Saturday, October 12, 2019
Theseus vs. Oberon in A Midsummer Nights Dream :: A Midsummer Nights Dream
     During the course of Shakespeare?s A Midsummer Night?s Dream, the rise of two leaders emerge. Theseus, the leader of Athens and of ?reality?, and Oberon, the leader of the fairies and of ?dreams?. Shakespeare makes it evident that these leaders are two of a completely different nature. As the play progresses it?s clear that Oberon is the better leader of the two.      When dealt with the pressures of being a leader of people, the most essential aspect of this duty is communication. In the play, usually done by speeches, each leader targets a different are of human physiology. In the line, ?I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,           Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows;           Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,           With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine.           There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,           Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight.           And there the snake throws her enameled skin,           Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.           And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,           And make her full of hateful fantasies,? (ActII, Sc2. 259-267) Oberon stresses the use of emotion to understand what he is saying. On the other hand, Theseus accentuates the use of logic, best portrayed in this line, ?I never may believe these antique fables, nor these fairy toys...?(ActV, Sc1. 4-5)      Another necessary trait of a good leader is courage, in which Theseus has little of. Theseus possesses an ?if-then? complex. Oberon on the other hand reacts without consideration of consequence. This may seem like a weakness to most people, but in the heat of the moment there is no time for decision making but a good leader must act acutely.
Friday, October 11, 2019
What is architecture?
I strongly and personally believe that when an architect is been added to a certain project it clearly meaner that art is being added to a project. Architecture is what runs a society. Without architecture society can be peaceful and happy but it cannot be organized and functional. Architecture brings stability to the society. Now why is architecture important? Because we all spend most of our lifetime indoors. We want a good environment. Our environment is largely effected by buildings and the amount of energy they use.When I came to Pip to study architecture I thought it will be easy but then I realized architecture requires commitment. There is no room for choice. Either you will love it or hate it, there is no middle ground if you wish to be successful. If you want to be an Architect you must free your mind, break sways convention, think critically and learn to question and when appropriate challenge. I was told to study history in Architecture. I hated it because I am a militant modernists but history is essential and can't be ignored.From history we get precedents, form, influence, challenges, failure and materiality. An Architect is very important to the society for not what only do or what he brings to the society. A tremendous change can only be brought if an Architect works with its full education. Change is constant in this society and this amazing process of change has long been a source of inspiration for designers and Architects. Engineers and Architects for their building projects. This is because the designs which bring change are not Just aesthetically pleasing but are also practical and innovative.Architecture is about ideas. Ideas can come from the location, nature, human beings, planets etc. The form can be inspired by the location. The materials can be influenced by the form. It is about space. Space is influenced by materials, scale, people and texture. â€Å"look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. â€Å"-A lbert Einstein. As I love buildings which are nature inspired. These buildings which are inspired from nature are more sensational because some of the designs also take on adaptive features of the things they were based on.And I went searched for some buildings which were nature inspired and I was amazed to see the results that these buildings mark a great importance in today's world, For example- The Beijing national stadium r better known as the bird's nest stadium was designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & De neuron for the 2008 summer Olympics and Paralytics in Beijing china. As the name implies, the stadium looks like a giant bird's nest made out of 110,000 tons of steel. The entire cost of constructing the stadium has been reported at over IIS$420 million.The infrastructure was also built using advanced energy- saving design and environment friendly features such as natural ventilation & lighting, a recycling system for rainwater, use of renewable geothermal energy sourc es and utilization of photovoltaic power technologies. Now I said so much about this mega structure. Why? Because before reading about this bird's nest stadium I always thought designing nature inspired building is useless. We can't go far. Somewhere we will get stuck. This building changed my perception.When I first saw this building in a magazine, the next fifteen minutes I Just stared at that image of this building and continuously asked Just one question to myself, how could they do this? I was Jealous at the very same time by the architect. By his vision. By his creativity. No matter he Just used steel to wrap up the stadium but the idea behind this was something very amazing. Another building I want to mention is Palm islands. Palm islands are an artificial archipelago in Dubbed, I-JAKE that is shaped like a palm tree, topped with a crescent.The archipelago is made from sand and dredged from the Persian gulf and is house both residential and commercial establishments such as h otels, residential beach side villas and apartments, theme parks and restaurants. As an architect I want to leave an emotional response because architecture is about creating space in which people feel-sense and the proportions and rhythms of buildings create understandings that I know but how to put that into words. The beauty of architecture and the Joy of architect is we can set up potential for certain responses, but we can't force it. Owe someone will react is entirely subjective. Some spaces may energize one person and frustrate another. However if I careful craft my design, I can make opportunities for people to engage most of their senses. Smooth, rough, cold, warm. When I will introduce water or other calming feature, the sound can create a memory of what one was doing or thinking at that moment. Visual qualities can certainly create an emotional response with color, texture, light/shadow ND form. The emotional response does not need to be profound, Just a response. Was the person happy or feel pleasant is one response.Did it emitted curiosity? Or simply, does a space help one to focus or learning or lift their emotions to aid in their healing. Architecture of big malls and clash of sight and sound cause me to be frustrated, sometimes angry and sometimes I left an emotional response. In college every teacher who taught me said design a building in such a way that natural light should enter but when I design I hardly care about natural light. When any normal unman being goes to a mall he admires the outer faded of the mall. Then he enters and see interiors and gets amazed by it. He never cares about if natural light is coming or not.If the building is functional or not. He Just admires what he sees. Taking an example of MOM Amanda, in this building natural light plays a great role. This is an remarkable building. But I got to know this thing after I came to study architecture. Before that I was unaware of this sensational master piece. My point is norm al people hardly cares about all this. They Just want building to be beautiful. Hey want a building to glow like gold or smooth as silk or white as milk. La m not saying building should not contain natural light or it should be not functional. These points are very important for a building to work.My point is these points should be kept in mind while designing but they should not be given over emphasize. In this world there is a line of good ideas. What we think that good or brilliant ideas comes rare to the people. No, this world is full of talented people. But there are powerful people too who are at the top and dominates everyone. Making a good design is not enough. You should first learn to save what you have created if you want to survive in this world. If you want to prove your existence that yes I do live here you better know how to respond when someone raise a finger over your work.Anyone can through away your work or design in a dustbin saying this is a sit. If you don't kn ow what to say or if you have not prepared yourself for that then no matter how amazing your design is or was, that was nothing. Many architects take this term way too seriously- sustainable architecture. When a builder tells them to design a building for him they hunk of giving a foyer, multiple opening in the wall so that light can enter. But they forget that their first motive is to give their client a fool profit design. They should think about their client first.Morals too order you to do this. If someone has asked you to do something and he is paying for you than you should better think about them first. Suppose you were asked to design an office building and how your client will make more profit. You think about going for sustainable architecture and help in giving back something to environment. That is very good thing. But thinking other ay round if you will give windows and openings then the workers working inside will remember that they have a life outside too. They will b e connected to outside world too. F we think of sustainability than we should too think about this. This world work both ways. If I talk about why I chose architecture over another profession its because, to be very honest architect sounds cool. I know I will feel very proud to introduce myself as Architect Dear Bagman Sings. It sounds so good now too. Santiago collateral inspired me. I am a big fan of him. Why I love him or why I respect IM so much its because he has its own signature style. His buildings only will tell you that I was designed by collateral or I am a result of collateral's vision. This happened with me. Hen I was gowning through a magazine I saw a building and I thought this might be collateral's work and I was very happy when I read his name on the next page. This proves he has done architecture right when he is basically not an architect too. If you go and see collateral's building it will tell you a different story from every side you see. His buildings always h ave something new to offer. A suspense, a never ending building is what he designs. This is how architecture should be done. On your own terms. In this modern era when there are many great architects present, collateral stands in a different row.He has developed his own style and that's the most significant thing about him. He combines artistry with engineering. The title of the book written on him goes perfectly on him- â€Å"poetics of movement†. He is truly a genius in himself and the best thing is he is best in the stuff he do. Collateral's entry into high rise design began with an innovative 54-story-high twisting tower called Turning Torso(2005), location Mammal, Sweden. He is famous for his bridges and train stations. He is someone I want to be. He has his own thing in architecture. He belongs to architecture.There are many more great architects, greater than collateral too but what he is, is more important for me. I don't know his full biography or his history neither I no about all his works and projects but still he make me go crazy with whatever I know about him. Some of my classmates made a model of Lyon, airport railway station, Lyon France and they had many difficulties in starting. When they finished making the model they were very happy. The model name up very good. They said this was one of the best experience for them. But what I liked was when they said,We felt very good after making this model. I love this impact of claptrap which he have on every one of us. He faced a lot of criticism in his life but he replied by making awesome buildings. His work speaks. The thing I learnt from him his if you believe in yourself and in the stuff you do than you too can become great. Mummy†¦. One thing I realized after studying architecture for 2 years is most of the buildings which stands out loud in croup were the result of an architect ho designed by theory. If you Just make a functional building it will be like any other normal building.Bu t if you start a building with a concept which has nothing to do with architecture and then after you explore that and then when design a building by the properties and character of your concept you will surely win the battle. The more you think about theories, the more you will go into detailing. Theories will lead you to design every part of your building differently and with something which will increase the importance of that part. I will explain it with an example.. Like when you a photo of ours you like that photo more which was taken random.The picture in which you made poses will not entertain you that much because the picture which was clicked random will have a certain story behind that and that increases its importance. Same goes to design of a building. When you design lets say a room and if it has a certain concept or a story or a theory behind that then there are chances that your client will love that. Anything which is expressed or told in a certain way attract us. S o does buildings too. Coming back to Pip, design reviews are the most difficult parts but cost important and interesting too. T that time I find that I am finding it difficult to discuss my own design. Not Just me, even the student who has highest number of sheets and has worked very hard whole semester finds tough to deal with reviews. When whole class is standing behind you and you are there selling out your design to the two externals you never saw. Its hard. But from design reviews only we learn many things. At that very same time when I see my design I automatically realize I should have done this or I have made this block here. Reviews should be held very often.Reviews are the best teachers if someone asks me who is the best teacher of the block. That's the point where you have to save what you have created. Your design is like your small baby and you need to protect that from the world. You have to be at your best if you want to mark your existence. The last thing I want to a dd is architecture is clearly the most interesting thing ever happened to humanity. It is interesting, it is important, everyone needs this, it is cool, it is awesome, it is big, it is great. We need architecture to survive. Architecture changed the face of the earth. This explains its greatness. What is Architecture? What is Architecture? ‘We form our edifices, and afterwards they shape us’ [ 1 ] Architecture, like history, is undependable, subjective, selective, rewritten, continues to be influenced by rich or powerful persons or establishments, and is seldom a contemplation of the common adult male. The common aesthetic of a state has been carefully curated and developed over many old ages, to the point where it is no longer a true contemplation of the common people. Much like national costume, state dance or common people music, architecture is excessively frequently used to continue the memory of a aureate yesteryear. Architecture is an ideal.. It can and should germinate with the passing of clip toreflectnew challenges, aspirations and values. Modern western society has ne'er been more classless or democratic and its built environment caters to its dwellers in all facets of their being:it’s where they live, work and drama. As such the function of modern architecture is to profit ordinary people while at the same clip incorporating the reverberations of the yesteryear. Architecture has, and will, ever be used as a symbol of power and wealth or promote political orientations. From theRomanEmpire to theNew York skyline, the purpose of the abiding architecture of the yesteryearis toobserve the victory of the little category of governing elite, despite masquerading as a cultural infinite, where political undertakings attempt to go socially meaningful.[ 2 ]Today, the bulk of European national authoritiess have an architectural policy designed to profit their populations, and advance their alone national image or ‘brand’ abroad.This essay is intended as a limitedscrutiny of England as an illustration of how such a policy can accommodate the desire to continue our heritage without impeding advancement. Architecture as representation of national individuality. In 2009 Denmark launched its first national architecture policy, ‘A State of Architecture’ with the purpose of guaranting the production of high quality architecture, thereby vouching a good quality of life and economic growing.[ 3 ]This policy was specifically introduced to advance the values that Danish architecture seeks to stand for.[ 4 ]In 2013 Scotland introduced its ain architecture policy, ‘Creating Places’ , seeking to title-holder quality design which reflects Scotland as a modern, forward-thinking state[ 5 ] England remains one of the lone states in the European Union without any kind of policy[ 6 ]. Earlier this twelvemonth Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, invited Terry Farrell to carry on one of the most extended probes into the UKs built environment.[ 7 ]Both Ed Vaizey and Terry Farrell have been outspoken about the importance of the built environment to the state as a whole, yet a Built Environmentwas non a subject covered by the footings of mention for the Review[ 8 ]andeven before the reappraisal had been published, Vaizey publically stated, â€Å" I have n't anticipated that the study will ensue in any alterations to statute law. †[ 9 ] Architecture in the UK The Farrell Review The Farrell reappraisal is an analysis of the current reinforced environment of Britain.It recognises that Britain has ever played a important function in architectural invention, and that in general the criterion of architectural design has improved.[ 10 ]However, this does non intend that current criterions are sufficient ; English architectural design has stalled and is confronting new challenges. The reappraisal high spots countries which are in demand of betterment over the coming old ages.[ 11 ] An Architecture Policy for 21stCentury England In the 1970s, England moved off from its industrial yesteryear, and old regional fabrication human dynamos, such as Birmingham, Newcastle and Manchester were eclipsed by London’s chokehold on the fiscal market.[ 12 ]In 21stcentury England there is one time once more a demand for alteration and a displacement in accent from the capital to the parts.[ 13 ] RIBA argues that a Minister for the Built Environment should be appointed to sit within the Cabinet Office â€Å"advancing quality in the reinforced environment and implementing a Design Policy across government.†[ 14 ]While ‘core’ sections such as the Treasury, Foreign Office and Home Office have continuity from authorities to authorities, architecture, lodging, substructure, conveyance and planning are apt to be lumped in with any figure of other ‘minor’ministries.[ 15 ] Presently, architecture is a subset of Heritage within the Department for Culture, Media & A ; Sport ( DCMS ) . [ 16 ] The effect of this changeless shifting around is a haphazard and confused system that certainly indicates the dismissive attitude of cardinal authorities to the function of the built environment. This deficiency of focal point must be rectified. Nor is at that place any bing authorities appointed ( or other functionary )representative to defend the cause ofdesign[ 17 ]Farrell recommends that the currentDesign Review should be reinvented under the acronym PLACE – Planning, Landscape, Architecture, Conservation and Engineering.[ 18 ]All authorities sections and government-funded organic structures would so subscribe up to an agreed set of rules and a design policy statement, which would put out how they intend to organize the design quality of their several built environment aspirations, activities and duties.[ 19 ]Such a policy would besides take history of â€Å"procurement ( of services and merchandises ) , handiness, sustainability, information and communications engineerin g, care and stewardship and the public realm†.[ 20 ]This more cohesive attack lends itself non merely to greater efficiency and economic system, but besides represent a ‘kitemark’ of uniquely English architectural design, instead than merely current British criterions of buildings. Percepts of English Architecture Scotland and Denmark are confident that their peculiar national individualities are reflected in the values they intend their architecture to convey. If such a policy were to be in England what would its individuality be based upon? As the cardinal, dominant state in Great Britain for more than 300 old ages[ 21 ], and laminitis of the British Empire[ 22 ],the English have non needed in the yesteryear to worry about a specifically English national individuality: the place of authorities has ever been in London, the common linguistic communication has ever been English and the established faith has been the Church of England. England equated to Britain. However the recent ballot on Scots independency was a crisp reminder that nil is set in rock. The Empire, maritime and fabrication domination have all gone, and now there is a demand to rediscover an individuality that is unambiguously English and non merely a rehash of British cliches. The danger is that a policy based on national individuality might acquire hijacked by chauvinists, romanticists and diehards. In a address on St. George’s twenty-four hours, 1993, John Major attempted to chase away public frights of fall ining the European Union, by claiming that Britain would ever stay, â€Å"†¦distinctive and in Europe. Fifty old ages from now, Britain will still be the state of long shadows on county evidences, warm beer, unbeatable green suburbs, Canis familiaris lovers and – as George Orwell said – old amahs biking to Holy Communion through the forenoon mist. . .†[ 23 ] What he was depicting was middle-class, conservative, Home Counties England, which has ever resisted alteration and modernness. This nostalgic and rural English idyll is non a true contemplation of English national individuality and is exactly what has to be avoided if a national Architectural policy is to be genuinely good to the English state. The guardians of cocoa box England side-line the impact of the industrial revolution, which funded the manor houses and sign of the zodiacs, and the civic edifices so beloved to the Black Marias of environmentalists, ignore the slum clearances done in the name of societal justness in post-war urban planning, and keep in cheque edifice work of national importance that would profit the huge bulk of the population,in order to protect the privileged few[ 24 ]. Such attitudes in no manner reflect English national character traits of ‘pragmatism, Puritanism and utilitarianism that are aligned with ( instead than hostile to ) urbanism and econ omic growth’ .[ 25 ] There is a existent disparity betweenwhat ispromoted and protectedas‘English’ architectureby these privileged categories, and what ordinary people need. Introducing an architectural policy to England would non merely guarantee some sort of minimal design criterion, but could besides stomp inclusivity, invention and individuality as the war cries of modern English values. â€Å"The differentiation between historical and recent is excess. All that is past is our history. That which is most ancient is likely to be valued more extremely because of its rarity†¦ . Our recent history may turn out to be tremendously of import to future coevalss so we should try at least to expect this.†Steven Bee [ 26 ] England drastically needs to alter its attitude to architecture and individuality and recognise that a national individuality is about the present and should non merely be based on the yesteryear.Its incontrovertible repute for saving and preservation is a comparatively recent phenomenon: 75 old ages ago there were no listed edifices, whereas today there are over 375,000.[ 27 ]However, these are chiefly edifices which are sometimes referred to as â€Å"poster British heritage†ferociously defended bycertain coterie of British society whose gustatory sensations are selective and blinkered.[ 28 ]Merely 0.5 % of all listed edifices are modern, built after 1945.[ 29 ]The architecture of the industrial Revolution ( much of it based in the Midlands and the North ) are less prized than the Georgian sign of the zodiacs of the south-east.This is non a rejection of the yesteryear: There is an undeniable relationship between heritage, topographic point and individuality.[ 30 ]However, th e yesteryear is merely an facet of who we are. Persons have dreams and aspirations, and in the same manner topographic points should be aspirational. Even HRH Prince Charles who late released his ain recommendations intended to protect English design, insists that he is non against modern design, and stresses that edifices must take peoples’ demands into consideration.[ 31 ] Rather than being run by a self-seeking elite of upper and middle-class diehards, an effectual policy should be carefully curated by a panel of experts who are in melody with the people and the nation’s needs, able to judge without prejudice the best way for a modern England on a universe phase and willing to accommodate and amendprogramsto reflect altering fortunes. â€Å"( Britain ) stands out †¦ as a state with an vastly strong and diverse cultural individuality and memory expressed in its built and natural environment to which we all†¦ can associate†¦ It is those foundations of individuality and memory that provide Britain with its successful hereafter in a competitory and fast-changing universe.†Alan Baxter[ 32 ] Design for the Future The term ‘heritage’ is highly confining, it is frequently merely associated with the distant yesteryear.[ 33 ] The current coevals does non separate traditional and modern design as it was in the 20ThursdayCentury, this current mentality recognises sees the potency in what is already at that place, the value of topographic point, individuality and sustainability. [ 34 ] The attack is no longer to construct to be remembered, but to construct to profit future coevalss. â€Å"‘New’ and ‘old’ need non compete.†Lucy Musgrave. [ 35 ] After printing his reappraisal Farrell suggests that in fact England is a state which would non profit from entire, inclusive formal ‘English’ policy, and would really profit from regional policies which reflected our truly alone and diverse state. A policy that might work for cardinal London could hold really small relevancy to a small town in Wiltshire or a Northern industrial metropolis. Such an across-the-board formal policy is more effectual on smaller states,[ 36 ]a state like England has such a unique and huge scope of regional individualities that need to be protected, and possibly England’s long history and international presence means that it is non as easy for it to show a individual, cosmopolitan image. Farrell besides calls for a Chief Architect, similar to a Chief Planner, which would intend a consistent high criterion of design – our reinforced environment must execute successfully, we must hold adequate places for our population, we must und ertake clime alteration, andeven how can wedesign to cover with our altering environment, such as the inundations which hit Britain every twelvemonth.[ 37 ] Decision â€Å"History is non defined by the ‘discrete projects’ ( one-off edifices such as baronial places or palaces ) but is continuous.†Hank Dittmar [ 38 ] If England is to hold national individuality as an facet of national planning we must guarantee that it is the best qualities that are in grounds. Whether the solution is a one size fits all attack as suggested by Prince Charles, or a more localized, regional policy, as proposed by Farrell, the purpose should be to profit the full community by set uping standard values in architecture. That manner ‘good’ physiques are designed before they are erected as opposed to placing them as worthy or important long after they have been built.A design policy offers a centralized end for all those lending to the built environment. It goes beyond merely design,to a purpose and ultimate endto bring forth good designed quality edifice which to the full benefit the dwellers of England. Regardless of whether a policy is for a whole stateor a individual small town, it should be developed and enabled by authorities, but ledindependentlyby industry. The stewardship, long-run planning and individuality of existent topographic points should be a cardinal portion of reinforced environment policies.[ 39 ]It is critical that if a policy is of all time put in topographic point it must be right implemented. Past RIBA President Sunand Prasad compactly states, â€Å"It is people that make the difference non policy. Crudely put, good people can work round bad constabularies but good policies can non work round bad people.†[ 40 ] Policy is non about making a common manner, or seeking to mime the yesteryear, it is about guaranting quality design for edifices which decently benefit their users.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Modern Technology Essay
Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in the work and personal lives of citizens. Computers, communications, digital information, software – the constituents of the information age – are everywhere. There is though, a considerable number of people that are really concerned about the changes that modern technology implies, stating that it embodies potential risks to social values, freedoms, and relationships and this is what Sherri Turkle also states in her Forbes magazine article ‘Can You Hear Me Now? . I must agree with Turkle’s point of view that technology, along with all the positive aspects it brought into people’s lives, it also brought loneliness and sameness of lifestyle because of this abusive way people got to use technology nowadays. But as opposed to Turkle’s and millions of other people’s fearful thinking that mankind is developing too intimate relationships with machinery; I would say that this can be absolutely controllable. While it is true that the future of technology is only limited by our imagination, people have to learn that no matter how developed technology might get, the basics of a better life are self-esteem, respect for the others and willingness to self-educate and build up a strong character. According to Dictionnary. com,’ technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science’. Commonly, technology can be defined as the science applied to practical purposes. It can be argued that modern technology makes life easier and more dignified for most of people. The first and the major advantage is that medical science is very progressive and vastly available. Without the needed technology a lot of people would struggle with their health. In addition it saves many innocent lives. The point is to spread it and reach with medicine help to the poor nations of the Third World. Secondly, the advanced technology improves industry by making it more effective and, what is vital today, safer for environment. Moreover when we look at TV, personal computer, mobile phone or internet for instance, it is quite obvious that all these inventions have been made in the last 20 years. Thus the speed of improvement is huge and unpredictable. We can get the fastest ways of communication through modern technology which ties humanity together like a nervous system ties the parts of an organism together. Today we are connected with every other human being on the planet in a way people never have been before this leading to globalization through diversity, a very powerful current which is really to consider nowadays. On the minus side there is weaponry which is the inseparable issue of the new technologies. Hence the main problem is the proper use of this knowledge. Nevertheless, weapon engineering propels and provides a huge advance. Also, the industry despite highly developed machinery pollutes the globe. On the other hand while many people live in horrible conditions and famine governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Is it the right way? Modern technology should prevent social disproportions and not add up even more. Technology entered our lives over a relatively brief period of time with little warning and essentially no preparation. Many who currently use information technology have only a limited understanding of the tools they use and a probably correct belief that they are underutilizing them. This is why most of the people pay more attention first to their interlocutors coming through the modern gadgetry considered a more elevated audience; the ‘real’ ones have come to fill just a second position. This is where Turkle’s fair point comes when she describes these people’s feelings – ‘Being put on pause’ this is the impression we get when the one we are engaged with in a conversation answers his cell phone or replies to an e-mail or a text message. Another example of the modern technology taking over the unprepared people is the virtual lives they build and end up becoming addicted on that up to a certain point where it can even become dangerous for themselves and the ones close to them. Millions become someone else every day, lying about their age, gender, occupation or appearance. If you can be anything, you might as well be who you wish you were rather than what limits you in the real life. So if someone decides they like their online persona better, and decides to spend as much time in that persona as possible, living virtually – are they crazy? These games are addictive by design, and a lot of people get sucked into a virtual world existence, at the expense of their real life happiness. And surely a large part of the attraction is this ability to live an alternate, and in many ways, happier existence. But this can get really dangerous when it comes to children and adolescents as they may discover ‘world in the Second Life’ as Turkle puts it in might be much easier and funnier and they can develop serious issues n forming their character and personalities. And the negative effects technology can have on children are numerous: less physical movement, lack of attraction towards reading, no sense of responsibility. With parents buying their children cell phones and expecting them to call as often as possible showing them actually how little they trust them, this only adds up to children’s developing a lack of responsibility and a sense of dependence, as Turkle puts in and I agree. The time of self-reflection at adolescence is taken over by ‘quickly communicating a state over the cell phone or through an instant message and emoticons’ (Turkle) leading to a new dependence in their early emotional lives. Another point that Turkle makes is that technology leaves less or no time at all to sit and reflect of ourselves uninterrupted and I agree with that. Unless we are really strong as to put away or turn off all the technology around us we cannot get a moment with ourselves as all this machinery can be very distracting. Nowadays, when the rapidness of development and research is so impressive, it is easy to think about the advantages of modern technology. It is obvious that we are close on an era where technology is limited only by our imagination. Therefore the most frequently asked question is: Does technology go the right way and will it save or ruin our civilization? I believe that we can just let ourselves carried along with it or we could impose on ourselves in being more aware of the disadvantages also and try to control it.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
It Strategy
B19 – IT Strategy Syllabus Start January 31, 2013 Ends April 25, 2013 Day and Time: Thursday 12-14 & 14-16 Instructors:Stefan Henningsson (sh. [email protected] dk) Jonas Hedman (jh. [email protected] dk) + guests Course Description This course uses the IVK Case Series to examine important issues in IT management through the eyes of Jim Barton, a talented business (i. e. , non-technical) manager who is thrust into the Chief Information Officer (CIO) role at a troubled financial services firm. The course follows Barton through challenges, mistakes, travails, and triumphs.We take this journey with him, commenting on and debating his choices and decisions. During his first year as CIO, Barton confronts issues related to skill and talent management; IT costs, budgets, value, and chargeback systems; priority setting and financial justification of IT investments; project management; runaway projects and underperforming vendors; security risks and crises; Web 2. 0 policies; com munications with other senior executives; vendor management; infrastructure standardization; support for innovation; and risk management. As Barton encounters these issues, we address them too, through associated readings.As we examine and critique both research and conventional management wisdom on these topics, we’ll derive a framework for managing IT as a business leader. Course Book The main text for this course is the book â€Å"Adventures of an IT Leader†, also called IVK after the company in the book. Adventures of an IT Leader Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, Shannon O’Donnell | Apr 21, 2009 Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (1 Mar 2009) ISBN-10: 142214660X ISBN-13: 978-1422146606 Among other places, the book is available from http://amzn. com/142214660X Obtaining Harvard Business School Publishing MaterialsSome of the readings in this course must be acquired online from Harvard Business School Publishing. You can access the site to download th ese materials here: https://cb. hbsp. harvard. edu/cbmp/access/17620259 At this site you will need to use a credit card to purchase copyrighted materials, which you will then download in PDFs and be able to print as is convenient. Please be sure to use this link, not the main HBSP website, so that you get the discount associated with the course. Course blog The course blog is the official source of information, where updates, session presentations, etc. ill be posted. http://www. itu. dk/courses/EB19/F2013/ Session 1: Introduction to the Case Method and the Course (Thursday, January 31, 12:00 to 12:00, ScrollBar) Reading (please read before class): â€Å"A Note on Case Learning,†HBS 899-105 (download/purchase from HBSP website) IVK 1 – The New CIO â€Å"Understanding Financial Statements†HBS 5238BC (download/purchase from HBSP website) Assignment Questions (think about and discuss with others before class): Consider the exhibits at the end of IVK-1; what do th ey tell you about the IVK Corporation’s business situation? Why has this company replaced its CEO?If you were Jim Barton, would you accept the CIO job offered by the new CEO? If he accepts, what should be his plan of action? What should he do first? Second? What would be your best single piece of advice to Barton if he decides to take the job? What should he watch out for? Where should he be careful? Session 2: Challenges Facing the New CIO (Thursday, February 7, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) *** IBM Guest Presentation *** Reading: IVK 2 – CIO Challenges IVK 3 – CIO Leadership IVK 4 – The Cost of IT Assignment Questions: How do you interpret the kid’s advice to Barton: â€Å"You need to know what you don’t know? †Davies predicts that Barton will be gone in a year; why does he say this? Do Maggie’s notes (exhibit at end of IVK-2) shed any light on Davies’ assertion? What should be Barton’s plan for reaching out to oth er CIOs and industry experts to gain expertise quickly about running an IT department? Whom should he talk to first? Do you agree with Ruben that IT is a â€Å"unique†business function, that it is different from other departments in the organization? What did Barton learn from his trip to the bookstore and subsequent night of studying? Session 3: The Value of IT (Thursday, February 14, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar)Reading: IVK 5 – The Value of IT â€Å"Zara: IT for Fast Fashion†HBS 604-081 (download/purchase from HBSP website) â€Å"IT Doesn’t Matter†HBS 0306B (download/purchase from HBSP website) â€Å"Dog Eat Dog†http://online. wsj. com/public/article_print/SB117735476945179344. html â€Å"The IT Productivity Gap†http://ebusiness. mit. edu/erik/Optimize/pr_roi. html â€Å"Zara: IT for Fast Fashion†Assignment Questions: How would you advise Salgado to proceed on the issue of upgrading the POS terminals? Should he upgrade to a modern operating system? Should the POS applications be rewritten to include any additional functionality?If so, what functionality? What benefits does Inditex/Zara get from its IT infrastructure? How difficult would it be for a competitor to acquire these same benefits? IVK Assignment Questions: What is the â€Å"right†amount for a company to invest in IT? How should Jim Barton respond to the CEO when he asks: â€Å"What is the ‘right’ amount for IVK to spend on IT? ’ What is the purpose of a â€Å"chargeback†system for returning IT costs to business units? Why implement such a system? As we learn in IVK-4, at IVK business units control all of the IT budget; what do you think of this arrangement?Should Barton try to â€Å"pull back†some of the budget that is allocated to business units, to create his own discretionary budget? How does IT create or enable the creation of value within a company? How should we value IT capabilities requi red to keep us in business, but that do not differentiate us from competitors (so-called â€Å"qualifiers†in the discussion in IVK-5)? Session 4: Managing Projects (Thursday, February 21, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 6 – Project Management IVK 7 – The Runaway Project â€Å"Cisco Systems, Inc. : Implementing ERP†HBS 699-022 (download/purchase from HBSP website) Managing Project Uncertainty: From Variation to Chaos†by Arnoud De Meyer, Christoph H. Loch, and Michael T. Pich, MIT Sloan Management Review 42, 2, (Winter 2002); CBS Library Database: http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=bth&AN=5982685& amp;site=ehost-live&scope=site Cisco Systems Assignment Questions: Cisco was highly successful with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) effort. What accounts for this success? What were the most important things that Cisco did correctly? Did Cisco do anything wrong on this project? If so, what? Was Cisco smart or lucky wi th its ERP implementation?IVK Assignment Questions: Which side would you take in the debate between Henderson and Calder? What do you think of the approach that Davies seems to have used (judging from documents found by Barton) to managing uncertainty in projects? What should Barton do to get the IR initiative back on track? Should he fire NetiFects? How do you manage project problems you cannot anticipate? Session 5: Prioritization, Governance (Thursday, February 28, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 8 – IT Priorities IVK 9 – Governance â€Å"Volkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities†HBS 605-003 (download/purchase from HBSP website)Volkswagen of America Assignment Questions: What is your assessment of the new process for managing priorities at Volkswagen? Are the criticisms justified? Is it an improvement over the old process? Who controls the budgets from which IT projects are funded at Volkswagen of America? Who should control these budgets? How sh ould Matulovic respond to his fellow executives who are calling to ask him for special treatment outside the new priority management system? IVK Assignment Questions: Should Barton try to take control of the entire IT budget? Should he ask for a percentage of the overall budget to be placed under his control?Or should he try to fix the committee structure put in place by Davies? What should Barton do about â€Å"managing Beckworth? †Managing Williams? Session 6: Crisis and Damage control (Thursday, March 7, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) IVK 10 – Crisis IVK 11 – Damage http://www. nytimes. com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet. html Symantec Internet Security Threat Report: Executive Summary April 2010 http://eval. symantec. com/mktginfo/enterprise/white_papers/b-whitepaper_exec_summary_internet_security_threat_report_xv_04-2010. en-us. pdf Viruses and threats Questions: What type of malware is the Stuxnet, and how did it work?How did the Hydraq Trojan operate? Could it be a potential threat to IVK? IVK Assignment Questions: What is your assessment of how IVK handled the crisis during the event itself? Did they do a good job of crisis management? How would you recommend that Barton handle the analyst meeting? If you were on the team coming up with the strategy for the meeting, what guidelines would you suggest to Barton? Session 7: Communication (Thursday, March 14, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) *** Danske Bank Guest Presentation *** Reading: IVK 12 – Communication â€Å"The Lessons of ValuJet 592,†by William Langewiesch (March 1998) The Atlantic. ttp://www. theatlantic. com/issues/98mar/valujet1. htm â€Å"Ready to Acquire: IT resources for a growth-by-acquisition strategy†. To be distributed. IVK Assignment Questions: Which option for securing IVK in the aftermath of the attack would you choose? Would you recommend shutting the company down? If so, when? Do you agree with the CEO’s decision about what to disclo se about this possible hacker attack? How should Barton handle the CEO’s new tendency to offer him helpful but misinformed advice? How should Barton communicate with people outside the IT department to rebuild his and his department’s credibility?How frequently should he communicate with the CEO? With his peers? Should he rely on â€Å"The Doctrine of Completed Staff Work†as he formulates a communication strategy? Session 8: Emerging technologies and Sustainable IT (Thursday, March 21, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 13 – Emerging Technology â€Å"Three strategies for Green IT†by Hedman & Henningsson http://www. computer. org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10. 1109/MITP. 2010. 141 (see also course blog) â€Å"Organizational self-renewal: The role of IS in developing organizational eco-effectiveness†by Hedman, Henningsson & Selander. 2012. To be distributed in class. Green IT TBDIVK Assignment Questions: How would you respond to Bernie Rubenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s three questions concerning possible action on the blog issue? What technology can IVK use to improve business? March 28: Easter Break Session 9: Outsourcing, Infrastructure, and Vendor Partners (Thursday, April 4, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 14 – Vendor Partnering IVK 16 – Standardization and Innovation IVK Assignment Questions: Which vendor should IVK choose for the IR project? Which approach to an SLA? Service delivery model? How much technical expertise does a company like IVK need to keep in house if it plans to outsource much of it’s IT work?How can it retain expertise when most of the interesting work is being done by vendors? What information should a company like IVK ask for in a â€Å"Request for Proposal†(RFP) document? What questions should they ask a vendor to answer? Should the IR project implementation be â€Å"fixed price†or another sort of contract? Which approach should IVK take to infrastructure standardizat ion? Are IT standardization and innovation (or flexibility) in conflict in an organization like IVK? How do you interpret the kid’s story about the great man who went missing? Session 10: Managing Talent (Thursday, April 11, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading:IVK 15 – Managing Talent â€Å"Bridging the Gap Between Stewards and Creators†(download/purchase from HBSP website) Online Streaming Video: â€Å"Panel Discussion: The Organizational Dilemma of Stewards and Creators†http://www. uwtv. org/programs/displayevent. aspx? rid=4858 Assignment Questions: What should Carter and Barton do about the Ivan Korsky situation? Should Barton seek a technological way of monitoring what his employees are doing? Why or why not? Should IVK have a management system for identifying its top value people assets? If so, how might such a system work? How would it interact with training and skills development?Should Barton reorganize the IT function so that the best talent is in a central â€Å"shared services†organization available to the entire organization (rather than just a particular business unit)? What are the pluses and minuses of such an arrangement? What might Barton be able to learn from the way jazz ensembles work about how to manage top notch IT talent? Session 11: IT Risk Management (Thursday, April 18, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) IVK 17 – Risk IVK 18 – Looking Forward â€Å"The Evolution of Security†http://www. acmqueue. org/modules. php? name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=478 â€Å"CareGroup†HBS 303-097 (download/purchase from HBSP website) The Myth of Secure Computing†HBS 0306J (download/purchase from HBSP website) IVK Assignment Questions: What do you think of CEO Williams’s explanation of his actions in the aftermath of the crisis described in IVK-10? How should a company like IVK approach its cost and risk tradeoffs? CareGroup Assignment Questions: What caused the network outage at CareGr oup? Consider the lessons learned that Halamka enumerates at the end of this caseâ€â€are these the right lessons? Has he missed any? Session 12: Mini-project presentations (Thursday, April 25, 12:00 to 14:00, ScrollBar) ***Mini-project presentations ***
Race and Ethnicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Race and Ethnicity - Essay Example f the world to the other in order to get education, employment, engage in business and commercial activities, obtaining therapeutic aid medical treatments, visiting relatives, friends and historical places, attend mega sports and cultural events and others. Moreover, immigration policies launched by the developed nations have also motivated the people to move from pole apart regions to settle down permanently. In addition, colonialism during Europeans scramble for Africa in 18th and 19th centuries accelerated assimilation and acculturation of different races and regions. Constant and continuous interaction among the people of different races and ethnic groups gave birth to amalgamation of new communities and social groups. The term race and racial group signify the group of people containing specific physical features, complexion and traits. Color of skin, shape and form of hair on head, presence of hair on body, height and physical appearance differentiate the people of one race from the other. The examples of different races include African Blacks, Asian, Caucasians, White people, yellow people of Japan, China and Hong Kong and others. "In United States, skin color is an obvious difference. On a cold winter day when one has clothing covering all, but ones head however, skin color may be les obvious than hair color. (Schaefer, 2006:5) Thus, race specifies the origin of the people living as minority in a great country like USA, which cannot lose its identity even after living for many decades in the region other than and outside their own. Ethnic group, on the other hand, refers to the cultural divergence among the people living in the same region or area. Since every group of people maintains its own literature, language, norms, traditions, mores and cult, it looks different from other groups prevailing in the society. As local, and native communities have their own culture and language, which may be different from other groups of people. The same is the case
Monday, October 7, 2019
IT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
IT - Assignment Example s the data; prepare prescriptions to be sent to the pharmacies via communication technology; get instant and accurate results from the laboratories directly; communicate with their patients on a regular basis no matter which part of the globe they live in; and, give better suggestions regarding their health and lifestyle. On the other hand, the patients, here referred to as e-Patients, can have access to doctors all around the world with the use of information and communication technology, telemedicine and e-Health systems, get diagnosis (known as remote diagnosis) and treatment regarding their diseases, and thus, remain better informed about their problems in particular and health care in general. Eysenbach writes in his article that e-Health has a major contribution in solving the communication problem between the practitioners providing healthcare in remote areas and healthcare institutions in the city. E-Health brings the best healthcare providers in competition which enhances the quality of healthcare practice. It has created a trustworthy doctor-patient relationship, as e-Health systems ensure the patients’ privacy. It provides tools, known as e-Health tools, which facilitate health services like diagnosis and treatment. These include electronic databases, mobile monitors, health portals, and many more. E-Health is also cost-effective as money is not spent on staffing and traveling resources. The European Union (EU) is the leader in the development of e-Health systems and tools. ICT1 has made it possible to provide faster, reliable, cost-effective, and responsive solutions to mankind in the health sector (Europe’s Information Society). E-Patients use ICT to have a better knowledge about their diseases and other issues. They can communicate with their physicians and fellow sufferers. ICT has enabled the patients to be part of the health decision process who are constantly requesting to view and access the data about their diseases contained in their
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Industrial Organization of Hot Rolled Steels Industry in India Research Paper
Industrial Organization of Hot Rolled Steels Industry in India - Research Paper Example The present research has identified that hot roll steel is in high demand all over the world and even the country’s growth is measured in terms of its production of steel, therefore components in this hot roll industry including the user demand, production, rate of growth, is always showing a positive trend. As per elasticity of demand, the hot roll steel industry in India is quite stable. Economies of scale, is one of the important reason for success of a firm in hot roll steel industry of India, the larger giants share more market. Raw materials are also one of the important factors in this industry. Steel billets are the major raw material along with other supporting raw materials. Mostly successful hot roll firms have their own production of steel billets, in order to avoid production delays and transportation costs. Hot roll steel product is an outcome of a metal rolling process that happens above the re-crystallization temperature of the metal. The raw material is typica lly big fragments of crude metal, for instance semi-finished casting items known as slabs, blooms, and billets. The metal billets or slabs are rolled from hot working rolls and the rollers produced a flat product that can be formed in coils as well as in hot rolled plates. There are two types of flat products resulting from a hot roll mill i.e. Plates or HR coils. More often plates are utilized directly. The HR coils (HRC) are utilized directly, but in addition to it, most of them are additively rolled and routed to manufacture products for example cold rolled sheets coils, galvanized or gal annealed sheets and coils, pipes etc.
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