James Hetfield Essays - Metallica, Ron McGovney, Leather Charm

James Hetfield James Hetfield the American Dream James is probably the driving creative force. - Kirk Hammett Hetfield brings the pride. He stands a very tall and strong guy over all of, not just the music, but all of what is Metallica, he's been through a lot of shi* but still pushed to get where he is today.? - Jason Newstead Although the Americans dream, weather new or old to this country is to succeed financially, to some it is to become well known to your fellow man. The idea of crawling out of the gutter with nothing but your pride and earning respect from everyone who had doubted you before. Since the birth of this equal opportunity nation, people from all aspects of cultures and countries have strived through thick and thin to surpass their fellow man and better themselves in the eyes of society. The American dream does not just occur with citizens new to our country but to generations upon generations of people whose family tree had begun anew when their ancestors first arrived to this land. This theory proves itself valid with a number of successful people who have never had the opportunity of experiencing ?old wealth?. They are ridiculed for their dreams and made fun of for their ideas, but in the end these prospects of society made it to the top with the occasional supporter and Hetfield was born to a truck driver and light opera singer on August 3rd, 1963, in Los Angeles. His family's Christian Science religious beliefs are often mentioned as the root of James' tortured soul lyrics. Musically, he began at age 9 with piano lessons, then banging away on his brother David's drums and finally to guitar. With his guitar in hand, James aspired to become a rock star in his first band, Obsession. After seeing AC/DC perform in Los Angeles on august 14th 1977The band was made up of the Veloz brothers on bass and drums and Jim Arnold on guitar. A pair of friends, Ron McGovney and Dave Marrs, acted as the band's roadies. This meant sitting in the loft of the Veloz garage running a control panel for makeshift lighting effects. After Obsession broke up, the Marrs-Hetfield-McGovney trio continued jamming together. Phantom Lord was James Hetfield's second band. After moving to La Brea, James attended Brea Olinda High School and met up with drummer Jim Mulligan. The two would jam at lunchtime with another guitar player, but eventually scared him away with their loud and heavy sounds. Hugh Tanner was discovered carrying around part of a flying V guitar at school. And shortly thereafter, Phantom Lord was born. With Hugh on guitar and Mulligan on drums, James sang and played guitar. The group went through a few bass players until graduation when James moved back to Downey. In Downey, James moved into a house owned by Ron McGovney's parents that was slated for demolition due to an expressway expansion. This house was the perfect place for James and Ron to crash and hold rehearsal and practice jams. James talked Ron into taking up bass, and promised to teach him... And as Ron joined the group, Phantom Lord was no more. They were now Leather Charm. James Hetfield's third band overall, Leather Charm was formed from the members of Phantom Lord, except that James performed sole singing duties (no guitar) and Ron was added to play bass guitar. Completing the line-up were Phantom Lord carry-overs Hugh Tanner and Jim Mulligan. Leather Charm was more of a glammy attempt at music. The band played originals and covers like Quiet Riot's Slick Black Cadillac, Iron Maiden's Remember Tommorrow and a few others. The band managed to perform at a few parties and recorded a demo, but then began to fall apart. *Picture*First Tanner left the band and was replaced by Troy James. Then Mulligan left for a more progressive, Rush-like band. With no drummer, the band was forced to call it quits. Although it was Mulligan's departure that led to James searching for a new drummer, it was Hugh Tanner that introduced James to Lars Ulrich. Ultimately it was Leather Charm's break up, through Jim Mulligan's quitting, that led James and Lars to meet... and to form Metallica. From the

Cause and Effect Outline Practice Exercise

Cause and Effect Outline Practice Exercise Here well practice making a simple outline: a list of the key points in a paragraph or essay. This basic outline can help us revise a composition by showing at a glance if we need to add, remove, change, or rearrange any supporting details. Why Outlines are Useful Some writers use outlines to develop a first draft, but this approach can be tricky: how can we organize our information before weve figured out what we want to say? Most writers need to start writing (or at least freewriting) in order to discover a plan. Whether you use an outline for drafting or revising (or both), you should find it a useful way to develop and organize your ideas in paragraphs and essays. Cause and Effect Paragraph Lets begin by reading a students cause-and-effect paragraph, Why Do We Exercise?, and then well arrange the students key points in a simple outline. Why Do We Exercise? These days, just about everyone, from toddler to retiree, seems to be running, pedaling, lifting weights, or performing aerobics. Why are so many people exercising? There are several reasons. Some people, the ones in designer jump suits, exercise simply because keeping in shape is trendy. The same people who a few years ago thought doing drugs was cool are now just as seriously involved in self-conditioning. Other people exercise to lose weight and appear more attractive. The paunchy crowd is willing to undergo extreme self-torture in the name of beauty: thin is in. Finally, there are those who exercise for their health. Regular, intensive exercise can strengthen the heart and lungs, build endurance, and improve the bodys immunity system. In fact, judging from my observations, most people who exercise probably do so for a combination of these reasons. Cause and Effect Paragraph Outline Now heres a simple outline of the paragraph: Opening: Everyone is exercising.Question: Why are so many people exercising?Reason 1: Be trendy (exercise is cool)Reason 2: Lose weight (thin is in)Reason 3: Stay healthy (heart, endurance, immunity)Conclusion: People exercise for a combination of reasons. As you can see, the outline is just another form of listing. The opening and question are followed by three reasons, each expressed in a brief phrase and followed in parenthesis by an equally brief explanation. By arranging the main points in a list and using key phrases rather than complete sentences, we have reduced the paragraph to its basic structure. Cause and Effect Outline Exercise Now try it yourself. The following cause-and-effect paragraph, Why Do We Stop at Red Lights?, is followed by the plan for a simple outline. Complete the outline by filling in the main points given in the paragraph. Why Do We Stop at Red Lights? Say its two in the morning with not a policeman in sight, and you approach an empty intersection marked by a red light. If youre like most of us, you stop and wait for the light to turn green. But why do we stop? Safety, you might say, though you can see perfectly well that its quite safe to cross. Fear of being nabbed by a sneaky police officer is a better reason, but still not very convincing. After all, the police dont generally make a habit of setting up road traps in the dead of night. Perhaps we are just good, law-abiding citizens who wouldnt dream of committing a crime, even though obeying the law in this case does seem faintly ridiculous. Well, we may claim to be following the dictates of our social conscience, but another, less high-minded reason probably underlies it all. We stop at that red light out of dumb habit. We probably dont consider whether its safe or unsafe to cross, right or wrong; we stop because we always stop at red lights. And, of course, even if we were to think about it as we idled there at the intersection, the light would probably turn green before we could come up with a good reason for why we do what we do. Fill out the simple outline for Why Do We Stop at Red Lights?: Opening: __________Question: __________?Reason 1: __________Reason 2: __________Reason 3: __________Reason 4: __________Conclusion: __________ Completed Cause and Effect Outline Now compare your outline with the completed version of the simple outline for Why Do We Stop at Red Lights? Opening:Â  Red light at two a.m.Question:Â  Why do we stop?​Reason 1:Â  Safety (though we know its safe)Reason 2:Â  Fear (though police arent around)Reason 3:Â  Social conscience (maybe)Reason 4:Â  Dumb habit (most likely)Conclusion:Â  We have no good reason. Once you have practiced creating a few simple outlines, youre ready to move on to the next step: evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the paragraph you have outlined.

Peroxisomes research Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Peroxisomes research - Article Example Luciferase measurement The genomic DNA was amplified using PCR 500 bp upstream region of Act1 Cta1, iPex3A and iPex3B open reading frames. The PCR fragments were inserted upstream of Luciferase reporter gene in pLUC plasmid. The promoter-pLUC plasmids were transformed into wild-type yeast via the PEG - LiAC transformation method. The Transformants were plated on YPD plates with kanamycin. Each colony of the transformant was grown in 5ml YPD for 18 hours at 30C. The cells were spin down in a centrifuge. The cells were resuspended in 1mL low fluorescence media (YNB). This sample was divided into two parts. To one sample 100uls of 0.003% hydrogen peroxide was added. The tubes were incubated at 28C for 30 minutes. The cells were spin down. The cells were washed 3 times with 1ml 1XPBS. The final pellet was resuspended in 500 ls of 1X PBS. The cells were separated into 10,000 cell aliquots. One ml lysis reagent to the cells and incubated for 5 mins. The luciferase assay reagent was added to lysed cells. The int ensity of light emitted from sample was measured with a luminometer. Statistical analysis: Each sample were measured six times and standard deviation was determined. Further, t-test were carried out to signify the difference in the values. Results: To determine the role of iPEX3A and iPAX3B in peroxisomal function set of experiments were carried out. In first sets of experiments accumulation of H2O2 were determined in different mutant having single mutation in cat1, ipex3A and ipex3B. Table 1 displays the results of H2O2 treatment on these three mutants along with wild type (positive control) cells. There was significant increase (p

The Things They Carried and Raising Victor Vargas Essay

The Things They Carried and Raising Victor Vargas - Essay Example These factors affect how men and women interact with each other both at the start of and throughout romantic relationships. In the modern world, romantic relationships are vastly different from what they once were. Cultural changes have impacted young lovers just as they have impacted so many other facets of life. Cultural changes which began in the 1960s (Williams) have, over the last few decades, significantly altered the way we live and think. Western society has become increasingly sexually permissive; young people are constantly bombarded with sexual imagery in advertising, television, film, and other entertainment media. The traditional romantic relationship which begins with dating, followed by marriage, sex, and children has turned into something very different. In the modern world casual sex is increasingly common and acceptable; having a sexual relationship does not automatically lead to marriage-it is no longer safe to assume that a couple who have sex will marry or even enter into a relationship. Religion is an influential factor in determining whether or not individuals have sex with one or more partners before marrying; interestingly a religious upbringing is more likely to impact upon women than on men in terms of whether or not they are sexually active before marrying. In the film "Raising Victor Vargas" (Sollett), the family has come from a Catholic background. Victor's grandmother is very religious, but this has had little impact on Victor's personal life-his peer relationships are much more influential. Victor and best friend Harold have similar attitudes towards women. They both see sexual activity as a way of increasing their importance in the neighborhood and enhancing their reputations with their peers.In the very first scene, Victor is portrayed as a sexual person, attempting to seduce "Fat Donna"-he is licking his lips and flexing his muscles, using his body as a tool for seduction. Like most teens, however, Victor is less a Romeo than he is a boy taking his fir st unsure steps in the adult world of sexual relationships. He has also made a mistake in choosing his target-"Fat Donna" is considered unattractive, and his seduction attempts only earn him the ridicule of his peers. After this encounter, Victor is determined to repair his reputation by setting his sights on the neighborhood beauty, Judy. Judy appears to come from a religious background just as Victor does-she wears the same type of gold cross worn by Victor's grandmother and brother. Unlike Victor, she does not feel the need to enhance her reputation by becoming sexually active; she has an almost opposite view. She sees boys as "dogs", as something that she does not need, and is only irritated by the neighborhood boys who fall at her feet. Judy has resolved to pretend she already has a boyfriend, so that she will not be bothered by other boys. Victor and Judy clearly have very different perceptions of love, sex, and relationships. To Victor they are tools to increase his standing with his peers, whereas Judy has no use for them. "The Things they Carried" (O'Brien) takes place against the background of the Vietnam War-not only the new age of Woodstock, hippie culture, and sex, drugs, and rock & roll, but also a politically turbulent era. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, a young man of this era, has probably been influenced by these cultural changes. As a young

Spyware Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spyware - Essay Example In this scenario, spyware is one of the most crucial security threats that has caused serious challenges for the business organizations and individuals. Basically, spyware consists of a wide variety of programs that an attacker uses to observe a computer users actions, get facts and information regarding the user, and store this data in order that they can use it for conducting illegal activities. The research has shown that the major target of spyware remains the internet community (Ames, 2004). This report presents a detailed analysis of spyware applications. The basic purpose of this research is to present an overview of spyware, its types, its working and some of the countermeasures. Computer owners are confronting with such a mounting threat that is considered to be the leading one, known as spyware (Reuters, Feb. 9, 2004). Its predominance was evident by the National Cyber Security Alliance who anticipated that it is about 90 percent of PCs with internet connections being affected by spyware. Moreover, a Web Sense Survey in 2004 proposed the spyware problem to be majorly manifested in IT companies (92%, according to the estimation) as claimed by their managers. It is the biggest dilemma that most of the internet users don’t even find about the induction of any spyware application until and unless it has already been installed on their PCs. Spyware is sort of a secreted character that is difficult to find. Although most users have understanding about spyware effects such as PCs being sluggish, strange search outcomes and fronting more pop-up ads but it could be dangerous because of its secret nature. In the late 1990s, software programs were being used m uch for getting info about the end-users. And in early 2000s, the Dot-com buzz made its usage more rampant. Generally, spyware is such a software that is used to get the information about the customers illegally and convey that info to the third-party while it pretends to be the data sensors. It creates

The video game console market

The video game console market Executive Summary The video game console market is a fast growing market. Sonys PlayStation 3 competes together with Nintendos Wii and Microsofts Xbox 360 for the market leader position. Compared with these competitors, Sonys PS3 includes the newest technologies and provides the highest variety of functionalities. Therefore, Sonys strategy is to target customers who focus on high technologies and multimedia-entertainment. However, this involves that the PS3 competes not only with console manufacturers, but also with other multimedia producers such as PC manufacturers. Due to the fact, that the Sonys PS3 will be quite expensive, the console will be available in a premium edition and in a cheaper basic edition. Considering the distribution of its PS3 games, Sony tries to change its traditional supply chain by providing an Internet platform, where users can download games. This results in saving costs and a faster distribution. Furthermore, the most important marketing tool is the Internet for promoting the PlayStation 3. Blogs, MySpace, YouTube and other kind of websites enable an area-wide promotion of the game console and especially, it is done by consumers. Another important tool is the official website, which offers among others information about the console and about available games. Additionally, Sony promotes its PlayStation 3 together with a meaningful slogan, which differs between Europe (This is living) and U.S. (Play Beyond). Finally, Sonys financing objectives are to sell 15 million exemplars in the first-year and to achieve total sales revenue of $8.25 billion. Its marketing goals are to sell more than 100 million exemplars in the long-run and to become the market leader. 1 Situation Analysis 1.1 Current marketing environment The video game console market is highly influenced from its demographic and technological environment. The worldwide population is growing and more and more people have a strong need for entertainment. Many people require something against boredom in their free time. Furthermore, the technology environment creates a variety of new functionalities which are almost unlimited. According to Moores Law, processor speed and memory capability reduplicate almost every 18 months by constant prices. Additionally, technologies such as High Definition TV provide a new way of entertainment consumption. Finally, another important influence in peoples behavior is enabled by the Internet. Its introduction was a milestone of the new economy. It allows finding almost any required information and enables worldwide communication as well as interaction and it simplifies doing business. 1.2 Current Product Line Before we describe the features and functionalities of Sonys new video game console, the PlayStation 3, we would like to give a short overview of the companys current home video game line: PlayStation (PS1) The Sony PlayStation is the companys first video game console and was produced in the mid-1990s. It belongs to the fifth generation of video game consoles and provides a 32-bit processor. Furthermore, the PlayStation was the first game console that reached the 100 million mark. PlayStation 2 (PS2) Sonys PlayStation 2 is part of the sixth generation era and was released in 2000. Besides its 128-bit processor, it was the fist video game console that provides DVD playback functionality. It placed first in number of units sold in its sixth generation of video game consoles and it became the fastest selling and most popular game console in history, with over 110 million units shipped worldwide by November 2006.[1] PlayStation Portable (PSP) Sonys PlayStation Portable was the companys first handheld game console released in 2004. Besides playing games, it also provides different functionalities such as playing music, watching videos, viewing pictures and using Internet applications. Nowadays, the PSP is the main competitor of Nintendos Game Boy and Nintendo DS. 1.3 Product Analysis The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) is the seventh generation video game console and the third in Sonys PlayStation series. The console was launched in North America and Japan in November 2006 and is yet expected to be launched in Europe by March 2007. The reason for its delay in Europe is a shortness of supplies with parts of the Blu-ray drive. The console offers high-end technology and it has been described as an engineering masterpiece because of its promising specification and use of new technology.[2] Furthermore, the PS3 will be available in two different editions on the one hand, a basic edition with a 20 GB hard disk drive (HDD), and on the other hand a premium edition with 60 GB HDD. Nevertheless, both editions will have key elements such the Blu-Ray Disc for High Definition movies, the Cell chip, Giga-bit Ethernet for high speed Internet-connection, and an HDMI connection for optimum output on HDTV. Compared with the basic edition, the premium edition will provide some extra features like support for multiple external memory storage devices (Memory stick, SD) and Wireless connectivity. More information about the specification can you find in the Appendix. Furthermore, Sonys newest game console provides a Linux operating system and some Internet applications such as an Opera Web browser and multiplaying functionality. Finally, another feature of the PlayStation 3 is the backward compatibility to Sonys previous video games for PS1 and PS2. 1.4 Target Markets The following section should provide an overview of Sonys target market and of its targeted customers. 1.4.1 Target market approach In our opinion, Sony should use a segmentation approach as their general strategy to reach targeted customers. Although mass-marketing would create the largest potential market, which leads to the lowest costs and results in lower prices or higher margins, we propose segment marketing because it can create a more fine-tuned product offering and price for the target segment. Moreover, this approach enables to select more easily the best distribution and communication channels, and to have a clearer picture of the main competitors.[3] 1.4.2 Segmenting consumer markets Cultural distinctions, different needs and demands of individuals, and diversities in customers buying behaviours require market segmentation of companies to satisfy their customers effectively. Thereby, the market can be divided in geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation variables and the company can focus on target segments which it wants to attract.[4] According to Sony, the main geographic segments of the PlayStation 3 consist of the Northern America market, the Japanese market and the European market. When Sony released his first video game console PlayStation in 1994, the companys main focus was on the marketplace from 12- to 17-year-old boys. But nowadays, Sonys demographic segmentation divides the market of the PS3 in male and female, old and young players and expands its business vastly to a mainstream entertainment.[5] The PS3 offers a multifaceted repertoire of video games which includes something for everybody. Theres not merely one game to ultimately define the PS3 platform, but rather different must-have games for different segments of consumers. Additionally, an important and profitable demographic segment could be the college market because according to a study by Anderson Analytics GenX2Z only 26 percent of students report not playing video games.[6] Furthermore, Sony concentrates on a strong customer loyalty status in the behavioural segment. Besides its popular brand and the high reputation of its products, the company tries to win over its former consumers by the implementation of a backward compatibility which enables to play video games from its previous video game consoles (PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2). Finally, one of the important target segments of the PS3 involves consumers who require high technology. The company is convinced that its consumers desire and want to get the best out of the best. 1.4.3 Characteristics of the targeted customers / product uses As already mentioned, Sonys targeted customers want to have the newest technologies and functionalities. Moreover, they need an entertainment system which provides functionalities such as viewing pictures, movies or listening music. The Playstation 3 can fulfil all this particular requirements and reach therewith a lot of different customers. First of all, video game players can use the console, because it provides high technology and a lot of different available games. Furthermore, movie lovers can use the PS3 because it involves a DVD drive and also allows watching movies in High Definition with its Blu-Ray drive. Moreover, customers can use the game console to see pictures from their last holidays easily by inserting their memory card in the included card-reader. Finally, customer can use the console to surf in the Internet or to use it instead of a computer, because its Linux operation system provides similar functionalities. Summarized, all members of a family can use the PlayStation 3 for different needs. For instance, children play video games during the day and when the father arrives, he uses the PlayStation to read his emails. Thereafter, the mother inserts the SD card in the PS3 and shows him the pictures from her trip to Stockholm last weekend. And at the evening, the whole family watch a movie together. This multimedia functionality provides the biggest benefit for the PS3s consumers. 1.4.4 Purchasing process Some customers make their decision which game console they want to buy dependent from the number of available games. Not only the functionality and technology, but also the variety of games can be important for the decision-making process of customers. Therefore, the company has to offer information about the games which will be available for its game console. The primary channel for providing such information would be the official webpage. Furthermore, the final end-user of the game console is not always responsible for the purchasing process. For instance, sometimes parents purchase the game console for their children, and therewith another party is involved in the purchasing process. 1.4.5 Market size estimations The number of consumers in the video game console industry increased continuously during the last years. Due to the fact, that game consoles of the newest generation are comparable with an entertainment system, we estimate a market size of 400 million potential users in Europe if everybody would buy the product. Considering that one product would be enough for a family, our final estimation of potential consumers will be 100 million in Europe. Furthermore, a forecast report of PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that by 2010, the worldwide video game market will grow to $46.5 billion, at an average 11.4% compound annual rate.[7] 1.5 Competitive Analysis Nintendo and Microsoft are the main competitors of Sony in the video game console industry. Considering the seventh generation, Sonys PlayStation 3 compete with Nintendos Wii and Microsofts Xbox 360. These two consoles were released world-wide in November 2006 and November 2005 respectively.[8] According to a study of the NPD Group about the best-selling video game consoles for December 2006, the Xbox 360 sold 1.1 million units, the Wii 604.2 thousand units and the PS3 490.7 thousand units. However, the PS3 sales figures include only the U.S. and Japan market, where it is released already. More details about the competition situation will be discussed in chapter 3 Competition. 1.6 Product/Market Analysis Tools 1.6.1 Product Life Cycle According to Sonys previous game consoles, the PlayStation 3 should have a 10-year product life-cycle. Its state-of-the-art technology involves that the usage of the PS3 resources and technology are just at the beginning and can fulfil all game requirements in the next years.[9] The product life-cycle consists of four different stages: Introduction: At this stage, the sales growth increase slowly when the product is introduced to the market. In Europe, the PS 3 is already located in the middle of this stage, because many game-console lovers and fans have ordered the PS 3 in advance to become one of the first consumers after its release in March 2007. For instance, a new PS 3 is pre-ordered almost each 20 seconds in Great Britain.[10] Growth: At this period, a market acceptance of the product is recognizable and the number of sales units increases. First-users report about the product positively and other consumers are becoming curious. Maturity: A slowdown in sales growth will be at this stage because the product has achieved acceptance by most of the buyers. Decline: Most of the potential buyers have already the product and therewith the number of sales declines. Different marketing strategies are necessary for each stage of the product life-cycle. We will discuss our recommended strategies in6 Marketing Strategy. Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 3 was already released in Japan and U.S., Figure 2 shows that the PlayStation 3 is located in a higher position compared with Europe. After shortness of supplies and an enormous rush demand in Japan and in the United States after the release in November 2006, a kind of stagnation is visible in these both markets today. Vendors report that a large contingent of the PlayStation 3 is still available in their shops.[11] Although Sony sees the reason for that in its optimized supply chain, the company has to consider new marketing strategies to increase its sales. 1.6.2 The Boston Consulting Groups Growth-Share Matrix In the following section, we would like to analyse and classify Sonys game console product portfolio by profit potentials. Therefore, we used the Boston Consulting Group approach presented by Kotler.[12] Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 1 is not be sold anymore, we didnt regard it in our analysis. First, we placed the PlayStation Portable in the Question marks sector, because the market of game handhelds is still growing and as the strongest competitor of the market leader Nintendo DS, the relative market share of the PSP increases. Therefore, Sony has to spend a lot of money in the development and advertising of the PSP to keep up with the fast-growing market, and to overtake the market leader. Additionally, we also placed the PlayStation 3 in the Question marks sector, because the market of the seventh generation video game consoles is still increasing and it is not visible already if the PS 3 will take the position of the market leader. Finally, we located the PlayStation 2 in the Cash cow sector. The PS2 has a falling market growth rate after the release of the next generation game console. Nevertheless, it is still the market leader in its generation and it achieved higher sales units (1.4 million) as the Xbox360 (1.1 million), Nintendo Wii (604.2 thousand), and the PlayStation 3 (490.7 thousand) in December 2006.[13] According to the 10-year product life-cycle, the PS2 is in the decline stage and will stay in the market for the next 3 years yet. 1.7 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is the overall evaluation of a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.[14] It is used as a framework to help an organization develop its marketing strategy. Thereby, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors which can be controlled by an organization, whereas opportunities and threats consist of external factors which are uncontrollable by an organization. 2 Objectives Sonys financial objectives are to: Achieve first-year total sales revenue of $8.25 billion, based on an average price of $550 per unit. Sonys PlayStation 3 marketing objectives are to: Achieve a first-year unit sales volume of 15 million, which represent a projected market share of 25 percent. Increase second-year share to 40 percent and become the market leader. Sell more than 100 million units in the long-term. Arrange for distribution through the leading electric, video games and computer retailer in the top 100 and establish an Internet platform. 3 Competition 3.1 Game console industry According to the industry concept of competition presented by Kotler[15], an industry is a group of firms that offer a product or class of products that are close substitutes for another product. The structure type of the video game console industry is an oligopoly, because the Japanese Nintendo and Sony, and the U.S. Microsoft dominate the market. Particularly, the structure is a differentiated oligopoly, because only few companies producing products partially differentiated along lines of price and features. Furthermore, the console industry is characterized by large cost of barriers to entry according to Porters model of five competitive forces. It may cost up to $2 billion to develop a competitive console platform and returns on investment may take several years.[16] Furthermore, these three console manufacturers have a similar business model consisting of the following three income flows: Hardware sales Sales of own software/games Licences fees from other software/game developers that use the console platform Finally, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony compete on a global basis with core markets in Japan, Europe and in the United States. 3.2 Direct competitors The following section compares the direct competitors Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony with regard to their products, prices, sales units and game range. 3.2.1 Product differentiation Furthermore, both competitors of Sonys PS3 provide an internet platform: Microsoft: Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service that is used to distribute video games to Xbox 360 owners. Thereby, Microsoft offers an Xbox Live Marketplace, a virtual market place, where consumers can download movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes.[17] The consumers can pay with Microsoft Points, which can be purchased by credit cards. Nintendo: WiiConnect24 It allows distributing content such as software patches and updated game contents while the Wii is on stand-bye.[18] 3.2.2 Price strategy Nintendo offers the cheapest price in the game console market. Therefore, the company dispense with some extra features such as DVD drives or HDTV quality. Contrary, Sonys PlayStation 3 offers the newest technology with a plenty of accessories, but also the highest price. The following list shows the current prices in January 2007:[19] 3.2.3 Market share in Japan and U.S. The following figures show how many game consoles each of the manufacturers has sold in Japan and U.S. during the last months:[20] [21] Whereas Nintendos Wii was the market leader during the Christmas time in Japan, Microsofts Xbox 360 could sell the most units in the United States. 3.2.4 Games An important criterion for buyers is the volume of games which are available for each game console. At the moment, Microsofts Xbox 360 consists of 82 exclusive games and 132 cross-platform games. In contrary, Nintendo offers 55 exclusive and 96 cross-platform games for its Wii. For Sonys PlayStation 3, 43 exclusive and 77 cross-platform games are planned. 3.3 Market concept of competition Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 3 is more a multimedia centre than only a game console, we have to consider more competitors as only game console manufacturers. Therefore, we used the approach of Rayport and Jaworski to identify direct and indirect competitors by mapping the buyers steps in using the product.[23] The following figure shows the PS3s direct and indirect competitors: Summarized, Sonys PlayStation 3 competes not only with other video game console companies, but also with PC manufactures and other high technology producers. Sonys PS3 offers besides a Linux operating system a plenty of functionalities such as Internet to attract previous PC users and to expand its market. This approach is comparable with Coca-Cola which identifies milk, coffee, tea, and water products as its main competitors.[24] Finally, Figure 7 shows Sonys market position with regard to technology and price compared with its video game console competitors: 4 Product Unique selling proposition The unique selling proposition is a marketing approach to promote a products benefit and to convince customers that the company can deliver it. For Sonys PlayStation 3, the main benefit, especially compared with its competitors, is its functionality as a multimedia centre and its state-of-the-art technology. Nevertheless, Sony has to consider that its targeted consumers are located in different market segments with different demands and wishes. Therefore, the company has to develop different unique selling propositions. First considering the video game hardcore fans segment, these costumers want to have the best and newest technology. Due to the fact, that the PS3 fulfil these requirements at best compared with its competitors, Sony should promote this in its advertisements, especially in game magazines. Furthermore, Sony wants to attract also middle-age consumers and families. The most benefit for these customers is to use the PlayStation 3 as a multimedia system which offers a variety of functionalities. Therefore, the company should focus on its multimedia range. Summarized, the companys unique selling proposition should consist of newest technology and multimedia-functionality. To emphasize this, Sony uses a short slogan after every mention of its products. In the United States, Sony evokes the following slogan: Play Beyond. People should associate therewith that the PS3 is not only a game console which enables playing video games, but also a system which allows playing in High Digital quality and getting a feeling of reality. Furthermore, the PS3 offers more than playing video games, it is a multimedia system that can be used for different pleasures such as Internet surfing or watching movies that can also be interpreted as a kind of playing. However, Sony uses a different slogan for the European market. The reason is that people with few English skills will not understand the impact of Play Beyond or will be interpreted wrongly. Therefore, Sony uses the following slogan in Europe: This is living. The slogan is really simple and uses words which can be understood by not English-speakers. Consumers can associate that the PS3 delivers a kind of living standard and ensures to enjoy living. Furthermore, its a relation to PS3s multimedia functionalities which are desired for every household these days. It emphasizes that the game console is the core of living room entertainment. 5 Distribution 5.1 Supply chain With the video game industry being the fastest growing sector of the growing entertainment industry, the industrys revenue has now reached $26 billion in annual revenue and there is currently no indication of decline in the industry. So, in order to identify how the revenue is distributed, its essential to look at the supply chain of the entire PS3 business. As seen in the supply chain, there are opportunities in many aspects of the console business, coming from the actual console sales as well as extras such as games. The customers, as identified by our segmentation analysis table, are at the end of the supply chain, and their consuming of video games are distributes across several actors. Additionally, the most known among the actors are of course the hardware manufacturers, which include Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Except for the revenue coming from the console sales, they also get about 20% of the market price for the games, which are mostly sold in the growth level of the product life-cycle. The additional revenue in the supply chain is split among the other actors. Looking more closely at the publishers and developers, we realize that the publishers are likely to take a large portion of the revenue. Those are the large international companies that have sufficient funds to build a distribution network and employ developers to pull off new best-selling games for the consoles. Hardware manufacturers usually try to pull off deals with these companies when they identify potential best-selling games because the top 3.3% of the games bring in 55% of the sales revenue. For this reason, some hardware manufacturers, most notable Microsoft, tend to buy top-creative publishers to secure exclusive rights of new games for their console. Because of the complexity with world-wide game launches, there are almost always distribution partners in the chain, those accounts for an estimate of 10% of the shelf price. Next are the retail channels, which include online stores as well as retail stores. However, they are becoming increasingly bypassed in the supply chain, as discussed in the next generation supply chain (described in detail below). When they do exist in the supply chain though, they take an estimate of 30% of the shelf price. Developers are a mix of artists and engineers that create the actual games played on the console. Typically, they are funded by the publishers and together they take between 40 to 60% of the shelf price. Notably, in recent years another actor have also entered the supply chain as the industry have grown. Those are the middleware actors. Those create reusable software that is used by developers to increase their productivity in creating games. The reason for the shift towards middleware providers has to do with shifting the focus away from technology, and re-using the technology that is already out there. 5.2 Next generation supply chain As discussed previously, there is a change in the supply chain taking place due to the connectivity and Internet capabilities that are becoming an increasingly integrated part of the console business. As illustrated in Figure 3, we can see how several actors in the supply chain are suddenly not present. Because of using Internet as an enabler of distributing and selling games, the need for distribution and retail is almost gone, whereas a larger piece of the revenue pie can be shared between the manufacturer (e.g. Sony) and the publishers of the games. At the same time, the manufacturer can act as a distributor because its the technology and technique they provide that will actually distribute the game over the Internet to the customer. At the present moment, it remains unclear how much Sony will charge for their part in this supply chain, but its possible that it may be around 47%. 5.3 Business Models There are several business models contributing to the revenue income for the PS3. Obviously, sales of the actual console initially generate the biggest revenue. But, as reported by several news agencies, Sony actually makes a loss on each console bought by a consumer. [26] As reported by several sources, a PS3 costs between $725 and $905 to manufacture, but is sold for $599 in the US market. The reason for the high manufacturing price is the high cost of components such as the Blu-Ray DVD, XDR memory etc. (More on that chapter 8). To support several streams of revenue there are three business models for distribution supported by the PS3. Since the console is making a loss per sold unit, there are other ways for Sony to catch up on the income and make a profit in the console business through other business models. The business models are: However, comparing the business models for the PS3 tells us that there are several possible models for generating revenue and profit for the console. Most notably, the Internet Gaming via the PlayStation network and the developer licenses are possible sources of potential profit. 6 Marketing Strategy The Playstation 3 has a broad marketing strategy set by Sony. Launched with slogans such as This is living and Play beyond, Playstation 3 is aiming for a large audience. Thereby, Sony will have to apply a different marketing strategy depending on which level of the product-life-cycle the product currently placed in. For example, at this initial state of introduction the most evident need is to market the console itself, to make sure that it reaches as many customers as possible. A suitable strategy for the first year is to get the message out about the capabilities with the console, and a suitable channel for this message is the kind of Internet forums and channels that teenagers and game-players regularly visit, including MySpace, YouTube and Gaming magazine websites. The greatest benefit from using MySpace as a communication channel is that they reach potentially millions of interested customers and can thus get the message out about the console and its possibilities in gaming and entertainment. The idea with this way of communicating through marketing is to inform, entertain and encourage interaction and debate about all the different things the PS3 can do according to a marketing director at Sony. With this particular way of communicating a marketing message, Sony hopes that the PS3 will be the natural choice not only for hardcore games enthusiasts but also anyone interested in the broad capabilities covered by the digital media and content creation that the PS3 offers. So far, the blog approach seems to be successful because an estimate of 86,000 users interacts on the official PS3 blog. For the second year, there is big need to start marketing the games more actively, to make sure the console owners buy as many games as possible. This stage is characterized by growth and Sony needs to put a lot of effort into taking advantage of the growth in the PS3 business. As seen in the financial projections, there is a big need to get the largest parts of the revenue from the game sales. Throughout both years of the product life-cycle, there is a potential growth level, which can be boosted by getting the message out about the games and the game console. In both case the official webpage for the PS3 also works as an important channel for communication to the customers. By customizing the website to the customers depending on their country origin, Sony makes sure they have a clear message customized for each potential customer by letting the customer specify their region and as well as country to get the information in their local language etc. The website provides information about the PS3 specification, advertisement spots and a list of all available games. Furthermore, users can sign in to get the newest information about the PS3 via newsletter and they can also find answers for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). 6.1 AIDA By looking at the AIDA model that is suitable for the PS3, wed expect it to look like this: A

Television in the Information Age Essay -- TV Media Technology Essays

Television in the Information Age Introduction Television. Most Americans today cannot imagine life without it. It is how we relax, laugh, learn, and stay up to date on current events. The inventors of television may not have realized the impact of combining sound with moving pictures. For the first time in the history of the world we were and are able to peek into the lives of people we will never meet and visit places we will never go. It has even changed the way we communicate with each other in our everyday lives! Who has not heard or used the phrase coined by the sitcom, Seinfield, â€Å"†¦not that there’s anything wrong with that†¦.†? This analysis will first examine the origins of television and the evolution of television technology throughout the years. Next, it will examine the current trends within the industry, and how our government has shaped these trends, the companies that are involved in the industry, and finally, the future of television in the new sub-age of the Infor mation Age, the Digital Age. History The Information Age has its origins in the late nineteenth century when people began to see a need for ways to communicate large amounts of information to large numbers of people over a large geographical area quickly and accurately. Each Information Age invention acted as a catalyst for the next innovation, which without fail was an improvement upon its predecessor. This continuous improvement was made possible by constant research and discovery in the sciences, which enabled the development of new technologies crucial to the advancement of the objectives of the Information Age. The invention of the radio caused scientists to begin thinking about a way to develop an infor... ...result in the inseparable linkage of the two technologies. In the process of this linkage the TV in the traditional sense will start looking more and more like a computer. When this process is complete, the analog TV may have to step down from its position as the most influential Information Age invention to date and hand its â€Å"title† on to the computer. Forty years from now children may not even know what an analog TV is or how they work save what they read in a school history textbook. Computers have infiltrated nearly every area of life in general including medicine, transportation, art, music, -the list is endless, and therefore, its infiltration of TV is not surprising. For more information about the history, evolution, mechanisms, technology, marketplace, or future of TV and current trends in the industry please see this analysis’ supplemental links. Television in the Information Age Essay -- TV Media Technology Essays Television in the Information Age Introduction Television. Most Americans today cannot imagine life without it. It is how we relax, laugh, learn, and stay up to date on current events. The inventors of television may not have realized the impact of combining sound with moving pictures. For the first time in the history of the world we were and are able to peek into the lives of people we will never meet and visit places we will never go. It has even changed the way we communicate with each other in our everyday lives! Who has not heard or used the phrase coined by the sitcom, Seinfield, â€Å"†¦not that there’s anything wrong with that†¦.†? This analysis will first examine the origins of television and the evolution of television technology throughout the years. Next, it will examine the current trends within the industry, and how our government has shaped these trends, the companies that are involved in the industry, and finally, the future of television in the new sub-age of the Infor mation Age, the Digital Age. History The Information Age has its origins in the late nineteenth century when people began to see a need for ways to communicate large amounts of information to large numbers of people over a large geographical area quickly and accurately. Each Information Age invention acted as a catalyst for the next innovation, which without fail was an improvement upon its predecessor. This continuous improvement was made possible by constant research and discovery in the sciences, which enabled the development of new technologies crucial to the advancement of the objectives of the Information Age. The invention of the radio caused scientists to begin thinking about a way to develop an infor... ...result in the inseparable linkage of the two technologies. In the process of this linkage the TV in the traditional sense will start looking more and more like a computer. When this process is complete, the analog TV may have to step down from its position as the most influential Information Age invention to date and hand its â€Å"title† on to the computer. Forty years from now children may not even know what an analog TV is or how they work save what they read in a school history textbook. Computers have infiltrated nearly every area of life in general including medicine, transportation, art, music, -the list is endless, and therefore, its infiltration of TV is not surprising. For more information about the history, evolution, mechanisms, technology, marketplace, or future of TV and current trends in the industry please see this analysis’ supplemental links.

Research Paper for Meyers Briggs Essay

According to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, I am classified as an ESFJ—Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. I scored 56% on extravert—being outgoing, loud, non-secretive. I prefer to sense things rather than trusting my intuition by only 12%. I scored highest on the feeling over thinking category with 62% towards feeling. There was only an 11% difference between judging vs. perceiving. â€Å"Guardians of birthdays, holidays and celebrations, ESFJs are generous entertainers. They enjoy and joyfully observe traditions and are liberal in giving, especially where custom prescribes. All else being equal, ESFJs enjoy being in charge. They see problems clearly and delegate easily, work hard and play with zest. ESFJs, as do most SJs, bear strong allegiance to rights of seniority. They willingly provide service (which embodies life’s meaning) and expect the same from others.† (Joe Butt, Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging). I first heard about the test abo ut a year ago when my sister had to take it for her work, so I had a decent guess of what my results would be, if I ever got the chance to take the test. I pegged myself pretty well. The only thing that really did surprise me though, were the numbers of how strong/weak I was in each field. After finishing the test, I reviewed the article about the most common careers for ESFJs. It states; â€Å"ESFJs often find themselves in occupations that either involve a lot of direct interaction with other people (e.g. clients, other staff members) or involve responsibility for critical tasks (e.g. require thorough attention or may have serious consequences), or both† (Career Choices For Your Life). Ever since I was little I have wanted to study zoology in college. The description of an ESFJ’s career is somewhat accurate to my dream career of being a zoologist. I will not have direct interaction with people as much as I will with animals. One of the responsibilities of a zoologist is to assess the dietary needs of the animals—planning what a tiger eats for dinner is a critical task that could very well have serious and even fatal consequences. The results of my test fueled my drive to master zoology throughout my college career. These types of tests are always very interesting to me, I love learning new things about myself, and how I process information. The combined knowledge of the results of every test—personality, learning style, etc.—will help me to become more successful in life. Also, knowing how I learn and process information helps me understand that other people mightlearn differently than I do. Being able to comprehend my learning and personality styles at such an early age will give me more time to learn ways to teach, understand, and work with others who have a different style than I do. One of the most interesting things I learned by taking this test, was finding out the famous people who were ESFJs too, I had no clue that Martin Luther King and Eleanor Roosevelt were ESFJs! Knowing that these inspirational people understood things the same way that I do enlightens me to know that I too can be as big of an inspiration as they were. Works Cited Butt, Joe. â€Å"Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging.† 16 October 2009. typelogic.com. Article. 7 August 2013. â€Å"Career Choices For You.† n.d. www.humanmetrics.com. Article. 7 August 2013.

Voilence In Chicago History essays

Voilence In Chicago History essays During the 1871-1929 time period Chicago was a town in which both criminal and social workers operated. For various reasons both of these groups found a way to operate in the same city. Sometimes because they wanted to co-exist in the same place and sometimes A large amount of Chicagos famous social work dealt with the rising immigrant population. These immigrants came to Chicago from other lands looking for a better life. However, it would be naive to think all of the immigrants were willing to attain power and wealth legally. These immigrants would become both legit and corrupt politicians as well as some of Chicagos most notorious gangsters. Fred Lundin, an immigrant from Sweden, was behind the election of W.H. Thompson as mayor of Chicago. Lundin did not follow the traditional American route to success. He did not scrape and claw his way to the top; important friends pushed him up the ranks. Despite this, Lundin bought himself a seat in the House of Representatives, which led to a scandal. The end result of this scandal was that in 1911 Lundin was kicked out of the House and an Amendment to the Constitution was written calling for the direct election of senators. Crime as well as criminals simply emerged from the immigrant population. Since the immigrant population was loyal to its own kind and never really complained about corruption, social workers did not bother with hard crime such as shakedowns and racketeering. They were more concerned with the moral crime of not helping those who One cannot say because of this corrupt politician and other criminals like Al Capone that all immigrants were corrupt. However, the immigrants were loyal to their own kind. All the groups of immigrants lived in their own community separate from the other immigrants. There were not too many attempts made to bring the people from various lands together either. Jane Addams ...

Computer Game Narratives

Computer Game Narratives Free Online Research Papers In this paper we investigate if, and then how interaction can define narrative in a computer game. When developing computer games that include stories or story elements it seems natural to use the traditional linear narrative and storytelling methods without emphasizing that the computer is essentially different from any other media because of its interactive capabilities. Therefore it is important to investigate how it is possible to create forms of narratives that utilize the computers interactive capabilities. We approached the problem by investigating how it is possible to structure and objectify narratives so it can be understood by the computer. Through our investigation we propose that the solution to creating interactive narratives is to make procedural models that can be understood by the computer and theoretical models to work with when constructing such systems. Keywords: Narrative, Interactivity, Computer games, Introduction Storytelling is mankind’s tradition of communicating information, whether being educational, inspirational, entertaining or otherwise to get the listeners attention. We tell stories from our daily lives as a form of communicating our or other people’s experiences, ideas, or points of view. Storytelling and the narrative therein has evolved in association with advances in our society and reflects on many of its changes (Mello, 2001,  ¶ 2). As we sometimes observe; storytelling reflects social conditions, popular interests and traditions as in 19th century fairytales where characters dressed and spoke according to conventions of the story’s time and/or reflected the author’s hopes, fears or dreams. This is also true in 21st century narratives which both reflect contemporary and future interests and nostalgic flashbacks to ancient cultures of might and magic. Storytelling also serves the purpose of conserving social history, personal deeds and accomplishments; and through them we are allowed access to a grand spectrum of dramatic personal events, funny happenings and epic tales that changed the world as we know it (Mello, 2001; Latvala, 1999; Denk, 2006)? When the storyteller or author sits down to tell or write a story he is usually doing so from his own point of view, he is presenting his perspective on certain topics, and uses his abilities to lead the reader through events in the story. The storyteller /author try’s to construct causes and effect relationship between events and the characters he creates to act in these events. The method he uses to construct this is generally referred to as a narrative. As a consequence, the author is, wholly or partly, responsible for the intellectual and artistic content of his story and as such has more or less total control over its content (NLC, 2002, p.21). It is that total control that we, in this paper, want to challenge by investigating if established events and characters in a predefined story can be controlled and manipulated. By predefined story we mean, where events and characters have their own state or conditions for existence, and are subject to change when changes happen in their immediate environment, either through direct contact or alteration of objects in that environment. The changes are generated by interacting with the story, navigating and manipulation of elements therein, creating an interactive narrative. In this paper we will describe our approach to interactive narrative and some theoretic models for describing and implementing interactive narrative. We ask the following question: Is it possible to simulate interactive narrative in a computer game? By providing answers to this question we hope to provide alternative methods of experiencing narrative through interaction. Narrative The word Narrator, and its subsequent methodological denominator Narrative, derive from the Latin word â€Å"narrare† which has its Indo-European origin in the word â€Å"gnarus†, which means â€Å"to know.† (Meadows, 2003, p.5) Thus a narrative is a form of knowledge, and a narrator is one who has knowledge of something he is telling us. In their book Film Art: An Introduction, Bordwell and Thompson (2004) conclude that narrative can be described as: â€Å"†¦a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space† (p.69). While Cohn (1999) adds a more human element, when she states that narrative is a: â€Å"†¦series of statements that deal with a causally related sequence of events that concern human (or human-like) beings† (p.12) Other definitions tend to be more towards more current media formats, explaining that a narrative is: â€Å"†¦a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program† (WordNet ® -a, 2006). While others are more specific: â€Å"How the plot or story is told. In a media text, narrative is the coherent sequencing of events across time and space† (Boles, 2006). These definitions are all justifiable and include elements that are of a traditional nature and can be found in traditional storytelling. All underline a causal approach to events in a story, while the some emphasizes events in time and space and human or human-like beings as part of a narrative. It can probably be argued that human or human-like characteristics are a part of countless narratives, since even abstract entities sometimes include recognizable human elements as a means to convey messages through a story. According to these definitions we make sense of a story through narrative by identifying with its elements and linking them by cause and effect, time and space. Whether the time is backward or forward or events are remixed in seemingly random order, with hard established cause and effect relationships the fundamental purpose of narrative is to communicate meaningful messages to audiences or individual persons. With all these combined elements a narrative can be considered the overall method chosen to convey the message within a story to the reader, viewer, or player depending on the media platform (Dansky, 2006, p. 1). Narratives – Paradigm analysis Our approach is that narratives can be analyzed and broken down into, at least, character types and the functions they perform in any given story regardless of demographic or social situation. We further suggest that these categories of character types and functions can be simulated as constants and variables depending on the task at hand. These categories of character types and functions are not necessarily simulated in detail but up to the point where it is perceived to be real. Furthermore, we emphasized that building interactive narrative based on characters or entities is not entirely about building computational algorithms, but also concerns giving these characters and objects their own life by simulating what it means to exist in any given story orientated environment by simulating communication, emotions, and other complexities of human social interactions. We propose, based on the assumption that real life narrative and behavior – as it is with learning and intelligence – can be described precisely enough for it to be simulated by a machine. (McCarthy, Minsky, Rochester Shannon, 1955, p.1) This suggestion contradicts some authoritarian scholars in the field of narrative structure where they state that narrative is fundamentally a cognitive mental process that makes the human experience meaningful (Polkinghorne, 1988, p. 1) (McQuillan, 2000, pp. 7-8) and should, therefore, be at best a vague concept and hard to objectify. We counter-argue that the relationship between narrative and computer technology is at best ambiguous and that further research is needed to determine what happens to narrative when it is presented by a machine. Simulating Interactive Narrative If we are to reach the state of interactive narrative one needs to generate changes at the core of the narrative structure. If through interaction one is able to decide how the plot progresses by starting and stopping actions and events, and in what order events occur while maintaining a comprehensible plot or story he has achieved the state of interactive narrative. Narrative is there to produce meaning and comprehension, if that fails there is no narrative; only confusion. Based on this, we propose that the plot in an interactive narrative scenario be described on two levels: the author level and the player level. Furthermore, we propose that a procedural and theoretical model is needed to describe in detail the elements that are essential for a narrative to be considered interactive. Two-Level Plot By describing the plot at two different levels a form of balance could be achieved between these key elements in the game narrative: 1.High-level plot – predefined elements are under the author’s control 2.Low-level plot – the elements are freely altered by the player At the high-level, the author could retain the freedom to define the key episodes of the story while their actual implementation in the player time-frame is left to the game engine. While at the low-level the player performance can be dynamically analyzed and logically applied to the lower level details of the how and why of a specific episode or game sequence. Figure 1 shows a model describing the two-level plot. We expect that the overall effect will be that the plot becomes more dependent on the player who gains a part of the control on the development of the story. Moreover, the player is provided with a less predictable, more life-like experience with a different selection of the details in each episode and possibly the (involuntary) triggering of different sequences of episodes altogether. Interactive Narrative Model Interactive narrative needs a model of the narrative structure in any given computer game. This model should be based on analysis of traditional narrative structures and include the key elements or principals needed to successfully execute or reach a state of reciprocal course of action that triggers interactivity. The challenge is to find or construct a model that is suited to the interactive nature of computers. This model should be able to describe the procedurals of interactive narrative and not just a list of its elements. We work under the impression that interactive narrative should be based on a realistic simulation. This means that one needs to replace the action of the author statically writing the plot, with dynamic software capable of simulating the writing that is supported by theoretical structure to ensure that the storyline keeps coherent and intriguing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a form of procedural model or platform for narrative, where the player engages in interactive communication with the gaming world resulting in a state of interactive narrative or as close to interactive narrative as the simulation allows. This platform would naturally be a computer game with an intriguing storyline or a journey through multiple rising actions, main events, and conclusions manipulated through interactive action by the player. Figure 2 shows a conceptual model of one possible structure of the narrative elements and their relationship to other elements and functions within the game framework. 1.Through the game the player makes sense of the gaming world and brings his perception to it through? the story/game mechanics 2.Narrative causality and logic: Here the rules, including all possible NPC actions at any given time in the narrative, are executed. Gaming world includes the narrative causality and logic and is designed and made by the game developer. 3.Narrative sequences and events: Here the player makes a choice in the narrative; these choices are influenced by all possible actions provided by the execution of NPC rules. 4.Player perception: An adaptive process where the player is affecting and being affected by narrative events. Player is able to affect narrative sequences of events and consequently their perception of events changes. 5. The narrative causality and logic is a constant predefined element but still contributing to narrative sequences of events as perceived by the player. Conclusion We suggest that a model of the narrative is needed to provide visual representation and overview of the components needed for an interactive narrative to be comprehensible and support the plot structure provided in the story. Such a model includes physical elements such as: human like characters, environmental objects (houses, cars, and trees etc.) and subjective elements like emotions, textures, light and shadows, character identities and other references to real entities. We furthermore propose that narrative is not only a cognitive process, but can be presented as concrete units and rules that are subject to changes through interaction. As a consequence we propose that the term interactive narrative describes the result of the interaction between – predefined elements in the game formalized and developed by the author – and the subjective perception that the player will form while interacting with them. The problem is that a comprehensive plot is dependant on a successful execution of the narrative and the relationship between events that need to be established in a meaningful way. The danger is that if we leave this relationship to chance or random interactive functions, we risk that no narrative will be established. However, by analyzing traditional narrative functions and elements it is possible to isolate elements within narratives that can be considered action based and subject to active engagement and justifies the implementation of interactivity into narratives within the framework of an event based story. Having established a relationship between interactivity and narrative we conclude that interactive narrative is a real possibility given that all parameters are met. We further conclude that extensive procedural and theoretic models are needed to explain and execute a state of interactive narrative in a computer game. Reference: Bordwell, D., Thompson, K. (2004) Film Art: An Introduction, New York: McGraw Hill, 2004 (7th ed.), p.69 Cohn D. (1999) The Distinction of Fiction, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1999, p.12 Dansky, R. (2006). Introduction to Game Narrative, In Bateman, C. Game writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames. Boston Mass: Charles River Media. Retrieved 10 November, 2007, from charlesriver.com/resrcs/chapters/1584504900_1stChap.pdf Denk, K. M. (2006). Making Connections, Finding Meaning, Engaging the World: Theory and Techniques for Ignatian Reflection on Service for and with Others, p.17. loyola.edu/Justice/documents/Template_for_Ignation_Reflection.doc Latvala, P. (1999) Finnish 20th Century History in Oral Narratives. Folklore vol.12. December 1999. Retrieved 10 November, 2007, from folklore.ee/folklore/vol12/oralnarr.htm McCarthy. J., Minsky, M. L., Rochester, N., Shannon, C.E. (1955) A proposal for the Dartmouth summer research project on Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved December 6th, 2006, from: formal.stanford.edu/jmc/history/dartmouth.pdf Meadows. M.S. (2003). Pause Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative. Indianapolis USA: New Riders Mello, R. (2001). The power of storytelling: How oral narrative influences childrens relationships in classrooms. International Journal of Education the Arts. 2(1). Retrieved December 6th, 2006, from: ijea.org/v2n1/index.html WordNet ® -a (2006) Cognitive Science Laboratory Princeton University. Retrieved December 6th, 2006, from: http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=narrative Research Papers on Computer Game NarrativesMind TravelIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

International case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International case - Essay Example Database management skills of the staff were weak and there were pressures to reduce costs. The system development process was complex and risk-prone. The focus of the new information system was to manage flow and water demand information. Data exchange between different stakeholders of the project was not fully automated as their information systems were not designed for data and information exchange among other stakeholder agencies. The implementation process of KOBWA happened at a time when roles were yet to be assigned to the new staff. The paper and spreadsheet based processes had to be shifted to computer-based systems gradually for ease of functions in the operations. Deficiency of staff also presented a hurdle in the implementation process. Manual processes were used for preparing regular reports on the water quality status as the graphical display routines designed for checking flow data could not be leveraged for examining water quality data. Map displays were also documented manually. A close connection between the water quality data and the GIS databases was desired for raising water quality status maps. Getting the data from field, DWAF, MNRE, and other data suppliers was again a manual process realized through spreadsheets or text export files from different agencies and transferring them into Hydstraâ„ ¢. There was good scope of committing errors due to non-automation of the processes; it needed many resources on checking data in the database. As manual processes required staff which was deficient, resources had to be employed for comprehending the reactionary change in the water quality with flow and long & short term routines. It could affect the standard and utility of the information as precious time got wasted in database maintenance and preparing status reports

Transplant Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transplant - Coursework Example The disadvantage is that it causes people to think about donating organs without inherently wanting so. Also, ‘Youre also giving up your right to informed consent. Doctors dont have to tell you or your relatives what they will do to your body during an organ harvest operation because youll be dead, with no legal rights† (Teresi, 2012). The main factor that causes this discrepancy is the unwillingness to donate the organ in the relatives. Each year, at least 5000 medically transplantable organs are refused donation by the relatives in the US (Reeves et al., 2004). Other factors may include diseased or infections organs in the donors, and religious and cultural stance on donation. A professional nurse plays a very important role of advocate and educator in organ donation. Professional nurses facilitate organ donation process by convincing the donors and their relatives of the safety of operation. Their role as psychological counselors of the donors and their relatives is also very