Capitalism, Marketing, and the Insidious and Covert...

Capitalism, Marketing, and the Insidious and Covert Co-optation of the Self Subtitle: A Manifesto for Avatars 1. Introducing Avatars AVATARA-Sanskrit.; ava-down, tarati-he goes, passes beyond literally, a descent, a conception described in the Bhagavad gita, 4th Teaching, 1-8 where Krishna confides: when goodness grows weak, when evil increases, I make myself a body. (OED) Originally referring to the incarnation of Hindu deities, avatars in the computing realms have come to mean any of the various strap-on visual agents that represent the user in increasing numbers of 2 and 3D worlds. (Lonehead, ONLINE SOURCE, NO PAGE NUM) This essay studies the covert, market driven forces at work in our choices of images†¦show more content†¦The irony in the physical world is that we choose to wear these commodities and we willingly pay multi-national corporations for the privilege of advertising their products. Through this transaction we express personal fantasies, achieve a fleeting sense of democracy and individual expression, and fulfill various levels of desire. 2. Defining Avatars The use of the term avatar to represent the self or user in the context of shared on-line Internet environments first occurs in the early 1980s with the development of LucasFilmss Habitat project (Farmer). The term came to popular consciousness with the success of the novel SnowCrash (Stephenson). Discussions of the nature of the avatar are often mixed with current cyborg theory. Although the avatar and the cyborg share numerous social constructions and identity politics, in the interest of developing an understanding of the avatar, it is necessary to distinguish it from its cousin, the cyborg. 2.1. The Human Enhanced The term cyborg was coined in 1960 with the appearance of Cyborgs in Space by Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. Clynes and Kline argued that altering mans bodily functions to meet the requirements of extraterrestrial environments was more logical than providing a controlled environment for him in space. Their self-regulating artifact-organism (Clynes and Kline 31-33) would be free to explore

The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien - 1154 Words

The novel The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien begins by Mr. OBrien describing his dramatical events that happened during the middle of his Vietnam experience while he was fighting in the war. Mr. OBrien received his draft notice in the month of June in the year of 1968. When he received this notice Mr. OBrien had feelings of confusion, and that drove him to go north to the Canadian border, and it had him contemplating if he wanted to cross it or not because he does not want to be forced to fight in a war he really does not believe in. However, Mr. OBrien finally decides that he would feel guilty if he avoided the war and he also feared that his family would be disappointed. Not only does this novel tell us readers about his†¦show more content†¦Azar is a young and unstable soldier who constantly feels the need to do brutal acts. For example, the dog Ted Lavender adopted he strapped it to a claymore mine and activated the detonator, and he also instigated Tim OBrien to get revenge on Bobby Jorgenson. However, like most of the other soldiers Azar finally breaks down his emotional barrier and he reveals that he acts that way for a defense mechanism. Each of the soldiers has a different background and that helps better explain their situation and it makes the reason for their actions clearer. These soldiers had things that they carried along with them and these things were determined by necessity, and each necessity defined the persona of the characters in the novel and in reality. For example, Among the necessities the war required were P-38 can opener, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water. Together, these items weighed between 12 and 18 pounds. Along with the war necessities certain individuals also carried something along with them that molded their character and formed as a necessity to them. For instance,Show MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried by Tim Obrien1426 Words   |  6 PagesThe War at Home The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, transports the reader into the minds of veterans of the Vietnam conflict. The Vietnam War dramatically changed Tim O’Brien and his comrades, making their return home a turbulent and difficult transition. The study, titled, The War at Home: Effects of Vietnam-Era Military Service on Post-War Household Stability, uses the draft lottery as a â€Å"natural experiment† on the general male population. The purpose of the NBER (National Bureau of EconomicRead MoreThe Things They Carried by Tim O’brien1610 Words   |  7 PagesThe Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Plot: 1. RISING ACTION †¢ In the summer of 1968, Tim O’Brien receives a draft notice. Despite a desire to follow his convictions and flee to Canada, he feels he would be embarrassed to refuse to fulfill his patriotic duty and so concedes to fight in Vietnam. CLIMAX †¢ During their tour of duty, the men of the Alpha Company must cope with the loss of their own men and the guilt that comes from killing and watching others die. FALLING ACTION †¢ After he returnsRead MoreThe Things They Carried by Tim OBrien1156 Words   |  5 PagesIn Tim O’Brien’s novel, â€Å"The Things They Carried,† imagination is seen to be both beneficial and harmful. This novel consists of a story truth and a real truth. Tim O’Brien writes the book about the Vietnam War based primarily on his memory of the war. He does not remember every detail of the war, thus he makes up some false details to make the story seem more interesting. He does not only describe his own experiences, but also describe the experiences of other characters. He wants the readers toRead MoreThe Things They Carried by Tim OBrien793 Words   |  3 PagesIn the novel, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien there is an ambiguity assigned to the life of a soldier in the Vietnam war, an ambiguity that represents no clear moral victor, no clear heroes, and seemingly no end. In the movie, Platoon, written and directed by Olive r Stone, the same ambiguity is depicted, with no clear moral direction, no clear heroes, and no clear resolution. In the short story, â€Å"How to Tell a True War Story,† O’Brien talks in great detail about how a true war story, andRead MoreThe Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien550 Words   |  2 Pagespersonnel documents are in order. These are just a few items that need to be checked off of a to-do list, or inventory if you will. In â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tim O’Brien, the main character, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, runs through a series of events that he had his squad carried, both on their person and in their minds. â€Å"The Things They Carried† is about Cross and the soldiers under him and their activities in Vietnam during the war. The story begins with Cross introducing the objectRead MoreThe Things they Carried by Tim OBrien529 Words   |  2 PagesIn the story The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien didn’t mention anything about traditional war heroes. I think this was a great idea, because there are no traditional war heroes. A traditional war hero is someone who is fearless and someone who can’t be harmed mentally or emotionally. But in The Things They Carried the soldiers out on the front lines were emotionally and physically scarred. Tim O’Brien didn’t write about traditional war heroes, O’Brien wrote about normal people, people with differentRead More The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien580 Words   |  2 Pagesbook, The Things They Carried, author Tim O’Brien tells the captivating story of soldiers and everything they ha d to go through during the Vietnam War. He tells of the many things that change a person during a war and what helped many to get through it. One of the main things that helped them to get through was women. While women did not play a huge role in this book, they did play a very important role. Women were the†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Martha was the lady that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross loved. He carried letters andRead MoreOverview: The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien1510 Words   |  7 Pages The Things They Carried is a novel written by Vietnam Veteran Tim O’Brien. The Vietnam War took place between 1955 and 1975. Most of the soldiers fighting were young teenage men around the age of eighteen and nineteen years old. Like O’Brien many of these young men were pulled away from their families and life to fight a war they didn’t approve of or even know about. This had a strong affect on most of these men and O’Brien uses different ways to show how the Vietnam War affected them both physicallyRead MoreThe Things They Carried by Tim OBrien580 Words   |  2 Pagesdaydreaming and felt the pain of Lavenders death. He came to realize he was to blame for the death of Ted Lavender. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’ mind was mixed with the emotions of both Martha and the death of Ted Lavender. While Lavenders body was being carried to the chopper, all Lieutenant Cross could think about was Martha. He was thinking about how he loved her more than anything, even more than his men. He believed Ted Lavender was dead because he loved Martha so much and could not stop thinking aboutRead MoreThe Things They Carried’ by Tim O’Brien Essay1233 Words   |  5 Pages‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’Brien provides a insider’s view of war and its distractions, both externally in dealing with combat and internally dealing with the reality of war and its effect on each solder. The story, while set in Vietnam, is as relevant today with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as it was in the 1960’s and 1970’s in Southeast Asia. With over one million soldiers having completed anywhere from one to three tours in combat in the last 10 years, the real conflict might

`` Architecture And The Crisis Of Modern Science ``

Alberto Perez Gomez, Peter Zumthor, and Steven Holl emphasize on the phenomenology in their design processes. Their compositions and beliefs are evidences of the power of phenomenon. In addition, they argue that the sensory experience between the architectural object and the audience of it should be complimentary. These designers are famous for reviving the emotion evoking spaces through expression of light and shadow, material, and intimate human perception. The manifestation of this theory will be discussed further through the analysis of two case studies: 1) Therme Vals in Switzerland by Peter Zumthor and 2) Nelson Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City by Steven Holl. Alberto Perez Gomez Challenges modern architecture in his book titled â€Å"Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science†, and he describes how modern architecture needs to restate its position towards creation of memories. In addition, he explains that modern architecture cannot believe in a meaningless structure because nothing in built form can be meaningless (Rykwert) [11]. Furthermore, he explains how human perception and the sensorial experience of a space is the origin of architectural program. He describes human body as the focus of all the rules in the world, and how human body is occupying space and time. Hence, this existence can push architecture to create and order that resonates with the body itself (Perez Gomez) [11]. There is a kind of flexibility between the human perception and the rigor inherentShow MoreRelatedThe Industrial Revolution During Mid 19th Century843 Words   |  4 Pagesdrastically as advances in science and technology were proceeding to reshape the world. Beyond just transforming the society and its culture; industry, technology, and commerce, as agents of reforming the old social order, brought an immense demand for the urbanization of towns and cities. Consequently, the cities of Northern England went through an architectural metamorphosis of great scale. The Industrial revolution had opened many doors for the development of science and industry, however; thereRead MoreModernism And Modernism : Postmodernism And Postmodernism1632 Words   |  7 Pageswhen the arts music architecture literatures were changing where it came after enlightenment where to reject them. The master narratives and Meta narratives fall in the grand theory of history. The culture and natural identity: myths of culture and ethnic origin totalizing explanations in history science and culture to represent knowledge and explain everything. â€Å"Central to modernity is a paradox: the seventeenth and eighteenth century enlightenment values of reason and science and defeat traditionRead MoreThe Importance Of Architecture1512 Words   |  7 PagesHowever, architecture is much more than just the design of buildings and houses. It is a vital part of the construction process, which is a main component of the Gross Domestic Product, and can effect or be effected by loc al or national economies. Its importance is undervalued in the workforce, and its effect on the economy is underrated. Architecture is effected by the amount of raw materials, and the willingness of people to spend money on new developments or buildings. Architecture affectsRead MoreThe Golden Age of Rome873 Words   |  4 PagesRome also had its declining downfall come soon after. Rome’s legacy was left in many places during the time, and still to this day is expressed throughout the modern world. The Pax Romana lasted from roughly 31 B.C.- 180 A.D. During this time period, the state of the Roman Empire was at its highest in technology, infrastructure, law, science, and government. These improvements that took place in society were mainly taking place because of the military that Rome had acquired over the years. The militaryRead MoreHistorically Speaking, What are the Liberal Arts?1391 Words   |  6 Pages(Biography). His work provided a model for Latin scholars of the later Roman period; famous names over subsequent centuries refined and developed Varros tradition. By the fifth to sixth century C.E., a model of seven liberal arts (dropping Varro’s architecture and medicine) had been established and incorporated into Christian education. Thomas Hobbes could still write in 1640 that it was Aristotle whose opinions were of greater authority than any other human writings undertaken since (Hobbes). 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Furthermore diagram method has been widely us e in Eisenman s work to both show the working process and be a part of design. Finally trace as a expression of result of generate in architecture development. as a overlapping of all the diagramRead MoreThe Theory Of Science And Architecture2038 Words   |  9 PagesArchitecture can be related to anything such as society or science, society demands the building of their dream and science made building possible. Science and architect share a mutual goal where both intended to improve the society life style or in another word, to achieve community utopia. Science and architect is one of the main elements to promote utopia and this really make the society to believe that utopia exist. The future will be the combination of science and spirituality, and they shouldRead MoreGovernment Intervention, Real Gdp, And National Debt From An Economic Perspective1330 Words   |  6 Pagesthat â€Å"utopia means elsewhere†. Sandwiched in between Norway and Finland is that idealized  "elsewhere†, Sweden, with a strong government and thriving economy. It is not only solidly constructed but stunning to look at, with beautiful plant life and architecture to match. Sweden is sparsely populated with roughly 9.6 million people living comparatively good lives (with low crime rates, 18 month long parental leaves, and a high standard of living). It is famous for its neutral foreign policy and high taxesRead MoreThe Medieval Machine : The Industrial Revolution Of The Middle Ages1377 Words   |  6 Pagesgeographical, technological and ideological reasons prevented such advancements. Jean Gimpel also discusses technology that allowed Europeans to cultivate food in mass numbers. Jean Gimpel believes this technology sparked an agricultural revolution as well. Modern Harnesses to use horses to plow fields, which was found to be much more effective than oxen, temporary field fallowing, advance plows. Agricultural advancements allowed higher food production. Throughout h istory, when food production rises so does

Acknowledgement free essay sample

With the name of Allah the most gracious and the most graceful, Alhamdulillah, all praise and thanks to almighty Allah S. W. T. for His kindness and blessing to give us strength to accomplish this task on time. The notable whom we wish to acknowledge is my lecturer of IMD 206, Mr. Ahmad Sufi Alawi Bin Idris for the guidance, knowledge, and great encouragement. We have deeply indebted his in accomplishing this assignment. Our special appreciation are dedicated to all lectures and beloved families especially our parents for believing us. Their understanding, encouragement and continuous support throughout the duration of article review are most appreciated. Lastly, thanks to all our friends for their support and helping me directly or indirectly to complete this assignment. We have obtained many definition about this terms and keywords and hopefully, I can fully understand all this definition of this words. Alhamdulillah. Background of the project We have decided to choose the topic â€Å"Benefit of Candy† to be our main title for this assignment. We are very grateful for this wonderful accomplishment. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people who contributed to this feasibility study and I am grateful to each and every one of them. First and foremost, I would like to express my most heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Laura Lungarotti of IOM’s office in Cairo for her constant encouragement and support throughout the entire study. Her willingness and eagerness to listen to my ideas and make helpful suggestions in the interest of enhancing the study greatly facilitated both the fieldwork and the composition of the final report. Mr. Ricardo Cordero, also an IOM Cairo staff, and Mr. Guglielmo Schinina, an IOM consultant, lent their support to the study with numerous timely ideas as well. I also would like to thank my research assistant, Ms. Noor Baabad, of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MoSAL), whose translations, interpretations, facilitation and coordination of meetings, and arrangement of logistics contributed greatly to this study. Mr. Hameed Ahmed Sukhim drove us to countless communities in Hajja, Hodeida, and Al Mahweet Governorates and provided a helping hand in arranging logistics and handling administrative matters for us. His tireless efforts and his tremendous energy enabled us to complete the fieldwork portion of the study in five weeks. Two IOM colleagues to whom I am grateful are Mr. Richard Danziger and Mr. Davide Terzi of IOM Geneva and IOM Accra, respectively, both of whose constant support has encouraged me to strive to improve my work and continue to make progress in moving forward with ever-more challenging and rewarding initiatives, including this feasibility study. The assistance of Mr. Eric Peasah of IOM’s office in Accra in designing the research instruments, discussing the objectives and findings of the study, and reviewing and providing extensive feedback on the final report, has contributed immensely to the enhancement of this study. His fresh ideas, perspectives, and insights never cease to amaze me. Special thanks also go to all the representatives of government institutions, especially MoSAL, civil society organizations, and local authorities, including all stakeholders, opinion leaders, and community leaders, who provided information and expended time and effort in assisting us to locate and identify trafficked children and their parents. Mr. Haitham Al Shaif and Mr. Ameen Mohammed Alaleei of the MoSAL office in Hajja were particularly helpful in this regard. Special thanks are in order for the entire staff of the Haradh Reception Centre as well for their hard work in compiling data on trafficked children who had transited through the centre, their parents, and members of the local council in their respective districts, who were able to assist us in locating some of the children and parents. Finally, Dr. Souad Al-Hebshi of UNICEF deserves credit for recognizing the need for such a study to be conducted at this point in time and taking action by commissioning IOM and MoSAL to do so. In various meetings, her helpful constructive criticism led to the inclusion of several geographical areas and methodologies into the study, which served to enrich it. To all those who contributed to this study but were not mentioned specifically, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation for your efforts. As with any study of this nature, it was a team effort and the compilation of this report was only made possible because of the work and energy of so many people. Any errors to be found in this document, however, are solely my own.