday. It turns out that acts of altruism have tangible positive effects on the giver. Helping those in need helps you keep things in perspective. Studies have found that people who volunteer in their communities display increased growth and personal well-being. The next time you decide to spend your weekend watching mindless TV, remember that time c an be the stepping stone to the next breakthrough for yourself and your career.