A Look Into Music Technologies Essays - Music Software,

A Look Into Music Technologies: A LOOK INTO MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES: HOW HAS THE INFORMATIONAL AGE INFLUENCE MUSIC? INTRODUCTION As we enter a new millennia, so will our music. The entire field of music has experienced dramatic changes due to the post- industrial/ informational age. This paper will focus primarily on the expansion of musical research and the development of new tools to aid in learning. The overall reaction details innovations that enhance and expand the depths of music. RESEARCH In the 1970's, the US government underwent a secret project making an underground port of communication. This project created what we now know as the Internet. The term Internet is often used to describe this enormous international network of computers. The word internet literally means, network of networks. In itself, the Internet is comprised of thousands of smaller regional networks scattered throughout the globe. On any given day, it connects roughly 25 million users in over 50 countries. One major importance is that The World Wide Web is accessed through the Internet. The term Internet and World Wide Web are not synonymous, infact confusing as they might seem, they both have different meanings. The Web refers to a body of information- an abstract space of knowledge, whereas the Internet is the actual hardware- the physical components which consist of giant masses of cables, satellites, and computers. Recent technological advances such as T3 lines, fiber optics, ground cables, an d satellites have increased the transfer of information by 347 times. The most common access to the Internet and the World Wide Web is through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). There are both local and national ISP's. The only basic requirements to access ISP's are a computer, modem, and a telephone. Just by clicking a mouse, one can discover a mass amount of treasure from sources like libraries, databases, web sites, and other people. New technology allows musicians to work time efficiently. For example, I was given an assignment where I had to translate and listen to recordings of three German Lieder songs. In the past, my research consisted of a trip to the library. Once I got there, I spent an expendable amount of time looking up any possible translations. Often times, the library did not have any translations. So my only option was to pull out a foreign language dictionary and translate word for word. This tedious process would take me anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours per song. Also, I'd like to mention the fact that I was still required to listen to recordings. If I was lucky, it would cost me a trip to the music library but often times I've experienced lost hours tracking down a certain piece either by physically going to a record store like Blockbuster Music or c alling some music friends to see if they had any recordings. If I weren't pressured for time, I would have never considered the Internet as a precious source of information. When I finished that assignment, I found myself satisfied. I was proud of myself because I did it in less than an hour and I didn't have to drive out to the city to find it. LEARNING TOOLS I've learned that the World Wide Web is a valuable tool. Infact, musicians now have access to many tools such as music notation software, MIDI, and multimedia. These tools provide musicians a wide variety of composing a new array of musical literature and at the same time, a new thinking process. A very handy tool that I'd like to first mention is Finale- a compositional software designed to notate musical scores. Music notation software like Finale, allows musicians to legibly present their work in a professional manner. Finale also allows composers to listen to their compositions, one impressive feature being the addition and subtraction of instrumental voices. The most widely used feature is its transposition abilities. Once a composition is entered into the computer, one simple command can transpose an entire piece in different key in a matter of seconds. Another excellent contraption worth mentioning is MIDI. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. What this contraption offers is electrical generation of sound. This in itself offers a whole new genre of music. MIDI sequencing allows musicians to

Effects & Consequences of Early European Contacts on... essays

Effects & Consequences of Early European Contacts on... essays Effects In this writing I will attempt to describe how early contacts with the Europeans effected the Native peoples of North America. I will also try to analyse if it effected their lives in any significant way, and if it did, in what way it might have altered them. And finally, I shall see if this contact produced any cultural conflicts or attempts toward mutual co-existence. First of all, we need to see what drove Europeans out of Europe, and into exploration of the unfamiliar hostile seas. Curiosity, being a characteristic trait of the human race was certainly a factor, it supplied the constant need to explore and discover the unknown. But, in this case, the main reason for the early European expeditions was economic. A desperate search to find a new route to the Indies was underway. With the capturing of Constantinople by the Turks, the traditional routes to the Orient were cut off, and the highly sought after spices needed to preserve the meats in Europe became scarce, as well as many other exotic goods previously imported from the far East. So, explorers from the more powerful European countries were sent by their governments and merchant elite on their way in search of a passage to India and China in the West. One such explorer hailed from France by the name of Jacques Cartier. He set off in late April, 1534, from Saint-Malo with two ships and 61 men in search of the great North West passage. They sailed all the way into Chaleur Bay, which divides present day Quebec from New Brunswick, where he met his first Mikmaq traders. A trading exchange between the Native peoples and the Europeans was initiated by the Natives, who made signs to the sailors to come on shore, holding up to them furs on sticks, in exchange for the newcomers iron knives, kettles, and axes. Further up into the continent, they encountered Iroquoians, who, unlike the Mikmaq, were unaccustom...

Global economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global economy - Essay Example These opportunities are found in major developing countries like India and China, where a large population results in excess of labor demand over supply; leading to comparatively cheap skilled and unskilled labor being available (Dominguez, pp. 5, 2005). At a superficial glance, when a multinational invests in a country overseas, the partnership seems beneficial. Both the parties seem to profit. The multinational company finds a new domain to practice business on, while the country involved benefits due to the creation of jobs in its economy as well as the expansion in the consumer market due to the addition of the MNC’s product. There is however, a more deep-rooted impact of this operation, which implies increased benefit for the MNC and less benefit for the developing country. The nation state, which allows the multinational to operate within its borders, seldom sees the profit from the company’s operations (Chen, pp. 136, 2003). Multinational company, upon earning th is profit, will whisk the profit out of the country to its own origin and home. Resultantly, even when million-dollar companies enter a developing country’s market, the million-dollar profit is not beneficial to the country itself in any way. If evaluated by the subjective eye, the situation can appear as if the MNC exploits the hosting country for its cheap labor and consumer market, while paying back only the bare minimum in the form of wages, while earning a massive profit as well as a beneficial expansion in operations. The operations of a multinational consist of combining the expertise (especially new technology) and the stock capital of the multinational with any opportunities the MNC may find in other countries in the form of cheap labor and other resources, leading to an increased output (Toyne, pp. 42, 2009). The result is often a substantial profit that the investors in the multinational divide amongst themselves and take home. While arguments both favor and oppose this distribution to solely the owners, the unbiased spectator has to admit that there is no legal ground upon which one can object to this distribution. The question that follows is that is there no way out of this redundant cycle for the developing countries? Will they continue to serve the multinationals with their cheap labor without ever seeing a reasonable share of the end profit? To answer this question, one has to evaluate the situation objectively. Since only the investors of a business are entitled to profits, the only way a nation state can fairly demand a share of the profit is by being one of the risk takers of the business. Investors in the MNC who belong to the hosting country share the profit of the company, and it is their decision whether to keep their share within the country, or to send it elsewhere (Nagle, pp. 104, 1998). If the nation state makes investment attractive for these stakeholders, they are tempted to keep the profits within the country to invest. Th is is often not the case in developing countries, where the government policies underestimate the importance of investment. In a country where the government policies promote investment using fiscal and monetary rewards, the country’s economy gains much more benefit through the operations of multinationals. Not only does investment from several sources increase, MNC operations in the country have a two-fold favorable impact

Brazilian Offshoring Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brazilian Offshoring Sector - Essay Example According to the Milken Institute’s latest Capital Access Index, Brazil has improved capital access for its entrepreneurs with the intent to stimulate the nation’s economic growth (LBC para. 1). In addition, the Brazilian offshoring sector is characterized by better access to human capital. The case study clearly indicates that the country’s ICT-related technical and graduate courses generate nearly 100,000 graduates annually. According to official data, Brazilian universities produced over 220,000 graduates in 2008. Access to R&D and Technology The Brazilian government gives special concessions to the country’s R&D and technology sectors. To illustrate, the government provides companies with 50% excise tax reduction to purchase R&D equipment and 100% reduction to import software development materials. Brazil’s R&D expenditure in the 1997–2002 period was greater than that of India. The Brazilian Federal Government gives particular attention t o technology and considers software and IT services industry as strategic. In addition, the Brazilian Development Bank offers extensive credit facilities to foster technology projects. Capabilities Brazil has a fast growing economy capable of making the country an attractive destination for global investors. Information technology has been well developed in Brazil and it represents approximately 7% of the country’s GDP. ... nline business sector, Brazil is the largest market in Latin America and the country’s online market grew by 20% over the last year to 40.5 million users (European Travel Commission para. 11). The case study reflects that the country’s total ICT market reached $139.1 billion in 2008. The Brazilian market is export oriented and pays specific attention to global brand performances. The government places great emphasis on the country’s domestic market so as to ensure the sustainability of its traditional industrialists. Regulatory Framework While analyzing the country’s regulatory framework, it seems that Brazil adopts a friendly approach to foreign companies. The case study notes that Brazil has the highest Regulatory Quality index as compared to other emerging economies such as India and China. This situation provides outsourcing firms with a favorable business environment in the country. In addition, the country’s lowest FDI Restrictive Index Scores claim that it is one of the most open economies for FDI. Culture While considering Brazilian culture, it is observed that many Brazilian companies face challenges in handling the country’s English proficiency. This situation persuades Western companies to refrain from outsourcing jobs and businesses to Brazil. From the case study, it is clear that the Brazilian culture attaches great importance to teamwork in software development projects. In addition, Brazilian culture is closer to that of the West in terms of race, religion, and family lifestyle. Hence, Brazilians can better understand Western business rules and market environments (Case Study 8). 2. Unlike the case of India, Brazil developed its software sector mainly to meet the needs of its domestic firms. Evidence suggests that Brazilian IT companies have

Management of Local Environmental Projects

Management of Local Environmental Projects There are various methods or approaches that can be used to manage local environmental projects through the implementation of environmental management measures with varying degrees of success and effectiveness. The methods and approaches used to manage local environmental projects can vary due to the objectives, active group membership, and the actual geographical location of those environmental projects. The scale and objectives of local environmental projects can vary greatly, ranging from short-term projects with a single objective such as regenerating a polluted area or on longer- term projects with many objectives. These environmental projects will range from those with a few volunteer members to those that could involve hundreds of people and rely on links between pressure groups, volunteers, and local or even national government. Since environmental projects started to emerge from the late 1960s as concern began to grow about the ecological impact of human economic activities methods of environmental project management have evolved. For ecologists the planning and implementation of local environmental projects has always been a major part of their strategy as a means of empowering local communities to improve their quality of life whilst helping the local environment. Local environmental projects had the advantage of not being controlled by government or businesses and could be regarded as an important strand of the social movements that emerged almost simultaneously with the ecology movement. Local environmental projects represented and still represent an alternative economic, social and political outlook upon life and how irresponsible material gain should not be the primary objective of governments and societies (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p. 233). Every environmental project should certainly consider the need for project management, whether on a full time, part time, or consultancy basis to maximise the ecological impact of the project. When it comes to protecting the world’s environment people often assume that national governments have the largest role to play in adopting measures to slow down or even reverse ecological damage. However, everybody has an individual responsibility to do their bit to protect their local environment. Environmental projects in theory and frequently in practice have shown that as individual projects they have a limited impact upon the global environment yet if the affects of all the environmental projects were added together they are far from being insignificant (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p. 234). Modern economic practices tend to emphasise that projects and economic activities at the local level are largely insignificant in comparison to regional, national, and international economic trends or decisions. That is not actually the case as much that has been achieved at protecting the environment has been influenced by or implemented by local environmental projects. Local environmental projects can help to change the widely held belief that only multinational corporations and national governments make a difference to the environment as ‘what cannot be measured is of no importance’ (Porritt, 1984 pp. 43-4). The people that manage local environmental projects have to consider several factors once it has been decided to start their environmental project. Unlike the earliest local environmental projects there are now a variety of government, non-governmental and business funding resources available that means people that are involved in local environmental projects do not have to meet the costs of running or working on their environmental projects. That is an important consideration when many environmental project workers could be unemployed or volunteers, the majority of local environmental projects would not be able to function if their workers and volunteers were forced by financial necessity to work elsewhere. For local and community environmental projects that are intended to have a long term future having a skilled environmental project manager that has the knowledge and the experience to attract funding is without doubt essential. An effective environmental project manager came make all the difference between continuing the project for the benefit of the local community and the environment, or the project closing down through lack of funding or volunteers. Funding can come in the form of grants made by central and local government, grants made by non-governmental organisations such as the National Lottery, or through business sponsorship or endorsements. In certain circumstances local and community environmental projects could be used as contractors or sub-contractors to achieve the policies of local and national government. Businesses may genuinely want to help to protect the local environment or they may just want to gain some positive publicity for themselves. Whatever peoples underlying reasons for supporting local and community environmental projects it is clearly in everybody’s self –interest to assist any projects that can protect their local environment (Jackson, 1996 pp. 181-3). As well as staffing levels and funding local environmental projects and their managers should also consider the resources that they need to operate effectively with and whether they can use sustainable resources or not. Local environmental projects may only be on a small barely detectable scale when the global environment is considered as a whole yet they can prove significant at the local level. If every local community could decrease its consumption levels when added together that could have highly beneficial results (Redcliffe, 1996 p. 91). Local and community environmental projects should be projects that effectively manage their resources so that they can limit environmental damage and help prevent or possibly reverse pollution levels within their respective communities. Local and community environmental projects should be evaluated to judge how their resource requirements could be met through sustainable resources, recycling, and the conservation of energy. Local and community environmental projects for instance should try to keep their use of paper, energy, and water to a minimum so as to reduce pollution (Chokar, Pandya, Raghunathan, 2004 p. 137). Thus all local environmental projects where possible should promote greener forms of energy consumption, and transport to improve the environment in their local area. There have not always been enough reasons for local and community environmental projects to proceed as the scientific proof of environmental decline was not widely or publicly accepted (Redcliffe, 1996 p. 136). If practical projects should attempt to use renewable energy sources either by selecting a renewable energy supplier or finding ways to operate their own power supplies (Chokar, Pandya, Raghunathan, 2004 p. 122). Ironically enough local and community environmental projects can become more effective and numerous as a result of national directives or legislation to protect and in some cases to conserve the environment (Jackson, 1996 p.173). Local authorities can help improve the environment in their local areas by promoting traffic free zones and encouraging greener transport use. They could even consider helping local and community environmental projects by assisting those projects in using cycles and promoting walking (Vaz, 1999 p. 99). Local and community environmental projects should also help to protect the local and community environment by recycling as much as possible. Not only is recycling helping to improve environmental sustainability it could also be an extra source of income for some local and community environmental projects depending upon the volume of material recycled. Recycling has the added benefits of reducing the levels of waste and pollution in local communities. The management of local environmental project needs to evaluate the ease of travel to the site of the environmental project. Consideration has to be made for people to walk, cycle or use public transport to reach the environmental project, either as workers, volunteers, or visitors. Transport issues can be more significant if the local and community environmental project is in a rural area with less public transport and greater distances for people to travel to it. Persuading people to walk or cycle to the environmental project would hel p to reduce the vehicle exhaust emissions that increase pollution and acts as a major cause of health conditions such as asthma. Reduced levels of pollution are good for local communities, less pollution brings public health, and economic benefits to those areas compared to other areas were there has been no environmental projects established and operating at all (Vaz, 1999 p. 158). Environmental project managers can gain funding, volunteers and workers for their projects through various channels. Gaining the support of the local community could be just as important for long-term success and continuation as obtaining direct funding can be. Local and community environmental project managers could attract supporters and volunteers by arranging publicity in the local press and television coverage to make people aware of the environmental project and its objectives for improving the environment in the local area. Public awareness can lead to people donating to the project, working for the project, or it can make them adjust their individual behaviour to help the local environment by themselves (Redcliffe, 1996 p.136). Publicity campaigns if well judged or well timed could make the local environmental project newsworthy and with increased support or influence within the local community it is there to help. As well as press releases and articles in local newspapers lo cal and community environmental project workers have found forging relationships with local schools, colleges, and youth organisations is beneficial. Such relationships can prove useful in raising the profile of their local and community environmental project; managers believe it useful in the gaining of workers or volunteers in the present and the future. Local and community environmental projects can form close links with schools, colleges, and youth groups by organising visits to those places or arranging for these groups to visit the environmental project. Project managers could also consider the option of allowing school children to go on projects as part of their work experience training or placement. Recruiting students at college or university could be another source of workers or volunteer as well as recruiting local people from the community (Vaz, 1999 p. 158). Increasing the number of people that visit local and community environmental projects potentially has legal consequences for the management of such projects to worry about. The local and community environmental projects management have to consider that they are legally responsible for the health and safety of everybody that works for, volunteers for, or simply visits their environmental projects. Managers should establish whether any of the materials, waste products, or working practices carried out as part of the projects are dangerous or detrimental to the health and safety of anybody linked to those projects. Before cleaning up pollution managers should check that all work does not contravene health and safety considerations (Jackson, 1996 p.55). Legal liability in the event of accidents could prove costly and lead to the closure of environmental projects that are inadequately insured. Local and community environmental projects especially if they work closely with local government and central government departments may have contractual arrangements that can only be broken or unfulfilled at the cost of legal action been taken or threatened. With local and community environmental projects often needing public funding or believing they need it, the cost of losing such contracts could be financially hard hitting for environmental projects. Environmental projects could also be victims to changes in political policy decision making which might decide to reduce the funding available for environmental projects (Vaz, 1999 p. 138). A good example of a local and community environmental project that has benefited or could benefit from the use of project managers was the Colchester Local Food Project. The Colchester Local Food Project had two distinct objectives. Firstly the Colchester Local Food Project attempted to increase the profile and sales of organically grown products from the Colchester area. Organic farming has obvious environmental advantages, for instance not using artificial fertilisers and pesticides that cause pollution and health problems if not used properly. The other part of the project was to help keep the local farms in business by establishing a Farmers’ market for the local area. The environmental benefits of conventional farming techniques may not be as obvious as organic farming yet farming would cause less damage to the local environment than building new homes or industrial sites on the land. Environmental project managers could have brought benefits to the scheme by finding fund ing for the organic growers and farmers, as well as advice in producing the local food directories and promoting the Farmer’s market. The actual project ran from June 2003 through to December 2004 with the directories helping to improve awareness and food sales (www.en-form.supanet.com). Bibliography Chokar K B, Pandya M, Raghunathan M, (2004) Understanding Environment, Sage Publications, New Delhi, Thousand Oaks and London Eatwell R Wright A, (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London Jackson T, (1996) Material Concerns – Pollution, Profit and quality of life, Routledge, London and New York Porritt J, (1984) Seeing Green: the politics of ecology explained, Blackwell, Oxford Redcliffe M, (1996) Wasted – Counting the costs of Global Consumption, Earthscan, London Vaz K, (1999) Cities for the future, Hansib Publications Limited, London W.W.-form.supanet.com/projectsenform.htm

It Doesnt Matter Summary :: Nicholas Carr Article Summary

Electricity, the telephone, the steam engine, the telegraph, the railroad andÂ…..IT? In his HBR article, "IT Doesn't Matter," Nicholas Carr has stirred up quite a bit of controversy around IT's role as strategic business differentiator. He examines the evolution of IT and argues that it follows a pattern very similar to that of earlier technologies like railroads and electricity. At the beginning of their evolution, these technologies provided opportunities for competitive advantage. However, as they become more and more available Ââ€" as they become ubiquitous Ââ€" they transform into "commodity inputs," and lose their strategic differentiation capabilities. From a strategic viewpoint, they essentially become "invisible." Carr distinguishes between proprietary technologies and what he calls infrastructural technologies. Proprietary technologies can provide a strategic advantage as long as they remain restricted through "physical limitations, intellectual property rights, high costs or a lack of standards," but once those restrictions are lifted, the strategic advantage is lost. In contrast, infrastructural technologies provide far greater value when shared. Although an infrastructural technology might appear proprietary in the early stages of buildout, eventually the characteristics and economics of infrastructural technology necessitate that they will be broadly shared and will become a part of the broader business infrastructure. To illustrate his point, Carr uses the example of a proprietary railroad. It is possible that a company might gain a competitive advantage by building lines only to their suppliers, but eventually this benefit would be trivial compared to the broader good realized by bu ilding a railway network. The same is true for IT - no company today would gain a cost-effective competitive advantage by narrowing its focus and implementing an Internet only between their suppliers to the exclusion of the rest of the world. To further shore up his "IT as commodity" theory, Carr cites the fact that major technology vendors, such as Microsoft and IBM, are positioning themselves as "IT utilities," companies that control the provision of business applications over "the grid." Couple this IT-as-utility trend with the rapidly decreasing cost of processing power, data storage and transmission, and even the most "cutting-edge IT capabilities quickly become available to all." Although IT may seem too diverse to be compared to commodities such as electricity and the railroads, Carr points out three specific characteristics that guarantee rapid commoditization: IT is a transport mechanism; IT is highly replicable; and IT is subject to rapid price deflation.

Mexican Food vs Tex Mex Food Essay

I know that every time that you want mexican food you just have to drive to the nearest Taco Bell, but do you really know what is Mexican Food? if your first choice is Taco Bell you definitely don’t know what it’s about. Mexican food is very far from this kind of food. Actually taco bell, fast food mexican restaurants foods are called Tex Mex. The difference between these two can be best be appreciate when we compare their ingredients, their taste and their presentation. According to and articule written in the web page www.kitchn.com the term Tex Mex has a lot of time around us, but it really takes his best on the 70’s when D. Kennedy published the Cusine of Mexico. The difference in the ingredients is the first way of notice which one is on your table. The real mexican food uses natural ingredients such as peppers, cornmeal and tomatoes. In tex mex food you see cheese and meat that are not that used in the mexican food rvn if their are natural. A common ingredient in both is the avocato.The difference in taste is that real mexican food is very spicy and seasoned. Tex mex uses sauces that sometimes are spicy but normally this sauces are not part of the recipe but the diner can add it. The mexican food always uses more natural ingredients, so the taste is more fresh than the tex mex. The presentation is the main reason that this two foods are not alike. The real mexican food and the tex mex food are very colourful, but the real one seem to be healthier than the tex mex. The tex mex is fast food, you can take with your hand but the mexican looks more formal. In Tex mex you can see burritos, fajitas and quesadillas but in mexican food you can have birria, huevos divorciados and mole. Everywhere you see a mexican restaurant but the 90% of them are tex mex food. As you’ve seen this two food are not alike. One has very differents things from the other, even they are made with differents methods of cooking. Its very important to know that Mexican Food was recognize as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO in 2010. References. What’s the Difference? Tex-Mex vs. Mexican http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-diffe-20300