Writing Feedback / Reading habits of Leeville citizens - Analyse An Argument. Rate on a scale of 6 [2]

Arugment
In a study of reading habits of Leeville citizens conducted by the University of Leeville, most respondents said they preferred literary classics as reading material. However, a follow-up study conducted by the same researchers found that the type of book most frequently checked out of each of the public libraries in Leeville was the mystery novel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents in the first study had misrepresented their reading habits.

My Response
The argument states that the Leevile citizens prefer literary classics as reading material. However, a follow-up study conducted by the same researchers found that most frequently checked out book in the public libraries was a mystery novel. Therefore, the respondents in the first study have misrepresented their reading habits. This argument is flawed and also unconvincing.

The argument does not provide any information about the age group that was considered for the study conducted by the University of Leeville. It is possible that older generation of Leevile citizens prefer classics while, the current generation prefer the genre mystery. It is also unfair to generalize the reading habits of respondents without choosing the target age group. Thereby, it is completely illogical to conclude that the respondents in the first study have misrepresented their reading habits.

The second flaw that caught my eye was that the University of Leeville has considered only public libraries to find what genre of books has been checked out. The argument provide any information if private libraries exist in Leeville. Further, the argument also does not mention if public libraries present in Leeville have good quantity of classics. What if public libraries of Leeville do not have good amount of classics and hence citizens tend to pick books of other genres.

The third glaring flaw I observed in the argument is that, the argument does not mention when the study was conducted. What if there is a huge time gap between first study and its subsequent follow-up study? There is a chance of a new mystery novel released in the market when the second follow-up was conducted. In that case, it is quite natural that book lovers of Leeville will prefer to read the latest book available in the library. Hence, it is obvious that most frequently checked out book in the public library would be the mystery novel. Therefore, it is unfair to say that the respondents in the first study have misrepresented their reading habits.

The argument is constructed on lot of assumptions and thereby weakening the argument. The argument does not have minor details like the age group of the respondents. In addition, it also does not mention if Leeville has private libraries. It is these minor details which weakens the argument and also drive the argument in an illogical direction.

Writing Feedback / Originality and thinking - GRE Issue No:2. [5]

Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before, it means putting old ideas together in new ways.

Old Ideas vs New Ideas

I disagree with the fact that originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before, but putting old ideas together in new ways. Original creations and ideas have always brought revolution.

The twentieth century is bombarded with complex technology which has become a part of our life. The fancy cars which have rushed the market are the products that have evolved from the wheel. It was the wheel which has brought the world closer and more accessible. Similarly, it was due to Alexander Graham Bell many sophisticated products like Apple, and Nokia have been made. These products are an amalgamation of technology and ideas. Talking about technology had Charles Babbage had not invented the abacus I think computers and micro chips would have remained non-existent.

Whether it is technology or other areas like music and books, original ideas tend to stand out and create a buzz. I have heard timeless classics being remixed and the original touch is completely lost. Other day, I read in a local newspaper that a famous devotional song on Lord Shiva being remixed with heavy beats being played in discotheques. I strongly feel that such attempts degrade Indian culture. I think when people completely run out of ideas they tend to pack old wine in a new bottle.

When people start thinking out of the box that is when the world starts getting benefitted. Repacking the old ideas in a new fashion can only lead to up gradation, but does not bring a drastic change for the world. I can remember an advertisement of HP with the caption "Computer is personal again". The company was apparently promoting laptops, but the advertisement looked as if HP had launched a new product. This is an example of how people can be misled.

Originality whether in the field of art, music, books, or technology can touch the chord of people. For example, if new methodologies can help in connecting remote villages across India it would solve many problems. If fresh ideas are rightfully implementated many lives can be changed. The word originality is derived from a latin word "origo" meaning birth. Birth can happen only when innovation can exist. Repacking bundle of old ideas into a new bag is not originality. Therefore, I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion putting old ideas together in new ways means originality.

Graduate / SOP- MS Human Computer Interaction [2]

Please review the following SOP. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

Human and Computer Learning

It is said that the first steps of education begin at home. Mine certainly did. Growing up, I had access to a family library filled with books on education and psychology. Studying in a very traditional classroom setting, I did not completely understand alternative educational methodologies but it piqued my interest nevertheless; a curiosity that was to stay with me through my school years and college. I had a strong desire to understand alternative approaches for learning using Information and communication technology.

Since there were no colleges in my state that offered an outright HCI undergraduate program, I opted for an engineering degree in Computer Science. Being one of the biggest universities in Asia, Annamalai University offered me the freedom to explore and work on projects outside my required coursework, along with interdepartmental collaborative projects. Along with gaining expertise in computer languages such as C, C++, Java, VB, and UNIX. LISP, COBOL, Pascal and C#, I dabbled in multimedia applications such as PhotoShop, Flash and SwishMax; the resultant amalgamation of computing languages with multimedia making the academic projects interactive and vibrant.

During my second year of my course I worked on development of online leave management system, intra based application system. This system can be used to automate work flow of leave application and their approvals. This has features such as email notification, cancellation of leave, and automatic approval of leave. I also undertook a project viz., recreating Paint brush style programme using Java Applettes. This enhanced my understanding of Java Graphic library.

I continued to seek out projects that I could conceptually design with HCI principles and go on to build with my proficiency in various technologies/languages. With my strong background in DBMS technologies, I offered to build a patient management system for my family doctor. Remembering the lessons learned from my previous project, I placed enough emphasis on the importance of gathering input from real time users before the design of the system. Similarly, in developing a Computer Based Testing System for a class project, I encouraged my team members to invest the time and effort into interviewing users to get their input for interface design along with the technical requirements gathering. This prototype was ultimately developed in ASP.Net, C# and SQL.

One of the most extensive projects that I did using HCI principles was to create a slam book for graduating students. Taking on this project in my third year, it was a huge undertaking involving the needs of students of all departments in the university. With their unique needs, creating a concise design proved a challenging project. I am currently working on a similar website for the National Institute for Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chennai.

I did my internship at the VC Technologies, Chennai, a leading solution providing company. While there, I worked on a project on Image Recognition using artificial neural network. This application solves the complicate problems which are unsolvable from artificial intelligence. This helped to find clustered pasterns giving information for highly matched pattern and low matched patters. My Department seconded me to Focus Tech media for another spell of internship to enable to get hands on experiences in PL/SQL coding for transport tracking systems.

As a part of interdisciplinary program, I participated in a workshop conducted by for Department of Business Management on Visual Basic and Data Base for Financial Market. The workshop focused on tools such as XML, SQL in solving financial computational problems.

I was a student volunteer in the National Conference on Computational Science and Engineering at Kochi organized in Association with the Computer Society of India and IEEE. This enabled me to witness first hand the latest trends in areas of computational science and engineering. Inspired by the presentations, I worked on a project on pattern recognition of market trends, completed in C#, which helps analyze market trends on pre-fed data. One of the highlights of this project was testing this with real-time users among the finance students of the management department at the University. Another important take-away from this project was understanding the importance of testing a system with real-time users. In fact, this was when I realized that there was more to a project development than just building a system. Many of the pitfalls the real-time users observed with the system made me realize that I should have gotten input from them before even starting out the build. Unknown to me, I had stumbled on the foundations of user center design.

Many of these projects have been submitted for presentations in the form of papers and posters to various conferences, including those organized by professional bodies like Indian Society of Technical Education and the Computer Society of India.

With my interest in education and familiarity with social aspects to education design, I explored HCI related subjects. I worked on a project on Integrating the physically challenged into the main stream of life. I designed multimedia learning materials incorporating pedagogical and psychological principles for skill development through non formal training programmes. Nearly 300 physically challenged school dropout youths were facilitated by NGOs using these materials to acquire competencies and earn their own living. Not only did they become self dependent it also made them more confident to lead their life.

I also took on myself to attempt the creation of a software that could be used for learning languages. My interest for this was stemmed from India's diverse population and the ever-growing demarcation of language and social boundaries because of the Internet. I tried to exploit the similarities between languages, in its script and phonetics.

E learning and the related learning management system to track learners and create their learning profile has fascinated me. In this pursuit I have taken keen interest in working with the professionals at NITTTR, Chennai who are designing and offering e programmes for expanding educational facilities for the college going population.

I have always strived to be more than just a bookworm. I am an expert in Bharathnatyam, a classical form of dance from South India, and continue to give performances in front of varied audiences. I have also been actively volunteering for various social causes. Along with red-cross blood donation drives, I organized annual fundraisers for an assisted living community for the under-privileged at Chidambaram, India through the years 2004-06.

I am attracted to Iova State University's HCI program by its strong Learning Sciences and Technology researchers. I wish to explore the changing scenario of education from traditional classrooms to using online tools and understand the influence of social networking. Graduate studies in HCI will enable me to develop the skills to create software designs that I can subsequently apply in an academic environment to promote e-learning techniques. The interdisciplinary nature of the Courses offered would make me competent to design and facilitate e learning programmes integrating communication and culture, Computing, and Psychology to reach out to the large learner population in my country

Writing Feedback / Correct and rate my essay essay. Its on laws being rigid or flexible [5]

Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places.

Laws exist to maintain peace, and law and order. Laws and legislation are made for human welfare. It shapes the country, and the economic. Laws should be flexible enough so that it can be appropriately incorporated in different circumstances.

I would like to highlight the ongoing 26/11 Mumbai terror case. In this particular case, the Indian government has opted for fast tracking the case. Special public prosecutors and judges are appointed to work on this case. Indian judicial system is known for slow trials and prosecutions. Fast tracking such cases entrusts people's faith into the judicial system. Recently, an actor was accused for allegedly raping this maid. The Mumbai High court decided to fast track this particular case. This action broke the thought that rich and famous personality can get away with any type of crime. I think flexible laws have the privilege to fast track court cases, appoint special judge, and setup enquiry commission.

On the contrary, flexible laws and judicial system have raised controversies. The Prevention of Terrorist Act also known as the POTA was a controversial law which raised several eyebrows. This Act was made into law in the year 2002. This law was intended to provide legal framework to strengthen administrative rights to fight terrorism in India. Once this law was implemented, reports of the law being misused surfaced. Police authorities used the law at their inconvenience. Ultimately, this law was repealed after two years. Laws must be structured in such a way that it should not have any loopholes, yet be flexible.

I think laws should not remain rigid under all circumstances. It is important to consider the nature of the crime, and the public interest in the case. I think rape cases, anti national crimes must be given high importance. Special privileges can be opted only if the laws are flexible yet strong. I think rigid laws can be implemented under circumstances, which do not work for highly populated nations, and democratic nations. Hence, I conclude that it is better to have laws flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places.