Abstract The paper relates that, in "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference", Gladwell looks at why and how major changes in society can happen unexpectedly and suddenly. The paper examines his argument that a few people can make an enormous social difference and large government initiatives are less effective in changing the world than smaller grassroots gestures. The paper explains Gladwell's concepts of the connector, stickiness and context. The writer of the paper is certain that these tools can help him/her affect change in both his/her personal life and the wider world.
From the Paper "One of Gladwell's main ideas is that of the connector. A connector is a sociable person who serves to bring other people together. Connectors tend to have an unusually large number of social contacts, and share information readily. Gladwell writes, "The point about Connectors is that by having a foot in so many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together" (page 51). As Gladwell so simply writes, connectors are "are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances" (page 41). Gladwell gives the example of a connector Lois Weisber, Chicago's commissioner of cultural affairs for many years."
Abstract This paper explains that VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), also referred to as internet telephony, IP telephony or Voice over the Internet (VOI), is a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional circuit transmissions of the PSTN. This paper points out that the number of VoIP providers, such as Vonage, is growing steadily; major carriers like AT&T are already setting up VoIP calling plans in several markets in the United States and the FCC is looking seriously at the potential ramifications of VoIP service. The paper relates that there are three different types of VoIP service in common use today: (1) ATA , the simplest and most common way, which is to connect a standard phone to a computer or internet connection for use with VoIP; (2) IP phones, specialized phones, which look like normal phones with a handset, cradle and buttons but, instead of having the standard RJ-11 phone connectors, have an RJ-45 Ethernet connector and (3) computer-to-computer, which is the easiest way to use VoIP and does not even require paying for long-distance calls. Illustrations.
Table of Contents
VOIP- An Overview
History of VOIP
Making calls through VOIP
Main Features of VOIP
VOIP: Difference from Standard Phone System: (Circuit Switching)
The VOIP Phone System: Packet Switching
The Advantage of VOIP
VOIP Hurdles
Overcoming the hurdles - CODECS
VOIP - For the business world
VOIP -In the United States
Future of VOIP
Conclusion
From the Paper "In a conventional phone conversation, while one are talking; the other party is listening, which means that only half of the connection is in use at any given time. Based on that, we can surmise that we could cut the file in half, down to about 4.7 MB, for efficiency. Plus, a significant amount of the time in most conversations is dead air -- for seconds at a time, neither party is talking. If we could remove these silent intervals, the file would be even smaller. Then, instead of sending a continuous stream of bytes (both silent and noisy), an option was devised of sending just the packets of noisy bytes when one created them, that is formed the basis of a packet-switched phone network, the alternative to circuit switching."
The idea of immortality has been addressed by many different philosophers either testing the evidence or speculating on the meaning of immortality, with some determining that there is life after death, some deciding that there is not, and some finding the question itself to be meaningless. Interesting as many of the arguments may be, in the final analysis this is a question that is answered by faith rather than reason. It is something that is believed rather than proven one way or the other. It is also the subject of Ashley Montagu's book Immortality, Religion, and Morals. A portion of this book was delivered as a series of lectures before the Ebenezer Butterick Foundation at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences in New York in 1951. The subject of these lectures was "immortality," and they have been augmented ..."
Abstract This paper explains that prosthetic devices were needed the minute the first human was born with a missing or deformed limb, or the first person lost a limb in battle or even during the course of daily life. The author points out that the ancient principles on which prosthetics continue to rely are still amazingly efficient. It explains that in the past 25 years, there have been advances in prosthetic limb technology, such as lightweight plastics, composites and electronic systems; but there will be more, which will continue to open new directions for prosthetics. The paper relates that prostheses for amputations through the hip joint consist of a laminated hip basket, hip joint, knee joint, SACH foot, pipe connectors and external cosmetic finish; an active carbon fiber foot and multi-axis hydraulic and mechanical knee joint may also be used. Charts and illustrations.
Table of Contents
Overview Section
History of Lower Limb Prosthetics
Advancements and the Future
Aetiology and Incidence of Lower Limb Amputation
Pre- and Post-Operative Considerations in Lower Limb Amputation
Types of Surgery
Syme's Amputation
Below Knee Amputation
Above Knee Amputation
Hip Disarticulation
Pain Management
Types of Lower Limb Prosthetic Hardware
Literature Review Section
From the Paper "Sometimes, especially after recorded history began, the reasons for needed prosthetic devices sounded eerily like some of the major 'hero' stories of today; the young man who cut off his own arm to escape entrapment in a crevice on a lonely mountain is one recent example. A few years ago, a man cut off his own lower leg when he caught it in a bear trap far from home or help. However, in Herodotus' The Histories, dating to 484 BCE, there is a story of a Persian named Hegestratus. Hegistratus was captured by the enemy and imprisoned with a leg iron. To escape, he cut off part of his own foot; later, he is said to have worn a wooden replacement, a prosthesis (University of Iowa Health Care Web site). Another account, however, notes that he used a 'wooden filler' to escape, traveling 30 miles before he was captured and "had his head amputated" (Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Web site). Not only was there no prosthetic head, Hegistratus did not live long enough to investigate what was available in foot prostheses at the time. While much of this knowledge is based on the verbal record, there was physical evidence of early prostheses. A tomb in Capua, Italy, offered an artificial leg made from copper and wood and dating to 200 BCE. Bombing in World War II destroyed it, however."
