Aldous Huxley :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1931, nobody imagined that his fairytale story would someday be a reality. It is almost scary to see how accurate Huxley’s far-fetched fantasies came to be. When Huxley wrote about the conformity, drug use and sex and technology of the society, he was almost pinpoint exact to predicting today’s societies. Unfortunately, all of these things haven’t exactly changed our society today for the better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is amazing to see how accurately Aldous Huxley was in his predictions to human conformity today. The novel’s classes of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons each have assigned roles. In the novel, each caste is brainwashed into believing that it is crucial and important for the well being of the society as a whole. Since everyone is brainwashed at such an early age, nobody really questions the order or rules. However, there are always those few who refuse to conform. The novel’s John, Helmholtz Watson, and Bernard Marx were all exiled from their society by the World Controller Mustapha Mond. Their actions involving the soma in the hospital were considered far too disruptive to society and they were no longer allowed to co-exist in the preset world of Ford. Our own world is very similar to the world of Ford as we ‘exile’ all who are different. One example of a group whom our society’s majority refuses to accept is the gay population. They could, of course, chose to go against their ways and date the opposite sex just so that they would be accepted, but because they do not, most people refuse to accept that and therefore exile them. The conformity struggle starts as young as elementary school. Popularity is based upon those who conform the best and follow everyone else and unfortunately, those who are different and stand out are usually harassed for their differences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drugs are one of the most copious problems that exist today, as we are beginning to see more and more of them in today’s society. Drugs have even become commonly used by today’s youth starting as low as elementary school. The need to feel that ‘high’ has become more and more common. Unfortunately, the drugs used in today’s society aren’t as safe as those used in Huxley’s world. â€Å"Soma† is the drug of choice in Huxley’s world which gave similar ‘highs’ as does ecstasy, but did not have the harmful side effects.

Ian van Eyck Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jan van Eyck was a master in style and symbolism, establishing a firm superiority in glaze technique and delicately and elaborately applying subtle, yet powerful religious references to what at first glance may seem simple portraits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Van Eyck’s drawing, Saint Barbara, completed in 1437, is an example of the artist’s use of fictional exotic or Romanesque style structures, suggestive of those from the Old Testament. (p.99 textbook) Other symbolism includes the walled city that resembles a ziggurat, and on the church, the three windows on the second level, feature the Trinity, the symbolism of their octagonal structure, and baptism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use of religious symbolism can be traced in other Van Eyck works. Madonna in the Church, a panel dating to around 1437-38, uses light to represent Mary’s purity and purpose. â€Å"She is the brightness of eternal light and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty.† This was a passage from the Book of Wisdom and can be found inscribed on Mary’s red dress. (p. 100) Additionally, due to the unusual size of Madonna in her setting, Van Eyck has represented Mary as the church, not simply in the church.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Madonna and the Christ child in an â€Å"ecclesiastical or domestic setting† was a favorite theme of Van Eyck, it is possible to note a trend in his work. (p.102 textbook) Madonna and Child with Saints Michael and Catherine, a 1437 panel, depicts...

Responding To The Wii Essay

Executive summary: Given the current market scenario, Sony will have to fight on both fronts. The Wii has unlocked a new segment of the market. Sony should adapt its strategy to address this new market. But Sony must not lose sight of the big picture, to win the long term race for the â€Å"center of the living room†. Sony should leverage its relation with game developers to introduce simpler games for the casual gamer. It has to keep targeting the hardcore gamer and it must continue to provide additional value as a single device for gaming, streaming movies and television, internet surfing, video conferencing etc. How attractive does the video game industry look in late 2008? By 2008, the industry situation has become intense, with four of Porter’s five forces showing high threat (See Exhibit 1 in Appendix). However, the industry does hold the promise that the winner will occupy the â€Å"center of the living room† position, could potentially create a stranglehold on the entire entertainment industry and could reap profits. Therefore, the stakes in this battle are high. Why did Nintendo delay introducing its 16 bit video game system? Nintendo delayed introducing its 16 bit video game system in order to avoid cannibalizing sales of the 8-bit NES. But competitors came up with new value propositions to take away market share. For example Sega employed the Judo strategy to garner market by introducing its 16-bit version, Genesis, while Nintendo was concentrating on the 8-bit market. Sony, with its PlayStation and PlayStation 2 product lines took this game further. They expanded the target customer base to include grown-ups by creating games fit for all ages and combining forces with game developers. Did Sega use any elements of Judo Strategy? Sega effectively implemented Judo strategy by preventing its strong competitor Nintendo to come at it with full strength. Sega attacked the pieces of the play with various small steps. It started with leveraging the 16-bit opportunity, and setting lower prices for its Genesis to that of Super NES. Then it introduced its popular version of Sonic, the Hedgehog. It also hurt Nintendo by luring in third party developers with its low royalty strategy and built up twice the number of titles Nintendo had. In 3 years  Sega Genesis took over the market. How did PlayStation and PlayStation 2 win in their respective generations? With the industry becoming attractive, Sony entered the market with its 32-bit icon product ‘Play Station’ targeting a larger and mature audience. Sony, contrary to its competitors built up on the outsourcing strategy, by allowing developers more freedom, tools and income. Despite lagging on software titles, it was unstoppable in the hardware segment overpowering Sega. As leader of the industry, Sony launched its Play station 2 at 128-bit gearing up for the next revolution. Why did Microsoft get into the game? With the console games becoming attractive and multi capable compared to PC games, the PC giant Microsoft was concerned if the console platform takes over the PC platform. So it entered the video game console business with Xbox as a bet against Sony’s Play station. It was hoping to become successful in the video game business as it has been in the PC software business. Surprisingly the same recipes didn’t cook well with the developers in this segment and Sony took over the throne by 2005. How was Nintendo able to regain the lead in videogames? With Microsoft and Xbox as strong contenders in the field, Nintendo was gearing up for the launch of its next generation console. While Microsoft was trying to leverage the early release of Xbox 360, Sony was dealing with its internal technicalities. Both the competitors had incorporated superior technological features in to their products. While Xbox had Digital Amplification, Play station had the most powerful console. The technology prowess was so much that the products were HD-DVD and Blu-ray compatible and had online gaming features. On the other hand, Nintendo’s machine was less advanced across all features of processing, compatibility, sound and memory. However, Nintendo could made Wii special with its user friendliness and targeted a larger audience of not avid gamers. Its innovative motion sensitivity and customizable features helped Wii overtake its rivals by 2008. Despite its low performing hardware or performance, it was its reachability to the large customer segment that generated its value proposition. What should Sony do now? Sony should work with game developers to create simple games that target the Wii’s audience. However, Sony’s gaming console should still be high tech to maintain its hold on the hard core gamer. Sony should market the new PlayStation line as a value add product that is the one stop source for the entire family’s entertainment needs. This way, Sony can counter Wii’s threat while also staying in the long term race for the â€Å"center of the living room† position. This position is essential for thwarting Microsoft’s plan of creating a stranglehold on the entire entertainment industry by being the electronic platform of choice in the home.

Democratizing Effect of Internet Essay

In the modern world of today, there has been a whole new transformation in how people access information. Rather than having access to information alone, they discuss it with their peers and gain valuable insights into a topic through the ideas and opinions of others involved. (Ferdinand , 2000) There are different conversational technologies through which information available on the internet has and is become democratized. These include blogs, chat rooms, online communities, e-mails, discussion forums, sites like facebook and orkut. com. People discuss different issues with each other from different parts of the world through these sources and contribute in effective exchange and dissemination of information. These have also helped in creating a social circle where people become friends with each other though located in different parts of the world. This means that internet has removed all physical boundaries and has created a virtual world where any one can communicate across the barriers. Through discussions, people strengthen their knowledge base and get to know about different perspectives relating to a single topic. People express their ideas and opinions freely on communities without any fear which can be seen and thought by all. This sharing of knowledge is mainly carried out through conversations where people involve in healthy discussion or raise questions and others answer them. Then there are blogs created on different topics where people post their thoughts on that particular topic. This is not only being done by people to burn time rather this has become their hobby. They like taking an active part in discussion and join communities and post their messages. (David Simon, Corrales , and Wolfensberger , 2002) Organizations are responsible for creating, sharing, storing and retrieving valuable information which helps in the functioning of the business. The internet has helped in doing so. They have employed different knowledge management and information systems which help in the creation and sharing of information. These systems have also caused the internet to democratize information so that everyone working in an organization can make use of that. Every employee from middle level to the strategic level has a computer working on his desk with internet connectivity. They use internet to bring in creative and innovate ideas which raises their position in the organization. Previously, people used to refrain from sharing data or knowledge with others because of the difference in their cultural backgrounds. Most of the conversation was done face to face so people felt uncomfortable in sharing their ideas and opinions. But since internet technologies have become incorporated in the organization, the employees can discuss different issues through the internet on their computers with others without any face to face contact. This has increased their comfort level in presenting their ideas and opinions without any fear of criticism. Organizations have developed intranet and portals where employees and manages share information and discuss any of their issues or problems. Now let us discuss how information is democratized on internet through different conversational technologies. Examples are illustrated to support the topic to make it understand in a better way. BLOGS The first truly democratic tool used through the internet is ‘blogging’. These are web pages created on different topics by authors, teachers, politicians, creative writers, organizations, communities etc to discussing a particular issue and share with others whatever information they have on that particular topic. They also invite ideas, opinions and suggestions from others who view the website to share their comments over the topic. Different bloggers write on different topics and make their information accessible to others. Since everyone can view blogs and comment on it, this information circulates and everyone using internet comes to know about it sooner or later. This creates a democratizing effect on the population by blogs. An example would further illustrate this point. (Saco , 2002) Chinese people were not happy with Dell computers and started blogging about it on the internet. They criticized Dell computers and laptops for their wrong processors and poor customer service and everyone eventually learned about that living in different countries like U. K, U. S. A etc. Dell customers dissatisfied with the product started discussing the drawbacks in the products online. The angry customers combined together from different areas and raised voices against the company leading to severe action like lawsuit. This is the power of blogs or in other words the power of internet. This led the Dell Company into serious trouble when they saw that their purchases were declining and not only their target markets but others were also getting wrong impressions of the company. The customers created a bad word of mouth by blogging on the internet and people all over the world believed that to be true. This created a democratic effect and every one developed a negative attitude towards Dell products. Because of the democratic effect of the internet, people all over the world feel free and empowered to share their opinions and post their comments related to their experiences on websites readable to millions of users. These users also tend to believe their comments and take similar actions. Recently multinationals are themselves creating blogs about their products on web pages and inviting their customer’s comments after experiencing their products. This way the organizations can know whether their target market likes or dislikes their products, whether they feel content and satisfied or not. Moreover, people read blogs related to a product before going for its purchase to avoid any negative feelings thereafter. There are blogs available on a breadth of topics, people blog about the things they like as well as they dislike and this information spreads so quickly through internet that one cannot even imagine the speed. Online Communities People create online communities on topics that interest them. They are like discussion forums where people post their comments related to that topic. They come to know about different perspectives existing on a single topic and sometimes agree with it and some times contradict it. These forums are like debating societies where a group of people speaks in favor of a particular topic while others speak in against. The tone of the discussion varies. By participating in discussion forums people share their information and also take information from others which increases their knowledge base. Communities can also be created on a wide range of topics and have a similar impact as blogs. People ask questions and others answer them thus, allowing the information to circulate worldwide. Chat Rooms This is the most common type of tool used for communication of personal as well as professional information. Instead of posting comments there, chat rooms offer instantaneous communication. They are used in organizations for communication and problem solving purposes. Students and teachers use chat rooms for working on assignments and projects etc. An example for explaining the democratizing effect of chat rooms is the case of Colgate-Palmolive (CL). It was spread through chat rooms in 2005 by Chinese people that Colgate Total Toothpaste which is a product of CL was linked with cancer because it contained a cancer causing ingredient. Not only chat rooms, discussion forums as well blogs played a major role in spreading this information throughout the world so that more and more people should abstain from using this toothpaste as it could be dangerous to life. CL noticed that the sale of its Colgate Total tooth paste nearly diminished because of the internet’s democratizing effect. This effect is causing much harm to multinational companies whose products are not being sold in the world market because of the opinion of people living in one country. E-mail E-mail is one of the most frequently used ways by the whole population for communication purposes. It the replacement of traditional system of writing letters but is faster, speedy, and more efficient. Information is spread very quickly through e-mails. If a person receives an informative mail then he quickly forwards it to all his peers and friends in social circle who then forward it to their peers and the cycle goes on like this. This way the information continues to spread among population without any stop. Whenever we receive any forward mail, the message first starts with a huge list to which the message has already been forwarded. This way one receives huge information regarding different topics. Recently, I received a forward mail in which there was mentioned how mobile phones can burst while used on charge. There were even pictures given to support the point. I immediately forwarded the mail to everyone I knew because it is important for everyone to know the consequences of using mobile phones while being on charge. Another such informative mail was circulated which contained that mentos and cold drinks should not be consumed simultaneously as it leads to death. It showed pictures of an experiment by putting mentos into a bottle of coke which burst with showers. People receive these mails through different sources and we circulate these mails to as many people as possible because we want the world to become aware of these little things which can have bigger consequences. CONCLUSION The above discussion makes it clear how internet can result in the democratizing of information. Critics argue that it is not democratizing of information but it is creating a pro social change among the masses. They say it depends on a person who is using internet. If they are using it for democratizing purposes then it will surely have a democratizing effect. But since internet allows access to all and information is available to all regardless of the purpose for which it is being used then it is rightly said that internet has a democratizing effect. It has created a virtual world where information is not limited and continues to spread among the masses through blogs, e-mail, chat rooms and discussion forums. Any one can create information over the internet and anyone can read that piece of information. There exists no limit and boundaries. Thus, internet has increasingly become a democratizing tool for masses and people use it with increased vigor and determination. (Tranvik , 2005)

English for Special purposes program design Assignment

English for Special purposes program design - Assignment Example In terms of learning the language it is a big group. Specific teaching strategies should be applied to the students of such a quantity in order to make the learning effective. Specialization of the group that the present program is designed for is Information Technologies, particularly Informatics and Programming. The level of English is Low to Intermediate. The students are supposed to have basic language proficiency prior to the study of English for Science and Technology (EST). A student should also be trained into handling skills, abilities and proficiency that clearly belong to the domain of general English. The only source of grammar that this program is designed to use is "English Grammar In Use with Answers and CD ROM: A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English (Grammar in Use) (Paperback)", a book by Raymond Murphy. Another course book that will be used during the program of EST is "Technical English" by Comfort, Hick and Savage. This book is aimed to assist students in learning English for use in technical areas. The students will use this book after completing and passing the test on Murphy, the previous text book. The reason to use the books one by one is due to the fact that "Technical English" is meant to be used with previous knowledge of the language. However this book requires understanding basic English, it is designed specifically for EST purposes and that is why even in case the students will not pass the grammatical test, it will not hinder the learning of the technical English. Besides, special vocabulary is designed for students with Information Technology specialization so that they would be proficient in their field. The targeted students need to know specific vocabulary and that is the reason that a list of thousand words has been developed to introduce students to the subject. English for Science and Technology (EST) requires specific teaching strategies and learning activities to deliver the knowledge to students. Practically, EST eliminates teaching informal language and does not encompass the whole range of language requirements that a regular learner of ESL has. For purposes of current program, a student should be able to read literature pertaining to his subject, to discuss it with his colleagues, to give lectures and write his own articles in English. However the level of English would be basic, that would let the student to reflect his or her ideas without applying rich vocabulary, but with a knowledge of scientific words.Here are a few of specific terms that the vocabulary will include: total quality management, total quality control; total productive maintenance; design to cost, life cycle cost; concurrent engineering ; project management; productivity improvements; modeling; how enterprises adjust to environmental issues; expert systems; multi-te chnology systems etc. (3) a number of teaching strategi

Dietary and Activity Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dietary and Activity Analysis - Assignment Example The assignment "Dietary and Activity Analysis" presents the analysis of the author's dietary and activity, his energy intake and output, carbohydrate, alcohol, fat, protein, vitamin/mineral intakes and overall dietary intake based on 3-day average data. The paper contains the analysis of the estimated 3-day average daily expenditure in comparison with the 3-day energy intake. The author talks about the gaining or losing weight recently and if it is consistent with the differences between his energy intake and estimated energy output and his 3-day average daily energy intake. The energy consumed is analyzed during the weekend or weekdays and if it expends more energy on the weekends or weekdays. It is estimated that one should have at least 125 grams of carbohydrates a day and ideally, much more. Therefore the average intake compares with this minimum. The person requires more than 125 grams of carbohydrates per day for the energy supply to the body. The negative consequences of consuming less than this amount on a regular basis because less carbohydrate leads to more weight loss. Also, the percentage of the total calories contributed by carbohydrate based on the 3-day average intake is calculated. It is analyzed if the author's intake in line with the recommendations that 45-65% of the calories in his diet should come from carbohydrate. The grams of fiber consumed based on the 3-day average are also calculated and compared with the recommendation to consume 21-38 grams of dietary fiber/day.

Computers and the law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Computers and the law - Essay Example An attempt to address these problems in the Act was implemented in controversial amendments, which came into force in October 2008 through the Police and Criminal Justice Act 2006 . With regard to the unauthorised access and attempted intrusions this could constitute an offence under the Act of the conduct satisfies the requirements as follows: 1) Unauthorised access to computer material (Section 1 of the Act); 2) Access to computer material without authorisation with intent to commit or assist the commission of offences (Section 2 of the Act); and 3) Modification of computer data without authorisation (Section 3 of the Act). With regard to the current factual scenario, it is evident that there have been attempts to hack the Macrobox system without success so far. Accordingly, whilst there has clearly been an intention to commit the office, there does not appear to have been actual access to the computer system or computer material. ... Accordingly, if we apply this to the current scenario, whilst the access to Macrobox’s computer and servers were not successful, the attempt to hack will constitute a criminal offence under Section 3 of the Act. With regard to potential penalties, the Police and Criminal Justice Act 2006 provides for criminal liability on the following basis to be included in the Act for the Section 3 offence: 1. On summary conviction a prison sentence of up to 12 months and a fine not exceeding the statutory minimum; or 2. On conviction on indictment, imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or a fine or both (Section 36(6) of the Police and Criminal Justice Act 2006). Additionally, as the forum users have been trying to encourage others to hack Macrobox, this also potentially falls within incitement offences, which have now been removed from the Act and inserted into the inchoate offences section of the Serious Crime Act 2007. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that the encoura gement on online forums to hack Macrobox’s computer systems could also constitute a potential offence under the Terrorism Act 2000. Section 2(e) of the Terrorism Act provides that an act of terrorism includes any act which is â€Å"designed seriously to interfere with or seriously disrupt an electronic system† if the act is undertaken with the objective of furthering a political, religious or ideological cause. In the current scenario, it is evident that the attempts to hack and interfere with Macrobox’s computer systems and servers were as a result of the disclosure on public forums that Macrobox is a major software supplier for Staffordshire