Computer and Innate Ability Essay Example for Free

Computer and Innate Ability Essay We sometimes think of being good at mathematics as an innate ability. You either have it or you dont. But to Schoenfeld, its not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try. Thats what Schoenfeld attempts to teach his students. Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds In the book â€Å"Outliers†, Malcolm Gladwell discusses some specific factors of extraordinary achievement. Some of the main ideas he discusses is advantages to succeed in life. According to Gladwell, there are tremendous advantages people have over their competitors to meet opportunities. In examining what made outliers like Bill Gates and the Beatles such phenomenal successes, Gladwell hits upon the important role played by opportunity. In each case, these successful people are given opportunities that most others do not have. In the case of Bill Gates, he goes to a school that owns a computer terminal connected to a large central computer. This is unusual in the 1960s and 1970s, when computers are room-sized devices costing millions of dollars and are owned only by large universities and corporations. Gates is able to start u We sometimes think of being good at mathematics as an innate ability. You either have it or you dont. But to Schoenfeld, its not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try. Thats what Schoenfeld attempts to teach his students. Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds One example of this is Billy joy’s lucky advantage that leads him to success. Bill joy attended University of Michigan the year the advanced computer system was introduced so he began to visit the computer room more often than most; he even got a job with the computer science professor. (Sounds like he got same job with professor. I don’t know I think something wrong with that sentence) Working in collaboration with a small group of programmers, Joy to on the task of rewriting Unix, which was a software system developed by ATT for mainframe computers. Billy joy took advantage of his early computer skills to allow him opportunity that was given to him. One example of this is given by Gladwell how their (who? ) birthday can affect their overall performance . The age cutoff entry for junior hockey leagues is January, 1. A 5 year old hockey player born on that day is a little older than other competitors, giving them an advantage in size, strength and coordination. The effect at the age of nine or ten, and of course they are more likely to view as talented the bigger and more coordinated players, who have had the benefit of critical extra months of maturity. So the advantage of being more developed can potentially land them on a professional team, all due to the cutoff dates in professional hockey. Another example of an advantage in succeeding is your IQ score. In the book Gladwell interviews Chris Langan who has the highest IQ score in America. Chris Langan discusses how he had an opportunity to go to college, but never did because his mother never turned in the financial aid paper work Chris should have gone to college to reach his full potential to meet better opportunities to succeed in life. I think you have to change those paragraphs†¦?

The iPod Essay -- Essays Papers

The iPod Perhaps it has escaped your notice, but it seems that recently everyone is jumping on the iPod bandwagon. Those thin white cords seems to dangle from everyone’s ears, and the tell-tale rectangular bulge is seen in every other back pocket. Well, not only did I notice the bandwagon passing me by daily in the hallways, but I decided to jump on the iPod bandwagon myself. And now the question is, have YOU jumped on the iPod bandwagon The iPod leads the contemporary revolution in portable digital music, and has come to be one of Apple’s hottest selling item. Weighing in at just 5.6 ounces and not much larger than your standard cigarette pack, the iPod is the answer to taking your tunes with you wherever you want to go. That is if you can afford the $299 that you’ll be set back for a 20GB model, or the $399 you’ll dish out for 40GB of iPod magic. But if you just can’t squeeze out that kind of cash, you could always settle for the iPod Mini, iPod’s little sister, that sells for $249, and still holds 1,000 songs - that’s enough to get you through a long weekend, or better ye...

Islamic Management

Definition : Definition management â€Å"The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work. † Characteristic of conventional management : Examinees each resource sector and environment component in isolation Examines each resource sector and/or environmental component in isolation (e. g. , water, air, forests, fish) Focuses on biotic components; limited, if any, consideration of ecological processes (e. g. , hydrological process) Targets only specific resources of interest; typically those of commercial value Conflicting management policiesComparision Islamic management and conventional management 1. 2 CONVENTIONAL AND ISLAMIC UNIT TRUSTS 1. 2. 1 CONVENTIONAL UNIT TRUSTS Based on the Guidelines on Unit Trust Funds issued by the Securities Commission in October 1991, a unit trust fund company can only invest in authorized Malaysian assets, which include listed and unlisted securities of Malaysian companies, Malaysian Government Securities, Cagamas bonds, bankers’ acceptances, Negotiable Certificates of Deposits, Government Investment Certificates and cash (Banker’s Journal Malaysia, 1995).However, in March 1994, the Commission has provided a provision by which trust funds can invest (10% of portfolio) in overseas stock. Hence, conventional unit trust funds can invest in any of the above Malaysian assets without any restriction as long as the funds have not reached its maximum approved size. 3 1. 2. 2 ISLAMIC UNIT TRUSTS The Islamic unit trusts mainly focus on the investments in portfolios of ‘halal’ stocks and bonds complying with the Syariah principles.Such ‘halal’ stocks exclude companies involving in activities, products or services related to conventional banking, insurance and financial services, gambling, alcoholic beverages and non-halal food products and also companies whose products can cause illness, death, disease or even p romote social ills such as tobacco. From an Islamic perspective, the above industries are avoided as they represent elements that are forbidden by Allah and the harmful effects of such products on mankind (Smart Investor, 2002).The returns of Islamic unit trusts also avoid the incidence of ‘riba’ or usury interest through the process of cleaning or purification by the removal of such amounts representing the interest element. In instances where a fund has inadvertently made profits investing in non-permissible sectors, the fund will liquidate the investments. The proceeds of the gain will then be donated to charities. Mohd Nasir (2000) mentioned in his paper that the Syariah principle of ‘musharakah’ acts as a base for Islamic unit trust whereby it is a participatory financing involving agreement between the contributor of capital and the user.Therefore, the providers of funds or partners are the unitholders in an Islamic unit trust. A formal contract betwe en the unitholders, capital or fund, profit, the offer, the acceptance and the investment activities are also available within the practice of the Islamic unit trust. The concept of ‘al-wadiah yad dhamanah’ or guaranteed safe custody is involved in the operation of the Islamic unit trust fund. Prior to the funds existence, the owners of assets are the investors, custodian holder is the fund manager, and asset is the money invested.After the creation of the fund, the owners of assets are the unit holders, the custodian is the trustee and the assets include all assets of the fund. Besides that, the concept of ‘al-bai’bithamin ajil’ is also practiced in the Islamic unit trust whereby there is a transaction of buying and redemption of units of funds. In this case, the purchase or redemption price is the managers forward selling or buying price at the next valuation point when investors decide to buy or unitholders decide to redeem their shares. Moreover, the valuation point is the price at the close of business for the day.Nonetheless, based on ‘al-wakalah principle’, the price must be determined at the time the contract of sale or purchase is executed. As a result, the current practice of Islamic unit trust does not conform to the ‘al-wakalah’ principle. Thus, it has been suggested that daily historical price would be more appropriate in order to observe the Syariah principles (Shariff, 2002). Apart from having the same standard criteria for other conventional unit trusts as explained in the Securities Commission’s Guidelines on Unit Trust Funds (1997), the Islamic unit 4 trust funds must lso meet the criteria as advised by the Securities Commission’s Syariah Advisory Council (SAC) 2 . For example, the Islamic unit trust funds can only invest in securities approved by the SAC. The trust funds are also required to appoint a Syariah committee or syariah consultant who must be approved by the C ommission. As at October 25 th , 2002, the SAC has approved 684 securities [543 approved securities as at January 2 nd , 1999 (Arbi, 1999)] listed on the KLSE and classified them as ‘halal’ stocks thus can be bought by the Islamic trust fund managers

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini - 1599 Words

People are different in many ways. Ranging from colour of their skin to their ethnic backgrounds. How society copes with these differences is what defines prejudice and discrimination. Racism, social class and ethnicity have become a never ending cycle that begins to shape the opinions of how people treat one another. The novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini revolves around a society constructed around two socially diverse ethnic groups the Pashtuns who practice Sunni Islam and the Hazaras who follow Shia Islam. Throughout the novel The Kite Runner, a variety of characters have made decisions that affect the overall outcome of the novel which base around ethnicity, race and social class. It seems like everywhere, Amir, the protagonist, looks society seems into two parts. From his childhood in Kabul ,Afghanistan, to living in America, there has been an invisible border restricting two parties from establishing into one. The disparity between social classes is evident in The Kite Runner between Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun, with a higher status and his servant , Hassan, is a Hazara. Hazaras are looked down upon due to their differences in appearance and beliefs. They are racially and socially inferior. If there was a Hazara residing in Kabul, the rumour was that he was either a beggar, servant or even both. The dreadful social division between the two groups led to the Pashtuns gaining higher social rankings than the Hazaras and were able to receiveShow MoreRelatedThe Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini883 Words   |  4 Pagesregret from past encounters and usually feel guilty and bitter about the situation. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, revolves around th e theme of redemption. Redemption can be used as a cure for guilt. Throughout the novel, the author shows that redemption requires some sort of sacrifice and the only way that is possible is if you can forgive yourself from the mistakes you have made in the past. Khaled Hosseini effectively portrays redemption through motifs such as rape, irony and flashbacks, symbolismRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1651 Words   |  7 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel â€Å"The Kite Runner† by Khaled Hosseini describes the life of a boy, Amir. Amir’s best friend and brother (although that part isn’t known until towards the end), Hassan, plays a major role in Amir’s life and how he grows up. Hosseini portrays many sacrifices that are made by Hassan and Amir. Additionally, Amir seeks redemption throughout much of the novel. By using first person point of view, readers are able to connect with Amir and understand his pain and yearning for a way to be redeemedRead M oreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1655 Words   |  7 PagesSarah Singer Major Works Data Form Title: The Kite Runner Author: Khaled Hosseini Date of Publication: 2003 Genre: Historical Fiction Historical information about the period of publication: Since the September 11th attacks in 2001, the United States has been at war with Afghanistan. Their goals were to remove the Taliban, track down those in charge of the attacks, and destroy Al-Qaeda. Biographical information about the author: Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. HIs motherRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1098 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we learn a lot about Amir the main character, and Hassan his servant/brother. In the beginning Hassan and Amir’s relationship was one of brotherly love despite the fact that Hassan was a Hazara and Amir a Pashtun. Back in the 1970’s race and religion played a big part in Kabul and these two races were not suppose to have relationships unless it was owner (Pashtun) and servant (Hazara). Baba Amir’s father had an affair with Hassan’s mother, but it was kept aRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1313 Words   |  5 Pagesis not unique to just J.K. Rowling. Khaled Hosseini also incorporates life experiences into some of his novels. A prime example of this is The Kite Runner. The storyline of this novel reflects his past to create a journey of a young Afghanistan boy, whose name is Amir. This boy changes drastically throughout his lifetime from a close minded, considerably arrogant boy to an open hearted and minded man. This emotional and mental trip is partially based on Khaled Hosseini’s own life. Throughout Hosseini’sRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1908 Words   |  8 Pages​In the novel, â€Å"The Kite Runner†, written by Khaled Hosseini, was taken place in Afghanistan during the 1970’s to the year of 2002. Many historical events happened during this time period and Hosseini portrayed it into his novel. Kabul, the capitol of Afghanistan, was a free, living area for many Afghanistan families to enjoy the life they were given. Until one day, Afghanistan was then taken over and attacked. In the novel, Amir, the protagonist, must redeem himself and the history behind his actionsRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1050 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"There is a way to be good again.† (Hosseini 334). This quote given by Rahim Khan to Amir holds a great amount of force and symbolism. In theory, this quote symbolizes the beginning of Amir’s path to redemption. The eye-opening Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini tells about the struggles of Afghanistan before and during the Taliban, and one’s struggle for redemption and acceptance. With regards to the opening quote, some see Amir’s actions as selfish. However, others may believe that Amir truly changedRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1583 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, the main character, shares his thoughts and actions due to his poor decisions. The problems he encountered were all because of the sin committed in his youth. His sins taunted the beginning of his life and gave him a troublesome memory full of guilt. As the novel continued, Amir attempted to disengage the memory of his sin and forget about it. Amir then faced the long bumpy road to redemption. Khaled Hosseini’s novel the Kite Runner is about sinRead MoreThe Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini871 Words   |  4 Pagesthat person is trying to fix that mistake. This also applies to the novel The Kite Runner. The story revolves around the main character Amir, and his childhood friend, Hassan. After Amir came to America with Baba, his father, he still regrets the things he had done to his childhood friend. He left Hassan getting raped by Assef in a small alley in 1975. Thereafter, Amir always feel regret and seeks for redemption. Hosseini -the author, argues that redemption can be achieved by helping others, teachRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini3402 Words   |  14 Pagestitle â€Å"The Kite Runner† is symbolic as fighting kites and the kite runnings are impacting moments in the novel. Hassan was the best kite runner in Kabul, if not the whole country, after Amir won the kite fighting the running of that last blue kite triggered the monumental changes for Amir. For the beginning of the story the kite running was associated with Hassan’s rape and Amir’s grief. As kites appear throughout the story, they begin Amir’s story and also end it. Amir flying the kite with Sohrab