- published: 17 Aug 2007
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A fin is a surface used for stability and/or to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media, (in other words, a foil (fluid mechanics)). The first use of the word was for the limbs of fish, but has been extended to include other animal limbs and man-made devices. Fins, as with other foils, operate in fluids such as water or air.
Fins are seen both in nature and in manmade iterations.
Swimming water animals such as fish and cetaceans actively use pectoral fins for maneuvering, and dorsal fins contribute stability as the animal swims, propelling and maneuvering with its tail, itself recognizable as a fin.
The fin on fixed-wing aircraft is known as a vertical stabilizer. Fins are also seen used as e.g., fletching on arrows and at the rear of some bombs, missiles, rockets, and self-propelled torpedoes. These are typically "planar" (shaped like small wings), although grid fins are sometimes used in specialized cases.
Examples of fins include:
In surfing, there are two major types of (typically stationary) surfboard fins (hydrofoils), and a host of illustrative issues.
James William "Jimmy" Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer–songwriter, film producer, businessman, and author. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett has recorded hit songs including "Margaritaville" (ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century"), and "Come Monday". He has a devoted base of fans known as "Parrotheads".
Aside from his career in music, Buffett is also a best-selling writer and is involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his best known songs, "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "Margaritaville". He owns the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept with OSI Restaurant Partners (parent of Outback Steakhouse), which operates the chain under a licensing agreement with Buffett.
Buffett spent part of his childhood in Mobile, Alabama. In grade school years, he attended St. Ignatius School, where he played the trombone in the school band. He later lived in Fairhope, Alabama, mentioned by himself as his "Home Town" during a 2001 concert. He graduated high school from McGill Institute for Boys (now McGill-Toolen Catholic High School) in 1964. He began playing guitar during his college years at Pearl River Community College, The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Auburn University where he received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1969. He was initiated into the fraternity Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ) at the University of Southern Mississippi. After graduating from college, Buffett worked as a correspondent for Billboard magazine in Nashville, breaking the news of the separation of Flatt and Scruggs.