Entertainment And Education Essays - Occitan Literature,

Entertainment and Education Both entertainment and education have been integrals parts of the human experience since the beginnings of time. Many scholars insist that the two institutions often serve jointly, with entertainers and entertainment serving as a main source of education. There is little argument, then, that in addition to generally appealing to the masses, entertainers have regularly fulfilled the role of a teacher to typically unsuspecting audiences. Entertainers have served as educators throughout history, from the origins of oral narratives through the Middle Ages. The earliest forms of unwritten communication were essentially used to spread knowledge from one source to another. Religious disciplines were the first information passed from person to person through entertainment. In the third century B.C., Buddhist monks tried to win converts outside India through the use of theater and song (Burdick 97). They taught the precepts of Siddhartha and Buddha in such theatrical epics as Ramayana and Mahabharata, setting exacting rules for theater performance in the process (Burdick 99). Similarly, Irish monks established singing schools, which taught uniform use of music throughout the church (Young 31). Through chants which were all the same, they spread identical teachings. Christian psalms and hymns in Apostolic times were sung to spread the knowledge and faith of Christianity. In fact, Christianity was promoted from the start by music. Churches were for long the only centers of learning, with monks teaching all lessons through music (Young 39). Through the use of sacred music, monks and clergy successfully spread the teachings of their religions in a practical manner. Entertainers used the theater as a place to tell the stories of the day, both fictional and topical. The African oral tradition was rich in folk tales, myths, riddles, and proverbs, serving a religious, social, and economic function (Lindfors 1). Likewise, Asian actors covered their faces with masks in order to act out a scandal of the day without the audience knowing who was passing along the gossip (Archer 76). European puppets were another medium which permitted entertainers to spread current gossip without revealing the identity of the storyteller (Speaight 16). The theatrical productions of the Greeks further explored the use of theater as an instructional tool. Because the theater provided such a diverse forum for expression, stage actors and playwrights consistantly utilized this locale to eduate the general public. Oral communication was widely used to educate society about morals and basic truths. The most highly developed theoretical discussions from ancient times were those of he Greeks, who passed on this knowledge through music and stories. Homer, the eighth-century B.C. poet, court singer, and storyteller, embodied ideal Greek morals and heroic conduct in his spoken epic, The Iliad (Beye 1). Homer and other poets used qualities not found in written language to make the memorization of their works easier so their sagas could be repeated for generations (Edwards 1). African tribes people and Native Americans also instilled morals and lessons to their communities through stories and fables (Edwards 1). These oral narratives were soon after recorded on paper as early forms of literature became prevalent. Many of the thoughts previously expressed through oral communication only could now be recorded for the future as writing became wide-spread. The era of writing began with Chinese literature more than 3,500 years ago, as the Chinese recorded tales on oracle bones (Mair 1). The Greeks, however, were the first known civilization to translate their oral history into writing (Henderson 1). While the earliest Greek literature was produced by the Indo-Europeans in 2,000 B.C., the most essential works began in Ionia with the epics of Homer in the eighth century B.C. (Henderson 7). This oral poetry is the foundation of Greek literature, and epic poetry such as Boetian?s Hesiod explored the poet?s role as a social and religious teacher (Henderson 8). These written works clearly informed those who read them, but were not as successful in educating the masses as the Greek dramas. Any spoken works that were especially significant could now be transcribed for posterity and future use. Greek plays were also recorded on paper beginning around 500 B.C., reflecting issues of the day and entertaining audiences concurrently. The tragedies of Euripides reflect political, social, and intellectual crisis. Plays such as The Bacchae reflect the dissolution of common values of the time, while other works criticized traditional religion or represented mythical figures as unheroic (Segal 1). Each Greek drama was similarly structured: problems were ?presented by the chorus, and resolved in purely conventional--but always instructive--ways? (Burdick 18). Topical comedies reflected the heroic spirit, and problems facing Greek society during times of great change (Henderson 2). Meanwhile, the dramas of Socrates spoke

Why did the USA become increasingly essays

Why did the USA become increasingly essays The main reason behind Americas involvement in Vietnam was its fear of communism spreading. It believed that something called the Domino Theory would take place in Vietnam spreading communism into Eastern Europe. They believed this because they had seen it happen. The Soviet Union had become communist during the First World War and had spread it to China. The Americans had just been fighting a war in Korea trying to combat communist rule and now the communists in Vietnam had just defeated the French army. America believed that if it was not stopped then communism would keep spreading. In 1954 a group called Vietminh lead by Ho Chi Minh defeated the French Army, which was occupying Vietnam at the time, Ho Chi Minh was a communist and although most people who supported it did so because it was opposing French rule not because it was communist American still believed that the Vietminh would bring communism to Vietnam and therefore had to be stopped. This lead to America first becoming involved in Vietnam because with the French defeated the future of Vietnam was uncertain so there was a peace conference in Geneva. At the Geneva Conference it was decided that Vietnam would be split in two up to the 17th parallel and elections would be held two years later and the country would be reunited again. America wasnt happy with this agreement and started supporting South Vietnams Government lead by a man called Ngo Dinh Diem. America got involved with the Diem Government because it believed that if they kept South Vietnam strong and anti communist then that would stop the domino theory from occurring. Unfortunately this didnt work. Diem was a vicious and cruel dictator who could never win over the support of the people like the communist had done in the North Vietnams countryside. When he first came into power he put an end to the Vietminh and any members still in South Vietnam. He automatically assumed th...

Consumption Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Consumption Journal - Essay Example The advertisements on the television were all about fatty foods being advertised by some of our favorite celebrities to make it look cool and thus the viewer was compelled to eat those foods in order to look cool.During the snowy days, my consumption intake was mostly calorie-rich foods and high energy foods in order to maintain the expected body temperature and keep warm. During such cold weather caloritic foods are needed to supply the body with the energy needed to perform the needed functions.During these two weeks, my consumption was mainly natural and nutritious food products. I was consuming a balanced diet with little or no meat.My shopping habit was determined by the amount of money that I had. My shopping was of food stuff like canned foods and foods that last longer with or without refrigeration. I also shopped for red and white meat and fruits and vegetables.My food intake during these two weeks was mainly on the food that I shopped in the previous weeks and food from the restaurants which was mainly fast foods rich in calories.Food consumption in the urban setting is mostly foods with high calories. This is the most readily available food. There is a minimal consumption of fruits and vegetables. During this week, my food consumption was determined by the setting and situation that presented itself. This meant a mixture of a balanced diet, fruits and calories rich foods.During this week, I was consuming energy enhancing foods to maintain my normal body temperature.

Why Corporate Social Response Matters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Why Corporate Social Response Matters - Essay Example When the businesses do align their strategies according to the principles, then they can ensure that technology, market and finance develop in such a manner that can be beneficial to the economies as well as societies all over the world (United Nation Global Impact, 2011). 1.2 Roles in Promoting CSR In the current times, there have been changes in the corporate world with the evolution of time. After the financial crisis that took place in the year 2008, the companies have started focusing upon the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives by means of promotions of transparency as well as responsibility. United Nations (UN) has instigated the UN Global Compact whose main objective is to promote CSR thereby directing upon human rights, anti-corruption, environmental causes as well as labor rights. ... been observed that UN has made planning to involve 20,000 companies by the year 2020 so that the values of the Compact can be turned into universal values endorsed by the business world (Chul-Ki, 2011). 1.3 Impact on Private Sector CSR The private sector plays a major role in the progress of most of the countries by generation of the employment opportunities, generation of new technologies and thereby enabling equitable economic growth. The function of the private sector is not just obliging of its economic activities but also it has a significant role to play in context of social responsibilities towards its stakeholders, environment as well as communities in which the business tends to operate. There are many reasons behind the incorporation of UN Global Compact in private sector for participation in the voluntary corporate governance within a non-regulatory model. The three main reasons are the financial crisis within the United Nations, the alteration in the leadership and the id eological shifts. Structural alterations within the organizations are also defined as one of the significant reasons behind the invitation of Global Compact in the organisation (Arevalo & Fallon, 2008). UN Global Compact tends to encourage the private sector to embrace, endorse and take into account numerous core values in the context of human rights, labor standards as well as environmental practices (United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Development Research and Policy Analysis Division, 2004). 1.4 Cases of Successful Intervention in Private Sector CSR The United Nations Global Compact has successfully intervened in the private sector as has been observed in case of Ford Motors. It

Assignment 1-5-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment 1-5-3 - Essay Example Issues like marketing, making information available, the value of a web-page, and maintaining quality online interaction with the audience are addressed in detail. The importance of a global presence in today’s markets is underlined and the value for both, small and large businesses is elaborated upon. The organizations that are reviewed by the book are case studies that exemplify the way in which the internet can become the most powerful tool in an organization’s artillery given the global conditions of most markets. Ghosh, S., (1999). Making business sense of the internet. In William Andrews Sahlman (Ed.) The entrepreneurial venture: Readings selected. Ed. 2. (101 – 116). Harvard Business Press This chapter from ‘The entrepreneurial venture’ is designed to aid a start-up or an entrepreneur to use the internet as a tool to enhance the venture. Entrepreneurial businesses are often unique in their products and services, but lack the visibility to capt ure a significant share of the market. Given the business climate, global visibility, and distinct visibility are the hallmarks of a business that does survive the competition that can be extremely threatening to a young business that is yet to garner loyal consumers.

Invisible Elements Of Spatial Ambience Design Cultural Studies Essay

Invisible Elements Of Spatial Ambience Design Cultural Studies Essay The visible and the invisible, the physical and the mental, these are the two main groups of elements which affect our perceptions toward a certain designated space ambience. The designers play a major part in it, and these days, it seems that some designers focus more on the aesthetic side of the creations, which fulfills the visible and physical parts for humans pleasures and desires, so what about the invisible and the mental parts? Arent they as important as the visible and physical parts for the design innovations? Design thinking, it is a design methodology by Tim Brown, who takes a human-centered approach, along with business and technology considerations of human behavior, needs and preferences, which demonstrates the practice of the important values bring out by the invisible and mental design innovation throughout the whole process of creating a new design with three main stages, inspiration, ideation and implementation. So what does it take to influence peoples perceptions, behaviors emotions? We see the things themselves; the world is what we see (Ponty, 1969). If we ask ourselves what is this WE, what SEEING is, and what the THING or WORLD is, we enter into a series of difficulties and contradictions. It is natural for human beings to be attuned to their surroundings. A physical environment affects various aspects of an individual: physically, emotionally, psychologically and socially. It defines individuality, coming to terms to the human side of our preferences and the choices we make. In design the designers choices, preferences and ideas are as important as the clients choices, preferences and ideas. In most cases if not all, the designer needs to come to the terms of the clients needs and wants. The distinction between the terms, needs and wants, is a way of describing the difference between what is that truly necessary for a persons activities against what a person asks for. When this happens the designer is actually creating that solution which answers the various requirements of a human-centered design. A term commonly used to describe human-centered design is called ambiance. What is ambiance? The general definition of ambiance is, a feeling, tone, character and atmosphere of the environment or surrounding influence; or the mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing. The look and feel of a space is highly relevant to the choices an individual makes in spatial design. This is where the visible and invisible concept in design comes in. Visible is what can be seen and noticed, invisible is what can be felt. These are two basic factors present in human-centered design. Interior Design is a world where creativity breeds innovation and tomorrows trends become todays styles. It is a career where art mingles with science to transform an architectural shell into a total environment (Haddad). These days, a lot of people practice on the visible side, concentrating more towards the physical aesthetics and form representation. Society lacks the attention to the invisible side, the emotional and psychological design elements. Architects and interior designers focus on designing dwellings, the form, structure and order of the space. We build these dwellings to satisfy most of our physical needs, pleasures and desires, but it seems that the more subtle, emotional and mental aspects of the space remain untouched. Perhaps a space is not just about the form and architecture. The elements of invisible design also need to be taken into consideration, which are the emotional and psychological design elements. As our basic needs increase with our standard of living, we expect experiences that are emotionally satisfying and meaningful. This will not be as simple as a single product; it will be complex combination of products, services, spaces and information. The process of spatial information visualization is shaped by various factors including interactive, perceptual, navigational as well as organizational and metaphorical aspects and as such requires an interdisciplinary approach (Buagajska, 2003). Thomas Edison created the light bulb and introduced it to the world. People perceived it as his main invention from the visible and physical aspects, but what was behind Edisons motive was that he understood the creation of the light bulb was a little more than just the surface result. His invention would be useless without the system of electric power and transmission to make it truly useful. His genius was his ability to perceive, not only the created device itself, but how people will use and innovate what he invented. And he worked with that approach, and gave a great contribution and consideration to users needs and preferences. Edisons approach was an early example of a methodology that influences the full range of innovation activities with a human-centered design philosophy. By this, it means that innovation is power driven by a detailed understanding, through direct observation, of what people want and need in their lives and what they like or dislike about the way particular products are made, packaged, marketed, sold, and supported (Brown, 2006). In the past, design has been treated as a downstream step in the development process the position where designers, who did not participate earlier role in the substantive work of innovation, had came along and put a beautiful wrapper around the idea. Undeniably, this move toward has inspired market growth in many areas by making new products and technologies aesthetically as well as attractive, and therefore more desirable to consumers or by enhancing brand perception through smart, evocative advertising and communication strategies. During the second half of the twentieth century, design had become more and more important competitive asset in, for example, the consumer electronics, automotive, and consumer packaged goods industries. But unlike the most others, it remained a late-stage add-on. Nowadays, rather than asking designers to create an already existed idea that is more attractive to consumers, the companies are asking them to create ideas that better and suitable to meet consumers needs and desires. The former role is well planned, and results in limited value creation; the final result is strategic, and it leads to dramatic new forms of value. Complexity is increased by the growing potential for personal customization. Do your own brand thinking can be seen especially in the communication cultures of youth groups. In the near future, the customer will be even more tightly linked to design processes (Koskinen, 2008). Let us take a few examples from the present. The personal ring tone, wallpaper and theme of a mobile phone is a classic example of personal customization. Some people go even further with engraved towels, pens and stationeries. In a nutshell, this paper will talk about how ambiance is not just seen through physical means and by just by having the space itself. Ambiance is more literally, through human perceptions, behaviors and emotions that the space will be filled up with life. Ambiance refers to the design of an environment via visual communications, lighting, colours, music to stimulate peoples perceptual and emotional responses and ultimately to affect their behavior and/or reaction. Many businesses have discovered the subtle benefits of developing atmospherics that complement other aspects of design and merchandise. The visible and the invisible, the physical and the mental, these are the two main groups of elements which affect our perceptions toward a certain designated space ambiance. The designers play a major part in it, and these days, it seems that designers focus more on the aesthetic side of the creations, which fulfills the visible and physical parts for a humans satisfaction and desires. So what about the invisible emotional and the mental aspects? Arent they as important as the visible and physical elements for design innovations? In this paper, it looks into the design thinking methodology, which is a design methodology lead by Tim Brown. Brown takes a human-centered approach, along with business and technological considerations for human behavior, needs and preferences, which demonstrates the practice of the important values brought out by the invisible and mental design innovation throughout the whole process of creating a new design, which comprises of three main stages: inspirat ion, ideation and implementation. In spatial design, ambiance of the space is generally created through the rooms function, the aesthetic of the space itself with object elements, including the primal elements within a space: staircase, floor, roof, wall, door, window, lighting, colour, tables, bed, chair, and furniture. If we are looking at it only through physical perception, the design would work just fine, because human emotion and the physical elements of design are connected. Things such as a designated space, structure, product or an image, forms and aesthetics are what we perceive in the first place of the physical phenomenon. A well-designed visual representation is needed. This representation can be seen as the expression of the physical ambiance design. All these design elements and methods do fulfill the needs for visible pleasure and desire, yet it seems that other important design elements are missing, not taken into consideration, or emphasized on much. These aspects are the invisible side, the mental and psychological perception from the users toward the ambiance within the space, and how they will perceive and express their behaviors and emotions. But ambiance doesnt exist just by having the space itself. Only through perceptions, behaviors and emotions can the space be filled up life. Architects and interior designers are not only designing to provide people with physical shelter, facilitate purpose and inspire sensory pleasure. Man-made structures tame the world for human habitation and understanding (Pallasmaa, 2008). The function of buildings and spaces should cater to the physical and mental well being of people. However, people have started to ask designers to create new ideas which suite and meet the clients needs. Their objectives have shifted away from just physical satisfaction and need. A rough idea would be the county jail. Its a place with the same environment and space layout for each individual bar space, but different kinds of criminals live in it. Each individual perceives the ambiance, behaviors and emotions of the space differently. Perhaps due to the individuals background, memories and experiences, it turns into different place in the end. For the criminals who have hope, they might take it as a turning point that gives them the chance to turn over a new leaf, so they might perceive the space as a confession box. For the criminals who have no hope, they might just take it as a daily routine, day after day, because they have no beliefs and confidence in themselves anymore, and dont see that there is a turning point or chance for them, sucking them deeper into the darkness. So in this paper, an exploration for the possibility of an ambiance design method that will create the positive benefits for both visible and invisible; physically and mentally designated space, which helps the well being of the people, is conducted. Another example would be how a restaurants design can affect peoples choice and preferences. A cosy and comfortably designed restaurant can give people the sense of serenity and tranquility while dining in. An upbeat and modern restaurant on the other hand may give people a certain lively and vibrant feel. It actually depends on peoples moods and preferences that whether they decide to dine in any of these restaurants. After looking at the outside of the restaurant and deciding to go in, and checking out the place before being seated, people look forward to how they are greeted. They will often go to an establishment before inviting business associates to dine, because not only does the restaurant need to make a good impression but so does them, so if the restaurant makes a unfavorable impression that would most likely reflect on myself as having bad taste. The next thing worth observing before ordering is the dà ©cor of the restaurant, does the theme stay consistent? After sitting down people check for cleanliness of the eating area, are the tables sticky or spotless? Is the server well groomed? And are the seats comfortable? Ambience has become a pivotal concern for tourism and hospitality managers worldwide. In an effort to improve the ambience, different groups of professionals are involved, in particular hospitality managers and outside experts, e.g. designers and architects. So how do we achieve a successful ambiance within a space, which is perceived by someones mental aspect, the invisible side? Ambiance design is not created by the designers only through the personal aspect, sense, experience and style, but molded together based on the understanding and knowledge that atmosphere has a multi-sensory effect on people. There is a new area of design, such as service design, user-centered design, interactive design, information design, and systems design which have become a new topic within the design field. Principles and disciplines such as sociology, psychology and medicine are entering the arena of design management process. With the supportive ideas and embrace how they bring philosophical considerations and anticipatory approach into design, which help to make up for the shortage of the invisible and mental design elements of a designated space or product. In order to achieve such a result, collaborative relationships are the main factor in the appro ach. To achieve the finest result, the process involves a wide range of fields, such as industrial design, interior design, graphic design, service design, information design, systems design, interactive design, user-centered design, light design, soundscape and scentscape design. Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products, services, processes-and even strategy (Brown, 2006). Tim Brown is the CEO and president of IDEO, a company associated with clients such as Daimler Chrysler, Microsoft, Motorola, Pepsi, Procter Gamble and Steelcase. Recently he joined the Advisory Council of Acumen fund, a global organization provides a not-for-profit service for improving the lives of the poor. He has won numerous design awards and has held exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Axis Gallery in Tokyo and the Design Museum in London. All that should not be part of the essay, but the reference. IDEO is an innovation and design firm from the USA, where designers exercise on design thinking methodology through three main stages: Inspiration, Ideation and Implementation. This discipline uses the designers sensibility and methods to meet peoples needs with what is technology phenomenon and what a practical business strategy can convert into customer value. A good design thinker doesnt work alone, so IDEO is a company that employs engineers, marketers, anthropologists, industrial designers, architects and psychologists. By thinking of people first in their approach, design thinkers can see potential problems, imagine the solutions for all intents and purposes, meet the needs, and observe the things that others dont. Designers then use their insight to apply and inspire innovation. This supports the idea I have for designing a space ambiance by emphasizing on the mental perception. One of their projects which benefits a company was the large health care provider, Kaiser Permanente, which was seeking a possibility to improve the overall quality of both patients and medical practitioners experiences. So in order to inspire the practitioners, the new concepts, techniques, and ideas of the design thinking method are taught to the nurses, doctors and administrators. Both Kaiser and IDEO teams participated in the workshops, which led to the innovations. During the first stage of the project, they acknowledged a number of issues and problems of the nurse shift routine, and one of their main objectives became redesigning the shift changes at the four Kaiser hospitals. They spent the first 45 minutes of each shift for a debriefing about the status of patients in their nurses station. Their original methods of communicating information, such as data exchanges, were different within their four hospitals. Exchanges varied wildly from recorded dictation to face-to-face conv ersations. From there, health professionals tried to compile the information which they needed, and quickly noted them down on any available piece of paper. Doing so made the information inaccessible, which lead to the nurses often failing to learn some of the things which are important to the patients. Administrators had learned that there were many patients that felt a lack in their care after each shift changed. This is a negative act that shouldnt happened in the healthcare industry, because it might lead the patients to the kind of perception towards the hospital that, the sight of the environment they are staying at is attractive, but the memory of their use is negative. Therefore, that is why we should be focusing on the importunateness for being cautious and attentive towards the process of both invisible, mental design elements within a space. By observing these important issues, the teams explored possible solutions through brainstorming and prototyping. Prototypes work efficiently only with investments in time, effort and funding. A positive idea could be generated through useful feedback, and prototyping allows it to be done on a small scale so that they could learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the idea, and to adjust and modify for a better direction. Their solution was to merge shift changes with nurses passing on the information in front of the patient rather than at the nurses station, which saves time and errors. With this new system implemented together with some simple software, the nurses were able to call up the data information from the previous shift notes and edit patients information throughout a shift rather than rushing at the end to pass it on, which minimized the possibility of errors. The results were positive, and showed that the new method saves time on preparation, provides better knowledge through information transfers and a better informed healthcare staff taking care of patients. Kaiser saw the potential impact of this whole new idea and system and applied human-centered design methodology, which created a small process innovation that produced a massive impact. They found that time management had improved in efficiency, which added a huge amount of nursing time across the four hospitals, as well as affect t he quality of the nurses work experience, adding invisible value to both nurses and patients, satisfying both groups. Kaiser and IDEO accomplishments didnt happen instantly overnight. They put in a lot of time and hard work into the project by using a creative human-centered discovery process followed by numerous cycles of prototyping, testing and adjustment. The process is best described as a symbolic system of spaces rather than a series of fixed steps. Then whole space was designed for different activities which together form the innovation. The result might not be perceived in a short term, and this method might take a longer time to see the intended results, and it is very true that, in order to have a long lasting emotional feelings, it takes time to develop; as they come from sustained interaction. So the main key is patience, determination and observation. Edisons approach was an example of what now we called the design thinking, a method which improves the innovation activities with human-centered design approach, which is driven by fully understanding, through observation, of what people r eally need in their lives, their likes and dislikes toward certain things, along with business and technological considerations. When the process includes research based on direct observation, it leads to unexpected insights and inspirations to process the best solutions for the consumers. Throughout the whole process, it actually achieves the invisible and mental designs areas significantly through the design thinking innovation methodology, making it so that not only the patients receive the benefits, but also the nurses working in the hospitals. For the patients, they get full attention from the nurses and satisfaction for both physical and mental pleasure while staying in the hospital. The nurses will gain positive experiences, and the positive feedback will lead to better attitudes toward their job, creating an optimistic positive working environment at the same time In 2004, IDEO was invited to collaborate on another new project with Shimano, a Japanese manufacturer of bicycle components, which was facing a flattened growth in its sales in USA. Shimanos intention was to introduce their high-end casual bike to a new area of consumers who are potentially worth exploring. During the initial inspiration stage, teams were formed from both Shimano and IDEO, comprised of designers, behavioral scientists, marketers and engineers, who worked to explore appropriate potential solutions and constraints. They decided to focus on other areas as well rather than just sticking on the high-end market. They started with searching on the statistics and facts, and found that 90% of American adults dont ride bikes, so they continue the research and try to find out why. They put in a lot of effort into surveying different kinds of consumers, and found that most of them had ridden a bike during their childhood, and had positive memories. One surprising thing they foun d out was that many Americans are intimidated by cycling today for a few reasons: the retail experience, the high cost of the bikes, accessories, hidden dangers of cycling on the road, and the maintenance fees. After gathering all the information they received, which were collected and summarized using the human-centered exploration method, it led to the realization that their new created category of bicycling might be able to solve the problems of reconnecting the consumers with their childhood and at the same time to dealing with the intimidation of cycling on the road. By using the design thinking methodology and cooperates with human-centered design method, the design team looked into every aspect to foresee the possibilities, and came up with the concept of Coasting, a way to enjoy life. This is designated more for the pleasure than for sports. It is featured with comfort padded seats, easy operation and minimal maintenance. Trek, Raleigh and Giant are three major brand bike manufacturers that benefitted from the research. They cooperated and invented new bikes together with Shimano by applying the same methods they used. But the design team didnt stop exploring and searching for opportunities from other areas. In order to complete this whole concept, which they are trying to publicize, they designed a public relations campaign which cooperated with local governments and cycling organizations, providing the bikers with identified safe places to ride. Design thinking was the key to come to this complete solution, and of course, for the visible, ae sthetic part of the bikes was created later on in the development process, a reference design to inspire the bike companies own design teams. After the successful launch in 2007, seven more bicycle manufacturers signed up to produce Coasting bikes in 2008. They were successful due to that; they created breakthrough ideas that were inspired through the understanding of peoples lives and what they really need and implemented the principles of design in order to create and adding more values not only for the visible, physical part, as well as the invisible, mental part for needs, desires and pleasures. By doing so, it is very possible that one of the main reasons is that, the innovation of creating the bike actually brings them back to the childhood, reliving fond and happy memories. Here are some examples of current architects who have been working on the relevant practices. Peter Eisenman is famous of his impenetrable paper architecture and writing. His works have been distinguishable buildings have been identified as anti-architecture, He spent quite a period of time exploring how to create a building that would be unencumbered by the expectations by doing away with the order of the contextual baggage or a program. Eisenman has been at the front of the Deconstructivist movement in architecture, linguistic, psychoanalysis and literary theory to analyse the apparent objectivity and unity of Modernism and reveal the subjective human desires beneath. Fig 1 The overall view of Holocaust Memorial. Fig 2 The pathway inside the Holocaust Memorial. One of his inspiring works would be the Holocaust Memorial, Berlin 2005, which is also known as Memorial to the Murdered Jews of European, it is a memorial of the Jewish victims and other victims of the Holocaust. 19,000 square meter throughout the whole site, a total of 2,711 concrete slabs, seems randomly, has the entire site covered. Some of the concrete slabs lay low to the ground, others stood upright. There is an gallery located at underground, where it displays the names of all the Jewish Holocaust victims because, there are no names or marks on the above ground. However, it relies on the emotional response from each of the visitors, in order to get the message. Its just like other good public places, this memorial is designed with multi functions. It provides its visitors with places to sit around. It is a place of amazement, as children and adults, climb around from column to column, but at the same time, it is also a place of reflection and remembrance. But in the end, it is a place where each of the visitor is confronted with their own emotions and look within themselves to perceive their surroundings. Human-centered design can work well for the workplaces, as the cultural has changed, the focus to the workers well-being has been noticed. Theres a rise to interesting experiments in architecture. As mentioned before, by having the psychologists, sociologists, architects and engineers aiming to optimize productivity in human resources. Buildings should no longer design as huge boxes, but in order to begin at assuring workers psycho-physical comfort. For example, interior space is organised in an open, flexible fashion which may be modified to suit users needs. Steven Holls Het Oosten office, Amsterdam, 2000 is one of the best to describe it. Fig 3 The cafeteria. Fig 4 Het Oosten office during night time. Fig 5 Exterior view of Het Oosten office, A 50,000 square meter brick warehouse, it has been entirely renovated and expanded in order to create this new building. By using the local resources, it fits comfortably into its natural context. The interior has strong emotions with its vibrant hues, designing with the light: the regular square cut windows light up with colour lights reflected in the water of the canal during the night. Emotion-laden physical space brings the improvement on quality of life by combining work, entertainment and environment for human well being. His design characterizes an architecture attention to emotional needs and the invisible elements within a space, by dedicating his designs through understanding their surroundings. Steven Holls work wants to open up our human experience to the possibility of questioning the University of Technological Space and its inhumanity, questioning the state of technology as an absolute truth. He offers the alternative of a poetic vision of life which does not propose an arbitrary but the demystification of the very forces which have been demystifying our sense of humanity through positivist reason for the last two centuries. Another view that exists out there which talks about human-centered designn is called, ambience design. Ambience design represents a new kind of design culture; it could even be said that it represents a change of paradigm. Ambience designs working culture is transdisciplinary. The one major innovation of ambience design is that designers from different working areas communicate with researchers. As such, ambience design is not built on the personal touch and style of the designer, but is based on the knowledge of the effect which a multi-sensory environment or atmosphere has on people. In effect, know-how in an ambience design project is developed through interaction with professionals and researchers from various science and business branches. Then the research results are accurately documented using various types of media. This school of thought develops and moves our visually emphasized design culture towards becoming a more multi-sensory design environment. It does this by using the language of shapes, sound landscapes, odour worlds, textured contact surface, light and colour worlds and even the world of taste (this is by no means an all-inclusive list). Ambience design also means new forms of distinguishing and recognizing: fresh methods utilizing our multi-sensory abilities. This involves scent signs, sound logos and designed lights and colours as symbols of organization identity. Ambience design combines spatial design and the means of of multi-sensory communication. It also talks about atmosphere design, i.e. by affecting people through the creation of a psychophysical entirety. In practice this means laying stress on experiences and phenomenology. Ambience design utilizes smart environments and materials at the same time. The use of these is aimed at increasing interaction in mediated and social environments. Fig 6 the Baron House by John Pawson, Sweden, 2005. When people see photos of my work, they sometimes say they are misleading theres nothing in them, no furniture, etc but they are meant to stimulate you to think, use your imagination, and project your own ideas. (Pawson, 2005). The central themes of ambience design are adjustability and adjustment. These themes are connected with the changing and transformable communicational identity of different rooms and brands. For example, rooms become more usable when individual people or groups are given a chance to adjust them according to their changing needs. Spaces are designed with simple, clean aesthetic, so that they can be personalized, and for the users to inject in with their perceptions, emotions and behaviors freely. Ambience design utilizes narration, dramaturgy and the competence of drama experts. The challenge is the changing narratives related to spaces, with dramaturgical and multi-sensory applicability, and a link to, say, GIS systems. Ambience design can be connected to brand building. At its best, ambience design management will become part of the brand management process. Multi-sensory marketing, which uses things such as distinctive sounds and odours, can be employed in brand development more than ever before. The advantage of ambience design is that it connects multi-sensory interior design to multisensory marketing and communications. This idea by Koskinen is ethically and environmentally aware. All activities are guided by an ethic code. A key objective of the ambience design team is to increase the well-being of people through transdisciplinary design and research. The future of design is human-centred, ecologically aware and ethically-oriented (Koskinen, 2008). Ambience design, was first developed in Finland long before Martin Lindstrom touched the theme in his Sense Branding (2004). Internationally, however, the concept was not introduced until the summer of 2005 in a paper presented in the HAAHAMA conference, Ambience Design: Creating

Othello Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare

Othello by William Shakespeare is a play about a black general who is alone in being black. No one else in either Venice or Cyprus is from Africa as the Moorish Othello is. In fact, with such a high position in the Venetian military, Othello appears to fit right into the role as general; his race is almost of an invisible quality. His race seems invisible because his nobility and the respect others have for him transcend the mistreatment that he might receive in being so physically different. However, this play is not free of racism or noticing race and its connotations. Othello does not truly have a race until he either manifests himself into his race or others choose to notice it. Thus, race is a latent quality in Othello, one not fully apparent until he gets too personal with the fair-skinned people around him and they reject him or he feels rejected and searches for reasons. The important people in Venice replace the awareness of Othello’s race with the great respect that they have for him, which entails that Othello’s capabilities far surpass any racist feelings others feel for him. Iago, who is Othello’s false ensign, even says that he cannot outwardly appear to hate Othello because it would do nothing to get rid of him: each person in Venice needs his skills as a general. Yet, reading what Iago says helps to see what might be the common voice for the other fair-skinned characters in this play on how race and rank interact: â€Å"To be produced †¦ Against the Moor for I do know, the state, However this may gall him with some check, Cannot with safety cast him; for he’s embark’d With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars, which even now stand in act, that for their souls, Another of his fathom th... ...whose solid virtue The shot of accident nor dart of chance Could neither gaze nor pierce?† (67) Lodovico questions Othello’s sufficiency, nature, and virtue. The senate obviously saw all of those things in Othello since they told them to Lodovico but Othello is much changed at this point in the story: he does not feel like the general so does not act like one and in turn loses all of his human qualities. The last step in the characters recognizing Othello for whom they expect him to be comes when Lodovico says â€Å"O thou Othello†¦wert once so good, [but] Fall’n in the practice of a damned slave† (89). The transition is smooth in Lodovico’s mind: he once was the noble general whose skills surpassed his limitations and now he practices the skills of what he truly is, a damned slave.

Income Poverty

The World Bank just updated its estimates of the number of people living in poverty to 1996 and 1998, using 1993 Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) and household survey data (see Table 1 and Table 2). The figures for 1998 are preliminary estimates, based on the most recent survey data available (only a few surveys are available for 1997 and 1998) and actual or estimated growth rates in real private consumption per capita; they will be firmed up as new survey data become available. What story do the new figures tell? First, both the share of opulation and the number of people living on less than a dollar a day declined substantially in the mid-1990s, after increasing in the early 1990s. The same is true for those living below two dollars a day. But the numbers rose again in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The declines in the numbers are almost exclusively due to a reduction in the number of poor people in East Asia, most notably in China. But progress was partly reversed by the crisis, and stalled in China. In South Asia, the incidence of poverty (the share of the population living in poverty) did ecline moderately through the 1990s but not sufficiently to reduce the absolute number of poor. The actual number of poor people in the region has been rising steadily since 1987. In Africa, the share declined and the numbers increased as well. The new estimates indicate that Africa is now the region with the largest share of people living below $1/day. In Latin America the share of poor people remained roughly constant over the period, and the numbers increased. In the countries of the former Soviet bloc, poverty rose markedly-both the share and the numbers increased.

Treating Disease with Stem Cells essays

Treating Disease with Stem Cells essays This article was written by Dr. Gregory Hale, professor of Pediatrics at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, in response to questions posed by Scientific American Magazine regarding the treatment of certain diseases with cord blood stem cells. There is some additional information provided by Viacord, a medical service company that provides private family cord blood banking, processing, and research. Dr. Hale discussed the advantages of cord blood stem cell transplants, the results of several transplants, as well as the research that on-going in the field of stem cell transplantation. The blood that remains in the human umbilical cord blood following birth contains a rich source of hematopoietic progenitor cells known as stem cells. These stem cells are the master cells of the blood. They divide to make new red cells that supply oxygen, white blood cells that fight disease and infection, and platelets that facilitate healing. Doctors now have three sources of stem cells available to them: bone marrow, mobilized bone marrow or peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood. Bone marrow has traditionally been used as a source of stem cells, but research is proving that cord blood may be an excellent alternative source. Cord blood can be utilized for the treatment of many diseases, including leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and Hodgkins disease. The first successful cord blood transplant took place in 1988 when a newborns cord blood was used in a life saving stem cell transplant for her older brother who had Fanconi anemia. Since then, there has been much research into the advantages of cord blood stem cells. Cord blood is much more readily available and poses no donor risk. The blood is simply collected from the placenta and umbilical cord after the baby is born and stored. The potential of expanding the ethnic diversity of the donor pool is greatly increased, since minorities are considerably...

Free Essays on Fashion And Social Stratification

Fashion. I’ll admit†¦ it’s a subject that both frightens me and intrigues me. Probably because I’ve worn the same clothing for the last 6 years of my life with very little update on my wardrobe, and it shows. It amazes me how seriously people can take the subject of fashion while I’m just satisfied with what I have. Not that I don’t seek possessions, but I tend to seek possessions with a little more utility than high heels have for catching a bus. In this paper I’ll be discussing a few aspects of fashion that pertain to society and how they interact with the social class structure. Of these, I will try to focus on fashion and how society views the individual. We’ll begin with fashion. Fashion is the desire of self-identification and has been an important part of Human nature since we were Hunter-Gatherers. Teeth, bones, hair etc... were all displayed as trophies from the victory over foes. â€Å"An evidence of the wearer's prowess, and not of the prowess of another.† (Edward Ross, pg. 96) However, in societies with little social class movement or strict caste systems, we see little change in fashion. In ancient Japan, fashion was restricted to those who were believed to be inferior. Every detail of a farmer’s existence was given in length by law, including fashion. A farmer who produced an inadequate amount of rice per calendar year (less than 20 koku of rice) was unable to wear stockings and his sandals were to be made of bamboo. Other family members were affected as well. His wife was not to wear silk or tortoise ornaments in her hair nor was she able to wear anything but sandals made of wood or straw w ith thongs fashioned of cotton. Neither of them were allowed the use of sunshades or paper parasols to shield the sun during the hot days spent in the rice fields. In Izumo there were laws in place defining not only the material of the dresses to be worn by the women of various classes, but c... Free Essays on Fashion And Social Stratification Free Essays on Fashion And Social Stratification Fashion. I’ll admit†¦ it’s a subject that both frightens me and intrigues me. Probably because I’ve worn the same clothing for the last 6 years of my life with very little update on my wardrobe, and it shows. It amazes me how seriously people can take the subject of fashion while I’m just satisfied with what I have. Not that I don’t seek possessions, but I tend to seek possessions with a little more utility than high heels have for catching a bus. In this paper I’ll be discussing a few aspects of fashion that pertain to society and how they interact with the social class structure. Of these, I will try to focus on fashion and how society views the individual. We’ll begin with fashion. Fashion is the desire of self-identification and has been an important part of Human nature since we were Hunter-Gatherers. Teeth, bones, hair etc... were all displayed as trophies from the victory over foes. â€Å"An evidence of the wearer's prowess, and not of the prowess of another.† (Edward Ross, pg. 96) However, in societies with little social class movement or strict caste systems, we see little change in fashion. In ancient Japan, fashion was restricted to those who were believed to be inferior. Every detail of a farmer’s existence was given in length by law, including fashion. A farmer who produced an inadequate amount of rice per calendar year (less than 20 koku of rice) was unable to wear stockings and his sandals were to be made of bamboo. Other family members were affected as well. His wife was not to wear silk or tortoise ornaments in her hair nor was she able to wear anything but sandals made of wood or straw w ith thongs fashioned of cotton. Neither of them were allowed the use of sunshades or paper parasols to shield the sun during the hot days spent in the rice fields. In Izumo there were laws in place defining not only the material of the dresses to be worn by the women of various classes, but c...

Academic and Design Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Academic and Design Communication - Essay Example   Designer- Client Relationship: In order to get the desired objective the designer and client need to work together and focus on a specific goal for the design and finished product. The business theme claiming that the â€Å"customer is always right† is applicable in this industry as well, and if the relationship between the client and designer is inappropriate it can cause many issues like delay of the entire project, high cost, and mental frustration for the entire design team, as well as for the client. There are many clients who usually do not appreciate the hard work conducted by an architect to meet the client’s desires and wants. Moreover, the client also expects from the architect that he will be the one handling the costs, time and also manage the quality issues, whereas the architect does not sell products but they sell services and expertise which is very rare. (Crawford, 2009) The communication and bond are uniquely formed in between the two parties. If m iss-communicated, this can cause the lack of ability to deliver what the client basically needs. If the details are wrongly misunderstood by the designers, then the result will be a disaster, freaking out both the parties. One of the entity needs to be very much proactive in order to have a better discernment of the agreed upon goals. The relation between the architect and the client is like any other relation; it requires a great deal of understanding as well as requires trust. Moreover the architect since is the expert in the field, therefore he should be competent enough to grasp the idea that is hidden in clients mind, and for this purpose the architect must play a proactive role so that he can develop a strong bondage in between, which will eventually deliver desired results (Crawford, 2009). Improvement of relationship: The first and the foremost rule for any business belonging to any industry is to have open and honest communication with suppliers, vendors or the clients, by this the client is able to trust the designer. With effective communication, the probability of errors is reduced; hence the misunderstanding between the client and designer is also minimized. (Misra, 2002) The second most important element in any relationship is the trust, the architect needs to gain the trust of clients so that they can rely on the architect’s design and judgment, and by this the designer will be able to design freely and also make a more attractive product for the client. Other more important factors in this relationship are time schedules and commitment.  Ã‚  

Nano tecnolgy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Nano tecnolgy - Research Paper Example Theoretically, the ability to construct multiple devices that maintain components of nano-scale would make it feasible to install, literally, billions of different minute-size transistors onto only a single chip that are able to operate at gigahertz frequencies (Drexler). Such chips represent the physical technology of nano-tech that have the capability of producing valuable information machinery. It was in the early 2000s that the functionality and opportunities of nanotechnology came into the forefront of the scientific community consciousness. In the year 2000, American President Bill Clinton enacted the National Nanotechnology Initiative which provided federal funding for nanotechnology research and development. This funding represented a $422 million budget allocated toward this research, illustrating a massive 56 percent funding increase from 1999 (Roukes 2002). This prompted the launch of 30 different nanotechnology research centres in the United States and prompted the development of inter-disciplinary teams to teach and develop nanotechnologies in universities (Roukes). Today, this nano-mania has spread beyond the United States with the European Union committing to a â‚ ¬100 billion investment through the year 2020 (Nanowerk 2012) and Japan investing 750 million USD to facilitate advancement in nanotechnology (The Daily Star 2012). Nanotechnology, theoretically, maintains many different opportunities in multiple domains of knowledge and science. Research is being conducted to utilise nanotechnology in the production of solar cells (for solar energy), to construct what are referred to as nano-pillars designed to contest the rising costs of Silicon commonly utilised in solar energy research. Nano-pillars consist of various nanostructures that are combined together in a lattice formation that is much more efficient in capturing solar light as compared to silicon (Heng 2011). Nanotechnology is also emerging in the medical field for more efficient drug