E-books in relation to technology, science, and their impact on Research Paper

E-books in relation to technology, science, and their impact on society. Where will they be in 2060 - Research Paper Example According to a research study by Lyman and Hal in 2002, more than 93 percent of completely new information is being produced in digital format (as cited in Lee, Guttenberg, McCrary, 2002, p.227). In recent times, digital publishing has reached critical mass. Media coverage and future books fair reporting has made the consumer well-aware of eBooks and ereaders. Apple’s iPad cum ereader has changes the way ereaedrs are perceived. Ebooks market is in transition, it is evolving and restructuring itself for better (PwC,n.d.,pp.2-4).While suggesting the future of eBooks in 2060 based on research evidence, the paper briefly studies the EBooks’ impact on our society, technology, and science. 1. EBooks and Technology With the accelerated production of digital content, user interest is increasing in devices that are specifically designed to read electronic content (eBooks) such as, e-readers, PPCs, Smartphone, and tablets. From many aspects, eBooks are far more efficient than tra ditional paper books (pbooks), such as: storage, transfer, accessibility, and delivery. Due to compressing ability, storage devices for eBooks are much smaller in size as compared to pbooks. Unlike pbooks, eBooks allow readers to introduce multimedia and hypertext links into books. For instance, eBooks facilitates the readers experience by video clips, audio or sound narrations. Reader can easily jump to a location on Web through a simple click (Lee, Guttenberg, McCrary, 2002, p.227). With the arrival of Amazon Kindle and Apple’s iPad, e-reader technology has taken off. EBook readers are increasingly becoming part of our everyday life, readers are going to experience much more of e-readers and their competitors, such as, tablet computers in future libraries(Rotman Epps & McQuivey as cited in Aaltonen, Mannonen, Nieminen, & Nieminen,2011,p.16). 2. E-books and Society Accessibility is another major feature that can easily overcome pbooks in future. Online libraries provide valu able information in their public domains eBooks, for instance, netLibrary, Internet Public Library, and Project Gutenberg. EBooks provide people with a chance to access wealth of information just by having an internet connection. Despite all the convenience, eBooks may not completely take over pbooks. However, there is considerable number of predictions for the success of eBooks. Considering the limitation of eBooks, such as, slow acceptance of the innovation, user unwillingness to read from screen(Lee, Nicholas, & Victor, 2002, p.228) lacking display quality, cost, durability, and ease(Sottong as cited in Lee, Â  Guttenberg, McCrary, 2002, p.228) it can be inferred that eBooks are going to co-exist with pbooks in recent future. EBooks have great potential for providing enhanced learning opportunities for better engagement and control over content and activities. Quick access and portability is the feature that facilitate remote learning and save travel time and energy (Hernon et a l., as cited in Lam, Lam,& McNaught,2010,p.8).EBooks have potential to enhance the learning experience by improved relationship between student and educator while dealing with learning materials(Shiratuddin, Landoni, Gibb,& Hassan,2003).According to Robert, Slattery and Kardos, text-to-speech or Braille output programs are likely to increase information

3 global economics online reasarch questions Assignment

3 global economics online reasarch questions - Assignment Example It offers technical and knowledge assistance through policy analysis and research. There are some barriers to achieve this goal. Violence against women, child marriages, and early pregnancy are major barriers. Then poverty is also a major reason behind unequal education mainly at the secondary school level. Also, women are demoted to go for more conciliatory forms of employment like spending hours fetching water. Another barrier is lack of sanitation facilities in many schools which resist the girls to attend the schools. 3. The hearing signifies the important role Fed has played in facilitating maximum employment, stable inflation, and a well-grounded financial system. Specifically, the deepest recession of the past six years led by the financial crisis was intelligibly handled by Fed and the result is a stronger American economy in the today’s era with the boost in production, sales, and employment, and the price stability. Though, unemployment is still yet to drop down to its initial level and inflation is yet to rise up to the targeted level of 2 percent. Fed’s monetary policy has been effective to help it move towards these goals. The transparency of Fed to transmit its goal of 2-percent inflation has helped anchor the publics expectations of stable inflation in future. Fed has also overcome the weaknesses of our financial system of which resulted the worst ever crisis. Now the regulatory gaps are closed, capital requirements have been improved, and banks hold more capital and liqu id assets to reduce any potential threat of another financial crisis. However, there is still a long way to go and Fed is considering the goal of financial stability more earnestly as an important part of its monetary

Animal Imagery of Moral Reversal Essay Example for Free

Animal Imagery of Moral Reversal Essay In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the theme of moral corruption is portrayed through the moral reversal of animals through out the play. Shakespeare utilizes this strategy to help establish the theme to his audience. This type of reversal is usually connected with Macbeth himself and the more he grows self corrupt, the more abundant the animal imagery. Toward the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed off as a lion in comparison to a rabbit, an eagle in comparison into a sparrow, showing Macbeth’s courageousness and bravery; â€Å"†¦Yes’ as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion. If I say sooth, they were as cannons overcharged with double cracks† (Act I: Scene II: Line 35). This image only helps establish further the moral reversal and corruption throughout the play because, as a reader, Macbeth is here seen as a brave courageous man, a hero if you must. But as the play goes on, we drastically see a change in Macbeth as he grows more corrupt and following along with it, we see the change in animal imagery associated with Macbeth. Not only does Shakespeare use animal imagery to portray Macbeth and his own corruption, but he also uses it to evoke it by depicting moral disorder amongst the animals themselves, showing how Macbeth’s actions not only affect him, but the balance of nature as well. â€Å"On Tuesday last A falcon tow’ring in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed. And Duncan’s horses – a thing most strange and certain †¦Turned wild in nature†¦ ‘Tis said they ate each other.† This scene was depicted after Duncan’s death by the murderous hand of Macbeth. This not only shows how Macbeth’s negative actions upset the balance of nature, but it shows the destroying of balance with in Macbeth himself. This comparison to Macbeth earlier being portrayed as a lion, an eagle, as this courageous man, shows his shift in character. It’s a great depiction of his corruption progressing within contrast to earlier depictions. â€Å"We have scorched the snake, not killed it. She’ll be close and be herself, whilst our poor malice remains in danger of her former tooth.† In Act III Scene II, Macbeth thinks of Banquo in this way because of the witches saying he will make kings, but not be one himself. Macbeth refers to Banquo like this because he has identified Banquo as a threat that could, as a snake can, lurk in the underbrush and strike him when he least expects it. It is an ironic use of the image, since it is Macbeth who really is the snake. Macbeth falls deeper in his corruption, only causing him to seek out to â€Å"get rid of† others who he sees as a â€Å"threat†. The animal imagery here helps portray this image and this detail. Macbeth says â€Å"o, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!† Meaning his mind is full of evils and dark thoughts. This shows his realization of his corruption, and here we can see more that Macbeth has fallen deeper into his own corruption in contrast to early portrayals of his corruption. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses animal imagery not only as metaphorical imagery, but to portray the fall of Macbeth and his inner corruption.

The Theory Of Functionalism

The Theory Of Functionalism The theory of functionalism is the oldest, and may also be the most dominant theoretical perspective of sociology. Functionalism agrees that brain states are responsible for mental states, but disagrees that they tend to be identical to each other. It is the argument from a functionalist perspective, that, the brain activity or neurological states are what realizes mental states, which in turn lead to the behavioural output in a physical way. It has a broad variety of positions which it is capable of articulating in many different diverse forms. They can be classified into the following; Analytic functionalism: The most widely used form of functionalism, which describes the causal role as a job description of mental states, which are derived from our concepts. Analytic functionalists claim, that, the specifications for a functional role (job descriptions) for mental states are a priori. The second version is Physchofunctionalism; which rejects the idea of behaviourism in psychology, as well as reject the physical aspect of the mind. The third would be Machine-state functionalism: This analogy was put forward by Hilary Putnam, a well-known American philosopher, who was inspired by the analogies of mind (the Turing machines) which is able to compute all given algorithms. In non-technical terms, the mind is a very complex computer program. It is a state in which given an input B, and such and such tends to happen. An example is when we input a set of numbers into the computer through a keyboard/software. It proposes that brain states are activities which are low level, whilst helping to realize mental states which are high level. To help the reader understand about the idea which was described above, I will use the more common functionalist example to discuss the relationship between the software and the computer. For example, we type the numbers 5 plus 8, on the one level (low level), the computer is dependent on the software for input. The software within the computer is calculating the answer to the numbers entered, while at the other level (high level), the information is output on the screen. In this instance, the functionalists would argue that the process of calculation would be released by the hardware (monitor). Therefore, the software which is used by the hardware, acts as the function role. This computer example can be used to translate into the terms of the brain. The mental states are dependent on the brain states in the same way, as the computers software is dependent on the computerÃÆ' ¯Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ½s hardware for the output of the information (monitor) and vice versa. In the functionalists view, the brain states help to realise the mental states which functions as a total functional system. With this, it is meant that the mind is made up of the total possible functional mental states that it can have. These will interact with the inputs (software), and the hardware (monitor) together, before they both produce the outputs. Functionalists say that if we think of mental states in a similar way, then maybe one day the machine may do the thinking or be artificially intelligent. This way, we could compare our process of thinking to a computer software, which in turn could run on several different machines. The concept for a machine is the concept of an artificial intelligence. This intelligence can be classified as weak AI or strong AI. This type of intelligence would make it possible that one day a computer could be invented with a mind of its own. In other words, it would think, imagine, and reason. It could eventually do all the things we associate with the human brain. In a weak AI example, it is argued that the intelligence of a computer appears to think on its own, but it is actually unconscious the same way human brains are. In the weak AI, just like in the human brain, an input must occur in order to produce an output. When comparing functionalism with dualism for example, it has obvious strengths. Functionalism tries to explain behaviour, rather than just observing it. It uses the physical world to explain the mental states, combining physical inputs with the outputs, rather than segregating the physical world from the mind. In Dualism for example, mental and physical states are both separate, in general terms, the two cannot be assimilated to form one unit (Levin, 2009). One of the most famous philosophers in the 17th century, Descartes, who considered himself a Dualist, also argued against the thought of mechanical and mind properties to be the same (Cottingham, p. 221, 2012). His notion led him to believe that the mind and the body could indeed exist without one another. Then again, how could the mind operate without the physical? This would not be possible. For example, if we take pain as an example. Pain just does not happen in our brain. Pain can be identified with something material (physical) which sends a neurological message to our brain that something hurts (mental). As you can see, the physical and mental aspects correlate, rather than act separately. Another strength of functionalism, is that a functional system can be realisable in multiple ways. For example, if we refer back to the computer analogy, the same computer software should be usable on different computers. Potentially, computers could have minds similar to ours, as long as they can perform the some functions as us. On the other hand, some philosophers think functionalist accounts of mental states tend to be too liberal. For some, it is a mistake for a computer and its software to have the same mental states as a human. Some of these philosophers have argued that a computer and software would be unable to show genuine emotions. It would also be incapable of consciousness without someone inputting information e.g. typing the numbers 5 plus 8 into the software. Functionalism seems to omit the qualia of emotion or any consciousness in the process. This could be in part that is includes non-living things, as possible mental states. Some critics of functionalism do argue that mental states of living things (humans) or systems (computers) ought to include an account of qualia (emotions and consciousness). Another objection to functionalism would be that computers are non-living, it doesnt not use its own incoming information for their behaviour as do humans and other living things (non-human animals). In regards to non-living things, they are not systems or living things which rely on survival; and they do not have self-interests of their own. These are some of the considerations which objectors argue for, and call for functionalism to refine its theory. The minimum would be to try and distinguish the living things from the non-living. Would the objection to functionalism be answered if we were to imagine the mind as if it were unified? Perhaps one could look at individual mental states and imagine that some of them could portray certain aspects? i.e. memory and solving problems, but no kind of emotion or consciousness. If the computer for example would portray any of the above mentioned such as memory or solving problems by itself, one would not speak of the computer with having a mind or not. One would speak of the computer as having been able to solve a problem and using its capacity for memory to store the data etc. Would one ask a cat if it has a mind, although, one would rather enquire about its capacity for memory, its deception etc. The strengths and weaknesses have been stated for functionalism. It is an odd theory that non-living things could give rise to different mental events. In order for us to understand on how our mind works, we need to understand these processes. Only one type of brain state is needed according to functionalism, in order to correlate with events in our brain. It also seems, that, functionalism is dependent on things which are physical rather than involving mental events from the outset. It certainly leaves out emotions and thinking. The basis for functionalism seems to be input output only. Lets say, someone steps on a pin and they shout. The functionalists view seems to indicate that artificial beings and systems could produce their own consciousness and thoughts. Even if technological advancements of great magnitude can be made, a machine could not replicate the feelings and thoughts of a human. These examples would include stress, anxiety, nervousness etc.. It would be odd to think that a machine could be producing a personality that feels nervous or has a moral obligation to things. It perhaps maybe the case that functionalists are digging really deep in order to find and justify their theory on mental states and mental events.

Hamlet - Claudius Vs. Lady Macbeth Essay -- essays research papers

Claudius vs. Lady Macbeth King Claudius of Hamlet and Lady Macbeth of Macbeth exhibit three similar qualities, dishonesty, evilness, and deceitfulness throughout the play; although sometimes they demonstrate these qualities in different ways, these qualities greatly affect the other characters in the plays . King Claudius and Lady Macbeth are similar in that they both let their crave of power and desire for the crown drive them to deceitfulness, corruption, and even murder, to obtain it. King Claudius and Lady Macbeth are so greedy for wealth and power that they will let nothing get in their way, even if it means deceiving the ones they love. King Claudius was in love with his brother ¹s wife and desired his position as king. In order to obtain these things he went behind Gertrude, his lover ¹s, back and murdered her husband. Shortly after, he married her and took the crown. Not only was this extremely deceitful to Gertrude, but it hurt Hamlet, his nephew, extremely. Lady Macbeth was indeed as power hungry as Claudius, and she too plotted a murder in order for her husband to obtain the crown. In doing this she was extremely deceitful of her lover also. She employed many conniving tricks in order to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan, such as in scene in Act I, scene seven when she says,  ³From this time such I account thy love. ² Here she is basically saying that Macbeth may prove his undying love for her by killing the king, thus causing him to feel that he is obligated to murder King Duncan. King Claudius and Lady Macbeth are also very good at disguising their deceit. In Hamlet, only Hamlet himself is aware of the true nature of Claudius. All others, including his Wife and subjects, think he is a wonderful and innocent King. Lady Macbeth is the same in that she puts up a wonderful facade for both the public and her husband. Although she is planning a murder Lady Macbeth manages to still act as a smiling, gracious hostess. Lady Macbeth's house guests and King Duncan, whom she intends to kill, even refer to her as their  ³honour ¹d hostess, ² in Act I, scene six. Her husband is also fooled by her charade and is unable to see her evil intent as she cons him into killing the king. Lady Macbeth keeps this facade until the end of the play when her t rapped feelings finally drive her mad. Another thing these two characters have in common is that... ...f his encroaching madness, and partly as a ploy to throw off Claudius and his spies. Ophelia was so shocked and confused over Hamlet ¹s complete betrayal that she could hardly go on living, and in the end she became so overwhelmed that she committed suicide. Lady Macbeth also affected many characters with her deceitfulness. The character most greatly affected was her husband, Macbeth. Until he was convinced by his wife, Macbeth had decided that he was going to stay loyal to the King, and put all notions of murder out of his head. In Act I, scene seven Macbeth declares,  ³We will proceed no further in this business, ² meaning he has decided to end all thoughts of murdering the king. Lady Macbeth will not give up though, and instead begins to try to further lure Macbeth into participating in her corrupt plans. Eventually she is successful in doing this, and Macbeth murders Duncan. Lady Macbeth lit a spark of evil in Macbeth that turned into his destruction. Macbeth became pow er hungry and murdered many others in order to have it. Lady Macbeth turned her loyal, honorable husband into a corrupt fool. In the end it all lead to the total destruction of a once well respected, virtuous hero.

Restraint, Weight Suppression, and Self-Report Reliability: How Much D :: essays research papers

In the analytical report entitled Restraint, Weight Suppression, and Self-Report Reliability: How Much Do You Really Weigh? By P.J. Morgan and D.B. Jeffrey, they look at the eating habits of people and categorize them as three types of people. Those categories are Dieting and Overeating group, Current Dieting, and Weight Suppression. The Dieting/Overeating group consists of "individuals who undergo repetitive cycles of dieting and overeating,"(Morgan, 1999). They have the appearance of a diet, but overeat every once in a while to make up for it and to fulfill food desires. The Current Dieting group "encompasses those who consider themselves to be currently on a diet and who consume less food than what is required than what is required for maintenance of their current weight," (Morgan, 1999). They are ones that eat small portions of food and starve themselves to keep their weight down or to lose weight. This can also be categorized as anorexia nervosa, a clin ical eating disorder that afflicts primarily women. The last category is the Weight Suppressors, who "successfully lost weight and have kept it off for some time," (Morgan, 1999). These people have lost the weight by some means and have kept the weight off by adopting better eating and exercise habits. The groups were split into two groups, the control group and the variable group. The experiment was to see what the effects would be on each type of person in the variable group when enticed with a milkshake "Preload" which tastes better than a regular milkshake and is higher in fat and calories. The control group would not receive the "Preload" shake so the experimenters could monitor normal reactions of persons from each group. The result was the "Preload" group ate more than the control group regardless of their category. The authors concluded that the dieting and appetite suppression is a mental game of the person and is only as strong as their own conscience and taste. However, that is only one way to look at the information. The structural functionalist perspective focuses on the manifest and latent reasons for dieting. The manifest reason a person to diet is to look better physically. Physical acceptability is very important to people, both male and female alike. It is a part of out status as a human and gives value to our appearance as well. The latent function is to make ourselves healthier inside and out, by improving our immune system and eliminating cholesterol from our blood vessel, which could cause blockage.

A Critique on Raphael

A Critique on Raphael Raphael was a very unique and admirable artist; however, he had many affairs, Michelangelo also disliked Raphael and thought his art was absurd and many others came to see his influence as harmful. Raphael was engaged to Maria Beanie but never had the chance to marry. From the beginning he was never interested in this engagement and he found entertainment with his mistress, Margarita Lute. During the time of his death he had written a will which left sufficient funds for the care of his mistress.He left his studio and trust to his friends. Despite his â€Å"engagement†, Raphael was a womanlier. He said that his mistress had to live with him because, â€Å"no sex, no frescoes†, if he didn't get what he wanted then no one will get what they want. The cause of his death was unknown to many but some say that he died because of his courtship with Margarita Lute several days before his death and obtained a certain disease and was treated for another and later died of the wrong cure. Raphael became an icon of lust.He later started painting nude portraits, which lead to Michelangelo having a keen dislike towards Raphael. Raphael had looked up to Michelangelo for the longest time and has been inspired by him numerous times. He has also gotten ideas for new paintings from the inspiration of the great Leonardo Advance like, â€Å"The Young Lady with Unicorn†, this particular picture was inspired by Advancing, Mona Lisa. After his death Picasso had painted a series of pornographic paintings depicting Raphael and Margarita Lute making love with Michelangelo hiding underneath the bed.Repeal's art will forever live on and will most definitely have a magnificently Jaw dropping story behind it. Being an icon of lust and Michelangelo having a severe hate towards him really helped him discover what he really truly wanted to paint. He merely told a story of his life through his art and his affairs, he says were with the love of his life. Not only will people remember him for his works of art such as â€Å"The School of Athens†, but they will also remember him as a man with a titillate passion for love.