This is my PI, I'm putting it up here so that I can print it out tmr at the library. Lol.
I have chosen James T. Russell, the inventor of the compact disc. James Russell was granted a total of 22 patents for various elements of his compact disk system, which was invented in the 1960s. However, the compact disk came into popularity when it was mass manufactured by Philips in 1980.
CD-ROMs and CD-Rs remain widely used technologies in the PC industry as of 2007. The CD and its extensions have been extremely successful: in 2004, the annual worldwide sales of CD-Audio, CD-ROM, and CD-R reached about 30 billion discs. With the wide use of CDs in the world today, I feel that it is appropriate to feature the inventor of the compact disc for this project.
I feel that an exhibition on James Russell will best showcase this groundbreaker. This small exhibition will trace the evolution of the compact disc and how it improved over time. Different booths showing compact discs at different time periods with pictures and information will be set up. To attract viewers, pop music will be played constantly. If possible, a small shop selling CDs will be set up to attract more viewers. James T. Russell has also designed and built the first electron beam welder. This minor invention will also be featured along with his biography at a small section.
The aim of this project is to create awareness of inventors such as James T. Russell, whose contributions are not widely recognized. Most people take inventions such as the compact disc for granted and this exhibition will also aim to help people to appreciate the contributions made by James Russell to society, especially the music world. Hopefully, after the exhibition, more and more people will be inspired by James Russell, a child prodigy who, at age six, invented a remote-control battleship, with a storage chamber for his lunch. Budding inventors can learn from his perseverance and brilliance in the area of inventing.
However, there are a few constraints in this project. To properly feature the evolution of the compact disc, a lot of precise and reliable information has to be collected. Thus, other sources such as books or reliable magazines have to be used. These are rather difficult to find. Also, to get a shop to sell CDs is difficult, with copyright and cost constraints. The cost involved will be relatively high, and to get sponsors will be very difficult as well. It is achievable, however, with the proper sponsors and information.
The location of this exhibition would best be in a convention centre like Singapore Expo. However, since this is difficult to achieve, it could be held at smaller and less expensive places such as a school. Manpower would also be a problem. The exhibition would require more people to man the booths and the CD player.
10:33 PM