Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Alan Turings Life, Contributions, and Legacy

Alan Turings Life, Contributions, and Legacy Our daily lives are filled with technology. We wake up on time thanks to the alarms we set on our phone. We can find the fastest route available to get to where we need to go using the GPS. We can work anywhere and whenever we want, using our portable laptops. Sometimes we dont know how to spell a word, or know the answer to a question, and we are able to search it up on Google and find an answer. Technology makes our lives easier. It would be hard to live in a world without the conveniences we have today. We owe a lot of our modern advancements to Alan Turing, one of the most prominent computer scientists in the early 1900s. Turing created the concept of a Universal Turing machine, what is known as a computer today. Moreover, Turing also led the philosophy to artificial intelligence, much of what our newest technologies incorporate nowadays. While he did not get to witness the potential and great reality of his concepts today, his vision created a lasting legacy that future computer scientists continue to build on and explore. Alan Mathison Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in Paddington, London (Hodges). Turings father, Julius Mathison Turing, served the British Indian Civil Service where he had met Turings mother, Ethel Sara Stoney, who was the daughter of the chief railway engineer in the Madras Presidency (Hodges). Alan Turing also had an older brother, John Turing. Turing grew up in the upper-middle-class, and did not see his parents much (Hodges). Accordingly, he was sent to Sherborne School, a boarding school. At Sherborne School, Turing focused on mathematics and science, studying ahead of what the school expected the students to learn (Hodges). In his classes, Turing met Christopher Morcom, which he found to be an equal peer in his interest in mathematics and science (Hodges). Unfortunately, 2 years after they had met, Morcom passed away, which caused great trauma for Turing (Hodges). After his best friends death, Turing went to Kings College in Cambridge, where the two intended to go together before Morcoms untimely death (Hodges). At Kings College, he was more encouraged to endeavor in his studies and research rather than at Sherborne (Hodges). Turing was well read in principles of math and quantum mechanics (Hodges). Turing studied and was influenced works by other mathematicians and scientists such as von Neumann and A. S. Eddington (Hodges). Turing was awarded a Fellowship of Kings College in 1935 (Hodges). A year later, he received a Smiths Prize for his research on probability theory (Hodges). While attending Kings College, Alan Turing was involved with the Anti-war movement of 1933, although he was not deeply into politics (Hodges). The Anti-war movement that Turing was associated with was in between the two world wars. In the 1930s, people rebelled against further warfare because of the consequences of the First World War. Because the First World War caused great casualties and suffering, people resisted fighting in future wars, and advocated for peace instead. The Anti-war movement led to new reason of thoughts such as Marxism and pacifism, which Turing did not participate in (Hodges). The Second World War broke out in 1939 and ended shortly 6 years after. During that time, Turing worked in secret as a cryptographer for the British Intelligence, among other top cryptographers (Hodges). Ultimately, his mission was to crack Germanys Enigma cipher, the most complex cipher at its time, which was the key to accessing important German troops plan. Turing managed the impossible and cracked the code. By doing so, he saved many Allied lives. Turing was hugely responsible for the outcome of the war. While it is not confirmed, Winston Churchill supposedly said that Turing made the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany (Schilling). Turings involvement with the Second World War and working with the British government allowed him to have funding and thus influenced him to work on several other projects. Turing had many great contributions during the Second World War. In order to crack the Enigma, Turing and his colleague Gordon Welchman invented the Bombe, which deciphers the encrypted messages from the Enigma sent by the Germans (IWM). Before the invention of the Bombe, the Enigma would have been impossible to crack, as the encryption method was changed daily. Consequently, the Bombe drastically reduced the workload required to crack the Enigma, and allowed the British to have Germans intelligence which was a huge advantage. Turing shared his work with other allied countries, which led them to work on different versions of the Bombe (IWM). One of Turings greatest contributions is the Universal Turing Machine. Turing started working on it in 1936 before the Second World War, and continued to work on it after the war (IWM). Turing first had the idea of a Turing machine, a machine that is capable of performing a computational task. There are many possible tasks that a Turing Machine can compute, thus there are infinite possibilities of Turing machines (Hodges). Alan Turing conceptualized the Universal Turing machine, which would perform any task one Turing machine would be able to do (Hodges). Think of a Turing machine as a function on a calculator, such as adding or subtracting. The Universal Turing machine is the calculator itself, which comprises many functions. The Universal Turing machine was a single machine that had the potential to do many tasks. Many computer scientists may argue Alan Turing is the inventor of the first modern computer. His idea of the Universal Turing machine is the essence of the modern computer. Computers today have many applications, such as a calculator, a web browser, or a music player. These applications could be independent machines, however they are encapsulated into one machine, which is the idea of the Universal Turing machine at heart. Without Turings ingenious concept, we might not have the modern computer today. Another big contribution by Alan Turing is the Turing Test. The Turing Test comes from Turings Computing Machinery and Intelligence paper written in 1950 (Hodges). Turing created a hypothesis that a Turing machine can be created to have intelligence. According to John M. Kowalik, The test consisted of a person asking questions via keyboard to both a person and an intelligent machine. He believed that if the person could not tell the machine apart from the person after a reasonable amount of time, the machine was somewhat intelligent. The Turing Test challenges the idea of an intelligent machine, or at least convince a human it has intelligence. Turing has left a great legacy for the progress of computer science. Based on his concepts of the Universal Turing machine, later computer scientists were inspired computational machines that could perform multiple tasks. The idea of a Universal Turing machine has not changed, but its capabilities have certainly evolved as technology evolves. From the clunky desktops in the late 1900s, to the rail thin laptops we have today, they were all inspired by Turings concept of the Universal Turing machine. Today, computer scientists are still exploring the infinite possibilities of the functionalities of a computer, as Turing theorized. The Turing Test spawned a new field of study in computer science. Turing left future computer scientists the ambitious idea of artificial intelligence. Although it was not achieved in his lifetime, today we have many applications of artificial intelligence that are all based on the fundamental idea of the Turing Test. Cars that can autonomously drive, Siri on the iPhone, and Google search are all examples of artificially intelligence led by the legacy of Turing. Scholars are still finding ways to implement artificial intelligence into our interactions in daily life. What Turing has started blossomed into a new form of technology that has transformed the way we cooperate with machines. In conclusion, Alan Turing deserves much appreciation for his works in his lifetime. Turings invention of the Bombe allowed the British to decipher the Enigma and led to victory for the Allied forces. The Universal Turing machine was arguably the first concept of the modern computer. The Turing Test led to talk and future work by computer scientists in artificial intelligence. Turing had a grand vision for how machines could aid us in the future. By following his legacy, computer scientists continue to build on the foundation that his concepts had laid out. Even when technology progress further, Turings vision will never be forgotten. His ideas have transcended in new forms. Many science fiction novels, philosophy, and movies can be accredited to Turings concepts. It is unfortunate that his contributions were not greatly recognized in his own lifetime as it is today. Turing faced many adversities with authorities concerning his sexuality with men, which was shunned mid-1900s in Engla nd (Hodges). Sadly, Turing passed away on June 8, 1954, due to cyanide poisoning, which was believed to be suicide (Hodges). Despite the challenges in his life, Turing still fathered many revolutionary ideas in computer science. Turing leaves us behind with his legacy, in promising hope for a greater future. References Hodges, Andrew. Alan Turing a Short Biography. Alan Turing a Short Biography. Turing.org.uk, 1995. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. Hodges, Andrew. The Alan Turing Internet Scrapbook. Alan Turing Scrapbook Turing Test. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. How Alan Turing Cracked The Enigma Code. Imperial War Museums. N.p., 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. Kowalik, John M. Alan Turing. N.p., 1995. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. Schilling, Johnathan. Churchill: Turing Made the Single Biggest Contribution to Allied Victory. The Churchill Centre. The International Churchill Society, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Icons of Ambivalence in Bless Me Ultima Essay examples -- Bless Me Ult

Icons of Ambivalence in Bless Me Ultima  Ã‚        Ã‚   The portrait of Mexican Americans is layered in shades of ambivalence. Aside from the fact there is evidence that they can not really be classified as a migratory culture in that the land where they tend to migrate once belonged to Mexico, they can also lay an earlier claim to the land as Native Americans. The Spanish Europeans who settled in the area that became Mexico evolved as the dominant culture over the oral culture of the Native Americans. Nevertheless, there is evidence of ambivalence among the Native Americans to the dominant culture of the Spanish in what is arguably one of the Mexico's basic texts, the story of the Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531. The Virgin of Guadalupe does not fit the usual model of the Virgin as she appears to believers, the biggest change being her native appearance. She is of the dominant culture's religion, and yet she is not. Her appearance is one of only eight worldwide that have found acceptance by the Catholic Church (Apparition 48). Moreover, she is a symbol of the native culture as well and has reverence in the eyes of both Mexicans and Mexican Americans that remains evident to date. Notably as well, Bless Me Ultima, a modern work of fiction set in New Mexico, depicts not only ambivalence toward the dominant culture of the United States, but also remnants of the same ambivalence toward the Catholic Church found hundreds of years earlier in the native culture of Mexico. Ultima, one of the principle characters in the novel, practices the ancient art of Curanderismo, an approach to healing which encompasses the body, mind and emotions along with the soul and the spirit (Curandera 1). Ultima practices the four ... ...Robert C. Broderick, ed. New York: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1987. 48. "Blessed Juan Diego: Model of Humility". 29 Oct. 2000. http://ng.netgate.net/~norberto/juandiego.html. "Blessed or Evil. 5 October 2000. http://www2.cwrl.utexas.edu/sheila/314f95/projects/group5/curan2.htm "Curandera Elena Avila. 5 October 2000. http://www.ph-webnet.com/ph_a/articles/duval-8.htm de Vega, Bechiller Luis Lazo. "History of the Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Later. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 475-82. "La Curandera: Blessed or Evil." 5 October 2000. http://www2.cwrl.utexas.edu/sheila/314f95/projects/group5/curan.htm "Scapular." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Revised and Updated. Robert C. Broderick, ed. New York: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1987. 543.      

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Article Reflection: 50 Cats by Angelo and Cross

Article Reflection: 50 CATS by Angelo and Cross The article I read is â€Å"50 CATS by Angelo and Cross†. After I read the title of this article, two questions jumps out in my mind—-â€Å"what is CATS? † and â€Å"who are Angelo and Cross? †. With my strong curiosity, I choose to read this article. Before I read it, I decided to find the answer of these two questions first. CATS is the abbreviation of Classroom Assessment Techniques. Angelo and Cross are authors of a book named â€Å"Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers†.After read the description of this book, I learned that the book is aims to offer advises on classroom assessment for teachers at all levels. The book include what classroom assessment entails and how it works; how to plan, implement, and analyze assessment projects; twelve case studies that detail the real-life classroom experiences of teachers carrying out successful classroom assessment projects; step- by-step procedures for administering the techniques; practical advice on how to analyze your data; the fifth classroom assessment techniques is also a part of this book.Classroom assessment is the process of collecting information from students about their growth as learners. It also gives a feedback of the effectiveness as teachers. The purpose of classroom assessment is to improve the quality of students’ learning. The result may help teachers to adjust their teaching strategies. The fifty classroom assessment techniques are divided into three main parts: techniques for assessing course-related knowledge and skills; techniques for assessing learner attitudes, values, and self-awareness; techniques for assessing learner reactions to instruction.Each of them has been subdivided depend on different situations. In a word, they are in detail and everyone of them are very speedy and flexible. They often consume only a few minutes to assess students and get easy and quickly feedba ck. As future teachers, I think it is necessary for us to learn these fifty classroom assessment techniques. In these fifty classroom assessment techniques I think we should master the techniques for assessing course-related knowledge and skills for basic level.In this section, the assessment has been divided into five subsections. I pick up five of them which are easy to use and quick in response to analyze. 1. Background Knowledge Probe This technique is designed for assess students’ prior knowledge. They are suppose to be short, simple questionnaires which is used at the beginning of a class and serve as pretest. It also can be used as posttest after they finish a chapter. For instance, the instructor may ask students to list courses they have already taken in the relevant field as a pretest.Or, after the instructor teach a certain unit he or she may ask students to write relevant knowledge they have learned which is recalled by this course. That is serve as posttest. Such probe may require students to write short answers or give them multiple-choices to do just in no more than ten minutes. This technique will bring the background knowledge of students and help teachers to determine the appropriate level to begin a lesson. It’s a feedback on the range of how the students prepared for particular class.I believe this technique can be used any time to assess changes in students’ knowledge. The same question can be used in different situation as well. Minute Paper Maybe minute paper is the most frequently used technique. Under this technique, it provides us two questions: What was the most important thing you learned during this class? And What important question remains unanswered? Students are required to write a brief respond in two or three minutes.Personally I think this two questions can show teachers whether their instructional goals get by the students, meanwhile, this is also a way for students to remind themselves to have a genera l evaluation of what they have learned. Give them an opportunity to think what they want to know and what they still confused about. In this way students get awareness of self-assessment unconsciously. One-Sentence Summary This technique is aims to assessing students’ skill in synthesis and creative thinking. Students should answer the questions â€Å"Who does what to whom, when, where, how and why? about a given topic and write a long summary grammatical sentence include all of these points. In this assessment teachers can get the information about how’s the students’ ability of logical thinking and their ability of summarize. Directed Paraphrasing Instructor will ask students to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience and purpose, using their owe words. This is especially useful for pre-professional students who will be asked in their careers to translate specialized information into language that clients or customers can understand.This technique allow teachers to examine students ability of transforming information into form that can be understand by certain audiences. It can be work in the classroom put students into groups and ask them to paraphrase a lesson and transforming to each others. Student-Generated Test Questions Students are asked to write two or three questions and accompanying correct responses. This assessment will give teachers information about what kind of questions are meaningful to students and how they answer the question is also shows how well the students learned, its a feedback of their study as well.I will continue read this article and analyze all of the fifty classroom assessment techniques. It’s a good modal for teachers to learn and give students appropriate assessment in different situations. They are valuable assessments not only for assessing knowledge of students, but also provide teachers quick feedback and serve as an evidence to adjust their lesson plan or rubric. We can incorpor ate these classroom assessment techniques into every class session.

Friday, January 3, 2020

What Is Human Resource Management - 3942 Words

1.0 Introduction Human resource management can be defined as â€Å"the effective use of human resources in an organization through the management of people-related activities.† (Harvard Extension School, 2013) According to Boxall (2007), â€Å"HRM is the management of work and people towards desired ends.† Human Resource Management (HRM) is the core function of all organizations. It ensures that’s companies have the necessary talent required to operate effectively. Strategic HRM according to Ulrich(1997), p.89, states â€Å"SHRM is a process of linking HR practices to business strategies.† So from the above definitions it can be seen that SHRM contains HRM but SHRM is at a higher level. Also it must be noted if there is HR in an organization; it†¦show more content†¦Hard HRM focuses more than soft HRM does on using people as resources and as a means towards the competitive success of the organisation. The Michigan model observes the different business strategies a nd related organisation structures can lead to contrasting styles of HRM in activities such as selection, appraisal, rewards, and development. â€Å"It is based on strategic control and identifies the need for human assets to be managed to achieve the organization strategic goals. Figure 2 below shows the Michigan Model. Figure 2 above shows the Michigan Model. Source: (paulooliveiramartins.(2012). MichiganModel. Available:http://paulooliveiramartins1967.blogspot.com/2012/11/unit-1-michigan-model.html.) The Harvard Model according to (http://paulooliveiramartins.com) states â€Å"it is ‘soft’ HRM because it concentrates attention on outcomes for people, especially their wellbeing and organisational commitment. It does not rank business performance or one of the stakeholder interests for example, shareholders as being inherently superior to other legitimate interests, such as the community or unions. 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