Critical Review of Danger Boy Essay Example for Free

Critical Review of Danger Boy Essay Mark Williams’ â€Å"Danger Boy: Ancient fire† is set in 2019. It is a science fiction and time travelling novel. The text explores the effects of building a time machine. In Mark Williams’ novel, he examines the negative impact of futurist technology. Although the concept of time travelling may seem appealing at first glance, there is an ultimately destructive consequence that comes with it, like losing a love one. The novel opens with an argument between Eli’s father, Sandusky, and Mr Howe, a representative from a government department. Mr Howe persuades Sandusky to invent a machine that can slow down time in a force field. Sandusky’s wife, a scientist, assists Sandusky to invent the time travelling machine but she is sucked into the machine and travels back in time. Therefore, Sandusky is urged to produce another time machine that can slow down time with a more stable core. Upon starting up the machine, a piece of old paper emerges. Eli reaches for the newspaper and gets sucked into the year of Alexandria (415 C. E). Eli and his companion, a dinosaur and an Alexandrian, seeks to reunite Sandusky’s wife, returning to the present day life and save the world from the fatal disease that has slipped through time. The novel is structured by different narrative perspectives, in which different characters narrate the story from their personal point of view and experience. This type of structure of narrative point of views offers the reader a different perspective of the world from three characters: Eli, Clyne and Thea. The writer’s intention here may be to demonstrate the reality is never black or white, but can be interpreted and understood in different ways in different individuals. However, the one limitation to this type of structure is that the reader may experience confusion in attempting to understand the flow of the story, in which disputes the coherency of events. There are no obvious clues to indicate the change of the protagonist. The only visible clue available is the chapter title and the narrator’s name. Hence, this confuses us in terms of identifying the protagonist. As the reader continues to read, they will encounter an acronym many times before it gives its meaning. There are instances in the text when certain words such as â€Å"WHOMPEs† suddenly appear, which disrupts the flow of the story. Reading this novel for the first time will confuse the reader. As the reader progresses through the novel, Sandusky explains to Eli what a â€Å"WHOMPERs† is. It is a â€Å"Wide Orbiting Massless ParticlE Reversers. † The writers intention suggest that the scientific invention is an abstract idea which is foreign to humanity. The author uses a stream of consciousness to enable the reader to engage with the thought process of the character. When Sandusky answered Eli’s question about time, he replied ‘you go into the Fifth Dimension†¦hard to tell the difference between time and space, or when and where. Or even who and what. † This encourages the reader to think and be in the mind of the narrator. This is a really good idea for advanced readers who want to think beyond the novel. Williams’ got inspired to write the novel by his son. He got the idea when his son was running down the hallway yelling out â€Å"I’m a Danger Boy! † The novel’s setting is based on where he lives, which is LA. There could be a connection between the novel’s setting and where he lives. One connection is that LA is a place for relaxation and tourism. The main character travels to LA with his father to relax a bit after the tragic incident. One of the major themes in â€Å"Danger Boy† is time traveling. Time traveling is frequent in the novel. It happens when ever Eli puts his â€Å"WHOMPER† charged baseball cap on. Another theme them is history. History is shown in this novel from many perspectives. It is seen by going back in time to Alexandria (415 C. E). The main motif in the novel is a baseball cap. It is a motif because it’s a device that allows Eli to time travel. Without the baseball cap, Eli would just be like any other ordinary kid. This novel can be compared with Audrey Niffenegger’s â€Å"The Time Traveller’s Wife†. The two novels involve the same themes; history and time travelling. In â€Å"Danger Boy† Eli becomes a time traveller after he touches a time machine. He travels back in time to Alexandria. He can control when he wants to time travel, but can’t control on where it’ll take him. In â€Å"The Time Traveller’s Wife† Henry is born with a genetic disorder. This genetic disorder allowed him to time travel. There was one thing that he can’t control. It is where he lands from time travelling and when he time travels. Ultimately, Williams has created an adventurous and exciting novel. The book was exciting because it produced tension into whether the protagonists find Margret or not. The writer produced a text that was a bit difficult to read and establishment of the main character. The author shaped the words in the sentences really strangely which sometimes doesn’t make sense or it is not suitable, so the reader needs to re-read it to understand it. This novel should be raising questions about time travel, especially in the future.

Study About Pc Troubleshooting And Maintenance Computer Science Essay

Study About Pc Troubleshooting And Maintenance Computer Science Essay Most of the time when we start up our computers, the CPU or Central Processing Unit goes through a series of steps or procedures before the computer operating systems boots from the hard disk. These initial steps are all categorized in a system called CMOS which stands for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. This is the where the systems settings such as the system clock, hard disk status, optical drives and other settings like the CPUs clock speed, FSB and so on are all on this setting. On the other hand, the chip that stores the settings is known as the BIOS chip also known as Basic Input Output System. This holds the most basic computer instructions that are required to boot the operating system like Windows XP or Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu. Many people always get mistaken by calling is a CMOS chip, but since the BIOS and CMOS is so tightly intertwined, they can be both referred to as one (Difference between CMOS and BIOS, Dennis Faas). In other words, the CMOS chip stores the data needed for the BIOS so that the computer may boot us properly. The battery used to store the data is a lithium button battery which is located just near the CMOS chip and the CMOS jumper. This battery hold provides power to the CMOS chip even when the power of the computer is shut off. This is necessary where the chip is volatile, means that it will lose data when there is no power unlike a hard disk which work on magnetism. What is BIOS CMOS BIOS is commonly known as Basic Input/Output System. It is practically the lowest level processor that stands in between the hardware like the chipset and the processor with the operating system that is installed in a hard disk. The BIOS gives full access to the hardware components to allow a creation of high level operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows 7, Macintosh as well as Linux based operating systems. Moreover, the BIOS is also responsible over the behaviour of the hardware, such as the processors clock speed, the Front Side Bus or known as FSB, system clock, and many other vital hardware settings which is required to load or configured before the operating system loads into the Random Access Memory or RAM (System BIOS, Charles M. Kozierok, 2001). For a computer to operate, all the components must be given specific instructions on how and what they are suppose to do. Usually, that is where the BIOS come into play. The BIOS has a special software in which it runs preliminary codes or instructions which is preset into the ROM chip or Read Only Memory chip that is executed to load the operating system from the hard disk into the RAM for the computer to further execute more complicated commands and instructions so that it would be easier for the processor to communicate with the RAM in terms of instruction execution and access (The BIOS Program, Charles M. Kozierok, 2001). One of the most basic operations of the BIOS is the POST (Power On Self Test). This part is done to make sure that all of the components in the computer such as the motherboard, hard disks, optical drives, graphics adapter card and other components are working and they are detected throughout the system. Figure 1: BIOS that uses flash memory CMOS or Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor is low in power consumption and has low heat production rate technology that is used in contemporary microchips and it is commonly known as a small battery powered configuration chip where the BIOS stores the time, date and the system configuration settings (What is CMOS?, 2010). The main composition of this chip is made from silicon and germanium which in a way conducts electricity. These materials are then doped where impurities are added to transform it into a fully scaled transistor, either of extra negative charged (N-type) or positively charged (P-type). CMOS on the other hand uses both kinds of transistors in a complementary way to create a current gate where it makes an electrical control present. They practically use no power at all but this in another way, it makes it heat up fast where this sets a major limit to the speed where a microprocessor can operate (CMOS, 2005). The CMOS has a software which is a setup that is included in the creation of the chip. This setup is very vital for system configuration such as the frequency and voltage control of the components, the system date and time and the POST settings as well as the boot priority settings for the operating system to load. Figure 2: Examples of CMOS setup software interface Types of BIOS CMOS Now we know that BIOS is mainly the system where as the CMOS is the chip that contains a software that runs the BIOS. BIOSes were programmed initially into ROMs or PROMs (Programmable Read Only Memory) CMOS chips, where it only stored a very limited amount of data of the system configuration. Extensibility of the BIOS is limited to the capacity of the CMOS chip hence many years later BIOSes became more better when they introduce a new kind technology known as EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and EEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). Though EPROMs are eraser in a very different manner where the chip has to be exposed to UV light which passes through a small glass window on the chip, in order to clear all the memory cells. The chip has a small window that allows the intake of UV light upon erasing the data instructions in the CMOS chip (How to erase and program an EPROM, 2003). Figure 3: DIP type ROM CMOS chip Figure 4: PLCC type PROM CMOS chip The CMOS chip on the other hand has 2 commonly used types, categorized by their packages, PLCC and DIP. PLCC stands for Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier which is a four sided chip carrier with a J lead and pin spacings of 1.27mm. The lead count or legs usually range from 20 to 84 (Minges, Merrill L. (1989). Electronic Materials Handbook). DIP stands for Dual Inline Package which consists of two parallel sided electrical connecting pins connected to a rectangular housing. Both types of packages for the CMOS chip is fixed at 32 pins, since the CMOS settings only need to transfer about 32 bits across the board. Like mentioned in the introduction, the BIOS or the CMOS chip is powered by a battery that is used to store the settings and instructions intact even after the power is turned off. Below are the several types of batteries the CMOS chip uses (CMOS Battery, 2010): Figure 5: 3V Lithium Button Cell Battery Figure 6: 4.5V Alkaline Battery Figure 7: 3.6V Nickel-Cadmium Battery (Solder Connectors) Current Technologies and Models for BIOS CMOS In todays market, the current technology used in BIOS and CMOS is the PLCC type, EEPROM CMOS chip and powered by a 3V Lithium Battery Cell. The CMOS setup for the BIOS include two major companies which are American Megatrends and Phoenix BIOS. There are also other types setups which are configured by the computer manufacturer such as Dell, Acer, HP Compaq and many more. The BIOS on the other hand provides extra facilities in terms of the configurability of the onboard devices like the embedded audio, the processors voltage, FSB, Multiplier, RAM voltage, hard disk boot sequence and many more. Below are some examples of the CMOS setup screens in configuration mode for different types of setup: Figure 8: CMOS setup main page for AWARD Software. Figure 9: CPU Configuration settings Figure 10: Boot Sequence settings BIOS CMOS Failures and Solutions Like the RAMs and hard disks, the BIOS and CMOS chip can also have error and failures. There are three types of virus invasion that can affect the BIOS system: CIH Black Hat 2006 Persistent BIOS Infection CIH was the first virus that was able to erase the content on a Flash ROM BIOS. It was also given the nickname as Chernobyl Virus The extent of the virus lead to the ejection of the CMOS chip from the motherboard and sent for reprogramming for it has also distorted its basic functionality. Black Hat 2006 is a virus that is capable to elevate privileges and read physical memory, using malicious procedures that replaced normal ACPI functions stored in flash memory. Persistent BIOS Infection work as an insertion of malicious code into the decompression routines in the BIOS, allowing for nearly full control of the PC at every start-up, even before the operating system is booted. The proof of the concept does not exploit a flaw in the BIOS implementation, but only involves the normal BIOS flashing procedures. Thus, it requires physical access to the machine or for the user on the operating system to be root (Researchers unveil persistent BIOS attack methods, 2009). Solutions to overcome these kinds of virus usually required either reprogramming of the CMOS chip or just an upgrade of the CMOS firmware. To reset all the data in the BIOS via the CMOS chip are usually done as follows: Turn off all power and disconnect all wires from the PC Open the CPU casing to reveal the motherboard Find the jumper pins that is used to clear the CMOS settings or a small button near the CMOS chip Short the jumper pins by moving the connector from 1-2 to 2-3 position to clear the settings and remove the system battery. Else, press the button for 8 seconds. After this is done, move the jumper connector back to its original position 1-2 and then place the system battery back in its place. Place the cover back and connect all the wires and turn on the power Once the computer loads and pass the POST test, the BIOS will prompt to enter CMOS settings to set it back again. After the settings are set, save the settings and exit the menu so the computer can restart and load the operating system. Conclusion In conclusion, the BIOS is the most system for a computer to boot and load settings for the all the hardware components. The CMOS chip is a requirement for it is the component that stores the instructions of the BIOS into the setup. Without this, the computer would not know how to load the operating system or identify the existence of any hardware components.

Teen Pregnancy Essay -- Teenage Mothers

In the US, teen pregnancy rates have been decreasing in the last decade even though current rates remain twice as high as those found in other industrialized nations (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994). In spite of decreasing rates, among African American teenagers, the pregnancy rate is particularly high. In 1996, the pregnancy rate was 178.9 per thousand among African-American females aged 15 to 19 years, compared with a pregnancy rate of 82.6 among whites (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999). Additionally, on the basis of the findings of the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, it was determined that African American females (48%) aged 15 to 17 were more likely than their white (34%) counterparts to have had sexual intercourse since menarche. On the basis of information provide by the National Center for Health Statistics (1997), African-American females aged 15 to 19 were more likely than their white peers to have had their first sexual experience (i.e., intercourse) without u sing effective contraception (24% versus 14%, respectively). Consequently, on the basis of such risky behavior, African American teenagers are at greater risk than their white peers for experiencing a pregnancy. pregnant, especially if it was with the baby's father. A concluded by Harris, most of the mothers believed that sexual intercourse was a behavior they were going to continue to engage in, regardless of threat of disease or pregnancy. As compared to the adolescent fathers participating in the study, Harris reported that most of the fathers indicated that they were now engaging in protected sex. Environmental Influences As many have suggested, while engagement in unprotected sexual intercourse at an early age places adolescents at risk for pregnancy, there are a number of other factors that influence African American teen pregnancy rates. According to Dervarics (2004), African American teen mothers and fathers are often represented among the rising number of minority "disconnected" youth in the US. This group is comprised of teens ages 16 to 19 who are both out of school and out of work. Dervarics reported that nearly A quarter of African Americans ages 18 to 19 falls into the disconnected category. As a consequence of being disconnected, as explained by the author, African Amer... ...with poverty. It is these issues that attention must be directed towards in order to reduce teen pregnancy rates. References Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1994). Sex and America's teenagers. NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute. Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1999). Teenage pregnancy: Overall trends and state-by-state information. NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute. Dervarics, C. (2005). Minorities overrepresented among America's 'disconnected' youth. Population Reference Bureau. Found online at: http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB&template=/ContentManagement /ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11335 Lardner, J. (2005). Arline Geronimus on teen parenthood. Inequality.Org. Found online at: http://www.inequality.org/teenparenthood.html National Center for Health Statistics. (1997). Fertility, family planning, and women's health: New data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

Cortes : The Two Face :: essays research papers

Cortes: The Two Face   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Don Fernando Cortes was either a misguided religious extremist on a quest to serve his earthly king and immortal god or simply an entrepreneur who wished to achieve great status, power and wealth. Cortes is in love with the idea of conquering new worlds in the name of God to convert their heathen inhabitants into righteous followers of Jesus. The problem is that Cortes is also in love with himself and the future power that he might one day hold. Cortes is largely a hypocrite and shows that very much through his actions. He often tells his men and the king that God undoubtedly on there side. He attempts to prove this through his accounts where describes his small regiments of no more than one thousand men defeating massive armies of forty thousand to two-hundred thousand Indians. Many times it seems though Cortes truly is being helped by God but he quickly contradicts these possibilities with his sinful actions. Cortes seems to get a large amount of help from God for someone who reacts with merciless vengeance and accepts slave women as gifts. However, one might say that Cortes could be forgiven for his ignorance in accepting human beings as property because in the 1500’s the Catholic Church in Spain lead its followers to believe that the act of slavery was in fact not a sin. Cortes explains that he merely wants to enslave the Indians so that they may better learn the ways of the Catholic Church and of Spanish culture. He figured that it was his duty to enslave these people because it was the only way of turning them away from their horrible sins such cannibalism, sodomy, and their horrific practices of sacrifice. Cortes attributes much of his success and victory to the will of God. â€Å"They should observe that God was on our side, and to Him nothing is impossible, for, as they saw, we had won so many victories in which so many of the enemy had died, and none of us.†(Cortes, 63) He feels that God is helping him to punish theses people for their sins and save their souls by helping to enslave them for it’s the only way to lead them towards Jesus Christ. There is a chance that Cortes truly was a genuinely a religious man believed strongly in the true principles of the Catholic faith but it’s not likely.

Exporting Purell Hand Sanitize Essay -- essays research papers fc

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report analyzes the possibility of taking Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer, a product of GOJO Industries, into the Indian market. Purell Must Gain Greater Market Share Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer is a portable hand washing solution that cleanses hands without the need for soap and water. In 1997, GOJO Industries entered Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer into retail sale, and the American public embraced the product. However, as large US Competitors have entered the hand sanitizer industry, which is now worth over $400 million every year, Purell’s market share is diminishing. Although still the market leader in the industry, GOJO must fight for revenue opportunities. One way to do that is to take Purell into international markets. India Provides an Opportunity Possible Barriers GOJO must consider possible barriers to Purell’s entrance into Indian markets. These barriers include: Recommendation Extensive research provides evidence that marketing Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer in India would be mutually beneficial to GOJO Industries and the people of India. Report Overview Statement of Purpose The purpose of this report is to recommend marketing GOJO Industries’ product, Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer, in India. Penetrating the Indian market would be mutually beneficial for both GOJO and India. Product Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer is a portable supplement to routine hand washing. Although 80 percent of disease is spread by contact with the hands, Purell kills 99.9 percent of most common germs. Therefore, Purell is and effective tool that promotes proper health and prevents the spread of disease. In 1997, GOJO Industries, a privately owned company, introduced its hand sanitizer for retail sale. Since then, the hand sanitizer industry has exploded in the US to and industry worth $400 million per year. Many public competitors such as Dial and Colgate have entered the market. These larger competitors maintain extensive advertising budgets, which are being used to increase their respective market shares in the hand sanitizer industry. Although GOJO’s Purell brand remains the market leader, its share of the market has fallen to 39.4 percent from its initial market domination of 100 percent. (FT1) Therefore, to increase its sales revenues, GOJO needs to introduce Purell internationally. India ... ...rs. Political pressure for protectionism remains, and moves to cut more sensitive tariffs have been halted. Some exports are subject to licensing, while some items consumed domestically, such as tea, are subject to quota restrictions. Only a few items, such as tropical wood and beef, are banned for export. Bibliography “Company Background.'; Online. GOJO Industries, Inc. Available: http://www.gojo.com/history.html. March 20, 1999. “FAQ.'; Online. GOJO Industries, Inc. Available: http://www.purell.com/faq. March 20, 1999. Hardin, Angela Y. 1998. “GOJO: Getting a Handle on its Purell Market.'; Crain’s Cleveland Business, June 22, 6. “Lexis ®-Nexis ®.'; Online. UNC-CH Electronic Indexes and Databases. Available: http://library.unc.edu/htbin/build_ER_frame?http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe. April 12, 1999. Nones, Rachelle. 1998. “It’s Germ Warfare for Hand Sanitizers.'; Supermarket News. May 4, 170. Nones, Rachelle. 1998. “Retailers Experiment with hand Sanitizers.'; Supermarket News. May 4, 170. “Purell.'; Online. GOJO Industries, Inc. Available: http://www.purell.com/. March 20, 1999.

Thematic Analysis on the Book American Buffalo by David Mamet

A buffalo accepts minimum from the society and gives the maximum-its food is grass (unless you feed something special) and the finished product that you get is milk! The junk store shown when American Buffalo opens, doesn’t inspire much. Normally, when the curtains are raised, the opening scene/set is supposed to be the best, highly impressive, to create a lasting impression with the audience. The secondhand â€Å"antique† store run by Don Dubrow nevertheless, kindles curiosity. The stage is filled with lots of junk. It is ‘easy’ to create neat and clean or fascinating sets.A jumble set needs so much imagination to do. For example, a big overflowing dustbin prominently kept at the stage evokes as much curiosity as the big flower-vase full of colorful flowers. It evokes immediate enthusiasm in the minds of the spectators, â€Å"Why it is there on the stage at this initial stage of the drama? † The opening dialogues go to the credit of Don who is deliv ering a business discourse to Bob, inviting his attention to the promised deals and the necessity to stick on to it. Bob was busy with not so healthy and socially acceptable ideas to get rich quick.Bob apologizes, but Don speaks with a frustrated note at his friend’s temporary betrayal. Don retorts, â€Å"Don’t tell me you’re sorry, I’m not mad at you. † This observation speaks about the sincerity of Don to bring his friend to the right track, by involving him in the respectable business of junk dealings! Filling the stage with the junk in such voluminous and vast quantity is not the easiest of the things to do. Clive Barnes (writing for the New York Times) called the Broadway set â€Å"astonishing† and described it as â€Å"an agglomeration of trash that must have taken a team of assistants months to acquire.† (American†¦) Out of that confusing and unclassified dump, David Mamet tries to find the essential needs for a dignified life. The junk yard is the not the final destination for those articles. They rather wait for a new beginning—yet another lease of respectful life! The theme as conceived by Mamet, has some hidden agenda as for the welfare of the society. He has strange ways of propounding how to achieve his objectives! American Buffalo received intense critical attention, for it set the critics thinking and disturbed their psyche.What they saw on the stage was not an ordinary effort as depicted by an ordinary story. The emotional highs and lows of the characters were realistic as per conditions obtaining in a big chunk of the American Society. David Mamet used the lowest of the language, the meanest of the vocabulary, to say his truth. He was bold in his approach, but no so beautiful and refined. But where is refine ness in the real-life situations that he was explaining? But the nods and appreciation that he secured for the plot and for his characters must be from those who have experienced such situations, either with or without success.David Manmet doesn’t value victory or defeat much. He sees the truth in the permanent efforts. The untiring ones! His thematic approach to the language and expressions he used in the play is with a definite purpose. He could have written the dialogues in ‘King’s English’, but he preferred the idiosyncrasies and the latent humor of everyday speech of an average individual. Such characters responded and reacted to the routine situations in an ordinary but emphatic way. They expressed their opinions in a crude manner, by ‘keeping the essential dignity’ of their position in the society.Every individual lives his life along with certain ambiguities, which he carries as his luggage, when he is unable to solve them. He however has a hope that one day he will be able to solve them, and will achieve a problem-free state. Reading a play is one thing, and looking at the performance, when many characters â €˜read’ the play in accordance with their acting abilities, is another matter. The script, when you read may confuse you, may keep you less-inspired, you may feel that you are making desperate efforts to go through confusing paragraphs and sentences.But when the characters do their sincere job of pronouncing them on the stage, David Mamet proves to us that he is right. He has judged their spirits and caught their moods right, with those appropriate utterances, what if they are half-thoughts and obscenities. He has showed and depicted the reality of obscenity, because you find it very much prevalent in the vocabulary of the society about which he is writing. So, what harm is there in calling the spade a spade? The incident shown about three crook’s planning to steal a coin collection in the name of â€Å"good business† is right according to their level of thinking.(It is better than stabbing an individual to rob his wealth or cheat a bank with fraudulent ideas ) That is the stage of their progression in life. They are able to offer justification for their actions as per their own perfected reasoning. Whether the society accepts it or not is another matter. But they have no confusion about their objective. The characters of David Mamet have a particular level of existence. You can’t pass judgment on them by sitting on the ivory tower. To know them, you need to reach their level. Understand their real-life situations and put you in their shoes!They do, what they do, not out of pleasure; but out of sheer necessity of existing in this world. Therefore, the seemingly inarticulate utterances yield a rhythm found in few other playwrights' work. â€Å"Part of the fascination of the play,† wrote Women's Wear Daily's Howard Kissel, lies in â€Å"noting how the same banal language takes on different colors as we perceive the changing relationships† between the characters. (American†¦) To maintain friendship and business tog ether requires lots of understanding. The beginning seems to be good, but what really matters is maintenance of the relation ship.Business world is not always the domain of ethics. The fundamental principle and the goal in business are profits, success and self-interest. The play makes good beginning as for the combination of business and friendship but by the end of the play, the edifice of friendship collapses, and self-interest hoists the flag of victory. The theme of any story always tells something about the author, even when the author makes conscious efforts to avoid it. Recollections of author’s past appear in some form or the other.May be some dialogues, situations, trials and tribulations, duty and beauty of the characters—somewhere between the interactions of the character it surfaces in a subtle form. David Mamet had a difficult childhood. He was born in Chicago, and was raised in a Jewish neighborhood. His father being a labor attorney, discussion about la bor problems must have been commonplace. Mamet has learnt and depicted the anger, frustration and slang of American youth and men very well and this can be learnt and captured in the printed page only through direct experience and exposure to situations.David Mamet introduces a unique theme in American Buffalo-the judicious use of sabotage. They say, all is fair in war and love. Mamet adds one more category to this-business wisdom (when reduced to its basest form. ) He was appreciated for his ability to find equation with the common man through this play. Their slang became his weapon of success. His characters rarely speak full sentences, but what they utter has the telling effect. You nod in approval, as it appeals to you emotions. The three main characters, the low life thugs, succeed in taking potshots at the American way of life and its business ethics.The bricks of foundation of America are dispossession of the land from the former owners and genocide of the local Indian popul ace. â€Å"The drama and conflict among the characters is intense in a very disturbing way. This is a play that makes you very uncomfortable about the way that people relate to each other and challenges your hopes that values like friendship and honor are greater than the drive to get a bit ahead no matter who you step on in the process. † (Theatre†¦) Conclusion: American Buffalo is a common man’s drama, in common language, dominated bycommon characters, but written by an uncommon author. ========== References Cited: Article: Theatre Card: American Buffalo By David Mamet . †¦ www2. netdoor. com/~campbab/theatre/buffalo. html – 10k – Retrieved on October 10, 2007. Article: American Buffalo Summary and Study Guide – David Mamet. †¦ www. enotes. com/american-buffalo – 15k –Retrieved on October 10, 2007. Mamet, David: American Buffalo (Paperback) Publisher: Grove Press; Subsequent edition (January 11, 1994) ISBN-10: 0802150 578 ISBN-13: 978-0802150578

Operations Management Review Questions

INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Spring 2012-ASSIGNMENT # 1 Name 1: ————————————————— ID # ———————————————— Name 2: ————————————————— ID # ———————————————— Question # 1 [15 Marks] Bob Richards, the production manager of Zychol Chemicals, is preparing his quarterly report, which is to include a productivity analysis for his department. One of the inputs is production data prepared by Sharon Walford, his operation analyst. The report, which she gave him this morning, showed the following. |2011 |2012 | |Production (units) |4,5 00 |6,000 | |Raw material used (barrel of petroleum by-products) |700 |900 | |Labor hour |22,000 |28,000 | |Capital cost applied to the department ($) |375,000 |620,000 |Bob new the his labor cost per hour has increased from average of $13 per hour to an average of $14 per hour, primarily due to a move by management to become more competitive with a new company that had just opened a plant in the area. He also knew that his average cost per barrel of raw material had increased from $320 to $360. He was concerned about the accounting procedures that increased his capital cost from $375,000 to $620,000, but earlier discussions with his boss suggested that there was nothing that could be done about the allocation. Bob wondered if his productivity had increased at all.He called Sharon into the office and conveyed the above information to her and asked her to prepare this part of the report. Discussion Question; 1- Prepare the productivity part of the report for Mr Richards. He probably expects some analysis of productivity inputs for all factors, as well as a multifactor analysis for both years with the change in productivity (up or down) and the amount noted. 2- Assume additional information related to the cost of production were available. The cost per unit for 2011 was $120 and for 2012 was $125. Considering the increase in the cost is there a change in multifactor productivity growth? Solution Q1:Question # 2 [15 Marks] Forecasts based on average. Given the following data: (Stevenson page 96) |Period |Number of Complaints | |1 |60 | |2 |65 | |3 |55 | |4 |58 | |5 |64 | Prepare a forecast using each of these approaches: a. The appropriate naive approach. [2 marks] b. A three period moving average. [3 marks] c. A weighted average using weight of 0. (most recent), 0. 3 and 0. 2. [4 marks] d. Exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant of 0. 4. [6 marks] Solution Q2: Question # 3 [15 Marks] Using seasonal relatives, Apple’s Citrus Fruit Farm ships boxed fruit anywhere in Middle East. Using the following information, forecast shipments for the first four months of next year. |Month |Seasonal Relatives |Month |Seasonal Relatives | |January |1. 2 |July |0. 8 | |February |1. 3 |August |0. | |March |1. 3 |September |0. 7 | |April |1. 1 |October |1. 0 | |May |0. 8 |November |1. 1 | |June |0. 7 |December |1. 4 | The monthly equation being used is Yt = 402 + 3t Where t = 0 correspond to January of two years ago Yt = Number of boxes of fruits expected to ship in month t. Solution Q3:Question # 4 [15 Marks] Consider the following two techniques for forecasting F1 and F2. The actual and the two sets of forecast are as follows |Period |Demand |F1 |F2 | |1 |68 |66 |66 | |2 |75 |68 |68 | |3 |70 |72 |70 | |4 |74 |71 |72 | |5 |69 |72 |74 | |6 |72 |70 |76 | |7 |80 |71 |78 | . Calculate the MAD, for each set of forecast. Given your results, which technique appears to be more accurate? Explain b. Calculate the MSE, for each set of forecast. Given you r results, which technique appears to be more accurate? c. Calculate the MAPE, for each set of forecast. Given your results, which technique appears to be more accurate? Solution Q4: Question # 5 [10 Marks] Rick Wing, salesperson for Wave Soldering Systems, Inc. (WSSI), has provided you with a proposal for improving the temperature control on your present machine.The machine uses a hot-air knife to cleanly remove excess solder from printed circuit boards; this is a great concept, but the hot-air temperature control lacks reliability. According to Wing, engineers at WSSI have improved the reliability of the critical temperature controls. The new system still has the four sensitive integrated circuits controlling the temperature, but the new machine has a backup for each. The four integrated circuits have reliabilities of 0. 90, 0. 92, 0. 94, and 0. 96. The four backup circuits all have a reliability of 0. 90. ) What is the reliability of the new temperature controller? b) If you pay a premium, Wing says he can improve all four of the backup units to 0. 93. What is the reliability of this option? Solution Q5: Question # 6 [15 Marks] A weather satellite has an expected life of 16 years from the time it is place into earth’s orbit. Determine its probability of failure after each of the following lengths of service. (Assume Exponential distribution is appropriate. ) [2. 5 marks each a, b, c, and d] a. More than 9 years b. Less than 12 years c. More than 9 years but less than 12 years . At least 21 years Solution Q6: Question # 7 [15 Marks] An office manager has received a report from a consultant that includes a section on equipment replacement. The report indicates the scanners have a service life time that is Normally distributed with a mean of 41 months and standard deviation of 4 months. On the basis of this information, determine the percentage of scanners can be expected to fail in the following time periods. a. Before 38 months of service b. Between 4 0 and 45 months of service c. Within 2 months of the mean life Solution Q7: