Communication, Culture and context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communication, Culture and context - Essay Example support the essay. Definition of Terms Globalization has been defined by Mazrui (2001) as consisting of systems and operating processes aiming to ultimately be interrelated with global protocols on a continuously growing exchange of transactions among diverse countries and regions (p. 1). On the other hand, Landay (2008) averred that â€Å"virtual commodification is a process of transforming experience, ideas, and ideas about the self into the quantifiable products of inworld consumer culture, and placing those products in a social context in which people define things in terms of themselves, and themselves in terms of things, i.e., that â€Å"self† is created and understood through the goods and appearance of the goods people consume† (p. 4). From the qualification of terms, commodification becomes global in perspectives in so far as a product, service, artifact, image, or idea is turned into a commodity. To expound on the concept in a global context, one opted to sele ct a social networking game that became famous through Facebook, FarmVille. FarmVille A social networking game that was developed by Zynga, a social game developer located originally in San Francisco, California, became a global phenomenon – FarmVille. According to its official site, â€Å"Zynga is committed to transforming the world through virtual social goods. Zynga players have made real change by raising millions for several international nonprofits since Zynga.org launched in October 2009† (Zynga: What, 2010, par. 1). Zynga was founded by Mark Pincus in January of 2007 with the mission of connecting people though social games (Zynga: About, 2011). FarmVille is just one among 18 games accessible through Facebook. A prospective player needs to have a Facebook account to be able to play any of the games developed by Zynga. Other social networking games by Zynga are accessible through other social networking sites such as MySpace, Mobile and Yahoo (Zynga: Games, 2011 ). As proffered by Helft (2010), the mechanics for the social game is explained as follows: in FarmVille, its most popular game, players tend to virtual farms, planting and harvesting crops, and turning little plots of land into ever more sophisticated or idyllic cyberfarms. Good farmers — those who don’t let crops wither — earn virtual currency they can use for things like more seed or farm animals and equipment. But players can also buy those goods with credit cards, PayPal accounts or Facebook’s new payment system, called Credits. A pink tractor, a FarmVille favorite, costs about $3.50, and fuel to power it is 60 cents. A Breton horse can be had for $4.40, and four chickens for $5.60. The sums are small, but add up quickly

Possible causes of destruction from space (solar storms and possible Essay

Possible causes of destruction from space (solar storms and possible impact from an asteroid or comet) - Essay Example The rise of scientific temperament rather than dispelling further consolidated these fears by extending new knowledge and information about space and the associated phenomenon. In that context, the longevity of earth is to a great extent a matter of coincidence and the spatial phenomenon like solar storms, and collision with asteroids or comets do have the potential to give way to an apocalypse. Solar Storms Before delving on the possible apocalyptic consequences of solar storms, one needs to delve into the scientific basis of these solar phenomenons. Simply speaking, a solar storm may refer to solar flare, Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or a geomagnetic storm. The solar flares mostly get noticed as an abrupt brightening on the surface of the sun (Shipman, 1987, p. 266). This brightening of the solar surface is often interpreted as a massive release of energy of gargantuan proportions (Shipman, 1987, p. 266). The solar flares result into large scale ejections of atoms, ions and electron s from the sun’s corona into the space (Shipman, 1987, p. 266). These ejections of atomic and subatomic particles resulting from a solar flare do manage to reach the earth’s atmosphere. ... drastically jeopardize the modern life by causing natural disasters, earthquakes, Tsunamis, disrupting communication technologies, giving way to genetic mutations, jamming radio and satellite signals, and a plethora of other scientifically valid possibilities. It is a possibility that the very life nurturing potential of the sun could someday lead to an apocalypse. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), simply put is a large scale burst of magnetic fields, solar wind and plasma from the sun’s corona into space (Ridpath, 1997, p. 102). CMEs do have the ability to disrupt the life on earth. In case, per chance, a CME is directed towards the earth, it could give way to shock wave of solar particles impacting the earthly life (Ridpath, 1997, p. 102). It is a known fact that there exists a direct correlation between the solar activities and the geological and biological life on earth. In case the sun turns into a cycle marked by massive solar eruptions and flares, shooting high energy partic les into the earth’s atmosphere, it could give way to unprecedented and unheard of apocalyptic possibilities. The consequences may be as innocuous as the disruption of electric grids and communications networks, bringing to knees the contemporary technology driven civilizations, or as threatening as the disruption of earth’s atmosphere resulting in large scale natural disasters, genetic mutations culminating in morbid diseases and food shortages giving way to wars, riots and large scale genocides. While delving on the physical, magnetic, atmospheric and climatic consequences of solar activity, one simply could not ignore its ramifications for the social, political and economic life on earth. It is a known fact that a great many wars are being fought for amassing scarce natural and mineral

Food is culture Essay Example for Free

Food is culture Essay According to the Executive Director of the Washington International Center, Robert Kohls (1984), â€Å"the different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions, and values of that particular group. † This legendary statement that was uttered more than two decades ago was intended to explain American values and to compare these values with those that belong to other cultures. But, as time went by, Khols insightful perception about culture has taken on international meaning and it was one of the fundamental concepts espoused by Montanari in his book entitled â€Å"Food is Culture. † Using historical reference to Hoppocrates, Montanari insisted that food has never been associated with nature and this contradicts the general idea advertised by people who campaign for organic foods. Montanari explains that food is the result of the efforts of a society to tame, transform, and interpret nature. This view can be supported by two related observations. First, societies all over the world encounter different environments. That is, societies in the Pacific region may find tropical climates whereas societies in the Mediterranean region have temperate climates. The differences in weather, together with the differences in geography, lead to the different ways that the members of the society learned to deal with their varied environments. Thus, the second observation is that the different societies have produced their own unique food and food culture. For example, Italian food reminds people of spaghetti, tiramisu, and other pasta dishes. Asian food, on the other hand, brings to mind bowls of rice. Kohls’ perception, when combined with Montanari’s view about the relationship of food and culture, evolves into something different then. That the different values of a people or a culture are revealed and understood when seen through the food culture of that particular group. Feedback from a reader: At first, it would take some stretch of imagination to associate food with culture. There are two major reasons for this difficulty. First, people eat food in order to survive and perhaps live a relatively healthy life. The desire to live and survive is so fundamental that all peoples possess this particular desire. And if all peoples and culture uphold this desire to live, then eating food is very common that it cannot be directly related to the uniqueness of culture. And second, food is almost always taken from nature. This means that food is obtained from farms and from forests. â€Å"Farm† and â€Å"forest† are two concepts that are associated with things natural. Food, therefore, is a natural resource. And despite the fact that most people in America consume processed food, food is definitely associated with nature. However, using a more critical thinking and a wider observation of the world, the statement that food is culture begins to make some sense. The values of a culture can be reflected in the kinds of food that people eat and the ways that people eat their food. For example, the Japanese culture carries out a tea ceremony, specializes in sushi, and usually serves food in small bite sizes. All these reflect the fact that the Japanese culture gives great importance to tradition. Thus, when Japanese encounters a problem, he turns to the knowledge of his ancestors for guidance. The typical American, on the other hand, rarely imitates the actions of his ancestors. When he encounters a problem, he tends to find help by himself and establishes some measure of control on his problem. The way that Americans value individuality and personal control over their environment can be seen in the way they wanted their food to be served individually. The Americans also wanted their foods to be served fast and this preference echoes the values of practicality and efficiency. Therefore, as a reader of Montanari’s ideas about the relationship of food and culture, I am convinced that food culture does reflect the values upheld by a society. Bibliography Kohls, R. (1984). The values Americans live by. Retrieved September 18, 2007 at http://omni. cc. purdue. edu/~corax/kohlsamericanvalues. html Montanari, M. (2006). â€Å"Introduction. † Food is Culture. A. Sonnenfeld (trans. ). New York: Columbia University Press.

A Key And Fundamental Component In Nursing Nursing Essay

A Key And Fundamental Component In Nursing Nursing Essay A methodical analysis of this article will be conducted to also discover if this research is validated and reliable enough to be utilised in practice. As cited by Wood and Janet Ross-Kerr, (2011), the purpose, however of a research critique is to conclude whether the findings are accurately carried out, interpreted, practical and usable for other health profession to implement into practice and take into account. The objective of this research critique is to conduct a critical and scrutinized appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the selected article in the Nursing Times entitled Why do students fail to disclose health problems?'(Devereux et al, 2012) As highlighted by Boswell and Cannon (2012), the notion of research critiques is to effectively identify the strengths and limitations of a research article. Likewise, Boswell and Cannon (2012) would agree as they articulate that research critique is determining the standards and worth article based on a careful study. This research critique will pay close attention to various elements of the article chosen, for instances, writing style, and title of the article, credibility of the researcher, credibility of the journal, abstract, literature review, how is the purpose of research addressed, research approach, research design or research tradition, research methodology for data collection, sample, settings, tools, ethical issues, procedures, data analysis, the rigour of findings, findings/conclusion, discussion and references. Furthermore, the research critique framework Developing a framework for critiquing health research has been selected to be guided in this critique by Caldwell, Henshaw and Taylor (2011). The underlying reason for electing this framework is because it demonstrates such an accommodating systematic, simplistic and well-grounded approach to critiquing an article as a beginner whilst conducting a good research. Caldwell, Henshaw and Taylor, (2011) points out that this framework intended usage is a teaching device, providing lucidity and help to do an appraisal methodically which was conducted by consisting of apposite questions for quantitative and qualitative research. Why do students fail to disclose health problems? is a chosen article that drew a momentous inquisitiveness and questioning as to why student do actually fail to disclose health problems, which, it could be a range of justified reasons. A title in an article is vital that it reflects correspondingly to the content of an article with the right quantity of words used which this article manages to accomplish. As Parahoo (2006) explains that an article needs a certain amount of words in a title to show that the article has been reflected as it should. The title of the article Why do students fail to disclose health problems? draws to the readers with a short and unambiguous understanding of what the article briefly entails as it is enlightening to read. The aim of the title really captures the main elements of the research; the subject which makes the title effective. The title manages to excel overall in notifying the audience what the article is going about. Penrose and Katz (2010); Ross (2012) would approve of this as they stress that the intention of a title is to tell readers precisely and reflectively what material gathered data will be shown in the article. The title is provocative to the mind to question and contemplate of all the reasons possible to why students fall short to unveil health problems, the title reflects really well on specific the concerns that students do not provide significant important of pre-existing or current health problem. In fact, Oermann and Hays (2010) states that an effective title ought to be concise and cautiously worded to seize the aim of the study and being selective with their words to make it informative for their targeted readers. On the downside, the title essentially refers to students who fails to disclose health problems which is vague and indirect as to which type of students is this article referring to whether it is a university student, college student, medical student, law student, or just any student studying in university. The title should be more in terms of highlighting exact kinds of students that the study is based on as it is questionable as to the article referring to students in general. Therefore, this part of the article lacks the ability to be precise in what students they are targeting in the title. As stated by Rizvi (2005) that in order for a title to be approaching it is important that the title is specific, inclusive, informative and it consists of key words that will show readers to the article. Another weakness of the title is that it consists of eight words; which according to Berg and Latin (2008); Polit Beck (2009); Grinnell Unrau (2008) a title usually is approximately ten to fifteen words for the title to be meaningful. This could be disputed; despite the title being short on words it still upholds the essence on top of the clarity in summarising in the article. The strongest aspect of the authors credibility is that the authors are experts in the field of nursing and have experience in working with student nurses. A research is deemed to be credible and trustworthy when there is a display of reliable account of personal experience regarding the relevant field in the article (Gethin Clune-Mulvaney, 2009). The group of authors that produced this article all obtain suitable academic qualifications such as masters and doctorates. They are in a specialized area relevant to the research; for instance, Julie Devereux is a practice learning capacity coordinator, Pat Hosgood is a senior lecturer/ programme leader foundation degree integrated practice, Barbara A Jack was trained nurse, director, specializing in research methods and Annette M Jinks is a professor of nursing. Jennifer Kirton is a research assistant who has does not have any relevant qualification of in this research field although has obtain a degree in social research. There are a numerous of authors that has played a significant role in this article which shows to a degree its dependability. All the authors qualifications/positions points out an amount of information/experience in this specific area relating to the research article. Coughian, Cronin Ryan (2007) note that a researchers credential and profession position is considered to be a valuable indicator into the authors awareness of the area analysed and capability to ask suitable questions. Conversely, Conkin Dale (2005) debates that a research does not entirely indicate soundness and trustworthiness taking into account the authors qualification rather on its value of the paper. Based on further discovery, the author has had a previous record of publication in other journals which completely certify their credibility (Rubin, Rubin Hardakis, 2010). The abstract of this article falls short to provide a concise summary of the paper which leaves the reader oblivious and provides a small amount of usage to the reader in determining if the article has caught their interest and/or convince them to read more. Normally, abstracts consist of 100 to 200 words (Ingham-Broomfield, 2008). The abstract does not present any focus of the study. The abstract does not succeed to inform readers an outline of the research alongside with the specific objectives, methodology, findings and conclusion. Additionally, as it is supported by many authors; an abstract should be clear and succinct with a general idea of the research, information about its aim, method approaches and results (Marshall, 2005; Conkin Dale, 2005; Coughian, Cronin Ryan, 2007; Polit Beck, 2009; Moule   Goodman, 2009; Rebar et al, 2010). However, the authors manage to highlight and identify the research question in the abstract which reinforces its relevance. The article being critiqued on was issued into the Nursing Times; Nursing Times has been in existence since 1906, it is one of United Kingdoms biggest publishers as it has constant printed materials. It has a reputable publication regarding up to date practices, articles, profession problems and news for nurses in the United Kingdom (Nursing Time, 2013). Consequently, the journal is credible based on their most contemporary article been published in this highly regarded periodical (Rubin et al, 2010). On the contrary, double blinded peer review is a very constructive aspect of this article reason being it illustrates that the research article be unbiased, reliable and impartial as authors are able to truthfully critique an article whilst having their identify camouflaged. Although, it can be argued that double blinded does not literally conceal the authors identify based on their customary approach and conduct of research in a study. The reviewers may effortlessly be familiarised with this. Harris (2012) would support this conception with evidence that there is certainly not a blind process as substantial of reviewers have the ability to detect authors when they cite their previous work into the research, science related methods, writing manner, the contexts of the study. This article has the privilege to obtain a double-blind peer reviewed to be evaluated regarding its quality before being published. Besides, a double blind review adds to the value of articles (Burns Grove, 2009; Gedney et al, 2008). This article contains three numbers of pages does really indicate that there was not sufficient research literature that has been carried out to conduct the study where it maybe just an overview of the study. After a comprehensive examination of the critique, the presentation of the authors writing style does exceptionally well in expressing clarity of their ideas, intentions, findings and discussion in the article. The structure of the text in the article was efficient, well written readable and reader friendly, hence it improves the credibility of the article (Cutcliffe and Ward, 2007). There is no evidence of grammatical error; wrongly use of punctuation, run-on sentence and limited uses of verbosity which made the article easy to follow whilst the authors points are recognized. The occasional use of jargon was indicated in the article

A CBR-based Approach to ITIL-based Service Desk Essay examples -- Custo

Abstract: Many organization’s customer service and technical support department like to use Service Desk systems. It is crucial to provide a convenient and fast method. In this paper the Incident and Problem Management of ITIL framework are described and used as the underlying structure of Service Desk and then CBR technique is selected for the main implementation technique after make a comparison between CBR and RBR. Lastly, this paper actually tries to work on new perspective by adopting Knowledge management techniques with Services Desk systems. INTRODUCTION The Knowledge Management Service Desk has attracted attention. By adding Knowledge Management to the ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library), the importance of Knowledge Management in IT organizations is observed more than ever. Service Desk makes the accessibility and availability of IT organization’s services in supporting the agreed IT service provision become easy. By using Service Desk the reception, response and troubleshooting of end-users’ issues regarding organization’s services are solved. There are several problems in Services Desk topic. First is the acquisition of the knowledge about information technologies supported by Service Desk. The technicians must have the knowledge of information technologies to solve the reported incident. But, nowadays the information technologies are increasing rapidly. The other problem is to finding proper solution when technicians do not possess the knowledge over domain to find the solution in term of time consuming. Knowle dge Management can be describe as a technology that increases our understandings and helps the organizations to make decisions and solve problems more effectively by providing strategy, process and technology... ...ime to fill the database, and it is effective to find nearest neighbor of the current incident. CONCLUSION Nowadays, many organization’s customer service and technical support department like to use Service Desk systems. It is crucial to provide a convenient and fast method. In this paper the Incident and Problem Management of ITIL framework are described and used as the underlying structure of Service Desk and then CBR technique is selected for the main implementation technique after make a comparison between CBR and RBR. Lastly, this paper actually tries to work on new perspective by adopting Knowledge management techniques with Services Desk systems. Works Cited Farjadi Tehrani, A. R., & Mustafa Mohamed, F. Z. (2011). A CBR-based Approach to ITIL-based Service Desk. Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences, 2(10), 476-484. A CBR-based Approach to ITIL-based Service Desk Essay examples -- Custo Abstract: Many organization’s customer service and technical support department like to use Service Desk systems. It is crucial to provide a convenient and fast method. In this paper the Incident and Problem Management of ITIL framework are described and used as the underlying structure of Service Desk and then CBR technique is selected for the main implementation technique after make a comparison between CBR and RBR. Lastly, this paper actually tries to work on new perspective by adopting Knowledge management techniques with Services Desk systems. INTRODUCTION The Knowledge Management Service Desk has attracted attention. By adding Knowledge Management to the ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library), the importance of Knowledge Management in IT organizations is observed more than ever. Service Desk makes the accessibility and availability of IT organization’s services in supporting the agreed IT service provision become easy. By using Service Desk the reception, response and troubleshooting of end-users’ issues regarding organization’s services are solved. There are several problems in Services Desk topic. First is the acquisition of the knowledge about information technologies supported by Service Desk. The technicians must have the knowledge of information technologies to solve the reported incident. But, nowadays the information technologies are increasing rapidly. The other problem is to finding proper solution when technicians do not possess the knowledge over domain to find the solution in term of time consuming. Knowle dge Management can be describe as a technology that increases our understandings and helps the organizations to make decisions and solve problems more effectively by providing strategy, process and technology... ...ime to fill the database, and it is effective to find nearest neighbor of the current incident. CONCLUSION Nowadays, many organization’s customer service and technical support department like to use Service Desk systems. It is crucial to provide a convenient and fast method. In this paper the Incident and Problem Management of ITIL framework are described and used as the underlying structure of Service Desk and then CBR technique is selected for the main implementation technique after make a comparison between CBR and RBR. Lastly, this paper actually tries to work on new perspective by adopting Knowledge management techniques with Services Desk systems. Works Cited Farjadi Tehrani, A. R., & Mustafa Mohamed, F. Z. (2011). A CBR-based Approach to ITIL-based Service Desk. Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences, 2(10), 476-484.

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac :: essays research papers

"Physical Laws should have mathematical beauty." This statement was Dirac's response to the question of his philosophy of physics, posed to him in Moscow in 1955. He wrote it on a blackboard that is still preserved today.[1] Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac (1902-1984), known as P. A. M. Dirac, was the fifteenth Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. He shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933 with Erwin Schrodinger.[2] He is considered to be the founder of quantum mechanics, providing the transition from quantum theory. The Cambridge Philosophical Society awarded him the Hopkins Medal in 1930. He was awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society of London in 1939 and the James Scott Prize from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 1952 the Max Plank Medal came from the Association of German Physical Societies, as well as the Copley Medal from the Royal Society. The Akademie der Wissenschaften in the German Democratic Republic presented him with the Helmholtz Medal in 1964. In 1969 he received the Oppenheimer Prize from the University of Miami. Lastly in 1973, he received the Order of Merit.[3] Dirac was well known for his almost anti--social behavior, but he was a member of many scientific organizations throughout the world. Naturally, he was a member of the Royal Society, but he was also a member of the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforsher and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He was a foreign member of Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques and the Academie des Sciences, the Accademia delle Scienze Torino and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the National Academy of Science. He was an honorary member and fellow of the Indian Academy of Science, the Chinese Physical Society, the Royal Irish Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the National Institute of Sciences in India, the American Physical Society, the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research in India, the Royal Danish Academy, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He was a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.[4] The world wide respect he earned for his work was well deserved. A prolific writer, Dirac published over two hundred works between 1924 and 1987, mainly papers in physics journals on topics relating to quantum mechanics. His book Principles of Quantum Mechanics , published in 1930, was the first textbook in the discipline and became the standard.[5] Some predictions made by Dirac are still untested because his theoretical work was so far reaching, but many other predictions have been verified, assuring him of a special place in the history of physics.[6] Dirac was three years old when Einstein published his famous papers on

Need for speed Essay

The desire to innovate and to improve is one of the most precious human feelings because it is this very same desire that has paved the road to progress in society. At the outset, the first trains were useful but not efficient enough that people could ride on them: only goods and commodities could be transported. One of the reasons why is because safety and comfort weren’t a top priority for the railroad owner; he or she just wanted to maximize his or her profit. Then, James Watt and his steam engine came about and rocked the world into the Industrial Revolution, a time when railroads were constantly being built all over Europe. Cities grew, economies boomed and busted, and economies and cultures became intertwined so that a small business man who lives in Lille, France or Barcelona, Spain had to travel to Ukraine or Italy for a business deal as quickly as possible (as quickly as possible since now, as opposed to the relaxed and laid back past, time is money). So engineers were needed to devise a train that could travel at very fast speeds while keeping energy consumption as low as possible. The Japanese started the race for faster high speed trains with their â€Å"bullet trains†, the French countered with the TGV, and many other companies came out with their own high speed trains: Acela, Eurostar, and the Shinkansen, among others [3]. The increase in competition benefitted the consumer, the individual needing to get across the continent because now he or she had a choice between different trains, each known for a specific accommodation. For example, TGV was an electric train so the energy consumption of the trains is very low. However, it is little noisier than other lines so the trade off is subjective to the person’s taste. Eventually, all the train lines would try to balance energy consumption, safety, speed, and comfort in order to provide the smoothest trip they could possibly offer. [4] In essence, aerodynamics is the interaction of air on an object [7]. In the case of high speed trains, the aerodynamics of the train depends on many factors: â€Å"aerodynamic drag, pressure variations inside train, train-induced i ¬ow, cross-wind effects, ground effects, pressure waves inside tunnel, impulse waves at the exit of tunnel, noise and vibration†. [8] Ultimately, finding solutions to these problems will result in a faster and smoother train ride, so it becomes imperative to identify the factors that affect each of these so one can manipulate them, if possible, to one’s needs. However, having so many factors that affect the aerodynamics of a train, one can truly begin to see how complex this problem is for engineers since every change made to the train or the tracks could cost the companies owning them a huge amount of money for even the smallest of changes. Specifically, the invention of the high speed train has revolutionized long distance ground transportation since it has provided people with a much faster way to travel, sometimes cutting a seven hour long trip to three hours! However, to reduce such a trip so significantly, the path from city to city (in this place Boston to Washington D. C. ) must be as direct as possible [2]. This means that in some cases a tunnel must be built through a mountain to allow for a high speed train to pass through the mountain and get to its destination as quickly as possible. In terms of high speed trains, there are many different types, each with its advantages and disadvantages. For example, the world renown TGV It has huge advantage in that it can use the same railroad lines as local trains so the cost of making railroad tracks is reduced. However, one of the disadvantages is that using these same train tracks, just the mere fact that the TGV uses the same tracks as local trains means that the TGV limits the size and specifications of local trains because the wake of the TGV causes a wind tunnel that affects the trains behind it. [1] [2] In terms of what the future has in store, trains haven’t even started to reach their limit. From regular train to the high speed train, the speed was increased. The TGV is an obvious example of this transition given that it broke the record for the fasted train, maxing out at 357 mph. The next step is along the lines of the Japanese Maglev; taking friction out of the equation, the Maglev has the ability to greatly reduce the drag and the vibration in the train, thus making the train that much faster. In the foreseeable future, there is a concept that would take the Maglev above and beyond its achievements so far: an â€Å"evacuated tube† is a massive vacuum in a tube stretching for miles and miles. Interestingly, if this method is designed and works, it may potentially reap the benefits since the beginning. This occurs because air drag takes such a significant amount of energy out of the system (the system being defined as the train) that minimizing it to a negligible level could immediately save millions upon millions of dollars [8] [9]. On the other hand, there are changes that have been made to the train itself rather than to the environment surrounding it. The Japanese Hayabusa’s nose is angled and sleek so it can eliminate tunnel boom, the sound of a train leaving a tunnel. Tunnel boom is caused by a fast train pressurizing the air in front of it as it goes through a tunnel until it comes out of the tunnel with the pressurized air and makes a very loud sound. Trains in the past had a smaller tunnel boom that occurred right before the train left the tunnel (the sound of a train coming from inside a tunnel); however, now that the trains are that much faster, they catch up to the pressurized air and come out together, creating constructive interference, to make a bigger sound [5]. Furthermore, the French Alstrom developed an upgraded TGV called the AGV. What was interesting about how the French upgraded the TGV is that they took the power system of the TGV and completely transformed it; now it has the capacity of generating higher speeds at a fraction of the original TGV energy consumption. Don’t forget that the TGV was designed as an electric train, so to have a power system that can do more with less energy is a huge advancement! [5] In conclusion, the fact remains that the fast paced society of today has geared people to want to do everything more quickly. Following this train of thought, it makes sense that high speed trains are the future in transportation. Throughout history, people have shown a want, a need for speed. Works Cited [1] Fox News. Associated Press. http://www. foxnews. com/story/0,2933,263542,00.html (accessed July 15th, 2012) [2] Plumer, Brad. The Washington Post. http://www. washingtonpost. com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/16/amtraks-151-billion-high-speed-rail-plan-are-there-cheaper-options/ (accessed July 15th, 2012) [3] European Railway Server. TGVweb. http://www. trainweb. org/tgvpages/history. html(accessed July 17th, 2012) [4] http://www. buzzle. com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-maglev-trains. html [5] Railway-Technology. com. On Track. http://www. railway-technology. com/features/feature117829/(accessed July 15th, 2012). [6] James, Randy. Time U. S. http://www. time. com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1892463,00. html (accessed July 16th, 2012) [7] Bopp, Rudolf; Hagenah, Bernd. Gruner. http://www. gruner-gmbh. at/aktuelles_gmbh_at/pdf_pool/D_HAB_Porto. pdf [8] Raghunathan, Raghu S. ; Setoguchi, T. Progress in Aerospace Sciences. Aerodynamics of high-speed railway train http://ompldr. org/vMXlsOA/Aerodynamics_HSR02. pdf [9] Hoffman, Carl. Popsci: Trans-Atlantic Maglev. http://www. popsci. com/scitech/article/2004-04/trans-atlantic-maglev.