The problems, failures, and disadvantages of computer technology Essay Example for Free

The problems, failures, and disadvantages of computer technology Essay 1. The Internet is a Playing Field for Piracy and Privacy Violations 2. Green Dam Curtails Freedom of Expression 3. Computer Technology Tramples on the Freedom of People in Iran 4. Censor: Regulating the Digital Environment is Difficult and Challenging 5. A Failure: The Vulnerability of Computer Technology to Hacking 6. Computer Technology Fails to Secure Cyberspace from Breaches 7. Officially Permitted Hacking: Ethical or Not? 8. Twitter Personal Accounts, Breached 9. Computer Technology gives Large Enterprises Power over Consumers 10. What makes Smoking and Computers Similar? They’re Dangerous to Your Health The Internet is a Playing Field for Piracy and Privacy Violations During the previous month, there have been legal conflicts and arguments in France about the approval and endorsement of an Internet law proposed by the nation’s ruler, Nicolas Sarkozy. President Sarkozy has proposed a law in April that was intended to fight piracy in the country. The law included a proposition of developing an agency that would handle anti-piracy operations, which would be called HADOPI. If approved, the agency would be responsible for tracking down the people who are downloading copyrighted content from the Internet without the permission or approval of the proprietors. However, the efforts of President Sarkozy were scrapped since it was denied by the French courts. In addition, the proposed law has earned many protesters who saw it as a violation to human rights and a biased move to protect large companies that operate through recording, music and movie production, and so on. The situation relates to two opposing issues – Privacy and Intellectual Property. Although the approval of the law may be used to deal with piracy, which is a known crime, its implementation is also a crime in itself because it violates human rights. This is because the law would authorize HADOPI to track down the accounts and activity of online users, which is a clear violation of the people’s right to privacy. The issue appeals to society because it will question what the law and other similar laws truly protect: the interest of the people or large enterprises. This urges society to become involved with policy development and implementation and for law-making bodies or legislators to observe fairness, rationality, and ethics in drafting and endorsing laws. The important thing to remember is to let large enterprises and online users compromise in order to protect the interest and meet the demands of both parties similarly. Bremner, C. (2009). Top French Court Rips Heart Out of Sarkozy Internet Law. Retrieved 18 Jul 2009, from Times Online. Website: http://technology. timesonline. co. uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6478542. ece Green Dam Curtails Freedom of Expression The Republic of China is being criticized for its effort in demanding the installation of the Green Dam Youth Escort software in all computers effective this month. The Green Dam is a computer program that has filtering capabilities. Its installation in computers allows the blocking or filtering of various websites in the World Wide Web such as pornographic sites, violent sites, and so on. However, the organization Human Rights Watch has protested against the Chinese government’s schemes because the Green Dam defies the universal right to freedom of expression. The criticisms arose when the Human Rights Watch found out that the Green Dam was also capable of filtering information in the World Wide Web that discusses politics and presses out the accounts and statements of homosexuals in China. Computer users with Green Dam softwares shall not be able to choose which sites they want to filter out. Perceptibly, the issue presented above relates to the topic of freedom of expression. The Chinese government’s efforts to lobby for the installation of the Green Dam software is a clear violation of the freedom of expression because the software was programmed to be predisposed in choosing which sites people might be able to access. It may be a political scheme for the government to control the kind of information being sent out to the public in order to prevent the disclosure of appalling repositions by the government, but it is definitely discriminatory towards gays, lesbians, bisexuals, etc. Controlling access to the World Wide Web affects society such that the liberty of the people to express themselves and to access any kind of information they want through the Internet is being curtailed by a computer software. This is a sign for the technology industry and the people to come together and support ethics and human rights. Human Rights Watch. (2009). China: Filtering Software Challenges Computer Industry. Retrieved 17 Jul 2009, from Human Rights Watch. Website: http://www. hrw.org/en/news/2009/06/19/china-filtering-software-challenges-computer-industry Computer Technology Tramples on the Freedom of People in Iran With the support of human rights interest groups such as Amnesty International, Freedom House and other representatives of foundations and institutes that advocate for the implementation and observance of policies on human rights, the plight of the people in Iranian has been revealed publicly. Apparently, the Iranian government is implementing strict measures in order to inhibit online freedom in the country. This move was politically motivated, such that the government in Iran is trying to limit the amount of information being publicized through the Internet, specifically on facts about the elections and causes of demonstrations from the masses. The Iranian population has been outraged by the extreme online restrictions the government has implemented. Even social networking sites that were meant to be private online sites or spaces for people have been filtered through sophisticated computer applications in order to prevent the people in Iran from posting their personal thoughts and opinions. The situation in Iran does not only relate to the issue of freedom of speech or expression, but also the right of the people to adequate and unbiased information. The violations of the Iranian government stretch out to graver circumstances since it has resorted to physical violence towards online writers or journalists who post local information for the world to see. The resolution of such situations also relates to the observance and assertion of professional ethics and responsibility; that is, the moral sense to end the Iranian government’s oppression of the masses. This is just an example that conveys the two sides of computer technology. It may be used to benefit man, but at the same time, people may use it to trample on freedom and human rights. It serves as a reminder for people to always be vigilant and stand their ground against tyranny and. Robinson, D. (2009). Human Rights Groups, Media Organizations Call for Internet Freedom in Iran. Retrieved 18 Jul 2009, from Voice of America. Website: http://www. voanews. com/english/2009-06-18-voa67. cfm.

Leaders and Managers Essay -- Business Leading Managing Essays

Leaders and Managers A former advertising campaign for a beer company established the slogan, "Tastes great, less filling." The light beer was not only tasty, but it also didn’t fill you up, combining two good qualities into one product. Like the beer, you also need to demonstrate multiple abilities. To be successful in today’s industry, a combination of both leadership and management skills is required. Just like the beer that claimed to be both tasty and less filling, you need to be able to be both a leader and a manager in your organization. That sounds easy, but there is one problem; leadership and management are two separate skills. To understand the difference, we first need to define leadership and management. Leadership is changing for better results; it is challenging the status quo and looking at the long term. Management, on the other hand, is consistency for better results; it is maintaining the status quo and focusing on short-term results. Management is about completing a project on time and on budget. Leadership and management, therefore, seem to contradict each other. Leading Take a moment to name some leaders. You may think of people like Winston Churchill, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Vince Lombardi, and Mother Theresa. Or, maybe the names of your bosses, teachers, or family members come to mind. But, would you think of your own name? Probably not. Usually, when we think of leaders, we consider larger-than-life historical figures, or important people who shaped our own lives, and we don’t include ourselves. Give yourself some credit. You may not be leading large armies or nations, but you are leading your organization, project, or crew. The members of these categories need the same leadership that the followers of Eisenhower needed. You can be a leader too. The real question is, how well do you lead? Take a look at the things leaders do with their time. Ultimately, the things those leaders do often revolve around "soft skills and solutions." These intangible things do not come naturally to many people in the construction industry. The critical few things that leaders do are set priorities, align people, and motivate and inspire them. These are skills that can be learned and taught. Setting priorities Priorities establish what is important. There are a number of ways an organization can... ...leader articulates the intended direction, plans must be put in place to provide concrete ways to move in that direction. Once people have been hired into an organization, the structure of which was defined by a manager, a leader must align those people with a vision. Finally, the leader must motivate and inspire people to overcome the challenges that management processes of controlling and measuring have uncovered. Mandate for the future The business person of the new millenium must be better than the business person of the 20th century. The competitive environment has changed. The harsh reality is that customers and clients are more demanding, there is no labor waiting on the bench, and margins are thin. However, the person who can balance the seemingly contradictory skills of management and leadership is poised to step into positions of increased responsibility and impact and capitalize on these new market conditions. These same people and their organizations will then reap the rewards of being market leaders. These rewards are numerous, but better margins through a highly motivated workforce are a good start. The ultimate rewards are for you, the leader, to determine.

Discuss the importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men Essay

Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men is set in America in the 1930s. This was a time and a place where some people were discriminated against because of their lifestyle. The fundamental cause of this was a hierarchy that existed within American civilisation. The rich and the powerful were given a place in society whereas the working class were outcasts. Of Mice and Men is a novella of outcasts. Steinbeck explores how discrimination dominates the lives of these outcasts: racial discrimination against Crooks, age discrimination against Candy, gender discrimination against Curley’s wife and discrimination against Lennie because of his mental disability. The similarity between all the outcasts is that they all dream of an existence where they are not the victims of discrimination, and this dream is their sole motivation in life. Their dream is the American Dream. Through these outcasts, Steinbeck details everything that was morally wrong with 1930s America. The reason for this was the instability of the 1930s American economy; the Wall Street crash in 1929 being one example. The result of this was a high level of unemployment, and it was these people who were the outcasts. 1930s America rejects Lennie because of his mental ineptitude. George protects Lennie from the victimisation he would have to endure, if he were to face 1930s America on his own. George also helps Lennie find a job as he is hopeless on his own, â€Å"If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job.† There are two aspects George’s speech that would suggest he is trying to protect Lennie. Firstly the normality of his tone; he is not shouting and therefore Lennie would not feel that there is anything wrong with him. Secondly what George is actually saying; he is giving Lennie advice on how to avoid being victimised. Both Lennie and George have the same dream, but for different reasons. Lennie dreams of having his own bit of land so he can tend rabbits; he is not trying to escape discrimination because he does not understand the concept of it. George, on the other hand, wants to escape discrimination. He wants to live without worrying about Lennie’s every move. He wants Lennie to be safe. It is plainly apparent that Lennie and George’s dream is their only incentive in life; all their efforts are aimed at earning enough money to buy their own bit of land. It is made even more apparent to the reader at the end of the book that their dream is their only incentive in life, â€Å"Come on George. Me an’ you’ll go in an’ get a drink.† Lennie is dead and suddenly the dream is no longer achievable. The reader immediately sees how George’s incentive to save money goes; he is going to go for a drink with Slim where he will likely squander every cent he has. There is evidence to suggest that George never really thought they would ever achieve their dream, â€Å"I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would† He had talked about the dream so many times to Lennie, he started to believe it could come true even though he knew, inside, that it would not. Crooks is rejected because he is a Negro. Racism was rife in 1930s America and Negros were the unwanted surplus of American society. Steinbeck shows the reader how Crooks has adapted to protect himself from hurt. Unlike other characters, Crooks considers what can go wrong first before he starts to believe a dream can come true, â€Å"I see hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches with their bindles in their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads† Crooks has been hurt in the past. He knows the realities of life in 1930s America. The result of not having a dream reflects in the way in which he lives his life. Unlike Lennie, George, Candy and Curley’s wife, Crooks has no incentive in life. Crooks is content to stay in his lodging away from the rest of the world. Although he is not progressing in life; he is not digressing. But given the opportunity he also clings on to Lennie, George and Candy’s dream. This shows that although he does not dream, he has longings and desires. Steinbeck reveals this through use of nostalgic language, in Crooks’ desire to re-experience the feeling of equality he felt when he was a child, â€Å"The white kids came to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them.† Crooks dreams of equality, this is evident in the books he reads; in particular the Californian Civil Code. He longs for a civilisation where he can be treated equally. For Crooks, his desire for equality dominates his life as dreams dominate the lives of the other outcasts. Candy is discriminated against because he is old and useless. In an environment where respect is earned through physical competence, Candy has no respect from his fellow ranch workers. However, the most painful thing for Candy is the feeling of not belonging and lack of purpose. He has these feelings because he is old and has lived most of his life; he has left no mark on the world. Other workers, younger workers, like Whit, have dreams of making a mark on the world as Candy probably had when he was younger. Whit displays admiration for a former ranch worker he reads about in a magazine who has had a letter published in that magazine. Whit dreams of making a mark on the world and has not even considered the misery that will overcome him if he does not. Steinbeck uses juxtaposition to illustrate to the reader how little respect Candy receives from his fellow workers. Candy could not kill his dog; he is his only companion and he has owned and loved him for years, â€Å"No, I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im for too long.† Candy desperately wants to save his dog here, but the other workers at the ranch do not respect him enough to comply with his wishes. The contrast between Candy’s desperation and the other worker’s casual dismissal of this desperation highlights how little respect Candy receives from his fellow workers. For this reason Candy quickly catches on to Lennie and George’s dream. He has money in the bank, as a result of his compensation for his lost hand, and feels that the dream can come true with their money combined. His dream is his incentive in life; he carries on with his insignificant swamping at the ranch because it is the only thing he can do. If George, Lennie and Candy can somehow make this dream maintainable he can live the rest of his life happily. As a woman Curley’s wife is isolated as women were not equal to men in 1930s America. She is deprived of many things men have: companionship, power and acknowledgement. She dreams of having all these things. But she differs from the other outcasts because she has no hope of achieving her dream. What she believed to be her only shot at achieving her dream has gone. Furthermore she is trapped in a marriage with a callous man who she despises. In fact if it were up to her husband she would remain indoors all day. The men do not like her because they see her as a ‘tart’ and a threat. She could get them ‘canned’, â€Å"I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.† George discriminates against her because she is a woman. He makes the assumption that any woman in a male lodging is trouble. Through George’s damning reaction to Curley’s wife Steinbeck shows the reader how she will never achieve her dream. She has no power because she is a woman. She only has power over Crooks because he is a Negro, â€Å"You know what I can do if you open your trap?† Steinbeck’s presentation of the situation would suggest she is using Crooks as a scapegoat to disburse her frustrations. And she is indeed because Crooks is trying to defend his room from what he sees as an invasion of his territory, â€Å"You got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room.† Curley’s wife may have been scornful, but Crooks was equally insensitive to her. She is never acknowledged, her true name is not mentioned, and therefore Crooks’ comment made her turn on him like a whiplash because he is the only one on the ranch over whom she has any power or authority. It is ironic how the death of the forgotten outcast brings about the end of all the other outcasts’ dreams. To conclude, dreams are important in the novella because they are the only thing the outcasts can cling on to. They are discriminated against to the extent that they cannot achieve success; they are doomed to failure. Even their dreams, the only means by which they can escape the monotony of 1930s America, are destroyed by their compromised circumstances. Steinbeck shows the reader how important dreams are for the poor. Only the poor that have a dream can live their lives with their dream as an incentive. Steinbeck sums up the injustice of 1930s America at the end of the novella. Curley’s dream of killing Lennie comes true, it is an evil dream and it is the only one in the novella that comes true; the dream of one man with a little power and authority over the dreams of all the poor. (Although Crooks’ dream of equality does become true it is a long time after the novella is written, and he does not experience this so it can be said that his dream did not come true) Through the dreams of the poor Steinbeck conveys many things that were wrong with 1930s America.

Regression Model

IntroductionA regression model with one explanatory variable is called a Simple linear regression, that is it involves 2 points: single explanatory variable and the response variable which is the x and y, coordinates in a Cartesian plane and finds a linear function a non-vertical straight line that, as precisely as possible it explains the dependent variable values as a function of the independent variables. The term simple refers to the fact that the response variable y is related to one predictor x. The regression model is given as Y=?0+?1 + ? and they are two parameters that are used estimate the slope of the line ?1 and the y- intercept of the line ?0. ? is the random error term.BackgroundRegression analysis is a vital statistical method for the analysis of medical data. It makes it possible for the recognition and grouping of relationships among multiple factors. It also enables the recognition of prognostically relevant risk factors and the calculation of risk scores for individual prognostication, this was made possible by English scientist Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), a cousin of Charles Darwin, made significant contributions to both genetics and psychology. He is the one that came with regression and a pioneer in using statistics in a study of living organism. In his study the data sets that he considered consisted was the heights of fathers and first sons. He wanted to find out whether he can predict the height of a son based on the father height. Looking at the scatterplots of these heights, Galton saw that the was relationship which was linear and increasing. After fitting a line to these data using the statistical techniques, he observed that for fathers whose heights were taller than the average, the regression line predicted that taller fathers tended to have shorter sons and shorter fathers tended to have taller sons.PurposesSimple linear regression could be for example be purposefully when we Consider a relationship between weight Y (in kilograms) and height X(in centimeters), where the mean weight at a given height is ?(X) = 2X/4 – 45 for X > 100. Because of biological variability, the weight will vary for example, it might be normally distributed with a fixed ? = 4. The difference between an observed weight and mean weight at a given height is referred to as the error for that weight. To discover the relationship which is linear, we could take the weight of three individuals at each height and apply linear regression to model the mean weight as a function of height using a straight line, ?(X) = ?0 + ?1X . The most popular way to estimate the parameters, intercept ?0 and slope ?1 is the least squares estimator, which is derived by differentiating the regression with respect to ?0 and ?1 and solving, Let (xi , y i ) be the Ith pair of X and Y values. The least squares estimator, estimates ?0 and ?1 by minimizing the residual sum of squared errors, SSE = ?(y i – ? i)2, where y i are the observed value and ?i = b0 + b1xi are the estimated regression line points and are called the fitted, predicted or â€Å"hat† values. The estimates are given by b0 = ¯y – b1  ¯x and b1 = SSXX / SSYY, and where  ¯Xand  ¯Y are the means of samples X and Y, SSXX and SSYY being their standard deviation values and r = r(X,Y) being their Pearson correlation coefficient. It is also referred to as Pearson's r, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, is a measure of the linear between two variables X and Y Where X is the independent variable and Y being the Dependant variable as stated above. The Pearson correlation coefficient, r can take a range of values from -1 to +1. A value of 0 suggests that there is no association between the two variables X and Y. A value greater than 0 indicates a positive association that is, as the value of one variable increases, so does the value of the other variable. Before using simple linear regression analysis it is always vital to follow these few steps: Choose an independent variable that is likely to cause the change in the dependent variable Be certain that the past amounts for the independent variable occur in the exact same period as the amount of the dependent variable. Plot the observations on a graph using the y-axis for the dependant variable and the x-axis for the independent variable review the plotted observations for a linear pattern and for any outliers keep in mind that there can be correlation without cause and effect.ImportancesSimple linear regression is considered to be extensively useful in many practical applications and methodologies. Simple linear regression functions by assuming that the variables x and y have a relationship which is linear within the given set of data. As assumptions are and results are interpreted, persons handling the analysing role in a such data will have to be more critical because it has been studied before that there are some variables which inhibit marginal changes to occur while others will not consider being held at a fixed point. Although the concept of linear regression is one complex subject, it still remains to be one of the most vital statistical approaches being used till date. Simple linear regression is important because it has be wildly being used in many biological, behavioural , environmental as well as social sciences. Because of its ability to describe possible relationships between identified variables independent and dependent , it has assisted the fields of epidemiology, finance, economics and trend line in describing significant data that proves to be of essence in the identified fields. More so, simple linear regression is important because it provides an idea of what needs to be anticipated, more specially in controlling and regulating functions involved on some disciplines. Despite the complexity of simple linear aggression, it has proven to be adequately useful in many daily applications of life.

antigone- a tragic hero essays

antigone- a tragic hero essays In the story Antigone, by Sophocles, Antigone is the tragic hero. By definition a tragedy is an extremely sad course of events or a fatal event and a tragic hero is a member of royalty. (Aristotle, p398). Antigones pride for her brother makes her a hero. She will not back down from anything when she is getting caught. Antigone is a mind-set person when it comes to getting things done her way. Not only is Antigone a hero to everyone else, she is also a hero to herself. After she is caught, She speaks with pride about what she has done. She says, I should have praise and honor for what I have done. All these men would praise me were their mouths not frozen shut with fear of you.(Antigone, p710, 98-100). In a way, she is boastful about breaking the law. She thinks she has done the right thing. Another heroic characteristic of Antigone is that she shows and immense amount of love. She makes sure she gets her brother buried no matter what the consequences are. But I will bury him; and if I must die, I will say this crime is holy (Antigone, p694, 55-56) Antigone says. Even when Ismene tries to take the blame for her brothers burial, Antigone takes all the blame. Antigone loved her family dearly. Antigone is also a determined person. After she put her mind to it, nothing could stop her from doing what she wanted. She even says, Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way. (Antigone, p694, 35). Even though the consequence was death, Antigone still goes through with it. Her determination and love for her brother gives her the courage to keep her pride. Antigones love, determination, and courage changes Creons way of thinking, but it was too late. She didnt allow anyone or anything to get in the way of her dreams. She always kept her pride and principles. Antigone really is a tragic hero. ...

West Nile Virus essays

West Nile Virus essays West Nile virus belongs to a group of enveloped RNA viruses called Flavivirus whose members such as Japanese encephalitis virus, St. Louis encephalitis, etc. are transmissible by mosquitoes and have been shown to cause animal and human infection. West Nile virus was first isolated in 1937 from the blood of a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda. West Nile virus is maintained in zoonotic cycles, mainly through the bird-mosquito cycle in wetland ecosystems, and the virus has been isolated from 43 different mosquito species. In certain dry and warm habitats, bird-feeding argasid (soft) or amblyommine (hard) ticks may serve as substitute vectors and form a bird-tick cycle. Migratory birds usually carry the virus, and the virus spreads to man by mosquitoes and ticks. West Nile fever in humans usually is an influenza-like illness. The most frequent clinical manifestations are fever, severe headache, sore throat, backache, myalgia, fatigue, stiffness of the neck, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rash. In addition, patients with encephalitis often exhibit disturbed consciousness, tremor of extremities, confusion, vomiting, paralysis, etc. The fatality rate was reportedly up to 15.1 percent in acute encephalitis and 1.8 percent in acute meningitis. The time of exposure to the West Nile virus, to the time of onset of symptoms ranges from 3 to 6 days. Most people begin with an abrupt onset of fever lasting from 3 to 5 days. Wild birds are the primary hosts of West Nile virus, although the virus was also isolated from several terrestrial avian species such as ducks and pigeons. The virus has also been isolated from different mammals such as horses, dogs, cattle, camels, mice, hamsters, etc., however these species are less important in maintaining the zoonotic cycles. West Nile virus is endemic in Africa and Eurasia. The first major West Nile fever epidemic in Europe occurred in Romania, in 1996, with ...

Pay Attention to the Email Subject

Pay Attention to the Email Subject Pay Attention to the Email Subject Pay Attention to the Email Subject By Michael The subject line is the most important part of your email. Its perhaps the source your readers use most to decide whether your message is spam or not. The other is the sender line, your own name and email address. If youre writing to a friend who recognizes your email address immediately (and are you sure they can, by the way?), then maybe you can get away with a subject line that says nothing, such as whats happening? or just a thought or hows it going? But spammers love to use those same meaningless subject lines. Anybody can, because they dont say what the email is about, and they allow spam to be mistaken as personal messages. So for important emails, avoid this sort of unprofessional subject line. Unless youre a spammer. Because you may get mistaken for one. Vague subject lines also make email hard to catalog and find later. Suppose your prospective business client does recognize your email address. Or, armed with the latest spyware and virus updates, your customer decides to take a chance on opening your message which you have cleverly titled Who knew? Suppose it has something important to say. I hope you had something important to say. When your customer rereads the subject lines, looking for the email containing the time and place where he was supposed to sign your $1.3 million contract, how in the world is your customer going to remember which email it was? Was it Who knew? or could it have been Update! Well, you didnt really need that $1.3 million anyway. Today, most email is spam, and your email subject line needs to authenticate your message as non-spam. Being specific and personal is the best way to do that. Put something in the subject line that a spammer couldnt guess: specific names or keywords that would interest your reader. And when you do that, you really are interesting your reader at the same time. Yes, detailed subject lines may seem less personal. But drastic times call for drastic measures. In a sea of spam, a clearly-written email subject line rises to the top like a message in a bottle that says Rescue me! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good With"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?150 Foreign Expressions to Inspire You