FAQ's

We have tried to anticipate the questions you might most likely ask. To make your search for the right question a little easier, we have categorized them. Please look for your question in the Table of Contents directly below. Click on the question and you will be forwarded to the answer.

Product content

Purchasing Product

Marketing and Advertising

Security, Privacy, Protection and Legal

Questions About Product Content

1. Why do some wall chart entries not have the person's name included?

Sometimes the hyphen and person's name are missing. This is usually because the event includes the name of the individual. To save precious space, the name is removed to minimize redundancy. For example, for the entry, Boyle's Law (volume of gas) disc. (1662), "Boyle" is the principal person to discover the law, after whom it is named.

Sometimes the principal person is unknown, such as the author of Beowulf in 0700 AD. In other instances, the entry is an acknowledgement of a general event such as World War II (1939-45) or AIDS 1st seen as world-threatening (1985). No one person or particular place name is appropriate.

2. When an entry can belong in more than one category, is it repeated?

No. One category is chosen for that entry. As big as the wall chart is, our research generated far more possible events than could ever be included on the chart. To maximize the number of events displayable, each event appears only once. No entry is deliberately repeated. The exception is that the World Events category may include certain science and technology events that had an impact worldwide, such as the light bulb, the safety elevator or pasteurization. Such events listed in World Events will also be duplicated in a more brief form in their respective principle category.

3. How are historical disputes reconciled in your wall chart regarding who gets the credit for a particular discovery or invention ?

There are numerous cases throughout history where credit for an invention or discovery is in dispute. In some cases, the credit eventually becomes shared, as in the case of the invention of Calculus. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz both claimed to be the inventor and controversy raged for decades. History has tended to give credit to both mathematicians. Calculus has been treated as having been independently and simultaneously invented by two individuals, unbeknownst to each other. This happens more frequently than you might imagine.

In many cases the ambiguity and conflict is in the proper definition of the invention or discovery. Thomas Edison did not invent the incandescent light bulb. He perfected it and created the first practical light bulb. Furthermore, he was backed with the kind of financial resources to take his perfected invention and make it commercially viable. Hence, most people first hear of his particular light bulb and assume it to be the original invention. We have made a concerted effort to properly define an invention. Where we believe the invention to be the first of it's kind, we so state in wall chart. If its "first" status could not be ascertained, then we omit "1st" and just state the invention or discovery. Nevertheless, the entry may be the first but we could not substantiate it.

One additional consideration we often use in our determination of credit for an invention or discovery, is to refer to a wide variety of reference works and weigh what other scholars on the subject believe is correct. In most cases, there is a clear preference and we will usually defer to that scholarly preference.

4. Are your wall charts published in other languages besides English?

5. Do you have a bibliography and/ or photo credit listing for your products?

Yes. Each product page contains one or more links to the respective bibliography and photo credits.

6. Why are the photographs so small on the wall chart and are larger versions available?

The wall charts are designed principally and foremost as a reference tool. Therefore, the text is the first priority. Where there was a "hole" in the chart (a large space between a group of text entries) we would place a photograph. The size of the photograph is directly impacted by the space available.

You may also notice that the photo is not always near the corresponding text entry. Some of the photos we have are exciting and rare. We wanted to ensure that they were on the chart. Often, the relevant text entry had no immediate space around it to accommodate a photo. Since it is our premise that the wall chart text is the first priority, photos were placed where space permitted, and the best or most interesting photos were placed first.

Synchronopedia does not have permission to provide the photos in any other size or format, or for any other purpose except as specifically used for the wall chart.

7. What do the abbreviations mean on the wall chart?

Abbreviations were used as another device to save space. For example, on the S&T wall chart, the word "first" was used over 750 times on the wall chart. Abbreviated to "1st" saved two characters for each entry, totaling over 1,500 characters. This one abbreviation made it possible to add probably another 30 to 50 entries.

1st	first	inv.	invented
auto.	automatic/ed	iso.	isolated
const.	construction	kwn.	known
def.	defined	loc.	located
demo'd	demonstrated	men.	mentioned
des.	designed	mod.	modern
det.	determined	obs.	observed
disc.	discovered	pat.	patented
dist.	distributed/tion	photo	photographed
est.	established	prod.	produced
fnd.	found/founded	prop.	proposed
hypo.	hypothesized	pub.	published
ID'd	identified	theo.	theory/theorized

8. Why are the category bars "crooked on the S&T wall chart?" Are they following some kind of path?

The category bars that run horizontally across the chart are not following any path. There are a different number of entries at any given point in time, in each category. Mathematics may have 12 entries between the year 1600 and 1605, while Electrics and Electronics may have only 2 entries for the same time period. Therefore, the entries in each category have been aligned as close as possible together to maximize the available space.

The categories are visually separated by a black border line and a differentiating color. Each category has its own representative icon and all entries within a specific category begin with that representative icon. For example, Mathematics is represented by an open book icon. Electronics and Electrics is represented by a light bulb icon. All the category icons are listed in a table at the bottom of the chart. You can click here to see an enlarged photo of the Science & Technology chart (when you reach the product page, click on the thumbnail image to enlarge it).

9. How were the categories chosen?

In James Burke's book, The Knowledge Web (Simon & Schuster, 1999), Mr. Burke notes that "... the ancient discipline of botany has fragmented and diversified to become biology, organic chemistry, histology, embryology, evolutionary biology, physiology, cytology, pathology, bacteriology, urology, ecology, population genetics and zoology."

After collecting several thousand candidate entries for the S&T chart, several "major" categories became more or less self-evident. The principle sciences during the last millennium were Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Astronomy. Given the enormous impact that diseases like the bubonic plague ("black death"), typhoid, scurvy, etc. had on the world population, the category of "diseases" was added to Medicine. Astronomy was broadened a bit to include all aspects of space, including weather.

The S&T chart focuses on these principal sciences. Other interesting scientific events that did not fall into any of the principal science categories were collected in a "miscellaneous" category called Other Sciences.

10. The cross-reference table on the S&T Chart does not include any people's names. Why did this happen and how can I get the list?

There simply wasn't enough physical space on the chart to include all the events, as well as all the people's names. We have provided a cross-reference table of people's names for the S&T Chart, which you can download. This cross-reference table is only useful if you already own the S&T Chart.

Questions About Purchasing Product

1. Where can I buy your products?

You can of course, purchase all of our products here on our Web site. Just visit the page for the product in which you are interested and add one or more units to your shopping cart.

2. What methods of payment do you accept?

This question is specifically handled in our Customer Services section. Please click here to be directly transferred to that section.

3. What currencies can I use to pay for my order?

This question is specifically handled in our Customer Services section. Please click here to be directly transferred to that section.

4. What rate of exchange do you use?

This question is specifically handled in our Customer Services section. Please click here to be directly transferred to that section.

5. Where do you ship to, and how is the wall chart packaged?

We ship the wall chart worldwide by postal service, rolled and packaged in a 1" or 3" diameter tube. Up to five wall charts can be placed in one 3" tube. Each tube is treated by the postal service as a separate shipped package but we will attach multiple tubes together so they all arrive to you at the same time.

Large quantity orders, express service requirements, and tracing services are available but not automated. Please contact our customer service department by email to handle your special requirements.

You can read all information regarding shipping, handling, pricing and taxes here.

6. How long will it take to receive my order?

We receive your online order the same day that it is submitted to us. Online, fax, telephone and email orders are all fulfilled typically within one (1) business day. We fulfill purchase orders and orders received by postal mail within one (1) business day of receipt of the order in our shipping department.

If you select Airmail delivery then your order should be received by you within two (2) weeks of placing the order, subject to the efficiencies of your country's postal service. Delivery by surface mail (available only for Canada and the United States) can be as long as six to eight (6-8) weeks. Surface mail is actually "consolidated airmail." For an explanation as well as all other information regarding shipping, handling, pricing and taxes, please click here.

7. What is your Product Guarantee?

This question is specifically handled in our Customer Services section. Please click here to be directly transferred to that section.

8. When do I find out the total price I have to pay?

The pricing for each product is provided in a pricing table that can be found on each product page. Shipping & handling pricing as well as any taxes that might be payable, can all be determined before entering the online automated shopping cart, by clicking here.

The quantity discounts offered, shipping and handling charges and taxes (if any) are computed automatically in the shopping cart, based upon the pricing tables and formulae provided in the link immediately above.

Your total order price will be presented to you after you have entered our secure online shopping cart and selected the delivery option you prefer. You will be presented with the final price BEFORE you are committed to the transaction, and you will be prompted for your final "okay" before you make the final submission.

9. When does my credit card get billed?

We fulfill your order within one (1) business day of receipt of your order. Your credit card is billed the same day. The automated shopping cart is linked to our bank. Our bank has strong business rules and processes to ensure the security and safety of your information, credit card and the transaction between you and Synchronopedia.

Although we hope you will never need to use them, If, for any reason, we are unable to satisfy you with respect to any issue having to do with your credit card transaction and us, you will find further options of recourse available to you in our shopping cart.

Please see your various contact options for resolving any kind of issue or question you might have with us.

10. What is a Certificate Warning or Alert and is it a problem?

Certificates are used by your browser to guarantee to you that your online credit card transactions are encrypted and secure. They are issued for a limited time period within a browser.

If you use a browser version that is older than Netscape version 4.06 (released August 1998), or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or older for the Macintosh, then entering our secure server environment may result in a Certificate Warning or a Certificate Alert.

Your computer may inform you that "One of the Certificate Authorities that identifies this site has expired. This may be because a certificate authority has actually expired, or because the date on your computer is wrong."

You will be asked if you want to continue or cancel the transaction. Be assured that you can continue with your purchase � your transaction is still secure.

The browser message is a result of you using an older browser version. It is not related to Y2K bugs, or any problem with our site. It means that a built-in expiry date in your browser has been exceeded. The security is still effective, but its warranty has expired. This expiry process ensures that browsers are continuously updated with the latest technology. To avoid this message, you should acquire the latest version of Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Both browsers are currently free to use.

11. What is your Product Return policy?

This question is specifically handled in our Customer Services section. Please click here to be directly transferred to that section.

12. Why are your mural-size wall charts 10 times more expensive than your standard size?

The price between a standard size and the mural size wall chart is on an order of a 10:1 difference. The large format price is truly a reflection of the cost to manufacture. It is not an exaggerated license fee.

A mural-size wall chart is printed individually on a large-format, high-resolution inkjet printer. It takes about an hour to output one and it is done by a outside vendor. It then has to be delivered to a different company for lamination.

The standard-size wall charts are manufactured in quantity at one time on an offset litho press. Several thousand can be printed in less than an hour. 40" x 28" is also a standard movie-size poster and there are enough presses around to drive competitive pricing. The largest format poster commercially available without "tiling" portions together is a 60" press but there are only a couple of vendors that can do this work so pricing is not nearly as competitive.

We believe the size of our standard wall charts represents the best balance of economies of scale and resale price.

Questions About Marketing and Advertising

1. Do you have an affiliate label program?

We are always interested in quality Web sites that have some common interests with our own. We provide links to the Web sites of all of our merchant accounts. We actively encourage cross-links between us and sites that feature timelines and wall charts. We do not offer fees for listing our Web site on your site.

2. Do you cross-advertise web sites?

We do not generally cross-advertise, per se. We are not in the "advertising" business and do not generate our income from advertising. However, we do encourage mutual-benefit cross-promotion. If your Web site has some commonality with ours, we would be happy to have a link between your site and ours.

We do expect that your Web site is always accessible, and of at least a modest professional quality.

3. Where do you keep your independent product reviews?

We keep them in Press Releases section of this web site. Please click the navigation button at the top left corner of any page, or click here to go to that page now.

Security, Privacy, Protection and Legal

1. What do you do with my contact information?

We are committed to protecting your privacy. We use the information we collect about you to process orders and to provide a more meaningful browsing and shopping experience when you visit us at Synchronopedia.com. We may also use it to tell you about changes in our services or about special offers we think you'll find valuable (if you ask us to).

Under no circumstances will Synchronopedia release any of your information to a third party. We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others. If there is an offer or opportunity we think you might be interested in, we will tell you ourselves, and then only if you have selected the check box indicating that you would like to receive such notices. We stand by our No Junk Mail guarantee.

2. Who else will have access to my contact information?

3. Is it safe to use my credit card on your Web site?

Absolutely. Each transaction is protected with 128-bit data encryption. Our bank is a well-established world-class institution and our hosting company has an impeccable track record.

One of the more important things to know about your vendor is whether or not you are actually at the location you think you are at (that is, that you haven't been "secretly" re-directed) and that you are doing a transaction with the people with whom you think you are doing the transaction - not some hidden middle person or an alias. This aspect of Web security is handled with digital certificates. A digital certificate guarantees to you the true identity of the Web site you are visiting and with which you are doing business.

4. Who are Synchronopedia's principal e-commerce partners?

From time to time you may feel that we haven't lived up to your expectations. While we will do all in our power to resolve any issue you may have of any kind relating to our Web site, services and products, if your issue with Synchronopedia is still not satisfactorily addressed by us, and your issue involves one of the following services, then feel free to contact them directly.

Many Web sites hide their partners' identities. We are proud of our vendor partners who work with us to make your shopping experience here safe, expedient and reliable. Our partners include:

Partner Name	Service	What they do for us

	Web Site Hosting	These people host our Web site and guarantee secure, safe, 24-hour, 7-days-per-week uninterrupted access to the Synchronopedia Web site.

	Look-and-feel of web site, storefront, shopping cart	These people provided the template design for our Web site as well as an integrated shopping cart. We highly endorse their products and exceptional customer support.

	Credit Card Transaction Processor	WorldPay processes our web site credit card transactions. They ensure that you are treated fairly and that your financial information remains private and secure.

	Online Payment Transaction Processor	PayPal (owned by eBay) enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. They ensure that you are treated fairly and that your financial information remains private and secure.



			Synchronopedia Timeline Reference Wall Charts

1. Why do some wall chart entries not have the person's name included?

2. When an entry can belong in more than one category, is it repeated?

3. How are historical disputes reconciled in your wall chart regarding who gets the credit for a particular discovery or invention ?

4. Are your wall charts published in other languages besides English?

5. Do you have a bibliography and/ or photo credit listing for your products?

6. Why are the photographs so small on the wall chart and are larger versions available?

7. What do the abbreviations mean on the wall chart?

8. Why are the category bars "crooked on the S&T wall chart?" Are they following some kind of path?

9. How were the categories chosen?

10. The cross-reference table on the S&T Chart does not include any people's names. Why did this happen and how can I get the list?

1. Where can I buy your products?

2. What methods of payment do you accept?

3. What currencies can I use to pay for my order?

4. What rate of exchange do you use?

5. Where do you ship to, and how is the wall chart packaged?

6. How long will it take to receive my order?

7. What is your Product Guarantee?

8. When do I find out the total price I have to pay?

9. When does my credit card get billed?

10. What is a Certificate Warning or Alert and is it a problem?

11. What is your Product Return policy?

12. Why are your mural-size wall charts 10 times more expensive than your standard size?

1. Do you have an affiliate label program?

2. Do you cross-advertise web sites?

3. Where do you keep your independent product reviews?

1. What do you do with my contact information?

2. Who else will have access to my contact information?

3. Is it safe to use my credit card on your Web site?

4. Who are Synchronopedia's principal e-commerce partners?