Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay Example for Free

Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay This is group coursework. Groups should have between 3 to 5 people. Do only one of the assignments described below. Read everything before you decide which to tackle. Assignment 1 Home Messaging System Many people live in a house or flat with others. People may live fairly independently with different interests and routines, or they may be more closely involved with each others’ lives. Whichever is the case, they will probably need to coordinate their activities with each other. They may benefit from ways of recording and sharing reminders about events such as appointments or significant dates. They may need ways to record and coordinate over tasks such as chores around the place. They may benefit from ways of indicating problems, requests for information or action, ways just saying â€Å"hello† and ‘greasing the wheels’ of communal living, or even ways of addressing conflicts if they occur. The messages people currently leave for each other can take many forms. They may use Post-its, whiteboards, pinboards or other surfaces that can be written on. The practices of information sharing may evolve over many years and are often designed to fit carefully into peoples’ lives. However, written messages may have disadvantages: they tend to be static and not easily updated; they also are fixed in one location, whereas people are mobile and may need access to notes and messages even when they aren’t at the location where the message was created. Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a digital Home Messaging device or system that people in a house or flat can use to share the kinds of information they need to coordinate activities with one another and enable good, happy social relations. The details of what they can do will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. The system you develop should have an interface within a shared space, but may also work in coordination with devices at other locations. Assignment 2 Mobile Museum or Art Gallery System Museums and art galleries make an important contribution to our cultural landscape. A visit to a museum or art gallery can happen for many reasons. People may want to learn, be reflective, to be entertained or to have a fun day out with friends and family. People may have a deep interest in what they will see there or they may just want something to do on a rainy afternoon. Image by EmilySuran (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Digital technology can provide opportunities for enhancing these experiences in a number of ways. They may offer information before a visit. During a visit users might want information or to communicate in some way. Mobile devices can be location-aware. For example, this can be done using QR codes. A QR (Quick Response) code (see image below) is a matrix barcode which can be scanned by a device fitted with a camera (such as a smart phone). A user could scan a code next to an exhibit to launch some location-based service. And after the visit there may be some follow-up activities, perhaps using information about what interested them. A QR code Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a system that could be used by people to enhance their experiences in museums and/or art galleries in some way. The service could provide information and/or enhance shared experiences. It could help them learn or make things fun. The system could integrate with a web-based system to allow people to do things before or after a trip. Again, the details of will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. General Instructions Whichever project you do it must involve the following major activities: 1. user-research 2. prototyping 3. evaluation 4. prototype revision In other words, follow an iterative design approach. Each step should inform the next. It should be clear how the research has informed the design, and how the evaluation has informed the revised design. As an alternative to traditional user-research methods you might like to try auto ethnography. Auto ethnography is an approach which seeks to describe and systematically analyse personal experience. If you do this you will be graded on the methods you use to acquire and analyse useful experiences and the quality of the insights that this gives you. For any activity that involves human participants you must complete a Middlesex University School of Engineering and Information Sciences Research Consent (Form C) and a Declaration Form and Ethical Approval Request (Form D). Have your consent form approved by your tutor before you start each phase of user engagement and have them sign your form D. The forms can be found in the ‘Useful Forms’ section of the Middlesex University, School of EIS Ethics Research Webpage. Assessment The work will be assessed in parts: Group Progress Review Presentation – 25% of total mark The presentation should describe the work you have done and your plans for completing the assignment. Group members will only receive a mark if they make a reasonable contribution to the presentation, with each receiving the same mark. Individual Final Report – 75% of total mark The final report should be no more than 4000 words (not including appendixes). Each group member will receive an individual mark. The report should be structured as follows (maximum marks awarded are shown in brackets as a percentage of marks awarded for the report): * Introduction (10%) * User Research (15%) * Prototype (15%) * Evaluation (15%) * Prototype revision (10%) * Discussion (10%) * Appendices containing all appropriate ethics forms1 (15%) An additional 10% will be awarded for presentation of the report. All marks will depend on the separate submission of your raw data. [ 1 ]. http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/groups/Alert/Ethics_Research/forms.html

Utopian Visions in Love in the Ruins :: essays research papers

Walker Percy's Love in the Ruins presents a society that is a direct satire of our 21st century American society. Percy takes what he considers the negative elements and situations from our society, and reproduces them, distorting them in order to point out the negativity of them. It seems, then, that the society presented in the novel would be distinctly distopian. However, the view that Percy gives us includes many different segments and views of the society, some of which are very utopian. Some of these mini-utopias are actually in the society, but many more are only dreams of the characters. This is an accurate reflection of our society, there are many situations that are utopian for certain people, and every one of us creates utopia in our minds from time to time. Paradise Estates, where Thomas More lives, is aptly named. Paradise is a place where everyone gets along well, the liberals and conservatives, the unbelievers and Christians, the Northerners and Southerners. The distribution is not even, there are minorities, but the majority groups are open to the customs of the minorities. Paradise Estates is community at its best. It is not an intentional community, but rather everyone is free to do what they want and there is love and respect and little argument. Intentional community does have its place, however. The Honey Island Swamp is home to a variety of people, including guerrillas, college dropouts, draft dodgers, radicals, and beats. Some of these people, such as Chuck, came from the town, and have given up city, home, family, career, and religion to live in an intentional community. Chuck's community is different from the community of Paradise estates in that there is common ground that holds the community in place, rather than respect for differences. Chuck's community holds ideals of free love, freedom, peace, and God expressed everywhere. This community is very similar to many of the contemporary utopias that can be found in America today. Normally hospitals are not utopian, but this was not the case for More. More considered his time in the hospital to be "the best months of my life" (p. 90). In his fellow patients, More found love that he was not finding in his life outside of the hospital. Also, while in the hospital, he had the time and resources to do the breakthrough work for his lapsometer, which was his passion at the time. Utopian Visions in Love in the Ruins :: essays research papers Walker Percy's Love in the Ruins presents a society that is a direct satire of our 21st century American society. Percy takes what he considers the negative elements and situations from our society, and reproduces them, distorting them in order to point out the negativity of them. It seems, then, that the society presented in the novel would be distinctly distopian. However, the view that Percy gives us includes many different segments and views of the society, some of which are very utopian. Some of these mini-utopias are actually in the society, but many more are only dreams of the characters. This is an accurate reflection of our society, there are many situations that are utopian for certain people, and every one of us creates utopia in our minds from time to time. Paradise Estates, where Thomas More lives, is aptly named. Paradise is a place where everyone gets along well, the liberals and conservatives, the unbelievers and Christians, the Northerners and Southerners. The distribution is not even, there are minorities, but the majority groups are open to the customs of the minorities. Paradise Estates is community at its best. It is not an intentional community, but rather everyone is free to do what they want and there is love and respect and little argument. Intentional community does have its place, however. The Honey Island Swamp is home to a variety of people, including guerrillas, college dropouts, draft dodgers, radicals, and beats. Some of these people, such as Chuck, came from the town, and have given up city, home, family, career, and religion to live in an intentional community. Chuck's community is different from the community of Paradise estates in that there is common ground that holds the community in place, rather than respect for differences. Chuck's community holds ideals of free love, freedom, peace, and God expressed everywhere. This community is very similar to many of the contemporary utopias that can be found in America today. Normally hospitals are not utopian, but this was not the case for More. More considered his time in the hospital to be "the best months of my life" (p. 90). In his fellow patients, More found love that he was not finding in his life outside of the hospital. Also, while in the hospital, he had the time and resources to do the breakthrough work for his lapsometer, which was his passion at the time.

Gender Inequality in The Quiet American Essay

The book The Quiet American focuses on a poor, war-struck, and undeveloped country – Vietnam. In this type of environment, many social problems are accepted, particularly gender inequality. Throughout The Quiet American gender inequality is mostly practiced by men, however it carried out by women as well. Proving that women are unequal to men and woman. Phuong, Fowler’s lover is a specific example of gender inequality. Firstly, Fowler treats her as if she is the stereotypical housewife and servant. Phuong acts as the stereotypical housewife in three ways. She stays home most of the time, waiting for Fowler to return. When she is out of the house then she is out â€Å"haggling for he price of fish over in third street† (pg. 26) because she’s obliged to cook for Fowler. Whenever Fowler comes home every night he has Phuong â€Å"Make me another pipe† (pg. 73) or â€Å"make me a brandy-and-soda† (pg. 117). He treats her as his servant and she accepts the inequality â€Å"she did at once what I asked†¦just so she would have made love if I asked her too, straight away, peeling off her trousers without question† (pg. 116). Secondly, Fowler uses her more as an object for sex and avoiding loneliness than (â€Å"my biggest fear† pg. 57) his lover or girlfriend. Throughout the story they are never seen together doing things that couples would normally do together such as going for walks together and going to the movies. Pyle at one point asked him if he could â€Å"live without her† (pg. 77). He replies â€Å"That’s too emotional, not quite true either† (pg. 77). He only uses her to fulfill his sexual desires. He does not â€Å"care that for her interests. You can have her interests. I only want her body. I want her in bed with me.† (pg. 59) He would much â€Å"rather ruin her and sleep† (pg. 59) than â€Å"look after her damned interests† (pg. 59). Altogether, he treats her as his sex slave â€Å"she did not change; she cooked for me, she made my pipes, she gently and sweetly laid out her body for my pleasure† (pg. 140). Finally, the way Fowler speaks to her is as if he is more superior to her – he speaks down to her. In the quote above (pg. 140), the manner of how he describes how he used the words â€Å"laid out† and â€Å"for my pleasure† has this greedy superior style. The way he has spoken them sounds as if he is the man in charge and is commanding her. When he asks her to do things it is not a question, it is an order. â€Å"Kiss me Phuong† (pg. 116), â€Å"You had better stay here tonight† (pg. 22), â€Å"Wait in the street† (pg. 21). However, Phuong and Fowler are just one example of gender inequality. Phuong is not the only female victim of gender inequality. Throughout the book women continue to suffer from gender inequality. Firstly, there is this motif of men referring women to different objects. In the beginning of the story Granger seems to refer to women as if they are animals. When he saw Phuong for the first time he asked, â€Å"Where did you find her? Didn’t know you had a whistle in you† (pg. 34) as if she was found off the street like stray dog. He continues to refer to women’s animal characteristics â€Å"let’s go find a girl. You’ve got a piece of tail. I want a piece of tail too†(pg. 35). By objectifying women as animals he is saying that they possess the same low standards and competency as a stray animal. Towards the end of the story, Fowler went dive-bombing with a French pilot name Tourin. Tourin’s squadron fly B.26 bombers. They refer to them as â€Å"French Prostitutes† because they have a â€Å"short wing-span† and â€Å"no visible means of support† (pg. 148). This is another example of how men objectify women using different things. Secondly, women are targeted for certain stereotypical gender roles. When Fowler was explaining to Miss Hei (Phuong’s sister) what Pyle does for a living â€Å"He belongs to the American Economic Mission, you know the kind of thing – electrical sewing machines for starving seamstresses† (pg. 41). When Miss Hei asks â€Å"are there any?† he replies â€Å"I don’t know† (pg. 41). When he is describing a charity example he automatically uses women as an example, inferring that they are the ones who are weak. He also associates the women with sewing machines and working as seamstresses. Both are stereotypical jobs for women. Finally, the House of Five Hundred Girls was treated as a detested place. Many of them labeled it as the derogatory word â€Å"Whorehouse† (150). As the women desperately swarmed Granger, Fowler treated these women’s desperation as a game, â€Å"I had learnt a technique – divide and conquer†. He used a woman more as a shield than a real person as he plowed through the â€Å"scrimmage† (pg. 39). Granger seemed to be proud of what he was. He took â€Å"this demonstration as a tribute to his manhood† (pg. 38). He took pleasure out of these women begging all around him. The way Graham Greene describes him as â€Å"flushed and triumphant† shows that he thinks he is superior to these women, as if he is a god. In spite of how people think men treat women unequal there is evidence that women treat women with gender inequality as well. Through the duration of the book it has seemed that it’s the men that act towards inequality of women. However in the case of Miss Hei and Phuong, it is different. It provides a contrast to the customariness of inequality. Firstly, Miss Hei seems to be always trying to setup Pyle and Phuong together. Miss Hei has assumed the role of the â€Å"father† in the family, trying to sell off his (in this case her) daughter to the wealthiest man â€Å"she loves children†¦how olds your father†¦old people love children†. Even though it is now a women in the position of the mans job she is still enforcing gender inequality. It isn’t gender inequality from Miss Hei’s position, but from Phuong’s. She is selling Phuong off to forced marriage like a product. Phuong is not given the right to choose for herself she â€Å"must do the right thing† (pg. 156). In the beginning, She was asking a lot of questions about his wealth â€Å"he looks like a reliable man†, â€Å"What does he do?†, â€Å"Is your father a business man?†. After she finished she started to boast about her sister â€Å"She is the most beautiful girl in Saigon†. Not only men can practice inequality but women can too. The Quiet American is a concise example of how men practice gender inequality. By using the male characters such as Granger and Fowler from the story, Graham Greene shows how they practice inequality towards Phuong and the Vietnamese women. However, The Quiet American is also a rare example of how gender inequality is practiced by women. Miss Hei enforces gender inequality on Phuong by trying to sell her off to marriage, proving that The Quiet American gender inequality is mostly practiced by men, however it is carried out by women as well.

This Is What It Means For Say Phoenix, Arizona - 712 Words

Sherman J. Alexie’s â€Å"This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† has multiple interconnecting themes and symbolic ideas throughout his story. Alexie’s story can be simplified as the death of a father changed his son’s life. However, it is more complex than that throughout the story. There are hidden connections all through Alexie’s work. One hidden connection is the character Thomas Builds-the-fire. Thomas is Victor’s childhood friend, and is the reservations goofball, storyteller. Thomas plays a much larger role in Victor’s life than just a childhood friend. Thomas Builds-The-Fire is Victor’s spirit guide, and knew Victor’s life will change as along he visits Phoenix, Arizona to acquire is father’s ashes. Thomas’s prophetic stories began in childhood. When Victor and Thomas were children, Thomas told a story about Victor’s father. The story expressed how Victor’s father felt toward his own family. He said, â€Å"Your father’s heart is weak. He is afraid of is own family. He is afraid of you. Late at night, he sits in the dark. Watches television until there is nothing but white noise. Sometimes he feels like he wants to buy a motorcycle and ride away. He wants to run and hide. He doesn’t want to be found† (Alexie 181). The story Thomas told was highly important because it was true. Thomas knew that Victor’s father would leave the reservation before anyone else. Furthermore, every story that came out of his mouth, he always closed his eyes. As if he is connected to somethingShow MoreRelatedThis Is What It Means For Say Phoenix, Arizona Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†: The Road t o a New Beginning America, the melting pot country, a country in which every one is equal, unless you are created different. 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It is because of Thomas that VictorRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Sherman J. Alexie’s This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona779 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† In life, everyone experiences a time of hardship, and for the most part, those affected find methods of overcoming the adversity. The idea of getting through hardship is best reflected in; Sherman J. Alexie’s story â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† (274). In the story, victor whose father had recently died from a heart attack has to travel to phoenix Arizona to reclaim his father’s ashes and his truck. Victor is joinedRead MoreNative Americans Analytical Essay1200 Words   |  5 Pagesminorities who have gone through horrid times and still struggle to preserve their traditions. Their submission to the mainstream Anglo-Americans has led to a lot of issues. These are presented in Blue Winds Dancing by Tom White Cloud, This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman J. Alexie, and Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk for comparison. Of all the different narratives, pieces, and poems read about native Americans. These three drew particular atte ntion. The similarities between them share the