Abstract: The powered retractable ship ladder replaces the current technology of manually-lowered ship ladders. The powered ladder includes powered extension and retraction, with the added capability of being able to lift a user during ladder retraction. The ladder is formed from a collection of links. The links only permit the ladder to bend in one direction, thus keeping the extended ladder against the side of the ship, rather than swinging toward and away from the ship.

Abstract: A method for activating and executing objects containing data and procedures including the steps of relaying, by a first object in a first address space, a communication from a process in a second address space to a second object in the first address space, activating, by the second object, a third object containing data and procedures in response to the relayed communication, and executing, by the activated third object, an operation in response to the relayed communication. In addition, an apparatus for activating and executing remote objects containing data and procedures including a first object in a first address space for relaying a communication from a process in a second address space to a second object in the first address space, apparatus for activating, in the second object, a third object containing data and procedures in response to the relayed communication, and apparatus for executing, in the activated third object, an operation in response to the relayed communication.