Wikipedia:Portal:Portal
 | This page contains material that is kept because it is considered humorous. Such material is not meant to be taken seriously. |
The portal of portals
A portal is an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of simple building materials or decorated with ornamentation. Elements of a portal can include the voussoir, tympanum, an ornamented mullion or trumeau between doors, and columns with carvings of saints in the westwork of a church.
Portals in science fiction, such as wormholes and gates, allow rapid travel between distant locations, often originating from some combination of natural phenomenon and technological device. These fictional devices are required for most stories on an inter-solar scale, otherwise transit time would be excessive for storytelling purposes. An advantage of portal technology over a faster-than-light drive is that it can be imagined to work instantly, and can travel to the past or future. In other forms of fiction, a portal may be magical, and connect to an alternate universe or plane of existence.
Selected article
Portal axles (or portal gear) are an offroad technology where the axle tube is above the center of the wheel hub. Compared to normal layout, this enables the vehicle to gain a higher ground clearance, as both the axle tube and differential casing are tucked up higher under the vehicle.
Due to the gear reduction at the wheel which lessens the torque on all the other drivetrain components, the size of the differential casing can be reduced to gain even more ground clearance. Additionally, all drivetrain elements, in particular the transfer gearbox and driveshafts can be built lighter. This can be of use in reducing the centre of gravity for a given ground clearance.
As it requires a heavier and more complex hub assembly, however, these systems can result in an increased unsprung weight and require robust axle control elements to give predictable handling. In addition, at higher speeds the hub assembly can overheat.
Selected biography
Baron Antoine Portal (January 5, 1742-July 23, 1832) was a French anatomist, doctor, medical historian and founding president of the Académie Nationale de Médecine. Born in Gaillac, he was the eldest among 12 siblings. He studied medicine in Albi, Toulouse and Montpellier and started his career as a teacher of anatomy.
In 1766, Portal moved to Paris to take up a similar post, and was appointed to the prestigious position of professor of anatomy to the Jardin du Roi. Louis XVIII named him the first Doctor to the King, a post he also served in under Charles X. His close relationship with King Louis led in 1820 to the creation of what became the Académie Nationale de Médecine, of which he was lifelong president.
In 1803 Portal published "Cours d'anatomie médicale", a 5-volume work on medical history. He was probably the first to describe amyloid in liver in 1789 when he noted a lard-like substance in an elderly woman's liver, and the first to describe bleeding due to esophageal varices. He also published article on clinical features of epilepsy.
Portal died in 1832 at the age of 90 and was buried in Saint Pierre de Montmartre.
In the news
- Door opens mid-Qantas flight; plane makes an emergency landing
- Belgian Indymedians discuss participatory journalism at open door day
- Alaskan plane crash survivors say cargo door swung open
- World Health Organization launches clinical trial website
- Kids game portal BBC Jam to close after competition complaints
- With pressure from France, Chad and Sudan open door to possible troop deployment
- Switzerland shut door on Korean Republic 2-0 in Group G
- Sydney train doors stuck, passengers delayed
- Entrepreneur's RFID chip implant to open doors, start car
Categories
- Doors — panels or barriers used to cover an opening
- Gates — entry points to an enclosed space
- Portals — focus pages which highlight a particular subject
- Portals on Wikimedia Commons - images of portals
Did you know?
- Portal hypertension is often the result of cirrhosis of the liver
- The Dark Portal is the first book in the Deptford Mice trilogy
- Fort Portal in Uganda is the seat of both Kabarole and the Toro Kingdom
- Portal's Weighted Companion Cube has fan-created plush and papercraft versions
Selected picture
Selected geography
Portal is a city in Burke County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 131 at the 2000 census. Portal was founded in 1893.
Portal sits near the Canadian border and is a major port of entry for road and rail traffic. It is one of three 24-hour ports in North Dakota (the others being Dunseith and Pembina). The town is known for its "international" golf course. The ninth hole is partially in the United States and partially in Canada.
Selected quote
Every wakeful step, every mindful act is the direct path to awakening. Wherever you go, there you are.
- — Buddha
Related portals
