Gender Discrimination in Media Essay Example for Free

Gender Discrimination in Media Essay Abstract This study examines women’s participation and representation in media. This study is based on the statistics of media units in Solapur city. Women constitute nearly 50% of population in every Indian city, but the participation of women in media is very low. Discussions of womens representation in the media tend to revolve around the focus on physical beauty to the near-exclusion of other values. It is observed that media content about women issues is biased and gender discrimination is clearly visible . This study also suggests the ways to increase the women participation in media and the ways to rational representation of women in media. Introduction: Women constitute nearly 50% of population in India. Our social system boasts that it has given mother goddess status to women since the ancient period. But in reality society builds psychological barriers around women. This male dominated society imposed so many bindings against women. Therefore role of women was confined only to the kitchen and kids for many years. Social movement started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule, Maharshi Karve and other social activists opened doors for women’s education. Women have benefited greatly as education provided information to them about their rights and their equal status in the society. In spite of these efforts and the 65 year long journey since India’s independence , our nation is lagging behind in many basic things. World Economic Forum conducted a study to measure gender gap. The Global Gender Gap Index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. According to this Gender Gap Report-2011, India is included among the 20 countries, where the gender gap is widest. It holds 113th position among 134 countries in the world. This report explains that â€Å"India and Pakistan perform above average on the political empowerment of women, particularly India, but they lag behind in the other three categories. In particular, the persistent health, education and economic participation gaps will be detrimental to India’s growth. India is the lowest ranked of the BRICK economies† (http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2011.pdf) After India’s independence Womens role in society has undergone seismic changes, which has been reflected in every walk of life. Women stepped out of four walls and succeeded in each and every field. Now women are working as pilots, soldiers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, politicians and proving their mettle in all fields. But it is ground reality that basic structure of male dominated society and roles and presumptions about womens worlds remain the same. Still the life of majority of women in India remains unchanged. . The women who got benefited through education and succeeded to grab a job have to destine to face male supremacy. Gender discrimination is visible at every moment. Decision- making positions are not accessible for women. Many times working women have to face humiliation. Scenario in the field of media Scenario in the field of media also does not differ from it. Media Still remains as men’s world and this is global phenomena. According to the research conducted by International Women’s Media Foundation( IWMF ) 73% of the top management jobs are occupied by men compared to 27% occupied by women,Among the rank of reports , men hold nearl y two thirds of the jobs, compared to 36% held by women. These findings were collected by more than 150 researchers who interviewed executives at more than 500 companies in 59 nations. (http://iwmf.org/pioneering-change/global-research-on-women-in-the-news-media/global-report-online-version.aspx) According to this report statistics of women’s participation in Indian media is 13. 8 % ( e.g. Chief Executive Officer ) at top management , 23.3 % ( e.g. News Directors) in senior management ,18.3% ( Chief Correspondent ) in middle management and 25.5 % ( Reportes, Sub-editors ) at junior professional level . This report reveals that women’s participation in Indian media is very low and gender discrimination is the only reason behind this. Media sector in India is very strong and particularly India ranks second in circulation of newspaper copies in the world. â€Å"The new figures show that the four largest markets for newspapers are: China with 107 million copies daily; India, with 99 million copies daily; Japan with 69 million copies daily; and the United States, with nearly 51 million.† 1 Marathi newspapers in Maharashtra are also enjoying better position. Two Marathi newspapers Lokmat and Sakal are placed among India’s top 10 largest circulated regional dailies in the IRS first quarterly report 2012 . Lokmat is at second position and Sakal is at tenth position in this list. (http://mruc.net/irs2012q1-topline-findings.pdf) â€Å" Women participation in Indian media is negligible. Though a few women were appointed by the media many were not given big responsibilities. The media should be more responsible when it comes to reporting of womens issues.† 2 This picture is same in Mahashtra state. Solapur city is 7 th populated city in Maharastra .Population of Solapur is more than 12 lacks. There are seven dailies having circulation of more than 25000 copies per day. But participation of women in newspapers editorial staff is negligible. It is observed that young women taking admissions to the media courses is increasing during last few years. But job opportunities are not easily accessible for them. Situation in electronic media seems better than newspapers. Table no 1: Ratio of Women’s Participation in Editorial staff of Daily Newspapers in Solapur This statistics clearly reveals that women’s participation in these newspapers as reporters, sub-editors, editors is less than 3%. Women journalists are confined generally to the table duties to edit women’s page or to cover cultural events arranged for women. Important beats such as political beat, crime beat does not allotted to the female journalists. They work on junior levels .In decision making process women’s participation almost neglected in all newspapers. Table no 2 : Womens participation in electronic media in Solapur Sr no| Media Unit | Male Journalists | Female Journalists| total| 1| AIR Solapur| 05 (71..42%)| 02 (18.58%)| 06| 2| Big 92.7 FM| 03 (100.00%)| 0(00.00%)| 04| 3| IN Solapur TV channel| 08 (80.0%)| 02 (20.0%)| 10| 4| Reporters of TV channels| 09 (90.0%) | 01 (10.0%)| 10| | Total| 23 (83.34%)| 05 (16.66%)| 30| Women participation in electronic media is 16.66% as compared to mere 1.97 % in newspapers. Solapur Working Journalist Union is organization of all journalist belonging to print and electronic media in Solapur .( Table no.3 ) Not a single female journalist included among total 125 members of Solapur Working Journalist’s Union Table no 3: Members of Solapur Working Journalist Union Male Journalists | Female Journalists| 125 ( 100%)| 00 ( 00 % )| Male dominated media managements are not allowing access to the woman journalists. According to the executives of the media, woman journalists cannot work in the night shifts and they are reluctant to cover every beat assigned to them .That’s why we prefers male journalists for the job. This gender biased assumption of the media managements is contrary to the real facts. Women are actively participating in every walk of life such as armed forces, space science, entrepreneurship, education, engineering etc.They work hard without any concessions and proved their mettle. These examples prove that women are going hand-in-hand with men in every field. Therefore women can do their best in the field of media. Barkha Dutt, Nalini Singh, Mrinal Pandey, Sucheta Dalal are some prominent examples of women journalists doing brilliant job than male journalists. It reveals that only reason for the less participation of women in media is the gender bias of the management. Women’s Representation in Media Media plays an important role in the dissemination of information and knowledge to the masses. It is the role of the media to educate people and to guide them for the development of society and nation. But media content about women issues is alwayes biased and gender discrimination is clearly visible in it. Most of the woman’s organizations blame on media that it is responsible for biased and stereotype portrayal of women. Any society cannot progress without upliftment and empowerment of women .But Indian media is engaged in portraying women as housewives.† Feminists objected to the stereotypical portrayal of women as happy home- makers who were less competent than men.† 3 Now women are active participants in every walk of life. Therefore it is important to to properly project the image of women as role model. For these purpose women participation in media should be increased. But mere participation does not change the situation. .â€Å"A large proportion of women thought that there would be a change in program content with as increase in proportion of female employees program quality would improve and more balanced perspective would be emerge. .† 4 Mrs. Suhas Kumar rightly suggested that â€Å"Women must become active participants in the field of journalism and other fields of media to fulfill the all-round development of women directly and indirectly.only through their involvement in journalism women will be able to speak for themselvesand the issues relevant to them†. 8 Therefore it is necessary to appoint women as decision makers in the newspapers. Special training must be given to all editorial staff about the equality principle and the rights of women as human being. Conclusion: Male dominated newspaper industry is reluctant to give access to women journalists. Women journalists are not assigned to cover important issues. News related to women issues covered by male journalists cannot give justification to the issue. There are no guidelines for reservations for women in media jobs.Mere increases in number of women journalists cannot change the gender bias in media. Suggestions: At the end, this study concludes with some suggestions (a) There is need to recruit women journalists in proportion, giving them equal opportunity and access to work in media. (b) The important women’s issues must be rported by women journalist. (c) Special guidelines should be given to all the journalists about projecting positive and real image of woman, without any bias. (d) There should be a provision to punish guilty persons for portraying women as commodity in any advertisement, news, article etc. References 1. The Hindu online edition ,New Delhi, Jan,10, 2011.8 2. The Hindu online edition ,New Delhi, June,4 ,2008 3.Thakurta Paranjoy,Media Ethics : Truth, Fairness and Objectivity,Oxford

The importance of Thanksgiving Essay Example for Free

The importance of Thanksgiving Essay Holidays in my opinion are times for families who are spread across the United States and those around the world to come together and share laughs, memories, and stories. One of the most important and my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in my family is a time for love, giving thanks, and simple joy of being with family. It is a time to give thanks for all the things you’ve been blessed with from family right down to the shoes on your feet. Thanksgiving is so important to me because it allows me to spend time and visit with my family. Being around family just provides a sense of serenity and calmness. When we are all together everyone is laughing, and just enjoying each other. My family’s presence makes me feel as if there isn’t a care in the world. Love is indescribable and one of the greatest things about Thanksgiving. The entire atmosphere during Thanksgiving is that of uplifted spirits and rejoicing with family and friends. I get so excited just waiting on everyone to arrive and start sharing stories about work and life. The love that my family has is greater than any problem or circumstance that arises. When we all gather together to give thanks, I can feel the love in the air. The warmth I feel in my heart is a feeling that I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world. Although we disagree at time my family is always there for me when I need them most. Giving thanks is another reason Thanksgiving is my favorite and in my opinion the best holiday I celebrate. Although I pray and thank the Lord every night before I go to sleep, giving thanks and being around the people you love while doing it makes it all the more special. When my family prays over the food before we eat Thanksgiving dinner we all join hands and go around the circle and say what we give thanks for. Giving thanks shows how grateful you are for the smallest things in life like the beauty of our world to the things we take for granted such as air, functioning limbs and hearing. The joy I get from being around my family is simply electrifying. I get so excited just thinking about celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. They are always so positive and fun to be around especially during the holidays. I feel like during Thanksgiving I don’t have a single care in the world. When I wake up during the days leading to Thanksgiving the happiness I feel is unexplainable. It is a feeling of freedom and just a relaxation from the everyday burdens of life. I give my family full credit for the person I am today. Without their loving and caring spirits and personalities I don’t know how I would be where I am today.

Landscape Character Assessment for Heritage Management

Landscape Character Assessment for Heritage Management In 200 words or less describe why landscape characterisation has over the past decade provided a significant new dimension to heritage management practice Landscape Characterisation has been described by English Heritage as ‘a powerful tool that provides a framework for broadening our understanding of the whole landscape and contributes to decisions affecting tomorrows landscape.’[1] Landscape characterisation enables archaeologists, landscape specialists, and conservationists to work together to manage change within landscapes, using a common source that compiles often disparate research into the character of landscapes into a unified and accessible ‘map’ of the area. For heritage management this development is particularly useful because it allows for a more comprehensive study of the area under management – such as the identifying, mapping and assessing of habitats. This allows for more careful consideration of development planning especially in semi-rural areas where land is sought for residential use. To better understand the character of a landscape is to learn how to best protect it and this of fers the potential for a better ‘case’ for preserving important and/ or historic features of landscapes. The process is unique as it helps to facilitate the compilation of data from a great variety of specific historical, archaeological, and paleontological sites onto internationally accessible databases – this information is then used to help professionals manage change within landscapes on a national scale. This information can be put to good use in heritage management, particularly in terms of resources for education and visitor information. Landscape characterisation also helps the cohesion and implementation of management action plans and facilitates the strategic conservation of heritage. It does this by providing a historical context for already existing descriptions and research on landscapes, thus developing the understanding of how to manage landscapes especially on a local and regional level. Issues that interact through the process of landscape chara cterisation include local development and its control, environmental issues, and government proposals. Its use has also widened the scope for heritage management practice as it provides valuable data for existing heritage programmes and assists in future proposals involving historic field systems. Using at least three examples describe the benefits and uses of characterisation for managing landscape change. Your examples can be either urban (eg. from the EUS and UAD programmes), rural (eg. HLC) or thematic, or a combination. Historic Landscape Characterization was first developed in Cornwall in 1994 and now runs as a well-established and major programme that has redefined work with spatial historic analyses (Clark et al, 2004). It has altered perceptions of how the historic environment should be managed and encourages professionals to take into consideration the greater historical timeframe of the landscape where development has been slow, rather than more recent changes which have tended to be more rapid and unsustainable. The approach does not attempt to set precedents – rather it aims to open up discussion of land-use and make accessible information that could influence contemporary decisions. The rural impact of landscape characterization work has much to do with methods of maintaining, conserving, and managing heritage – both geological, archaeological, and architectural heritage. As expressed by Clark et al in their publication for English Heritage: â€Å"The drawing of ‘red lines’ around parts of the historic landscape was seen to risk devaluing the areas outside of the line; most importantly, it was not clear what would  be achieved other than a flagging up of interest, an objective that can be reached more directly and clearly by other methods.†[2] In both Hampshire and Lancashire the programme is reshaping the approach towards heritage management by producing interactive GIS-based descriptions of the ‘historic dimension the time-depth that characterises [the] rural landscape.’[3] It benefits from being approved by and working in accordance with the European Landscape Convention; this shows that the approach is not only applicable to projects outside the UK but has been welcomed by foreign professionals and its value recognised. As much as the UK, Europe is experiencing the squeeze of development, especially in its rural areas, and HLC is useful as it specifically focuses on how to protect and manage these changing rural landscapes. It distinguishes itself from other methods as it has been identified as being more direct and clear than other methods.[4] Perhaps one of the greatest potential selling points of the programme is that it addresses a loophole in the system, whereby common rural land can become overlook ed – falling in a ‘gap’ between the safety of having visible buildings of obvious archaeological importance and being of special scientific importance or exceptional natural beauty. In many cases the historical importance gets overlooked. English Heritage prides itself on the useful amalgamation of ‘Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC), run in partnership with County Council Sites and Monuments Records.’[5] Landscape characterisation is developing into one of the most useful and valuable resources in a society that promotes development and change, and which does so in response to the increasing demands being placed upon Britain’s landscape by the country’s economy and burgeoning population. As noted by Ucko and Layton[6] landscape character research is primarily driven by research objectives that require more in depth and comprehensive information about the landscape. For example, English Heritage need conservation-oriented information, while the planning system needs guidance, and land management decisions can rely upon the mapping of information to create landscapes of the future. A good example of how HLC is being used in the rural landscape can be seen in Suffolk, where a local Heritage Initiative has been overseeing a survey of the landscape that incorporates landscape mapping and photography. The objective of the initiative is to follow up a similar survey that was c onducted in 1999, and involves a partnership between the Womens Institute federations of East and West Suffolk, the local planning authorities in Suffolk and the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Project Partnership.[7] This is a good example of what the process of landscape characterisation can bring to a community; it can promote the integration of otherwise separate governing bodies and social groups, and thus facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the area. Different local Women’s Institute groups throughout Suffolk (about 75% of the total) surveyed the landscape and received training through events, a handbook, a leaflet and a video. The results of the study have been used to identify, rate, and type sources changes in the landscape between 1999 and 2004. The results were said to be assessed and analysed to ‘test the effectiveness of planning policies in protecting and enhancing landscape character.’[8] To aid community cohesion and promote the findings a n exhibition of the WI groups’ findings was created, as well as local exhibitions within each community that took part. At Creswell Crags near the Peak District a Management Action Plan has made use of landscape characterisation work within an ecological potentiality study that: Identifies, maps and assesses the management of existing areas of high quality habitat characteristic of the Heritage Area Identifies, maps and assesses the potential for linking and extending these areas of high quality habitat Identifies landscape characterisation work and its relationship to identification of potential for wildlife corridor links or extensions to major biodiversity nodes.[9] Again, this example shows the potential for working on an interdisciplinary basis where landscape character can help professionals from different academic backgrounds to work together in better understanding of the forces which shape and change our historic landscapes. English Heritage has also been researching extensively into historic fields and settlements in their project titled ‘Turning the Plough’ that culminated in a publication documenting the dramatic loss of mediaeval fields systems in the east Midlands. Using landscape character research the project results established that ‘the loss of these ridge and furrow landscapes is extreme’[10] and that English Heritage, DEFRA and other agencies have the ’urgent’ task of sustaining a future for what remains. These examples qualify the study of landscape character as a crucial development in the archaeology profession but also one that links archaeology to a number of other important areas, s uch as planning, community work, heritage management, and geology. It is important to recognise that landscape change occurs as a result of many different influences that the activities of mankind within the landscape reflect, embody, and destroy formations which owe their existence to much older geological processes. It is our choice whether we choose to preserve the record of human endeavour as shown by the mediaeval field system project ‘Turning the Plough’ and the extent to which we maintain and preserve the heritage of rural landscapes depends on the availability of funds, resources, and the efforts of professionals. Perhaps of more apparent concern is whether we do actually have a choice, or whether landscape change is accelerating beyond our control. These are some of the issues that projects involving landscape characterisation seek to address. Bibliography Clark, J, Darlington, J, and Fairclough, G, ‘Using Historic Land Characterization.’ (2002), English Heritage [online]. Available from:  http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/a4report.pdf Countryside Agency, 2006 [online]. Available from:  http://www.lhi.org.uk/projects_directory/projects_by_region/east_of_england/suffolk/suffolk_changing_landscape/index.html  [Accessed 24/08/08] English Heritage, ‘Landscape Character.’ [online]. Available from:  http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1293  [Accessed 23/08/08] English Heritage. ‘Cresswell Crags Limestone Heritage Area’ [online]. Available from:  http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.4112  [Accessed 24/08/08] Hall, D. (2001), Turning the Plough. Northamptonshire County Council [online]. Available from:  http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/turning_plough.pdf. Full version available from:  http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/goto/openfields  [Accessed 24/08/08] Ucko, P.J, and Layton, R. (1999) The Archaeology and Anthropology of Landscape: Shaping Your Landscape. London: Routledge  1 [1] English Heritage, ‘Landscape Character.’ [online]. Available from:http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1293[Accessed 23/08/08] [2] Clark, J, Darlington, J, and Fairclough, G, ‘Using Historic Land Characterization.’ (2002), English Heritage, p.4. [3] English Heritage [online]: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1293 [4] Clark et al, 2002: 2. [5] English Heritage [online]: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1293 [6] Ucko, P.J, and Layton, R. (1999) The Archaeology and Anthropology of Landscape: Shaping Your Landscape. London: Routledge. [7] Countryside Agency, 2006 [online]. Available from:http://www.lhi.org.uk/projects_directory/projects_by_region/east_of_england/suffolk/suffolk_changing_landscape/index.html[Accessed 24/08/08] [8] Ibid. [9] ‘Cresswell Crags Limestone Heritage Area’ [online]. Available from:http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.4112[Accessed 24/08/08] [10] Hall, D. (2001), Turning the Plough. Northamptonshire County Council [online]. Available from:http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/turning_plough.pdf. Full version available from:http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/goto/openfields [Accessed 24/08/08]

Java and Bluetooth Technologies

Java and Bluetooth Technologies CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Background Wireless technologies are becoming more and more popular around the world. Consumers appreciate the wireless lifestyle, relieving them of the well known â€Å"cable chaos† that tends to grow under their desk. Nowadays, the world would virtually stop if wireless communications suddenly became unavailable. Both our way of life and the global economy are highly dependent on the flow of information through wireless mediums like television and radio. Cell phones have become highly available during the last decade. Now virtually everyone owns a cell phone, making people available almost wherever they are. Many companies are highly dependent on their employees having cell phones, some companies have even decided not to employ stationary phone systems but instead use cell phones exclusively throughout the organization. New wireless technologies are introduced at an increasing rate. During the last few years the IEEE 802.11 technologies have started to spread rapidly, enabling consumer s to set up their own wireless networks. This constitutes an important change in how wireless communications are made available to consumers. Wireless networks are no longer provided by big corporations alone, they can just as well be implemented by individuals. Our society is becoming more and more dependent on wireless communications as new areas of use are introduced. The Bluetooth wireless technology is also spreading rapidly. The number of Bluetooth chipsets shipped per year has doubled from 2002 to a total of 69 million chipsets in 2003. The majority of these Bluetooth chipsets are used in mobile phones. An interesting aspect is that consumers are highly dependent on having a cell phone, and the Bluetooth technology is included in the majority of new cell phones. The Bluetooth technology will therefore spread because of the general need for cell phones. As an increasing number of useful Bluetooth applications become available, many consumers will already have Bluetooth devices and be ready to start using Bluetooth PANs (Personal Area Networks) where all their Bluetooth devices communicate with one another. The number of Java enabled mobile phones worldwide is over 250 million and the number of Java enabled mobile phones will continue to increase. Java enabled mobile phones have already been on the market for some years. Due to the very resource constrained mobile phones available a few years ago, Java applications were not very sophisticated and did not hit the mass-market the way many had hoped. As seen in the rest of the software and hardware industry, games play an important role in driving the development of both hardware and software forward. It is therefore interesting to see that a large market has emerged lately for Java games targeting mobile devices. Processing power, available memory, screen size, and screen resolution are increasing as new Java enabled mobile devices enter the market. Newly released Java applications are accordingly sophisticated, and will help to spread the Java technology usage even further. The Java APIs for Bluetooth Wireless Technology (JABWT) ties the Java technology and the Bluetooth technology together. JABWT is made available in some of the latest smart phones and will probably be available also in low-end cell phones in the future. One can easily imagine different scenarios where JABWT would be useful, e.g. the functionality of existing Java games is extended to support multi-player games using Bluetooth connectivity. Other interesting scenarios emerge as well, such as a consumer using a Java Bluetooth enabled mobile phone to pay for a soda by connecting to a Bluetooth enabled soda vending-machine. A good prediction is that JABWT will first find its use in multi-player Java games, making the Java and Bluetooth technologies well-known to consumers. Thereafter we will probably see other types of Java Bluetooth applications, such as small-amount payment applications. This thesis gives a broad overview of Java and Bluetooth technologies, and a mobile peer-to-peer application that allows users to share their files such as text, images music within a small Bluetooth network in a synchronized way. 1.2 Aim of the Project This project is designed to develop a personalized mobile file sharing system that allow users to share their resources without the aid of any central server. 1.3 Motivation of the Project With the availability of peer-to-peer mobile services operating on content sets, the need for a personalized file sharing Application rises. This project overcomes the requirements specified above by designing a personalized file sharing system that not only allows people to share files to the strangers in a mobile peer-to-peer mobile network, but also identifies the secure mobile devices in an â€Å"ad-hoc mobile social network† which allows people to share and personalize the file sharing experience with the strangers in the network. 1.4 Expected outcome of the project The Outcome of this project is to design a system that provides methods to share their files within the users in an adhoc network by identifying the secure mobile devices. The user not only shares there files with known entities but also has provisions to share the image, text and music files with unknown entities. 1.5. Introduction to Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communication protocol. Bluetooth is an always-on, short-range radio hookup that resides on a microchip. We can use Bluetooth to communicate to other Bluetooth-enabled devices. It was initially developed by Swedish mobile phone maker Ericsson in 1994 as a way to let laptop computers make calls over a mobile phone. Since then, several thousand companies have signed on to make Bluetooth the low-power short-range wireless standard for a wide range of devices. Industry observers expect Bluetooth to be installed in billions of devices by 2005. The concept behind Bluetooth is to provide a universal short-range wireless capability. Using the 2.4 GHz band, available globally for unlicensed low-power uses, two Bluetooth devices within 10 m of each other can share up to 720 Kbps of capacity. Bluetooth is intended to support an open-ended list of applications, including data (such as schedules and telephone numbers), audio, graphics, and even video. For example, audio devices can include headsets, cordless and standard phones, home stereos, and digital MP3 players. Following are some examples of the capabilities that Bluetooth can provide consumers: Make calls from a wireless headset connected remotely to a cell phone; Eliminate cables linking computers to printers, keyboards, and the mouse; Hook up MP3 players wirelessly to other machines to download music; Set up home networks so that a couch potato can remotely monitor air conditioning, the oven, and childrens Internet surfing; Call home from a remote location to turn appliances on and off, set the alarm, and monitor activity. 1.5.1 Applications of Bluetooth Bluetooth is designed to operate in an environment of many users. Up to eight devices can communicate in a small network called a piconet. Ten of these piconets can coexist in the same coverage range of the Bluetooth radio. To provide security, each link is encoded and protected against eavesdropping and interference. Bluetooth provides support for three general application areas using short-range wireless connectivity: Data and voice access points Bluetooth facilitates real-time voice and data transmissions by providing effortless wireless connection of portable and stationary communications devices; Cable replacement Bluetooth eliminates the need for numerous, often proprietary cable attachments for connection of practically any kind of communications device. Connections are instant and are maintained even when devices are not within line of sight. The range of each radio is approximately 10 m, but can be extended to 100 m with an optional amplifier; Ad hoc networking A device equipped with a Bluetooth radio can establish instant connection to another Bluetooth radio as soon as it comes into range. 1.5.2 Protocol Architecture Bluetooth is defined as a layered protocol architecture consisting of core protocols, cable replacement and telephony control protocols, and adopted protocols. The core protocols form a five-layer stack consisting of the following elements: Radio Specifies details of the air interface, including frequency, the use of frequency hopping, modulation scheme, and transmit power. Baseband Concerned with connection establishment within a piconet, addressing, packet format, timing, and power control. Link manager protocol (LMP) Responsible for link setup between Bluetooth devices and ongoing link management. This includes security aspects such as authentication and encryption, plus the control and negotiation of baseband packet sizes. Logical link control and adaptation protocol (L2CAP) Adapts upper-layer protocols to the baseband layer. L2CAP provides both connectionless and connection-oriented services. Service discovery protocol (SDP) Device information, services, and the characteristics of the services can be queried to enable the establishment of a connection between two or more Bluetooth devices. RFCOMM is the cable replacement protocol included in the Bluetooth specification. RFCOMM presents a virtual serial port that is designed to make replacement of cable technologies as transparent as possible. Serial ports are one of the most common types of communications interfaces used with computing and communications devices. Hence, RFCOMM enables the replacement of serial port cables with the minimum of modification of existing devices. RFCOMM provides for binary data transport and emulates EIA-232 control signals over the Bluetooth base band layer. EIA-232 (formerly known as RS-232) is a widely used serial port interface standard. The adopted protocols are defined in specifications issued by other standards-making organizations and incorporated into the overall Bluetooth architecture. The Bluetooth strategy is to invent only necessary protocols and use existing standards whenever possible. These are the adopted protocols: PPP The point-to-point protocol is an Internet standard protocol for transporting IP datagrams over a point-to-point link; TCP/UDP/IP These are the foundation protocols of the TCP/IP protocol suite; OBEX The object exchange protocol is a session-level protocol developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) for the exchange of objects. OBEX provides functionality similar to that of HTTP, but in a simpler fashion. It also provides a model for representing objects and operations. Examples of content formats transferred by OBEX are vCard and vCalendar, which provide the format of an electronic business card and personal calendar entries and scheduling information, respectively; WAE/WAP Bluetooth incorporates the wireless application environment and the wireless application protocol into its architecture. 1.5.3 Bluetooth Usage Models A number of usage models are defined in Bluetooth profile documents. In essence, a usage model is a set of protocols that implement a particular Bluetooth-based application. Each profile defines the protocols and protocol features supporting a particular usage model. Following are the highest-priority usage models: File transfer The file transfer usage model supports the transfer of directories, files, documents, images, and streaming media formats. This usage model also includes the capability to browse folders on a remote device; Internet bridge With this usage model, a PC is wirelessly connected to a mobile phone or cordless modem to provide dial-up networking and fax capabilities. For dial-up networking, AT commands are used to control the mobile phone or modem, and another protocol stack (such as PPP over RFCOMM) is used for data transfer. For fax transfer, the fax software operates directly over RFCOMM; LAN access This usage model enables devices on a piconet to access a LAN. Once connected, a device functions as if it were directly connected (wired) to the LAN; Synchronization This model provides a device-to-device synchronization of PIM (personal information management) information, such as phone book, calendar, message, and note information. IrMC (Ir mobile communications) is an IrDA protocol that provides client/server capability for transferring updated PIM information from one device to another; Three-in-one phone Telephone handsets that implement this usage model may act as a cordless phone connecting to a voice base station, as an intercom device for connecting to other telephones, and as a cellular phone; Headset The headset can act as a remote devices audio input and output interface. 1.5.4 Advantages Bluetooth has a lot to offer with an increasingly difficult market place. Bluetooth helps to bring with it the promise of freedom from the cables and simplicity in networking that has yet to be matched by LAN (Local Area Network). In the key marketplace, of wireless and handheld devices, the closest competitor to Bluetooth is infrared. Infrared holds many key features, although the line of sight it provides doesnt go through walls or through obstacles like that of the Bluetooth technology. Unlike infrared, Bluetooth isnt a line of sight and it provides ranges of up to 100 meters. Bluetooth is also low power and low processing with an overhead protocol. What this means, is that its ideal for integration into small battery powered devices. To put it short, the applications with Bluetooth are virtually endless. Disadvantages Bluetooth has several positive features and one would be extremely hard pressed to find downsides when given the current competition. The only real downsides are the data rate and security. Infrared can have data rates of up to 4 MBps, which provides very fast rates for data transfer, while Bluetooth only offers 1 MBps. For this very reason, infrared has yet to be dispensed with completely and is considered by many to be the complimentary technology to that of Bluetooth. Infrared has inherent security due to its line of sight. The greater range and radio frequency (RF) of Bluetooth makAe it much more open to interception and attack. For this reason, security is a very key aspect to the Bluetooth specification. Although there are very few disadvantages, Bluetooth still remains the best for short range wireless technology. Those who have tried it love it, and they know for a fact that Bluetooth will be around for years to come. 1.5.5 Chat In a Bluetooth Chat application, well develop a JABWT-based chat room application, called Chat, for mobile devices that must support the J2ME MIDP 1.0 profile. Users who have a JABWT-capable device can use this application to chat with their nearby friends in an IRC fashion. It searches and joins any existing chat room within the Bluetooth effective range, or creates a new chat room in the nearby Bluetooth range. We use the words chat room to represent a virtual chat room thats formed by a network of Chat applications. Users can start messaging with each other within the same virtual chat room when theres more than one party connected to each other. If one user sends a message over the air, all parties of the chat room will receive the message. Users can join and leave the chat room at anytime. For our convenience we assumes like Theres only one chat room that exists within effective Bluetooth range. There is no security imposed when joining a chat room. Users run one instance of Chat on a device at any given time. Before we dig into the source code, lets look at some of the Bluetooth application design issues. JABWT does a good job of providing a familiar API to J2ME developers for accessing Bluetooth facilities. JABWT is integrated with the J2ME Generic Connection Framework. As a result, Bluetooth network programming is very similar to a stream-based connection model. Like many other network protocols, the Bluetooth connection model employs a client/server architecture. Our Chat application, on the other hand, operates in a peer-to-peer manner. Each running instance of Chat (or a node) can serve as a client and a server at the same time. It behaves as a client when Chat starts up; it searches and connects to existing running Chat devices. Once connected, it makes itself available for future clients to connect to. In such cases, it serves as a server for future client connections. To logically represent an active Chat node, we use the concept of endpoint to encapsulate all the connectivity attributes of a node. An endpoint represents a unique message delivery destination and source regardless of whether it is a server or a client. A Bluetooth connection differs from a regular socket connection by its unique device and service discovery processes. Bluetooth applications typically start the device discovery process to identify connectable devices, which is followed by a service discovery process to obtain a reference (URL) to suitable services. To hide these complexities from the Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements, a network layer is introduced to serve as a faà §ade to the Bluetooth API. This design is comparable to the Model-Viewer-Controller model where the Viewer component is decoupled from the Model component. The GUI can access Bluetooth connectivity via a simplified interface, which does all the discovery and connection establishment behind the scenes. This network layer also provides the functionality to send messages to and receive messages from other endpoints. A call back interface is in place to report any network activity back to the GUI. The Bluetooth Network is explain below. The communication channel between each connected Chat endpoint is a structured data stream connection. We put together a simple protocol to coordinate the activity between each endpoint. This protocol includes the following features: Initial handshake: Each point must handshake with each other when the connection is first established. This ensures that the connecting device is a Chat node rather than a mistakenly connected application. During the handshake, we also exchange the screen names of the users Delivery of text message: Each sent text message is delivered to all endpoints connected to the Chat network. Termination handshake: If the user quits the chat room gracefully, a termination token is sent to all the other endpoints to indicate its intention. We can clean up the necessary network and runtime resources associated with the leaving endpoint upon receiving this token. However, if the user walks away from effective range and becomes inaccessible, a termination token is not sent. Other active endpoints will discover the leaving party is inaccessible when the connections are lost, and they will clean up the resources. 1.5.5.1 Implementation Consideration The NetLayer class, which implements the Chat networking layer, does most of the Bluetooth-related work and provides the following functionality: Initializes the Bluetooth stack Registers Chat services to the Bluetooth device Searches for nearby devices Searches for Chat services on nearby devices Establishes endpoint connectivity for found Chat services Manages the life cycle of all endpoints The Bluetooth stack can be initialized by calling LocalDevice. getLocalDevice(). LocalDevice is a singleton that uniquely represents the underlying Bluetooth device implementation. You can use the LocalDevice instance to gain access to other Bluetooth features including: Discovery agent (via getDiscoveryAgent()) Bluetooth physical network address (via getBluetoothAddress()) SDDB (via getRecord() and updateRecord()) The Chat NetLayers initial work is to create and register a Chat service to a local device. A Bluetooth service is an entry point for other Bluetooth clients to access available functionalities. Since each Chat endpoint can serve as a server, it must register its service in order to make this server available to other Chat clients. JABWT utilizes the MIDP Generic Connection Framework to instantiate a server connection. A Chat application needs to instantiate a Serial Port Profile connection, basically a stream-based connection that allows two Chat applications to exchange data using Java input and output streams. A Chat server connection is created. After a server connection is created, the service is not yet available to external clients (it is not discoverable). What has happened is that JABWT created a corresponding ServiceRecord for this service. A ServiceRecord is a collection of attributes that describes our service, and these attributes are searchable by clients. We can use localDevice.getRecord( server ) to retrieve the newly created ServiceRecord. You may notice that the ServiceRecord is not empty at this point; it is already populated with some default values that are assigned by the JABWT implementation based on the connection string and the implementation configuration when we perform Connector.open(). The server.acceptAndOpen() method notifies the Bluetooth implementation that the application is ready to accept incoming connections and make the service available. This also instructs the underlying implementation to store the ServiceRecord object in the SDDB, which occurs when server.acceptAndOpen() is first invoked. Notice that only the attributes stored in the SDDB can be seen and queried by other Bluetooth clients. Any subsequent change to the ServiceRecord must be reflected in the SDDB by using localDevice.updateRecord(). Now our Chat application is ready to accept a connection. But what if your friends are already chatting prior to the start of your Chat? If there is an existing chat room available, Chat should join the existing network by searching for other Chat services on each individual device and connecting to their services. Three steps must be taken to perform this action. Search for an available device. For each available device, search for available and matching services. For each available and matching service, connect to the service and perform the initial handshake. DiscoveryAgent, another singleton in JABWT, can help us find other devices and services. There are two other options for retrieving connectable devices, a cached devices list and a pre known devices list. Cached devices are remote devices that have been discovered in a previous inquiry. Pre known are remote devices that are preconfigured in BCC. In our example, we choose to ignore both cached and pre known devices. We want to retrieve the most up-to-date list of active Chat devices at the moment Chat is launched. Therefore, our Chat application always initiates a new search for all surrounding devices. Devices can be searchable in two modes, General Inquiry Access Code (GIAC) and Limited Inquiry Access Code (LIAC). When a device is set to GIAC, it basically means I want to be discovered all the time. Devices that provide public and permanent services fall into this category. Printers and fax machines are examples of GIAC devices. On the other hand, LIAC discovery mode means I want to be discovered for a short period of time, as requested by my user. Devices that provide on-demand connectivity will fall into this category. Examples are multiple player game consoles, mobile modems, and our Chat program. The device discovery and service discovery processes are performed in an asynchronous manner. A Bluetooth application must provide a callback object for the JABWT implementation to notify when devices or services are found. This callback object implements the DiscoveryListener interface. When a device is found, the deviceDiscovered() method is invoked. We do some basic filtering to narrow down the candidate devices for our Chat application and ignore other unrelated devices. When all candidate devices are discovered, the device search is completed and the searchCompleted() method is invoked. We initiate the service discovery process using DiscoveryAgent .searchServices(). This is where the ServiceRecord attributes become useful. ServiceRecord is not only a description of the services, but also a query of constraints during service discovery. The second parameter of searchServices() allows us to specify which attributes and values the services must have in order for us to discover them. We can provide the UUID for the service that we registered earlier and it narrows down the exact matching candidate services on a remote device. This mechanism not only improves the performance of the discovery process, but also reduces the possibility of conflict. Once the desired service (Chat service) is found, we can retrieve the corresponding connection URL and establish the physical connection. To further validate that the connected service is indeed a Chat service, we immediately perform a handshake with the other party by sending a handshake signal (SIGNAL_HANDSHAKE) and exchanging the user screen name. Receiving parties must respond with an acknowledgment (SIGNAL_HANDSHAKE_ACK) to confirm the request.. To logically represent all the parties in the chat room, we introduce class EndPoint. From the application-level perspective, an endpoint encapsulates information for each actively connected Chat user and device. Chat uses EndPoint to identify which user to send a message to, and from which user a message is received. This abstraction allows us to hide the JABWT complexity from the GUI application. Endpoints are created when a connection is established between two Chat devices. Once created, we attach a reading thread and sending thread to the endpoint to manage the traffic between two endpoints. From this point on, two endpoints exchange user-entered messages (using SIGNAL_MESSAGE) until a termination signal is received. Implementation of this protocol can be found in the Reader and Sender classes. When a user exits Chat, the application sends the last message a termination token (SIGNAL_TERMINATE) to all connected parties. This token signals that the endpoint is no longer active. All receiving parties must return an acknowledgment (SIGNAL_TERMINATE_ACK) and remove the leaving endpoint from the active endpoint list. An endpoint can also be removed when the connectivity is dropped, which suggests the user has left the chat room without an explicit exit command (possibly due to a users walking away from the Bluetooth effective range). Our GUI, based on the MIDP LCDUI API, provides a simple interface to send and receive messages. All received messages from all connected users are displayed sequentially on the screen, which creates a virtual chat room environment. When there are more messages to display than can fit onto one screen, older messages will roll off the upper edge. In this example application, users are not able to scroll back to see the past messages. Pressing the Write command takes users to a message-editing mode. Pressing the Send command sends the currently entered message to the chat room; all other connected users are able to see the message. To quit the chat room, pressing the Exit command sends a termination token to all other parties. 1.5 Literature Survey There are a number of related research projects related to the music sharing. Their similarities and differences from our project are described as follows. tunA [TUNA, 2004], researched by Media Lab Europe is probably the closest relative of our system. It explored the possibilities of a system which enables people to share their music and to communicate with others nearby while they are on the go. tunA focuses on synchronized music sharing while our system focuses on personalized music sharing. Soundpryer [SOUNDPRYER, 2002], made by the Mobility Studio of the Interactive Institute in Sweden which focuses on a shared music experience between nearby cars and focuses on personal mobile music uses in urban settings. Unlike our system, Soundpryer does not include tight synchronization of that shared audio as part of their concept and implementation, and users do not choose which cars they are connected to. Sotto Voce [SottoVoice, 2002], a Xerox PARC project, is an electronic guidebook which attempts to promote a shared activity between museum visitors by allowing them to ‘eavesdrop on the descriptive audio passages that another is listening to. The system is a ‘hack in that no content is streamed all devices have identical local content. Bubbles [Bubbles, 2003], a Telenor RD project, is a mobile audio player that allows users to exchange audio files with nearby peers. It functions much like a mobile file trading application: Users swap files over HTTP but there is no infrastructure to join the audio experience among those users. Push!music [PUSH, 2005], a software developed on PDAs, which focuses on the concept of ‘media ecology, using agents to make songs migrate from one device to another in accordance to users music consumption habits. The methodology in â€Å"A peer to peer network file sharing system in mobile phones† is going to focus on mobile file sharing system. The mobile file sharing system allows users to share their resources like images, text, audio files without any aid of the central server. This system not only allows people to share their files to stranger but also identified the mobile devices in the mobile social network. CHAPTER II OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM 2.1 System Preliminary Design The Wireless Service subsystem will let mobile phones communicate with each other when they are in range. Since the devices use Bluetooth protocol which is a radio communications system, so they do not have to be in line of sight of each other, and can even be in other rooms, as long as the received transmission is powerful enough. There are three types of power class dependent with different ranges: 1 metre, 10 metres, 100 metres. The model that the Wireless Service subsystem uses for communication is a Client-Host architecture illustrated in figure. The role of a Host can communicate with up to 7 devices playing the role of a Client using Wireless Service Subsystem. The Host refers to Tune-in Host subsystem and Client refers to Tune-in Client subsystem. This network with a group of up to 8 devices (1 Host + 7 Clients) is called a piconet. A piconet is an ad-hoc computer network of devices using Bluetooth technology protocols to allow one host device to interconnect with up to seven active client devices (because a three-bit MAC address is used). Up to 255 further Client devices can be deactivated, or parked, which the Host device can bring into active status at any time. At any given time, data can be transferred between the Host and one Client, but the Host switches rapidly from Client to Client in a round-robin fashion. To set up a connection, a Client can would perform an inquiry to find any available device

How London is Portrayed in Composed upon Westminster Bridge and London

How London is Portrayed in Composed upon Westminster Bridge and London William Wordsworth's poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" written in 1904 looks at the positive side of London city and it natural Beauty. Whereas William Blake wrote the poem, "London" in 1794, the poem is negative towards authority and politics. The theme of the two poems is the city of London and how different people preserve it. "All bright and glittering in the smokeless air" (line 8) is a romantic view of the city of London. William Blake's perception is different. "Marks of weakness, marks of woe" (line 4) shows that London is corrupt and unhappy. The two poets, hence, have contrasting views of the city London. Wordsworth view is positive, focusing on the natural and man made beauty of the city. But on the other hand, Blake's poem dives deeper into a darker side of politics, prostitution and corrupted crocked people. The imagery used to express the themes is vivid and draws a picture in your head. Wordsworth poem draws flawless images of peace and harmony whereas Blake's p...

An Analysis of Class and Gender Conflict in Pygmalion Essay -- World L

"Pygmalion is a serious analysis of class and gender conflict." Bernard Shaw's play, entitled Pygmalion, transcends the nature of drama as a medium to be utilized for sheer entertainment value. Shaw's play powerfully comments on the capacity for the individual to overcome the boundaries established by systems of class and gender. Dominant assumptions and expectations may essentially prevent an individual from becoming socially mobile within a seemingly rigid hierarchical social structure. However, Liza, the protagonist utilizes language as the tool which enables the her to escape the confines of the lower class and to be regarded as a human of a certain degree of worth within society. As Liza transforms from flower girl to duchess, the audience is witness to the many ways that an individual can be dehumanised through the socialisation process. Issues of both class and gender arise from the tensions within the play that surround the interactions between Higgins and Liza and the viewer is able to openly question the values that exist within a soci ety that judges the character of a person on the basis of wealth and education. Henry Higgins represents the upper class of society, those that are expected to be both educated and wealthy. He is profoundly aware of his status and is not particularly sympathetic towards those of the lower class. This is revealed as he is first introduced to Liza and refers to her as a 'squashed cabbage leaf.' (Shaw, 2003:18) This first scene is important as it establishes the class differences that are evident within the language contrasts of each of the characters. Higgins plays an important role in establishing this theme as he places great emphasis on phonetics. He has the ability to place an i... ...e society of Shaw's time and of contemporary society. Liza is an independent woman at the closing of the play, when one takes into consideration that she possesses an assertive sense of free will and a determination to maintain her strength of character. Ultimately, Liza's insistence on remaining true to herself is a positive ramification of a transformation process, that in itself presented many moral questions to the perceptive audience. The protagonist has confronted the obstacles imposed on her by social conventions, with regards to both gender and class stereotypes, and has essentially deconstructed the boundaries that had previously prevented her from fulfilling her own capabilities and sense of self worth. Bibliography Bentley, E. Bernard Shaw, 2nd edn. London: Methuen, 1967. Shaw, B. Pygmalion, London: Penguin Books, 2003.

Individiual Understanding :: essays research papers

Individual Understanding I agree with functionalists, specifically the strong Artificial Intelligence (AI) camp, concerning the concept of understanding. While John Searle poses a strong non-functionalist case in his AChinese Room@ argument, I find that his definition of Ato understand@ falls short and hampers his point. I criticize his defense that understanding rests on a standardized knowledge of meaning, but not before outlining the general background of the issue. Functionalists define thought and mental states in terms of input and output. They claim that what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch (input) creates a mental state or belief, and that particular mental state in turn creates our reaction (output). If I see it=s raining outside, I believe that if I go outside I will get wet, and therefore I take an umbrella with me. The functionalists define a mental state strictly through its cause and effect relationships, through its function. This thinking leads to the conclusion that the human brain is little more than a big, complex computer. All we humans do is take input, process it, and accordingly create output, just like a computer. In fact, functionalists who support strong AI go so far as to say that an appropriately programmed computer actually has all the same mental states and capabilities as a human. In AMinds, Brains, and Programs,@ John Searle outlines this argument: AIt is a characteristic of human beings= story understanding capacity that they can answer questions about [a] story even though the information they give was never explicitly stated in the story. . . . [Strong AI claims that m]achines can similarly answer questions about [stories] in this fashion. . . . Partisans of strong AI claim that in this question and answer sequence the machine is not only simulating a human ability but also (1) that the machine can literally be said to understand the story . . . and (2) that what the machine and its program do explains the human ability to understand the story and answer questions about it@ (354). While strong AI claims that a machine can understand just as a human understands, Searle himself disagrees. He claims that a strictly input-output system, such as a computer is, cannot understand anything, nor does it explain humans= ability to understand. In criticizing strong AI, Searle creates his famous AChinese Room@ argument: suppose that Searle was locked in a room with a large batch of Chinese writing.