The Crucible And Conversion By Arthur Milller - 1094 Words

Set centuries apart, Arthur Milller’s The Crucible and Katherine Howe’s Conversion, seem to reflect follow similar plot lines of rebellion, scandal, and sex. Both follow the lives of teenage girls who face similar problems despite the fact they are based centuries apart. The time of adolescence in a woman’s life is an extremely influential period when one either stands out as a dominant leader, or falls in line as a follower. Though The Crucible and Conversion are based over three hundred years apart, both focus on similar motifs regarding female adolescence including rebellious lust, and the desire for attention and one’s individual identity. The theme of rebellious lust is prevalent in both The Crucible and Conversion through the forbidden relationships of Abigail Williams and John Proctor, and Emma and Tad Mitchell. This concept of young teenage girls inappropriately being involved with older men is highly emphasized and is a main point in both stories. In The Crucible, the time of trial faced by the people of Salem Village is started by an unholy affair between teenager, Abigail Williams, and unfaithful husband, John Proctor. The act of sexual intercourse out of wedlock is an act of rebellion on both their parts, especially in the strictly Puritan community the is Salem Village. The church views this act of lechery, adultery, and lying as horrid sins for which both John and Abigail hold responsibility and will face punishment. Abigail is rebelling against the religious

Japanese Communication Styles - 1608 Words

Japanese Communication Styles Japanese Communication Styles Japanese communication patterns and styles can be confusing to Westerners. Americans are used to straight talk. Americans make great efforts to convey the exact intent of their message. Japanese interlocutors tend to use words as only part of the message they are trying to communicate. Other factors, such as silence, subtle body language, mood, tone, and intuition imply communication styles. I would like to explore the aspects of communication styles in terms of (1) body language and physical behavior, (2) silence, (3) eye contact and (4) saving face. It is often pointed out that throughout the long history of Japan; the Japanese have cultivated their unique†¦show more content†¦If it is a casual situation, you can bow like nodding. The most frequent bow is a bow of about fifteen degrees. Bowing is also an important part of the Japanese tea ceremony. Silence The use of silence in communication is not an exclusively Japanese phenomenon and all languages make extensive use of it. In Japan, however, it is a particularly important part of the language. While we in the West have programmed ourselves to listen for hidden meaning in a jumble of words and try to read between the lines. Japanese people listen to the silences, for hidden innuendo and deeper meaning, as if reading between the words. Just as the white space on the paper in Japanese graphics is an important part of the design, spoken Japanese flows among the silent spaces. Silence speaks loudly and clearly to the Japanese. There are many examples in Japanese culture where silence expresses meaning with great force or subliminal elegance. The Japanese tend to be suspicious of words; they are more concerned with actions. They believe in using silence as a way of communicating. They also believe it is better to talk too little than too much. Japanese people take special note of the pauses between words. They are comfortable with less talk and longer periods of silence than are Westerners. Japanese may even use the fact that silence disturbs Westerners as a strategy to unnerveShow MoreRelatedPreparing Professionally For A Visit1236 Words   |  5 Pagesof culture, which include context, individualism/collectivism, time orientation, power distance, and communication style, and research these dimensions in Japan’s culture in order to increase the odds of the business trip being a successful one. 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Thirdly, there will be a comparison as to how the cultural differences between Japan and the United States can be a barrier to successful trade and business andRead MoreGung Ho and Office Space Organizational Communication1697 Words   |  7 PagesMcCroskey’s â€Å"Organizational Com munication for Survival† states that â€Å"some people believe ‘competent communication’ is ‘competent communication’ no matter where it is practiced†. (1) I believe this to be entirely untrue. Subordinate to subordinate communication differs greatly from subordinate to supervisor communication. As is true for different cultures communicating. In the movies â€Å"Office Space† and â€Å"Gung-Ho† we see two different work places with different management styles, different office cultureRead MoreCauses of the Hyper Growth Phenomenon in China and Japan Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pageseconomic bodies in the world and they both have rich history in business system development. 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In context of timing Japanese prefer completing their work even they ignore the time element as completion of work is the main target for the Japanese and this is totallyRead MoreThe Ideal Models Of Negotiation740 Words   |  3 Pagesobjectives as contrary, while in the last they view themselves as to have good objectives (Remigiusz, 2008). Individual style is a concern of the structures a negotiator uses to cooperate with partners at the table. Culture firmly impacts the personal style of negotiators. It has been seen, for instance, that Germans have a more formal style than Americans. A negotiator with a formal style demands lean towards to partners by their Titles, keeps away from individual stories, and ceases from inquiries touchingRead MoreNonverbal Communication And The Social Norms Of Communication1627 Words   |  7 PagesWhile communication across cultures relies on speech to convey the messages of those living in the same society, usually the unspoken language has a larger role to play in delivering these messages. Similar to the country’s language being specific to the region it surfaces from, body language and facial expressions also have individual characteristics within a particular region. There are shared attributes of nonverbal communication across the world but these are commonly divided into high and lowRead MoreCase Study Analysis of Lajolla Software, Inc.1209 Words   |  5 PagesCase Study Analysis of LaJolla Software, Inc. Bus 600: Management Communications with Technology Tools Instructor: Sara Garski January 31, 2011 With the rapidly growing state of todays start-ups, fostering good overseas partnerships are essential in any business seeking to expand their company internationally. With such expansions, come becoming inter-culturally involved with those partnerships so that both party’s implicated can expand exponentially, building off one another. In theRead MoreOrganizational Behavior Around The World : Japan1087 Words   |  5 Pagescannot be used to perfectly fit in Japanese companies, nor can Japanese management styles be imposed on American organizations without a clash of cultures occurring. While these generalities cannot always be used for entire nations, it is important to note that organizational behavior must be understood between cultures to conduct business efficiently and seamlessly. Differences in Management and Leadership One theory proposes that an underlying factor in Japanese and American managers’ distinctionsRead MoreCritical Evaluation Of Journal Article1647 Words   |  7 PagesCritical Evaluation of Journal Article: Peltokorpi, V. (2010) Intercultural communication in foreign subsidiaries: The influence of expatriates’ language and cultural competencies, Scandinavian Journal of Management, 26, 176-188. Introduction This paper will critically evaluate the above journal article in question and offer appropriate views and aspects that have been ignored by the author in this study. Initially, a brief summary of the article will be outlined, followed by an analysis and evaluation

Communication Technology and Change

Question: Discuss about theCommunication Technology and Change. Answer: Introduction The process of communication is defined as a two-way procedure of reaching mutual understanding where the participants encode and decode the information along with their feelings, news and ideas (WISE, 2006). In addition to this, the process of communication also helps in sharing and creating meaning. In other words, it can be said that the procedure of communication helps in connecting people. Moreover, it has been found that there are various types of communication technologies and in various aspects like among friendship, business personnel different types of communication technologies are utilized. For example, all horizontal, vertical and diagonal communication technologies are utilized within business and among friendship assemblages, only horizontal communication takes place. Communication technology is defined as the activity that helps in constructing, designing and maintaining the systems of communication. It has been found that there are various types of communication tech nologies, these include email, instant messaging, texting, video conferencing, social networking, blogging and tweeting (Rosenfeld Kak, 2014). Additionally, it has been noted that the resources of these technologies have make it possible to communicate among the people. Among the business people, different modes of communication are utilized, these include email, social media and project management software. On the other hand, the effective modes of communication that are mostly utilized among the friendship assemblages include social networking sites, email, text messaging, face-to-face communication and telephonic communication (Horst Miller, 2013). Analysis- Friendship Assemblage It has been found that among all the modes of communication, nowadays, most of the communication among the friendship assemblages takes place through social networking sites. Social networking is a particular practice of enhancing the social contacts between the people by making connections among various individuals through the various sites of social media like Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Facebook (Tiidenberg Cruz, 2015). Based on the idea of the six degree of division that includes the design of connecting any two populace on the earth through a continuous sequence of no more than total five intermediaries, the social networking creates online communities that are interrelated. It has been found that the social graphs help the individuals to make contact as this should act as good for them (Horst Miller, 2013). Additionally, based on the platform of the social media, the individuals would be capable to contact other individuals who are the members. Moreover, the social networ king sites help the members to contact any other members with whom they have connections. It has been noted that along with the platforms of the social media, the capability of collaboration and communal interaction has increasingly created for business applications (Rainie et al., 2013). However, it has been found that the societal medium and the communal networking sites have changed the process of communication between the people. This has made the information and communication travel faster than earlier period of time, and this has made the world much smaller to people as the social network sites help to communicate and connect people across the world in few seconds. Therefore, this particular change has changed the mode of communication across the world. It has been noted that prior to the implementation of the social media, people were extremely limited in case of communicating and interacting with others. In earlier period, people used to be connected with limited numbers of people whom they knew in-person (Pratt et al., 2012). In those days, people have to wait long for receiving a letter. Even people have to wait longer than a week for receiving any pictures that have been sent by an individual through post. Therefore, it can be said that both the social media and the internet has changed the way of communicating and interacting with the people drastically across the world (Moorhead et al., 2013). In this current stage, social networking sites have become preferred options among the teenagers. Social networking sites are one of the easy ways for socializing online. Questions arise in thinking regarding the contour of companionship in and from side to side mediate spaces communicating in an informal way (Slack Wise, 2005). On the contrary, existing research on online acquaintance takes into software-sensitive advance. Addition to that, with close reading, it involves variety of socio-technical process whereby friendship is activated with use of Facebook (McDaniel et al., 2012). This involves registering, profile making as well as finding friends and communicating in an informal way. It reveals the facts regarding gathering of heterogeneous elements including both humans as well as non-humans. Therefore, attempts have been made in showing the traditional notion of friendship for creation of equals as well as free from structural constraints. It applies with the realm of social networking sites like software. This majorly increases assisting users for undertaking certain choices who will be their friends (Lin Atkin, 2014). Social network sites like Facebook, Twitter in addition to MySpace are some of the powerful marketing as well as communication tools. It is believed using these channels of communication can communicate with customers in an excellent way (Munir Phillips, 2005). These are some of the websites offering small as well as medium-sized business in accessing clients as affordable in the near future. It is essential in managing the Social Networking Tools for gaining relevant communications for responding comments in timely way. It adds contents to the page as well as keeping customers with updated information in new and exciting way (Horst Miller, 2013). Social Networking helps business in gaining contacts as well as clients and increased public awareness (Fuchs et al., 2013). In other words, Entrepreneurs runs small business from their homes for gaining advantage from resources for setting up global presence. It requires making social networking sites for gaining concept for social networking in applying for growth of business. Before evolution of internet, there was existence of social networking (Fuller, 2015). Shared network when a particular individual using obtainable contacts for meeting new people as possible sources or any of the commerce links these relations for helping expanding future connections Most of the small as well as local business for attending community events or in case of participating especially in trade shows (Duggan Brenner, 2013). In other words, it get the corporation name or connect with company for obliging capital for network activities. In recent times, Technology makes possible for do online for face-to-face communication. It requires comparing social networking for concepts of degrees of division. This is based upon the thought with two people for connecting with chain of five or less than intermediaries connect. In other words, Social Networking occurs from the usage of social networking sites as well as communities in forming before the evolution of internet (De Vries et al., 2012). These sites joining as well as inviting their established contacts for inviting other individuals at the same time Social Networking Sites creates assistance in case of online networking. In other words, sites are communities for creating for supporting common theme (Fishman et al., 1993). Addition to that, creation of social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace. This site makes individuals in gaining opportunities for meeting new people as well as associates in their own group of people in and diagonally the world. Business following the trend as MySpace encourages smaller as well as medium-sized business in setting online storefront (Fuchs et al., 2013). This act as a powerful ways for advertising as well as promoting business activities Individuals become friends or fans for updating on current events as well as specials and other essential information for the business in sharing behavior. Using the degree of division idea, new friend will depiction the trade with new set of populace scheduled in the personal acquaintances (Fuchs et al., 2013). It will be treated under online social networking sites for acting as an active member of community or sites. Social Media draws under quick as well easy way for connecting with friends and loved ones (Horst Miller, 2013). Exciting news regarding life can be shared in social media in way of keeping status, pictures and videos. It requires sharing details regarding day for sharing anything in accordance with life. In case of family staying miles away, it renders chance in feeling like fraction of the life with no any airplane tickets or long distance phone calls at the same time. In other words, this probably is the top communal media stage serving the reason in Facebook. Therefore, these particular sites combine status, photos as well as videos for being in the optimal site for sharing of life and other aspects (Vaishnavi Kuechler, 2015). Individuals who are looking for understanding people should move to new town as Twitter offers more opportunities for networking as well as understanding their perspectives. There are mostly Twitter meets up for few people in town. In other words, it is one of the great ways for meeting people in a casual environment (Horst Miller, 2013). Therefore, Twitter utilizes hash tags for talking regarding the people. It can look for the hash tags for the city as well as connecting with people in sharing of information for residing at a place (Horst Miller, 2013). Facebook tells the followers for going on the business as well as Facebook page. In other words, it provides useful information for the followers for engaging activities. It requires unfamiliarity of information for starting up Facebook page (Fuchs et al., 2013). This particular course gains understanding of starting business with Facebook. On the other hand, twitter shares news as well as updates business on quick terms. Unlike Facebook, it is essential for interacting with followers in the near future. It renders chances for finding like-minded people with the help of hash tags as mentioned before. It finds out accounts for relating business in giving news as well as updating for fitting the best interest of individuals. It can interact with from methods as well as finding out new fans for followers in business activities (Vaishnavi Kuechler, 2015). Like preliminary with Facebook for create first tweet as well as ahead group for intimidating activities Twitter has 465 million user as well as overwhelming for deciding for accounts for following the pages (Horst Miller, 2013). In other words, it finds out accounts in relating with business for rendering news as well as updates in fitting the interest of individuals. It gets started with Twitter as well as offers for course for business activities. Instagram is one of the societal medium instruments. Unlike Twitter, it mainly utilize for hash tags for making it easier for in agreement people for discovering trade in the near future (Horst Miller, 2013). This particular social media platform shows great deal in business for showing new arrivals. Taking photos of boutique as well as new arrivals for spring. Social Networking Media is one of the most essential ways for job searching for diving field (Vaishnavi Kuechler, 2015). In other words, hiring managers searching online in candidates names for making good impression for online activities Conclusion In case of business, it is essential for gaining understanding of social media attributes as far as promising. These are the site offering much dissimilar option for sharing in rank by different users. These sites provide various benefits for gaining comfortable position for the people. Facebook is one of the social networking sites allowing users for gaining business on intimate basis. It communicates with status updates as well as photos and messages at the same time. The main key towards successful for Facebook is communication. Patrons post for a query in page for responding for interacting people. It can be seen by showing like option by the followers. Interaction is not the only criteria for getting it noticed by the individuals. It tells followers in business updates with status, photos and links. There are various ways for helping in network professionals in casual ways. It requires hosting of Twitter profile for informational as well as interesting ways in the near future. S ocial Media mastering with friends as well as followers and connections in and around the world Reference List De Vries, L., Gensler, S., Leeflang, P. S. (2012). Popularity of brand posts on brand fan pages: An investigation of the effects of social media marketing. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 26(2), 83-91. Duggan, M., Brenner, J. (2013). The demographics of social media users, 2012 (Vol. 14). Washington, DC: Pew Research Center's Internet American Life Project. Fishman, A., Gandal, N., Shy, O. (1993). Planned obsolescence as an engine of technological progress. The Journal of Industrial Economics, 361-370. Fuchs, C., Boersma, K., Albrechtslund, A., Sandoval, M. (2013). Internet and surveillance: The challenges of Web 2.0 and social media (Vol. 16). Routledge. Fuller, G. (2015). Meta: aesthetics of the media assemblage. Platform: journal of media and communication, 6, 73-85. Horst, H. A., Miller, D. (2013). Digital anthropology. AC Black. Lin, C. A., Atkin, D. J. (2014). Communication technology and social change: Theory and implications. Routledge. McDaniel, B. T., Coyne, S. M., Holmes, E. K. (2012). New mothers and media use: Associations between blogging, social networking, and maternal well-being. Maternal and child health journal, 16(7), 1509-1517. Moorhead, S. A., Hazlett, D. E., Harrison, L., Carroll, J. K., Irwin, A., Hoving, C. (2012). A new dimension of health care: systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communication. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(4), e85. Munir, K. A., Phillips, N. (2005). The birth of the'Kodak Moment': Institutional entrepreneurship and the adoption of new technologies. Organization studies, 26(11), 1665-1687. Pratt, M., Sarmiento, O. L., Montes, F., Ogilvie, D., Marcus, B. H., Perez, L. G., ... Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group. (2012). The implications of megatrends in information and communication technology and transportation for changes in global physical activity. The Lancet, 380(9838), 282-293. Rainie, L., Smith, A., Schlozman, K. L., Brady, H., Verba, S. (2013). Social media and political engagement. Pew Internet American Life Project, 19. Rosenfeld, A., Kak, A. C. (2014). Digital picture processing (Vol. 1). Elsevier. Slack, J. D., Wise, J. M. (2005). Articulation and assemblage. Culture+ technology: A primer, 125-133. Tiidenberg, K., Cruz, E. G. (2015). Selfies, Image and the Re-making of the Body. Body Society, 1357034X15592465. WISE, M. (2006). Cultural studies and communication technology. LA Livingstone, The Handbook of New Media, 141-162.

Revision notes free essay sample

Hardware is the physical parts of the computer system – the parts that you can touch and see. A motherboard, a CPU, a keyboard and a monitor are all items of hardware What is Software? Software is a collection of instructions that can be ‘run’ on a computer. These instructions tell the computer what to do. Software is not a physical thing (but it can of course be stored on a physical medium such as a CD-ROM), it is just a bunch of codes. An operating system such as Windows XP or Mac OS X, applications such as Microsoft Word, and the instructions that control a robot are all examples of software. The Difference Between Hardware and Software? Computer hardware is the physical components that make up the computer system. Hardware is useless without software to run on it. Software is instructions that tell computer hardware what to do. Software is useless unless there is hardware to run it on. We will write a custom essay sample on Revision notes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For a computer system to be useful it has to consist of both hardware and software. Central Processing Unit (CPU) The CPU is the brain of the computer. It is the device that carries out software instructions. The Pentium processor made by Intel is an example of a CPU. CPUs usually plug into a large socket on the main circuit board (the motherboard) of a computer. They get very hot when they are operating so usually have a large fan attached to their top to keep them cool. Random Access Memory (RAM) Random Access Memory (RAM) is the part of the computer that temporarily stores the instructions that the computer is running, and the data it is processing. RAM is a volatile storage device. This means that if the computer’s power is turned off the contents of RAM disappear and are lost. RAM, like the CPU, also plugs in to sockets on the motherboard. When a computer is in use, its RAM will contain Read-Only Memory (ROM) Read-Only Memory (ROM) is used in most computers to hold a small, special piece of software: the boot up program. This software runs when the computer is switched on or boots up. The software checks the computer’s hardware and then loads the operating system. ROM is non-volatile storage. This means that the data it contains is never lost, even if the power is switched off. Graphical User Interface (GUI) A GUI is an interface built around visual (graphical) things. Windows are regions of the screen used to display information. Icons are small pictures that are used to represent folders, software, etc. Menus are lists of options the user can select from. A pointer is an arrow that can be moved around the screen and is used to select things. Windows XP is an example of an operating system with a GUI. GUIs are quite easy to use due to the visual nature of the interface – the user has lots of visual clues as to what things do. However, to display all of the nice graphics required by a GUI takes a lot of computing power so quite a powerful computer is needed. Mainframe Computer A mainframe computer is a large computer, often used by large businesses, in government offices, or by universities. Mainframe computers are typically: Powerful they can process vast amounts of data, very quickly. Large they are often kept in special, air-conditioned rooms. Multi-user they allow several users (sometimes hundreds) to use the computer at the same time, connected via remote terminals (screens and keyboards). Laptop Computer A laptop computer is a light, compact and portable PC. Laptops contain a rechargeable battery so that they can be used even when not plugged in to a mains power supply. They also have a built-in LCD monitor. To make them as portable as possible, most laptops try to avoid any sort of cable or wire. Instead of a mouse, a track pad is used. Instead of a wired connection to a network or printer, wireless radio connections are used. MICR Reader Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) is a technology that allows details from bank cheques to be read into a computer quickly and accurately. The cheque number and bank account number are printed at the bottom of each bank cheque in special magnetic ink using a special font. An MICR reader can detect these numbers. OMR Scanner Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) is a technology that allows the data from a multiple-choice type form to be read quickly and accurately into a computer. Special OMR forms are used which have spaces that can be coloured in (usually using a pencil). An OMR scanner can then detect these marks. Common uses of OMR are multiple-choice exam answer sheets and lottery number forms. OCR Scanner Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a software technology that can convert images of text into an actual text file that can then be edited, e. g. using word-processing software). The result is just as if the text had been typed in by hand. OCR is typically used after a page of a book has been scanned. The scanned image of the page is then analyzed by the OCR software, which looks for recognizable letter shapes and generates a matching text file. Advanced OCR software can recognize normal handwriting as well as printed text this is usually called handwriting recognition. Sensors A sensor is a device that converts a real-world property (e. g. temperature) into data that a computer can process. Examples of sensors and the properties they detect are A sensor measures a specific property data and sends a signal to the computer. Usually this is an analogue signal so it needs to be converted into digital data for the computer to process. This is done using by an Analogue-to-Digital Converter (ADC). Sensors are used extensively in monitoring / measuring / data logging systems, and also in computer control systems. SensorWhat it Detects TemperatureTemperature LightLight / dark PressurePressure (e. g. someone standing on it) MoistureDampness / dryness Water-levelHow full / empty a container is MovementMovement nearby ProximityHow close / far something is. Switch or buttonIf something is touching / pressing it Printers Dot-Matrix Printer A dot-matrix printer is named after the pattern (a grid or ‘matrix’) of dots used when creating the paper printout. Dot-matrix print quality is poor, the printers are noisy, and there are much better printing systems available today. However, the dot-matrix printers are still used in certain situations: Since the pins actually hit the paper, several ‘carbon-copies’ can be printed in one go. An example of this is airline tickets, which have several duplicate pages, all printed in one go. The print mechanism is very cheap, and the inked ribbons last for a long time. So, where cheap, low-quality printouts are required, dot-matrix printers are used. An example is shop receipts. Inkjet Printer Cheap, high-quality, full-color printing became available during the 1980s due to the development of ink-jet printers. Ink-jet printers are very quiet in use. Since they have so few moving parts they are also cheap to manufacture and thus cheap to purchase. However, the ink is very expensive to buy (this is how the printer companies make their profits! ) so the printers are expensive to use. Laser Printer Laser printers are very complex devices, and thus expensive to buy. However they are very cheap to use. This is because they produce marks on paper using a fine dust called toner that is relatively cheap to buy. A single toner cartridge will often last for 5,000-10,000 pages of printing. The laser printer uses a complex system, involving a laser, to make the toner stick to the required parts of the paper. (This system is very different to a dot-matrix or ink-jet, and you don’t need to know the details. )The laser and toner system allows very fast printing compared to other printers (just a few seconds per page). Plotter Plotters create hard copy in a very different way to printers. Instead of building up text and images from tiny dots, plotters draw on the paper using a pen. The pens are held in an arm which can lift the pen up or down, and which can move across the paper. The arm and pen create a drawing just like a human could, but much more accurately and more quickly. Different coloured pens can be used to produce coloured line drawings. Designers and architects often use plotters since they work with huge pieces of paper, far bigger than anything a normal printer could work with Why Backup Your Data? If you delete a file by accident, your computer breaks, your laptop is stolen, or your business burns to the ground, having a backup copy means that you have not lost your precious data. You can recover your lost files and continue working. Most businesses use computers to store very important data (customer records, financial information, designs for products, etc. ) If this data is lost, the business could possibly have to close. Backing-up business data is essential. How Are Backups Created? Personal backups of the data on your hard-drive can be made by†¦Burning files to a CD-R. Copying files to an external hard-drive. Copying the files to another computer on a network. Businesses backup essential data by†¦Making copies of data very regularly. Using large-capacity media such as magnetic tape. Keeping old copies of backups, just in case. Automating the system so that nobody forgets to do it! Keeping backup media off-site (in case of fire or theft) What is a Network? A network is two or more computers, or other electronic devices, connected together so that they can exchange data. For example a network allows computers to share files, users to message each other, a whole room of computers to share a single printer, etc. Network connections between computers are typically created using cables (wires). However, connections can be created using radio signals (wireless / wi-fi), telephone lines (and modems) or even, for very long distances, via satellite links. Local Area Network (LAN) A Local Area Network is a network confined to one building or site. Often a LAN is a private network belonging to an organisation or business. Because LANs are geographically small, they usually use cables or low-power radio (wireless) for the connections. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a LAN that uses radio signals (WiFi) to connect computers instead of cables. At the centre of the WLAN is a wireless switch or router a small box with one or two antennas sticking out the back used for sending and receiving data to the computers. (Most laptops have a wireless antenna built into the case. )It is much more convenient to use wireless connections instead of running long wires all over a building. However, WLANs are more difficult to make secure since other people can also try to connect to the wireless network. So, it is very important to have a good, hard-to-guess password for the WLAN connections. Typically, the range of a wireless connection is about 50m, but it depends how many walls, etc. are in the way. Wide Area Network (WAN) A Wide Area Network is a network that extends over a large area. A WAN is often created by joining several LANs together, such as when a business that has offices in different countries links the office LANs together. Because WANs are often geographically spread over large areas and links between computers are over long distances, they often use quite exotic connections technologies: optical fibre (glass) cables, satellite radio links, microwave radio links, etc. Topologies The word topology means ‘arrangement’, so when we talk about the topology of a network, we mean how the different parts are arranged and connected together. There are three common network topologies Bus Network In this type of network, a long, central cable, the ‘bus’ is used to connect all of the computers together. Each computer has a short cable linking it to the ‘bus’. A bus network†¦Is cheap to install (just one long cable). Can be quite slow since all computers share the same cable when communicating. Will stop working if there is a break in the central bus cable. Ring Network In this type of network each computer is connected to a loop of cable, the ‘ring’. (If you took a bus network and connected the ends of the bus cable together, you would have a ring network. )A ring network†¦Can cope with a break in the ring cable since all computers are still joined together (it is now a bus network) Star Network In this type of network every computer is connected to a central device. The device passes messages between computers. At the center of a star network you might use a hub (cheap, but slower) or a switch (more expensive, but faster). A star network†¦Is quite expensive to install (you have to buy lots of cable and the central device)Is very fast since each computer has its own cable which it doesn’t need to share. Can cope with a broken cable (only one computer will be affected). Will stop working if the central device breaks. Is the most common network topology. †¢Any computer that is to be connected to a network needs to have a network interface card (NIC). Cables are still used in most networks, rather than using only wireless, because they can carry much more data per second, and are more secure (less open to hacking). †¢A hub is a device that connects a number of computers together to make a LAN. †¢A switch, like a hub, is a device that connects a number of computers together to make a LAN. †¢A router is a network device that connects together two or more networks. A common use of a router is to join a home or business network (LAN) to the Internet (WAN). †¢A proxy server is a computer setup to share a resource, usually an Internet connection. A bridge is a network device that typically links together two different parts of a LAN. What is a Record? The set of data associated with a single object or person is known as a record. What is a Field, and what is a Field Name? Youll see that each of our students records contain the same items. These items are known as fields. Each field has a field name. What is a Key Field / Primary Key? It is very important that every record in a database can be individually identified. We need to be sure that when we access a record, we are accessing the correct one. Analogue to Digital Convertor (ADC) If you want to attach an analogue input device to a digital device such as a computer, you will need an analogue to digital convertor (ADC). A good example of a computer peripheral that requires an ADC is a microphone. When you plug a microphone into a computer, you are actually plugging it into an ADC which converts the analogue signals from the microphone into digital data that the computer can then process. Digital to Analogue Convertor (DAC) If you want to attach an analogue output device to a digital device such as a computer, you will need a digital to analogue convertor (DAC). A good example of a computer peripheral that requires a DAC is a loudspeaker or headphones. When you plug a loudspeaker into a computer, you are actually plugging it into a DAC, which takes digital data from the computer and converts it into analogue signals which the loudspeaker then converts into sound. The Effect of These Devices on Our Lives Look at the list of devices above. Now try to imagine living without them washing your clothes by hand! Life would be a lot tougher. Microprocessor-controlled devices mean that we have more leisure time to relax and enjoy ourselves instead of doing household chores. We are able to communicate with people very easily using computers, mobile phones, etc. We can become part of online social networks, making friends with people from all over the world. Computers and Internet connections mean that many of the tasks that involved us leaving the house, for example, shopping for music, clothes or food, can now be done on-line. Online shopping gives us more choice of products and saves us time. It is also great from those who are unable to get out of the house easily, such as the elderly, or the disabled. Trailing Cables Computer equipment is often connected to lots of cables: power, network, etc. If these cables are lying on the floor, they can cause people to trip over them. Solution: Place cables inside cable ducts, or under the carpet / flooring Spilt Drinks or Food If any liquids are spilt on electrical equipment, such a s a computer, it can result in damage to the equipment, or an electric shock to the user. Solution: Keep drinks and food away from computers Overloaded Power Sockets Plugging too many power cables into a socket can result in the socket being overloaded, overheating, and a fire starting. Solution: Never plug too many cables into a socket. Always make sure there are fire extinguishers nearby Heavy Objects Falling Many items of computer equipment are very heavy: CRT monitors, laser printers, etc. Heavy items can cause serious injury if they fall on people. Solution: Make sure equipment is placed on strong tables / shelves †¢Use strong passwords to protect your user login account †¢Never reveal your login password to anyone else †¢Place a firewall between your computer and any network †¢Disconnect from networks when you are not using them †¢Encrypt any sensitive information (just in case they get in) Batch Processing It is often not desirable to deal with a set of data inputs until a certain number have occurred or a set time has passed. So they are stored until the system comes online to process the data in one batch. The advantage of batch processing is that it can be done during less-busy times on the computer or jobs can be queued up in order to fairly share a computing resource such as a super-computer. The main disadvantage of batch processing is the time delay between collecting the input data and getting an output. It can also be frustrating to find out only later that a batch run has failed due to a data input problem. Good Luck!