Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Biracially Raised Children Essay -- Research Papers Ethnicity Race Pap

Biracially Raised Children As per 2000 U.S. enumeration, 2.4 % of the US populace which report themselves as individuals who have at least two races. (US). The quantity of interracial couples has reached to 1.6 million, which represent very nearly 4 % of U.S. relationships. ( Fletcher, standard. 3 ). In a mixture nation like the United States, where migration and resettlement rates are high, between social marriage has gotten an unavoidable side-effect of versatility. Interracial marriage alludes to a marriage which comprises of couples with two diverse racial foundations. For instance, a Chinese ladies wedded to an American. While the intermarried couples need to adjust their racial contrasts, their social foundation would state a noteworthy effect on the advancement of their posterity. Likewise, society has additionally held various perspectives on them. Kids brought up in an interracial family are regularly accepted to experience issues like a sentiments of distance, a feeling of low-regard, loss of self-ch aracter, culture and custom, which may cause character issue and influence the child’s social practices. Be that as it may, there are likewise positive presumptions about biracial kids like better language capacity and higher flexibility to the general public. In my exploration paper, I will investigate how intermarriage impacts the improvement of a youngster and assess the focal points and detriments of a kid brought up in a family with various racial foundations. Personality is a central inquiry that encroaches in biracial children’s minds. Since a biracial youngster generally acquires a few characteristics from the maternal side and some from the fatherly side, a biracial kid is an amalgam of the two races. Along these lines, an apparently straightforward inquiry, â€Å"Who are you... ...nded Academic ASAP. Middlebury College Library, 1 Nov. 2004, Romano, Dugan. Intercultural Marriage : Promises and Pitfall. second ed. Yarmouth, ME : Intercultural Press,1997. Root, Maria P. P. Love's Revolution : Interracial Marriage. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2001 Rose, Caroline. â€Å"Potential Role Conflicts in Black-White Marriages.† Interracial marriage: Expectation and Realities. Ed. Stuart, Edwin. New York: Grossman Publishers, 1973. Rosenblatt, Terris Karis, and Richard Powell. Multiracial Couples : Black and White Voices. London, UK: Sage Publications, 1995. Sung, Betty Lee. Chinese American Intermarriage. New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1990. US, Bereau of the Census, â€Å"Source U.S. Enumeration Bureau: State and County QuickFacts. Information got from Population Estimates, 2000 Census of Population and Housing.†, 9 July 2004, 5 Nov.,2004,

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Lutheran Hymnal Essay -- Observation Essays, Descriptive Essays

There it is the blue book. It used to be red, yet in 1982 another book was made. The blue book has a cross with a hover behind it on its spine. Additionally on the spine are the words Lutheran Worship. At the base of the spine is the logo for the Concordia Publishing House. On the intro page is another cross with a hover behind it and the printed name David Edward Mahen. This is the advanced Lutheran Hymnal utilized by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. This Lutheran Hymnal isn't only an image of Lutheranism however the moderate perspectives on the Lutheran Church †Missouri Synod. In the Lutheran Hymnal, are standards of Lutheran Theology as per the Missouri Synod. There are functions for Baptism, Confirmation just as Divine administrations. The Divine Service is from Lutheran custom and is a similar help that Lutherans practice today. There are likewise petitions, drones, hymns with music, and Luther's Small Catechism. There are songs which length the whole year including: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passion Week, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. There are additionally psalms for different occasions of administration and year: Trinity, Morning, Evening, Beginning of Service, Close of Service, Holy Baptism, and The Lord's Supper. This was totally founded on the practices that Martin Luther made during the Reformation. Martin Luther, was â€Å"temperamental, bad tempered, egomaniacal, and argumentative† (Hooker, www.wsu.edu), however assumed a urgent job ever. During Luther's time as a priest, the Catholic Church was selling extravagances. Luther paid heed to the defilement and started to reason that men can just get their salvation through Jesus Christ, not the Pope or guilty pleasures, not to mention the Church itself. Luther started ... ...e image of the male custom as ministers and the image of ladies giving the Eucharist. It is the image of Lutheranism in a preservationist and liberal world. Book reference Hooker, Richard. Martin Luther 1996. September 25, 2004. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/REFORM/LUTHER.HTM> Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand: An existence of Martin Luther. New York. Abington Printing Press. 1950 Damage F. R. Sola Fide, Solafidianism. September 27, 2004 < http://mb-soft.com/accept/txc/solafide.htm > Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Luther's Catechisms. A.D. 1529 01/04/2003 September 27, 2004 < http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds1.viii.iv.html > Various Authors. Meaning of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. November 1, 2004 <http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_America>

Sunday, August 2, 2020

7 Tips on Handling Computer Stress and Frustration

7 Tips on Handling Computer Stress and Frustration June 24, 2019 Avoid much of the stress of your computer, and you can lead a more peaceful life. Astronaut Images/Caiaimage/Getty Images More in Stress Management Job Stress Workplace Bullying Effects on Health Management Techniques Situational Stress Household Stress Relationship Stress As our lifestyles become increasingly dependent on technologyâ€"with the growing popularity of online banking, telecommuting, and personal websites, and everyone from the very young to the very old using social mediaâ€"it’s inevitable that things will go wrong. This fact is confirmed by research: according to one study with a representative sample of over 1000 Americans, 65% of consumers are spending more time with their personal computer than with their spouse, and the typical user has computer problems, on average, once every four months, and wastes around 12 hours each month trying to fix cyber mishaps. (The survey was commissioned by SupportSoft and conducted by Kelton Research, an industry research firm.) Whatever the cause of your computer stress, the following recommendations can help you minimize or avoid frustration: Be Prepared This is the Boy Scouts’ motto for a reason: it’s sage advice. When dealing with computers, many of us are a little intimidated, just wanting to learn the very basics and deal with the technical stuff as little as possible. While this is understandable, you can save yourself stress down the road by learning the nuts and bolts of how your systems work by reading the manuals and perhaps a book or two on computers. Another important part of being prepared is to have the right frame of mind: realize that there’s a lot of potential for error when working with computers, and expect a few bumps in the road. Perfectionists especially may beat themselves up over unexpected computer difficulties, but accepting that the road may inevitably have a few bumps (and knowing how to navigate those bumps) can keep your blood pressure down. Invest In The Best When you’re able to choose your equipment (i.e., it’s not software that your company chooses for you), it’s a good idea to invest in the best (not just the cheapest) software and hardware. Just like having a comfortable sleeping situation is important for the third of your life that you (should) spend in bed, newer and faster is better in terms of saving time and hassle, especially for those who use their computers often (which includes the majority of us). The money you may save by cutting corners isn’t worth it in the long run if you create a more frustrating daily situation for yourself with a slower and less reliable computer. Back up Often If you don’t already have this worked into your routine, it’s vital that you start backing up your files regularly (I recommend once a week), so that if you run into major difficulties, you don’t lose much of your precious work. Or better yet, set your computer up to backup automatically!  Its a one-time effort that will save you plenty of work in the future, and provide you with peace of mind. Get Easy Answers Much of the computer stress that results from dealing with technological problems stems from not understanding how to fix problems. Fortunately, you can get quick and easy advice online. Find a website that you trust, thats devoted to sharing reliable information on  PC Support and Macs, where you can find answers and support. Having information and support is part of being prepared. Get Reliable Help This is another part of your preparedness safety net. Sometimes it’s difficult to use tech support over the phone or online because you don’t know what you’re dealing with, don’t understand the terms used, or are basically stumped about the whole process. One resource I’ve found that can be really helpful in this situation is a site called support.com. They can access your computer remotely, saving you from having to take it anywhere, interpret the problem yourself, or bug your family or friends to help you fix your computerâ€"again! They’re relatively inexpensive and very user-friendly: you can get help immediately, free diagnosis, guaranteed work, and the people who help you are friendly and understanding (rather than condescending or difficult to communicate with). Keep It Comfy We often forget that being physically uncomfortable can add quite a bit to our stress levels. That’s why it’s important to keep ergonomics in mind when setting up your computer station, as well as other factors like background noise level, privacy, and even lighting.   Practice Stress Management Part of the intensity of computer stress involves the built-up strain of a tense body. If you can take a few minutes for some deep breathing or a short walk to get some fresh air, you will find yourself more relaxed and able to handle the potential frustration of the occasional inevitable computer mishap. Also, dont forget to maintain relationships and take time to connect with people in real life to avoid feeling isolated, which also adds to stress.

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Philosopher King - 2423 Words

â€Å"If the choice is between a blind person and a sharp-sighted one, isn’t it clear which one we’ll need? (Plato 203). The image of the philosopher king was thoroughly described in Plato’s Republic, but the perfect ruler or philosopher king has transformed throughout history and are influenced by historical events. First, the description of a perfect ruler in an ideal society in Plato’s Republic will be the first comparison and the basis of a philosopher king. Second, Marcus Aurelius, who was described as the first philosopher king wrote Meditations and it expresses his own thoughts and beliefs which can ultimately reflect his actions. Lastly, Notker’s account of Charlemagne can be used to examine a king who may not always be recognized as a philosopher king, but Charlemagne is described as a great ruler who valued learning and philosophy. These three examples are from different time periods and so their perception and lifestyles are different in some aspects. Likewise, all three accounts are from different viewpoints because the Republic is not examining one specific person, but an ideal individual. Marcus Aurelius wrote about himself and his beliefs and values are examined to determine philosopher king characteristics. Lastly, Notker’s writing is a secondary source and Notker did not know Charlemagne personally. Therefore, Notker’s account is praising a king who he did not know, but Charlemagne is remembered as an ideal ruler and Notker lists Charlemagne’s accomplishments andShow MoreRelatedThe Dividing Lien of Platos Allegory of the Cave Essay2647 Words   |  11 Pagesforms begin. Plato states that this line divides the visual world we live in, the world of the shadows, and the intelligible world, the world of the forms. â€Å"Understand, then, that as we said, there are two things, one sovereign of the intelligible king and place, the other the visible.† (Plato) In the visible world the â⠂¬Å"good† is exemplified by the Sun. Without the sun shedding light to the objects around us, we would not be able to fully understand them; much like how the form of the good is neededRead MorePhilosopher King Essay640 Words   |  3 Pages1. Who is the Philosopher King - the ideal rulers, philosophers who become kings 2. Why is he the ideal ruler – Plato believes the PK is the ideal ruler because they will govern with virtue and justice with no hidden agenda, the PK loves learning, knowledge, truth 3. Why should he be compelled to rule – because a true philosopher will love the pursuit of truth, will be indifferent to the pleasures of the body, will not be interested in money, will not think human life is anything of great importanceRead MoreSocrates as Philosopher King Essay1709 Words   |  7 Pagesstories of great men.   Hundreds of politicians, philosophers, performers, and writers have left a unique stamp on humanity.   But only a select few can be said to have changed history.   The legendary Athenian, Socrates, was one such figure.   Socrates ushered in an era of philosophical inquiry that still lingers to this day.   In Book Seven of Platos The Republic, Socrates outlines his perfect regime.   According to Socrates, an enlightened Philosopher-King must rule such a regime.   Now suppose thisRead MorePlatos Ideas About Philosopher Kings Depicted in Republic Essay1698 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosophy would allow man to see what was good and just. Ther efore to cure the ills of society it would be necessary to either make kings philosophers or make philosophers kings. I intend to show how Plato justifies this view and then attempt to point out some possible problems with this justification and to forward my own view that the people should ultimately be king. Platos starting point was his recognition that justice was one of four cardinal virtues, along with wisdom, courage and moderationRead MorePlato’s View of Division of Labor in Plato’s Republic Essay994 Words   |  4 Pagesgreatest wisdom or knowledge of good. Due to that, Plato claims that â€Å"philosopher must become kings or those now who called kings must genuinely and adequately philosophise’’ (Nussbaum1998, p.18). However, people argue about the reasons that the philosopher should rule the city, while the philosophers prefer to gain knowledge instead of power, thus they don’t seek this authority. Therefore, the argument should alter to why the philosophers are the best ruler to govern people. Indeed, Plato states muchRead MoreA Critical Analysis Of Citizen Life In Platos The Republic1552 Words   |  7 PagesThis philosophical study will compare the two paradigmatic regimes of the aristocracy and tyranny and also provide a critical analys is of citizen life in Plato’s The Republic. The similarities between Socrates’ definition of the Philosopher King of the aristocracy and the tyrant are that a single ruler governs over the republic. In some ways, the empowerment of a single individual provides a catalyst for an aristocratic engagement of the nobleman to support this form of governance. In these seeminglyRead MoreThe Republic, By Plato1500 Words   |  6 Pagesby Socrates stand solid. Three main concepts will be delved into in a chronological order, those being philosophers and imitators, perceptive reality and absolute knowledge, with the analysis of the true meaning, and the implications raised by the statements, followed by noting possible flaws within the arguments. Such structure allows us to clearly comprehend the arguments for a philosopher king at its simplest form and ensures the possibility to note any incongruities within. It gives us the abilityRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Ruler?1506 Words   |  7 PagesTwo of my favorite philosophers, Plato and Machiavelli, although very different both attempt to give an answer of what makes a good ruler. Plato’s Philosopher King and Machiavelli’s Prince share their similarities and differences, but in the end Machiavelli paints a more realistic picture of a ruler which makes his prince more favorable. In order to understand why Machiavelli’s Prince may be more appealing than Plato’s Philosopher king, we must 1st come to understand what the King and the Prince lookRead MoreThe Republic By Plato Vs. Plato1299 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The philosopher, with his passion for wisdom, will be one who desires all wisdom† and† knowledge of the whole of truth and reality†, making him â€Å"fit to be in control of commonwealth† (Cornford 182,180,190). In essence, Plato advocates for the most intelligent, forward-thinking person to be in power because he is able to seek knowledge and truth, allowing him to objectively make the perfect decision for the commonwealth. Moreover, Plato justifies that an aristocracy where a philosopher king is theRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Socrates And Dr. Martin Luther King933 Words   |  4 Pagesemotional words that were spewed on paper by Dr. Martin Luther King while detained in Birmingham Jail. The philosophy of Socrates and Dr. Martin Luther King are grounded in peace. Both philosophers are faced with conflict from the laws put in place by the society that they are in. The purpose of this essay is to compare how each philosopher discusses the concept of law. The fictional tales of Socrates was inspiration to the belated Dr. King as he strived to challenge the status quo set for society. Throughout

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Greek and Roman Architecture Free Essays

Running Head: Greek and Roman Architecture Greek and Roman Architecture By: Michelle Garrotters Art 101 November 2nd, 2008 Head: Greek and Roman Architecture Compare the characteristics and innovation of each Greek and Roman Architecture. The Greek and Roman architecture is very impressive for not only their time but also in our time today. The Greek architecture uses the columns in almost all of their temples. We will write a custom essay sample on Greek and Roman Architecture or any similar topic only for you Order Now The shapes of the columns were extremely important to the Greeks. They used three different types of columns. The â€Å"Doric†, â€Å"Ionic†, and the â€Å"Corinthian†. All of these columns have a center piece that would be for displaying their Greek God(s) with what ever decorations. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is an example of â€Å"Corinthian† columns. The Temple of Poseidon is an example of â€Å"Doric† columns, and Athens is an example of â€Å"Ionic† columns. The Greeks usually built with either mud, wood, plaster, and/or stone. Most of their buildings have not stood the test of time. Only temples made with marble or limestone these were built as objects of art honoring their different gods. These have been able to withstand the damage that time brings. The Roman architecture used mostly arches in their works. Which held more weight than the columns. Yes they used columns but only as decoration because of the weight. The Pantheon in Rome is a great example of this architecture. This building housed two kings and is one of the biggest surviving building in Rome. Romans used the same materials as the Greeks especially the Marble and Limestone. But they perfected the use of concrete, which is what most of their structures are made with. Most of the Romans buildings that are still preserved today are amphitheaters, bathhouses, aqueducts, and public housing. Unlike the Greeks the Romans did their buildings with lots of ornate on both inside and outside reflecting the â€Å"Pursuit of Pleasure† which is an essential part of the Roman culture. In summary, Greek architecture is more rectilinear and of â€Å"post and lintel† construction. Greek buildings usually rectilinear, consisted off pediment supported by columns on a plinth for a base. Romans mastered the arch and the dome. Concrete made it possible to have more complex forms. Columns were used in both with the Greek favoring the Doric and Ionic for the cleaner lines. While the Romans preferred to use the more ornate Corinthian style columns. How to cite Greek and Roman Architecture, Papers

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Schuberts Lieder free essay sample

Among the many lieder composed in the 19th century, Schubert’s â€Å"Death and the Maiden† was composed in February 1817 identifying two characters; Death and the Maiden, exemplifying a different concept on the musical theme of seductive death. Set to text of lyricist Matthias Claudius who did not merely profess simplicity like the other poets, Schubert introduces a different perspective to the use of music in the 19th century. Death and the Maiden can be clearly split into three sections with distinct feelings. Firstly, a slow funereal introduction with the use of dense chords played in the bass register to illicit a mood of sorrow in the key of D minor played by the piano features dactylic rhythm (long note played followed by two short notes – minim and two crotchets in song), which is often associated to funerals or a person’s impending death. D minor which â€Å"sounds melancholy, gently sorrowing† (Steblin, 2002) was Schubert’s key-symbol of death. We will write a custom essay sample on Schuberts Lieder or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Though there are no words by Death in the introduction, it can be seen as a shadow of death appearing into the picture. Next, the fearful Maiden sings in a fast paced agitated tone, trying to fight, resist and plead against death to â€Å"pass her by†. The melodic line seems to go up the D minor scale from A to E-flat, along with the quickened piano accompaniment which builds up the frightened atmosphere as well. This increase in pace allows us to sense the panic that the Maiden was feeling as Death approaches her. Towards the end of this section, the mood changes slightly with the use of dactylic rhythm which will be discussed in the essay. Lastly, Death comes in a soothing and calm tone reassuring the Maiden that he is a â€Å"friend†, as if persuading and convincing the maiden that death is the best solution to her life. (Branscombe, 1982) The song ends in a recapitulation of the introduction but in the parallel D major key. This gives a different perspective and contrasted to death which people of that age thought it would be. Death is usually portrayed as a scary image (memento mori – often represented as a human skeleton), something to be fearful of. Memento mori reminded one of the late Middle Ages to remember thy death. However Schubert uses the ombra style on his treatment on the theme of death which was at that time a favourite subject of classical and romantic poetry which exhibits characteristics associated with death. Operas which had such styles were popular at that time. Death is shown as a comforter, a symbol of sleep which was sharp contrast from the medieval image of death, introduced in the enlightened age. This was used by many composers and poets as it was explored deeply as people were curious in wanting to understand death, what lies beyond this life on earth and religious faiths have stepped in and tried to reason to the people what the bible said about death. The harmonic contour of Schubert’s lieds breaks away from the â€Å"straight-forward† classical style of dominant and tonic, resolution and circle of fifths on its musical structure, stepping beyond Classical boundaries. Contrasting harmonies, rhythmic patterns and dynamics sang by Death and the Maiden can be distinctively recognised, thus allowing us to identify the differences between the two dialogues. One of which is the use of dactylic rhythm which Schubert frequently uses in his compositions. The dactylic rhythmic pattern used in this lied only appears in the parts where death speaks. It becomes a familiar rhythm that repeats in the second portion of the lied. As seen in this lied, it is through the use of this rhythm (long-short-short) that allows us to identify the â€Å"sound of death† though without words or intonation of the voice that would explain the reason behind the work. On the other hand, the melody of the maiden comes in at bar 9 on an anacrusis with the piano accompaniment playing syncopated chords of quavers alternating in the left and right hand. The rhythm is played â€Å"somewhat quicker† as indicated in the score, with the increase in dynamics. This allows the listener to sense the Maiden’s panic as Death approaches her. Eventually the dynamics decreases, and the rhythm slows down a little at the last line of this stanza, which is repeated twice as the notes descend sequentially. The re-emergence of the tempo, dynamics and dactylic rhythm which was used in the introduction seems to overlap the previous section, providing a smooth transition to the next section where Death speaks. The melody of Death is almost one note, D somehow relating back to the D pedal played in the introduction. Through this song, the keys moves from D-minor, to G-minor to A-major, starting again on D-minor where Death speaks, modulating to its relative major F-major, then to D-major. What is interesting is that at the last syllable of Death’s song, the key changes into D major. This various modulations through major and minor tonalities in a song of 43 bars seem to be apparent in Schubert’s works. Another interesting point is that the coda is almost a repeat of the introduction, except it is shortened by one bar and is now in D major which is related to s â€Å"the key of triumph, of Hallelujahs, of war-cries and victory-rejoicing. † (Steblin, 2002) This leads one who is listening to this song, to imagine and construct the thought of the Maiden succumbing into Death’s temptations and being in the arms of Death in the end, without using words. In terms of phrase structure of sections, the Maiden’s section (Section A) is asymmetrical and has irregular phrasi ng made up of (7+5 bars). Death’s section (Section B) is symmetrical with two eight-bar periods each having an antecedent and consequent phrase structure. Instead of the usual use of root position chords that are commonly used before the 19th century, there was a daring use of diminished chords(bar 13) which provides an eerie mood, chords with first or second inversion(bars 10,11) with minimal use of chords in the root position. As mentioned above, Schubert’s lied; specifically on â€Å"Death and the Maiden† serves as an example that allows us to identify various stylistic elements which contribute to 19th century music. The stylistic element of Schuberts method is his freedom of use with traditional musical forms and procedures. Schubert went further than previous composers in giving his imagination free rein, though still following the â€Å"rules† of music, but he makes it flexible to mould the possibilities of the words in ways that sometimes take the listeners far from their original structure as poems. Poets such as Goethe who is known as the â€Å"father of literature† favored simple accompaniments to complement his poems, wanting song writers who used his poems to follow simplicity and not cover up the meaning of the words. Thus not allowing his poems to â€Å"borrow† fame from the lied of Schubert as many of their poems were made famous after the addition of Schubert’s music rendition. The use of dactylic rhythm as a representation of death explores the idea of a composer producing certain tunes to express what is to be revealed to the listener. Being expressive in terms of dynamics using a great range of mood and complexity and his daring use of modulations which move out of the classical realm of being fixed with harmonic progressions or phrase structures, play a part in contributing to 19th century stylistic elements. In the second part of the essay, the role of instrumental music during the first half of the 19th century would be discussed. Using Schubert’s work as an example, the strengths and weaknesses of identifying a composer’s works as considerations of ‘text and music’ as compared to other works would also be discussed. As mentioned earlier, people of the 18th century sought to discover and find out answers about life and death, leading to the enlightenment age. But by the end of 18th century, many rejected the idea of having to find out and reason the question about life, and turned towards expressing their emotions and feelings. This brought about a new kind of inspiration just like how Schubert wanted to express his love for poetry and the literature of his day which through his lied could bring to life and enhance the power of the words, leading to Romanticism. Composers seek to place new emphasis on expressing their emotions and thoughts through their freedom of melodic and structural use providing a great range of mood and complexity. They were more daring in modulations, exploring the possibilities of chromatic and enharmonic modulations and to be able to modulate to any key. Dissonant and unstable chords were used more freely than in earlier periods, to create a mood or atmosphere that the composer wanted to bring across. In the 19th century the world was faced with a wave of industrial revolution, with events such as French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars that affected music as well. The growing knowledge of science, major technological inventions such as that of the steam engine, gave man a growing ability to control the world. In earlier ages, composers’ works were appreciated and watched by small groups of aristocrats and royalties, who had knowledge about music and could afford to set up such performances, as a form of private entertainment. However with revolution, the audience moved to a diverse middle-class crowd and composers now had to write music for a large audience, changing the role of instrumental music in order to get their source of income. It can be said that romanticism can be classed into two categories: lyrical and dramatic. The emergence of lied- art song due to the flowering of German literature inspired poets and composers to find a balance between words and music through the use of piano accompaniment for the voice. As mentioned earlier in the example of Goethe’s poem and Schubert’s lied, lyricists wanted to achieve the goal which was to get a fusion of words and music, but music to take precedence and not overload the poem with too much elaboration. Through the development of the various instruments such as the piano with an increase range and chromatic abilities and different tone qualities and textures allowed for exploration of technological advances to be used in music. Given the fact that composers were no longer restricted by the limitations of voice ranges, music was used as an integrative partner to the voice. Music had to be identified as a language, in fact, the first of mankind (Rosen, 1996). Instrumental music with no words could engage listeners and allow them to explore their imagination regarding the music that has been played. Using this advantage, composers were allowed to come up with more melodious, complicated melody lines to trigger human emotions along with the text of the lied. Therefore, it cannot be said that both text and music are in an independent world of its own. However, it is the emotions and images in text which shares its interpretation task with the accompanying melodies that are perfectly moulded into the text, complementing the piano commentary giving it an added dimension to the lied. In areas where linguistics lacks, there will music be filling the gaps and vice versa. This synthesis of linguistics and music can be seen in lieder, where both are interdependent on each other, as opposed to late 18th century where the singer executed the melodic line of the piano. This can be done through intermittent predominance between the voice and piano, which Schumann uses, in an attempt to express one language serving the other. Schubert composed songs which ranged from simple (like those composed by other composers) to highly dramatic and emotionally intense works which are often very challenging to sing and to play.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Verb Tenses and Forms on ACT English Grammar Rule Strategy

Verb Tenses and Forms on ACT English Grammar Rule Strategy SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Knowing when to use different verb tenses and forms will be extremely beneficial to you on the ACT English section because these concepts are tested repeatedly on the ACT. Get excited for a fun-filled journey into the vivid, action-filled world of verbs. In this post, I’ll do the following: Define the verb tenses and forms that are tested on the ACT. Provide information about when to use different verb tenses. Detail how to construct verbs in different tenses. Explain and demonstrate how verbs are tested on the ACT. Provide practice questions to test you on what you’ve learned. Verb Tenses You Need To Know While you don’t need to know the names of verb tenses for ACT English, you do need to know when and how to properly use different verb tenses. Present Function The present tense is the verb tense you use when you're talking about things that are currently happening or things that are considered facts. Examples of verbs in the present tense are â€Å"jumps," â€Å"sings," and â€Å"explain.† Also, the present progressive is considered a form of the present tense. The present progressive is formed with the present tense of â€Å"to be† + the gerund (â€Å"ing†) form of the word. Examples include "am explaining," "is running," and "are laughing." Typically, words like â€Å"currently† or â€Å"now† indicate that you should use the present tense of a verb. Check out this example sentence: Currently, I am taking over the world. Construction Here is the conjugation of the verb "jump" in the present tense. Singular Plural I jump We jump You jump You jump He/She/It jumps They jump The present tense is not specifically tested on ACT English, but you do need to know how to properly conjugate verbs in the present tense for subject-verb agreement questions. Simple Past Function Generally, any sentence that describes a completed action should contain a verb in the past tense. Construction Typically the simple past tense of a verb is formed by adding â€Å"ed† to the verb. The past tense of â€Å"play† is â€Å"played.† The past tense of â€Å"listen† is â€Å"listened† and the past tense of â€Å"discuss† is â€Å"discussed.† Here's an example sentence with a verb in the simple past tense: Yesterday, George listened to Miley Cyrus songs for seven hours. Many verbs don't follow this construction and thepast tense is formed irregularly. For example, "buy" becomes "bought," "come" becomes "came," and "grow" becomes "grew." Present Perfect Function Use the present perfect tense for actions that began in the past but are still continuing in the present. Construction The present perfect is formed with has/have + the past participle. For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding "ed" to the verb. Examples of present perfect verbs include "has talked," "have done," and "has brought." Check out this example sentence: For the past seven hours, George has listened to Miley Cyrus songs. As shown in this example, the words â€Å"for† and â€Å"since† often indicate that the present perfect tense is needed. Be aware, however, thatthere are other instances when context determines that you should use the present perfect tense. Past Perfect Function When a sentence describes two completed actions, the past perfect is used for the action that came first. Construction The past perfect tense is formed with had + the past participle. Examples of past perfect verbs include "had talked," "had danced," and "had grown." Take a look at this sentence that shows the past perfect tense used correctly: By the time his mom came home from work, George had listened to Miley Cyrus songs for seven hours. The seven hours of listening werecompleted before George'smom came home, so we use the past perfect tense of the verb "to listen." The action that comes firstshould be in the past perfect tense. Now that we're familiar with these basic verb tenses, we have the necessary foundation to discuss exactly how verb tenses and forms are tested on the ACT. How Are Verb Tenses and Forms Tested on the ACT? Most of the verb questions on ACT English correspond with only a couple of rules. Proper verb tense or form is determined by the context clues given in the sentence and the surrounding sentences. Here are some of the specific ways in which verb forms are tested on the ACT. Consistency Most of the verb tense questions on the ACT English section have to do with consistency. The basic consistency rule regarding verbs is that verbs should remain consistent in tense or form throughout a sentence. Sentences that start in the past should stay in the past and sentences that start in the present should stay in the present. Here's an incorrect sentence that doesn't follow the consistency rule: Maria studies science and played lacrosse. The verb â€Å"studies† is in the present tense and â€Å"played† is in the past. The verb tenses should be consistent. This is the corrected version of the same sentence: Maria studies science and plays lacrosse. We could have corrected the sentence by changing "studies" to "studied". The important thing to remember is that the verb tenses should be consistent. Sometimes, however, you can have a shift in tense and the sentence can still be correct. This kind of construction is only possible if the verbs are in different clauses. Take a look at these examples: Justin bought a Honda and saves money on gas. Justin bought a Honda so that he can save money on gas. The first sentence is incorrect since "bought" and "saves" are in different tenses but the same clause. The second sentence, on the other hand, is correct. The tense shift takes place in a different clause and the two verbs are occurring at different times: Justin bought the car in the past, but he can save money on gas in the present. Justin rolls in style. On the ACT, the verb tenses of surrounding sentences can provide context clues for the proper tense to use in a given sentence to maintain consistency. Take a look at this example: Unsurprisingly, Suzanne likes frozen yogurt. It was delicious. The shift from the present tense, "likes," in the first sentence to the past tense, "was," in the second sentence doesn't make sense in context. The tenses should remain consistent. Here's the correct version of the sentences. Unsurprisingly, Suzanne likes frozen yogurt. It is delicious. Now, let's go over some tips for answering ACT questions that test verb tense consistency. Strategy Here's some strategic advice for you: if a verb is underlined and the answer choices are different tenses of the same verb, look at the surrounding sentences (a sentence or two before and after) for context clues about the proper tense to use. If there are multiple verbs in a sentence, identify the tenses to make sure they're consistent. If there's a shift from past to present or vice versa, determine if the variation is acceptable given the context of the sentence. Use these tips to answer the following example from a real ACT. Actual ACT Example Rely on your verb knowledge to figure out this actual ACT English question. Explanation: From the answer choices, we can tell that we're most likely dealing with a verb tense question because three of the four answer choices are in different verb tenses: "they were," "they would," and "they're." Whenever you have an underlined verb, check for possible verb tense errors. The verbs "continue" in the first sentence and "score" in the second are in the present tense. The shift to the past tense, "were," doesn't make sense given the context. Therefore, to maintain consistency, the verbs should be in the present tense. Immediately, we can get rid of answer choices A and B. Answer choice D is wrong because it unnecessarily adds the infinitive "to be."The correct answer is C. Here's another example of an actual ACT question that tests verb tense consistency. Actual ACT Example Go through the same process that we went through in the previous question to answer this ACT English question. Explanation: This is an obvious verb tense question. Only the verb is underlined and each answer choice is in a different tense. In the first sentence, the simple past tense verb â€Å"encountered† indicates that we’re referring to completed actions. However, the present perfect verb â€Å"have borrowed† can only be used for an action that is still happening. The context of the sentence implies that the sentence is referring to a completed action and the verb tenses in the two sentences should be consistent. Once you identify that this is a consistency question, you can immediately eliminate any answer choice that isn't in the simple past tense. After eliminating answer choices, we're left with J. Here's one final verb consistency example for you. Because tense consistency questions are the most common verb form questions, I want to make sure you fully understand them. Actual ACT Example Employ your verb expertise to figure out the correct answer to this real ACT question. Explanation: Once again, we're dealing with an obvious verb tense question. Only the verb "have" is underlined and the answer choices are all different verb tenses. The verbs â€Å"took† in â€Å"took part† and "conducted" are in the simple past tense. The first sentence is referring to completed actions that took place from 1942-1945. Based on context, we can imply that the verb â€Å"have† is referring to what happened before 1942. Therefore, we should use the past perfect tense because we are referring to the completed action that came first. Instead of â€Å"have been using,† the correct verb form is â€Å"had been using.†The answer is G. Even if you didn't recognize that you needed to use the past perfect tense, you could have recognized that you needed tochange "have" to the past tense due to verb consistency rules. Remember to keep verb tenses consistent. Would and Will Verb forms with "would" and "will" are less frequentlytested on the ACT English section, but they do occasionally appear. For the ACT, just keep in mind to use "would" in sentences with past tense verbs and "will" in sentences with present or future tense verbs. The construction of verbs with "would" and "will" are "would" + the verb, known as the conditional tense, or "will" + the verb, known as the future tense. Some examples include "would run," "would go," and "will talk." Use the conditional tense to describe things that could occur or things that haven't yet occurred from the perspective of the past. Use the future tense to describe things that have not yet occurred or could occur in the future. On the ACT, answer choices containing â€Å"will have† and â€Å"would have† are almost always incorrect because they tend to cause improper tense switches and make sentences unnecessarily wordy. The â€Å"would have† construction can only be used for something that could have happened, but didn’t. The â€Å"will have† construction describes an action in the future that will be finished before a second action. Check out this basic strategy for these questions. Strategy If â€Å"would have† or â€Å"will have† is underlined, assume it’s incorrect. These tenses can only be used in very specific situations. That's pretty much all you need to know. I'm not going into more depth because "would" and "will" questions very rarely appear and this is the only strategy you need to use on the ones I've seen. Most of them simply require you to pay attention to consistency rules. Here's one final type of verb form question that can appear on the ACT. It's the least common, but questions of this type have appeared on previous tests. Verbs That Don't Act Like Verbs Gerunds, infinitives, and participles are all verb forms that don't act like verbs. Gerunds and infinitives function like nouns. A gerund is formed by adding "ing" to the end of the verb and an infinitive is formed by adding "to" + the verb. A participle is a verb that acts like an adjective. Typically, participles end in "ing" or "ed," but there are irregularly formed participles. On the ACT, on rare occasions one of these types of words will be used in the place of a verb or vice versa. Strategy If a verb or one of these "verbs that don’t act like verbs† is underlined, make sure that it is being used properly. Each sentence must express a complete thought. Realistic ACT Example The extreme length of this article suggests that writing for an extended period of time. A. NO CHANGE B. the manner in which writing C. that I wrote D. which had written Explanation: The use of the gerund, â€Å"writing," makes the sentence an incomplete thought. The sentence needs to express a complete thought. Changing the gerund to a verb and putting in a subject (the person who did the action) corrects the sentence fragment without adding an additional clause. The answer is C. All of the other answer choices are sentence fragments. Here are some more general rules to keep in mind that will help you correctly answer all verb questions on the ACT. Remember these tips!! General Strategies for Verb Questions #1: If a Verb is Underlined and the Answer Choices are Different Tenses, Make Sure To Use the AppropriateForm of the Verb If the answer choices are different tenses of the same verb, thenyou're probably answering a question about verb forms. Make sure that the verb follows consistency rules and the tense is correct. If the answer choices are different conjugations of a verb in the present tense, you're most likely dealing with a subject-verb agreement question instead. #2: Look for Words/Phrases That Indicate Which Verb Tense Should Be Used Often, words or phrases elsewhere in the sentence or in surrounding sentences will let you know what tense to use. If a date in the past is referenced, you should probably use a form of the past tense. If the word â€Å"since† is written, there should probably be a present perfect verb. Context clues are placed around the verb to indicate the proper verb tense. Additional Practice 1. In the next five years, Jessica says that she will become a doctor and she would buy a house. A. NO CHANGE B. buy C. would have bought D. might buy 2. As the breakdancer effortlessly contorts his body, he was also smiling at the crowd of people watching. A. NO CHANGE B. has also smiled C. will also smile D. is also smiling 3. Last week, Olga participated in a charity event to raise money for autistic children. She was praised by the organizers of the event for her dedication to the cause. A. NO CHANGE B. has been praised C. will be praised D. praises 4. My brother claims that he will have become the president of the United States if he is able to raise enough money to run an effective campaign. A. NO CHANGE B. has become C. became D. will become Answers: 1. B, 2. D, 3. A, 4. D What's Next? Congratulations on taking the time to learn all about verb tense questions on the ACT English section. Check out this post for information on all the parts of speech you need to know for the ACT. For those of you who are debating between taking the new SAT and the ACT, read this article comparing the two tests. Before you take the ACT, make sure you know if you should send the four free ACT score reports. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Lieutenant General John Burgoyne in the American Revolution

Lieutenant General John Burgoyne in the American Revolution General John Burgoyne was a noted 18th century British Army officer who is best remembered for his defeat at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. First seeing service during the War of the Austrian Succession, he later earned fame as a cavalry officer and leader during the Seven Years War. In this period, he formed his own cavalry unit and commanded troops in Portugal. With the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775, Burgoyne was one of several officers dispatched to Boston. Seeing little opportunity in the post, Burgoyne departed and returned to North America the following year with reinforcements for Canada. While there, he conceived of the idea for what would become the Saratoga Campaign. Given permission to move forward in 1777, his army was ultimately blocked, defeated, and captured by American forces. Paroled, Burgoyne returned to Britain in disgrace. General John Burgoyne Rank: GeneralService: British ArmyNickname(s): Gentleman JohnnyBorn: February 24, 1722 in Sutton, EnglandDied: August 4, 1792 in London, EnglandParents: Captain John Burgoyne and Anna Maria BurgoyneSpouse: Charlotte StanleyChildren: Charlotte Elizabeth BurgoyneConflicts: Seven Years War, American RevolutionKnown For: Battle of Saratoga (1777) Early Life Born February 24, 1722 at Sutton, England, John Burgoyne was the son of Captain John Burgoyne and his wife Anna. There is some thought that the young Burgoyne may have been the illegitimate son of Lord Bingley. Burgoynes godfather, Bingley specified in his will that the young man should receive his estate if his daughters failed to produce any male heirs. Beginning in 1733, Burgoyne began attending the Westminster School in London. While there, he befriended Thomas Gage and James Smith-Stanley, Lord Strange. In August 1737, Burgoyne entered the British Army by purchasing a commission in the Horse Guards. Early Career Based in London, Burgoyne became known for his fashionable uniforms and earned the nickname Gentleman Johnny. A known gambler, Burgoyne sold his commission in 1741. Four years later, with Britain involved in the War of the Austrian Succession, Burgoyne returned to the army by obtaining cornets commission in the 1st Royal Dragoons. As the commission was newly created, he was not required to pay for it. Promoted to lieutenant later that year, he took part in the Battle of Fontenoy that May and made repeated charges with his regiment. In 1747, Burgoyne pulled together sufficient funds to purchase a captaincy. Elopement With the wars end in 1748, Burgoyne began courting Stranges sister, Charlotte Stanley. After his proposal of marriage was blocked by Charlottes father, Lord Derby, the couple elected to elope in April 1751. This action infuriated Derby who was a prominent politician and he cut off his daughters financial support. Lacking active service, Burgoyne sold his commission for  £2,600 and the couple began traveling around Europe. Spending extensive time in France and Italy, he became friends with the Duc de Choiseul who would later oversee French policy during the Seven Years War. Additionally, while in Rome, Burgoyne has his portrait painted by famed Scottish artist Allan Ramsay.   Following the birth of their only child, Charlotte Elizabeth, the couple elected to return to Britain. Arriving in 1755, Strange interceded on their behalf and the couple reconciled with Lord Derby. Using his influence, Derby aided Burgoyne in obtaining a captaincy in the 11th Dragoons in June 1756. Two years later he moved to the Coldstream Guards and ultimately achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. With the Seven Years War raging, Burgoyne took part in the June 1758 raid on St. Malo. Landing in France, his men remained for several days while British forces burned French shipping. 16th Dragoons Later that year, Burgoyne went ashore during Captain Richard Howes raid on Cherbourg. This saw British forces land and successfully storm the town. A proponent of light cavalry, Burgoyne was appointed to command the 16th Dragoons, one of two new light regiments, in 1759. Rather than delegate recruiting duties, he directly oversaw the construction of his unit and personally courted the landed gentry in Northamptonshire to become officers or encourage others to enlist. To entice potential recruits, Burgoyne advertised that his men would have the finest horses, uniforms, and equipment. A popular commander, Burgoyne encouraged his officers to mix with their troops and desired his enlisted men to be free thinking in battle. This approach was enshrined in a revolutionary code of conduct he wrote for the regiment. Additionally, Burgoyne encouraged his officers to take time each day to read and encouraged them to learn French as the best military texts were in that language. Portugal In 1761, Burgoyne was elected to Parliament representing Midhurst. A year later, he was dispatched to Portugal with the rank of brigadier general. Following the loss of Almeida to the Spanish, Burgoyne boosted Allied moral and earned fame for his capture of Valencia de Alcntara. That October, he again triumphed when he defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Vila Velha. In the course of the fighting, Burgoyne directed Lieutenant Colonel Charles Lee to attack a Spanish artillery position which was successfully captured. In recognition of his service, Burgoyne received a diamond ring from the King of Portugal and later had his portrait painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. With the end of the war, Burgoyne returned to Britain and in 1768 was again elected to Parliament. An effective politician, he was named the governor of Fort William, Scotland in 1769. Outspoken in Parliament, he became concerned about Indian affairs and regularly attacked Robert Clive as well as corruption in the East India Company. His efforts ultimately led to the passage of the Regulating Act of 1773 which worked to reform the companys management. Promoted to major general, Burgoyne wrote plays and verse in his spare time. In 1774, his play The Maid of the Oaks was staged at the Drury Lane Theater. American Revolution With the beginning of the American Revolution in April 1775, Burgoyne was dispatched to Boston along with Major Generals William Howe and Henry Clinton. Though he did not take part in the Battle of Bunker Hill, he was present at the Siege of Boston. Feeling the assignment lacked opportunity, he elected to return home in November 1775. The following spring, Burgoyne led the British reinforcements which arrived in Quebec. Serving under Governor Sir Guy Carleton, Burgoyne aided in driving American forces from Canada. Critical of Carletons cautiousness after the Battle of Valcour Island, Burgoyne sailed for Britain. Arriving, he began lobbying Lord George Germain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, to approve his campaign plans for 1777. These called for a large British army to advance south from Lake Champlain to capture Albany. This would be supported by a smaller force approaching from the west via the Mohawk Valley. The final element would see Howe advance north up the Hudson River from New York. Planning for 1777 The cumulative effect of the campaign would be to sever New England from the rest of the American Colonies. This plan was approved by Germain in early 1777 despite word from Howe that he intended to march against Philadelphia that year. Confusion exists as to when Germain informed Burgoyne that participation by British forces in New York City would be limited at best. As Clinton had been defeated at Charleston, SC in June 1776, Burgoyne was able to secure command of the northern invasion force. Arriving in Canada on May 6, 1777, he assembled an army of over 7,000 men. The Saratoga Campaign Initially delayed by transport issues, Burgoynes army did not begin moving up Lake Champlain until late June. As his forces advanced on the lake, Colonel Barry St. Legers command moved west to execute the thrust through the Mohawk Valley. Believing the campaign would be simple, Burgoyne was soon dismayed when few Native Americans and Loyalists joined his forces. Arriving at Fort Ticonderoga in early July, he quickly compelled Major General Arthur St. Clair to abandon the post. Sending troops in pursuit of the Americans, they defeated part of St. Clairs forces at Hubbardton on July 7. Regrouping, Burgoyne pushed south towards Forts Anne and Edward. His advance was slowed by American forces which felled trees and burned bridges along the route. In mid-July, Burgoyne received word from Howe that he intended to sail for Philadelphia and would not be coming north. This bad news was compounded by a rapidly worsening supply situation as the army lacked sufficient transport that could traverse the regions rough roads. In mid-August, Burgoyne dispatched a force of Hessians on a foraging mission. Meeting American troops, they were badly defeated at Bennington on August 16. The defeat bolstered American morale and caused many of Burgoynes Native Americans to leave. The British situation further deteriorated when St. Leger was defeated at Fort Stanwix and forced to retreat. Surrender of Burgoyne by John Trumbull. Photograph Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol Defeat at Saratoga Learning of St. Legers defeat on August 28, Burgoyne elected to cut his supply lines and quickly drive on Albany with the goal of making winter quarters there. On September 13, his army began crossing the Hudson just north of Saratoga. Pushing south, it soon encountered American forces led by Major General Horatio Gates which had entrenched on Bemis Heights. On September 19, American forces led by Major General Benedict Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan defeated Burgoynes men at Freemans Farm. With their supply situation critical, many of the British commanders recommended a retreat. Unwilling to fall back, Burgoyne again attacked on October 7. Defeated at Bemis Heights, the British withdrew to their camp. In the wake of the action, American forces surrounded Burgoynes position. Unable to break out, he surrendered on October 17. Later Career Paroled, Burgoyne returned to Britain in disgrace. Attacked by the government for his failures, he attempted to reverse the accusations by blaming Germain for failing to order Howe to support his campaign. Unable to obtain a court martial to clear his name, Burgoyne changed political allegiances from the Tories to the Whigs. With the Whig ascent to power in 1782, he returned to favor and served as commander in chief in Ireland and a privy councillor. Leaving government a year later, he effectively retired and focused on literary pursuits. Burgoyne died suddenly at his Mayfair home on June 3, 1792. He was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Project management DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project management DB - Essay Example This conflict though may be avoided by specifying the role of each person in the team even before the project has begun. It should be clear for both Katy and the first person that their cooperation is of utmost importance in the success of the project. Management must decide who among the two individuals will be the person in-charge of the design so that there will be no duplication of jobs. Even if Katy has the expertise in designing products, management must detail to her what task she has to perform in the team. It is to the best interest of the company to assign Katy to a marketing task since the design task may be handled by the first person already. It is the responsibility of management to set the goals and ground rules before the start of the project (Cooper, n.d.). This will prevent potential conflicts and ambiguities later on. Another problem that might confront the team is the schedule of Katy. Since she can only work for approximately 10 hours a week, she should make sure that she is able to cover all her duties given the amount of time that she will be spending on the project. The first person must also be informed of the number of hours that Katy will put in on the project so that he will not expect Katy to work the same number of hours as he does. One other point of difficulty is the issue on compensation. Since the first person will be working for 15 to 20 hours a week, while Katy will work for only 10 hours, management must come up with a fair compensation package for both. It is however management’s responsibility to observe whether the hours put in by both persons are quality time. The first person may be working more hours but the quality of work is below standards while Katy may be working less hours but the work put in is above par. This aspect should be closely monitored by

Monday, February 3, 2020

Child developmental Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child developmental Psychology - Essay Example One glass was tall and skinny and the other was short and fat. I filled both glasses with chocolate milk, pouring more milk into the short fat glass. Then I gave the tall skinny glass to Christopher and placed the short fat glass in front of myself. Before allowing him to drink, I asked him, "Who has more milk, you or me" He eyed the glasses and then confidently said, "I do," referring to his tall skinny glass of milk, whose height of milk was taller than that seen in my short fat glass. I urged him to take a second look at the glasses of milk by asking, "Are you sure" He furrowed his brow and eyed the glasses once again. "Well," he said, "maybe there's more in your glass, since it's wider." I continued with the lesson by placing another short fat glass on the table and asked Christopher to pour his tall skinny glass of milk into the empty glass to find out who really does have more chocolate milk. He slowly poured his glass of milk into the empty short fat glass. Once he was done pouring, he bent down so he was at eye level with the milk levels of the glasses. His eyes widened and he said, "Your glass had more than mine!" Christopher showed classic signs of Piaget's pre-operational stage of cognitive development.

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Ritual Communication And The Transmission Communication Model Cultural Studies Essay

Ritual Communication And The Transmission Communication Model Cultural Studies Essay Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another, thus the reason most of us spend about 75 percent communicating our knowledge, thoughts, and ideas to others. The communication process is sign mediated interactions between two or more people. The James Carey article discerns between two alternative models of communication that were dominant at one point or another in the history of western civilization. These two views were characterized as transmission and ritual. Both these views exist in everyday communication; however it is not always clear which one is in operation since communication is such a mundane thing. This essay will attempt to help in distinguishing between the two through analysis of the James W. Carey article A Cultural Approach to Communication. The transmission model of communication is the one that is most prominent both in our society, and most industrial cultures. The transmission model of communication focuses on the transportation of a message from a sender to a receiver in hopes of disseminating information. Moreover this model of communication attempts to influence others across space. From day one humans have been trying to enable sending information from one entity to another instantly; however it wasnt until the telegraph that this was possible. Motives for this instantaneous transmission through space was due to the need for political governance and the supply and demand factors of economics. The fact that a motive for instantaneous transmission was for political governance shows the underlying truth behind the transmission model of communication was to attempt control of distance (i.e. close the gap between space) and people. Furthermore we see the transmission model of communication as a way to spread knowledge beyond geographical boundaries and educate others. Therefore if one were to further analyse the motives behind instantaneous movement in space the church/religious reasons become evident key players. For instance Carey states that this movement in space was an attempt to establish and extend the kingdom of God, to create the conditions under which godly understanding might be realized, to produce a heavenly though still terrestrial city (Carey 39)Thus the vast movement through space was to establish and extend Gods kingdom on earth. If we were to look at society today it is clear that the most dominant religion today is the Christian and Catholic faith. In my opinion the control of space through instantaneous transmission was exceptionally successful, further emphasizing religious reasons were a major motive. Supplementary evidence of this comes from the invention of the telegraph. This is because when it was first invented and used the first thing that was transmitted was what hat h God wrought (Carey 39) this showed a strong religious connection. The transmission view of communication was seen as the sending of information between sender and receiver for the goal of dissemination of knowledge over space. Therefore if one were to look at the newspaper under the transmission view, it would be seen as a medium seeking to inform, not to integrate us in the national and worldwide events. In my opinion examining the newspaper under the transmission view desensitizes the events around us, since we are not taking on the personalities in the news but merely being informed. Without integration one could argue that we become without emotion when reading the newspaper under the transmission view. This view of communication is the one the truly dominates our capitalistic culture. On the other hand the ritual view of communication is the older of the two views and is the one that has the lesser effect on our society today. As basic metaphor for the ritual view of communication is considered ceremony, where the participants roles are actually participants not sender receiver like in the transmission view. The ritual view of communication focuses on the sharing of information and the preservation across time. In addition the ritual view of communication is not concerned with disseminating messages over space. In the opinion of James Carey in a ritual definition, communication is linked to terms such as sharing, participation, association, fellowship, and the possession of a common faith (Carey 40) Therefore this view of communication calls for integration of the participants since it draws people together in fellowship and commonality, much like church for certain religions. One would not simply go to church and not participate in the singing, praying, and joyo us clapping that takes place. An argument against the ritual view of communication could be that since it is culturally biased, there could be some ethnocentric problems. This is because not everyone shares the same beliefs, so some rituals may offend others or they might misunderstand. When examining the newspaper under the ritual view, you are not intended to gain information from it, but to become one with the stories within the paper. Like the definition of ritual views says you become a participant. Under the ritual view medias are not used for social interaction, i.e. discussing television show with friends during conversation, but are instead forms of social integration. With all the reality TV shows around us nowadays there is some evidence that the ritual view of communication is making a slight comeback. This is because reality TV shows try to integrate the audience with the events in the show to form social connection. Reality TV shows are able to facilitate a sense of be longing, refuge and community even if the audience isnt directly interacting, for instance the, The Biggest Loser had a huge effect on many people. Therefore under the ritual view of communication people are more inclined to take on vicarious roles depending on the media used. From reading the Carey article I would tend to say that he prefers the ritual view of communication because he feels that the transmission view is over used in todays society. In addition Carey feels that the transmission view of communication can no longer keep up with technology or the social change of modern time, Although it led to solid achievement it could no longer go forward without disastrous intellectual and social consequences (Carey 42) My interpretation of this is that Carey feels that with the transmission model of communication it will fail to keep up with technology and will lose its control over space. For example nowadays the government is having trouble controlling peer to peer file sharing, which in a sense follows the transmission model. Therefore the social consequence of this is damage to intellectual property. Carey doesnt hate the transmission model; he would just rather see more of the ritual view of communication, since there is an influx of transmission co mmunication around us. Everywhere we look transmission communication has a hold/control of us. Transmission communication is analogous to the hypodermic needle effect. Meaning whatever we see in the mass media through transmission communication has a direct and powerful effect upon the audience. An excellent example of this is advertisements; commercials for trucks are made to control our thoughts and beliefs about the product in a positive way, which eventually leads to us going to buy the product. However under the ritual view this commercial would have helped us in connecting with a certain group or role. In conclusion, models of communication are, then, not merely representation of communication but representations for communication. (Carey 47) Therefore different models of communication allow us to communicate effectively depending on the situation, if we were advertising we would definitely want to communicate through the transmission model.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Marketing Principles Assignment Essay

Introduction For this coursework assignment I will demonstrate that I required a good knowledge and understanding of the concepts and process of marketing by carrying out the task given. This will be showed with examples of theory applicable to a company of my choosing. For this task examples will be related to Apple Inc. organization. Incorporated in January 1977 as Apple Computer, Inc. todays Apple Inc. designs, produces and markets media and mobile communication devices, personal computers, portable media players and sells a variety of related software. Apple’s products and services include the iPad tablet computer, iPhone handset, Mac computer and iPod music mp3 player, the iOS and OS X operating systems. The company also sells and delivers music, movies, books and applications using the iTunes Store and Mac App Store. The company headquarters are located in Cupertino, California, USA. Worldwide there are 390 Apple retail stores with reported revenue in 2012 of $36.0 billion. Marketing wise the company is been voted many times as the winner of CMO Survey Award for Marketing Excellence. Apple’s three points marketing philosophy namely Empathy, Focus and Impute have made it possible for the company to become one of the world’s most valuable brands. Task 1 Task 1a. According to the American Marketing Association (October 2007) marketing is defined as â€Å" the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. The CMA – Canadian Marketing Association defines marketing as â€Å" a set of business practices designed to plan for and present an organization’s products or services in ways that build effective customer relationships.† The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as â€Å" the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably† â€Å"Broadly defined, marketing is asocial and managerial process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return† (Hasell, 2012) These definitions show the importance of management in marketing and how important is for a business to know the consumers needs and wants. These definitions also show the importance of communicating a message to create the awareness that would create monetary value in return. The management process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying the consumers’ needs and wants it’s called a marketing process. This process is made of four steps: 1. Analyze the company situation 2. Develop a marketing strategy 3. Make decisions in terms of marketing mix 4. And how to implement and control the marketing strategy. Examples of Apple Inc. marketing process: -Apple is using SWOT and PEST models to analyze the company situation. -Apple is targeting more the middle upper income professionals. -Apple builds up anticipation before launching a product. -Apple included a customer service phone number in the iPhone phone book for customer direct contact with Apple in case of technical problems. Task 1b. There are a few marketing concepts that an organizations can adapt. Each one of these concepts has advantages and disadvantages. These marketing concepts are: Product related – is when a company could focus on perfecting a product  and its quality. The disadvantage for being product orientated is that a company can lose site of what consumer may want and need when focusing on creating one perfect product. Production related – a company could focus on the mass production of a product. The advantage for being production-orientated is that a production line in place could bring more profit because of the low cost on producing the same product. Although low costs are possible because customers have different needs, changing the line for a different product it’s costly. Sales related – a company could try to focus on selling what it produces. The disadvantage is that the company does not know what the customers’ needs are. Market related – a company could focus on customer needs before developing a product. The disadvantage is that information could be obtained from customers who do not know what they need. With so much interest on what the customer needs, the product development can be overlooked. Societal related – a company could focus on the natural and social environment and the customer needs The disadvantage of being societal orientated is that it is rarely possible to satisfy all customers’ needs and stakeholders. The first three marketing concepts, product, production and sales, are focusing on the product. The last two concepts, market and sales, focus on the consumer. Although they all are focus differentiated, all five concepts have one single goal in common and that is to make profit. Market orientation is about collecting and dissemination of information from customers. Apple Inc. has adopted the market concept together with product orientation. Having adopted both orientation with emphasis on quality and future customers needs it allowed the organization to anticipate the need for a new product, set higher prices and make more profit. But being marketing orientated it is costly. A company has to invest in the development of the product, market research, in surveys, databases, analysts and product changes. Although it is costly to be marketing orientated there are benefits for adopting this concept. For example: – The Apple’s iPhone is at his fifth generation. Introduced in 2007, it was a product of innovation and market research. The development of the product took three years and with the collaboration between Apple and Cingular Wireless is  estimated to have cost $150 millions. According to Forbes magazine (08/2012) â€Å"†¦something that didn’t exist five years ago, has higher sales than everything Microsoft has to offer. More than Windows, Office, Xbox, Bing, Windows Phone, and every other product that Microsoft has created since 1975. In the quarter ended March 31, 2012, iPhone had sales of $22.7 billion; Microsoft Corporation, $17.4 billion.† Task 2 Task 2a. A business organization marketing decisions are influenced by macro and the micro environmental factors. Businesses can cover the inside factors with a SWOT model analysis and the external factors can be assessed by doing a PEST model analysis. The advantage of doing these analyses is the identification of opportunities and knowing where the organization is at that moment. Apple Inc. 2013 SWOT analysis: – Strengths: brand reputation and own retail stores. Combined with a strong financial performance and innovative capabilities Apple can be first on the market satisfying new customer’s needs. – Weaknesses. Apple products have higher prices. Conscious people my find them to expensive and competitors can take advantage of this factor. Recent changes in management could lead to misunderstandings between Apple In. departments and could slow down the process of making marketing mix decisions for the 4 Ps (product, price, place and promotion). – Opportunities. High demand for the iPhone 5 and the iPad products and the growth of tablet and smartphone markets. Competition mistakes like the Microsoft introduction of Vista software. Apple took full advantages of how bad was the Vista program having PC users downgrading back to XP and migrating to Apple. This can best be seen in the â€Å"I am a Mac I am a PC† ads (2006-2008). – Threats. New competitors like the Huawei in the UK phone market. Strong dollar will affect exports. Apple Inc. macro environment is analyzed using the PEST model (political, economical, social and technological). These are factors that the organization has little or no control over them and can either support or  hinder Apple’s marketing decisions. For example, in the case of the political factors a tax increase usually means a price increase. This will reduce the purchasing power of the consumer and subsequently reduce profits. Recession is an economical factor. The consumer buying confidence is usually low and high priced Apple products are seen more as a commodity than a necessity. Task 2b. Satisfying customers by treating them alike is rarely possible because they have different needs. Segmentation is about understanding and satisfying these needs by separating consumers in groups with the same needs. One of the advantages of segmentation is that the organization can position the product better within a chosen segment. Poorly done segmentation can group customers in the wrong segment. The bases for segmentation are demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioristic and geo-demographic. Some of the characteristics for demographic segmentation are sex, age, income, and education. Geographic segmentation is based on the location of potential customers. Psychographic is based on customers’ personality and lifestyles. Behavioral segmentation is based on the consumers’ actions. Geo-demographic is a combination of the geographical and demographical segments. There are three types of targeting methods and these are: Undifferentiated – for all publics Concentrated – focus on a specific group Differentiated – for different group types To recommend segmentation criteria and targeting methods for two different products I chose Apple’s iPod and the iPhone. For both products Apple Inc. should pursue the demographic and psychographic segmentation criteria. This will allow the organization to separate and target consumers based on the amount of money they have to spend and on what they would like to spend. – For the iPod (mp3 music player) Apple should pursue the concentrated method. This will allow them to focus on those customers who like to listen to music  on the go, organize songs and ultimately buy music for the iPod with the help of additional music platform like the iTunes. – For the iPhone, Apple should pursue the undifferentiated method. With so many different features the iPhone can be used by anyone for personal and business use. Task 2c. Buyer behavior affects how organizations market their products. Cultural, Social, Personal and Psychological are the four major factors influencing buyers’ behavior. To appeal consumers’ preferences, marketing mix strategies are developed by the organizations for the target market. Positioning is a strategy with what an organization can influence the buyer behavior. The strategy could include product use, product user, price, quality, product features, product class, competitors, benefits and cultural symbol. Apple Inc. products are perceived as high priced products with some buyers’ perception of them as over priced products. To counteract this perception Apple should reposition the iPod and the iPhone products using a strategy emphasizing products use, quality, performance and features. Task 3 Task 3a. To have sustainable competitive advantages Apple Inc. products development start with generating ideas. For example, the development of the iPhone product started with the idea of interacting with a computer without a keyboard. Usually a company can have many ideas for a product and screening them is necessary. Apple Inc. screens them through evaluations on the bases like the market needs, costs and resources. Apple market research concluded that the iPhone will have no competition for its features and the benefit will out way the cost of development. The next step of the product development was the physical transformation of the concept. Testing of the Apple products is done within the company using the employees. Normally companies test their new products with consumers but Apple prefers this type of testing because of the need of keeping the product features a secret from the competitors. After the evaluation of new ideas from the employees the iPhone was produced for the market. Task 3b. To make products available to the consumers Apple Inc. has three choices of distributions: 1) Selling directly to consumers. This channel of distribution is advantageous and a preference for Apple In. for the opportunities arising from interacting directly with the customer. Apple has their own retail stores with knowledgeable sales people who can make it very convenient for a customer to buy Apple products. Another way is selling directly through their website. Both options can be advantageously used for market research for better anticipation of new customer needs. 2) The second channel of distribution is selling the products through retailers. The advantage this channel provides is the promotion getting through retail advertisements. Many retail stores will place Apple products separately from the competitors in plain view for a customer to see it first and also use Apple products more for store advertisements. 3) This channel is selling through the wholesalers and retailers and is the least advantageous. For the last two channels (2 and 3) the disadvantage for Apple is that in both cases if the chain is disrupted, Apple products will not reach the customers. Task 3c. One of the most important elements of the marketing mix is Pricing. Pricing generates turnover for the organizations. The other 3P’s elements in the marketing mix are costs for the organizations. A number of pricing strategies can be adopted by an organization. For this task I have chosen to discuss three of them for their advantages and disadvantages. 1. Cost based price strategy is when a company sets prices based on the cost of the other 3P’s. The advantage of choosing this strategy is that because it’s the most realistic and the mark up its easier to set before the final pricing decision.. The disadvantage is that in a volatile industry where costs are always changing no set price can be set and the mark up is the final pricing decision. 2. Competition based price strategy is where a company can set a lower, the same or a higher price in comparison with competitors. The advantage is that a competitive lower price can be set to attract potential  customers. This strategy disadvantage is that it is unknown the production cost of the competitors and the company may operate at a loss. 3. Customer based pricing strategy is used when a company determines the price based on what is believed consumers are prepared to pay. The advantage of this strategy is that the price satisfies the customer price preference. The disadvantages with this strategy are that customers might give false impressions and the cost of production is knot known by them hence the company might run at a loss. Customer based pricing strategies are: Penetration Pricing – launching a low price product to increase market share Price Skimming – charging a higher price to maximize profits Loss leaders – a price set low to attract and encourage customers purchasing other products Predatory Pricing – setting a low price deliberately to restrict or prevent competition (in UK this type of price setting is illegal) Psychological Pricing – making the product believed to be cheaper than it really is. (Instead of  £1.00 it set at  £0.99) Apple Inc. uses the price skimming strategy. This strategy works for them because the company segments and target customers more effectively. The advantages with price skimming are that it creates the impression of prestige around Apple products and also in case of setting the price to high it could be lower easily. It also offers an insight on what the customers are willing to pay. Although this strategy has its advantages, in the computing and smartphone industry Apple has many competitors now and price skimming might be risky with the next product introduction. Consumers have many choices now and price preference is lower. Because of changes in consumers price preferences Apple Inc. should pursue the use of penetration pricing strategy in to attract new customers and increase the market share. Although the market share will increase the risk is that it is possible to still make lower profits. Task 3d. Promotion is one of the 4P’s and comprises of sales promotions, advertising, direct marketing, personal selling and public relations. These five elements make the promotion mix and are also known as the marketing communication elements. The usage of all five elements at one time is known as Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC). To achieve and maintain long-term customer relationships Apple uses components from the IMC and the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) concepts. Advertisements and promotions are used to capture the consumer attention, his interest and desire to own an Apple product. Public relation is used to deal directly with customers about product issues. Apple uses direct marketing by emailing marketing messages on Valentines Day or Christmas to registered customers. Personal selling is used in Apple retail stores. Personnel can also inform customers about the products they inquiring about. One of the Apple sales promotions is â€Å" Buy a Mac and get a free iPod Touch†. Apple Inc. interest is to maximize the company impact on the consumer for maximum profits and the IMC concept is a very important tool in the company marketing strategy. Task 4 Task 4a. Known as the Four P’s, the traditional marketing mix basic elements are Product, Price, Place and Promotion. The mix of these four elements done right will result in meeting its marketing objectives for a company and satisfy its customers. Factors like marketing is far more customers orientated now and in developed countries the service sector dominates the economic activity have contributed to the addition of new Ps to the traditional marketing mix. The additional three Ps are Physical Evidence, Process and People and together with the four basic elements make the 7Ps of the Extended Marketing Mix. To understand the relevance of the extended marketing mix to service marketing first one must understand the characteristics of service. There are five characteristics of service marketing and these are: 1. Intangibility – services cannot be seen, taste and feel before they are bought. 2. Inseparability – a service is produced and consumed at the same time. 3. Perishability – a product can be stored for future use whereas a service cannot. 4. Variability – service standard  will vary because of people. 5. Ownership – in comparison with a product a service can only be used and not owned. In service marketing the service is the Product and is intangible. Marketing Price, like product is also invisible. Place is where the service is consumed and unlike a product where it is found in retail stores, a service is found in accommodation places such as the hotels, restaurants, airplanes. Service Promotions can be an extension of the original service. For example a hotel may offer an extra night stay, discount prices for other services found within the hotel or outside but the original price offer is still the same. What is seen during the consumption of service is referred to as the Physical Evidence. Consumers expect a good standard and presentation of the environment where the service is consumed and businesses will focus on the quality layout presentation. How the service is carried out or delivered is the Process. In many cases process is associated with customer service. In the transport industry often carriers do lack on the quality of it because of delays that may or may not have to do with the employees. The employees are the People and final element in the extended marketing mix and are the ones delivering the service. The extended marketing mix its relevant to all businesses that give priority in meeting the needs of customers and its more particular relevant to the service industry. Task 4b. The seven marketing mix variables are highlighted above. The traditional 4Ps are for product marketing and all 7Ps are for service marketing. Two segments of interest for this task are the hotels in hospitality industry for their lodging services and the airlines in the industry of transport for their transport services. In the hotel industry, in terms of process and physical evidence, a regular room is provided for customer accommodation and the customer may have to pay extra for other services like a massage or a drink at the hotel bar. In terms of process apart from regular room cleaning sheets and towels and concierge services a customer will not get much else for his money. In comparison the business customer will experience something totally different. A Business may reserve the entire hotel or the best room with the best view, 24-hour room service, free access to the spa and other things considered luxurious. Although the product sold is the same for both C and B, because of additional services and a differentiated process, it differs and the price is usually the first one to tell which one is which. In the airline industry, businesses provide transportation in the economy class and the business class. In the economy class in terms of physical layout, after the journey some customers wished they left their legs at home and kids never existed. Whereas in the business class, a customer can park his car, watch his favorite movie while drinking champagne. Again the product has not changed because customers in the economy and business class are moved from point A to point B with the same airplane in the same amount of time. The understanding is that businesses can afford to pay more when it comes to buying services and airlines will charge more for extra. Task 4c. Globalization and Unions between different countries around the world have made it possible for national businesses to enter international markets. When entering the international markets businesses could find many opportunities but the challenges are different and on a higher scale than the ones faced in a domestic market. Domestic marketing is the production, promotion, distribution and sale of goods and services nationally while international marketing is the same but for customers needs in a global market. In the last quarter of 2012, domestically, Apple Inc. revenue accounted for 40 per cent with 60 per cent revenue from the international markets (Niu, 2013). 40 per cent revenue for Apple means that it dominates in the domestic market. This is possible for Apple because the company has to deal with only one set of customers on which it can concentrate more effectively. Other factors contributing to this positive revenue are that Apple uses of the same policies and strategies and requires lesser financial resources. The other sixty per cent revenue for Apple, thinking in term of global it is small revenue for the company. This has to do with the fact that international marketing is more complex and more risky. It requires more financial resources than domestic marketing. Internationally, Apple  Inc. has to deal with different markets, different languages and different types of consumers with different tastes. In countries with laws and regulations of their own, for Apple it is more challenging and requires more commitment from the company in applying the marketing principles. Conclusion In this coursework assignment I tried to my best abilities to demonstrate that I acquired a good knowledge and understanding of marketing principles by applying the theory to Apple Inc. by carrying out the tasks given for the assignment. Overall my understanding now is that marketing is with us every day, next to us and even in us people. Consciously or subconsciously we are marketing ourselves as individuals every day to others. Marketing has an impact on everything and it cannot be avoided. For businesses, marketing is a strategic war plan for getting peoples attention to maximize profits. In this war business tend to aim at peoples emotions. Marketing is a discipline and is defined by social participation. But the most important thing learned I believe is that consumers’ needs and wants are always changing and marketing needs to change accordingly. References American Marketing Association. (2007). Definition of Marketing. Available: http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Pages/DefinitionofMarketing.aspx. Last accessed 16th May 2013. Apple. (2013). Apple Info. Available: http://www.apple.com/about/. Last accessed 12th Jul 2013. Apple Press. (2012). Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results. Available: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/10/25Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html. Last accessed 12th Jul 2013 Campbell, M. (2012). Apple to open up to 35 new retail stores in 2013. Available: http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/31/up-to-35-new-apple-stores-set-to-open-in-2013. Last accessed 11 Jul 2013. Canadian Marketing Association. (n/a). Definition of Marketing. Available:

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Developing a Java GUI

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface, a term used not only in Java but in all programming languages that support the development of GUIs. A programs graphical user interface presents an easy-to-use visual display to the user. It is made up of graphical components (e.g., buttons, labels, windows) through which the user can interact with the page or application. To make graphical user interfaces in Java, use either Swing (older applications) or JavaFX. Typical Elements A GUI includes a range of user interface elements  Ã¢â‚¬â€ which just means all the elements that display when you are working in an application.  These can include: Input controls such as buttons, dropdown lists, checkboxes, and text fields.Informational elements such as labels, banners, icons, or notification dialogs.Navigational elements, including sidebars, breadcrumbs, and menus. Java GUI Frameworks: Swing and JavaFX Java has included Swing, an API for creating GUIs, in its Java Standard Edition since Java 1.2, or 2007. Its designed with a modular architecture so that elements are easily plug-and-play and can be customized. It has long been the API of choice for Java developers when creating GUIs. JavaFX has also been around a long time  Ã¢â‚¬â€ Sun Microsystems, which owned Java before the current owner Oracle, released the first version in 2008, but it didnt really gain traction until Oracle purchased Java from Sun. Oracles intention is to eventually replace Swing with JavaFX. Java 8, released in 2014, was the first release to include JavaFX in the core distribution. If you are new to Java, you should learn JavaFX rather than Swing, although you may need to understand Swing because so many applications incorporate it, and so many developers are still actively using it. JavaFX features an entirely different set of graphic components as well as a new terminology and has many features that interface with web programming, such as support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a web component for embedding a web page inside an FX application, and the functionality to play web multimedia content.   Design and Usability If youre an application developer, you need to consider not only the  tools and programming widgets you will use to create your GUI, but also be aware of the user and how he will interact with the application. For example, is the application intuitive and easy to navigate? Can your user find what he needs in the expected places? Be consistent and predictable about where you place things  Ã¢â‚¬â€ for instance, users are familiar with navigational elements on top menu bars or left sidebars. Adding navigation in a right sidebar or on the bottom will only make the user experience more difficult. Other issues might include the availability and power of any search mechanism, the behavior of the application when an error occurs, and, of course, the general aesthetics of the application. Usability is a field in and of itself, but once you have mastered the tools for creating GUIs, learn the basics of usability to ensure that your application has a look-and-feel that will make it attractive and useful to its users.