A Brief History of Hacks

A Brief History of Hacks I was out meeting a friend and some of her friends that I didnt previously know last night, and the topic of school came up. (SIDE NOTE: that was the most difficult and awkward sentence Ive typed in a long time. I think the problem stems from not having a good word for friend of a friend. In the interest of furthering the human language, I propose we adopt exponential notation to denote level of friendship. I.e. A friend, or root-level friend is one that you personally know and like. A friend^2 would be a friend of a friend, a friend^3 would be a friend of a friend^2, etc. That would make things so much easier, for example: I was going to go to that convention with my friend, but a lot of friend^2s and friend^3s were there, so I felt like I wouldnt fit in. Plus I dont have a pair of cat ears to wear. See? Isnt that so much easier? Not to mention your most special friend, or friend^0 is the one. But I digress.) Anyway, were talking about school and I mention that I go to MIT and one of the girls asks: Do you participate in the annual prank? Relative frequency and vocabulary aside, I was a bit impressed that this girl knew about our hacks, because she was in an entirely different social sphere than MIT. The rest of the girls were a bit confused, so I explained to them what hacks were and began sharing a few of my favorite hacks throughout history, incuding the (in)famous police car on the dome, and the Caltech Cannon. Then this morning, I saw this slideshow of some of the more well-known hacks and figured itd be worth sharing: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/gallery/100308_mit_hacks/ (SIDE NOTE: If youre a web developer, please please please, dont make slideshows where you have to click to load the next page for a single image. Every time you do, Richard Stallman thinks about doing away with the GPL. Use a gallery.) Some of my personal favorites that Ive seen are the music notes on the dome, the solar-powered T car (STILL more reliable than the red-line, even though for the first day it was broken) and of course, the upside-down-lounge. I cant wait to see what the hackers will come up with this year!

Essay about Globalization and the Effects on Population

Globalization and the Effects on Population: A Look at Projections, Theories, and Global Population Practices. â€Å"We in the West do not refrain from childbirth because we are concerned about the population explosion or because we feel we cannot afford children, but because we do not like children.† Germaine Greer, an Australian feminist writer, may or may not have been entirely serious when she wrote this statement, but the statement is an insightful one nonetheless. Greer hits on three major underlying themes that affect the study of global population trends. The first and often most important concern in population studies is that of a â€Å"population explosion.† Other important factors including the economic impact on population†¦show more content†¦Population Growth, â€Å"Explosion†, and the Forces of Globalization By the mid 1950’s it was already evident that a large population growth was occurring worldwide. Basic demographic stat istics show unprecedented population growth in the twentieth century. â€Å"In 1900 global population was 1.7 billion, in 1950 it reached 2.5 billion,† long term projections from the United Nations estimate that human population will reach the 6 million mark by the end of the twentieth century and furthermore they project a growth to a population of approximately 11.6 billion around the year 2200 . Most scholars, and even the United Nations statisticians themselves, will acknowledge that such long-term projections are at best simply nothing more than guesses. Despite this fact, these projections must still be acknowledged in order to plan for a future in which 11 billion people may have to share the scarce land and resources left in our world. The debate over population growth is one that is fierce, often over exaggerated, and clearly centered around the Malthusian dilemma. Alarmists will warn that the population is far outgrowing our food sources, therefore population growth must be the main cause of hunger. â€Å"In 1985, at the height of a major African drought, Colorado governor Richard D. Lamm wrote in the New York Times that the United States should stop giving emergency relief to African countries that failed to reduceShow MoreRelatedGlobalization : The World Of Politics And The Human Population1648 Words   |  7 PagesGlobalization influences many aspects of human life, it is a process of change, the process of collaboration and integration among the people and businesses of different nations, it is a process propelled by trade, investment and technology. The process of globalization has great purpose for bring people together and sharing ideas however, it has effects on the environment, culture, the economy, politics and the human population (Globalization 101). 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Absolute poverty refers to the standard of living, which is reflected in satisfying the needs for basicRead MoreEvaluate the Positive and Negative Effects of Globalization in China894 Words   |  4 PagesEvaluate the positive and negative effects of globalization in China Globalization, which is the process of enabling financial and investment markets to be operated widely and internationally, usually refers to the increasing global relationships of culture, people, and economic activities (Simon. J, 2002). It is generally used to represent economic globalization including the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade suchRead MoreThe Effect of Globalization on Japan630 Words   |  3 Pages I will analyze the effects of globalization on Japan’s culture, worldview, population, environment, and environment. I will consider both the direct and indirect effects of globalization on Japan’s native and foreign inhabitants. My analysis will not be restricted to any specific geographic region of Japan; I will highlight issues that have widespread implications across Japan’s myriad prefectures. By merging two datasets from 2000, Cole, Elliot, and Shimamoto measured fourteen indicators ofRead MoreWhat Would Our World Look Like Today If Globalization Did Not Exist?1482 Words   |  6 PagesWhat would our world look like today if globalization did not exist? The answer is that it would look quite different from what we are used to today. Many of the products used every day by Americans have been made available and sold to us due to globalization. Globalization is the process or act in which values, technologies, and businesses spread internationally; connecting, sharing ideas and technologies and moving from their domestic roots to establish a worldwide influence as they expand their

Operations Management Definition - 1014 Words

Operations Management Definition Introduction In today s fast-paced ever-changing business world, organizations must deal with many diverse issues. These issues range from maintaining their competitive edge in a fierce marketplace to social, ethical and concerns regarding the health and well being of their employees. The advent of new technologies has created organizational efficiencies however; it is a well-known fact that healthcare has lagged behind other industries with regard to automation. Healthcare is being asked to provide high quality care with increased efficiency yet the patient population believes they are not receiving quality care. McCleave (1996) states that health care managers should look to manufacturing†¦show more content†¦This can be accomplished by instituting processes to get patients in to see the respective provider in a timely manner, and addressing all of the issues in an individual encounter. McCleave (1996) documents other methods to increase productivity and quality in th e healthcare setting. One would be to create an environment where the physician does only what he needs to do. This means that physicians need to shed duties that can be handled efficiently and in a cost effective manner by ancillary personnel, registered nurses or physician s assistants. Office efficiency is another area where improvements are possible. Processes should be evaluated as they relate to patient encounters and non-value adding steps should be eliminated. When one considers all the aforementioned possibilities for increasing efficiency it is very likely healthcare will not only realize cost savings but will be able to provide quality healthcare to the patient population thereby reducing the possibility of patients returning to the office on an emergent basis. Conclusion Operations management is as stated by Henderson is an evolutionary position that is needed for healthcare to prosper. 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Short Story Sonny Blues Free Essays

In James Baldwin’s, Sonny’s Blues, he uses many different symbols throughout his short story to present the overall theme of suffering to the reader. He uses symbols such as music, characters facial expressions and the presence of ice, light and darkness. In the very beginning of the story when the narrator is reading the paper and he comes across the news of his brother, Sonny, he says, â€Å"A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long†. We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story Sonny Blues or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Baldwin 600) He also says â€Å"†¦it was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. † (Baldwin 600) This is not the only time that the ice presents itself. It reappears when the narrator meets one of Sonny’s friends who is also a drug addict, and again later when Sonny is over for dinner with the narrator’s family. The ice that appears whenever the narrator feels an uncomfortable or painful situation represents how the narrator is incapable of dealing with his own emotions well. The ice also allows the reader to empathize with how the narrator feels about how his brother is leading his life. Another symbol Baldwin uses throughout Sonny’s Blues is light and darkness. Throughout the story there is a contrast of light and darkness. For example, in the first paragraph of the story, Sonny’s Blues Baldwin writes, â€Å"I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside. † (Baldwin 599) This contrasts the lightness and the darkness. It demonstrates the contrast between his own suffering and the world around him and the suffering of the world. Another example of lightness and darkness Baldwin uses in the short story is when the narrator’s mother is recalling the story of the narrator’s father and his brother she says â€Å"there was a moon that night, it was bright like day. † (Baldwin 607) This is when the narrator’s father and his brother are having a good time and walking home. This brightness of the moon is used to represent the light, which represents all the hope and good things in life. The narrator’s mother later recalls, â€Å"he says he never in his life seen anything as dark as that road after the lights of that car had gone away. (Baldwin 608) Referring to after the narrator’s father’s brother had been hit and killed. The color of the men’s skin also represents the contrast between light and darkness. The men that killed the narrator’s father’s brother were all white and the other two men were dark skinned. This is also an example of the con trasting of light and dark. This shows how the difference of something in the same situation can both have two different results. Meaning that both the light men and the dark men were drunk. They were each also having fun. The situations were both similar, but the end results of each situation were very different. One of the dark men lost their life to the light men. The darkness is used to represent the tormenting and dark moments in the characters lives. The darkness however is always stabilized with lightness. Just like the dark road was stabilized with the lightness of the car lights. This light is used to signify safety and comfort, while the darkness represents the turmoil also looking to destroy that safety and comfort. Another way Baldwin symbolizes the overall theme of suffering is through the character’s facial expressions and interactions. Baldwin writes â€Å"And I watched her face as she laughingly responded to something someone said to her, still keeping time to the music. When she smiled one saw the little girl, one sensed the doomed, still struggling women beneath the battered face of the semi-whore. † (Baldwin 602) This shows that even under her â€Å"battered face† there was still a glimpse of when she was young. The narrator can see her as a young innocent little girl. This shows the reader that there is hope even in suffering. Baldwin is also trying to get his point across that even though one may suffer, the suffering will not change the past and whom you are or have become. Another example of how Baldwin incorporates the facial expressions of his characters to help promote the overall theme of suffering is when the narrator is on the subway in the first few sentences of the short story. He writes, â€Å"I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces of the bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness. † (Baldwin 600) This illustrates that not only does the narrator feel and see suffering inside himself and his own face, but he also sees it inside the faces of others and the surroundings around him. This also proves that the overall effect of suffering is visible to one who is suffering themselves, like that of the narrators. Baldwin also promotes the theme of Sonny’s Blues by using the presence of music. The entire short story is loaded with occasions of music. The overall title of the story even contains music. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, promotes the tone and theme of suffering throughout the entire story. It provides the reader with information that there will be suffering in the story. Giving them an idea of what is to come before even being read. Another example of music is Sonny’s growing love for playing the piano. The narrator states â€Å"†¦Sonny was so serious about his music and how, as soon as he came in from school, †¦he went straight to that piano and stayed there until suppertime. †, â€Å"He was at the piano all day Saturday and all day Sunday. † (Baldwin 612) This tells the reader of Sonny’s love for music. It illustrates how the music is Sonny’s safety and allows him to not suffer. When Baldwin makes it clear to the reader that Isabel and her mother grow tired of the music, â€Å"it wasn’t like living with a person at all, it was like living with sound. And the sound didn’t make any sense to her, didn’t make any sense to any of them – naturally. (Baldwin 612) This proves that music can both heal suffering but also create it. The music for Sonny was a safety. To Sonny the music made him feel at ease and helped to subside his suffering. It wasn’t until after Sonny stopped playing the piano and his records that he began to truly feel the power of his suffering. Although the music was a medicine to Sonny’s suffering, it was the cause of suffering for Isabel and her mother. This suffering caused Isabel’s mother to snap and yell at Sonny. This caused Sonny to stop playing the piano and thus the true suffering began. Another example of suffering and music is when the narrator witnesses the meeting on the corner. He watches the battered people play their music and notices their suffering. He says, â€Å"As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them; and time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces, as though they were fleeing back to their first condition, while dreaming of their last. † (Baldwin 615) Showing again how music can be a safety and a rescuer to not only Sonny but others as well. By the narrator stating this it shows that it is noticeable of the change in expression music brings as it lessens the sufferings of those who play. â€Å"Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life, his life. † (Baldwin 620) Near the end of Baldwin’s story Sonny plays his music once again. To most, the music Sonny plays is merely for entertainment. But to some it is a story, Sonny’s story. As Sonny plays, the narrator notices the things his brother has been through and felt. While Sonny plays the narrator notices both his brother’s suffering as well as his own. How to cite Short Story Sonny Blues, Essay examples

Mary Englund`s Essays - Asceticism, Nun, , Term Papers

Mary Englund`s This paper is an attempt to discuss the biography of Mary Englund's An Indian Remembers based on her childhood experiences in a Christian European convent. Her story starts from the day she is taken away from her family to be civilized in a distant residential school. Englund's experience in the school could be described as European way of civilizing the young native people that includes compulsory assimilation, segregation, control and racism. The concept of civilization is perceived to be for the best interest of the Indian community, or at least this is what it seems to appear like. Thus, this paper will tackle the issues of methods used to civilize the Natives and its effects on Englund's personality and mentality as well as the real purpose behind civilization. Is it really for the best interest of the Indian people or is it a form of exploitation of the Natives to benefit the European colonialists? Assimilation is one form used to civilize the native children. This seems to put Englund to a lot of curiosity eventually to confusions. On her first day in Mission, Englund learns about the assimilation policy implemented by the convent which draws out her curiosity about its purpose. In her experience, she learns that boys and girls live in separate buildings and wonders why. She appears curious and thus questions a lot but she gets no decent answer to satisfy her curiosity. Englund also observes girls being divided in groups to certain tables during meals and girls are assigned to different jobs, some goes to the dormitory while others to kitchen or classrooms. Again, she does not seem to understand the purpose of these procedures. This explains her ignorance about the system of a Christian convent. Anyhow, she seems to let go of her curiosity and simply accept it as a form of instruction she ought to follow with no question asked. With all these curiosities, she has possibly developed a sense of confusion on why things are done in these manners. Another form used by the school is by segregation. Through this, Englund seems to suffer from isolation. Englund recalls when a priest takes her from her family (430). While she is expected to feel sad leaving her mother, she seems to feel nothing but excitement. She says that "We were left alone so many times we never had the tendency to say, ?Well, I'm sorry I'm going to go away and leave my mother' because we were alone most of the time." (431) Due to her mother's recurrent absence, it seems like Englund does not have the chance to bond with her which explains her coldness towards her mother. Though one would be induced to concur to this, Englund does not totally blame her mother as she recognizes the sacrifice she has to make to feed them. When she arrives in the Mission, she is then separated from her brother. Englund makes a few friends in the convent but as she learns that she could not trust anyone, she possibly voluntarily distant herself from others. In one instance, they are told not to discuss their school activities with their parents but there is one girl who does it and hence she gets reprimanded for that. Due to this incident Englund becomes cautious not to be seen doing anything inappropriate or else she is bound to be scolded by the nuns. As she grows older, she learns to bottle up her feelings knowing that telling a soul could possibly cause her a punishment. Being away from the people she cares about and finding no one to trust among her classmates, Englund's narration suggests that she suffers from isolation. Though she may think that she could trust her mother, she dare not tell her anything fearing that someone would tell the nuns. It seems like Englund has no choice but to keep her feelings and opinions to herself causing her loneliness. Moreover, the nuns have full control over the native children by means of strict surveillance and punishments. This seems to be the cause of the development of Englund's rebellious nature. No matter where they are, in or out of school, the nuns have their eyes on them. In the school, nuns are always at the look out, to ensure that children are doing their dormitory routines perfectly. Even during their domestic activities like cleaning, mending socks and sewing, the nuns instil perfection in their works. Being new and ignorant, Englund often makes mistakes. She tends to become rebellious whenever her pride and

Is the Gulf War Syndrome Real essays

Is the Gulf War Syndrome Real essays On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The United States government acted very quickly. Ships were dispatched to the Persian Gulf, and oil prices shot up as and oil embargo was placed against Iraq. The U.S. government told us that Saddam Hussein was poised to invade the neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, and the worlds oil supply was threatened. George Bush launched operation "Desert Shield" in which a coalition of many nation's armies gathered in the deserts of Saudi Arabia bordering Iraq As the war began, the coalition of national armies assembled in Saudi Arabia took a few SCUD missile shots fired from Iraq. When the troops started moving in, Sadams army turned and tried to get out of Kuwait. The Iraqi "Republican Guard" stayed safely back, far from the fighting. Several hundred U.S. troops died in the brief battle, and ten's of thousands of Iraqis died. Many, if not most, of the U.S. deaths were the result of At this point, George Bush decided to bring the troops home. UN weapons inspectors converged on Iraq and the coalition armies dispersed. Perhaps the most hyped war in history was now over. It was almost certainly the war most orchestrated for the media. All the troops had been drilled for months in preparation for a tremendous battle and possibly chemical and biological weapons. Suddenly it was over. They were sent home and returned to their normal everyday lives. Memories of the threat of chemical and Years pass before rumors begin to surface, a veteran suddenly died for no known cause there was a veteran who developed an enormous tumor and there was a veteran who's new child is severely malformed. The threat of chemical and biological weapons returns to everyones memory. People start thinking that perhaps this is the cause of all The threat seemed very real. If it could be demonstrated that Gulf War veterans are suffering from the effects o...

Pochteca - Elite Long Distance Traders of Mesoamerica

Pochteca - Elite Long Distance Traders of Mesoamerica The Pochteca (pronounced pohsh-TAY-kah) were long-distance, professional Aztec merchants and traders who provided the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and other major Aztec city-states with luxury and exotic items from faraway lands. The pochteca also worked as information agents for the Aztec empire, keeping tabs on their far-flung client states and uneasy neighbors such as Tlaxcallan. Long Distance Trade in Mesoamerica The Aztec pochteca were not the only merchants in Mesoamerica: there were many regional-based commercial actors who distributed fish, maize, chile and cotton; their activities provided the backbone of the economic society in the regions. The pochteca were a special guild of these merchants, based in the valley of Mexico, who traded in exotic goods throughout Mesoamerica and acted as a social and economic connection between the various regions. They interacted with the regional merchants, who in turn acted as middlemen for the pochtecas wider networks. Pochteca is sometimes used as a generic word for all Mesoamerican long-distance traders; but the word is a Nahua (Aztec) word, and we know much more about the Aztec pochteca because we have written recordsthe codexessupporting their history. Long distance trade began in Mesoamerica at least as long ago as the Formative period (2500-900 BC), in societies such as the Olmec; and the classic period Maya. Long distance traders in Maya communities were called ppolom; compared to the Aztec pochteca, the ppolom were loosely confederated and did not join guilds. Pochteca Social Organization The pochteca held a special status in Aztec society. They were not nobles, but their position was higher than any other non-noble person. They were organized into guilds and lived in their own neighborhoods in the capital cities. The guilds were restricted, highly controlled and hereditary. They kept their trade secrets about routes, exotic goods sources and connections across the region restricted to the guild membership. Only a few cities in the Aztec empire could claim to have a leader of a pochteca guild in residence. The pochteca had special ceremonies, laws and their own god, Yacatecuhtli (pronounced ya-ka-tay-coo-tli), who was the patron of commerce. Even if their position provided them with wealth and prestige, the Pochteca were not allowed to show it in public, in order not to offend the nobles. However, they could invest their wealth in the ceremonies for their patron god, organizing rich feasts and carrying out sophisticated rituals. Evidence of the effects of long distance trade by pochteca is found at Paquime (Casas Grandes) in Northern Mexico, where trade in exotic birds such as scarlet macaws  and quetzal birds, marine shell and polychrome pottery was based, and extended into societies of New Mexico and Arizona. Scholars such as Jacob van Etten have suggested the pochteca traders are responsible for the diversity of precolumbian maize, transporting seeds throughout the region. The Pochteca and the Aztec Empire The pochteca had the freedom to travel all over the empire even in lands not subjected to the Mexica emperor. That put them in a terrific position to work as spies or informants for the Aztec state. This also meant that political elites deeply mistrusted the pochteca, who wielded their economic prowess to establish and guard their trade routes and secrets. In order to obtain precious and exotic items such as jaguar pelts, jade, quetzal plumes, cocoa, and metals, pochteca had special permission to travel across foreign lands and were often escorted by armies along with servants and carriers. They were also trained as warriors since they often suffered attacks from the population who saw in the Pochteca another aspect of the yoke of the Aztec empire. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to the Aztec Civilization and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Berdan FF. 1980. Aztec Merchants and Markets: Local-Level Economic Activity in a Non-Industrial Empire. Mexicon 2(3):37-41. Drennan RD. 1984. Long-distance movement of goods in the Mesoamerican formative and classic. American Antiquity 49(1):27-43. Grimstead DN, Pailes MC, Dungan KA, Dettman DL, Tagà ¼eà ±a NM, and Clark AE. 2013. Identifying the origin of southwestern shell: a geochemical application to Mogollon Rim archaeomolluscs. American Antiquity 78(4):640-661. Malville NJ. 2001. Long distance transport of bulk goods in the pre-hispanic American southwest. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 20(2):230-443. Oka R, and Kusimba CM. 2008. The Archaeology of Trading Systems, Part 1: Towards a New Trade Synthesis. Journal of Archaeological Research 16(4):339-395. Somerville AD, Nelson BA, and Knudson KJ. 2010. Isotopic investigation of pre-Hispanic macaw breeding in Northwest Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 29(1):125-135. van Etten J. 2006. Molding maize: the shaping of a crop diversity landscape in the western highlands of Guatemala. Journal of Historical Geography 32(4):689-711. Whalen M. 2013. Wealth, Status, Ritual, and Marine Shell at Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. American Antiquity 78(4):624-639. Whalen ME, and Minnis PE. 2003. The Local and the Distant in the Origin of Casas Grandes, Chichuahua, Mexico. American Antiquity 68(2):314-332. White NM, and Weinstein RA. 2008. The Mexican Connection and the Far West of the U.S. Southeast. American Antiquity 73(2):227-278. Updated by K. Kris Hirst