The Most Influential Person in This Era Essay Example for Free

The Most Influential Person in This Era Essay The world in gradually evolving day by day and it is us, the people from all over different countries, who make it happens. But like always, there are those people whose influence, despite the distance, affect others across the nations and whose names stick forever in the history. On the contrary, there are also people who individually change our life. Bill Gates, for instance, has brought us to the whole new level of technology with his invention of Microsoft, which is known to be the most dominated software for computers. Microsoft also became the name of the largest software corporation. There is no doubt that without his role there would not be any work done, there would not be any lists completed. As an ordinary person himself, I believe Bill Gates grew up with the same thing we have today. But what made him what he is today, are inevitably his determination to cross the boundaries, his intrepidity to take a risk, his perseverance to keep trying to reach his goal, and last but not least, his luck. Other experts at that time might time he was doing such an empty gesture, but knowing the truth that he eventually succeed, they might have a bitter pill to swallow. Even today, his name is widely spread. He even made it to the top list of the most influential people all over the world. Despite the fame, he is still willing to care for the needy. His investment in The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation means not only immediate advances for some, but also a ripple effect to many others. Improving life means a better living condition and a new hope for the future. By his work and donations, he has encouraged people of great and lesser wealth to be more considerate and to work for the good of the world community. We always think that it is formidable to be successful. We think that we should be the number one at school, we have to master some special skills, and whatsoever. But a matter of fact, those things are not really necessary. We do need to learn a lot but our success is not always determined by how many books we read and how adroit we are in certain subjects. I ever read something really interesting about Bill Gates where he quoted â€Å"I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed it all. Now he is an engineer at Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.† You can never predict when you will actually be the future most influential person.

Flight of the Kittyhawk Essay Example for Free

Flight of the Kittyhawk Essay The case showed that HP valued technical innovation as a key to the business success. From the beginning, HP had employed a management by objective (MBO) process that motivated its people to focus on the potential paths of innovation and strategy to achieve its goals. Hence, when the idea for the Kittyhawk project came up, Spenner received the support of Hackborn , and Rey Smelek , the same people who promoted Spenner to General Manager of the Disk Memory Division (DMD) and supported Spenners â€Å"concept-driven thinking. The project also received executive support from the top ranks of HP despite the hesitation of some of the RD section managers in view of the unclear market of the proposed new product. HP seems to have done everything right. They had set up an autonomous project team, and gave the project heavy senior management support. It was then easy for Spenner to create the team for the development of the project. The Kittyhawk team was not governed by the divisions traditional development processes and was given autonomy to develop the drive, find new markets and cultivate its customer base. Seymour and White, both with reputations for â€Å"quick-thinking and action,† led the R;D and marketing divisions, respectively. The Kittyhawk managers carefully selected their staff of exceptional employees from within HP, composed of risk-takers that would be more excited by the market potential of a 1. 3-inch drive than by its technological capabilities. HP has never been a pioneer in the disk-drive business, and Kittyhawk was considered a pioneering effort by the company. HP concentrated its efforts on the most productive stages of the NPD process. The core team for the development of the 1. -inch drive came from within the company. The whole process of development was done within the company but the project team outsourced the manufacture of the drive to an external supplier with proven expertise in miniaturized manufacturing Japans Citizen Watch Corporation which designed and built an automated production line for Kittyhawk. Initial market research was undertaken by S eymour and White but to give Spenner reassurance, the team contracted a highly reputable research firm that specialized in high tech markets to independently gauge the magnitude of Kittyhawks opportunity. However, as no clear market was evident yet, the research firm ended up deriving their conclusions from the Kittyhawk team. As a result, the results of the independent study only mirrored the thoughts of the team. This may have contributed to the error in the target market of the Kittyhawk. HP provided adequate resources and focused R;D funding to the project team which were critical to the success of its NPD process. Eventually, the Kittyhawk project failed to meet its goals but HP still acknowledged its value.

Review Of A Trip To The Moon Film Studies Essay

Review Of A Trip To The Moon Film Studies Essay Nowadays, cinema is significantly commercial and digitalised. However, the unique and often entertaining black and white films of the early twentieth century should not be forgotten. They should in fact be revered as films in their own right. A perfect example of early cinema at its peak is A Trip to the Moon (aka Le Voyage dans la Lune), which was directed by film pioneer George M li s in 1902. The majority of films from this period dealt with simple scenes of everyday life, such as the knocking down of a garden wall or the arrival of a train. However M li s made the transition from these early shorts to a more modern form of montage, which led A Trip to the Moon being regarded as a masterpiece of early cinema. The first scene of the film opens with a group of astronomers holding a meeting in order to discuss how to travel to the moon. The main astronomer, played by M li s, suggests that they build some type of capsule and fire themselves at the moon. After some argument, the scientists agree and build a cannon and a bullet-shaped capsule. They are launched at the moon via cannon by a group of showgirls and land comically in the eye of the moon. Once on the lunar surface, they meet the Selenites, the alien hostile inhabitants of the moon. One of M li s main inspirations for the film would be Jules Verne s novel From the Earth to the Moon, from which he got the idea of the projected capsule at the moon. The film also contains elements from H.G. Wells novel The First Men in the Moon, for example, the underground moon cave with gigantic mushrooms and the vulnerable inhabitants, the Selenites. M li s was a master of visual illusion due to him being a professional magician and a producer of theatre. He followed the lead of other nineteenth century stage magicians, such as Jean Robert-Houdin, by integrating the newest technology into his theatrical spectacles. With film, M li s embraced its theatrical possibilities and through experimentation, he made swift advances in special effects, film editing, intricate sets and costumes, and literary content. The set design of the various scenes is elaborate. The painted backdrops merge flawlessly with the constructed parts and props, creating settings with great depth. The set design, costumes, and anthropomorphic objects provide the film with a fantastical surreal appeal, which both attract and astonish audiences. M li s was one of the first filmmakers to make use of special effects, using a number of ingenious techniques to create illusions. Cinematic devices such as stop-motion photography and film splicing were used to give the illusion of objects vanishing or changing. Examples of these techniques can be seen in the Selenites disappearing into a puff of smoke when hit by the scientists and the approach of the capsule towards the moon. For the duration of the film, spectacle, burlesque, and even absurdity frequently dominate over scientific logic and realism. For instance, in the supposedly scientific scene of the launching of the capsule, the cannon is loaded by a troupe of showgirls dressed in a burlesque version of sailor suits (Gunning ). M li s openly acknowledged the dominance of special effects over the storyline in his films as he once wrote, As for the scenario, the story or tale, I considered it last I utilized it only as a pretext, a context for tricks or pleasing theatrical effects (Gunning ). A Trip to the Moon is not a forgotten gem of early cinematic history, but a film of energy, imagination, exploration, and humour that still pleasure audiences today. 2. A film review of Duck Soup (1933) The film Duck Soup, starring the Marx Brothers, is a funny satire with lively gags and some of the best physical comedy ever in cinema. Although it is nowadays regarded as a comic masterpiece, the film received poor reviews when it first came out in 1933, mainly for its satirising of politics and warmongering. Even to this day the Marx Brothers are greatly revered because of their masterful ability to treat their audience to riotous slapstick comedy, puns, deadpan one-liners, brief sight gags, and other subtler humour. All of the Marx Brothers comedy films were extensions of their vaudeville days. Duck Soup is a perfect example, where the visual gags that had previously worked so well on the stage are incorporated into the film. The 1933 film was directed by Leo McCarey. The film stars Groucho Marx, who plays Rufus Firefly, the new appointed president of the fictional nation of Freedonia. Firefly has a questioning attitude towards work ethic, which can be seen as he attempts to decrease work hours by shortening the length of lunch breaks for the workers. Rufus becomes infatuated with Mrs. Teasdale, but he is in competition for her hand with Ambassador Trentino of the neighbouring country of Sylvania. Rufus immediately insults the Sylvanian ambassador by slapping him across the face instead of shaking his hand. War is consequently declared between the two countries. However, the plot of the film is not of any real importance as it mainly serves as a chance for the brothers to make fun of dictators, government bureaucracy and the irrationality of reckless war. Duck Soup features the Marx Brothers at their very best. Both the continuous sequence of laughs and the satirical storyline are hilarious in their own right, but the film also provides the individual comedy sequences for the brothers, which are the real highlight of the film. The film contains some of their best material, providing a variety of comic settings and dialogue and some quite entertaining musical sequences. Some examples would be the mirror sequence, the telephone sequence, the peanut stall interchange, the riddles, and the final battle. The mirror sequence is by far the most entertaining scene in the film, where Harpo, and Chico, and Groucho are all dressed the same and they mimic each other s movements as if they re looking in a mirror at themselves. Another excellent example of Marx comedy is the peanut stand scene where Harpo and Chico have an altercation with a man who runs a lemonade stand next to Harpo s peanut stand. The film is a constant reel of comedy, from Groucho s entrance in the first scene to the bombing of the shelter in the final scene. Similar to other great comedies of the 1930s, Duck Soup does not require special effects or a completely logically storyline to attract an audience. Nowadays, Duck Soup is widely considered to be a stunning success of film comedy, and the Marx Brothers best film. CU4026: Introduction to Film Studies Film Review Assignment

Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctors Guilt and Sin Essay -- The Crucib

Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor's Guilt and Sin Guilt is something that weighs heavily on the human soul. It incorporates itself in our dreams, our thoughts, and our actions. Everywhere we turn, it stares us blankly in the face. While it is unbearable to suffer, guilt is an emotion that reaffirms our humanity. Repentance of a particular guilt, being spiritual, physical or both, is evidence that we are beyond the baseness of our animal tendencies. This fact has not gone unnoticed to the many great figures of literature. They have explored the sentiments of guilt and repentance by exploiting the conscience of flawed characters. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne presented to the world Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a man suffering in a past sin. Likewise, in his play The Crucible, the great modern playwright, Arthur Miller, penned the character of John Proctor to allegorize the dangers of moral passivity. Their guilt and repentance were the primary causes of their â€Å"undoing†. Dimmesdale and Proctor were both martyrs to their sin. More specifically, they were both martyrs to the sin of adultery. Being a man of the cloth, this was especially painful for Dimmesdale. How could â€Å"a ruined soul like [his] effect toward the redemption of other souls?† (Hawthorne 182). As he confessed so mournfully to Hester, his partner in sin, â€Å"Canst thou deem it, Hester, a consolation, that I must stand up in my pulpit and meet so many eyes turned up to my as if the light of heaven were beaming from it†¦and then look inward, and discern the black reality of what they idolize?†(Hawthorne 182). He was so consumed by his hypocrisy that he turned to self-masochism as a means of escape. In stark contrast to Hester’s outward ... ...e†(Miller 22). All he wanted to do was get on with his farming and continue to live happily with his wife. It was only when the witch hunt directly affected him did he realize the gravity of his mistake. This was completely different to Dimmesdale’s seven long years of suffering. However, unlike Dimmesdale, when faced with the decision to confess and live or stand by his convictions and die, Proctor’s love for life interfered. He had so much to live for including his children and his livelihood. Only his honor steered him back to the importance of his cause. Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor were both martyrs for personal and societal guilt. They paid earthly penances and the final penance of death. Their â€Å"undoing† was a necessity for a society at the brink. Without their sacrifice, the society they lived in would have collapsed under its own weight.

Rise of Professionalism in Sports Essay -- Basketball Football Money G

Sports, in the context of our present day society, cover a vast range of activities, such as athletics, bowling, basketball, soccer, etc. Any game or competition that is designed to test physical skill is considered a sport; hence the list of sports can go on endlessly. In the past, all these were only very simple games, but they have evolved tremendously over the years and now, have become very professional sports, with many high-tech equipment to boost the sportsman’s performance. Bowling provides an excellent example; it dates all the way back to 5200 BC in Egypt, where kids literally take a ball-like object to throw at marble bars, resembling pins. It then slowly spreaded to other countries, where the game was gradually modified to today’s ten-pin bowling. Unlike the ancient times, there are bowling alleys now, equipped with wooden or synthetic lanes with varied oiling patterns. With the advancement of technology, various equipments such as wrist-guards, bowling shoes and personal bowling balls have been invented to aid bowlers in their game. Apart from all these, there are even various techniques and skills required to achieve excellence. Therefore, these sports have indeed proved themselves to have changed significantly over the years. Nowadays, sports have rise beyond national to international level of competition. Events, like the Olympics, SEA games, World Cup, etc. are held for countries to compete against each other in sports. Countries take special effort...

The Changing Role of Human Resources :: Human Resources Essays

Introduction In most companies today, the HR function provides vital services to such stakeholders as job applicants, workers, supervisors, middle managers, and executives. Yet, the HR function tends to be located at the end of the business chain, on the reactive side, and too frequently centers on carrying out actions rather than achieving outcomes. The role of the HR function is frequently one of providing people, training, and secluded HR efforts after others have formulated organizational strategy and have initiated operational accomplishment. Cost centered management of worker benefits programs such as health insurance, workers' compensation, and pension plans have also figure outstandingly in an effort to control out of control operating costs (Dunn, 2006). Discussion The HRM department at our company does not really play a strategic role in the organization. Presently they spend the majority of their time doing the day to day things like hiring people, training, and other HR efforts that allow the business to function everyday. In order for business to achieve success in the every changing business world it is important for HR departments to become more strategically aligned with the overall goals and efforts of companies. There are three key reasons why businesses are changing their methods. The first is reducing costs. HR departments should no longer want to be seen as just a support function and cost center, they need to show their value. Secondly, it is the competitiveness of business today and the fight to employ and retain people that will help drive the business. Finally, HR departments are now expected to have an understanding of how other departments function in order to make a valuable contribution to the whole of the business (Brockway, 2007). The HR professional who will succeed in guiding their organizations into the future will be those who understand and use business strategy; understand corporate culture, plans and policies; recognize future problems and work solutions; can deal with all types of people; can communicate well verbally and in writing; and can recognize, recruit and train future executives. As organizations continue to move towards collective systems and combined financial resources for managing their human capital, we are likely to see more organizational structures combining both HR and Organizational Development (OD). The time has come to quit debating OD's involvement in HR systems and seek the present opportunities of showcasing the skills of OD in building organizational capacity and having a measurable impact on workforce productivity.

Violating Social Norms Essay

Social norms are the shared expectations of what kind of behavior is acceptable and what isn’t. Violating social norms can be very amusing for the person who’s doing it, but can sometimes gather very hostile reactions from those around you. Violating personal space, standing on the wrong side of the escalator, walking on the wrong side of the sidewalk, wearing your clothes backwards and paying with change are just a few examples of how social norms can be broken. My partner Jordyn and I proved with our project that stepping outside of the box and violating social norms isn’t always as bad as it seems. For starters Jordyn and I decided we were going to violate a social norm by going to a food place and paying with change. At first I felt really awkward because I wasn’t sure how the cashier and those around us were going to react but I just went with it anyway. Jordyn went first and I filmed her, she waited in line like normal and oddly enough when she pulled out the change it really wasn’t that big of a deal for anyone. The cashier was really nonchalant about it and even helped her to count the change, it was all very casual. The results I got when it was my turn were very similar to Jordyn’s I went up and ordered my drink and when he told me the total I pulled out my change same as last time and the cashier helped me count the change, he seemed to have no problem with the fact that I was paying with change which was actually very refreshing. It didn’t feel like anyone was being judgmental and overall I just felt very comfortable with the whole situation. In conclusion violating social norms can have varying results depending on the act you’re taking part in and the people that are around you while you’re doing it. I feel that our project was very successful because we broke a social norm but we didn’t show up with all pennies which would have probably gotten a better reaction, but in my opinion would be slightly obnoxious. I know that if I were in a cashier’s position I would be pissed so we didn’t take it that far. Regardless of the type of change we paid in IÂ  think we definitely displayed a great example of violating a social norm and I’m very proud of our uniquely found success with this project.