Thursday, April 16, 2020
Is Screenless Internet the Future of Writing - The Writers For Hire
IS SCREENLESS INTERNET THE FUTURE OF WRITING? Itââ¬â¢s hard to remember a time when computers were tied to dial-up land-lines and cell phones were devises used solely for the purpose of making calls. In fact, it seems that nowadays, everywhere you look, people are shackled to their internet enabled cell phones, tablets, or laptops. With ever evolving technology, the dream of working remotely has become more and more accessible to everyday people. Even some doctors are foregoing their normal office visits with patients, and instead adopting a telemedicine method of diagnosing and treating minor illnesses and injuries. As technology continues to advance, though, we have to wonder what the future will look like for the writing profession. The answer to that question may be found in this great article from the New York Times. In the article, columnist Farhad Manjoo, details how he stumbled upon a new way of writing through speech. Manjoo explains how he initially started recording random thoughts and ideas when he was out and about, using a cloud-connected recording app on his phone. Soon, those short, random thoughts turned into full sentences, paragraphs, and column outlines. Manjoo realized that through a few cheap apps and transcription programs, he was able to free himself from sitting down and physically writing out his columns. Instead, he spends two or three mornings a week walking around town, chatting with himself and writing his columns through speech. While this practice may seem strange to some, it definitely poses questions about how necessary a physical device or screen is to the livelihood of a writer, and whether the future may, indeed, become virtually screen-less.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Humans Screwed Up Essays - Anthrozoology, Free Essays, Term Papers
Humans Screwed Up Essays - Anthrozoology, Free Essays, Term Papers Humans Screwed Up PEOPLE ARE THE MOST DISGUSTING CREATURES ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. YET WE ARE CLASSIFIED AS ANIMALS. ANIMALS, IN THE SENSE THAT WE TEND TO THINK OF THEM IN, AS NON-HUMAN ANIMALS, ARE BEAUTIFUL WHERE WE COULD NEVER BE. HUMANS ARE THE ONLY ANIMALS THAT TRULY ALTER THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND MAKE THEMSELVES A COMPLETELY ARTIFICIAL LIVING SPACE. WE PAVE OVER OUR FIELDS AND PLOW DOWN OUT FORESTS. WE PILLAGE THE WORLD THAT WE MUST LIVE IN AND ESSENTIALLY TURN IT INTO A CEMENT AND TAR WASTELAND. PEOPLE KILL FOR NO REASON AND COMMIT MURDER, EVEN UNTO THEIR OWN KIND. ANIMALS ON THE OTHER HAND SIMPLY LIVE. THEY CONSUME ONLY WHAT THEY MUST TO SURVIVE AND THEY LEAVE THE REST ALONE. A LION THAT ISNT HUNGRY, FOR EXAMPLE, WONT KILL. ANIMALS MAY BUILD HOMES, BUT THEY ARE BIODEGRADABLE HOMES THAT DONT CLUTTER AND DESTROY THE LANDSCAPE. ANIMALS LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY AND THEY NATURALLY BALANCE EACH OTHER OUT. THERE IS A CIRCLE OF LIFE THAT WOULD BE MUCH MORE CIRCULAR IF HUMANS WERENT THERE TO STRETCH IT AND MOLD IT TO SUIT OUR FANCY. THE HUMAN IS BLOODTHIRSTY, IT DESTROYS ITS SURROUNDINGS AND EVENTUALLY ITSELF, AND YET WE CLAIM TO BE THE INTELLIGENT LIFE FORMS OF THE PLANET. THE GIFT OF A LARGER BRAIN CAPACITY HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A PANDORAS BOX, WE USE IT BECAUSE WE CANT HELP IT, AND IT CAUSES NO GOOD. MAYBE IT IS THAT THE CAPACITY TO THINK HASNT BEEN USED ENOUGH. OR PERHAPS IT IS THAT PEOPLE CANT THINK ANYMORE WHEN THEY LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT THINKS FOR THEM. IT SEEMS THAT THE GIFTS GIVEN TO US HAVE CAUSED US TO BE CORRUPT DESTROYERS OF ALL LIFE. HUMANS COULD TURN AROUND AND BE THE FORCE THAT SAVES LIFE IF WE COULD CARE JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE AND THINK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE CREATE AND WHAT EFFECT IT WILL HAVE. IF WE COULD CONSIDER THE LYNX THAT PATROLS THE WOODS AND RELIES ON THE SMALLER LIFE THEN MAYBE WE WOULD NOT BUILD A ROAD THERE WHERE POLLUTANTS AND TRAFFIC CAN KILL ALL OF THE WILDLIFE. PERHAPS FOR EVERY THING THAT WE TAKE FROM NATURE WE CAN GIVE SOMETHING BACK. FOR EVERY ACRE OF LAND WE PAVE OVER WE SHOULD REPLANT A FOREST ON ANOTHER ACRE OF LAND THAT WE PREVIOUSLY TOOK. IT IS FAIRLY IMPROBABLE THAT ANY OF THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE THOUGH, NEAR OR FAR. HUMANS ARE STUBBORN AND STUCK IN THEIR WAYS. ANIMALS EVOLVE WHERE WE DONT. IF THEY HAVE TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO SURVIVE THEN THEY DO OR ELSE THEY DIE. DARWINS NATURAL SELECTION REMOVES THE SPECIES THAT ARENT FIT FOR THIS WORLD AND MAYBE THAT MEANS HUMANS WILL BE REMOVED SOON. ONE CAN ONLY HOPE SO, FOR THE SAKE OF THE REST OF THE PLANET. WOULDNT IT BE FUNNY TO SEE THE ANIMALS TAKE OVER ALL THE PLACES THAT HUMANS ONCE CALLED HOME? WE COULD LOOK DOWN FROM ABOVE AND SEE PIGS SLEEPING IN OUR BEDS, AND IT WOULD SET US IN OUR PLACE- NOT HERE, AS WE EXIST NOW.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
ABC at Scotty Accents Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
ABC at Scotty Accents Company - Case Study Example This has been proven in the case of Scotty Accents where one costing system - absorption costing indicates that the production of Brass was not as profitable as Chrome while the other ââ¬â activity based costing (ABC) indicates that it is the other way around. Therefore, different costing methods provide different results and can lead to different decisions being taken in terms of pricing and product mix. This problem is known as product-cost cross-subsidization where the over-costing of one product in Scotty Accents case leads to under-costing of the other product (Horngren et al 136). 2.0 IDENTIFICATION OF KEY BACKGROUND INFORMATION The income statement that has been generated at November 2011 indicates that the Chrome model kitchen taps which was just introduced generates a higher net income than the Brass model which the company has been manufacturing for over seven years. However, the decision to concentrate marketing resources on the Chrome model and begin the process of ph asing out the Brass model should not be taken at this time. The reason is that a calculation produced by the controller Jimmy Nader who proposes another costing system (ABC) indicates that the Chrome model is less profitable. While I understand the concern expressed by the president, decisions on what to produce and the quantities to produce should be based on a system that generates reliable information. Not all activities are driven by volume and so it is easier to identify costs based on activities associated with a product. This method identifies activities such as soldering, shipments, quality control, purchase orders, machine power and machine set-ups. The cost objects ââ¬â Brass and Chrome are then assigned costs based on the activities that relate to their production. Each activity has its own cost allocation base and in this case the cost allocation base for soldering is the number of solder points; for shipments ââ¬â number of shipments; quality control ââ¬â nu mber of inspections; purchase orders ââ¬â number of orders; machine power ââ¬â machine hours; and machine set-ups ââ¬â number of set-ups. Although, Nader admits that there are shortcomings with the allocation base for some of the activities that is the best that could be done at this time. ABC is a very objective measure but Mason wants some subjectivity to be introduced in order to suit her desires. However, this is the first time that Chrome has been introduced and the process can be refined to gain efficiency improvements in the production of this model. ABC is a widely recommended approach that has the advantage of identifying causally related cost drivers. In fact, some of the advantages include: ABC places emphasis on individual activities as main cost objects ââ¬â each activity having a specific purpose (Horngren et al. 140) Higher levels of accuracy can be achieved using ABC since the method involves calculating the cost of each activity and assigning costs b ased on the activity which led to the production of the item (Horngren et al. 140) ABC systems facilitate more favorable pricing and product-mix decisions (Horngren et al 136) Process improvement and product design can be facilitated so that decisions relating to cost control can be made
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Devil Wears Prada case study (Leadership) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Devil Wears Prada case study (Leadership) - Essay Example She has a team of employees under her including a senior and a junior assistant and has authority to hire or even fire. This power is only as a result of the leadership position and could have been lost if Jacqueline had taken over her position as Nigel revealed to Andy when they spent the night together in Paris at the fashion show event. Andy is simply a junior assistant to Miranda and acts according to how Miranda wants as well as fulfilling all the chores dictated by her as well as by Emily who is the senior personal assistant. Her position demands being respectful and an individual who can be trusted and relied upon. Her power is therefore personal and specifically known as referent power (Fairholm 25). Her ability to handle situations is not only proven when she delivers the ââ¬Å"bookâ⬠but when she got the advance copies of the Harry Porter Novel for Mirandaââ¬â¢s children and even had them delivered to where they were. Mirandaââ¬â¢s holding of both powers in the 2006 film and trying to juggle both and succeed in them has benefitted her career but negatively affected her family. She is too busy with both powers to be able to juggle family life as well. The argument Andy overhears between Miranda and her husband when she went to deliver the ââ¬Å"bookâ⬠as well as the confession of a pending divorce by Miranda to Andy is an indication that all is not well and all because of the power base. Andyââ¬â¢s power has benefitted her as her trust from Miranda due to her work and diligence has made her land a job in The New York Mirror magazine. This is her dream job as she wanted to work in a newspaper or magazine as a reporter or writer and this has finally happened all because of her power base. Her relationship with her boyfriend Nate seems to have suffered when she cheats on him and he gets his dream job in Boston as a sous chef. Nigel seems to be the stirring all the problems for Miranda advocating for her to be eliminated and Jacqueline to
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Timberland â⬠Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free
Timberland ââ¬â Corporate Social Responsibility Essay How do Timberlands social responsibility efforts and high ethical standards benefit the company? Timberlandââ¬â¢s CSR (Corporate social responsibility) efforts benefit the company in a number of ways: By involving all stakeholders be it consumers, employees or stock holders, Timberland ensures that it is not ââ¬Å"business as usualâ⬠but much more towards giving back to the community from which it derives sustenance. By contributing to the local community through PIES (Partners in education and service) and other projects, it ensures that the local community is made to feel like ââ¬Å"part of the familyâ⬠Timberland is undertaking thirteen different projects with the local community and the employeeââ¬â¢s involvement sparks what the management calls a ââ¬Å"revolutionâ⬠in social justice. Over the past several years, corporate America has been shaken by a series of scandals involving the top management and the whole image of these companies had taken a severe beating. Timberland, by its CSR efforts has ensured that all its stakeholders have a positive approach towards the company and this helps it in its business efforts. à à Why is the leaderââ¬â¢s personal involvement key? By aligning themselves with the social responsibility efforts, Timberlandââ¬â¢s management has ensured that: Their personal involvement ensures that the employees are motivated and ââ¬Å"follow the leaderâ⬠in their efforts towards CSR By letting employees get a paid leave of 40 hours to contribute towards CSR efforts, the leadership of Timberland is sending a strong message to all the stakeholders about its sincerity and commitment towards the community projects The fact that the leadership was present at the meeting of volunteers to kick off the CSR efforts is a signal that ââ¬Å"everyone is involvedâ⬠. Timberland is striving to create a brand identity for itself as a caring and ethical company. Towards this, the leadership wants to ensure that it does not fall into the quagmire of profit driven unethical behavior and instead engage themselves with the community at large.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Political and Emotional Dictatorship within Junot Diazs Brief and Wond
Political and Emotional Dictatorship within Junot Diaz's Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Works Cited Missing Junot Dà az published his first novel and second book The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in 2006, forty-five years after the 1930-1961 rule of Trujillo over the Dominican Republic collapsed. That's the central theme of the novel: dictatorship. It concerns not only political, man-over-man, Trujillo-brutal dictatorship (though that is a haunting image throughout), but also psychological despots: the dictatorship of fear, of orphanage, of blighted love, of displacement, of cancer, of nerdiness, of ostracization, of obesity, of unrequited love, of male sexual hunger (both under- and over-supplemented), and, above all, of fukà º?a general "curse or doom," as Dà az explains in his introduction, that "they say [...] came from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved, [they say it] was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began" (1). But Dà az is disciplined in his craft: he doesn't just scatter despots higgledy-piggledy throughout the novel, no, Dà az presents the theme following a definitive structure that resembles a V?starting at one point (one despot) and expanding to encompass several. The main characters of the novel?those of and around the Cabral-Wao lineage?are subject (victim) to this pattern. Fukà º, of course, is not simply and superstitiously a "general curse", really it represents the cultural upheaval (to say the least) of the Dominican Republic and the rest of the Latin American world that started "when the Spaniards 'discovered' the New World?or when the U.S. invaded Santo Domingo in 1916" (212). So fukà º is imperialism. Dà az couldn't possibly chronicle within a... ...car Wao is powerless against that. Junot Dà az himself clearly sympathizes with the victims of oppression, is no totalitarian, hierarchic right-winger. This is evident simply in his narrative style: a slang-wielding, street-friendly, straight-forward minimalist, unafraid to use what others would consider ?unworthy? of literature. His liberal approach, executed of course with an immense talent and discretion (just using the word ?Homedog? doesn?t make a literary genius), delivers a visceral intimacy of the environment and dispositions of his characters that require no decoding to enjoy, accomplishes what Wordsworth and Whitman intended: free literature from its academic stronghold. Dà az?s non-hierarchical stance is incandescent, but, as history has shown, the above goal likely won?t be achieved by a single hand. And that?s only part of the struggle for democracy.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
An Imaginary Life By David Malouf
ââ¬Å"An Imaginary Lifeâ⬠by David Malouf is a delicately beautiful story of the urbane and irreverent Poet Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid), banished by Augustus for unspecified transgressions to Tomis, the very outposts of the known world, near the Black Sea.Notwithstanding his real life supplications to the emperor for remission of punishment, it is this grey unreported period that Malouf has explored with such lyrical acuity, with significant ahistorical departures to meet plot imperatives.Ovid's Metamorphoses is a group of stories where Change is the only constant and Ovidââ¬â¢s intention in recounting myths is established from the very beginning. ââ¬Å"Prima ab origine mundi, ad mea perpetuumâ⬠¦ tempora carmenâ⬠- ââ¬Å"from the very beginning of the world, in an unbroken poem, to my own timeâ⬠(Metamorphoses 1.3-4).Book One of Ovid's Metamorphoses establishes the book's theme of metamorphoses and transformations with a creation tale that progresses into huma n stories leading to the current state of man.The creation piece is followed by a flood story and a discussion of the ages of mankind. The ages of mankind ââ¬â gold, silver, bronze, and iron ââ¬â describe man's slow progression from a good, wholesome society into a miserable, self-destructive one. The next stories concern tales of gods and goddesses and their manipulations of the human population and each other.In Maloufââ¬â¢s story of Ovidââ¬â¢s exile, the most accomplished of Roman poets, whose tongue had found such perfect form in metre and verse in a language that isolated and analysed the finest nuances, is forced to learn a ruder and barbarian vernacular, which was more assimilative and integrative than analytical.In fact they had no word for the concept of freedom, as in their worldview, nothing was free, all things being integrally dependent on all other things. This is the first of the transformations where the limitations of language are brought home to the s ophisticate.One day, while on a hunt with the tribesman, he comes upon a wild child one day which he adopts and cares for ââ¬Å"as if he had been handed a new past.â⬠In the very first paragraph of the book, the poet recounts how he has had repeated dreams and visions of ââ¬Å"the unchanging otherâ⬠which may represent both the historical Jesus Christ and the contemporary spiritual consciousness of the New Age.The poet is trying to reinvent his past and seeks redemption in his original, uncorrupted, state. This is a defining moment for the second transformation of the poet, who will progressively realise the essentiality of grounding oneself in nature to realise oneââ¬â¢s true identity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)