How the existence of cheat codes could hurt Johnsons argument about Research Paper - 1

How the existence of cheat codes could hurt Johnsons argument about video games - Research Paper Example If there is one thing that could invalidate Johnson’s arguments on the usefulness of video games in building the mental and cognitive abilities of children, it is in the existence of cheat codes. It therefore becomes pertinent to analyze Johnson’s arguments on this issue in order to ascertain its validity. Johnson bases his arguments on what he calls the sleeper curve as he says that, â€Å"the Sleeper Curve is a universe of popular entertainment that trends intellectually speaking, ever upward, so that today's pop-culture consumer has to do more cognitive work, making snap decisions and coming up with long term strategies in role playing video games, for example, or mastering new virtual environments on the Internet than ever before.† (Johnson 39). The existence of cheat codes; such as the ability of a player to access skill levels, tools, extra lives and abilities have really affected Johnson’s arguments on video games as his idea that video games help i n broadening people’s minds are relegated to the background by the availability of cheat codes. Johnson believes that even the most boring video games are capable of stimulating interesting cognitive work in the mind of a child. Johnson could be right in his arguments that playing video games develop a child’s intelligence quotient (IQ) as research has shown that children that play video games tend to have higher IQs than children that do not, but the fact remains that the importance of video games in developing a child’s mental ability has been negated by the existence of cheat codes. These cheat codes have made it possible for children to win games easily and the essence of video games as a cognitive and mental building tool has been lost. Children play video games for fun and they derive more pleasure in winning their opponents and to achieve this, they use different tactics and strategies that would make them victorious in a particular game (Gee 17-18). John son also says that, â€Å"One of the best ways to grasp the cognitive virtues of game playing is to ask committed players to describe what’s going on in their heads halfway through a long virtual adventure like Zelda or Half Life.† (Johnson 47). The fact that the art of playing video games involves problem solving techniques would truly help make people that play them to be mentally alert, but when there are now cheat codes, this purpose is ultimately defeated. Children would usually rely on cheat codes, which are like shortcuts to success and video games would no longer serve the purpose that Johnson feels they should serve as these video games would no longer have the capability of building the intellectual capacity of the children. Rather than make good use of the advantages of the video games in building their intellectual capacity, children begin to see that there is a shortcut to success in life. Through the availability of cheat codes, the children would begin t o look at life from another perspective as they would have a very bad mentality and think that they can achieve success by being insincere. While Johnson’s argument about video games could be true, the fact remains that they are only true in cases where there is no access to cheat codes. Video games if played the normal way have been known to develop a child’s mental ability. Children that play video games without access to cheat codes have the tendency of doing better than their parents on an IQ test, but the ones that use cheat codes would not have the same mental ability as the ones that play the games the normal way. The difference between the real world and the gaming world can also be deduced from this statement, â€Å"

Comment (critique) on the essay of contemporary utopia titled pico

Comment (critique) on the of contemporary utopia titled pico union - Essay Example Grube and Reeve (328b-331b), in their analysis of Plato’s Republic exert further emphasis on egalitarianism, as a crucial aspect of an ideal community. Based on both authors’ perspectives, it is rather apparent that the principal features of an ideal human community include: prevalence of peace, social equality and diligent service to the community, among other positive attributes. The Magnolia Place, located in LA’s Pico Union is indubitably one of the modern models of utopia. The establishment brings together volunteers from the community including regional and administrative organizations, who aim at increasing access, utilization as well as the quality of local resources, utility services, and support for the underprivileged in the area. The Magnolia Place, therefore, strengthens social relations among community members and improves economic development and opportunities. Even though, the neighborhood within which the organization is located was in the past r egarded as the most insecure in Los Angeles, it has developed into a refuge for the people in the region (N.A 1-2). The transformation is a confirmation of More’s ideology that a Utopian society consists of flawed individuals, who choose to make a positive change in their environs. The establishment depicts volunteers’ effort to foster equality, security and peace, through enabling the disadvantaged to get work, healthcare and reasonably priced housing, in addition to other fundamental

Decisions Essay Example for Free

Decisions Essay Decisions in 2006 regarding discrimination in the workplace centered largely on a theme of time and evidence. The court regularly held that the evidence of discrimination must be clear and that the legal action must be filed in a timely manner. The idea that a person can have been the victim of discrimination for years and have taken no action was dismissed as untimely. A case alleging racial discrimination was held to have insufficient proof of intent and in another case the court held that a union suing an employer for prejudicial hiring practices also did not submit sufficient proof. Finally, the court held that when an employer takes discriminatory action it does not have to be within the confines of the workplace to be discriminatory. First, in a case against Good Year Tire and Rubber Company, the plaintiff claimed that in her 18 years with Good Year, she had routinely been paid a smaller wage than her male counterparts. A local jury awarded her damages based on a series of wage-related decisions going back 19 years. However, the 11th Circuit Court held that the plaintiff’s lawsuit was untimely in that her complaint was not based on actions taken in the last 180 days according to the summation of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire Rubber, 421 F. 3d 1169 (11th Cir 08/23/2005) (Runkel, 2007. The court did not rule on the merit of the case, but held that the statute restricts the time frame in which the alleged discrimination was to have occurred (Runkel, 2007). The plaintiff has appealed the decision to the U.  S. Supreme Court and in May, 2007, Justice Samuel Alito writing for the court, affirmed the lower court’s ruling â€Å"Ledbetter v. Good Year†, 2007). Next, in case versus Tyson Foods the court held that use of the term â€Å"boy† is not enough proof of racial animus to sustain a ruling alleging discrimination, but reverse a portion of the lower court’s ruling which had claimed that a racial descriptor was required to accompany the word to prove animus. In Ash v. Tyson Foods, 126 S. Ct. 195 (02/21/2006), the court wrote, â€Å"Although it is true the disputed word will not always be evidence of racial animus, it does not follow that the term, standing alone, is always benign. The speakers meaning may depend on various factors including context, inflection, tone of voice, local custom, and historical usage. Insofar as the Court of Appeals held that modifiers or qualifications are necessary in all instances to render the disputed term probative of bias, the courts decision is erroneous. (Runkel, 2007). That means the court needs more information that just a word to determine discrimination. The court ruling says that to prove discrimination, the plaintiff must show more than just a misjudgment by the hiring authority of perceived qualifications. It must show that ‘disparities of qualifications must be or such weight and significance† that a reasonable person could not have made the hiring decision which was made (â€Å"Ash v. Tyson, 2006). This decision dovetails with the court’s decision in IBEW v.  Mississippi Power Light, 442 F. 3d 313 (5th Cir 03/02/2006). The union had argues that the employer’s standard for employment was discriminatory in that the cut-off point on the standardized tests was inherently discriminatory. The court did not dispute the merit of the claim, but ruled that the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff and that the union had failed to prove that there was another way that the employer could adequately determine employment eligibility. (Runkel, 2007) Finally, the court held that when an employer is accused of retaliatory action, it does not have to be limited to the confines of the work environment. In Burlington Northern v. White, 126 S. Ct. 2405 (06/22/2006), the court upheld the defendant’s claim that her employer had retaliated against her by moving her from one position to another and by initially trying to suspend her without pay, requiring that she file a grievance through the union to receive reinstatement and her back pay. The court held, â€Å"We conclude that the anti-retaliation provision does not confine the actions and harms it forbids to those that are related to employment or occur at the workplace. We also conclude that the provision covers those (and only those) employer actions that would have been materially adverse to a reasonable employee or job applicant. In the present context that means that the employers actions must be harmful to the point that they could well dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. (Runkel, 2007). The court further held that retaliatory practices do not have to include financial loss to be actionable. (Runkel, 2007) The overwhelming effect of these court ruling on future graduates is a trend within employment law toward the defense of the employer. These cases tend to indicate that the court has placed the entire burden of proof on the employee when it comes to discrimination cases and expects that the employee can make a clear case for their claim, rather than relying on vague innuendoes, such as in the Tyson case. For employees, this can be a difficult precedence in that other employees are unlikely to back a person’s claim regarding workplace discrimination especially when they would then have such stringent requirements in proving their own retaliation case. This is also likely to have a chilling effect on employees who feel they are being mistreated because of the burden of proof. The reality is that for any African-American man, the mere use of the word boy is inflammatory, especially in the south. Though the word was not accompanied by any racial descriptor, the court held that intonation and other context can be used to determine the word’s intent. For an African-American in the South, that is the context and proving what his supervisor was thinking places too great a burden on the plaintiff. The Tyson case in particular makes it difficult for a person who is the victim of subtle racism to prove it and the Ledbetter cases reiterates that the person must deal with any perceived discrimination within 6 months of its occurrence, compounding the difficulty in proving a case.

Has Technology Ruined Family Life?

Has Technology Ruined Family Life? Technology ranges from computers/tablets/phones to the content laced within these devices. Everyone is constantly distracted by their chosen device and even get flustered when asked to put it away. A person spends up to 20 hours on Facebook per week and many of them let other people’s comments affect them – negatively and positively. While simultaneously making our lives easier, technology is rapidly isolating people from the real world. In a sense, technology has ruined family life. Before technology, families would sit around the dinner table to eat or even play games together which is a huge contrast from what they do nowadays. It is a rare occurrence for families to be in the same room while eating and families playing games together is virtually unheard of. Technology does however create a feeling of security as you know where your family is due to phone calls and texts. But what if the family member you’re trying to contact doesn’t answer? You start imagining the worst case scenarios. You panic. You panic so much that you continually bombard them with texts and calls. In reality, they’re busy and can’t answer or just don’t want to. Are children so engrossed in technology that they are missing out on childhood adventures? A number of parents have to coerce their children to go out and play. When I was a kid, I would barely ever be in the house. My parents had to force me to stay in the house to spend time with my family. Technology has a negative affect on children in many different aspects. Children who watch excessive amounts of TV and play too many video games are allegedly more likely to do poorly at school. Reputedly, technology increases the chances of behavioural problems. Many kids are losing sleep due to their minds being overactive and unable to rapidly shut down once they have stopped playing games. Believe it or not, technology is extremely dangerous. The number of people who text while driving is alarmingly high and the number of fatalities this has cause is atrocious. Texting while driving causes 1,600,000 accidents per year and 330,000 injuries per year. Even texting while walking is a danger some people actually think that it is worse than texting while driving. People are so distracted that they may walk into walls, fall down the stairs or step into traffic. A study says the number of people who were killed rose from 4,109 to 4,432 in 2011 as a result of texting while walking. Consequently, people who get distracted by their phone end up walking past where they were meant to be going or step into traffic and end up visiting AE. The content on the internet actually has the capability to ruin people’s lives. Many people are naà ¯ve to the dangers of the internet and believe that they are perfectly safe when signing up for sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. People record their lives rather than actually living them. All the photos posted and status updates mean that pretty much everyone knows what is going on in your life. Who needs privacy? Sites like this are also making child grooming more and more common. Many children are oblivious to the fact they are being groomed in the first place, they only realise once it has gone too far. Numerous amounts of people put their personal details on these sites without a second thought then become hysteric when someone they don’t know contacts them. The worst of them all are dating sites. They’re impersonal and a nightmare. How do you know who you’re really talking to? Do you honestly believe that everything you read is the truth ? Dating sites create an air of apprehension and uncertainty as you don’t actually know who you’re going to meet, it could be anyone. Technology has completely changed morning routines. People are checking their phone before they even move from their beds. Once they actually make it out of their beds, they get ready for the day but they’ve always got their phone in eyesight. Many teens end up being late for school or work because they’re too distracted by their devices which results in them having less time to get ready. The majority of them have to post a ‘selfie’ before they leave the house which takes them at least 10 minutes due to the fact that they take multiple pictures then skim through them picking and choosing which ones they like and which ones they don’t. Many older people post a status complaining about work before they leave and then worry that someone from their work will actually see it so they delete it or they waste time going through their friends to make sure no one from their work is on the list. What’s the point in wasting their time doing that when the y could just not post anything in the first place? Technology makes us ungrateful and competitive. The majority of people purchase a new device but never think that it is that great. If a page doesn’t load we snap and whinge about how horrific the device is. As new devices come out, we expect them to be more extravagant and pleasing. We want them to exceed expectations and when they don’t, we are outraged. We post pictures of our lives on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to update people on what we’re doing but get envious when we see that people are engaging in activities more fascinating than ours. Technology can ruin our relationships with friends and even family. Even though it is easier to connect with loved ones who are in a different country, our jealousy overpowers any other feeling when we see how great their life is in the sun while we’re stuck in the rain. Technology has made our lives easier but as a consequence it has made us lazy. Who needs to get out of bed and get dressed when you can lie there all day and watch Netflix? Many people are missing out on social occasions because they spend all day watching the latest TV series or films. With all the gaming gadgets that are available nowadays, many people are barely ever stepping out of their houses unless it’s unavoidable. Likewise people are googling everything. â€Å"How to tie a tie† gets over 500,000 searches per month and more than 1,000 people even search â€Å"how to boil water.† To conclude, technology has changed many aspects of our lives both negatively and positively but the negatives definitely outweigh the positives. We have all become isolated, lazy and oblivious to the dangers we face when using these devices. Everywhere we go, technology surrounds us. We can’t escape it, but should we embrace it all the time? I think not. Bibliography http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/tim-too-much-technology http://www.thewire.com/technology/2012/08/technology-doesn’t-ruin-our-lives-we-do/55300/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/10336750/Mobile-phones-destroying-peoples-private-lives.html

Kenneth Branaghs Loves Labours Lost :: Kenneth Branagh Love Labour Lost Essays

Kenneth Branagh's Love's Labour's Lost In our teaching of Shakespearean film adaptation to undergraduates, one of the issues that frequently arises in class discussions is the question of how the visuality of the cinematic medium is constructed in tension against the verbal nature of Shakespeare's dialogue. The tension between the visual and verbal dimensions of filming Shakespeare is created on two levels: firstly, where the poetry of Shakespeare, functioning as word pictures that stimulate and enhance the imagination of the spectator is set against the capacity of film to show rather than tell; and secondly, where the adaptation negotiates with the canonicity of the Shakespearean text through the mode of the popular.[1] One recent example is Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) in which the play was made to compete radically with what has been called Luhrmann's 'MTV'-inspired editing, pacing and styling. [2] Another is Branagh's Hamlet (1996), where the concentrated effort to retain every single line of the play created its own burden of visualisation.[3] The creative energy of a Shakespearean film adaptation is often sustained by the dynamic of creating a visual track to 'match' the play's dialogue; in other words, by the question of what images can be used to animate or do 'justice' to Shakespeare's text. Where Shakespeare on film had once been expected to retain the traits of 'high' theatre and art, complete with 'authentic' period costumes,[4] recent adaptations have become more adventurous, liberally adopting popular idioms and surprising expectations of 'Shakespeare' by visual styles drawn from contemporary entertainment.[5] Kenneth Branagh's Love's Labour's Lost (2000), the focus of this paper, adapts Shakespeare's play to the American movie musical, but it depends less on creating a contemporary visual track that runs parallel to the text than on interpolating an aural one which intercepts and weaves another lyric and melodic text into it. Samuel Crowl argues that the musical is a 'very American' genre, which he surmises accounts for the relative lack of success of the film (40). In our analysis, we will discuss the conversion of Shakespeare's poetic form into the musical form, and explore how the engagement of the spectator's aural experience (i.e. through the music and songs) is as important as the visual, if not more so, in negotiating the transfer of Shakespeare to the screen. We have identified three strategies of adaptation which we will discuss in the three sections of this essay firstly, the exchange of poetry with popular song; secondly, the construction of spectatorship and listenership as recovery and recollection; and finally, the performativity that mediates between the poetic and musical forms.

Death Penalty :: essays research papers fc

1st Negative case You have heard from the affirmative side and you may disagree or agree with some of their points, but the reality is that their plan will not and cannot succeed in today’s society. True, on paper the plan looks very good, but it will not work. Today’s present system, with the death penalty is much better off then without it. The negative side, which my partner and I represent, feels that the death penalty should not be abolished and that today’s system, which allows states to choose if they want to impose the death penalty, should continue to be used. It is true that innocent people have been executed, but that number is miniscule compared to the amount of â€Å"true† criminals that are rightfully executed. There is 28-step procedure necessary before any person can be given a death sentence. By having the process consist of numerous steps and involving many different people, human error is greatly reduced. The death penalty is not raciall y or gender bias, much to the contrary of what the affirmative team believes. The fact is that men commit more crimes, so they will be convicted at a greater rate then women. The ratio of men to women on death row and executed is 68:1 or 3400:50 (NAACP Spring 1996). From 1976-1994, men committed 7 times as many murders as women or a 7:1 ratio (Sourcebook ’94). Therefore, it may be statically shown that men are, by a 70:1 ratio, more likely to be on death row then are women. Like gender bias, racial bias is nonexistent in the rulings involving the death penalty. Whites represent 56% of those executed, and blacks 38% (NAACP Summer of 1996). The other 6% are other minorities. The death penalty is not bias to any race, but by just looking at the numbers it may seem that it is. The total populations of each race will give the illusion of bias, but that is not true. The affirmative side also argues that the cost of life in prison without parole is much cheaper then the cost of the death penalty, but this, like their charge of bias, is also untrue. The death penalty is millions cheaper then life without parole in the long run, but when our numbers are compared to the affirmative’s numbers no right or wrong conclusion can be reached. No one team can give impartial numbers since studies by both sides are bias.

Banana Peel as an alternative for a shoe polish Essay

I. Rationale Banana is a staple starch for many tropical populations.Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy. Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber. There many uses of the â€Å"banana†; banana sap from the pseudostem, peelings or flesh may be sufficiently sticky for adhesive uses, the large leaves may be used as umbrellas and many more. One of these is the banana peel.We eat banana almost everyday. There are 100 bananas consumed in the UK alone, how much more would it be including the rest of the world? Aside from us being satisfied from it, instead of throwing the peel after we eat or putting it aside why not use them. By doing this we can help in lessening the chemical use in the society, to maintain a greener environment and to save money by using alternatives. Instead of banana peel,is there another alternative for a shoe polisher? An alcohol. Alcohol is more effective than the banana peel because it can really clean any item while the banana peel might stain the shoe. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The study aspired primarily, to search for alternative ways of a shoe polisher. Lastly, to make a simple preparation and pocket friendly. 1.How do you use the banana peel? 2. Will the banana leave an odor on the shoe once it has been rubbed? 3. Does alcohol have dangerous chemicals that can destroy the shoe? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Our goal for our project is to share useful informations on how to save money and to be resourceful.This finding will not only benefit the people but also for our Mother Earth. III. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES The review of the study focuses on the banana peel and the alcohol, on wich works best.Why the banana peel is one of the alternatives for a shoe polisher,what’s in it’s skin that makes it an alternative for a shoe polish. http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Banana-Peels,Banana peels are as useful as banana. The contain antifungal,antibiotic and enzymatic properties that can be put to good use. Plus they’re moist and nutritious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_peel,Banana peels are also used for water purification, to produce ethanol, cellulase, laccase and in composting. Definition of Terms: Antifungal- destroying fungal and their growth. Antibiotic- a medicine that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms. Enzymatic- of relating to, or produced by an enzyme. Moist- slightly wet. Nutritious- nourishing Purification- is when things are cleaned and made pure. Ethanol- an intoxicating liquor containing this liquid. Cellulase- an enzyme that converts cellulose into glucose or a disaccharide. Laccase- are copper-containing oxides enzymes that are found in many plants,fungi and microorganisms. IV. Materials †¢Banana peel †¢Alcohol †¢soft cloth or brush V. Procedure First, peel a banana and separate the peel into three pieces. Preferably, wait until you want to eat a banana rather than peeling one just for your shoes. Second, rub your leather shoes with the inside of the banana peel. Use the same circular motions that you would use with regular shoe polish.Don’t worry if it gets a little messy. Lastly, Buff the shoe with a soft cloth. An old T-shirt or dust cloth will work well. This will remove  any banana that may have been left behind on the shoe. (do this with the alcohol) VI. Time Table Date: Time: What to do/task: 1/29/15 Assign on who will bring the assigned materials. 2/1/15 Start the project. VII. Budget We won’t be buying anything because the materials can be found in the house. VII. Proponents Clarita Isabel Baran Donessa Kasandra Rule Villafranca Khazel Mae Yntig Maila Angela Ybiernas