Integration Of Umts And B-isdn: Is It Possible Or Desirable? :: essays research papers

Integration Of UMTS And B-ISDN: Is It Possible Or Desirable? INTRODUCTION In the future, existing fixed networks will be complemented by mobile networks with similar numbers of users. These mobile users will have identical requirements and expectations to the fixed users, for on-demand applications of telecommunications requiring high bit-rate channels. It will be necessary for these fixed and mobile networks to interoperate in order to pass data, in real time and at high speeds, between their users. But how far must this interoperation be taken? How much integration of the fixed and mobile network structures is needed? Here, a fixed network, B-ISDN, and a mobile network, UMTS, under development at the same time, are examined to see how well and closely they should work together in order to meet expected user needs. Work already taking place on this is discussed. BACKGROUND The Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), the third generation of mobile networks, is presently being specified as part of the European RACE technology initiative. The aim of UMTS is to implement terminal mobility and personal mobility within its systems, providing a single world mobile standard. Outside Europe, UMTS is now known as International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (IMT2000), which replaces its previous name of Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunication System (FPLMTS). [BUIT95] UMTS is envisaged as providing the infrastructure needed to support a wide range of multimedia digital services, or teleservices [CHEU94], requiring channel bit- rates of less than the UMTS upper ceiling of 2 Mbits/second, as allocated to it in the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) '92 bands. UMTS must also support the traditional mobile services presently offered by separate networks, including cordless, cellular, paging, wireless local loop, and satellite services. [BUIT95] Mobile teleservices requiring higher bit rates, from 2 to 155 Mbits/second, are expected to be catered for by Mobile Broadband Services (MBS), the eventual successor to UMTS, which is still under study. [RACED732] Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN), conceived as an all- purpose digital network that will supersede Narrowband ISDN (N-ISDN or ISDN), is also still being specified. B-ISDN, with its transport layer of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is expected to be the backbone of future fixed digital networks. [MINZ89] It is anticipated that, by the year 2005, up to 50% of all communication terminals will be mobile. [CHEU94] The Mobile Green Paper, issued by the European Commission in 1994, predicts 40 million mobile users in the European Union by 2000, rising to 80 million by 2010. This gives mobile users an importance ranking alongside fixed-network users. [BUIT95] One result of this growth in mobile telecommunications will be the increase in teleservice operations that originate in either the fixed or mobile network, but

Computers in Sports Essay

Computers in Games and Sports Practically everybody has played sports video games on a computer. It’s fun to pick a team and see how well you can play against a â€Å"virtual† rival. However, the uses for computers in various games and sports go far beyond video games. If you ask a cricket bowler how he throws a ball, he may not be able to tell you. He may say it’s just â€Å"instinct. † It’s something that comes naturally to him. The fact is that there are ways to help bowlers become better bowlers and batsmen become better hitters. And computers are important in making this happen. Cricket players from the major leagues down to city and school teams can now have their batting and pitching analyzed. First, the player’s movements are videotaped. Then, these videotaped images are transferred into a computer. Special application software analyzes the images. It measures the exact angle at which the player is holding his arms and legs. The speed and efficiency of each body movement is measured. This process is called motion analysis. One pitch can be compared with another. This can be useful because the bowler can see how changes in movement affect the result (such as how fast a ball travels). Some systems can even measure pitching and hitting motions during an actual game. This allows coaches to give immediate feedback to players. These computer applications also can be used to compare the movements of two different players. These comparisons, for example, can help explain why different players tend to hit the ball in different directions. There are also computer applications that help coaches keep track of exactly where each ball crosses the pitch. A radar gun can be attached to the computer to measure a pitch’s speed. This information is stored in the computer so that the bowler and coach can study it later. While motion analysis applications are important tools, it still takes a good coach to know how to interpret the results. The coach must look at the information the application provides and then use it to help the player improve. Everybody knows how important statistics (or stats) are in sports. How many games has your favourite batsman played this year? Which player on the Kolkata Knight Riders has the best batting average? The quantity of statistics used in sports is enormous. Without computers, it would be very difficult to keep these statistics up-to-date. Not only are there team statistics, but there are also statistics on each individual player. For example, statistics on an individual cricket player might include times at bat, batting average, and number of runs scored b him. Spreadsheet applications are often used to keep track of statistics. Spreadsheet applications are computer programs that can store and manipulate numbers. For example, they can find the average of a list of twenty numbers. Even small league teams often use spreadsheet applications to keep track of player statistics. Going to a cricket stadium is almost like going to the circus. There are hotdogs, popcorn, and a scoreboard complete with a gigantic TV-like screen. Stadiums, such as the Eden Gardens Kolkata, have very complex scoreboards. The new scoreboard is 56 feet tall and 180 feet wide. It includes a giant screen to add to the excitement. The best-known type of giant screen is the Sony Jumbotron. The pictures on these screens move from the players to the crowd. They show cartoons of the team’s mascot. They may display the words to â€Å"Time Is Up† so that everybody can join in the singing. These scoreboards and giant screens are controlled by an entire group of computers. Each computer supplies the scoreboard with different information. One computer might keep track of statistics on particular players, while another might contain commercial advertisements. These giant screens can even be used for educational purposes. In 2000, the University of Tennessee’s athletics and physics departments joined together to create a group of 60-second videos. These videos were shown on the school’s Jumbotron during home games. The purpose of the videos was to teach fans about the science of football. This was a fun way to join together sports and education. Athletes who depend on speed to win will stop at nothing to reduce their times. Some Olympic swimmers wear full-body â€Å"skinsuits† so they can glide through the water more easily. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that they use computer applications to improve their speeds. At the U. S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado, coaches use a computer application to develop perfect swimming strokes. This simulation software attempts to copy the way water flows around parts of the swimmer’s body, such as the arms and hands. The swimmer’s goal is to move through the water as smoothly as possible. Water turbulence can slow a swimmer down. The application allows the user to change the positions of the swimmer’s hands and arms. The user can then see how these changes affect the amount of water turbulence. This information is used to design the best swimming stroke. Coaches can then teach swimmers to use this stroke to obtain their greatest speed. Simulation software has also been used to design racing yachts. It can help in determining how to shape the yacht’s hull so that it moves through the water with the least amount of resistance. Computers have many other uses at the Olympics. At the 2010 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, tiny computer chips were used to track skiers. A chip was strapped to each skier’s ankle. Electronic devices were buried in the snow along the track. When a skier passed over one of the devices, his or his chip sent information to the device. This information included the skier’s location, speed, and number. This information was sent to a central computer. Judges and other Olympic officials could then look at it. Do you want to know if the Kolkata Knight Riders have a home game on July 14? Or who the Sri Lanka is playing next Wednesday? Just go to their Web site. Professional, college, and even some high school sports teams have their own WEB SITES. The information available on sports teams’ Web sites is amazing. Some of it includes:†¢ Schedules. Game dates and locations are available. †¢ Statistics. Up-to-the-minute information on teams and individual players is ready whenever you want it. †¢ Team News. Web sites contain coach and player interviews, information on injuries, and so forth.

Olaudah Equiano’s the Interesting Narrative Essay

Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, is the story of the eponymous real-life character, Olaudah Equiano, his life, trials, tribulations and journey from slavery at an early age to freedom. For Equiano, it seems that slavery is almost a metaphysical phenomenon. His entire life is essentially characterized by the different experiences relating slavery, from Africa to the Middle Passage to plantation life in the West Indies and United States. Equiano’s views on slavery are tough to articulate and truly complex. Throughout the novel he makes reference to different ‘degrees of slavery,’ at times condemning the practice, and at other times contradicting himself and seemingly lauding it. I believe that his conflicting views are products of his first hand experience with nearly all aspects of the practice, and near the end of the novel it is clear that he is in favor of ending slavery. See more: what is a narrative essay Although he was kidnapped at the age of eleven, Equiano’s familiarity with slavery actually begins long before that. Born in a region that is today known as Nigeria. His father a chief, (and ironically himself would eventually reach the same status if not for his kidnapping years later), Equiano’s family was considered ‘upper-class,’ and thus owned their own number of slaves. I believe that this is the beginning and serves as the basis of which he compares the slavery he experiences later in his lifetime to, and also what may serve as the beginning of his conflicting emotion towards the practice in general. He makes note that slaves in this community, while under the direction of a master and with clear distinction of a ‘lesser importance,’ are still treated in a humane way. On his own account, these slaves do a comparable amount of work to that of other members of the community. When put into perspective, with no knowledge of what’s to come (in regards to subsequent experiences in different aspects and degrees of slavery) at this point it is easy to see why Equiano has not yet condemned the idea or practice of slavery. Shortly thereafter, Equiano is kidnapped (along with his sister, though the two are eventually separated), He narrates being taken on a long, arduous voyage through a variety of African regions, during which he had â€Å"often changed masters.† He is first sold across Africa, first to a chieftain, and shortly after to a widow. After which, he is ultimately sold to the owner of a ship destined for the West Indies. Equiano dubs this Atlantic voyage himself â€Å"The Middle Passage,† and this is where I believe his journey truly begins. Equiano elaborates on his introduction and subsequent alienation to the European culture and their treatment of slaves. He details the substandard living conditions and destitution of living aboard the slave ship, and being a stark contrast to the concept of slavery he knew back in Africa, I believe this is the defining moment where his viewpoint regarding slavery is partitioned. I think it’s important to note that when Equiano is enslaved by fellow Africans, he makes note of the strong contrasts and class distinctions between himself and them. He makes direct comparisons between himself and the class he hails from, and these other Africans, going as far as to call them â€Å"barbaric† and â€Å"uncivilized.† I believe that this is worth noting, because it’s almost paradoxical how he is very quick to condemn these people and their form of slavery, while at the same time not criticizing the slavery that took place in his own village when he was a child. Though not yet acknowledging it, I believe that this is when he begins to form his own ‘tiers’ of the practice of slavery. After arriving at the West Indies and experiencing the sale of slaves firsthand, Equiano continues along with the slave ship to North America, and ultimately purchased by a naval captain, Michael Pascal to work in Virginia. Again he is subjected to cruel treatment inside the slaveholders’ homes. This is, I believe, the turning point that eventually leads to Equiano’s final resolution. He details being shocked and hurt to the point where he tries to wash the color of his skin off his face. While travelling the seas with Pascal, Equiano has many more encounters in and with Britain. With more and more exposure to Christianity and European culture, he details that he was no longer frightened and apprehensive towards it, beginning to show confluence of African and European cultures. He was eventually sent to school in Britain, educated and shortly after, baptized. It is worth noting that later in the novel he often relates his new religious standpoint to his enslavement. While becoming a Christian himself, whether or not he holds responsible God, himself, or the hypocritical Christian Europeans for his enslavement is left ambiguous. Ultimately, (and after brief stints of being purchased by other masters) Equiano is sold to Robert King. Educated and under the direction of a master treating him relatively fair, Equiano here observes another facet of slavery. He is further educated and directed along the path of Christianity, which I believe further adds more conflicting emotion, due to it being comparable to his original notion of slavery from his childhood. While working for King on shipping routes, he determines himself to save some money on the side, in order to buy his freedom from King. Interesting to note though, in the novel he explicitly states that he would like to return to Old England, not Africa. While I think this is further evidence of his confluence of English and African cultures, I believe that this is also the beginning of his plea against the practice of slavery, as later in the novel we find out that he does indeed buy his freedom, and much later returns to London and become involved in the abolitionist movement. In conclusion, it is clear to see that in the mind of Equiano, slavery is not simple a one-sided condemnation. From birth until freedom, he has lived and experienced all aspects of slavery, from his family owning slaves to being purchased himself. It’s an interesting and unique point of view that few (if any more) people who were involved in the practice of slavery experienced themselves. In the end, I think it is clear to the reader that Equiano is against the notion of slavery, but I believe that’s a conclusion he came to because of personal experience along with education and indulgement of European culture. While I don’t believe he accepts the practice of slavery, I believe that he accepts slavery as part of how he defines of himself, almost as if slavery could not be abolished were it not conceived in the first place.