Office Depots E

Table of Contents Office depot operating environment Office Depot’s Changing Environment Organizational changes Re-engineering the business process Conclusion Reference List Footnotes Office depot operating environment Office depot deals with sales of office furniture, computers and their software. It also gives services such as printing photocopying, mailing services and reproduction of documents. Customers of office depot range from small business enterprises to individuals not disregarding large business establishments1.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Office Depot’s E-Commerce Evolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It accomplishes its sale via more than 1000 established office stores, direct mails, B2B e-commerce, through forces of sales and internet sites. â€Å"Office depot operates under Deport ® the office place ®, Viking office products ®, Viking direct ®, and for 4sure.com brand names† (Lee 2006, 143). It started in Florida with its first branch located in Fort Lauderdale in 19862. Later years since then saw it expand even into the international markets like Israel, Columbia and Canada. It also merged with other market stationary leaders like â€Å"Wilson stationary and printing company and Eastman office Products Corporation with a consequence of their acquisition in 1994. The growth was later escalated by merging of office deport with Viking conferring it with tag of leading provider in products and services for offices after staples. The operating environment for office depot is characterized by competition in market share, product lines and technological deployment in execution of the business activities and managerial organization. Office Depot’s Changing Environment The incredible growth of office depot demanded ardent changes in the manner in which it handled its business matters. As result in 1998, â€Å"office deport began to leverage e-commerce aggressively, launching the first of number of new websites, www.officedepot.com† (Lee 2006, 143). Furthermore, in 1999 it opened its very first United Kingdom e-commerce site in Europe: www.viking-direct.co.uk3. This accomplishment saw it expand both the magnitude and range of products offered to the customers. The step-down of David Fuente as the CEO in 2000 welcomed attempts to make office depot a subtle shopping, investing and working place under the captainship of Nelson as the new CEO4. The new CEO facilitated incorporation of new mechanisms to increase the depots retail and international market share. One of such attempts was to deploy e-commerce marketing strategies immensely.  The changes to shift from the conventional marketing strategies, were no choice for office depot since its competitors both small sized and large sized had already adopted the e-commerce techniques.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we c an help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The technique provided their customers with modest of shopping under one stop for various range of products. The changes sort by the office depot were thus driven by the intension to keep at pace with competitors since the competitors changes amicably threatened to erode off the office depot’s market share. E-commerce also â€Å"was rapidly shifting the balance of powers among competitive forces in the office supplies industry† (Lee 2006, 144). Following the launch of e-commerce by one of the office depot’s competitor: office max, in 1995, office depot felt that it was being left behind in the adoption of e- commerce, something that was expected to in a blast alter the traditional marketing strategies especially the moment the customers becomes accustomed to online sales mythology. Despite the fact that office depot had a better opportunity to thrive well in the office supplies market since it de alt with standardized products, entry of small sized business such as â€Å"Opivotal.com and buy online.com† (Lee 2006, 144) which relied on e-retailing technology, â€Å" had entered or were planning to enter into office depot’s supplies market† (Lee 2006, p.12). A way out to counter the competitors attempts was warranting. Office depot wanted to achieve the goal of fighting its competitors on its own after the 1997 failure of the proposed merger between it and staples because, if the merger proposal were passed, it would have become uncompetitive with repercussions of rising market prices5. The objective of merger was to cease out small competitors such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart. Particularly office depot wanted to â€Å"make customers so satisfied with their online shopping experience that they would not bother looking elsewhere on the internet to save a few pennies (Lee 2006, 147). To achieve this goal the office depot contemplated employing B2B e- commerce an d B2C e- commerce online trading technologies. Berkman (2001) noted that office depot participated in an â€Å"experiment initiated by MIT in which a group of MIT’s suppliers would build website that MIT would make purchases from† (20). This involvement resulted to the evolution of office depot e-commerce. The first strategy was to make an introduction of â€Å"B2B e-commerce for large corporate customers† (Berkman 2001, 145) followed by introducing B2C e-commerce to cater for small business and individual customers in 1997. The selection criteria were based on the possibility of â€Å"reduction in cost of labor due to streamlined internal process and improvement of information system integration† (Lee 2006, 145). The task was not all that simple and required expertise knowhow and therefore a committee that worked closely with analysts of the industry was born.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Office Depot’s E-Commerce Evoluti on specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In as much B2B e-commerce was an opportunity that office depot could not have afforded to let loose, on the other hand the committee saw the relevance of B2C e-commerce. Lee (1998) notes that â€Å"the committee believed that the benefits of B2C e- commerce could be both strategic and operational: low order processing costs, brand recognition, business efficient and foster economies of scale† (p.146). As result, January 1998, saw office depot launch B2C e- commerce, which according to Bill Seltzer had incredible room for development due to the office depot’s possession of infrastructure and cute distribution networks. To avoid replication of the challenge encountered by predecessor in the deployment of e- commerce, office depot sorted to benchmarking its operational platform to come up with an optimal platform that offsets the challenges of its competitor’s organizational infras tructure. Organizational changes Adequate evidence unveiled that settling on misguided e-commerce organizational structure had unbearable consequences of revisions as portrayed by K-Mart’s spin-off structure and Wal-Mart’s attempts to establish an â€Å"integration of the physical store and the e-commerce entities† (Boyler and Olson 2002, 489). In the light of the need to keep off the expressive e–commerce organizational structures and its associated protocols, office depot deserved to make a change from the traditional approaches in the technology’s platform organization6. â€Å"Office deport created an online division that could leverage its internal resources to the largest extent7† (Lee 2006, 146) since according to Landau (2002) it â€Å"viewed e-commerce as a backbone of the company’s supply chain† (59). The online division had the merit of allowing the company to celebrate advantages of the strategy such as making it eas y to coordinate channels, technological resources sharing and an opportunity to exploit employment of assets deemed as complementary. This was particularly necessary considering the company’s extensive market coverage and the numerous products it handled. Re-engineering the business process Amongst the goals of office depot in 2001 was to search for mechanisms for expansion of e-commerce business. Bruce Nelson considered â€Å"investments in emerging e-commerce technologies, strategic partnerships, and business process re-engineering† (Carr 2001, para.8) as some strategies that were coherent with the company’s technological strategies, which could help it, realize the 2001 noble goal. On the other hand, Bill Selzer, considered re engineering as the company’s website as the way out to solve the problems engulfing the company in 2001. There was need to fast track changes in the company’s vast store, invoices, outstanding bills and ever-increasing vol umes of transactions among others.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Re engineering the downstream chain of supplies was challenging since, â€Å" the purchase orders received from corporate customers differed in format, requiring complicated transformations and manual intervention to convert every purchase order into formats compatible with office depot’s internal system† (Lee 2006, 147). The outcomes were amicable with a significant reduction in the transaction times, hence quickening data organization and delivery at incredibly lower costs. Conclusion Office depot depicts a company that strives to survive in an environment dominated by stiff competition. Its strategies of survival includes; merging, change and adoption of new technologies such e-commerce. It also embraces strategic alliances and re-engineering of technology, which has already been incorporated in their business as attempts to make it more competitive8. The benchmarking strategy was particularly great since it saw the company come up with a better methodology to handl e it challenges and hence overcome tests of times gone through by its competitors who used a different approach. Office depot could have improved its costs reduction strategies. One way to do this is reducing the vast number of products they handle in their sores by concentrating on the products that have high turnover and those that move fast. Consequently, substantial saving on space requirements could be achieved. The move could also help in reducing the number of traffic flowing into their e-commerce system and hence relieving the company substantially the cost of re-engineering. Reference List Berkman, Edward T. Clicklayer. CIO Magazine 3 (2001): 92-100. Boyler, Keith K., Olson, Jim R. â€Å"Drivers of the internet purchasing success.†Ã‚  Production and Operations Management 11.4 (2002): 480-498. Carr, David F. Case 007: office Depot-Making Liquid Code. Accessed from http//www.baselinemag.com Landau, Michael D. â€Å"Sweet revenge.† Chief Executive 178 (2002): 58 -62 Lee, Insten H. Cases on Electronic Commerce. Office depot’s E-Commerce evolution 2  (2006): 142-150. Footnotes 1 It is an all-round body that accommodates all classes of business people, both large and small 2 Since 1986, the office depot has grown significantly based on the changes that have taken place in the management, skilled man-power as well as the onset of technology 3 This qualifies as the implementation which contributed the most concerning the growth of the office depot 4 The removal of the former CEO, though highly resisted, marked the dawn of a new era in the world of the office depot 5 The issue of merger has been proposed by many governments as well as organizations as a solution to the many problems they experience. However, they seem to know little concerning the repercussions that come as a result for instance influencing competition negatively as the case stands in the office depot 6 The change of the office depot from a traditional based to a technol ogical oriented organization explains the evident radical shift in its performance 7 Its mode of operation, structure and any other relevant information concerning the office depot was made available over the internet hence increasing its fame as well as popularity via this online strategy 8 Businesses that have tapped the vast inventions brought about by technology perform better compared to those that rely on the traditional methods for their operation. Office depot is technology oriented and hence the evident recommendable performance This essay on Office Depot’s E-Commerce Evolution was written and submitted by user Niko Bonner to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Drugs Affect College Students Essays

Drugs Affect College Students Essays Drugs Affect College Students Essay Drugs Affect College Students Essay While advancing to college, countless students begin to possess habits that have a negative effect on his or her health, emotions, and relationships with others. These habits include drugs, lack of sleep, unhealthy eating routines, and numerous others. College can be a very stressful environment for students, causing them to obtain new habits that are very harmful. Students feel as though these habits will help with the stress in their lives, but unfortunately it only makes them sick and harms their emotions and relationships. One major habit that students experiment with is drugs. There are many drugs or harmful substances that only harm college students. These harmful substances include alcohol, ecstasy, meth, and caffeine. Students use these drugs to obtain a â€Å"high† but are unaware of the fact that many times students become addicted. A substance that once gave a student energy, may turn into a substance that drastically changes their life. Alcohol is a major drug abused among college students. This drug has been traced back as early as 3,500 B. C. Experts believe it was first introduced in Egypt in the form of wine. Alcohol has been the main item at social gatherings, religious ceremonies, and for personal use. The students tend to use alcohol to have a good time and to relieve some stress. Although alcohol is used to have a fun time, it is a depressant. It is common that users are unaware of the dangerous side effects of this drug, both short term and long term. The most immediate effect of this drug is mood change. Individuals have different reactions to the drug. These reactions include becoming quiet, loud, funny, or even angry. When an individual is under the influence of alcohol they reduce his or her sensitivity to pain. This effect becomes very dangerous because individuals may become unaware to an injury. The use of alcohol also affects the vision of the user. It is common for individuals to believe they are sober enough to drive or believe they are able to drive under the influence. Studies have shown that one third of all fatalities in New York State involved drivers or pedestrians who were under the influence. Many individuals do not take into consideration that driving under the influence may result in fines, revocation of the license for a year, and even jail time. If alcohol is used regularly over a larger span of time, individuals may cause their body great harm. Alcohol abuse is linked to medical conditions such as organ failure and even cancer. College students begin to drink alcohol very irresponsibly among friends. Alcohol is a common drug among college students and has a negative effect on studying, along with school grades. Seventeen Magazine explains to individuals that alcohol alters their ability to think and causes them to see the world through â€Å"beer goggles. With â€Å"beer goggles† on, students don’t always make the best choices. It is common that an individual under the influence of alcohol takes part in activities he or she normally would not. These activities could include drugs, unprotected sex, and being distracted from school. Individuals often do not remember the activities they were included in under the influence of alcohol. Through research and studies, it is believed that 60 percent of young women wi th sexually transmitted diseases acquired them while having sex under the influence of alcohol (Fine 32). Alcohol causes students to become careless with school and sluggish with school work. It is apparent that alcohol is harmful to an individual’s health and life. Ecstasy, another common drug used by young adults, has some positive effects, along with many negative. Ecstasy, also known as X, MDMA, XTC, Eve, Adam, and the love drug, is part of the Entactogens drug class (Kuhn, Swartzwelder, and Wilson 80). The word entactogens also mean to touch within (Holland 22). Ecstasy was first introduced in 1912 by two German Chemists. It was later made popular in 1978 by Sasha Shulgin and Dave Nichols. The group of psychotherapists believed the drug would be useful in psychotherapy. They thought it would be a useful drug to aide individuals in opening up to counselors and being able to find a state of mutual understanding. Although the drug was meant for psychotherapy use, it found its way into the drug scene (Kuhn, Swartzwelder, and Wilson 81). Ecstasy comes in a tablet form and is usually swallowed or crushed up and snorted. This drug is commonly found at rave parties and other dance parties. It is used to enhance the mood among the party members. Ecstasy is extremely popular among young adults due to the effect it has on an individual. Ecstasy is known as the love drug because of the warm feeling it provides the user with. Kuhn, Swartzwelder, and Wilson note that it causes the user to have good feelings for all those around them (80). It also provides the user with an extreme feeling of empathy. Encarta Dictionary defines empathy as the ability to identify with and understand another persons feelings or difficulties. A first time user described the effect of the pill, ecstasy: What happens is, the drug takes away all your neuroses. It takes away you fear response. You feel open, clear, loving. I cant imagine anyone being angry under its influence, or feeling selfish, or mean, or even defensive. You have a lot of insights into yourself, real insights that stay with you after the experience is over. It doesnt give you anything that isnt already there. Its not a trip. You dont lose touch with the world. You could pick up the phone, call your mother, and shed never know. (83) It is true the drug gives individuals a warm feeling towards others, but it also has negative effects that may harm the user. The short term effects that are associated with ecstasy is involuntary teeth clenching, transfixion on sounds and sights, nausea, chills, and even blurred vision. Ecstasy may also cause an increase in heart rate, which may result in seizures. The drug gives users an increase in energy. This allows users to dance for extended periods of time. This effect is extremely dangerous due to the fact that users are usually in crowded, hot places. The user is unaware of the fact that he or she is becoming dehydrated and may have to be hospitalized. Studies have shown that ecstasy begins to interfere with memory after several uses. This is a dangerous drug for college students since it is easy to find and has negative effects on the body. Next is the drug Methamphetamine, most commonly referred to as meth, also called crank or speed; is a drug which is quickly gaining popularity across the nation. Described as the being the possible crack of our generation; its even been the center of the award winning television show â€Å"Breaking Bad†. The history of methamphetamine is a short one, as it is one of the drugs which has been manufactured by pharmaceuticals. Meth’s history starts in 1919 when it was synthesized in Japan as a recreational drug; that is until its side effects were found out. The drug saw widespread use in World War II with its greatest villain, Hitler, being a meth addict. Japan stockpiled the drug and gave it to kamikaze pilots so they could fly longer and be more alert. In the United States the Mexican drug cartels and the hells angels brought it into mainstream where it remains to this day. One of the biggest draws to using methamphetamines is the hyper focus many people get while using it; this heightened sense of alertness is a huge draw for college students struggling under a heavy school load. Meth can be taken a number of ways including smoking, intravenously and orally through pills. Surprisingly meth pills can actually be prescribed by a doctor; although the prescribed doses are smaller than what the typical drug user digests. Meth causes a release in dopamine’s and block the reuptake of it; making the drug extremely physically addicting. Many college students try the drug and enjoy a quick jump in their grades; as their attention focuses and they sleep less and accomplish a lot more work. However the addiction can quickly take hold in the midst of their studies, and the use of the drug switches from a study drug to a way to get high. The drug changes the brain at a molecular level, with changes persisting for up to a year after the user quits. Although very similar to cocaine to the other stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamines, the side effects are worse and the addiction more gripping. Long term use can cause weight loss, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, violent behavior and more. Another more obvious effect is the physical transformation which heavy users undergo; with dental problems and gaunt faces, ads of people before and after meth have been pasted all over the internet and television. These ads are one of the reasons why usage has actually been decreasing over the years; however in many poor areas students still get hooked on the drug attempting to help up out their school work. As one of the manufactured drugs meth is made with chemistry equipment and household items. Which brings college students to another issue, the drug is extremely cheap to make, and for a person studying chemistry a seemingly simple one to make. The most difficult ingredient for meth is the common cold drug ephedrine, which has been picked out by the government and made difficult to acquire in mass. However being a effective and popular cold drug named Sudafed the government can’t completely ban it. While searching for the many recipes to make meth, chemicals that commonly show up are sodium hydroxide, also name lye which can be used to dissolve bodies. Ammonia, red phosphorous which are used in match heads, ether another xtremely flammable liquid, Drano, butane, hydrochloric acid, and lithium which probably taken from old batteries rather than a dealer authorized to sell lithium. All of these chemicals could be bought in a trip to Wal-Mart or a local hardware store. Flammable chemicals combined with people using cheap and dirty equipment the odds of disaster increase by a large margin. More alarming are the new methods of making meth are easier and safer, with one using only a few of the above ingredients and a couple of two liter soda bottles. All of these factors make meth a simple drug for college students to acquire. While many will enjoy the quick boost in grades and attention span, the horrible addiction and dangerous ingredients make it an extremely hard drug to quit. Another common harmful substance among college students is caffeine. Caffeine is the most widely consumed substance that has a significant effect on the mind by individuals. Caffeine is a â€Å"potent and quick-acting drug which produces an effect similar to the stress response in our bodies† (pe2000). It was made popular in the 17th century throughout Europe. It was seen as a fashionable, delightful drink and individuals began to produce cravings for the substance (Burchfield). Caffeine is a chemical that is produced naturally in over one hundred plants. It is found in many different beans that are usually crushed up into powder, which is used for numerous different drinks. Caffeine is usually taken in as a drink. It is found in coffee, soft drinks, teas, energy drinks, and several other beverages. Caffeine is extremely popular among college students due to the effects it has among the body. Individuals tend to use caffeine to aide in staying up late to finish homework assignments or studying for tests. College students tend to become dependent upon the substance even as it starts to harm them over time. This substance is found in many different everyday food products and effects individuals differently. Depending upon a person’s sex, weight, and build, caffeine will affect him or her differently than others. This substance has an almost instant effect upon the user’s mind and body. It continues to affect the user for six to eight hours after the initial intake. Caffeine stimulates the heart and nervous system. It causes the users blood pressure to rise and quickens blood circulation throughout the body. Caffeine tends to upset an individual’s stomach due to the fact that it causes the stomach to produce more acid. This causes an individual’s lining in their stomach to become irritated. Short term effects can be accompanied by long term after excessive use. Although caffeine stimulates the brain, too much caffeine may cause the â€Å"jitters. † Individuals who are addicted to caffeine may suffer from headaches, irritability, or agitation (pe2000). Caffeine addiction is very difficult to break. It is best for an individual who is addicted to caffeine to ease off the substance slowly over a period of one to two weeks. It is beneficial to attempt to cut off the greatest source of caffeine to start with, usually coffee. Easing off the use of caffeine reduces the user’s chance of a dramatic drop in blood pressure. Caffeine withdrawals have many side effects of their own. The side effects can begin in as little time as six to eighteen hours after the sudden stop of caffeine intake. Withdrawal effects include drowsiness, irritability, restlessness, and reduced concentration. The user may also suffer from headaches or muscle cramps. It becomes a dangerous substance to be addicted to and is a very difficult addiction to break. Many college students become addicted to this harmful substance and are unaware of the harm they are causing their bodies. Alcohol, ecstasy, meth, and caffeine are all harmful substances that are found among college students. They are substances that at first give students energy to accomplish the tasks at hand. They eventually cause great damage and cause harm to a student’s life. They affect a student’s dedication to school, friends, and family. Harmful substances are difficult to avoid, but a student should set it as a goal to avoid such substances.

Is Facebook Growimg Up Too Fast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is Facebook Growimg Up Too Fast - Essay Example 1). The company creates technologies that would enhance its goal of sharing information and interaction by individuals with people they know â€Å"in a trusted environment† (About Facebook par. 1) in line with its mission of providing â€Å"people the power to share and make the world more open and connected† (Facebook Announces par. 7). In just two years after its launch in February 2004, Facebook reached more than 8 million users in the U.S. alone (Yadav par. 1). And the increase in membership has been accelerating on a daily basis. But can this unprecedented increase in membership be a sufficient parameter to determine Facebook’s success as a social networking site. Brad Stone published an article in New York Times that attempts to provide answers to this question. Stone said Facebook reached a near 200 million users mark in just five years which has doubled in just eight months (as of August 2008), making it a major â€Å"social ecosystem† (Stone par. 2). Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg does not view such quantity a success â€Å"but the percentage of the wired world that uses the site and the amount of information - photographs, news articles and status updates – zipping across its servers† (Stone par. 9). Currently, one million users are added to its membership daily, 70 percent of whom come from other countries that joined when the services are offered in the local languages. Through Facebook, individuals are able to reconnect with lost relatives and friends, and create new bonds as well. It also became a launching pad for activism in 2008 and cut across social boundaries (friendship created between a school teacher and a prime minister). Dissatisfaction occurred among members when a new design and terms of service were introduced. Within the community, 2.5 million joined â€Å"Millions Against Facebook’s New Layout and Terms of Service† to oppose the dissemination of status updates (e.g. going to lunch) (Stone

Pursuasive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pursuasive - Essay Example Even then, he chose his words carefully by calling this phenomenon, ‘global climate change.’ In 1997, the Kyoto Treaty, which has now been signed by more than 160 countries, is, to date, the most comprehensive global effort to decrease CO2 emissions. Though the agreement was signed by the U.S. and then President Clinton consented to decrease greenhouse emissions in the U.S. by 40 percent, it has been dismissed by the Bush administration and has yet to be ratified by the U.S. CO2 greenhouse gases have since increased in the country that produces well more than any other (Melinin, 2005). Unfortunately, the country that causes the most harm is lead by a person that seems to have ‘cause the most harm’ as his calling card. The solution to automobile emissions may lie in alternative fuels. Promising future alternatives to crude oil, vegetable oil can be substituted for diesel fuel while ethanol is an effective gasoline additive. Brazil began converting to ethanol in the 1970’s and today does not import a drop of oil. Britain and other countries of Western Euro pe are following suit. Iceland is already well on its way to becoming the first nation to generate its power needs by means of hydrogen fuel-cells and France is leading the way in building nuclear power plants (â€Å"Alternatives to Oil†, 2002). The scientific community agrees that global temperatures are rising due to the burning of fossil fuels which are damaging the protective atmospheric Ozone layer by changing its composition. Human pollution is changing the climate of our earth and has increased global warming in the past half century. The film by Al Gore An Inconvenient Truth is pointed directly at citizens and politicians of the U.S. who, for reasons unknown to Gore and the rest of the civilized world, are either unaware or deny global warming exists except in the mind of liberal environmentalists. To this end, Gore attacks the misconceptions perpetrated by large

Differences between Windows Version 1.0.2 and 1.0.3:

Differences between Windows Version 1.0.2 and 1.0.3: Windows version Changes between 1.0.2 and 1.0.3: Video outputs: * Fix video quality when resizing the video on Windows Vista and 7, due to regressions in most popular drivers * New deinterlacers modules based on yadif and yadif(x2) algorithms Decoders: * Windows version supports now natively the WMA Professional codec, as it didnt work in the packaged version of 1.0.2 * Fix downmixing of particual 4.0 AC-3 audio tracks Encoders: * x264 has profile-limitter, like: #transcode{vcodec=h264,venc=x264{profile=baseline,level=12}..} Input: * Update for appletrailers lua script * Fixes on the RAR stream filter * Fix for E-AC3 in ATSC/TS streams * Various fixes for v4l and v4l2 * Fix a crash in mjpeg demuxer Service discovery: * New udev module for linux Qt4 interface: * Fixes on the playlist and the stream output panels Translations: * French, Galician, Korean, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Slovak and Ukrainian updates Changes between 1.0.1 and 1.0.2: Decoders: * Native support for WMA Professional, without the use of the Win32 dlls * Fix issues in subtitles, especially SSA ones * Various fixes on theora and ogg Demuxers: * Various fixes for EPG support in MPEG-TS demuxer * Fixes for potential stack overflow in .avi, .mp4 and .asf demuxers Access: * Fixes for v4l2 devices * Fixes for dvb-c channels-scanning Qt Interface: * Fix some playlist sorting issues Mac OS X Interface: * Fixed a crash when updating VLC * Fixed a crash related to QTKit when opening video files (10.6 only) * Added the ability to play 2nd media in sync to the primary item (input-slave) * Added the Quit after Playback feature Mac OS X Port: * The Delete Preferences script is now delivered as a Universal Binary with native code for PowerPC, Intel and Intel 64bit * Full 64bit runtime compatibility on both Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 no support for Goom and SDL limited text rendering support This port is still considered as EXPERIMENTAL despite its binary release. Encoders: * MPEG2 transrate stream output removed * x264 default-values closer to x264.exe defaults. * x264 rc-behaviour fixes: if user defines qp-value, CQP-mode is used otherwise if user defines vb=0, CRF-mode is used otherwise ABR-mode is used * x264 set vbv-bufsize/vbv-maxsize better if user hasnt defined these: ABR mode set vbv-max-bitrate=bitrate vbv-bufsize is bitrate * seconds between keyframes (keyint/fps) Playlist: * Lua scripts for Mpora and Vimeo playback Unix builds: * Various fixes to enable 1.0 to build on Solaris and OpenBSD Translations: * New Kazakh and Croatian translations * Lithunanian translation is available on Windows * Galician, Korean, Nepali, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Brazilian, Arabic and French translation updates Changes between 1.0.0 and 1.0.1: Demuxers: * Fix wmv/asf issues that caused audio to drop * Various fixes for ac3, mp3, dts and stability for wav format * Fix seek in RTSP in conformity to RFC 2326 * Fix Dailymotion access script * Fix crashes in xspf files handler * Fix seeking and timing issues in some flv files on Windows version Access: * Add extra caching for files on network shares * Prevent integer underflow in Real pseudo-RTSP module, discovered by tixxDZ, DZCORE Labs, Algeria Decoders: * Fix seeking in mpeg2 video files * Improve SSA subtitles rendering * Update most codecs for the Windows and Mac version Muxers: * Fix sound recording of .flv files with mp3 audio Qt Interface: * Possibility to change the opacity level of the Fullscreen controller * Fix various crashes and VIDEO_TS folders opening Mac OS X Interface: * Added options to disable support for Apple Remote and Media Keys * Fixed options for Volume, Last.fm password and Subtitle Encoding * Fixed redraw issues when autosizing the video window * Preferences panel now includes help through tool-tips * More reliable Information and Messages panels * Fix various crashes Windows port: * The ZVBI module is now available for Windows, for complete teletext support Translations updates for Brazillian, French, German, Korean, Norwegian Nynorsk, Lithuanian Changes between 0.9.9a and 0.9.10: HTTP Interface: * Fixed default ACL Mac OS X: * Fixed crashes on multi-screen setups * Corrected volume and subtitle encoding options in the Preferences * Improved Information panel behavior, when playlist is not displayed * Fixed QTCapture input support for the latest iSight models * Added a menu-item to unlock the video windows aspect ratio * Fixed redraw issues when autosizing the video window * Updated libpng, libgpg-error, libgcrypt, fribidi Various fixes to the following modules: * access: HTTP, SMB updated and additional access scripts (BBC radio, dailymotion, ) Prevent integer underflow in Real pseudo-RTSP module, discovered by tixxDZ, DZCORE Labs, Algeria * stream out: RTP, RTSP VoD, Mosaic Bridge * decoder: TSCC Changes between 0.9.9a and 1.0.0: Important notes: - * Alsa and OSS audio capture has been removed from the v4l and v4l2 accesses. See Access: for more info. * Support for Mac OS X 10.4.x was dropped due to its technical limitations Playback: * Instantaneous pausing * Frame-by-Frame playback * Finer speed control * On-the-fly recording for all medias * Timeshift for most medias * RTSP trickplay support * Subtitles core improvements and fixes Decoders: * New AES3 (SMPTE 302M) decoder * New Dolby Digital Plus E-AC-3 (A/52b) decoder * New True HD/MLP decoder and parser * New Blu-Ray Linear PCM decoder * New QCELP (Qualcomm PureVoice) decoder * Improved Real Video 3.0 4.0 decoder * New WMA v1/2 fixed point integer decoder * Closed Captions using the SCTE-20 standard are now correctly decoded * Improvement of WavPack decoder to support all integer modes and float mode * Corrections on 5.1 and 7.1 channel decoding and ordering Demuxers: * Support for Dirac, MLP and RealVideo in Matroska files * Major improvements in RealMedia files opening (.rm and .rmvb) * Improvements of the TS demuxer for M2TS files from Blu-Ray and AVCHD * Metadata for mod files are supported * GSM codecs in Wav files are supported * New raw audio demuxer supporting raw PCM streams * New Dirac demuxer for raw Dirac streams Encoders: * Dirac encoding using libdirac (supported in Ogg and in TS) * Shine mp3 fixed-point encoder Access: * RTSP authentication with Darwin Streaming Server * On-the-fly gzip and bzip2 file decompression (except on Windows) * Playback for video in uncompressed multi-RAR archives * DVB-S and ATSC cards support on Windows * New OSS and Alsa accesses. The v4l2 and v4l modules no longer support OSS or Alsa audio input. Use input-slave alsa:// or oss:// if needed. * DVB scanning on linux * EXPERIMENTAL Blu-Ray Disc and AVCHD Folders support * On-the-fly zip file decompression and browsing (MRL of the form zip://file.zip!/file.avi to specify the file the development form of zip://file.zip|file.avi is not supported anymore) * Opening of any file descriptor using fd:// * MTP device access on Unix * CD-Text support on the cdda module (CD-Audio) * :start-time and :stop-time can handle sub-second values Inputs: * Mouse cursor support in x11 and win32 screen modules * Screen module now features partial screen capture and mouse following on Windows and Mac OS X. Playlist: * Export the playlist in HTML * Lua script for BBC radio playback * Better metadata handling and reading Linux/Windows interface: * Global Hotkeys on Windows and Linux * Various fixes for skins2 interface * Recently played items list * Interface toolbar customizations * Various Improvements on the Qt interface: More menus actions Finer speed slider Improvements on many dialogs New dialog for plugins listing Fixed-size mode for videos Better Teletext, trickplay and encrypted streams control * Better integration in GTK environments Mac OS X Interface: * Controllable by the Media Keys on modern Apple keyboards (brushed Aluminium) * Reveal-in-Finder functionality for locally stored items. * Easy addition of subtitles through the Video menu * Additional usability improvements Stream output: * Restored the old mpeg2 transrating module. * Multiple bridge-in instances are now possible. * bridge-in can be used to configure a placeholder stream. * Remote Audio Output Protocol (AirTunes) module. * Fixed mosaic memleak. Mosaics are now usable again. Maemo Port: * New Maemo port with: an interface based on Hildon framework. scaler based on the swscale_nokia770 library. Windows CE Port: EXPERIMENTAL work for the winCE port has been done. Mac OS X Port: * EXPERIMENTAL 64bit support * Speed improvements by using llvm-gcc * New document icons by Dominic Spitaler * Support for latest iSight models Audio output: * Removed obsolete Esound and aRts plugins * Surround support for PulseAudio Video output: * Effects (cube, torus, etc.) removed from OpenGL video output * Video is able to stay in original size and to zoom in fullscreen (hotkey o) while keeping black borders * Image video output has been rewritten into a video-filter named scene. The old image video output has been removed. * Support for scaling and converting video chromas with FFMPEG imgresample was withdrawn due to bugs. Please use the newer FFMPEG swscale instead. Miscellaneous: * Invmem, a fake codec to display images from external applications New Localization: * Khmer * Mongolian * Sorani Changes between 0.9.9 and 0.9.9a: Mac OS X: * Updated multiple 3rd party libraries to keep in sync with the Win32 port * Playback fixes for PowerPC-based Macs Changes between 0.9.8a and 0.9.9: Decoders: * Experimental new decoder for Real Video 3.0 4.0 Demuxers: * Various fixes related to real demuxer Mac OS X Interface: * Fixed circumstances, which could lead to an empty Information panel Note that VLC will show information on the currently _selected_ item instead of the currently _playing_ item, if the playlist is visible in the main controller window. * Fixed multiple UTF8 issues in the Streaming / Exporting Wizard Mac OS X Port: * Improved video playback performance on Intel-based Macs New Localizations: * Indonesian * Bengali * Updates of other localizations Various bugfixes: * Support for receiving RTP packets on odd port numbers. * Lots of small bugfixes. * Correct Fullscreen behaviour on Multi-Screen setups on Windows * Telnet fixes on Windows * Resampling fixes when transcoding Changes between 0.9.6 and 0.9.8a: Security update: * Fixed buffer overflow in Real demuxer (SA-0811, CVE-2008-5276) Bunch of small bugfixes. Changes between 0.9.5 and 0.9.6: New Localizations: * Ukranian Security updates: * Fixed overflow in CUE support from VCD access (SA-0810, CVE-2008-5032) * Fixed overflow in RealText subtitles support (SA-0810, CVE-2008-5036) Changes between 0.9.4 and 0.9.5: Security updates: * Fixed buffer overflow in TiVo demuxer (SA-0809, CVE-2008-4686, CVE-2008-4654) * Fixed libpng CVE-2008-3964 in Win32 and MacOS builds Features: * Closed Caption EIA 608/708 parsing enabled for libmpeg2 Various bugfixes: * Fixed various potential crashes and memleaks * Fixed issues with reading from files (especially non-local) Windows port: * Fix bug where interface was eating some media keys * Fix some crashes in DirectShow access Qt Interface: * Fix bug when the resetting of preferences didnt reset the dialog states * Right-click menu to select playlist columns reenabled * Various fixed in playlist Access: * MMAP module is now deactivated by default Translations: * Update of Brazillian, Swedish translation Changes between 0.9.3 and 0.9.4: Various bugfixes: * Crashes fixed in ogg, vobsub, dvdread * Fixes several memory leaks. Mac OS X port: * Apple machines without Quartz Extreme are no longer supported (use 0.9.2 or earlier ) * Fixed a crash with deletion of old preferences. * Fixed targetname for downloaded updates Windows port: * Stability fix for the video output. Changes between 0.9.2 and 0.9.3: Various bugfixes: * Fixed DTS channel order on 5.1 systems * Fixed pausing behavior for subtitles and for Audio-CD * Multiple subtitles and podcast fixes * Various crashes fixed in PS, SSA, mkv, xspf, freetype * Fixed update system bugs * Other bug fixes (dvd language selection, subtitle colours, HTTP keep-alive+) Mac OS X port: * Fixed ffmpeg slowness on PowerPC-based Macs * Fixed crash on startup when installed on old preferences * Fixed bug in directory opening on Mac OS X * Fixed font selection in the Simple Preferences * Thicker border to the subtitle renderer * Fixed the appearance of playlist items in the Streaming/Transcoding Wizard * Fixed AC3 passthrough on Mac OS X * Fixed behavior of the Volume Normalizer settings on Mac OS X * Removed the deprecated QuickDraw video output module to avoid crashes on modern Mac OS X versions Windows port: * Fixed sensitivity of Fullscreen Controller * Fixed error messages on startup when VLC wasnt correctly uninstalled before installation * Fix showing of controller when returning from fullscreen playback * Multiple directory and path location fixes. Qt4 interface: * Added Faster/Slower icons to the controller panel * Fixed lost playlist columns when switching the playlist view * Added needed options to Simple preferences (to avoid NVIDIA drivers issues) * Fullscreen controller: added time label, remembering of last position * Fixed dragn drop behaviour on the playlist * Multiple other fixes (Enter hotkey in preferences, Skins selection) Changes between 0.9.1 and 0.9.2: * Restored the old behavior of sout-keep. It is now de-activated by default. * Skins2 interface repaired on Windows. * Multiple bugfixes. Changes between 0.9.1 and 0.9.0: * Multiple bug fixes. Changes between 0.8.6i and 0.9.0: Important notes: - * This release will need Windows 2000 and Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), or more recent to work correctly * The HTTP interface is now only available on the local machine by default. If you want to make it available from other machines, you will have to edit the .hosts file. On UNIX/Linux, the file is in /usr/share/vlc/http/.hosts If youre using the old http interface, its located in /usr/share/vlc/http/old/.hosts On Windows they are in C:Program FilesVideoLANVLChttp.hosts and C:Program FilesVideoLANVLChttpold.hosts On Mac OS X, you can find it in VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/http/.hosts and respectively in VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/http/old/.hosts * This version of VLC contains a new interface for Windows and Linux. This interface has a fullscreen controller and simplified preferences. This interface lacks the Streaming Wizard that used to be present in VLC 0.8.6, but provides basic profiles. * The behavior of sout-keep was changed. Its now activated by default. * The marq, mosaic and logo commands in the rc interface changed. They now require a target name as their first argument. Example: vlc sub-filter [emailprotected]{marquee=Hello} -I rc You can then use commands like: @test marq-marquee Goodbye If you didnt name the object using @test, its name will default to the plugin name (hence marq) in this example. These new commands are also available in the telnet interface. * The rtp access output module has been removed. Please use the RTP stream output instead, e.g.: Old: #std{access=rtp,mux=ts,dst=239.255.1.2:5004,sap} New: #rtp{mux=ts,dst=239.255.1.2,port=5004,sap} * You now need to append m3u-extvlcopt to your command line to enable EXTVLCOPT options parsing in m3u playlists. Note that only a limited set of options is available to m3u playlists (CVE-2007-6683). * The old access:url syntax is no longer supported to resolve ambiguities with some file names. Use access://url instead. E.g.: vlc:quit -> vlc://quit ; udp:@239.255.12.12 -> udp://@239.255.12.12 * The ffmpeg module has been removed and replaced by the new avcodec, avformat, swscale (or imgresample if you use a swscale-less ffmpeg build) and postproc modules. * The web plugins ActiveX (IE)/Firefox/Mozilla/Safari now recognize the following states: IDLE/CLOSE=0, OPENING=1, BUFFERING=2, PLAYING=3, PAUSED=4, STOPPING=5, FORWARD=6, BACKWARD=7, ENDED=8, ERROR=9. With FORWARD and BACKWARD being reserved for future implementations and are thus not functional atm. * Croping and padding in transcode are now done using the croppadd video filter. For example: transcode{vcodec=mp2v,vfilter=croppadd{cropttop=20,cropbottom=30,paddleft=100}} * Canvas setting in transcode is now done using the canvas video filter. For example: transcode{vcodec=mp2v,vfilter=canvas{width=640,height=480}} * Glide video output module has been removed. Changes: Security updates: * Updated libfreetype on Windows and Mac OS X (CVE-2008-1806, CVE-2008-1806, CVE-2008-1807) * TTA Parser improvements (CVE-2008-3732) * MMS Access Module improvements (CVE-2008-3794 ) Playlist: * Vastly improved playlist support: * Media library creation to save all your playlist items * Live search * Shoutcast TV listings * Audioscrobbler/Last.FM support * Album art support * User definable Lua playlist scripts. See share/lua/playlist/README.txt (Default scripts open YouTube, DailyMotion, metacafe, Google Video and lots of other URLs) * User definable Lua album art fetcher scripts. See share/lua/meta/README.txt Inputs: * Video for Linux 2 (V4L2) input support * UDP-Lite transport for RTP/AVP * DCCP transport for RTP/AVP * Proxy support for MMSH stream * JACK audio input support * Input run time option (improved live stream recording) * BDA devices access module for DVB-C/S/T capture cards on Microsoft Windows * Re-written Screen access module for Mac OS X using OpenGL instead of QuickDraw * Screen module now supports partial screen capture and mouse following on X11. * Experimental EyeTV access module This requires the user to install a plugin to EyeTV.app (available as a separate download). * Simple RTP input (with MPEG A/V, G.711 and PCM support). * RTMP input support * QTKit-based Input module for Mac OS X allowing display and streaming of video taken from all iSight-labelled video cameras (no audio support) * HTTP access now supports gzip compressed data and Digest Access Authentication. * New options to reduce latency between arrival of raw data and display of frames. (auto-adjust-pts-delay and use-stream-immediate) Demuxers: * MP4 gpac and Apple chapter support * Fixed playback of AIFF stereo files * Fixed audio glitch on seek * Improved FLAC demuxer (duration / current time / meta data) * AAC tags support * APEv1/2 tags support * Improved ID3v2 tags support * Improved Ogg/Vorbis tags support * Raw video support * Standard MIDI File (types 0 1) support * TiVo Series 2 support * CD+G karaoke Files support * MXF files support * OMA support Decoders: * VP60/VP61/VP6F/VP62 support * Flash Screen Video support * CamStudio Screen Video support * DosBox Capture support * Karl Mortons Video support * limited atrac3 support * Fraps support * Fluidsynth MIDI software synthesis (with external sound fonts) * New codec FOURCCs to support more specific files: Avid, FCP, Sony, Samsung, * H.264 PAFF support * DNxHD / VC-3 support * NellyMoser ASAO support * APE (Monkey audio) support * RealVideo support (with the RealVideo run-time) * Dirac video support using libschroedinger Subtitles: * Closed Caption Decoder (DVD, ReplayTV, TiVo, DVB/ATSC) * VBI EBU (Teletext) support (*nix, Mac OS) * Ogg/Kate subtitles support * AQTitle subtitles support * MKV USF subtitles support * HTML-based subtitles support * MPSub subtitles support * JacoSub subtitles basic support * MPL2 subtitles support * Rewrite of ASS/SSA scripts and subtitles support * PowerDivx (.psb) Subtitles support * Realtext subtitle support * DKS subtitle support * SubViewer 1.0 (SubRip09) subtitles support * Correct Right-to-left languages in subtitles support Encoders: * Flash Screen Video support * Improved H.264 encoding speed Video outputs and filters: * New CoreAnimation-based output module (VLCKit framework on OS X only) * Adjust, Invert and Distort (now split into Wave, Ripple, Gradient and Psychedelic) video filters can now be streamed * New puzzle video output filter * Re-written motion detection video filter * New extract video filter (extract Red, Green and Blue components from a video) * New sharpen video filter (increase the contrast of adjacent pixels) * New erase video filter (removes logos from a video) * Enhanced subtitles renderer to support bold, italic and some HTML tags (Google Summer of Code Student project) * Support for RGBA and I420 blending. The latter improves Mosaic CPU usage *a lot*. * New transparency mask video filter (for use with the mosaic_bridge module). * New bluescreen video filter (for use with the mosaic_bridge module). This was previously part of the mosaic module. * Fixed random characters problem in RSS filter. * Add rotate-deciangle for more precision on rotate filter * Support for Intel SSE2 instruction set in chroma converters * Improved use of Intel MMX instruction set in chroma converters * New croppadd and canvas video filters. Audio outputs and filters: * Replay gain support * Audio playback when going slower/faster (with pitch correction via new scaletempo audio filter) * New spatializer audio filter * Correct DTS output via S/PDIF Stream output: * RTSP for TS-multiplexed broadcast streams * New RTP payload formats: * Speex voice audio codec * ITU T.140 (for text, subtitles) output * G.711 (both A-law and  µ-law) output * UDP-Lite transport for RTP * DCCP transport for RTP * Lots of fixes for RTSP broadcasting * RTMP output Interfaces: * All * New Simple Preferences dialogs showing the most important settings in an end-user suitable way. * Improved user interaction * Improved mouse gestures * Vastly improved Update checker * Full support for meta data editing (ID3v2, Ogg/Vorbis, AAC, APEv1/2) * Windows/Linux * Brand new interface for Linux and Windows, based on the Qt toolkit * Fullscreen controller (transparency on Linux+Composite) * Mac OS X * Improved video output features * Online access to VideoLANs Help Wiki within VLC * New setting to disable the Recent Items service * When playing Radio (live) streams, the current track is shown correctly * Correct appearance on Macs using Aquas graphite theme * Simplified Extended Controls panel * Ncurses: * Correctly displays wide characters when using an UTF-8 locale, if libncursesw is available. * Some nice colors if the terminal supports it (most do) * Experimental Lua interface modules. See vlc -I lua and share/lua/playlist/README.txt for more info. * Unix * Option to allow only one running instance, using D-Bus interface. * D-Bus Interface implementing the MPRIS (Media Player Remote Interfacing specification), a common dbus control interface for media players that intends to become an xdg standard when finished: http://wiki.xmms2.xmms.se/index.php/Media_Player_Interfaces . * Motion module using disk accelerometers to keep video horizontal * Plugin to set Telepathy presence message using MissionControl * Fixed VLM schedule time on Linux Linux Port: * VLC now complies with the XDG Base Directory Specification version 0.6 http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-0.6.html (which means that VLC doesnt use the $HOME/.vlc directory anymore) Mac OS X Port: * Mac OS X Framework VLCKit that can be used to embed VLC in third party applications (Google Summer of Code Student project, Mac OS X 10.5 only) * New text renderer based on Quartz replacing the existing Freetype solution * Complete compatibility with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard * It is now required to compile a fully featured build * The support of Mac OS X 10.3.9 and QuickTime 6.x was discontinued. LibVLC: * Event management and various improvements in libvlc (Part of a Google Summer of Code Student project) New Localizations: * Finnish * Persian * Polish * Punjabi * Bulgarian Developers: * LibVLC now supports externally built plugins properly. A vlc-plugin pkg-config package is provided. * Java bindings are now built from a separate source. Changes between 0.8.6h and 0.8.6i: - Security updates: * Fixed integer overflow in WAV demuxer (CVE-2008-2430) Various bugfixes: * Fixed option to use shared memory within the GLX video output module * Improved galaktos-based audio visualizations on FreeBSD * Miscellaneous bugfixes in multiple modules and in libvlc (transcode stream output, OSD menu video filter, VCD input, SAP services discovery, http control interface) * Updated Polish translation Changes between 0.8.6g and 0.8.6h: - Security updates: * Updated GnuTLS and libgcrypt on Windows and Mac OS X (CVE-2008-1948, CVE-2008-1949, CVE-2008-1950) * Updated libxml2 on Windows and Mac OS X (CVE-2007-6284) Goodies: * Updated libebml and libmatroska on Mac OS X. Reliability improvements. * Miscellaneous bugfixes in multiple modules and in libvlc (ftp access, record access filter, video filters, RC interface, playlist demuxer, IP networking, MPJPEG muxer, stream outputs) * Improved support for MPEG2 content created by Final Cut Pro * More reliable audio reception for MPEG TS streams * Fixed a regression in 0.8.6g where usage of the snapshot feature could lead to an unexpected application termination * New Serbian translation * Updated Romanian translation Changes between 0.8.6f and 0.8.6g: - Security updates: * Removed VLC variable settings from Mozilla and ActiveX (CVE-2007-6683, VideoLAN-SA-0804) * Removed loading plugins from the current directory (CVE-2008-2147, VideoLAN-SA-0805) * Updated libpng on Windows and Mac OS X (CVE-2008-1382) * Fixed libid3tag denial of service (CVE-2008-2109) * Fixed libvorbis vulnerabilities (CVE-2008-1419, CVE-2008-1420, CVE-2008-1423) * Fixed speex insufficient boundary check (CVE-2008-1686, oCERT-2008-004) Various bugfixes: * Fixed various memory leaks, improving stability when running as a server * Fixed compilation with recent versions of FFmpeg * Correctly parses SAP announcements from MPEG-TS * Fixed AAC resampling * The Fullscreen Controller appears correctly on Mac OS X, if the Always-on-top video option was selected. Changes between 0.8.6e and 0.8.6f: - Security updates: * Really fixed subtitle buffer overflow (CVE-2007-6681, CVE-2008-1881) * Fixed Real RTSP code execution problem (CVE-2008-

College Education Is Essential In Todays Society :: essays research papers

College Education is Essential In Today's Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today's society a college education is an essential part of pursuing a career. While in college a person can determine his strengths and weaknesses in whatever path he decides to take in life. A college education is also the first step in being self-sufficient and living by yourself. College life also gives a person a chance to express his ingenious and creative abilities and to supplement the skills that he learned in high school. City University will give me an unprecedented opportunity to achieve these goals and to reach a new plateau in my scholarly studies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my life I plan to pursue a career in the aerospace field. To get a job in this field one needs a college education and City University fits the bill. Its curriculum and accomplished professors will give me the chance to achieve my goal. Each of the independent colleges of the university system is highly specialized and particular to its own field of training. This will help applicants like me concentrate on my specific career path. I have visited the university campus twice and each time I have been impressed by the devotion of the faculty to ensure that the student's educational needs are met and surpassed. I perceive that the university is concerned about the educational well-being of its students. This is exemplified by the abundant tutoring opportunities that the university offers. Not only is the staff exceptional, City University has phenomenal technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  City University is on the cutting edge of technology which is indispensable in the aerospace field. The EOS computing environment is a substructure for building a bridge to the future. This system will give me many opportunities to use its resources to intensify my skills while pursuing my occupation. Having access to millions of computers all over the world, with the information I need at my fingertips will propel me to a higher level of intellectual aptness. The immense number of computer clusters available at the university enables a student to arm himself with the knowledge needed to aid him

Destiny and Frankenstein Essay

â€Å"Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.† Victor Frankenstein says this right before telling Walton his story.Destiny played an important role in the book Frankenstein. Victor sees it as the force that caused his downfall. He blames most of what has happened on destiny. At first it was his destiny to build the monster, afterwards he says it is his destiny to destroy it. Victor feltas if some force was making him experiment, that some force was making him make the monster and he had no control over it. This is why when he was building the monster he shut him self off from everything else and committed himself to his experiment. He didn’t have to do this but something was driving him to, and it might have been his curiosity and his wanting to cheat death, or play god, or do something no one else had ever done before, but also, he may have had those characteristics because he was destined to have them. Maybe this a ll happened so he and others can understand that you shouldn’t play god, but then after he built the monster it was his destiny to destroy it. As a result of Victor’s actions, many of his loved ones died, Elizabeth, William, Justine, and his father. After Victor made the monster his destiny became to be punished for it, but could Victor have prevented all this? Maybe, and maybe not. The answer to that question depends on whether you believe in destiny or not. Is destiny really so powerful that Victor had no control over it? Could Victor’s destiny have been different if he hadn’t built the monster? Could Victor have sustained from building the monster, or was destiny too powerful? How about the part when Victor destroys the female monster, what would have happened if Victor hadn’t destroyed it, or was it his destiny to destroy it? Later on in the book he follows the monster into the cold, what if he didn’t, would he have still died? In all of this Victor made decisions, he decided whether or not to go off to college, he decided whether or not to build the monster, he decided whether or not to build the female, he decided whether or not to chase after the monster, but where these really his decisions, or was it his destiny to end up on Walton’s ship? Victor told Walton his story and showed what wanting to explore into the unknown can lead to, in the end, Walton’s ship turns around and decides not to find the North Pole. I believe that it was Victor’s destiny for all this to happen because in the end all that he has done was told to teach Walton a lesson. Destiny is said to be a powerful force which determines your future. If you believe in destiny, you believe that everyone was put on this earth for a reason and everything you do is for a reason. Believing in destiny means that when you do something, even though you might think you are making a decision on your own, you are really carrying out your destiny. I do believe that destiny does have a big part on peoples lives. I believe that many of the decisions you make, you make them because it was your fate to make them. There are many examples in people’s lives that can make you think, what would have happened if I had done this differently? Or, was it my fate for this to happen, or just the results of my mistakes. A couple years ago my aunt died in a train accident, and everyone started thinking, if she had been on a different train, or if she was late and couldn’t get on the train, or if she hadn’t been on the trip, would she still have died? I believe that it was her destiny to go on that train because it was her time to die. Another example of this is about this girl that I know, when she was younger her parents, brother and sister died in a car accident. She always regrets that she stayed home sick on that day and didn’t die right along with them. But I think that she was spared for a reason, maybe she’ll make a difference in someone’s life. Destiny is a very powerful thing. Many people think factors can alter destiny, one being not taking responsibilities for your actions, which is what Victor did. He refused to blame what happened on himself. If you believe in destiny too much, you slack off and don’t try to change for the better, and you donâ₠¬â„¢t take care of yourself because you think, â€Å"whatever happens it is going to be the same no matter what I do because it is my destiny and its been already decided.† In the book Victor blamed most of the things that happened on destiny and didn’t take responsibility for most of them. He refused to blame what happened as his own doing. When he was building the monster, he didn’t try to stop himself, when the monster came to life he ran away, he left Elizabeth alone for a second on his wedding night thinking he was the one the monster was after, he then chased after the monster thinking it was his destiny to do so which caused his death. He believed everything that happened was his destiny and that he could not have altered it. When you believe in destiny you try to do what you think your destiny has planned out for you, and even if you don’t you still do what was planned, even if you’re wrong about your destiny it always catches up with you. Lets say some guy thinks its his destined is to become a doctor, he tries and he tries and he becomes one but later on he realizes being a lawyer is the job for him, because that wa s his destiny. Some people who believe in destiny slack of because they think that whatever happens, I couldn’t have prevented it, they might lets say start smoking and think if I die from this its because it was my destiny to do so. Then they die from it and some people think it may have been prevented, but I believe that even if he didn’t believe in destiny he would have taken up smoking because the way he would die had already been decided for him. Lets say someone commits suicide, people always think it could have been prevented, but I believe they died because it was their destiny, if it wasn’t their time to die yet, they may have tried to commit suicide but wouldn’t have succeeded. So in reality you cant even control when you die, like when Napoleon tried to kill himself with that powerful poison and failed, it wasn’t his time to die yet. So in conclusion I believe that everything that happened to Victor was the result of destiny. I don’t believe that it happened because he gave in too much to his curiosity. I believe it was his destiny to have this curiosity, to look into the unknown and to try to have the power to create life. What led him to this was the death of his mother this made him want to try to reanimate the dead, it was his mother’s destiny to die so that Victor’s destiny would be fulfilled. So it wasn’t Victor’s characteristics that led him to fall, he had those characteristics because he was destined to fall.