Fair park historic site Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fair park historic site - Essay Example The alteration of the facility from its initial appearance to the present day one was done in an effort to make it attractive during the six months long exposition. These buildings still exist to date, which serves as an art decoration of the complex. During the 1936 exposition, the complex attracted millions of visitors. The complex got its name after the initial owners, Fair Association, who lost the facility through fire and financial loss in 1904 (Walker, 168). After this loss, it was voted that the facility be maintained and protected against the real estate developers, eventually becoming the second public park in Dallas (Collins, 187). Having initially started on an 80-acre piece of land, the complex has been increased in size, due to its relevance to the current 227 acre size. Today, the facility attracts over and above seven million visitors every year.The administration of the park is under Dallas park department, which it obtained in 1988, after the complex was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 (Mark, 82). A lot of resources have been used to develop, maintain and renovate the facility since its establishment. However, in the light of its relevance in bringing in millions of visitors every year, the investment is worth it. ... on of the entrance gate to their look as at back 1936, the reconstruction of the monumental sculptures, renovations of the Hall of state and the Aquarium as well as the inclusion of a green space (Walker, 122). There is an additional construction of the Summer Place Park that is to be opened later this year (Collins, 156). This complex has influenced the nature of surrounding estates construction, with most of them being developed to match the aesthetic value of the complex. The buildings in this complex have emerged to be the busiest, with many annual and seasonal performances taking place here. The Fair Park site has become the most popular public spaces in the USA, with millions of visits every year (Walker, 118). The facilities in this complex, for example the Hall of State, were some of the most expensive building of its time in the whole of Texas. Its decor was an art work of international, regional and national artists. This has given it the most of all magnificent looks (Mark , 10). The facilities that the complex is a home to include; the Esplanade, Hall of state. Parry Avenue Entrance, the women’s museum, the D.A.R building, Museum of the American railroad and the Tower building. The annual festivity that takes place in this complex attracts millions of visitors (Walker, 118). These festivities include: The annual state fair of Texas lasting for 24 days, which is the largest state fair in the USA, by annual attendance since 1886 (Collins, 121). The fair hit a record six million plus in 1936, a historic attendance that is unique to this complex only as per those dates. The annual festivity runs from every last Friday of September each year to the third Sunday of October. The other annual festival is the North Irish festival, the largest of all Irish festivals

Should Children of Divorce Be Forced to Live with a Particular Parent Essay Example for Free

Should Children of Divorce Be Forced to Live with a Particular Parent Essay Many children are victims of divorce in the United States each year. The judicial system believes that, in each case, the child or children that are subjected to divorce should reside where the child(ren) would â€Å"be better off†, citing that living with one parent who provides a more stable atmosphere for the child(ren) would be more beneficial. Others believe that children who are subjected to divorce should be able to choose which parent they wish to live with. Many also wonder with divorces involving multiple children: Should we keep them together? Many judges believe that a child’s voice or preference should not be heard because a child is too young to know what is best for him or her. In most states, the average age is 12 to 14 years for a child to verbally state their opinion on which parent they choose to live with; even then, the judge will not rely on that child’s opinion alone. A judge believes that a child’s preference is only one of many factors in determining which parent receives custody of the child. A judge considers which parent can provide a more stable home or atmosphere, and he or she may also consider which parent is able to earn more income. I agree with many parents that believe their child(ren) have a voice that should be heard. Forty percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers. My parents divorced in 1986, when I was 6 years old. I didn’t fully understand what was happening at the time, but I also wasn’t able to choose which parent I wanted to live with. My brother and I were made to live with our mom, while our dad had visitation rights every other weekend until he moved to Ohio from West Virginia in 1989. My mom had started experimenting with drugs and illegal narcotics, even sometimes doing them right in front of me. I was extremely unhappy living with her, even though I still loved her. I went to visit with my dad in the summer of 1990, where he had asked me to live with him permanently. I didn’t want to have to choose between my parents because I loved them both very uch equally, but I knew that I would be better off if I lived with my dad. The judge in the case was ready to throw my dad in jail, feeling that he had coerced me into wanting to live with him. Once I demonstrated I had knowledge of the impact of my long-term future, the judge then willingly agreed to let me live with my dad. I spent half of my early life living with my mom, and the other half living with my dad. Most children of divorce are not able to voice their opinion as to who they can live with until they reach a certain age. Instead of legislating law in terms of age, our judicial system should allow children of divorce to speak to a counselor or psychiatrist to voice their opinion, and if they can demonstrate why they would be better off living with the parent of choice, they should be allowed to voice their opinion to a judge. Divorce is sometimes unavoidable, but we should all work together to determine what our children want and who they want to live with. We shouldn’t neglect their opinions just because they are not of a certain age as long as they can show that they know what is right and what is wrong.

Processing Algorithm For Laser Keyboards Computer Science Essay

Processing Algorithm For Laser Keyboards Computer Science Essay The interface which we use to interact with a computer is a hardware device called the keyboard. There have been drastic changes in the keyboard layouts which have evolved into the designs like those of the DVORAK and QWERTY keyboards. Then came the digital era where almost everything is in the digital form making things simpler to use and smaller in size. As the demand for more computing environments have evolved, new human computer interfaces have been implemented to provide multi-form interactions between users and machines. Nonetheless, the basis for most human to computer interactions remains the traditional keyboard and mouse. Ordinary keyboards are reasonably sized, comfortable and effective. However, they are difficult to carry and often require wiring. To overcome these problems a smaller and more mobile touch typing device has been proposed which does not have any physical support. This device is known as virtual keyboard or zero form factor interface. Introduction In 1999, a proposal was made to use a single tiny sensor to observe the users fingers transforming motions into keystrokes. The main idea was to make a keyboard out of sensors and light, projecting it on desktops, airplane tray tables and any other flat surface. This started a new concept of using a keyboard with a different interface. The virtual keyboard was designed in a way to replace laptops mechanical keyboards, making the devices thinner and lighter. The virtual keyboard is an unbreakable, washable keypad, projected onto a flat surface used in hospital operating rooms, space vehicles and in other computerized environments. Types of Virtual Keyboards 2.1 On Screen keyboard The on-screen keyboard is built in with the windows operating system. This started a revolution of virtual keyboards in this digital era. It allows users with mobility impairments to type data by using a pointing device or joystick. It provides a minimum level of functionality for some people with mobility impairments and also helps users who do not know how to type. It can be used even when there is no external keyboard. It is also referred to sometimes as hot virtual keyboard. A number of advanced features have been enabled to make the on-screen typing easier, faster and more accurate. It lets the users to type accurately and faster by suggesting words based on taps. This technology works similar to the one available in modern mobile phones and communicators, enabling faster and accurate typing by suggesting the correct words after entering a few symbols. This keyboard will be more useful for users of TabletPC, Ultra-mobile PC, PanelPC, CarPC and similar touch-screen devices. The picture below is that of an on-screen keyboard. Figure 1(Tan, D. S., Keyani, P., and Czerwinski, M. 2005) Affordances of On-Screen Keyboard Replacing physical keyboard: The on-screen keyboard is designed in such a way that, it replaces the physical keyboard. The people using the computer systems will find its usage very much helpful. Can do all the work: It functions just like an ordinary keyboard having all the QWERTY keys. It also helps the users from the tedious work of typing. 2.2 Laser Keyboard The laser keyboard actually replaces the traditional keyboard. This can be placed on any kind of flat surface. It can be automatically connected to the nearest device available using the bluetooth technology. It is about the size of a small cellular phone and enables the users to type texts or e-mails as easily as like a ordinary keyboard. It uses a light projection of a full-sized computer keyboard on almost any surface. Used with PDAs and Smart Phones, the virtual keyboard provides a practical way to do e-mail, word processing and spreadsheet tasks, enabling the users to leave laptops and computers at home. The virtual keyboard adaptable technology studies the users finger movements to interpret and record keystrokes. As the virtual keyboard is an image projected by light, it disappears completely when not in use. The picture shown below is that of a laser keyboard. C:Documents and Settingss507046Desktoplaser_keyboard.jpg Figure 2 (Tomasi, C., Rafii, A., and Torunoglu, I. 2003) TECHNICAL ASPECTS: I-Techs opinion was to build everything from scratch. In the process, they designed sensors based on a variety of principles, from the special- purpose structured-light devices called beam trangulators to methods based on the measurement of time and phase1 of returning light pulses invented by Canestas Cyrus Bamji. The main hardware modules used in the architecture of the virtual keyboard are categorized into three modules namely 3-D optical camera, visual feedback and a processing platform. The camera is connected to the platform and to the PC via USB 2.0 interface. Using serial port the feedback communicates with the computer system. The sensors in the camera are designed in such a way that it avoids all other background light. Together, they cost less than a mechanical keyboard, and draw less power than a cell phone. The resulting system feels almost like a mechanical keyboard, even if users feel only the impact of their fingers on the projection surface when typing. The optical system projects the keyboard onto the typing surface; its infrared light source generates an invisible, fan-shaped beam grazing the surface; and its sensing system includes a processing unit. All are in fixed relative positions; no user adjustment is required. The projector is positioned high on the host device. In the simplest sensor, the camera looks down at the typing surface at a shallow angle through a wide lens sensitive only to infrared light. A finger striking the typing surface breaks the infrared beam, thereby becoming visible to the camera. Triangulation then determines the position of the finger on the typing surface. Even with this simple sensor, implementation of the projection keyboard under the constraints of weight, size, power, cost, reliability, and usability has involved formidable technical challenges. Keyboard projection: Most current optical-projection systems mask light to form images at a distance. For instance, in a slide projector, the slide itself blocks part of the light hitting it; the remaining light makes it through the lens and onto the screen, forming the image. This is the basic technique used in the projection of the keyboard on a flat surface. Finger lighting and sensing: When typing, a users useful action occurs in the thin layer of space that separates the hovering and constantly moving fingers from the surface of the keyboard. In a perfect world, an infinitesimally thin sheet of infrared light grazing the typing surface could be used as a trip switch; when a finger intersects the beam, it would also be touching the surface. In this instance, a finger that becomes visible to the camera is a finger that hits a key, and all that is left for the sensor is determining the fingers position by triangulation. Affordances of Laser Keyboard Easy to use: The laser keyboard is very easy to use. It gets connected to an available computer system easily without much effort. Easy to install: It is very easy to install and requires no wiring for it. It uses the Bluetooth technology to get connected to the computer systems. Portable: As it looks like a mobile phone, it is very much portable and is used irrespective of the surface used for typing purposes. It can be used as an ordinary keyboard with adjustable sensors which allow the user to change the size of the keyboard according to his usage. 2.3 Laser Pen Keyboard In the laser pen keyboard the sensors are attached to a device which looks like a pen. The setup also has a projector which displays the keyboard on the screen. When it is integrated with the projector it is merely used as a projecting device which projects just what is being printed on the screen. It can also be connected with a monitor for viewing the display. A picture of the laser pen keyboard is shown below. C:Documents and SettingsS506432DesktopVKBpens5.jpg Figure 3(Retrieved from http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/laserpen.jpg) Technical interface The sensors in the setup used for projecting the keyboard are the infra red rays. These rays are projected on to a flat surface for better sensing of hovering of the keys. The usage of this keyboard is very convenient as it has no wires to connect. The lithium batteries in the sensors allow us to use this setup continuously for 2 hours of typing. It comes with 63 keys and a full size QWERTY layout which allows the user to be as comfortable as he is with the standard ordinary keyboard. This also has a stylus which allows the users to use the keyboard in a compact area where the resizing of the keyboard becomes a necessity. One of the advantages of using this keyboard is that the size of the keyboard can be altered as per the user. Affordances of Laser Pen Keyboard Simple to use: The setup for the laser pen keyboard is very simple to use. This makes the users to perform tasks in a simpler way. Laser pen keyboard can be connected to any computing device to perform input actions for the device. Connection can be made without using wires or any physical network. Screen Projection: Laser pen keyboard not only has a keyboard projection but also has a screen projection. One pen does the keyboard projection with numbers of keys on keyboard and the other pen does the screen projection which shows the keys which are selected and also actions done on the keyboard. Working of Laser Keyboards: The working of the virtual keyboard consists of five main modules (1) depth map error correction, a camera dependent module based on specific models designed for the range camera, (2) background subtraction, (3) central column estimation, (4) fingertip detection, and (5) keystroke detection. The figure shows the complete working of the basic working implemented in the design of the virtual keyboards. Figure 4(Huan Du, Thierry Oggier, Felix Lustenberger and Edoardo Charbon 2004) A 3D range camera is placed over the input surface with a well-defined angle facing the working area. The size of the working area is limited by the spatial resolution of the camera. The display projector is mounted on the camera which would generate the visual feedback for the keyboard and input information. The camera is adjusted at startup. It assumes the surface as a projection matrix. The keystroke detection is usually done through this projection matrix. This is passed as a map and is processed for error correction. The error correction compensates the errors caused by the unevenness of the surface. The rectified range measurements, combined with gray-scale image, are then subtracted from the reference image. It is then stored as a binary format in the matrix formed. After applying the central column estimation, which is defined as the pixel segments associated with fingers that are good candidates for an event, by searching the local extreme in x-coordinate along the hand boundary, and applying the fingertip detection by extracting features with curve modeling, precise location of fingertips can be found in the hand region. Finally, the keystroke detection is obtained by fitting depth curve applying another feature model, and the corresponding hitting positions are mapped back to the world coordinate system to infer the stricken keys. The updated key status is then sent to visual feedback module to generate refreshed display. The visual feedback module projects a dynamically generated image on to a LCD. When the algorithm used, detects a key-striking event on the surface, an UPDATE command is sent. The command contains the specific key information. It updates the generated display and the user can see the change of keyboard image as a textual or graphical update. The information supplied by the camera allows developing a few simpler and more efficient algorithms to estimate the position of fingertips and to locate the corresponding key. Simplicity and efficiency are key elements to enable real-time and even portable applications. Future and Scope of the Project: Users see this as an emerging technology which helps as an interface to connect to the digital world. Though its use is being restricted to fewer applications now, as users learn more about this, it can be expected that users for this virtual keyboard increase in the near future. However there are a few challenges in this project. The main disadvantage is that of light scattering and close target. And due to this the image resolution becomes low and restricts the user to use it with a large view window. In the future, we may expect that the above said disadvantages will be solved and virtual keyboard will be used on flat surfaces and also on uneven surfaces. The keyboard could also be used on any type of surface like water and so on, so that the user can use the keyboard when ever and where ever necessary. CONCLUSION: More than a decade ago, (Mark Weiser,2000) of Xerox PARC, said, The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. This fundamental unobtrusiveness is the main metric of validity for the fledgling field of electronic perception technology. The virtual keyboard can be termed a great invention in the digital world. Users look forward for it being used in a more effective way than before. Users also can expect the inventors to make an advancement of it in such a way that it can be used on any kind of a surface.

Attention Hyperactive Deficit Disorder Essays -- essays papers

Attention Hyperactive Deficit Disorder â€Å"You know how it feels when you’re leaning back in your chair and it’s just about to fall over? I feel like that all the time!† This is how a person affected with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) feels every day. ADHD refers to a family of related disorders that interfere with an individual's capacity to regulate activity level, inhibit behavior, and attend to tasks in developmentally appropriate ways. Some statistics: 75% people with ADD get divorced 50% stay behind a grade 46% have been suspended 11% have been expelled 3-5% (going on 15-20%) school aged population has it. 2.5 - 3 million school aged children have it The most common behaviors of ADHD fall into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. People with ADHD may show several signs of being consistently inattentive. They may have a pattern of being hyperactive and impulsive, or they may show all three types of behavior. Inattention is when people have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. They may find it agonizing to do homework without getting bored. Often they will forget to plan ahead by writing down the assignment or bringing home the right books. When finally trying to do work they may find themselves drifting to something else; as a result, work will rarely get done. People who are hyperactive always seem to be in motion; they cannot sit still in one position. They may squirm in their seat or talk incessantly. Sitting through a single class could be an impossible task. For example, hyperactive teens and adults may touch everyt... ...ouglas A. (2002). What's Wrong with Doug? The Academic Struggles of a Gifted Student with ADHD from Preschool to College. Gifted Child Today, 25, 48-59 http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=EJ657356&db=eric 9. Greene, Ross W.; Beszterczey, Sara K.; Katzenstein, Tai; Park, Kenneth; Goring, Jennifer. Are Students with ADHD More Stressful To Teach? Patterns of Teacher Stress in an Elementary School Sample. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 10, 79-89. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=EJ647177&db=eric 10. Heilegenstein, Eric; Guenther, Greta; Levy, Andrea; Savino, Felix; Fulwiler, Jan.(1999) Psychological and Academic Functioning in College Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of American College Health, 47, 181-185. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=EJ580716&db=eric

Educational Psychology study Essay

The study was done by Penny Clunies-Ross, Emma Little and Mandy Kienhuis, (2008). It is titled ‘Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior’. The study was done with primary school teachers in Australia and examined the teachers’ self-report on the behavior management strategies that they use in the classroom and how these affect their stress level and the students’ behavior. The literature reviewed for this study discussed research done in four areas which were used as the theoretical base for the study. One is the level of disruptive behavior in schools. The second is the teacher stress and its causes. Third is the relationship between the two. And fourth is the type of classroom strategies that teachers use which are categorized as proactive and reactive. The proactive strategies have been described as a more positive approach that is preventive. The reactive strategies are more negative and remedial. The proactive strategies have been found to be more effective. This study therefore aims to â€Å"investigate the relationship between primary school teachers’ self-reported and actual use of management strategies, and to identify how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behavior†. The hypothesis was that using reactive strategies would result in higher levels of teacher stress and lower on-task behavior of the students. Also that using proactive strategies would result in lower levels of teacher stress and higher on-task behavior of the students. The sample was obtained by contacting principals of the schools. First convenience sampling was used, and then random phone calls to ensure that five schools from each district in Melbourne were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires to all teachers and observations of those who volunteered to participate. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS. In general the results showed that hypothesis one was supported while hypothesis two was not supported. The study was generally well done. The literature review was comprehensive and discussed a wide range of studies from as early as 1986 to 2003, showing the range of research on the topic over the period of time. It was also well organized into sections. The sampling technique was straightforward. Persisting until each district was represented by five schools was good. However the final sample was ninety seven participants from twenty one schools. This means an average of less than five teachers from each school. It may have been better to have surveyed fewer schools but more teachers from each school. The culture of the school often affects teacher stress so that the small number of teachers from a large number of schools may not be reflective of the levels and causes of stress in any one of the schools. The effect of the classroom management strategies used in one school may not completely relate to the teacher stress at that school. The results were analyzed as one sample, rather than analysis by school. Therefore there is no examination of whether the difference in school culture, (if in fact any differences exist) affected the study. However, the study did an analysis of the multivariate effects of gender, level of qualifications and years of teaching experience and found that they were not predictors of teacher stress. These are important variables to include as possible effectors of teacher stress. The study presented a lot of detail on the sample and the materials. However there should have been more detail on the procedure- how exactly were the observations set up and carried out. The report only says â€Å"After the 30-minute observation had been conducted in the teacher’s classroom, observation and questionnaire data were matched using the four-digit code†. The analysis of data was another section that was well presented. This section was again well organized into sub- sections which made reading and following the results much easier. All the data were represented by well-laid out and well- labeled tables which were easy to read. This structure was repeated even in the discussion so that the reader was able to follow the analysis of the results and the discussion for each research question or issue. That was in fact one of the key aspects that made this study encouraging to read- that the subsections were repeated in each part of the study- literature review, data analysis and discussion. An important aspect of this study was the use of both questionnaires (self-report) for teacher behavior and observations. It was significant to educational research on the whole to examine the relationship between the two, since generally self-reports alone cannot be relied upon for accurate measures of behavior. The significant positive correlation between the teachers’ reported use of strategies, both proactive and reactive, and what the researchers observed helps to make self-reports a more reliable tool in educational research. The study ends with two important sections- methodological limitations and suggestions for further research. Discussions in these two sections show the researchers’ awareness of the limitations of the study despite the fact that it is a good piece of research and it helps the reader to understand why certain things were not done in a particular way. One example is this study is the mention that the sampling though it seemed random in fact was not completely random as the teachers who volunteered for the study may be teachers who are not particularly stressed, or that the stressed teachers may not have been so willing to participate. Secondly the number of teachers volunteering to be observed was quite small. The study does not mention the actual number. A section that I would have liked to see included in this study was one on ethical considerations. In general the study was a useful one, well conducted and reported. It investigated the effect of proactive and reactive strategies as classroom management techniques on teachers’ stress levels. The study did in fact find that the use of proactive strategies had less effect on teachers’ stress. This would be the most important benefit to teachers to help them to keep the stress of teaching to a minimum. They could be encouraged by these results to focus on implementing activities in the classroom that would prevent classroom disruptions, rather than having to use their attention and energy intervening in classroom disruptions and losing teaching time. The study also looked at the effect of these strategies on students’ on-task behavior, and again found that the proactive strategies fostered more on-task behavior. This is also useful to the teachers to keep students focused on their work and lessen the disruptions in the classroom. Reference Clunies-Ross, P. , Little, E. and Kienhuis, M. (2008) Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior, Educational Psychology, 28:6,693 — 710

The Subconscious Intrusion

The Subconscious Intrusion Burton FitchueThe Subconscious IntrusionWatching television and playing video games seem like innocent acts for a child to become involved in, but in reality, they are some of the most dangerous. At a young age, children's minds are similar to sponges; they absorb everything in their world. This characteristic makes children an easy target for the media to manipulate and victimize. Violence is not necessarily forced on children, but it does set a standard for what they see as ordinary and tolerable in our society. The average child watches approximately twenty-eight hours of television a week, and over half of all children in the United States have a television in their bedroom. Considering the fact that censors are allowing an extensive amount of violent content to be aired, as evidence by the record amount of violent acts shown per hour, it is scary to think that children are watching more hours of television than the amount of time spent in school.Jack Thompson (attorney) speakin g at a debate at C...Although violence has always been prevalent in society, it is an increasing problem. It is definitely true that violence in youth is multifactorial; poverty, child abuse, and family psychopathology all can lead a child down a path of violent behavior. Longitudinal, cross-sectional, and experimental studies have all confirmed a strong correlation between media violence, including television, films, and video games, and aggressive behavior in children. Violence in social media and videogames is dangerous because it is seen as only a game in the eyes of children; because constant exposure to violence causes desensitization; and because aggressive behavior is promoted, then imitated.Children have proved that they can attain much more information than one gives them credit for (Chenes 41). An eight year old child taken to the movies by a parent will catch three out...