Building Cyborgs in He She and It Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Mo

Building Cyborgs in He She and It Wouldn't you love to create your perfect man or woman? How about if they were a machine built only for you? The idea of artificial intelligence and cyborgs (human-like machines which can think) is not as far away as we might think. In the novel, He She and It, Marge Piercy brings this interesting aspect of future technology to the forefront. The hero of this exciting novel is a cyborg named Yod. He was built with the hope of protecting a small independent Jewish town from being destroyed by the surrounding large corporation cities. He was built by a man but programmed by a woman. This dynamic is shown even in the title, He She and It. Yod is built biologically like a man, programmed by a woman, and not actually human. Although Yod was programmed for protection, he was also given the ability to learn, think, and feel. Because of these abilities he thought like a human would. He had human-like qualities and emotions but none of the rights that go along with being human. Because Yod was built for protection this is the only job he was expected to do. No one thought about him falling in love, wanting to be a husband and a father, and wanting a life for himself; "I had only been fully engaged or bored. I had been puzzled. I had been frightened. I had been angry. But I had never been happy until we came back here with Ari and you told him I was his stepfather."(pg 364) Yod said this to his lover in a passionate moment in the novel. Does this sound like a being that thinks and feels? It sure does. So the real question that this novel brings up is now that artificial intelligence is on its way, how far should we go with it and if we do create a sentient being what rights does it have. Piercy sho... ... personal cyborg, I think I would program it to be compassionate and with a thorough knowledge of message. This way I could come home at the end of a long day and tell it all of my worries while having the stress massaged out. (I hope my husband doesn’t get jealous!) Ah, the simple dreams of a middle class American. Again, however, the issue becomes if they are more then robots programmed to do our bidding and they have human-like qualities, then they deserve more then a slave’s life. If we create a being able to make choices it is then unfair to place them in a position of servitude. Until we are able to truly say that any being with a conscious deserves rights and are willing to give them those rights, we need to stick to our computers and robots. Artificial intelligence is more then creating a technology, it is creating a being and that is an awesome thought.

Books and e-books Essay

Some people believe that printed books are no longer necessary in this digital era, as all writings can be stored electronically. Others think print books till play important role. Discuss both views and give your opinion.  In the past few years, e-books have been sold or downloaded for free in large numbers on the internet. These books and e-readers are challenging convention reading habits making the sales of traditional books decreased. But it still needs much consideration before eliminating altogether the need for printed books. There is no doubt that e-books are able to offer huge amount of information with feather like weight. Readers do not have to face the difficult choice of which book should be taken with on vacation, as one single e-reader like kindle or Nook would hold all the books you might want to read on the trip with no extra space in suitcase being wasted. E-books are also strong contenders when it comes to pricing. Because they are delivered in digital format, a part of the overhead including printing, storing and distribution can be avoided. And many classic books are free online, which is a boon to readers who only need a partly review or reference from those books. However, we cannot ignore a fact that the popularity of digital books can be a bit daunting for many readers who are used to going to the local book store, browsing the aisles and perhaps reading any chapter before purchasing. Or, there still are some senior readers who are reluctant to buy and learn to use an e-reader instead of holding a real book and making note wherever they want. Then when we talk about personal book collections, electronic ones can hardly be involved. Privately owned printed books can typically be displayed neatly as part of the household collection. These books may build up a reader’s spirit world and be good company as having friends being around. The bottom line is that both printed books and e-books have something to offer. We cannot simply eliminate the use of any single format because they are needed in different situation by various kinds of readers. They are all  making life better.

Immanuel Kant †Philosophy Essay

Immanuel Kant was a German Philosopher who was born on April 22, 1724 in Kaliningrad, Russia. At age 16, he enrolled at the University of Konigsberg where he studied philosophy. Kant is best known for his work in the philosophy of ethics and metaphysics, but he made significant contributions to other disciplines. He made an important astronomical discovery, namely a discovery about the nature of the Earth’s rotation, for which he won the Berlin Academy Prize in 1754. Kant developed his moral philosophy in three works: Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, and Metaphysics of Morals. Immanuel Kant’s contribution to our study of business ethics is mainly noted in Chapter 4 of the textbook: Moral Duty, Rights, and Justice. Kent talks about the Categorical Imperative. Categorical imperatives are principles that are intrinsically valid; they are good in and of themselves; they must be obeyed by all, in all situations and circumstances, if our behavior is to observe the moral law. Kant stated that the moral means and ends can be applied to the categorical imperative, that rational beings can pursue certain â€Å"ends† using the appropriate â€Å"means†. The categorical imperative may be based only on something that is an â€Å"end in itself†. That is, an end that is a means only to itself and not to some other need, desire, or purpose. Kant believed that if an action is not done with the motive of duty, then it is without moral value. Every action should have pure intention behind it; otherwise it was meaningless. The categorical imperative has three formulations that Kant enumerated about moral. These stated the three formal conditions that an action must have if it is to be a moral action. The first formulation states that for an action to be a moral action, it must be amenable to being made consistently universal. The second formulation states that for an action to be a moral action, it must respect rational beings as ends in themselves. The third formulation states that for an action to be a moral action, it must stem from, and respect, the autonomy of rational beings. These three formulations explains to us what it means to be a rational being. Kant also talks about the hypothetical imperative. It states that an action should be done if, one wishes to achieve a certain end. An example would be if you want to do well in sports, then you must practice! If you want to get promoted in your job, then you must work hard! Kant thinks our actions only have moral worth and deserve esteem when they are motivated by duty. Kant also believed that an action from duty has its moral worth not in the purpose to be attained by it but in the maxim in accordance with which it is decided upon, and therefore does not depend upon the realization of the object of the action but merely upon the principle of volition in accordance with which the action is done without regard for any object of the faculty of desire. References: 1. DeGeorge, Richard T. , 2010 Business Ethics, 63-64 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant#Moral_philosophy.

Llano Estacado in the U.S. and Around the World

Llano Estacado in the U.S. and Around the World Llano Estacado literally translated from Spanish-to-English means Staked Plain, and it is a region at the southern end of the American Great Plains in the southwestern United States. The Geographical Region The Llano Estacado region  encompasses parts of  eastern New Mexico  and northwestern  Texas. It is marked by large mesas at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet. One of its most popular landmarks is the Caprock Escarpment in Texas. Possible Historical Reference The settling of the western United States in the 1800s was known for its land runs with settlers on foot and horseback racing to claim lands by driving a stake into the ground. Llano Estacado may be a historical nod to the stakes or posts driven  into the ground in this region that were used as landmarks delineating property. Some suggest the plain was called Llano Estacado because it is surrounded by cliffs resembling palisades or stockades, which explains the definitions of palisaded plain or stockaded plain. The Caprock Escarpment is a 200-mile long cliff or palisade that delineates the border of the Llano Estacado region from the high plains.   Spanish Translation   Llano Estacado  can be translated to mean palisaded plain, stockaded plain, or staked plain. Llano is a direct translation for the word plain or prairie.  Estacado  is the past  participle  of  estacar. Estacar  is the verb meaning to tie to a post. Of the three possible translations, the three have very similar meanings. Many words in English are derived from Spanish words. The English word stockade comes from the Spanish word  estaca, so originally stockade and staked meant basically the same thing. The same can be said for palisade, it comes from the French word  palissade, meaning stake. The word palisade is related to the Spanish word  palo, meaning stick, which may be a close relation to the word stake. Non-American Spanish Speakers What does a native Spanish speaker not from the United States assume as the meaning for the term Llano Estacado? A native Spanish speaker would approach the term in the same way an English speaker would understand staked plain. As in English, it is not a common term, but it does evoke a certain meaning when you give the term some thought. The understanding of the term would likely be different for someone living in suburban Madrid than it would be for someone living on the plains of Argentina.

Use of Quasiconcave Utility Functions in Economics

Use of Quasiconcave Utility Functions in Economics Quasiconcave is a mathematical concept that has several applications in economics. To understand the significance of the  terms applications in economics, it is useful to begin with a brief consideration of the origins and  meaning of the term in mathematics. Origins of the Term The term quasiconcave was introduced in the early part of the 20th century in the work of John von Neumann, Werner Fenchel and Bruno de Finetti, all prominent mathematicians with interests in both theoretical and applied mathematics, Their research in  fields such as probability theory, game theory and topology eventually laid the groundwork for an independent research field known as generalized convexity.  While the term quasiconcave: has applications in many areas, including economics, it originates in the field of generalized convexity as a topological concept. Definition of Topology Wayne State Mathematics Professor Robert Bruners brief and readable explanation of topology  begins with the understanding that topology is a special form of geometry. What distinguishes topology from other geometrical studies is that topology treats geometric figures as being essentially (topologically) equivalent if by bending, twisting and otherwise distorting them you can turn one into the other. This sounds a little strange, but consider that if you take a circle and begin squashing from four directions, with careful squashing you can produce a square. Thus, a square and a circle are topologically equivalent. Similarly, if you bend one side of a triangle until youve created  another corner somewhere along that side, with more bending, pushing and pulling, you can turn a triangle into a square. Again, a triangle and a square are topologically equivalent.   Quasiconcave as a Topological Property Quasiconcave is a topological property that includes concavity. If you graph a mathematical function and the graph looks more or less like a badly made bowl with a few bumps in it but still has a depression in the center and two ends that tilt upward, that is a quasiconcave function. It turns out that a concave function is just a specific instance of a quasiconcave function- one without the bumps. From a laypersons perspective (a mathematician has a more rigorous way of expressing it), a quasiconcave function includes all concave functions and also all functions that overall are concave but that may have sections that are actually convex. Again, picture a badly made bowl with a few bumps and protrusions in it.   Applications in Economics One way of mathematically representing consumer preferences (as well as  many other behaviors) is with a utility function. If, for example, consumers prefer good A to good B, the utility function U expresses that preference as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U(A)U(B) If you graph out this function for a real-world set of consumers and goods, you may find that the graph looks a bit like a bowl- rather than a straight line, theres a sag in the middle. This sag generally represents consumers aversion to risk. Again, in the real world, this aversion isnt consistent: the graph of consumer preferences looks a bit like an imperfect bowl, one with a number of bumps in it. Instead of being concave, then, its generally concave but not perfectly so at every point in the graph, which may have minor sections of convexity. In other words, our example graph of consumer preferences (much like many real-world examples) is quasiconcave.  They tell anyone wanting to know more about consumer behavior- economists and corporations selling consumer goods, for instance- where and how customers  respond to changes in good amounts or cost.

Wireless Network Active Attacks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wireless Network Active Attacks - Essay Example The best solution to this problem is RF proofing the nearby atmosphere. The use of Wireless technologies is increasing rapidly and Wireless technology is much admired. So companies are exchanging their usual wired networks with wireless - even for non-mobile functions. There have been several warnings from security advisors regarding wireless protocols, Especially for WEP, being disgustingly insecure. Unauthorized access to wireless network can occur from different ways for example, when a user turns on a computer and it latches on to a wireless admittance point from a neighboring company’s overlapping network, the user may not even know that this has occurred. But, it is a security violate in that proprietary company information is exposed and now there could exist a link from one company to the other. A denial-of-service attack is an effort to make computer resources unavailable to its intended users. It is the malicious efforts of a persons or number of persons to stop a web site or service from carrying out proficiently or at all. One general way of attack involves saturating the target machine with external communications requests, such that it cannot react to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered effectively unavailable. It normally slows down the network performance. For example speed of opening files and closing files slow down. System will also be unable to access any web site. The bandwidth of a router linking the Internet and a local area network may be consumed by DoS. There are also other types of attack that may include a denial of service as a module, but the denial of service may be a part of a larger attack. Illegal utilization of resources may also result in denial of service. For instance, an interloper can use someone’s secret ftp ar ea as a place to store illegal copies of commercial software, overwhelming disk space and generating network

Culture Expos Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Culture Expos Project - Research Paper Example market. In assessing the Filipino culture, the study hopes to suggest some strategies to attract and fulfill the needs of this particular market. Filipinos are natives of the Philippines, a country in the Asia Pacific region near Hong Kong and Malaysia. Historians have noted that the Filipinos have a mixed culture due to their mixed ancestry. The earliest generations of this culture are Malays who came to the Philippine islands for settlement (Halili, 2004). They scattered all over the country, and because the Philippines is an archipelago, the Filipinos speak different dialects or local languages (Agoncillo, 1974) but like their Chinese neighbor, manage to maintain a national language also called Filipino. Chinese inhabitants are also all over the country but they settled in the Philippines merely for business, hence the Filipino of today also bears some Chinese ancestry. In 1521, the Philippines was discovered by Spanish colonizers led by Magellan (Halili, 2004). This started the c olonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards whose settlement lasted for more than three centuries (ibid.). This long history of colonization has a great impact on the Filipino culture. Nevertheless, the cruelty of the colonizers kept a distance between the natives and the former. Rizal, the Philippine’s national hero whose name is acclaimed in some Western countries like Germany, noted in his writings how the Spaniards, especially the rulers of the Church treated the Filipinos with lambasting words, unjust imprisonment and disappearance, denial of property, among many other acts of injustice (Capino, Gonzales, and Pineda, 2005). The Philippines was liberated from the Spanish regime when the Americans came in 1901. Unlike the Spaniards who did not teach their language for fear of being overpowered, the Americans, through the Thomasites taught English to the Filipinos and promoted education, especially free elementary education. The Thomasites were the first American teache rs who came to the Philippines to teach the Filipinos (Halili, 2004). The Americans noted the lack of education and the poverty that loomed in the Philippines after the Spanish regime. They attempted to improve the living conditions of the Filipino by sending some scholars in the U.S. to study (ibid.). Those Filipinos may have inspired others to come to America, thus explaining the wide population of Filipinos in the U.S. at present. When the WWII broke up, the Philippines was invaded by Japan and along with Filipino soldiers, some American soldiers were tortured by the Japanese to march several miles from Bataan Province to Manila (ibid.). This is known today as the Bataan Death March, in which some soldiers died of hunger and thirst. After four days, when additional American troops were sent to the Philippines, the Japanese invaders were ousted, making the Filipinos free from another threat of colonization. The different settlers in the Philippines impacted the Filipino culture, m aking it a combination of the Spanish, American, and Japanese culture superimposed by the Malay ancestry it has. Filipinos nowadays have healed from their past and seen on American television, for instance, Charice Pempengco, ultimately project easy adaptability with other cultures. Their clothes are a cross between Western and Asian influences. They have developed a cultural adaptability style that tends to accept differences and unify