Cloud Computing Research

The world revolves around money. Why pay more for less or why would you pay for something that you don’t need. In this research essay I will explore the Cloud Services community. I will explain what important services to have are and which type of cloud services you should have for the size of the company you are running or plan to run. The basic criteria people need to know about cloud services and what they offer is the most important. First and most importantly is the price. Others are storage space you allowed to have, reliability, features, upload speed, ease of use. These will be the premise of using to find out what service would be best for you. The first cloud provider chosen to look at is Amazon. Amazon EC2’s simple web service interface allows you to obtain and configure capacity with minimal friction. It provides you with complete control of your computing resources and lets you run on Amazon’s proven computing environment. Amazon EC2 reduces the time required to obtain and boot new server instances to minutes, allowing you to quickly scale capacity, both up and down, as your computing requirements change. Amazon EC2 changes the economics of computing by allowing you to pay only for capacity that you actually use. Amazon EC2 provides developers the tools to build failure resilient applications and isolate themselves from common failure scenarios (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud ). Next we are going to look at Google cloud service. Google offers seamless integration with current Google products is one of the best features that are being offered. There may also be the ability to connect to future Google software for movies and music. The features of other Google products are very helpful. Those would include Google Maps, Docs, Google Search and Gmail. There are lots of other products that Google has developed and released for free, but lately they have been shutting down some of those projects to focus on other areas of the business. One exciting feature of Drive is the optical character recognition technology they have added. That means that customers will be able to scan images of text and the system can convert it over to digital text. It can also be used for image recognition so that every time you search for a word in your files or on the internet, images you have uploaded will be included in those search results. The initial 5GB are free and possibly will be ad funded. Then they are offering a 25GB and 50GB plan with monthly pricing. We will update our review as soon as we know more. Though, we have heard that 1TB will cost around $49. 99 a month (The Ten best Cloud Storage). Next we are going to look at Rackspace. The Rackspace Cloud is a growing set of Cloud-related products and services billed on a utility computing basis, including web application hosting/cloud platform (â€Å"Cloud Sites†), cloud storage (â€Å"Cloud Files†), VPS/Virtual private server (â€Å"Cloud Servers†), Cloud Load Balancers, Cloud Databases, Cloud Backup, Cloud Monitoring, and more. The Rackspace Cloud was one of the first commercial cloud computing services (Rackspace Cloud). So given the basic information above we are going to find out what is best for the consumer. Are you a large Fortune 500 company or are you a startup company looking for space where you wouldn’t have to buy a server and all the necessary equipment to run an IT department. For large companies you should stick with a provider that is not going any place soon and this is Google. Google is a very large company that can offer a lot of space and resources for your company to run. If you are a smaller company and looking to keep your budget down then Rackspace would be the way to go. Now if you are the one that loves to take pictures and have them uploaded then either Google or Amazon would be the way to go for you. Whatever your case may be this will help you in determining what cloud service you may want.

A Closer Look to Higher Educational Learning in the United States Essay

A Closer Look to Higher Educational Learning in the United States - Essay Example Higher learning in its truest sense symbolizes the appreciation, interpretation, and understanding of knowledge beyond what is discernible and distinguishable by the human senses. Its forms vary in functions and have different effects in shaping the society we are budging and living right in. Also, besides those stated above, higher education allows the feeding off of utmost desire, imagination, and compassion toward the people’s psyche in order to conquer the realms of ignorance, lack of knowledge and unawareness regarding relevant issues which continuously affect present circumstances. As stated in an article by Peirce (1993) entitled What Does Society Need from Higher Education? educational learning has been considered as a primary resource which mainly supports other institutions, such as the government and the business sector, in various vital ways. Having said these facts, it could be assumed that higher form of learning addresses the necessity of providing a holistic ap proach in order to influence the mindset of the people, especially the working adult populace, and eventually exert efforts for the common good of the majority. But how could these be all possible, given that there are too many problems and conflicts involved in the formation of the correct curriculum so as to implement effective adult learning schemes and practices? If perfected, does finishing a degree program following any of these designed curricula would mean being truly educated in the end?... If perfected, does finishing a degree program following any of these designed curricula would mean being truly educated in the end? Do the universities and colleges which offer various programs and other basic courses really know what their exact functions are? Or, are they missing these functions entirely all these years? In all fairness, I believe that it is very essential to answer and tackle these questions before we could completely discuss and expound the intricate details concerning higher formal education among adult citizens. For they serve as bases of what education and being educated should be about. According to Ritt (2008), a college degree is considered by most people as a prerequisite towards a better living condition in the future. Generally, a college diploma promises and grants the bearer greener pasture, a secured career and an improved quality of existence. That is why, many dream of obtaining one; but, few have the means to get through. Meanwhile, in the same art icle wrote by Ritt (2008), U.S. only ranks tenth among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries when it comes to the percentage of young adults , aging from 25-34, having postsecondary credentials and education --- that is about 34 million people in summary having no college experience. This information is quite alarming in a way, since fast growing technologies and jobs in the market require at least postsecondary certifications. Moreover, it has been considered as apprehensive by most experts, since there have been cases of severe decrease in work productivity and professional discipline around the nation. The facts stated above constitute a big fraction of the pie which shows the meaning and the present situation of educated adult

In the event of peace, and a Palestinian state being formed, Palestine Essay

In the event of peace, and a Palestinian state being formed, Palestine would suffer massive economic repercussions due to lack of competitiveness and underdevel - Essay Example The current economic scenario in Palestine is not very encouraging. In the second quarter of 2007, the GDP of Palestine grew by 6.5%. The largest increases in gross value added were registered the following sectors: education (+32.1%), hotels (+24.9%), health ( +15.2%), construction (+13.9%) and agriculture (+12.8%). There was a decline however in sectors like mining, water and electricity and manufacturing. However in Gaza, due to political problems, 95% of the factories in Gaza had closed down leading to 32000 job losses. Many of these factories were approaching a point of 'no return' where owners were likely to sell their assets and shut down completely. (The Portland trust, Nov, 2007) In the previous years, between 2005 and 2006, the GDP in Palestine fell by 8.8%. In the first quarter of 2007, the GDP fell by 4.2%. This was 13.2% lower than the GDP for the first quarter of 2006.(The Portland Trust, July 2007) Besides the negative growth of the economy, it is the composition of the GDP that remains a cause for concern. The GDP is driven by Government and private consumption from aid rather than investment or production. Public sector employment for instance has increased by 60% between 1999 and 2006. Much of the foreign aid which could e used in infrastructure building is spent on salaries of government employees. (World Bank, 2007) Fig:2 Source: (World Bank Document, 2007) Even among Palestinians, the condition of those living in Gaza is particularly bad. Despite receiving aid, the number of people in Gaza living below the poverty line has increased from 21.6% in 1998 to nearly 35% in 2006. Without aid, the figure is likely to be around 67%. (World Bank, 2007) Fig:3 Source: (World Bank Document, 2007) Given the current economic scenario, it is likely that an independent Palestine face the immense challenge of managing the repercussions of years of negative economic growth and political instability. In the context of Palestine, the concept of 'peace' is crucial to the economy. According to a World Bank report, in 1968, an average Israeli was approximately 10 times richer than the average Palestinian. Today the situation is far worse. The GDP of Israel is almost 20 times that of Palestine and over 2/3rds of Palestinians live below the poverty line. (2007). This disparity in income level and lifestyle is a cause for concern. As Moshe Alamaro, a research scientist at the University of Massachusetts points out there can be no lasting peace if a destitute third world nation stress across the border to find a prosperous modern democracy. Alamaro compares the relationship between Japan and North Korea to that between in Israel and Palestine and says that Japan helped fuel economic growth in South Korea and thereby avoid any friction between the two states. Similarly, he believes that the west along with Israel needs to fuel economic growth in Palestine and thereby establish a mutually beneficial socio-economic relationship.(Alamaro, 2002) From the Palestinian perspective however, it is important to break free from the dependence on Israel. The Palestine National authority has charted a framework for Economic development. The framework suggests that dependence on Israel can be reduced by diversifying the export markets and

Alice Malsenior Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alice Malsenior Walker - Essay Example She went on to attend Spelman College and then transferred to Sarah Lawrence College to which she received a scholarship. Her life as a child was steeped in poverty. Her parents were sharecroppers, and her father's main work involved dairy farming, for which he was paid approximately $300 per year. Her mother supplemented this by offering her services as a maid (Clark). Walker's home was very small, and she and her family lived a huddled life in it, often suffering extremes of temperature in the winters and summers. She spent her time watching people or playing tomboyish games with her older brothers (Danielle). She was a precocious child, who tackled the first grade at only four years old. Her self-perception was very good, and she enjoyed performing in front of crowds at church and other functions. This changed after she was shot in the eye by her brothers. When that incident occurred, her parents delayed taking her to the doctor as they had underestimated the extent of the injury, and instead attempted to treat it with home remedies. However, subsequent infection of the eye which led to a fever caused them to take her to a physician (after they tried curing the fever by strategically placed lily leaves around her head). The doctor was able to cause the eye to heal, but the scar that developed was also a scar to her psyche that she carried with her many years (Danielle). Her scar led to her bei... She was cured while visiting her brother in Boston by visiting a hospital where surgery was done to remove the scar from her eye. At the age of 17 she left home for Spelman College in Atlanta, for which she had received a scholarship for handicapped students. In college she participated much in political activism. She met Coretta King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in the March on Washington, at which King gave his speech "I Have a Dream." She also traveled abroad to the World Youth Peace Festival held in Helsinki, Finland. However, she became unhappy at Spelman because the administrators were disapproving of her activism. So in 1963 she transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. During her final year of college, Walker discovered herself pregnant and subsequently resorted to abortion (Clark). The decision drove her to depression, and in that time she wrote to clear her mind. She produced several pieces of poetry, with which her professor became impressed and which formed the basis of her first published work, a collection of poetry entitled Once (Danielle). She later met and married the lawyer Melvyn Leventhal, who was also active in the civil rights world. She gave birth to a daughter named Rebecca (Clark). For three years she worked in New York in the department of welfare. She later taught for two years as Jackson State University and then at Tougaloo College. It is during this time that her literary career really took flight, with the publication of her second work The Third Life of George Copeland. Many of her works and themes reflect the nuances of her life. Her story "Everyday Use" reflects the anguish of a childhood spent in

Human Gentic Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Gentic Engineering - Essay Example Holdrege and Talbot encapsulate such two-pronged reaction as an urgent question which necessitates resolution – â€Å"whether this remarkable cornucopia presents a picture of health and lawful bounty, or instead the hellish image of nature betrayed† (3). 1. Beginnings of Genetic Engineering The theory of evolution by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin in 1859 shed light on how organisms adapt and survive in a given environment due to certain beneficial traits which gets passed on to succeeding generations. This was supported by Gregor Mendel’s study on the mechanics of inheriting specific traits among organisms (Yount 119).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meanwhile, the discovery of DNA structure IN 1953 and replication led to further studies aimed at deciphering the codes that make up DNA. Moreover, studies on recombinant DNA technology have suggested the possibility of transferring DNA from one species into the genome of another, dissimilar organism. Fur ther studies on recombinant DNA technology produced the world’s first transgenic animals and plants in 1985. Four years later, transfer of foreign genes were successfully performed on a human subject (Yount 126). 2. Definition of Important Terminology The conceptual definition of DNA, genetic engineering and genome is provided below for a more enlightened view of the subject matter: DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is defined as the chemical in which inherited information is encoded, stored in molecules consisting of a base pairs adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine in a phosphate-sugar double helix (Yount 159). Genetic engineering is defined as the artificial modification of genetic code with the aim of using genetic information from one organism to benefit another organism. The process involves splicing foreign DNA at specific places and transferring the DNA material into another DNA molecule (Yount 162). The genome is an organism’s complete record of genetic informat ion (Yount 163). 3. Rationale for Genetic Engineering The first argument stems from the purpose of genetic engineering. There is popular support to the position that the purpose of genetic engineering is for the overall benefit of humanity (Nicholl 5; Sanderson 10; Herring 89). Many religious sectors, however share the belief that the purpose of genetic engineering is to enhance the capability of mankind to partake in â€Å"God’s work of redemption and creation† and to glorify God (Cole-Turner 51; Merrill 305). Genetic testing on humans can facilitate the identification of diseases which may appear later in life. This application can be helpful in cases where parents need to know if they have passed on a genetic trait to their offspring which may put them in danger once the disease manifests itself (LeVine 49). Hence, human genetic engineering will be a crucial factor for the preservation of mankind in the light of AIDS and other incurable diseases which may be discove red in the future. In this sense, genetic engineering indeed benefits humanity. Cole-Turner, however, contends that when genetic engineering is viewed as a benefit to society, it connotes of humanity as one single entity which can aggregately decide what it needs or what it wants (53). Cole-Turner stresses that since genetic engineering comprises of initiatives and interactions of nations, corporations, researchers, investors and consumers, it serves the interests of

Evolutionary Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evolutionary Biology - Essay Example On the side of the table with 5 chairs, the guests seated are, in the order running from my end of the table to that with the empty chair: Charles Darwin, my brother Hunter, Carl Linnaeus, my sister Cara, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, and my dad John. Cast of Characters The seven guests gathered around the table from the start of the meal represent some of the greatest minds in genetics, evolutionary theory, and many other fields, from across the centuries. To begin with the guest seated at my right hand: Charles Darwin Despite the level of company gathered, Charles Darwin, who was born in Britain in 1809 and died in 1882, is one of the most distinguished guests. More than any other historical figure, he enjoys a widespread association with evolutionary theory. After periods of religious and scientific study in the UK, Darwin joined the naval research vessel HMS Beagle in December 1831, for what was to be a 5-year voyage around the world, and in the course of which he collected much of the data which would form the basis of his great work. He took samples and recorded findings from the Canary Islands, South America, the Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius, and the Cape. While his work on fossils and in other fields was significant, it is for his theory of evolution and natural selection, as enshrined in the classic 1859 text, On the Origin of Species, that Darwin is principally remembered. His findings were accepted by most scientists within his lifetime, and he was honoured with a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, London. Carl Linnaeus Linnaeus lived in Sweden from 1707-1778, and is generally remembered for his work as a preeminent zoologist and botanist. Thanks to Linnaeus’ formidable work in collecting, examining, and classifying thousands of species, the work of organising and understanding different organisms and the way in which they relate to each other is now much easier. Indeed, Linnaeus created the framework which is now almost univ ersally used to differentiate organisms, in the form of his taxonomy and binomial nomenclature. The former is the hierarchy by which an organism’s relation to other organisms can be traced and understood; the latter is the method for naming and identifying organisms. Thomas Robert Malthus Malthus was a British thinker and clergyman who lived from 1766 to 1834. His interests were primarily in political economy and demographics, or the study of populations and their characteristics. While most of the guests at dinner tonight are equally interested in all aspects of life on earth, whether human or plant or animal, Malthus focused on trends in changing human populations, and the factors which drive them and check them. Wilhelm Weinberg Weinberg, a German Jewish scientist, lived from 1862 to 1937, and was based in Stuttgart for most of this time. While his important contribution to the study of genetics went unrecognized for several decades after his death, he is now acknowledged as a leading figure in this field of study, being credited with developing the principle of genetic equilibrium. Gregor Johann Mendel Gregor Mendel was, by vocation, a monk, living within the Austrian Empire from 1822 to 1844. He is now considered by many to be the founding father of the study of genetics, and is particularly well-known for his studies of variation in pea plants, of which he grew nearly 30,000 over the course of his studies. While the significance of his work was not fully realized until the early years of

Capital One Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Capital One - Essay Example On December 04, 2008, Capital One acquired a well known bank called Chevy Chase Bank. As per the deal, Capital One purchased the bank by paying $445 million in cash and 2.56 million shares of Capital One worth $75 million (Gaithersburg Local, 2008). Companies are directly affected by the external environmental forces that consist of political, economic, legal, social and technological elements. Changes in these external forces directly affect the company which necessitates it to modify the corporate strategies accordingly. In 2008-09, the world economy was shaken by a recessionary turmoil and the financial sector was the worst hit. Functioning exclusively in the banking business, the company is at a high leveraged state. When market conditions are favorable, their revenue as well as profitability increases quite rapidly but when the market conditions are hostile, the company faces a sharp fall in business. The economic condition has revived in the developing countries but the developed countries like UK and US will take more time to come out of this economic shock. Therefore economic condition is one of the vital forces that Capital One needs to consider. In terms of technology, Capital One enjoys a sound position. The political condition is quite stable in US hence this will not be a major concern. After the economic recession in US, the government is in the process of introducing certain changes in its legal framework to exercise a better control on the financial market. Hence, Capital One will need to understand the changes in the legal policies and should make the desired modification. Apart from the above mentioned forces the competitive force prevailing in the US market needs to be taken into consideration by Capital One. The retail banking industry is highly attractive which lures new entrants into this industry. The lenient strategy maintained by the government of US is an added advantage for the new entrants. The new entrants have not only