Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Is Lena Dunhams First Book Worth $3.5 Million

Is Lena Dunhams First Book Worth $3.5 Million No. Its not. But thats the price reported in the NY Daily News. Dunhams book has the working title Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What Shes Learned,  and it is reported to include a humorous essays about her life as a 20-something woman. There are already comparisons between her book and Tina Feys  Bossypants, which was a runaway success and earned her every penny of a reported $5 million advance and Im sure the royalty checks keep coming. Random House is betting that Dunhams book will sell in equally impressive numbers. But it wont. I had never heard of Lena Dunham until last Friday. Im not that familiar with  Girls (though Id heard of it), and Ive never seen  Tiny Furniture. Im also over 30 (not very far over), so maybe thats to be expected. Im not sure. I have been familiar with Tina Feys work for quite a while now. When her book came out, I saw her name, and I stopped to take a look. Lots of people did. Dunham does not have the name recognition that will draw in readers (this point is explored more fully over at Forbes). Even if all of her 360,000+ Twitter followers buy a copy, she still wont hit the break-even mark. There is also the issue of her audience to consider.  It is assumed (and seems likely from where I sit) that this audience is made up of other 20-something women who will be able to identify with Dunhams experiences. Thats great when it comes to TV shows, but it is less great when it comes to books. This demographic is not exactly known for its book-buying power. The people who are more known for buying books are not going to be as interested. If she were a hot young novelist, maybe.  But Dunhams making her first book a book of essays. That just doesnt have the same commercial appeal no matter how funny it might end up being. Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) exceeded expectations with her comedic memoir  Lets Pretend This Never Happened  earlier this year. Readers were already familiar with her writing, though, from her wildly popular blog, and they had gotten to know her fairly well before the book ever hit the stands. Had Dunham gone a similar route, I would have more faith in her. Twitter and a show on HBO are not, I think, enough. Im not saying that Dunham doesnt have a great book in her or that people wont buy it. I just dont think that enough people will buy it to make the $3.5+ million price tag worth it for Random House.  It also means that a lot of other authors, even established and respected ones, will not get put in print this next year. The money is gone, and I dont think that it went to the right place. What do you think? Does Dunham have the name recognition and the skill to wow readers and sell books? Or did Random House bet on the wrong book? Sign up to Today In Books to receive  daily news and miscellany from the world of books. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Friday, May 22, 2020

The Global Dimensions Of Culture - 2078 Words

INTRODUCTION GLOBAL DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE Dr. Hofstede performed a comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. In the 1970’s, as a Dutch researcher Dr. Geert Hofstede, collected and analyzed data from 116,000 surveys taken by IBM employees in forty different countries around the world. From those results, Hofstede developed a model that identifies four primary dimensions of differentiated cultures. These include: Uncertainty Avoidance (UA), Masculinity-Femininity (MAS), Individualism-Collectivism (IND), Power and Distance (PD). After a further study of the Asian culture by researcher Michael Bond in 1991, Hofstede added a fifth dimension in his theory, Long- and Short-term time orientation (LTO), also referred to as the Confucian Dynamism. His research has framed how cultural differences can be used in professional business transactions. Geert Hofstede s dimensions analysis can show cultural differences that are meant to assist the business person in better understanding the inte rcultural differences within regions and between countries. Cultural differences between countries have strong effects on individual personality and behavior, as well as on organizational culture (Hofstede 2001). Failure to understand and adapt to these differences may result in undesired outcomes, which can have adverse effects on performance. In this paper, I will work to show the difference between Japan and the US based on Hofstede’s research.Show MoreRelatedInternational And Global And International Opportunities1069 Words   |  5 PagesOrganizations today are vastly becoming more global and international thanks to the advancement of technology. Global and international businesses are motivated by several goals, including the pursuit of new discoveries, the desire to attract the brightest minds, provide unparalleled knowledge, skills and information. The scope of international and global industries continues to expand today as more businesses and organizations are developing a more strategic approach to international partner shipsRead MoreAn Analysis of Management and Leadership Strategies Using the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Model616 Words   |  3 PagesUsing the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Model Introduction The Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Model is invaluable in evaluating the variations in cultural values across 93 different nations Dr. Hofstede profiled throughout his research efforts over the last three decades. Many corporations rely on this model for planning their globalization strategies, specifically looking at how best to align managers and leaders with specific attributes to nations whose cultures will be most complementary andRead MoreThe Impact Of Culture On The Business World1470 Words   |  6 Pagesadapts to these changes relies heavily on the culture, traditions, customs and overall way of life of the given society (Wharton). When it comes to the global economy, every country has its own definition of what being successful really means and the leadership that leads to success is defined differently as well. The way in which a leader needs to adjust their strategies are dependent upon the individual culture they are working with. Within each culture, there are certain elements that can impactRead MoreDiverse Populations1584 Words   |  7 PagesStrategies that Foster Collaboration Among Diverse Populations According to Azer El-Sherbini, (2011), understanding how cultures vary globally, we understand how important designing and implementing e-learning courses at the global level is. According to their study, global e-learning has challenges at the level of communication, technology, and world cultures (2011). The study of Geert Hofstede was monumental and developed out of a curiosity Hofstede had about worker values as a worker himselfRead MoreUnderstanding Cultural Dimension : Strategy For Globalization Business1596 Words   |  7 Pages Understanding Cultural Dimension: Strategy for Globalisation Business The maritime industry is a kind of vast business, which usually develop into multinational business. This business will involve many people from other countries. Since, the ship moves from one to another country, communicating with people from another country with different cultures is inevitable. Culture was defined by anthropologist as learning and sharing concept, value and belief or can be said as an adaptable systemRead MoreGlobal Leadership And Organizational Behavior Effectiveness1671 Words   |  7 PagesThe Project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness). The GLOBE research followed in Hofstede s footsteps yet also searched for additional dimensions (Cater, Lang Szabo, 2013, p. 446) as depicted and defined on Table II. In light of the GLOBE findings, earlier conceptualisations of culture have been reconsidered with respect to the impact of culture on leadership (Dickson et al., 2012 as cited in Cater et al., 2013, p. 447). GLOBE researchers introduced twnety one first-orderrRead MoreThe Roles of Culture, Subculture, and Social Class in Consumer Behavior1215 Words   |  5 PagesRoles of Culture, Subculture and Social Class in Consumer Behavior Introduction The depth and variety of global expansion strategies today is accelerating rapidly as companies historically who have been highly effective in marketing, selling and service look to new nations to continue growing sales and profits. The roles of culture, subcultures and social classes serve as the framework for gaining new access into foreign markets. The effect of cultural distances in the areas of cultures, subculturesRead MoreHofstede And Globe ( Global Leadership And Organisation Behaviour Effectiveness1108 Words   |  5 PagesGLOBE (Global Leadership and Organisation Behaviour Effectiveness) research on Culture and Leadership. Hofstede and GLOBE is similar, they both investigation the behaviour of organisations in different countries and across culture. But the way and research scope still quite different. In this report we will summarized and reviewed the theoretical dimension of various culture and leadership. Include the deficiencies in Hofstede’s work which the GLOB E study sought to address. Introduction Culture isRead MoreCultural Differences Of The Workplace1046 Words   |  5 Pagesenvironment, leaders can get the most out a diverse workforce and be better equipped to compete in today’s global economy. To show how this can be done an overview of the research done by Professor Geert Hofstede will be discussed, followed by the examination of the differences and similarities between two different cultures and how they impact work relationships. Hofstede’s Six Dimensions of Culture Professor Gert Hofstede performed an extensive amount of research on how different cultural values affectRead MoreAnalysis Of Hofstede s Five Dimensions Of Culture906 Words   |  4 Pages Management styles differ with each country, region and industry. From varying leadership styles, religious beliefs, geography to social mores to gender differences, there are many challenges facing managers in today’s global economy. I work for a global medical device and software industry where we have offices and regional management structures across the globe. I’ve had the privilege of working with managers and team members in the UK and European markets and have noticed many differences between

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Medical School Admission Essay

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Medical School Admission Essay Moreover, medical schools already know about every one of the programs and resources they give, and that means you wouldn't be providing much value via your writing. Nonetheless, healthcare costs are gaining a proportion of the national GDP each year. With the wish to stimulate and boost the bodys immune system, homeopathic medicines are customized to satisfy personal healthcare requirements. Furthermore, men and women in the area of medicine should have strong leadership, communication and social skills. Sometimes though, just some of a Sample essay can help you. You may obtain just about any Sample essay online for unique subjects. Abortion Essay is a type of essay writing topic which consists of some healthcare terms. Viewing a Sample essay and considering the matter of plagiarism is quite important. Take a look at the next link if you would like more tips about how to compose the personal statement. It's possible for you to visit us to acquire more info on any subject that's in question in medical school. The list are found at www.naces.org. The price of the school and its physical location ought to be considered too, since the candidate spends a couple of significant years of his life there. Give comprehensive information and if at all possible, state a specific case where you had the ability to do a goal or a project, either by yourself or as an element of a group. The medical school personal statement is often the toughest part of an application. Your health care school personal statement should sell. Top Medical School Admission Essay Choices You are able to easily buy unique college essays and don't neglect to tell friends and family about it. You'll be thrilled to obtain an outstanding admission paper in no moment. Make It Interesting Perhaps the main purpose of all though is to continue to keep your essay interesting. What's more, besides the countless papers on distinct subjects, you may have a number of other responsibilities which require significant attention. How to Find Medical School Admission Essa y Online Medical schools search for candidates that are passionate about medicine for a profession. Medicine is a subject that mainly addresses the study of the way to cure the sick. Undergraduates are anticipated to donate a few of their time and service to medical institutions. Students may go through the sample medical school essays which are available on our site and know the caliber of work we provide. They are given assistance because they have a special skill or ability, display a particular talent, have a certain grade point average, or are enrolled in a specific program. The standard of internet nursing education has greatly improved over recent years. So if you're searching for the ideal school in Mumbai, then RBKIS is the very best selection for you. Therefore, if you're interested in becoming a health doctor, be ready to make substantial sacrifices, first in medical school and later in your internship and residency. If you're following several directions, and you've got a great emergency kit that's acceptable for college living, then whether you're a college student or whether you're the parent of one, you will learn that everything was accounted for and everything is going to be taken care of. There are a few simple measures to applying for medical school and they're outlined below. When thinking about a career for a doctor, you will discover that the medical school admission requirements are more then grades that you produce in undergraduate classes. The entire procedure of writing an admission essay for practically any statutory law school or other institutions can be rather complicated. As a result, the competition and medical school requirements have come to be much tougher.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Leading and Developing a Work Team Free Essays

string(26) " that its work gets done\." UNIT 9 LEADING AND DEVELOPING A WORK TEAM Distinguish between management and leadership and assess the implications of each on effective team performance. Managers depend on their people. They cannot do without their wholehearted commitment and support. We will write a custom essay sample on Leading and Developing a Work Team or any similar topic only for you Order Now But gaining that support, motivating and engaging them and ensuring that they know what they are expected to do and how to do it is down to managers and it is a difficult task. This book How to Manage People of Michael Armstrong 2008 is designed to make it easier by going into the main actions that managers have to carry out to get things done through people, namely: managing effectively overall, leading, motivating, team building, delegating, interviewing, managing performance, developing and rewarding people, managing change and handling people problems. As a manager you are there to get things done through people. You are engaged in a purposeful activity involving others. But you are concerned with defining ends as well as gaining them. You decide what to do and then ensure that it gets done with the help of the members of your team. You deal with programs, processes, events and eventualities. All this is done through the exercise of leadership. People are the most important resource available to you as a manager. It is through this resource that other resources are managed. However, you are ultimately accountable for the management of all resources, including your own. When dealing with immediate issues, anticipating problems, responding to demands or even a crisis, and developing new ways of doing things, you are personally involved. You manage yourself as well as other people. You cannot delegate everything. You frequently have to rely on your own resources to get things done. These resources include skill, know-how, competencies, time, and reserves of resilience and determination. You will get support, advice and assistance from your own staff and specialists, including human resources, but in the last analysis you are on your own. It is important to examine particular aspects of managing people, such as leadership, organizing and motivation including teamwork. There is a need to exercise your people management responsibilities effectively. It starts with an overall look at the criteria for managerial effectiveness. This is followed by a review of the attributes of effective managers. The rest of the chapter deals with a number of the key aspects of management. As a manager and a leader you will be judged not only on the results you have achieved but the level of competence you have attained and applied in getting those results. Competence is about knowledge and skills – what people need to know and be able to do to carry out their work well. You will also be judged on how you do your work – how you behave in using your knowledge and skills. These are often described as ‘behavioral competencies’ and can be defined as those aspects of behavior that lead to effective performance. They refer to the personal characteristics that people bring to their work roles in such areas as leadership, team working, flexibility and communication. As a manager of people your role is to ensure that the members of your team give of their best to achieve a desired result. In other words you are a leader – you set the direction and ensure that people follow you. It is necessary to distinguish between management and leadership: Management is concerned with achieving results by obtaining, deploying, using and controlling all the resources required, namely people, money, facilities, plant and equipment, information and knowledge. Leadership focuses on the most important resource, people. It is the process of developing and communicating a vision for the future, motivating people and gaining their engagement. The distinction is important. Management is mainly about the provision, utilization and control of resources. But where people are involved it is impossible to deliver results without providing effective leadership. Describe the processes of team formation, and evaluate strategies for encouraging team formation and development One of your most important roles as a manager is to act as a team builder – developing and making the best use of the capacity of your team so that its members jointly deliver superior levels of performance. Team building takes place when you clarify the team’s purpose and goals, ensure that its members work well together, strengthen the team’s collective skills, enhance commitment and confidence, remove externally imposed obstacles and create opportunities for team members to develop their skills and competencies. A team is a group of people with complementary skills who work together to achieve a common purpose. Their team leader sets the direction, provides guidance and support, coordinates the team’s activities, ensures that each team member plays his or her part, promotes the learning and development of team members, consults with the team on issues affecting its work and, in conjunction with team members, monitors and reviews team performance. However, some organizations have developed the concept of self-managing teams which are largely autonomous, responsible to a considerable degree for planning and scheduling work, problem solving, developing their own key performance indicators and setting and monitoring team performance and quality standards. The role of their team leaders is primarily to act as coordinators and facilitators; their style is expected to be more supportive and facilitative than directive. An effective team is likely to be one in which its purpose is clear and its members feel the task is important, both to them and to the organization. The structure, leadership and methods of operation are relevant to the requirements of the task. Team members will be highly engaged in the work they do together and committed to the whole group task. They will have been grouped together in a way that means they are related to one another through the requirements of task performance and task interdependence. The team will use discretionary effort – going the extra mile – to ensure that its work gets done. You read "Leading and Developing a Work Team" in category "Papers" The main features of well-functioning teams as described by Douglas McGregor (1960) are that the atmosphere tends to be informal, comfortable and relaxed; team members listen to each other; most decisions are reached by consensus; when action is taken, clear assignments are made and accepted, and team leaders do not dominate their teams – the issue is not who controls but how to get the work done. The performance of teams should be assessed in terms of their output and results and the quality of team processes that have contributed to those results. Output criteria include the achievement of team goals, customer satisfaction and the quantity and quality of work. Process measures comprise participation, collaboration and collective effort, conflict resolution, joint decision making, planning and goal setting, interpersonal relations, interdependence and adaptability and flexibility. How you and your team apply these criteria will be related to the following factors that affect team performance: the clarity of the team’s goals in terms of expectations and priorities; how work is allocated to the team; how the team is working its processes in terms of cohesion, ability to handle internal conflict and pressure, relationships with other teams; the extent to which the team is capable of managing itself – setting goals and priorities, monitoring performance; the quality of leadership – even self-managed teams need a sense of direction which they cannot necessarily generate by themselves; the level and range of skills possessed by individual team members; the extent to which team members work flexibly, taking advantage of the multi-skilling capabilities of its members; the systems and resources support available to the team. Good support to your team-building efforts will be provided if you conduct regular team performance review meetings to assess feedback and control information on their joint achievements against objectives and to discuss any issues concerning team work. The agenda for such meetings could be as follows: general feedback review of the progress of the team as a whole and problems encountered by the team which have caused difficulties or hampered progress, and helps and hindrances to the operation of the team. Work reviews of how well the team has functioned. The group problem solving, including an analysis of reasons for any shortfalls or other problems and agreement of what needs to be done to solve them and prevent their re-occurrence. Update objectives – review of new requirements, opportunities or threats and the amendment of objectives as required. Evaluate the stages of development of their work group as a team and select and employ strategies to improve and develop team working. One of your most important, if not the most important, responsibilities as a manager is to ensure that the members of your team achieve high levels of performance. You have to ensure that they understand what you expect from them, that you and they work together to review performance against those expectations and that you jointly agree what needs to be done to develop knowledge and skills and, here necessary, improve performance. Your organization may well have a performance management system which provides guidance on how this should be done but ultimately it is up to the manager. You are the person on the spot. Performance management systems only work if managers want them to work and are capable of making them work. You have to believe that your time is well spent in the process of managing performance as described in the first part of this chapter. You need to know about performance planning (agreeing what has to be done), managing performance throughout the year and conducting formal performance reviews as covered in the next three parts. You should have no problems in appreciating the importance of the first two activities. It is the third activity – performance reviews – managers often find hard to accept as necessary and even more difficult to do well. The process of managing performance is based on two simple propositions. First, people are most likely to perform well when they know and understand what is expected of them and have taken part in defining these expectations. In other words, if you know where you are going you are more likely to get there. Second, the ability to meet these expectations depends on the levels of knowledge, skill, competency and motivation of individuals and the leadership and support they receive from their managers. As a manager or team leader you need skilled, knowledgeable and competent people in your department or team. You may appoint able people from within and outside the organization but most of them will still have a lot to learn about their jobs. And to improve your team members’ performance you must not only ensure that they learn the basic skills they need but also that they develop those skills to enable them to perform even better when faced with new demands and challenges. Most learning happens at the place of work, although it can be supplemented by such activities as e-learning (the delivery of learning opportunities and support via computer, networked and web-based technology) and formal ‘off-the-job’ training courses. It is your job to ensure that favorable conditions for learning ‘on the job’ exist generally in your area as well as taking steps to help individuals develop. To do this job well you need to know about: the conditions that enable effective learning to take place; the importance of ‘self-managed learning’, i. e. individuals taking control of their own learning; the contribution of formal learning; the advantages and disadvantages of informal learning and development approaches; how you can contribute to promoting learning and development in your department or team; the use of such learning and development aids as coaching, mentoring, learning contracts and personal development plans; how to instruct people in specific tasks should the need arise. Set standards and targets and review performance. Managing performance is about getting people into action so that they achieve planned and agreed results. It focuses on what has to be done, how it should be done and what is to be achieved. But it is equally concerned with developing people – helping them to learn – and providing them with the support they need to do well, now and in the future. The framework for performance management is provided by the performance agreement, which is the outcome of performance planning. The agreement provides the basis for managing performance throughout the year and for guiding improvement and development activities. It is used as a reference point when reviewing performance and the achievement of improvement and development plans. You should treat your responsibility for managing performance as an integral part of the continuing process of management. This is based on a philosophy which emphasizes: the achievement of sustained improvements in performance; the continuous development of skills and capabilities; that the organization is a ‘learning organization’ in the sense that it is constantly developing and applying the learning gained from experience and the analysis of the factors that have produced high levels of performance. You should therefore be ready, willing and able to monitor performance and define and meet development and improvement needs as they arise. As far as practicable, learning and work should be integrated. This means that encouragement should be given to your team members to learn from the successes, challenges and problems inherent in their day-to-day work. You should carry out the process of monitoring performance by reference to agreed objectives and to work, development and improvement plans. You have to decide how tightly you monitor on the basis of your understanding of the capacity of individuals to do the work. Identify own leadership style and skills, and assess own effectiveness in leading and developing the team and its performance. Self-managed learning style involves encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their own learning needs. The aim is to encourage ‘discretionary learning’, which happens when individuals actively seek to acquire the knowledge and skills required to perform well. It is based on processes of recording achievement and action planning, which involves individuals reviewing what they have learned, what they have achieved, what their goals are, how they are going to achieve those goals and what new learning they need to acquire. The learning program can be ‘self-paced’ in the sense that learners can decide for themselves, up to a point, the rate at which they work and are encouraged to measure their own progress and adjust the program accordingly. Self-directed learning is based on the principle that people learn and retain more if they find things out for themselves. But they still need to be given guidance on what to look for and help in finding it. Learners have to be encouraged to define, with whatever help they may require, what they need to know to perform their job effectively. They need to be provided with guidance on where they can get the material or information that will help them to learn and how to make good use of it. Personal development plans as described later in this chapter can provide a framework for this process. People also need support from their manager and the organization, with the provision of coaching, mentoring and learning facilities, including e-learning. The leadership style I would apply is the combination of a Transformational and Transactional Leader. As a leader I can be both arouse emotions of my followers which motivates them to act beyond the framework of what may be described as exchange relations at the same time be aware of the link between the effort and reward. I can be proactive and form new expectation and be responsive from the basic orientation in dealing with present issues. Transformational leaders are distinguished by their capacity to inspire and provide individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and idealized influence to their followers while transactional leaders rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment and sanction to control followers. Leaders create learning opportunities for their followers and stimulate followers to solve problems at the same time they can motivate followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance. A trait that a leader should possess good visioning, rhetorical and management skills, to develop strong emotional bonds with followers and depends on the leader’s power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain. Lastly, leaders motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond self-interest. REFERENCES: http://www. ehow. com/how_5485211_evaluate-team- performance. html#ixzz1sqUbPZyH accessed on July 18, 2012 How to Manage People. Michael Armstrong 2008 accessed on July 24, 2012 How to Evaluate Team Performance | eHow. com accessed on August 3, 2012 http://www. ehow. com/how_5485211_evaluate-team-performance. html#ixzz1sqUbPZyH accessed on August 10, 2012 How to cite Leading and Developing a Work Team, Papers

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Packet Generator Essays - Network Performance, Network Architecture

Packet Generator MOTIVATION / GOALS When it comes to real-world network throughput, there are as many opinions about network performance as there are network installations. Every network site is unique, and the performance of the network is a function of the number of stations contending for access to the Ethernet, the type of hardware in use (station interfaces, switches), the layout of the cables (are they the right type, right length, and do they meet the configuration guidelines?), the quality of the cable installation and the mix of applications. However, with the ever-increasing number of networks, the traffic over the Internet is going to be saturated and performance will be down. In light of this problem, the testing, simulating and troubleshooting of a network device become very important. Therefore, in order to develop a more efficient and effective method, the project's goals is ? To provide the users more functions and flexibility in terms of the packet arrival pattern and the packet size generation. ? To assess network or the network component's ability to support the given traffic load in terms of packet loss, delay, delay jitters etc. ? To source and sink real-time multicast/unicast UDP/IP traffic flows with optional support for operation with ISI's rsvpd. ? To transmit, receive and log time-stamped, sequence numbered packets. ? To provide a traffic controller using the Leaky Bucket method. INTRODUCTION Informations Technology personnel often look to network benchmark tests to measure monitor and predict the performance of the LANs. This is especially valuable in the case of high-performance backbones that continually support a large number of users and consistently high traffic volumes. However, the current technology of packet generator is very limited in functionality and usage. The project will aim to increase the flexibility of the packet generator in the following areas: ? Increase the range of options and flexibility with regards to the packet transmission pattern. ? Instead of just specifying the packet size, the user would be able to specify the distribution function he/she wants to be implemented. ? Add a traffic controller module to control the number of generated packets that is being sent to the network. ? Implementing the leaky bucket method and combining it with the dropping method for the traffic controller. HIGHER-LEVEL BLOCK DIAGRAM OF SYSTEM CONCEPT OF LEAKY BUCKET DROPPING METHOD LEAKY BUCKET ALGORITHM Background Our project was actually spawned from the idea of MGEN. It was actually designed and developed by The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Multi-Generator or MGEN is currently running on most operating systems, namely SunOS 4.1.x, Solaris 2.x, Intel-based Linux, NetBSD, etc. Furthermore, MGEN is a specific set of software that provides the ability to generate and receive packets through the network base on an input script file. However, the MGEN script is very limited in terms of its flexibility and functionality. For example, packet arrival generation can only be set to either a Periodic or a Poisson Distribution. Therefore, in order to exploit the MGEN's full capability, a Data Flow On command can be further developed. These two distributions do not represent the real time traffic flow in the network. Therefore, our project will involved developing this MGEN code and coding it in C language so that its packet generator pattern will have few more distributions that better represent a ne twork flow. Among the distribution functions we will include are Exponential, Uniform Distribution, Gamma Distribution etc. In addition, the packet size is to be changed from a fixed value to a varying amount of packet sizes. Also, we have to include the Traffic controller so that we will be able to control the new traffic flow generated by different distributions. As a result, the implementation of leaky bucket will be necessary in order to achieve this goal. Strategic Plan Proposed Approach Our first objective is to work on the packet generator module, study and develop the MGEN code, which was coded in C program. We will choose to run and develop our project on SunOS machines. Using the inputs specified by the users, MGEN will generates packets pattern to the network. The second step is to introduce different distribution functions and add them to the source code in the form of modules. So far, the Exponential and Uniform distribution are the two distributions to be added. Depending upon the progress of the

Friday, March 20, 2020

Diana, Princess of Wales - Timeline of Events

Diana, Princess of Wales - Timeline of Events July 1, 1961 Diana Frances Spencer born in Norfolk, England 1967 Dianas parents divorced. Diana initially lived with her mother, and then her father fought for and won custody. 1969 Dianas mother married Peter Shand Kydd. 1970 After being educated at home by tutors, Diana was sent to Riddlesworth Hall, Norfolk, a boarding school 1972 Dianas father began a relationship with Raine Legge, Countess of Dartmouth, whose mother was Barbara Cartland, romance novelist 1973 Diana began her education at the West Heath Girls School, Kent, an exclusive girls boarding school 1974 Diana moved to the Spencer family estate in Althorp 1975 Dianas father inherited the title of Earl Spencer, and Diana gained the title of Lady Diana 1976 Dianas father married Raine Legge 1977 Diana dropped out of West Girls Heath School; her father sent her to a Swiss finishing school, Chateau dOex, but she only stayed a few months 1977 Prince Charles and Diana met in November when he was dating her sister, Lady Sarah; Diana taught him to tap-dance 1978 Diana attended a Swiss finishing school, Institut Alpin Videmanette, for a term 1979 Diana moved to London, where she worked as a housekeeper, nanny, and kindergarten teachers aide; she lived with three other girls in a three-bedroom flat purchased by her father 1980 On a visit to see her sister Jane, who was married to Robert Fellowes, an assistant secretary to the Queen, Diana and Charles met again; soon, Charles asked Diana for a date, and in November, he introduced her to several members of the royal family:Â  the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh (his mother, grandmother, and father) February 3, 1981 Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer at a dinner for two at Buckingham Palace February 8, 1981 Lady Diana left for a previously-planned vacation in Australia July 29, 1981 wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales, at St. Pauls Cathedral; broadcast worldwide October 1981 the Prince and Princess of Wales visit Wales November 5, 1981 official announcement that Diana was pregnant June 21, 1982 Prince William born (William Arthur Philip Louis) September 15, 1984 Prince Harry born (Henry Charles Albert David) 1986 strains in the marriage began to be obvious to the public, Diana begins relationship with James Hewitt March 29, 1992 Dianas father died June 16, 1992 publication of Mortons book Diana: Her True Story, including the story of Charles long affair with Camilla Parker Bowles and allegations of five suicide attempts including once during Dianas first pregnancy; it later became apparent that Diana or at least her family had cooperated with the author, her father contributing many family photographs December 9, 1992 formal announcement of the legal separation of Diana and Charles December 3, 1993 announcement from Diana that she was withdrawing from public life 1994 Prince Charles interviewed by Jonathan Dimbleby, admitted he had had a relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles since 1986 (later, it was questioned whether his attraction to her had been rekindled earlier) the British television audience was 14 million November 20, 1995 Princess Diana interviewed by Martin Bashir on BBC, with 21.1 million audience in Britain, revealing her struggles with depression, bulimia, and self-mutilations; this interview contained her line, Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded, referring to her husbands relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles December 20, 1995 Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen had written to the Prince and Princess of Wales, with the backing of the Prime Minister and Privy Counsel, advising them to divorce February 29, 1996 Princess Diana announced shed agreed to a divorce July 1996 Diana and Charles agreed to divorce terms August 28, 1996 divorce of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, Prince of Wales, final; Diana received about $23 million settlement plus $600,000 per year, retained the title Princess of Wales but not the title Her Royal Highness, continued to live at Kensington Palace; agreement was that both parents were to be active in their childrens lives late 1996 Diana became involved with the issue of landmines 1997 Nobel Peace Prize went to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, for which Diana had worked and traveled June 29, 1997 Christies in New York auctioned 79 of Dianas evening gowns; proceeds of about $3.5 million went to cancer and AIDS charities. 1997 linked romantically with 42-year-old Dodi Fayed, whose father, Mohammed al-Fayed, owned Harrods Department Store and Paris Ritz Hotel August 31, 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, died of injuries sustained in a car accident, in Paris, France September 6, 1997 Princess Dianas funeral. She was buried at the Spencer estate at Althorp, on an island in a lake.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

How to Focus When Youre Writing

How to Focus When Youre Writing How to Focus When Youre Writing How to Focus When Youre Writing By Ali Hale Do you ever find yourself distracted when you’re writing? I don’t think I’ve ever met a writer who could honestly answer â€Å"no† to that question! Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, checking the news headlines, browsing a few webcomics, answering emails, ordering that book from Amazon you’d forgotten about there are so many distractions just a click away. The good news is, there’s plenty you can do to help yourself to focus as you write. I’ve split my suggestions into three different categories, so you can tackle whichever area you feel is holding you back the most (or whichever is easiest for you to change right now). They are: How to make your writing environment work for you What to do before you write What to do while you’re writing I’ve also included a bonus tip on something you can do after you write, to help you gradually focus better over time. How to Make Your Writing Environment Work For You #1: Get Away from Home If you normally write at home, try writing in a local coffee shop (or library, etc) instead. This cuts out a ton of potential distractions and a change of scene can make it much easier to be creative. Some of my best, most focused, writing happens when I get away for an afternoon, evening and morning at a local hotel. There’s no laundry pile, no dishes, no kids, no TV, and the wifi there doesn’t work on my ailing laptop. I can write for hours! Even if you can’t get away for very long, just an hour in a coffee shop might be enough to help you get past a creative block that you’ve been struggling with. #2: Get Rid of Intrusive Noise When I’m in the writing zone, I tune out pretty much everything (including my long-suffering husband). But getting into that zone in the first place can be tricky if there’s a lot of distracting noise going on. In our house, â€Å"noise† is normally the kids playing / fighting / singing at the top of their lungs. Maybe that sounds all too familiar to you – or maybe the noise you’re trying to block out is construction work going on nearby, or your roommate watching yet another repeat of Friends. Whatever the noise, a pair of headphones will help (I like in-ear ones, because they’re cheap and act a bit like earplugs to muffle external noise). It’s entirely up to you what you listen to: some writers like to focus with ambient sound from a site like Noisli.com; others like movie soundtracks; still others pick a particular artist, album or even song that fits with the mood of their work-in-progress. Do whatever works for you. #3: Sit at a Desk or Table If you normally write while sitting on the sofa, or even while lying in bed, try sitting at a table or desk instead – even if that means clearing some space or rearranging a room. You might find it makes a huge difference to your concentration levels. As well as feeling more like a â€Å"work† space, a seat at a table or desk is likely to be better for your posture than hunching over with your laptop on your lap, or lying in bed with your laptop propped up on your knees. (If you do decide to stick with your sofa or bed, though, you might want to   look into something like a laptop bed tray to make it easier to write there.) What To Do Before You Write #4: Make a Plan Whatever you’re about to write, you need a plan. That might be a few words scribbled on a sticky note, or it might be a detailed document outlining your whole book. But whatever your plan looks like, it’s a vital tool for keeping you on track and focused. If you begin writing without a plan, it’s all too easy to lose focus. You don’t know where you’re going next – and as soon as you come to the natural end of one train of thought, you’ll probably find yourself getting distracted by something that has nothing to do with your writing at all. #5: Set a Goal for Your Writing Session What do you want to achieve during your writing session? If you’re writing, say, a blog post, you might simply want to work through your plan – but if you’re working on part of a longer project, you may need to come up with a specific goal. For instance, if you’re writing a novel, your goal might be â€Å"write the first 1,000 words of chapter 10† or â€Å"write the scene with Jo confronting Dwayne†. If you find that setting goals can be daunting or off-putting rather than helpful, you might want to set a â€Å"minimum† goal and a â€Å"stretch† goal – that might be â€Å"write 200 words† as the minimum and â€Å"write 1,000 words† as your stretch goal. Even if you only achieve the minimum, you can still give yourself a pat on the back. #6: Decide How Long You’ll Focus For You don’t necessarily need to work with 100% focus for the whole of your writing session. You might decide to focus for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break. (Those particular time intervals are part of the Pomodoro technique, which you might find helpful.) Set a timer to keep you on track as you write. While the timer is running, your job is to only write – you can’t check emails, go on Facebook, and so on. It might feel surprisingly hard at first to stay focused in this way, but you’ll soon find it becomes more natural. If you’re fighting a long-entrenched distractibility habit, you might want to use an app like Freedom.to to help you – you can block specific websites, or even the whole internet, for a period of time. What to Do While You Write #7: Keep a â€Å"Distractions† Notebook to Hand One simple tool that I find very helpful is a notebook, diary or even scrap of paper where I can jot down distractions. These are often things I need to remember to do (â€Å"Order Le Guin book† is on my list right now, because as I was drafting this post, I remembered that the science fiction book group I attend is meeting in a couple of weeks) You can use a distractions list not only for â€Å"to do† items, though, but also for impulses that crop up. Stuff like â€Å"see what’s new on xkcd† or â€Å"look up next season of Lucifer† can go on your list, too! Once you get to a break, you can delve into some of those distractions, guilt-free. #8: Don’t Stop to Look Things Up How often are you writing a blog post (or a scene of your novel, or a chapter of your book) – only to realise that you need to look up a name or a fact or a link? And how often do you stop, look it up and end up spending the next half an hour in an internet rabbit-hole? I do this more often than I’d care to admit! But as much as possible, I try to not look things up when I’m writing. Instead, I put a [note to self] in square brackets in my draft, so I can come back and insert the name/fact/link/etc later on. Here’s an example from the draft of this very post: #9: Don’t Edit While You’re Writing I know you’ve been told this one already, but it’s a piece of advice that always bears repeating: don’t edit while you’re writing. Is it okay to occasionally backspace and fix a typo, or restart a sentence that somehow came out wrong? Sure. (Though some â€Å"don’t-edit† purists might disagree with me!) However, if you draft a paragraph, change three sentences, draft another paragraph, cut everything you’ve written so far and start again you’re not going to get far. If you change your mind about something as you’re writing, just pop the section you’re unsure about into italics. Make a quick note about what you’re thinking about changing (e.g. â€Å"remove John from this scene†) and then proceed as if you’d already made that change. That way, you don’t lose momentum – and you don’t waste time editing something that you might later decide to change yet again. What to Do After You Write #10: Record How Your Writing Session Went If you’ve never tried keeping a writing journal before, give it a go. You could have a document on your computer where you jot down how you got on, you could make an entry in your diary, you could use a notebook whatever works for you. Each time you finish a writing session, take a minute or two to note what went well and what didn’t quite work out. For instance, â€Å"started well but got distracted half-way by answering an email from Jenny† or â€Å"took ages to get going but really got into the flow after a few paragraphs†. If you keep up your journal for a few weeks, you’ll find that you can spot patterns – and that you become more aware of what does (and doesn’t) work for you. All writers can focus, and often, being distractible is simply a bad habit. How could you make your next writing session a great one? Pick one idea – or more! – from the list above, and let us know in the comments how you get on. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph ExamplesWhat to Do When Words Appear Twice in a RowPreposition Review #1: Chance of vs. Chance for