COLLECTING STAMPS ( PHILATELY )

Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects, such as covers (envelopes or packages with stamps on them). It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with estimates of the number of collectors ranging up to 200 million in the world.

Collecting is not the same as philately, which is the study of stamps. A philatelist often does, but need not, collect the objects of study, nor is it necessary to closely study what one collects. Many casual collectors enjoy accumulating stamps without worrying about the tiny details, but the creation of a large or comprehensive collection generally requires some philatelic knowledge.

Stamp collectors are an important source of revenue for some small countries who create limited runs of elaborate stamps designed mainly to be bought by stamp collectors. The stamps produced by these countries far exceed the postal needs of the countries.

Some collectors, observing the generally rising prices of rare stamps, have taken to philatelic investment. Rare stamps are among the most portable of tangible investments, and are easy to store.

First Postage Stamp from England

For more details:

From Original Web

I am also a stamp collector and trying my level best to be a philatelist. I will post some of my collections in future. 

-Anojan

ROLE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

The development of powerful and affordable microcomputers and computer software will have an impact in the delivery of instruction in higher education. This is especially true for civil engineering education where the computer has started to be appreciated as a useful tool in civil engineering analysis and design. 

1. INTRODUCTION

The rapid development of computer technologies which include powerful and affordable microcomputers and reliable and user-friendly software has started to change the delivery of instruction in higher education. Computers have greatly increased the ability of students to perform calculations and to process large amount of data. As a result, the type and nature of problems and mathematical techniques taught in school may have to be changed or modified so that the usefulness of the computer can be maximized in the teaching-learning process. This is especially true for civil engineering education where the computer has started to be recognized as a useful and important tool in civil engineering analysis and design.