Essay #4

Robert Kidd

Which E-Cig?

One process that requires some very methodical steps is the process of finding the right E-cig. Like many other devices there are many different kinds and they cater to different needs and desires of the customer. Often lifestyle, smoking habits, schedule, and environment play a role in the choice that is made but all of these aspects need to be addressed before the right choice for an individual is made. The steps include: learning about E-Cigs, figuring out what kinds of things different E-cigs offer, figure out what you are looking for, fitting the capabilities of a given E-cig to your needs, and lots of trial and error along the way. The most important part is finding the type that fits your lifestyle best, but the process will include a lot of other steps before you will know which one does fit you best.

            In the beginning the first thing you need to do is research. This can be done online or by talking to someone who is familiar with E-cigs. Just learning about the different types will require a good amount of time and cutting corners will only result in frustration later, so doing it right the first time is crucial. It will remind you of what it was like finding the brand of cigarettes that you liked best. But it will also show you that using E-cigs requires a little more work than regular cigarettes. Before you would just smoke the cigarette to the butt and throw it away. When you were craving another you’d simply light one up. Now it is much more complicated. There are things that were not a concern, before, but are very important now; these include: battery life, charging time, cleaning, refilling, and flavor. Enjoying your nicotine now means you have to do all those other new chores; because, after all, you are maintaining an electronic device. During this time you will begin to get an idea about which types would fit your lifestyle and also the different pros and cons of different brands. Along the way you will begin to notice different things that appeal to you and this will naturally lead you to the next step.  

            The next step is the most important one because it dictates how you spend you money on the most expensive part of using e-cigs. The idea behind e-cigs is that the initial purchase will cost you a lot of money but over time you will save money because the maintenance and upkeep for E-cigs is very inexpensive. Now it is time to figure out what kinds of capabilities you are looking for. You will need to factor in the time you can devote to maintenance, cost, how much you will use them, and many other things that are important to you. This is important because if you don’t like your e-cig you will end up having to spend more money on a different one. Since you are addicted, quitting isn’t a realistic option but you might as well try to get the most out of your situation. Once you have figured out what you want its time to go to step three.

            This is the final step and is pretty much trial and error. Now that you have the various choices narrowed down it’s time to buy some. This should be easy because after all of your research it should be clear which ones are the most likely to fit you needs. During the trial and error phase it is important to remember that all of this effort is going to benefit your health as well as your wallet. While at times it may be discouraging or confusing keep in mind that there are plenty of people around the world who are doing nothing about their addiction, but also plenty who are working even harder than you are. Hopefully you buy the right one because the research and methodical approach should’ve considerably narrowed the field. Generally the first brand you try will be appealing simply because you don’t know any better. Also during the trial stage remember that E-cigs are NOT cigarettes so looking for the “perfect” one is futile.

            It is obvious that finding the right E-cig is not an easy process. It requires perseverance and a will to be better but the most challenging things in life are the ones worth doing. Most processes involve some kind of choice so simply knowing what you want is half the battle. Once you know what you want finding it is not too difficult in this Internet age. 

Essay #3

Robert Kidd

3/14/12

Revolvers To Automatics

            Through the 1980’s Revolvers dominated the handgun market and were the obvious choice for Law Enforcement personnel. What Changed? At some point the Police started moving towards automatics and away from the revolver. Each offer very different Pros and cons but obviously the school of thought changed and has evolved into something completely different today.  I find it very interesting that for 100 years revolvers and automatics have both existed but that in the mid 1980’s the more favored type of handgun switched. 

            First, there are some things that you should know about the different types of firearms. They are both considered “handguns” but cannot both be called pistols. They both fire cartridges that are mad up of an igniter, gunpowder, and the bullet itself.  Think of the cartridge as a bottle of champagne and the bullet as the cork. Revolvers have six “Chambers” that each holds one cartridge. These chambers are rotated when the trigger is pulled or the hammer is cocked, which in turn strikes the igniter on the cartridge in the top chamber and the gun goes off. This is repeated until all cartridges are fired and then each chamber must be reloaded individually.  An automatic however does not have any chambers. It is comprised of a handle and a “slide.” They have a detachable Magazine (Box that holds cartridges) that is inserted into the gun and cartridges are swept into the barrel by the back-and-forth movement of the slide.

            Starting in the late 1800’s revolvers were used by everyone. They were the type of handgun that was favored by Cowboys of the Wild West and also the lawmen of the era. They were seen as very simply and reliable. Back in the olden times the cartridges, which were manufactured, were often unreliable, which gave a revolver an advantage. When a cartridge fails to go off in an automatic handgun the user must grab the slide and manually pull it back in order to clear the bad round and load another into the barrel, but when a cartridge failed in a revolver all one had to do was pull the trigger again in order to rotate the cylinder holding the chambers and a fresh cartridge would be fired. This obviously was a serious advantage because it much faster to shoot again.  As time went on, however, the manufacturing process became better and better which eventually cancelled out the advantage because there were less and less cartridge failures. So once this happened they were even again in terms of recovering from a bad round.

            Then there was the question of power. Everyone wanted the most power and back in the early 1900’s revolvers could accept more powerful cartridges because of the manufacturing process. The cylinder, in a revolver, was made by drilling six holes into a single piece of metal. This was much stronger than the process for making an automatic, which was made by stamped parts held together by pins and welding. Thus the revolvers could hold up to higher pressures and were able to fire bigger bullets than autos. Once again the manufacturing process improved and automatics became equal in terms of durability.

            Finally one of the most important aspects of any firearm, which will be given to a lawman, was simplicity.  This is not to say that lawmen are simple but with the growing need for law enforcement training costs money and the faster someone could train a new officer the more cost effective a given handgun would be. Revolvers have always been seen as very simple. In reality they are comprised of more parts than an auto but in terms of training, it used to be easier to train someone to use a revolver because they were reliable and had no safety. The safety for a revolver was the holster. Also the trigger pull on a revolver is much longer and heavier than that on an auto. This means that accidental discharges were much more rare for revolver users. During the 1980’s a new gun was introduced, the Glock. It was an automatic that had no safety and was made up of plastic and metal. It beat the revolver in all categories and served as the biggest reason for the switch from revolvers to automatics. It has a long trigger pull like the revolver and actually has a safety mechanism, which keeps it from being fired accidentally. Also it holds 17 cartridges compared to revolvers which hold six.

            After researching the topic it has become clear that the idea that a simple firearm is better has been redefined. The added benefits of an automatic handgun clearly outweigh the negatives, thanks to modern manufacturing capabilities. The movement from revolvers to automatics, in hindsight, was probably inevitable because the reasons for using a revolver were mostly based on manufacturing capability.