Operating Systems Course: Reflection Essay

Operating Systems Course: Reflection Essay There are a lot of new concepts about Telecommunications and Networking that I’ve learned in depth in this course. It is one of the very interesting courses that I have done so far in IT. I feel it is worth doing this course online as there is a chance to learn so many concepts through our assignments. Wire shark labs were very interesting and we have gained practical knowledge on how networking works in real scenarios. There are so many topics that I felt interesting throughout the course, but there is this topic ‘Modes of Network Operation’ which was the discussion topic in the 6th week that left an ‘aha’ moment. In Infrastructure mode of Network operation, communications occur between a set of Wireless Adapter equipped computers and also between a wired networks by going through a Wireless Access Point (AP). Infrastructurerefers to switches, routers, firewalls, and access points (Aps). Access Points are responsible for handling traffic between wireless networks and also wired networks. There is no Peer to Peer communication in this mode. A wireless network in infrastructure mode which is also connected to wired network is called as BSS (Basic service set).A set of two or more service sets is called Extended Service Set (ESS). The BSSID is a 48-bit number of the same format as a MAC address. This field uniquely identifies each BSS. The value of this field is the MAC address of the AP. Advantages of Infrastructure mode: Wide areas are covered by utilizing the high power of an access point in Infrastructure mode which is the advantage. The learning curve will be less for knowing wireless strengths and weaknesses with Infrastructure Mode. Number of clients can be supported in this mode of operation as additional access points can be added to WLAN to increase the reach of the infrastructure and support any number of wireless clients. Infrastructure mode networks offer the advantage of scalability, centralized security management and improved reach. Disadvantages: The disadvantage associated with infrastructure wireless network is additional cost to purchase AP hardware. ADHOC Mode:  In this mode, each station is a peer to the other stations and communicates directly with other stations within the network. No Access points are required. Advantages: Because Ad Hoc Mode does not require an access point, its easier to set up, especially in a small or temporary network. Disadvantages: In Ad Hoc Mode connections are limited, for example between two laptops, to the power available in the laptops. Because the network layout (thenetwork topology) in Ad Hoc Mode changes regularly, system resources are taken just to maintain connectivity. In an Ad Hoc network with many computers, the amount of interference for all computers will go up, since each is trying to use the same frequency channel. In Ad Hoc Mode, chains of computers will connect to pass your data, if your computer is not directly in range. On the other hand, you do not have control over the path your data takes. The automatic configuration routines may send your data through several computers, causing significant network delays. Conclusion Based on the above various mode of operation both offer advantages and as well as disadvantages. Based on the necessity one many opt for Ad hoc mode where set up is easy and no access points are required whereas Infrastructure mode is suited well for wireless networks as it supports any number of clients and offers advantages such as scalability, security and improved approach. There are a lot of concepts of Operating Systems that are learnt in depth from the course Operating Systems, it being one of the most important courses to be known to end up in software industry. However, I feel, and have always felt that it’s important to understand where we came from and how we landed up here, to be able to understand where we are going. The technology on which the operating systems run on and the mechanics of OS have progressed more than that could have been imagined in the last 30 years. By understanding how that progress was made, we can apply it and make equal progress in the future too. There are so many interesting topics in the discussions and journal entries throughout the course, but the first discussion on â€Å"Microsoft Windows 8: One Size Fits All?† remained as my favorite topic. It being the first discussion topic, also made me feel how interesting the entire Operating systems course would be. This topic grabbed my attention all of a sudden as I have been using Operating systems mostly Microsoft Windows from so many years without even knowing what exactly is happening behind it. The pros and cons of Windows 8 are summed from the â€Å"One size fits all† discussion. This made me think of the practical application of an OS by comparing with the features of other OS. I felt it’s not possible to develop single OS which can be efficient on tablets and PCs and that was the first time I had to disagree/not satisfied with Microsoft’s invention. Microsoft has been ruling the OS platforms. Windows 8 has drastic changes in platform and user interface of the operating systems. It had a smartphone before the Apple iPhone revolution came along, and it was pushing tablet PCs before the Apple iPad made it cool. But, as long as Microsoft’s history with mobile devices is, so is its stubborn desire to make everything about its Windows OS. Nowadays we cannot even imagine the world without computer as they are a part of everyday life now. But many of us do not care about what is actually happening when we use a system. Though I had little knowledge about operating systems earlier, now even though I don’t know everything I’m sure that I have learnt a lot about the functioning of an operating system, many types of management techniques in various operating systems, scheduling algorithms, and Protection and Security mechanisms in OS. An Operating system is a program that manages computers hardware and knowledge about operating system is necessary to start a career in software industry. Operating system provides a basis for application programs and acts as an intermediary between users and computer hardware and optimizes the utilization of hardware. It must exist in order for other programs to run. I would definitely continue my career as a software developer after completion of Masters in IT as I have been a software developer earlier. As a developer I would be developing software applications and having in depth knowledge of Operating systems is always necessary. An Operating system provides a software platform on which other application programs can run. So in some scenario’s like asynchronous function calls in the program written, I would definitely understand the execution of program much better having knowledge of how operating system works. I am pretty sure next time when I buy a laptop or an electronic device, I would not be lost with technical specifications. Indeed I would be more interesting to know the features and discuss the specifications confidently. Finally, I would say learning about the operating system will help every IT professional in their career.

Destiny, Fate and Free Will in Homers Odyssey - Odysseus’s Fulfills Hi

Odysseus’s Fulfills his Destiny in The Odyssey During Odysseus’s journey in The Odyssey, his own guile, the gods’ obstacles and their assistance for him affected his destiny. Odysseus uses his crafty sense of trickery and guile to get out of situations, which allow him to reach his destiny of returning home. Many times in The Odyssey the gods who dislike Odysseus set obstacles to try to stop him from returning home. However, there are gods who favor him and give him assistance to reach his homeland of Ithaca. Odysseus found himself in some dangerous situations during his journey but he was clever enough to think of ways to escape them. For example, when he encountered Polyphemus, Odysseus tricked him when he told the Cyclops his name was "Noman." After Polyphemus believed him and was stabbed in the eye, not knowing any better called out to his friends, "Noman is murdering me by craft. Force there is none" (87). Odysseus’ power over his enemy is once again confirmed by his wit more than by physical force. Although this sense of guile is at his enemy’s expense, there exists a touch of dramatic irony that helps the reader to take part in knowing something that Odysseus’ enemy doesn’t know. To get his way with Calypso, Odysseus flatters her to persuade her to free him from captivity. Odysseus sweet-talks Calypso and then states his destiny when he says, "Powerful goddess, do not be wroth at what I say. Full well I know that heedful Penelope, compared with you, is poor to look upon in height and beauty; for she is human, but you are an immortal, young forever. Yet even so, I wish-yes, every day I long-to travel home and see my day of coming" (49). Odysseus’ day of coming stands for hi... ...other of this Scylla, who bore her a bane to humankind; she will restrain her from a second onset" (116). Odysseus has to stop thinking that fighting always works. It is best to run and take the easy and safe way out when he is fighting a more powerful being than himself. Odysseus’ own guile, the gods’ obstacles, and their assistance for him are all factors that affected his fate during his journey. His guile to make difficult situations seem simple became very handy in escaping the dangerous times and allowed him to move further in his odyssey. The gods who dislike him sent storms or traps in their attempts to cease and stop Odysseus’ journey home. The gods who approve of Odysseus’ return home, for instance Athena, Hermes, and Circe, assisted him in many ways to ease his way home to his home in Ithaca and to fulfill his destiny.

In Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault analyzes the emergence of disciplinary practices

In Discipline & Punish, Michel Foucault analyzes the emergence of disciplinary practices, as they are understood in modern schools, militaries, and prisons. Foucault understands the manifestations of modern disciplines in terms of a power-knowledge relationship. In Discipline & Punish he makes a change in his method of thinking about power-knowledge relations in using a genealogical method. The basic premise of the genealogical approach is that shifts of power in society alter the way knowledge is formed in society. Foucault's specific focus in the genealogical framework will be on the interrelation of non-discursive practices (control of bodies) and discursive practices (bodies of knowledge). In focusing on bodies of knowledge and the controlling of bodies Foucault shows how the greatest difference in the Modern Age of disciplines and the Classical Age is that Modern society is engulfed in disciplinary practices. Foucault believes that there is a misunderstanding by scholars when studying the history of discipline and punishment in the West. The misunderstanding is thinking that there is a progress in the way we treat criminals, or deviants, in compared with the forms of punishment used in the Classical Age. In order to view this misunderstanding Foucault begins Discipline & Punish with a horrific example of public torture that was commonplace treatment of a criminal in the Classical Age, which immediately provokes the reader to feel that the Modern Age has accomplished definite ‘progress'. However, Foucault claims that ‘progress' from a humanist perspective in relation to Modern discipline and punishment would not be accurate but, ‘progress' in being able to perform punishment with the same intensity of the Classical Age and not get the negative reaction that people had towards the public torture is a more accurate picture. Foucault claims that Modern societies aim has been â€Å"not to punish less, but to punish better. † The best model of â€Å"punishing better† has taken place in the Modern Prison. In the Prison the Modern Age changed its aims in punishing the criminal and these aims have carried over into the many disciplines of society. Foucault defines some of those differences in Modern discipline practices that culminate in the prison, but are unlimited in their reach upon society. The first difference is the object of control is no longer focused on the mind, but is more concerned with the body. An example of this is the vast apparatus of the Modern Prison that maintains a cell for each inmate to be placed. The Modern Prison is obsessed with the location of the body, rather than the earlier disciplinary techniques in which the foremost concern was one's ideas. This modern obsession with controlling the body in the Modern Prison is also present in the military apparatus. For example, the barracks or bases are developed to locate the troops in a specific location and keep them from mixing with the outside population. The earlier days when one was called from his house to go out to battle is eradicated by making soldiers subject to a specific location. The second area of development in Modern disciplinary practices is the control of details of specific bodily movements. The control of details of specific bodily movements is most clearly exemplified in the example of the Panopticon that Foucault gives in Discipline & Punish. One of the main characteristics of the Panopticon was to be able to constantly supervise the movements of each prisoner. The goal was to supervise the prisoner, while not allowing the prisoner to see the supervisor. This resulted in the prisoner constantly being aware of each little movement he made because there was always the possibility of being watched. The spread of the form of control of detail into other disciplinary institutions is easily seen in the school when teachers become concerned with the way in which they're students write or their posture in the classroom. The schoolmaster is no longer as concerned with the fact that the student can read and write, as he is with the way in which the pupils perform their task. The third object of focus by modern disciplines that Foucault suggests is new in the Modern Age is the concern with the process of production rather than just the product itself. The goal in the third mechanism is to exercise control over the complete production of an act instead of just the result of the act. The Modern Prison exemplifies this when it keeps a record of the prisoner's movements or affect. The fact that the prisoner does not break the rules is secondary too the way he goes about not breaking the rules. The control of processes is easily seen in the Modern economy. The Modern wage laborer is prescribed a code of ethics, timetable, and a contract. All of the later are mechanisms that concern the production of the product rather than the product itself. It does not matter if one is able to produce a product if does not fit within the proscribed process. The result of the control of the body, the details of bodily movements, and the process of production is â€Å"the docile body. † In order to achieve the function of rendering â€Å"the docile body† the Modern Age has developed distinctive mechanisms. The first of the mechanism's that Foucault mentions that are put in place to achieve a â€Å"docile body† is the Hierarchal Observations. Foucault locates the model of this method in the Bentham's ‘Panopticon. ‘ The ‘Panopticon' has a tower to be located in the middle of transparent cells, which form around the tower itself. The supervisor is to be able to see any prisoner at any time without the prisoner being aware that they are being watched. Foucault claims this gives the body a specific space of ‘subjection' and makes the prisoner constantly aware of there position. The ‘Panopticon' represents a change from the Classical Age of placing prisoners in dark dungeons and makes use of the light of a constant gaze. The hospital is an example of how the mechanism of the Hierarchal Observation spreads from the prison model into other social spaces. Foucault talks about the care that went into the new architecture of the hospital that allowed for the patients to be easily viewed, it separated them from other patients, and had a separate ventilation system that was organized for each patient to avoid the spread of germs. The hospital was no longer the overseer of death, but a whole apparatus of ‘therapeutic' mechanisms. In both the Modern Prison and the hospital, the body and its movements became the target rather than the mind. The mechanism of Hierarchal Observation lays the grounding for Normalizing Judgment, which is another distinctive mechanism of the Modern Age. The mechanism of Normalizing Judgment is to be able to focus in on the errors of a given behavior in order to reform the behavior. The process of Normalizing Judgment allows for codes to be established that can be placed next to the Law and Tradition. The emergence of Normalizing Judgment could be seen in the Modern Prison when the prisoners are subjected to a rigid schedule of prayer, exercise, and education. The prisoner was to stay within the ‘norms' or be judged. The Classical Age was concerned with revenge of the victim, whereas the Modern Age is concerned specifically with the criminal as a deviant or abnormal person. Foucault recognizes the spread of Normalizing Judgment in the rise of the standardized education. Examples of standardized education would be medical schools or law schools. These schools established the general norms of health and law. Thus, if someone deviates from â€Å"the norm† they subject themselves to space where it is appropriate for one to visit the psychologist to get help and on to the many other possible reformist mechanism. The mechanism of Normalizing Judgment enables the framework for the third mechanism, the Examination, to be developed. The Examination is a type of combination of the latter two mechanisms into what Foucault calls â€Å"the normalizing gaze. † This can be seen in the prison as when the prisoner is aware of being visible and â€Å"the norms† simultaneously. It is as if one knows how they ‘should' act and that they will be constantly held accountable through observation. The school examination is a further elaboration of this technique used in the prison. The student is constantly checked to make sure they are in order with â€Å"the norm† by a written or oral examination. The function of the school examination provides the exact same function of the prison examination, but in a new social space. The mechanisms of the Hierarchal Observation, Normalizing Judgment, and Examination ensure that â€Å"the docile body† is achieved. The mechanisms of docility are present throughout the entire stratum of society. Although the Modern disciplinary practices developed in the isolated space of the prison they have spread throughout society into schools, hospitals, factories, courts, and various other spaces. These disciplinary practiced do not just locate the normal form of behavior, but also act as a positive force of knowledge. The mechanisms achieve â€Å"the docile body† that allow for the coding of the individual of any given knowledge. A clue to just how vast disciplinary practices are in the Modern Age is the disappearance of â€Å"the outlaw,† which is now taken up with â€Å"the deviant. † There is no way to get ‘out'side the law, but one remains in a deviant form that is located within the disciplinary space. There is no escaping the mechanisms of power throughout society, as mechanisms of power-knowledge will continue to flourish in many different transformations. However, by not mistaking these transformations as necessary for ‘progress' and getting the mechanism to operate in your favor, one can achieve real progress.

Free Essays on Soldiers Home

Soldier's Home Many of the titles of Ernest Hemingway's stories are ironic, and can be read on a number of levels; Soldier's Home is no exception. Our first impression, having read the title only, is that this story will be about a old soldier living out the remainder of his life in an institution where veterans go to die. We soon find out that the story has nothing to do with the elderly, or institutions; rather, it tells the story of a young man, Harold Krebs, only recently returned from World War I, who has moved back into his parents' house while he figures out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. And yet our first impression lingers, and with good reason; despite the fact that his parents' comfortable, middle-class lifestyle used to feel like home to Harold Krebs, it no longer does. Harold is not home; he has no home at all. This is actually not an uncommon scenario among young people (such as college students) returning into the womb of their childhood again. But with Harold,! the situation is more dramatic because he has not only lived on his own, but has dealt with and been traumatized by life-and-death situations his parents could not possibly understand. Hemingway does not divulge why Krebs was the last person in his home town to return home from the war; according to the Kansas City Star, Hemingway himself "left Kansas City in the spring of 1918 and did not return for 10 years, [becoming] 'the first of 132 former Star employees to be wounded in World War I,' according to a Star article at the time of his death" (Kansas City Star, hem6.htm). Wherever he was in the intervening time, by the time Harold gets home, the novelty of the returning soldier has long since worn off. All the other former soldiers have found a niche for themselves in the community, but Harold needs a while longer to get his bearings; he plays pool, "practiced on his clarinet, strolled down town, read, and went to bed" (Hemingway, 146... Free Essays on Soldier's Home Free Essays on Soldier's Home Soldier's Home Many of the titles of Ernest Hemingway's stories are ironic, and can be read on a number of levels; Soldier's Home is no exception. Our first impression, having read the title only, is that this story will be about a old soldier living out the remainder of his life in an institution where veterans go to die. We soon find out that the story has nothing to do with the elderly, or institutions; rather, it tells the story of a young man, Harold Krebs, only recently returned from World War I, who has moved back into his parents' house while he figures out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. And yet our first impression lingers, and with good reason; despite the fact that his parents' comfortable, middle-class lifestyle used to feel like home to Harold Krebs, it no longer does. Harold is not home; he has no home at all. This is actually not an uncommon scenario among young people (such as college students) returning into the womb of their childhood again. But with Harold,! the situation is more dramatic because he has not only lived on his own, but has dealt with and been traumatized by life-and-death situations his parents could not possibly understand. Hemingway does not divulge why Krebs was the last person in his home town to return home from the war; according to the Kansas City Star, Hemingway himself "left Kansas City in the spring of 1918 and did not return for 10 years, [becoming] 'the first of 132 former Star employees to be wounded in World War I,' according to a Star article at the time of his death" (Kansas City Star, hem6.htm). Wherever he was in the intervening time, by the time Harold gets home, the novelty of the returning soldier has long since worn off. All the other former soldiers have found a niche for themselves in the community, but Harold needs a while longer to get his bearings; he plays pool, "practiced on his clarinet, strolled down town, read, and went to bed" (Hemingway, 146...

20 Quotes for People Who Would Rather Be at the Beach

20 Quotes for People Who Would Rather Be at the Beach Its time to head to the beach. The wind blows through your hair. The warm sun bathes your skin. Soft, golden sand caresses your feet. The waves sing to a perfect rhythm and the coconut trees gently sway against the breeze. If you love the sun and the sea, the beach is the right destination for you. So, grab your suntan lotion and your Frisbee and go frolicking to the beach. For those times when you are not at the beach, get into the right state of mind with beachy quotes. Annie Dillard ï » ¿The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out. Isak Dinesen The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. H. M. Tomlinson Most of us, I suppose, are a little nervous of the sea. No matter what its smiles may be, we doubt its friendship. Ambrose Bierce Ocean: A body of water occupying two-thirds of a world made for man, who has no gills. Anne Morrow Lindbergh The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea. One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. Henry Beston The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach. Isaac Newton To myself, I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me. William Manchester The coconut trees, lithe and graceful, crowd the beach like a minuet of slender elderly virgins adopting flippant poses. G. K. Chesterton Where does a wise man kick a pebble? On the beach. Where does a wise man hide a leaf? In the forest. Michelle Held Dont grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach. Farmers Almanac A real friend is someone who takes a winter vacation on a sun-drenched beach and does not send a card. T. S. Eliot I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. Henry David Thoreau My life is like a stroll on the beach... as near to the edge as I can go. William Stafford Even the upper end of the river believes in the ocean. Corey Hart Along the beach, I never collected shells from my fathers shore. Barbara Wilson Thats where we used to put our chairs. Way out there where that wave is rolling. Our beach is under that water. Anne Spencer One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. Cathy Haynes The more we have growth along our beaches and barrier islands, shelter is always going to be an issue. Charles Williams I dont care how much lip service they give you about it, there is this culture in Atlantic Beach that believes this nonsense is okay.

Of Mice And Men by John SteinbeckYou will need to develop an Research Paper

Of Mice And Men by John SteinbeckYou will need to develop an argumentative thesis statement based on the idea of The American - Research Paper Example Crooks, also desiring not to be left alone on the ranch, wants to join their dream of independence. Curly’s wife, before she dies, confesses her dream to be a movie star. In fact, the only characters that do not admit to such a dream are those who stand atop the social and economic hierarchy. Curly, for instance, enjoys his place of power and represents a repressive force in the story insofar as he suppresses and controls the dreams of others. These are dreams of independence that reflect the concept of the American dream generally; however, at least from Of Mice and Men, the reader comes to realize that such dreams are economic, and spiritual, impossibilities. The impossibility of the stereotypical American dream is only strengthened by the overarching economic climate in which the men live. As Crooks tells George, â€Å"Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land† (Steinbeck 74). What Crooks says here is particular interesting because it indicates that men ar e both economically and spiritually deprived of what they truly need. While George and Lennie are seeking the seemingly simple goal of acquiring their own land and independence, Crooks’ observation is that such land would provide more than substance and bodily satisfaction.

Critically discuss the relevance of the ownership structure of a firm Coursework

Critically discuss the relevance of the ownership structure of a firm and examine how this impacts on both the short-term and long-term strategies that are employed by business - Coursework Example At several instances, it is noted that the ownership structure of a firm has been affecting its steady growth and development at large. Moreover, the ownership structure of the firm is observed to function by developing the image and enhance the strategic development of the firm in both short and long terms (Jensen & Meckling, 1976). With this regard, the paper intends to elaborate on the relevance of the ownership structure followed in The Lego Group. The Lego Group is a private sector company founded in the year 1932. In accordance with its vision, the company’s business was majorly engaged in the development of the children’s cognitive skills through playing. The company has developed its image as a global enterprise over the tenure of 80 years and has developed itself, on of the leading manufacturer of toy in the world (1The LEGO Group, 2014). To develop a better understanding about the ownership structure of the company, a detailed analysis of its provisions and performances have been conducted in the following sections. Ownership structure provides a framework for the process of control and helps in developing a system of management of the firm. Ownership structure is therefore defined as the equity structure that depicts the holding rights of a company. This structure further defines the authority that a particular person has on an organisation. Moreover, the ownership structure depicts managerial abilities to control the different operations of the management and enhance the system overall, to suffice the changing needs of the contemporary business environment and adjust with the same, maintaining efficiency. Contextually, the ownership structure helps in identifying the corporate governance and in developing guidelines that in turn tends to shape the internal climate of the company influencing the investors’ confidence level as well as ensuring transparency in