Generating Unique Random Numbers Using Java

When you generate random numbers its often the case that each generated number number must be unique. A good example is picking lottery numbers. Each number picked randomly from a range (e.g., 1 to 40) must be unique, otherwise, the lottery draw would be invalid. Using a Collection The easiest way to pick unique random numbers is to put the range of numbers into a collection called an ArrayList. If youve not come across an ArrayList before, its a way of storing a set of elements that dont have a fixed number. The elements are objects that can be added to or removed from the list. For example, lets make the lottery number picker. It needs to pick unique numbers from a range of 1 to 40. First, put the numbers into an ArrayList using the add() method. It takes the object to be added as a parameter: import java.util.ArrayList;public class Lottery { public static void main(String[] args) { //define ArrayList to hold Integer objects ArrayList numbers new ArrayList(); for(int i 0; i 40; i) { numbers.add(i1); } System.out.println(numbers); }} Note that we are using the Integer wrapper class for the element type so that the ArrayList contains objects and not primitive data types. The output shows the range of numbers from 1 to 40 in order: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40] Using the Collections Class A utility class called Collections offers different actions that can be performed on a collection like an ArrayList (e.g., search the elements, find the maximum or minimum element, reverse the order of elements, and so on). One of the actions it can perform is to shuffle the elements. The shuffle will randomly move each element to a different position in the list. It does this by using a Random object. This means its a deterministic randomness, but it will do in most situations. To shuffle the ArrayList, add the Collections import to the top of the program and then use the Shuffle static method. It takes the ArrayList to be shuffled as a parameter: import java.util.Collections;import java.util.ArrayList;public class Lottery {public static void main(String[] args) {//define ArrayList to hold Integer objectsArrayList numbers new ArrayList();for(int i 0; i 40; i){numbers.add(i1);}Collections.shuffle(numbers);System.out.println(numbers);}} Now the output will show the elements in the ArrayList in a random order: [24, 30, 20, 15, 25, 1, 8, 7, 37, 16, 21, 2, 12, 22, 34, 33, 14, 38, 39, 18, 36, 28, 17, 4, 32, 13, 40, 35, 6, 5, 11, 31, 26, 27, 23, 29, 19, 10, 3, 9] Picking the Unique Numbers To pick the unique random numbers simply read the ArrayList elements one by one by using the get() method. It takes the position of the element in the ArrayList as a parameter. For example, if the lottery program needs to pick six numbers from the range of 1 to 40: import java.util.Collections;import java.util.ArrayList;public class Lottery {public static void main(String[] args) {//define ArrayList to hold Integer objectsArrayList numbers new ArrayList();for(int i 0; i 40; i){numbers.add(i1);}Collections.shuffle(numbers);System.out.print(This weeks lottery numbers are: );for(int j 0; j 6; j){System.out.print(numbers.get(j) );}}} The output being: This weeks lottery numbers are: 6 38 7 36 1 18

Baseball Is One Of America s Greatest Pastimes And The...

Baseball is one of America’s greatest pastimes and an iconic game that captures the imaginations of all age groups. Today, baseball is one of the most popular sports in the world and the aura of the game brings people together from many diverse backgrounds across the globe. There are many different elements that bring fans to the ballpark to watch their favorite teams and many of these elements are not directly correlated with the on-field action of the game. The atmosphere at a baseball game is fun, relaxing, and enjoyable because of the numerous attractions especially in the new modern ballparks across America. There is the food attraction which has become a staple across American dining cuisine simply know as ballpark food.†¦show more content†¦Major League Baseball continues to adapt to the ever changing technological landscape as the fan’s attention span gets shorter the more and more options teams have to present in terms of connect ability and entert ainment. â€Å"One common explanation is that in an age of ever increasing speed and shrinking attention spans, the pace of baseball games is just too slow† (Taylor). The attempt to link technology to a Major League fan to the live action is what top baseball executives are determined to achieve while gaining critical customer relationship management data. CRM generates an organization’s sales leads, marketing targets, and many other important tools utilized throughout the business processes. â€Å"Nowadays, fans can buy their tickets on an MLB team’s website, follow the tweets of players, â€Å"like† behind-the-scenes photos a team posts on Facebook, comment on a manager’s moves on team-supervised blogs and get updates on open seats, new merchandise and weather for the first pitch. In turn, teams hope that by communicating through social media outlets, they can better know their fans and build a loyal customer base, win or lose† (McKeon).

Revenge of the Spaniards free essay sample

Analysis of Bernal Diazs The Conquest of New Spain. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of Bernal Diazs The Conquest of New Spain. The paper examines the shroud of mystery surrounding the details of Montezumas death and, by utilizing the opinions of David Boruchoff and the actual text of Diazs book, this paper briefly highlighting the key points that Diaz makes in his retelling of Montezumas unfortunate murder. The paper then brings to light the rational faults and discrepancies within the original text and counters these apparent errors, by applying common sense and general knowledge of the era. The readable report, a concept from Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, is easily applicable to Bernal Diazs The Conquest of New Spain. The aforementioned readable report, in a general sense, indicates that the retelling of a situation or event is portrayed in a manner that benefits the teller even if distortion of the truth is required. We will write a custom essay sample on Revenge of the Spaniards or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Diaz, in his account of Montezumas death, makes the Spanish appear blameless and seemingly innocent of Montezumas blood. Throughout the sequence of events leading up to Montezumas death, there are constant indictments of the Mexicans causing the death of their own leader.

My Love, My Log free essay sample

Im that person who writes a 248 word essay when the prompt allows me to write up to 250 words, sorry admissions officers. I have this strange need to write, its like a drug, I have withdrawals. A piece of paper almost seduces me, sitting there tempting me with its horrendously magnificent blank stare. A lot of people ask me what I write. I write everything. Anything you could conjure up in your mind, I have written about it. I can be serious and write a direct stream of consciousness. It usually ends up reading like a typical teenage brain: rebelling, provoking, questioning. Although writers are stereotypically very serious about their work, I can be the outlier at times. For example, I have a poop log that I write in. Which basically means that, yes, I can be immature at times and, yes, poop logs do exist. I can go from writing responses to Nietzsches philosophies to rating a bathroom session on a 1-10 scale. We will write a custom essay sample on My Love, My Log or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Basically, my writing represents me entirely, humorous and thoughtful. Please dont misunderstand, I take myself very seriously, and I would be lost if my thoughts decided to stop plaguing my mind. But, at the same time laughing is the foot that kicks me out of bed every morning. If you can make me laugh until I cant breathe, then youre my friend. Writing is my niche, my love, and my passion. Let me be Jean Paul Sartre and let me be Spongebob Squarepants!

Comparing and Contrasting Picasso and Escher essays

Comparing and Contrasting Picasso and Escher essays All modern artists are the same, right? Wrong. The two artists I will be discussing, Pablo Picasso and M.C. Escher, though they have some similarities, are also very different. Though they are from the same general era, the tone of their artwork, their drawing styles, and some of the types of media they used. Both artists have similarities, though their differences are more numerous. Both artists are from the modern art period, meaning their art was done in the last century or so. Their art is also abstract, at least in the very general sense of the word. Hidden meanings also seem to abound in each artists' works. Then there is the first major difference, which is the tone of the pieces. Pablo Picasso's work is often very emotional. When you look at a Picasso, you often get the impression of what the artist was feeling at the time that the art was created. In his paintings, he often uses different colors (both hot and cool) to express emotions. The tone of Escher's works, however, is somewhat different. His are very mathematical. They feature, for instance, tessellations, optical illusions, and impossible figures. M.C. Escher also seems to like to draw houses, having many pieces of artwork featuring houses of all dimensions and shapes. Even though Escher's works are mathematical, he manages to keep them interesting. Top halves of houses turn into a network of upside down staircases and rooms, and in one particular tessellation a lizard is crawling its way out of the pattern. Though their styles are both generally abstract, there are many aspects of their styles that are not the same. Picasso's style, for instance, is very imprecise. The bodies of the people or objects he paints (or sculpts) are generally out of proportion - without detracting from the general sense of balance in the piece. Some, however, don't so much seem balanced, more like...rightfully unbalanced, if you catch my meaning. Also another observation is that Pica...

Free Essays on My Rules For Success

and meaning coming from all t... Free Essays on My Rules For Success Free Essays on My Rules For Success The Rules of Success Everyone know the three rules of real estate. location, location, location! In business the three rules of success are: communication, communication, communication! 1. Communication with employees 2. Communication with executive team 3. Communication with customers Every chapter of this book is built on this basic need to communicate. A business needs to communicate all aspects of its business to all of the participating members. Communicating with employees is the most difficult aspect of most organizations. The common feeling is, we hire them, they do what we want. To a point. Sometimes you don't know what you want, or maybe what you want is not really the best thing for the business. You must begin to encourage, support, and embrace communication with, to, and from your employees, who have the greatest knowledge of what is really happening. When you listen to the employees you will learn more than you ever imagined. When you listen, and when you communicate your understanding of what they have told you, they will see that they are recognized as valuable partners in the business. Your simple act of listening and communicating back to your employees will bring you more highly motivated employees as well as employees who will begin to think more creatively and more strategically. Communicating with your executive team is critical for ensuring that they articulate and communicate the company's message and values to the employees. It is with your executive team that you develop your communication strategies and policy statements. When you clearly communicate your vision to your executive team and when they are able to understand and espouse your message, you are well on your way to a successful company. Now that your entire team shares a common language the team can and will speak with one voice. It is very important for customers and for all employees to hear the same words and meaning coming from all t...

Training And Development Manual For Happy Wine Miami Term Paper

Training And Development Manual For Happy Wine Miami - Term Paper Example In this similar concern, this particular research study entails training needs assessment of Happy Wine. Training needs assessment will be based on the assessment of management skills and its effectiveness. Especially mentioning, this frames an important part of any organization as it encompasses various critical activities with regard to training as well as development function. In order to plan, prepare and implement advanced and effective strategies with regard to training needs assessment related to management skill program for Happy Wine, the company’s constraints are to be considered initially (Happy Wine, 2013). Overview of Training and Development of Happy Wine Miami Happy Wine Miami represents the US-based wine company. In this regard, it can be stated that the company follows the norms and the standards that have been fixed by the US government in association with wine industries. Therefore, constraints, as well as challenges faced by such wine industries, are almost same being situated within the similar country. The vision statement of Happy Wine reflects about its extension of wine shops worldwide. It further inculcates accessible as well as knowledgeable inclusions that further help the company to achieve success within national as well as international context. Wine industry represents the highly extensive market as it involves higher capital. This acts as a hurdle or a barrier for the entrance of such industries within the prevailing market scenario. Furthermore, wine industries incorporate the aspect of product differentiation which acts as an effectual marketing strategy for industries. Thereupon, Happy Wine also enjoys a variety of wines from all over the world. The strategy concerning product differentiation supports the company in terms of adopting various valuable decisions and executing effectual plans to foster growth and development in this competitive landscape. Furthermore, it can be apparently observed that in recent years, wi ne consumption has accelerated to its height. Wine is being consumed by the younger group that has given it a new height and growth. This further has given rise to numerous issues and challenges that wine industries are fronting in recent market scenario (Wall Street Journal, 2013). In relation to the training needs assessment with regard to management skill, it is necessary to analyze the breach between the present scenario and the need for training and expansion program to fill in the gap.  

Its Wrong, But Everybody Does It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Its Wrong, But Everybody Does It - Essay Example The participants are not so much in agreement about the most acceptable kinds of cheating because the standard deviation is higher. 11 Males report higher tolerance of cheating because of need to pass the class, fear of being put on academic probation and needing a good grade to maintain athletic eligibility. These are all status related factors. 12 Males report higher tolerance of cheating both in terms of copying homework and copying an exam. This shows they are willing to take more risk. It is interesting also that males show significantly more willingness to let others copy their homework. They support each other to achieve male status. 15 The results suggest that students cheat for different reasons, and that they rate various motives differently. This suggests that more research is needed to understand why some types of motive are seen as more acceptable than

Peace-Building Challenges in East Timor Essay Example for Free

Peace-Building Challenges in East Timor Essay For a country that was under the tyranny of a more powerful country for so long, independence, more often than not, is a word that entails and carries a better and promising future. Most countries enjoyed the benefits of having independence like gaining total control over their lands and most of all the whole population. Timor-Leste (East Timor’s official name), on the other hand, is a country that has a different scenario. Although the actual date of independence was around November of 1975, East Timor was touted to be the first independent country of the 21st century. But this fact didn’t give them enough time to prepare for an independent way of life. The reason behind this was the three hundred and more years of influence and oppression of the Portuguese empire. No wonder that even the culture and the way of thinking of most of the Timorese were a lot different compared to the time when the Portuguese did not rule them. Then after exactly nine days of independence from the Portuguese, East Timor was taken off guard by the invasion of their neighboring country, Indonesia1. Obviously, this was one of the immediate problems that confronted the newly independent country. In fact the invasion became their greatest problem that East Timor sought the help of their former invader. Portugal then turned to the UN and the Security Council to do something about the situation. In response to Portugal’s appeal, the UN gave the Indonesian army a resolution condemning their actions but they were hesitant to do anything else. It was only after twenty-four years did the Timorese people gained back their complete independence. The 24-year military occupation of the Indonesian troop was a brutal experience for the East Timor people. In September 1999, the world witnessed the war between the Indonesian Army and the East Timorese militant after voting for the Independency of the country2. Even though more than a decade had passed since their independence and more than five years since they were self-governing, it will take more than just mere decades to remove the trauma, patterns of criminality and violence, injustice and isolation in the people’s system3. This is one of the immediate problems that East Timor is facing. The nature of the East Timor’s long-term problem falls under the category of standing on it’s own foot. Governing the whole country while enduring the effects of the precedent events is taking its toll on the administration. Scheiner notes that, ‘National visions, shared struggles and promises of prosperity no longer suffice to unify the one million citizens of one of the world’s least developed countries. ’ East Timor endured its past problems with the help of other countries. It is due time to stand up on its own. The problem now lies in the midst of the country and between its people.

Willy as Pathetic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essays -- Death Salesman

Wily as Pathetic Hero in Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arthur Miller succeeds in demonstrating incredibly well in Death of a Salesman that not only is tragic heroism still possible in the modern world, but that it is also an affliction to which both king and commoner are equally susceptible.   However, Wily Loman is not a tragic hero because he is pathetic, not heroic, in his personal "tragedy" that comes from his inability to admit his mistakes and learn from them.   Instead, he fits Miller's description of pathos and the pathetic character, one who "by virtue of his witlessness, his insensitivity, or the very air he gives off, [is] incapable of grappling with a much superior force," (Miller   1728).    The tragic right to Arthur Miller is a condition of life that enables an individual to travel the route to self-realization and allows one to blossom to the fullest extent of his or her capabilities.   This learning only occurs when the individual has courageously and unblinkingly "shaken"   and undergone the "total examination of the 'unchangeable' environment" (Miller   1727).   From this examination often comes the fear and terror associated with tragedy, as the individual is confronted with his own impression of his 'rightful dignity' in society (who and what he thinks he is) as opposed to the dignity afforded him by society-at-large.  Ã‚   Only the tragically heroic are ready to die to secure this personal dignity, one that imbues them with heroism because   of their "unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what [they] conceive to be a challenge to [their] dignity, [their] image of [their] rightful status," (Miller   1726).  Ã‚   Thus, one is only flawless if they remain passive in the midst of this common-among-all-human-be... ...n debarred from such thoughts or such actions," (Miller 1727).   Therefore, Willy is his own enemy because his unwillingness to change his behavior and thinking keeps him entrapped in a system of values that prevent him from ever being free.   This makes him pathetic and tragic, not heroic and tragic, because the tragic hero rejects any system that prevents the freedom of love and creativity in the self, even if it is a system he himself has adopted.   This is possible for the common man, but Willy is a common man, who, by standing in his own path of development, cannot achieve it.    Works Cited Corrigan, R.W. (ed.)   Arthur Miller:   A Collection Of Critical Essays.   Prentice-Hall, NJ:   1969. Miller, A.   "Tragedy and the Common Man."   Criticism On Drama.   1949:   pp. 1726-1728. Moss, L.   Arthur Miller.   Twayne Publishers, Inc., NY:   1967. Willy as Pathetic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essays -- Death Salesman Wily as Pathetic Hero in Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arthur Miller succeeds in demonstrating incredibly well in Death of a Salesman that not only is tragic heroism still possible in the modern world, but that it is also an affliction to which both king and commoner are equally susceptible.   However, Wily Loman is not a tragic hero because he is pathetic, not heroic, in his personal "tragedy" that comes from his inability to admit his mistakes and learn from them.   Instead, he fits Miller's description of pathos and the pathetic character, one who "by virtue of his witlessness, his insensitivity, or the very air he gives off, [is] incapable of grappling with a much superior force," (Miller   1728).    The tragic right to Arthur Miller is a condition of life that enables an individual to travel the route to self-realization and allows one to blossom to the fullest extent of his or her capabilities.   This learning only occurs when the individual has courageously and unblinkingly "shaken"   and undergone the "total examination of the 'unchangeable' environment" (Miller   1727).   From this examination often comes the fear and terror associated with tragedy, as the individual is confronted with his own impression of his 'rightful dignity' in society (who and what he thinks he is) as opposed to the dignity afforded him by society-at-large.  Ã‚   Only the tragically heroic are ready to die to secure this personal dignity, one that imbues them with heroism because   of their "unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what [they] conceive to be a challenge to [their] dignity, [their] image of [their] rightful status," (Miller   1726).  Ã‚   Thus, one is only flawless if they remain passive in the midst of this common-among-all-human-be... ...n debarred from such thoughts or such actions," (Miller 1727).   Therefore, Willy is his own enemy because his unwillingness to change his behavior and thinking keeps him entrapped in a system of values that prevent him from ever being free.   This makes him pathetic and tragic, not heroic and tragic, because the tragic hero rejects any system that prevents the freedom of love and creativity in the self, even if it is a system he himself has adopted.   This is possible for the common man, but Willy is a common man, who, by standing in his own path of development, cannot achieve it.    Works Cited Corrigan, R.W. (ed.)   Arthur Miller:   A Collection Of Critical Essays.   Prentice-Hall, NJ:   1969. Miller, A.   "Tragedy and the Common Man."   Criticism On Drama.   1949:   pp. 1726-1728. Moss, L.   Arthur Miller.   Twayne Publishers, Inc., NY:   1967.

Electronic Literature as an Information System Essay

ABSTRACT Electronic literature is a term that encompasses artistic texts produced for printed media which are consumed in electronic format, as well as text produced for electronic media that could not be printed without losing essential qualities. Some have argued that the essence of electronic literature is the use of multimedia, fragmentation, and/or non-linearity. Others focus on the role of computation and complex processing. â€Å"Cybertext† does not sufficiently describe these systems. In this paper we propose that works of electronic literature, understood as text (with possible inclusion of multimedia elements) designed to be consumed in bi- or multi-directional electronic media, are best understood as 3-tier (or n-tier) information systems. These tiers include data (the textual content), process (computational interactions) and presentation (on-screen rendering of the narrative). The interaction between these layers produces what is known as the work of electronic literature. This paradigm for electronic literature moves beyond the initial approaches which either treated electronic literature as computerized versions of print literature or focused solely on one aspect of the system. In this paper, we build two basic arguments. On the one hand, we propose that the conception of electronic literature as an  information system gets at the essence of electronic media, and we predict that this paradigm will become dominant in this field within the next few years. On the other hand, we propose that building information systems may also lead in a shift of emphasis from one-time artistic novelties to reusable systems. Demonstrating this approach, we read works from the _Electronic Literature Collection Volume 1_ (Jason Nelson and Emily Short) as well as newer works by Mez and the team gathered by Kate Pullinger and Chris Joseph. Glancing toward the future, we discuss the n-tier analysis of the Global Poetic System and the La Flood Project. INTRODUCTION The fundamental attributes of digital narrative have been, so far, mostly faithful to the origin of electronic text: a set of linked episodes that contain hypermedia elements. Whether or not some features could be reproduced in printed media has been subject of debate by opponents and proponents of digital narratives. However, as the electronic media evolves, some features truly unique to digital narrative have appeared. For instance, significant effort has been invested in creating hypertexts responsive to the reader’s actions by making links dynamic; additionally, there have been efforts to create systems capable of producing fiction, with varying degrees of success. Both approaches have in common that they grant greater autonomy to the computer, thus making of it an active part of the literary exchange. The increasing complexity of these systems has directed critical attention to the novelty of the processes that produce the texts. As critics produce a flood of neologisms to classify these works, the field is suffering from a lack of a shared language for these works, as opposed to drawing from the available computer science and well-articulated terminology of information systems. The set {Reader, Computer, Author} forms a system in which there is flow and manipulation of information, i.e. an _information system_. The interaction between the elements of an information system can be isolated in functional tiers. For instance: one or many data tiers, processing tiers, and presentation tiers. In general we will talk about n-tier information  systems. We will expand this definition in the next section. In this system, a portion of information produced (output) is taken, totally or partially, as input, i.e. there is a feedback loop and therefore the process can be characterized as a cybernetic process. Of course, the field has already embraced the notion of the cybertext. The term cybertext was brought to the literary world’s attention by Espen Aarseth (1997). His concept focuses on the organization of the text in order to analyze the influence of media as an integral part of literary dynamics. According to Aarseth, cybertext is not a genre in itself. In order to classify traditions, literary genres and aesthetic value, Aarseth argues, we should inspect texts at a much more local level. The concept of cybertext offers a way to expand the reach of literary studies to include phenomena that are perceived today as foreign or marginal. In Aarseth’s work, cybertext denotes the general set of text machines which, operated by readers, yield different texts for reading. Aarseth (1997, p. 19), refuses to narrow this definition of cybertext to â€Å"such vague and unfocused terms such as digital text or electronic literature.† For the course of this paper, we will use the phrase â€Å"electronic literature,† as we are interested in those works that are markedly literary in that they resonate (at least on one level) through evocative linguistic content and engage with an existing literary corpus. While we find â€Å"cybertext† to be a useful concept, the taxonomies and schematics that attend this approach interfere with interdisciplinary discussions of electronic literature. Instead of using Aarseth’s neologisms such as textons, scriptons and traversal functions, we will use widely-accepted terminology in the field of computer science. This shift is important because the concepts introduced by Aarseth, which are relevant to the current discussion, can be perfectly mapped to concepts developed years earlier in computer science. While the neologisms introduced by Aarseth remain arcane, the terms used in computer science are pervasive. Although the term cybertext adds a sense of increasingly complex interactivity, its focus is primarily on the interaction between a user and  a single art object. Such a framework, however, insufficiently describes the constitution of such an object. Within his treatise, Aarseth is compelled to create tables of attributes and taxonomies to map and classify each of these objects. What is needed is a framework for discussing how these systems operate and how that operation contributes to an overall literary experience. We want to make a clear distinction between this notion of cybertext as a reading process and more thorough description of a work’s infrastructure. Clearly, there are many ways in which the interaction between a reader and a piece of electronic literature can happen; for instance, a piece of electronic literature could be written in HTML or in Flash, yet presenting the same interaction with the reader. In this paper, we adapt the notion of n-tier information systems to provide a scaffolding for reading and interpreting works of electronic literature. The fact that the field of electronic literature is largely comprised of cybertexts (in the sense described above) that require some sort of processing by the computer, has made of this processing a defining characteristic. Critics and public approach new works of electronic literature with the expectation of finding creativity and innovation not only at the narrative level but also at the processing level; in many cases the newness of the latter has dominated other considerations. NEW, NEWER, NEWEST MEDIA Until now, electronic literature, or elit, has been focused on the new, leading to a constant drive to reinvent the wheel, the word, the image, the delivery system, and consequently reading itself. However, such an emphasis raises a number of questions. To what extent does the â€Å"novel† requirement of electronic literature (as the field is currently defined) de-emphasize a textual investment in exploring the (post)human condition (â€Å"the literary†)? How does this emphasis on the â€Å"new† constrain the development of New Media both for authors and for prospective authors? Or how does such an emphasis put elit authors into an artistic arms race taking on the aethetics of the militiary-industrial complex that produces their tools? Literary essays that treat electronic literature focus on Flash movies, blogs, HTML pages, dynamically generated pages, conversation agents, computer games, and other software applications. A recent edition of Leonardo Almanac (AA.VV. 2006) offers several examples. Its critics/poets analyze the â€Å"information landscapes† of David Small, the text art experiments of Suguru Ishizaki (2003), Brian Kim Stefans’ 11-minute Flash performance, and Philippe Bootz’s matrix poetry program. Though not all the objects are new, what they share most of all is the novelty of their surface or process or text. These works bear little resemblance to one another, a definitive characteristic of electronic literature (dissimilarity); however, their inclusion under one rubric reflects the field’s fetishization of the new. This addiction, mimicking that of the hard sciences it so admires, must constantly replace old forms and old systems with the latest system. Arguably, therefore, any piece of electronic literature may only be as interesting as its form or its novel use of the form. Moreover, such an emphasis shifts the critical attention from the content (what we will call data) to its rendering (or presentation plus processes) primarily. Marie-Laure Ryan (2005) raised charges against such an aesthetic in her _dichtung-digital_ article. In this piece, she rails against a certain style of new media, net.art, elit art object that follows WYSINWYG (What you see is _NOT_ what you get), where the surface presents a text that is considered interesting only because of a more interesting process beneath the surface. This approach, according to Ryan, focuses on â€Å"the meta-property of algorithmic operation.† For this aesthetic, â€Å"the art resides in the productive formula, and in the sophistication of the programming, rather than in the output itself† (Ryan). This means that literary, or artistic value, does not reside in what appears on the screen, but in the virtuoso programming performance that underlies the text. While Ryan goes too far in her dismissal of experimentation, her critique holds, in as much as electronic literary criticism that puts process uber alis risks not only minimizing the textual to insignificance but also losing what should be one of elit’s biggest goals: developing new forms for other authors to use and  explore. Such an emphasis reveals a bias that has thus far dominated new media scholarship. This same bias leads new media scholars away from literary venues for their discourse communities and instead to Boing Boing and Siggraph, sites where curiosity or commercial technological development dominate the discussions. It is also what spells instant obsolescence to many authorware forms. The person who uses authorware as it was intended is not the new media artist. It is the person who uses it in a new way or who reconfigures the software to do something unintended. This trend means that electronic literary artists will constantly be compelled to drive their works towards the new, even while it means a perpetual pruning of all prior authorware, cutting them off from the†literary† tree. (We see this same logic in commerical software production where the 4.0 release reconfigures the interface and removes some of the functionality we had grown to love.) A disproportionate emphasis on the new overlooks the tremendous areas of growth in authorship on the stabilizing, if rudimentary, authoring systems. The tide of productivity (in terms of textual output of all levels of quality) is not from an endless stream of innovations but from people who are writing text in established author information formats, from traditional print to blogs. It is through the use of stabilized and reusable information systems that the greater public is being attracted to consume and produce content through digital media. Blogging is the clearest example. This is not equivalent to saying that all blogging is literary, just as not all writing is; however, blogging has created a social practice of reading and writing in digital media, thus increasing the frequency at which literary pieces appear through that venue. This increased community activity would have been impossible if each blogger had to develop their own authoring systems. To help redistribute the scholarly priorities, we propose a reconsideration of electronic literature as an n-tier information system. The consequence of this shift will be twofold: First of all, it will allow us to treat content and processing independently, thus creating a clear distinction between works of literary merit and works of technological craftsmanship. While this  distinction is at best problematic, considering the information system as a whole will move the analysis away from over-priveleging processes. Secondly, we claim that this approach provides a unified framework with which all pieces of electronic literature can be studied. This paper is organized as follows: in Section 1 (Introduction) we describe what is the problem we intend to explore, and what are the type of systems that will be described in this paper. Section 2 (Information Systems) explores the components of an information system and compares the approaches of different researchers in the field. Section 3 (Examples) demonstrates that the n-tier information system approach can be used to describe a multifarious array of pieces of electronic literature. Section 4 (Discussion) explores the conclusions drawn from this study and set future directions. INFORMATION SYSTEMS Since electronic literature is mediated by a computer, it is clear that there must exist methods to enter information into the system, to process it, and to render an output for readers; that is to say, a piece of electronic literature can be considered as an _information system_. The term â€Å"information system† has different meanings. For instance, in mathematics an â€Å"information system† is a basic knowledge-representation matrix comprised of attributes (columns) and objects (rows). In sociology, â€Å"information systems† are systems whose behavior is determined by goals of individual as well as technology. In our context, â€Å"information system† will refer to a set of persons and machines organized to collect, store, transform, and represent data, a definition which coincides with the one widely accepted in computer science. The domain-specific twist comes when we specify that the data contains, but is not limited to, literary information. Information systems, due to their complexity, are usually built in layers. The earliest antecedent to a multi-layer approach to software architectures goes back to Trygve Reenskaug who proposed in 1979, while visiting the Smalltalk group at Xerox PARC, a pattern known as Model-View-Controller  (MVC) that intended to isolate the process layer from the presentation layer. This paradigm evolved during the next decade to give rise to multi-tier architectures, in which presentation, data and processes were isolated. In principle, it is possible to have multiple data tiers, multiple process tiers, and multiple presentation tiers. One of the most prominent paradigms to approach information systems in the field of computer science, and the one we deem more appropriate for electronic literature, is the 3-tier architecture (Eckerson, 1995). This paradigm indicates that processes of different categories should be encapsulated in three different layers: 1. Presentation Layer: The physical rendering of the narrative piece, for example, a sequence of physical pages or the on-screen presentation of the text. 2. Process Layer: The rules necessary to read a text. A reader of Latin alphabet in printed narrative, for example, must cross the text from left to right, from top to bottom and pass the page after the last word of the last line. In digital narrative, this layer could contain the rules programmed in a computer to build a text output. 3. Data Layer: Here lays the text itself. It is the set of words, images, video, etc., which form the narrative space. In the proposed 3-tier model, feedback is not only possible, but also a _sine qua non_ condition for the literary exchange. It is the continuation of McLluhan’s mantra: â€Å"the media is the message†. In digital narrative, the media acts on the message. The cycle of feedback in digital narrative is: (i) Readers receive a piece of information, and based on it they execute a new interaction with the system. (ii) The computer then takes that input and applies logic rules that have been programmed into it by the author. (iii) The computer takes content from the data layer and renders it to the reader in the presentation layer. (iv) step -i – is repeated again. Steps i through v describe a complete cycle of feedback, thus the maximum realization of a cybertext. N-tier information systems have had, surprisingly, a relatively short penetration in the field of electronic literature. Aarseth (1997, p.62) introduced a typology for his textonomy that maps perfectly a 3-tier system: Scriptons (â€Å"strings as they appear to readers†) correspond to the presentation layer, textons (â€Å"strings as they exist in the text†) correspond to the data layer, and traversal function (â€Å"the mechanism by which scriptons are revealed or generated from textons and presented to the user†) corresponds to the process layer. These neologisms, while necessary if we study all forms of textuality, are unnecessary if we focus on electronic literature. The methods developed in computer science permeate constantly, and at an accelerating rate, the field of electronic literature, specially as artists create pieces of increasing complexity. Practitioners in the field of electronic literature will be better equipped to benefit from the advances in information technology if the knowledge acquired in both fields can be bridged; without a common terminology attempts to generate dialog are thwarted. The first reference that used computer science terminology applied to electronic literature appeared in an article by Gutierrez (2002), in which the three layers (data, logic and presentation) were clearly defined and proposed as a paradigm for electronic literature. Gutierrez (2004, 2006) explored in detail the logic (middle) layer, proposing algorithms to manage the processes needed to deliver literary content through electronic media. His proposal follows the paradigm proposed by Eckerson (1995) and Jacobson et al (1999): the system is divided into (a) topological stationary components, (b) users, (c) and transient components (processes). The processes in the system are analyzed and represented using sequence diagrams to depict how the actions of the users cause movement and transformation of information across different topological components. The next reference belongs to Wardrip-Fruin (2006); he proposes not three, but seven components: (i) author, (ii) data, (iii) process, (iv) surface, (v) interaction, (vi) outside processes, and (vii) audiences. This vision corresponds to an extensive research in diverse fields, and the interpretation is given from a literary perspective. Even though  Wardrip-Fruin does not use the terminology already established in computer science, nor he makes a clear distinction between topology, actors and processes, his proposal is essentially equivalent, and independent, from Gutierrez’s model. In Wardrip-Fruin’s model, author -i- and audience -vii- correspond to actors in the Unified Process (UP); process -iii- and interaction -v- correspond to the process layer in the 3-tier architecture (how the actors move information across layers and how it is modified); data -ii- maps directly the data layer in the 3-tier model; finally, surface -iv- corresponds to the presentation layer. The emergence of these information systems approaches marks the awareness that these new literary forms arise from the world of software and hence benefit from traditional computer science approaches to software. In the Language of New Media, Lev Manovich called for such analysis under the rubric of Software Studies. Applying the schematics of computer science to electronic literature allows critics to consider the complexities of that literature without falling prey to the tendency to colonize electronic literature with literary theory, as Espen Aarseth warned in Cybertext. Such a framework provides a terminology rather than the imposition of yet another taxonomy or set of metaphors that will always prove to be both helpful and glaringly insufficient. That is not to say that n-tier approaches fit works without conflict. In fact, some of the most fruitful readings come from the pieces that complicate the n-tier distinctions. EXAMPLES DREAMAPHAGE 1 & 2: REVISING OUR SYSTEMS Jason Nelson’s Dreamaphage (2003, 2004) demonstrates the ways in which the n-tier model can open up the complexities and ironies of works of electronic literature. Nelson is an auteur of interfaces, and in the first version of this piece he transforms the two-dimensional screen into a three-dimensional navigable space full of various planes. The interactor travels through these planes, encountering texts on them, documentation of the disease. It is as if we are traveling through the data structure of the story itself, as if  the data has been brought to the surface. Though in strict terms, the data is where it always was supposed to be. Each plane is an object, rendered in Flash on the fly by the processing of the navigation input and the production of vector graphics to fill the screen. However, Nelsons’ work distances us, alienates us from the visual metaphors that we have taken for the physical structures of data in the computer. Designers of operating systems work hard to naturalize our relationship to our information. Opening windows, shuffling folders, becomes not a visual manifestation but the transparent glimpse of the structures themselves. Neal Stephenson has written very persuasively on the effect of replacing the command line interface with these illusions. The story (or data) behind the piece is the tale of a virus epidemic, whose primary symptom is the constant repetition of a dream. Nelson writes of the virus’ â€Å"drifting eyes.† Ultimately the disease proves fatal, as patients go insane then comatose. Here the piece is evocative of the repetitive lexias of classical electronic literature, information systems that lead the reader into the same texts as a natural component of traversing the narrative. Of course, the disease also describes the interface of the planes that the user travels through, one after the other, semi-transparent planes, dreamlike visions. This version of Dreamaphage was not the only one Nelson published. In 2004, Nelson published a second interface. Nelson writes of the piece, â€Å"Unfortunately the first version of Dreamaphage suffered from usability problems. The main interface was unwieldy (but pretty) and the books hard to find (plus the occasional computer crash)† (â€Å"Dreamaphage, _ELC I_) He reconceived of the piece in two dimensions to create a more stable interface. The second version is two-dimensional and Nelson has also â€Å"added a few more extra bits and readjusted the medical reports.† In the terms of n-tier, his changes primarily affected the interface and the data layers. Here is the artist of the interface facing the uncanny return of their own artistic creation in a world where information systems do not lie in the stable binding in a book but in a contingent state that is always dependent  on the environments (operating systems) and frames (browser) in which they circulate. As the user tries to find a grounding in the spaces and lost moments of the disease, Nelson himself attempts to build stability into that which is always shifting. However, do to a particular difference in the way that Firefox 2.0 renders Flash at the processing layer, interactors will discover that the†opening† page of the second version is squeezed into a fraction of their window, rather than expanding to fill the entire window. At this point, we are reminded of the work’s epigram, â€Å"All other methods are errors. The words of these books, their dreams, contain the cure. But where is the pattern? In sleeping the same dream came again. How long before I become another lost?† (â€Å"opening†). As we compare these two versions of the same information system, we see the same dream coming again. The first version haunts the second as we ask when will it, too, become one of the lost. Though Nelson himself seems to have an insatiable appetite for novel interfaces, his own artistic practices resonate well with the ethos of this article. At speaking engagements, he has made it a practice to bring his interfaces, his .fla (Flash source) files, for the attendees to take and use as they please. Nelson presents his information systems with a humble declaration that the audience may no doubt be able to find even more powerful uses for these interfaces. GALATEA: NOVELTY RETURNS Emily Short’s ground-breaking work of interactive fiction offers another work that, like its namesake in the piece, opens up to this discussion when approached carefully. Galatea’s presentation layer appears to be straight forward IF fare. The interactor is a critic, encountering Galatea, which appears to be a statue of a woman but then begins to move and talk. In this novel work of interactive fiction, the interactor will not find the traditional spacial navigation verbs (go, open, throw) to be productive, as the action focuses on one room. Likewise will other verbs prove themselves unhelpful as the user is encouraged in the help instructions to â€Å"talk† or  Ã¢â‚¬Å"ask† about topics. In Short’s piece, the navigational system of IF, as it was originally instantiated in Adventure, begins to mimic a conversational system driven by keywords, ala Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA. Spelunking through a cave is replaced with conversing through an array of conversational replies. Galatea does not always answer the same way. She has moods, or rather, your relationship with Galatea has levels of emotion. The logic layer proves to be more complex than the few verbs portend. The hunt is to figure out the combination that leads to more data. Galatea uses a novel process to put the user in the position of a safe cracker, trying to unlock the treasure of answers. Notice how novelty has re-emerged as a key attribute here. Could there be a second Galatea? Could someone write another story using Galatea’s procesess. Technically no, since the work was released in a No-Derivs Creative Commons license. However, in many ways, Galatea is a second, coming in the experimental wave of artistic revisions of interactive fiction that followed the demise of the commercially produced text adventures from Infocom and others. Written in Z-Machine format, Galatea is already reimagining an information system. It is a new work written in the context of Infocom’s interactive fiction system. Short’s work is admittedly novel in its processes, but the literary value of this work is not defined by its novely. The data, the replies, the context they describe, the relationship they create are rich and full of literary allusions. Short has gone on to help others make their own Galatea, not only in her work to help develop the natural language IF authoring system Inform 7 but also in the conversation libraries she has authored. In doing so, she moved into the work of other developers of authoring systems, such as the makers of chatbot systems. Richard S. Wallace developed one of the most popular of these (A.I.M.L..bot), and his work demonstrates the power of creating and sharing authorware, even in the context of the tyranny of the novel. A.L.I.C.E. is the base-line conversational system, which can be downloaded and customized. Downloading the basic, functioning A.L.I.C.E. chatbot as a foundation allows users to concentrate on editing recognizeable inputs and systematic responses. Rather than worrying about how the system will respond to input, authors, or botmasters, can focus on creating what they system will say. To gain respect as a botmaster/author, one cannot merely modify an out-of-the-box ALICE. The user should further customize or build from the ground up using AIML, artificial intelligence markup language, the site-specific language created for Wallace’s system. They must change the way the system operates–largely, because the critical attention around chatbots follows more the model of scientific innovation more than literary depth. However, according to Wallace, despite the critics’ emphasis on innovations, the users have been flocking to ALICE, as tens of thousands of users have created chatbots using the system (Be Your Own Botmaster). AIML becomes an important test case because while users may access some elements of the system, because they are not changing fundamentals, they can only make limited forays into the scientific/innovation chatbot discussions. Thus while our n-tier model stresses the importance of creating authorware and understanding information systems, novelty still holds an important role in the development of electronic literature. Nonetheless, interactors can at least use their pre-existing literacies when they encounter an AIML bot or a work of interactive fiction written on a familiar platform. LITERATRONICA Literatronic is yet another example of an n-tier system. Its design was based entirely in the concept of division between presentation, process and data layers. Every interaction of the readers is stored in a centralized database, and influences the subsequent response of the system to each reader’s interactions. The presentation layer employs web pages on which the reader can access multiple books by multiple authors in multiple languages.  The process layer is rather complex, since it uses a specialized artificial intelligence engine to adapt the book to each reader, based upon his/her interaction, i.e. and adaptive system. The data layer is a relational database that stores not only the narrative, but also reader’s interaction. Since there is a clear distinction between presentation, data and process, Literatronica is a 3-tier system that allows authors of multiple language to focus on the business of literary creation. MEZ’S CODE: THE SYSTEMS THAT DO NOT USE A COMPUTER[1] As with many systematic critical approaches, the place where n-tier is most fruitful is the where it produces or reveals contradictions. While some works of electronic literature lend themselves to clear divisions between parts of the information system, many works in electronic literature complicate that very distinction as articulated in such essays as Rita Raley’s code.surface||code.depth, in which she traces out codeworks that challenge distinctions between presentation and processing layers. In the works of Mez (Maryanne Breeze), she creates works written in what N. Katherine Hayles has called a creole of computer and human languages. Mez, and other codework authors, display the data layer on the presentation layer. One critical response is to point out that as an information system, the presentation layer are the lines of code and the rest of the system is whatever medium is displaying her poem. However, such an approach missed the very complexity of Mez’s work. Indeed, Mez’s work is often traditional static text that puts users in the role of the processor. The n-tier model illuminates her sleight of hand. trEm[d]o[lls]r_ [by Mez] doll_tre[ru]mor[s] = var=’msg’ val=’YourPleading’/> † TREMOR Consider her short codework â€Å"trEm[d]o[lls]r_† published on her site and on the Critical Code Studies blog. It is a program that seems to describe (or self-define) the birth pangs of a new world. The work, written in what appears to be XML, cannot function by itself. It appears to assign a value to a variable named â€Å"doll_tre[ru]mor[s]†, a Mez-ian (Mezozoic?) portmenteau of doll_tremors and rumors. This particular rumor beign defined is called, the fifth world, which calls up images of the Native American belief in a the perfected world coming to replace our current fourth world. This belief appears most readily in the Hopi tribe of North America. A child of this fifth world are â€Å"fractures,† or put another way, the tremor of the coming world brings with it fractures. The first, post 2 inscription, contains polymers: a user set to â€Å"YourDollUserName,† a â€Å"3rdperson† set to â€Å"Your3rdPerson,† a location set to â€Å"YourSoddenSelf†, and a â€Å"spikey† set to â€Å"YourSpiKeySelf.† The user then becomes a molecule name within the fracture, a component of the fracture. These references to dolls and 3rd person seem to evoke the world of avatars. In virtual worlds, users have dolls. If the first fracture is located in the avatar of the person, in their avatar, the second centers on communication from this person or user. Here the user is defined with â€Å"YourPolyannaUserName,† and we are in the world of overreaching optimism, in the face of a â€Å"msg† or message of â€Å"YourPleading† and a â€Å"lastword.† Combining these two fractures we have a sodden and spikey self pleading and uttering a last word presumably before the coming rupture into the fifth world. As with many codeworks, the presentation layer appears to be the data and logic layer. However, there is clearly another logic layer that makes these words appear on whatever inerface the reader is using. Thus, the presentation layer is a deception, a challenge to the very division of layers, a revelation that hides. At the same time, we are compelled to execute the presneted code by tracing out its logic. We must take the place of the compiler with the understanding that the coding structures are also  meant to launch or allusive subroutines, that part of our brain that is constantly listening for echoes and whispers To produce that reading, we have had to execute that poem, at least step through it, acting as the processor. In the process of writing poetic works as data, she has swapped our traditional position vis-a-vis n-tier systems. Where traditional poetry establishes idenitity through I’s, Mez has us identify with a system ready to process the user who is not ready for the fifth world, whatever that may bring. At the same time, universal or even mythical realities have been systematized or simulated. There is another layer of data that is missing, supplied by the user presumably. The poem leaves its tremors in a state of potential, waiting to operate in the context of a larger system and waiting for a user to supply the names, pleading, and lastwords. The codework means nothing to the computer. This is not to make some sort of Searlean intervention about the inability of computers to comprehend but to point out that Mez’s code is not valid XML. Of course, Mez is not writing for computer validation but instead relies on the less systematic processing of humans who rely on a far less rigorously specified language structure. Tremors fracture even the process of assigning some signified to these doll_tre[ru]mor[s]. Mez’s poem plays upon the layers of n-tier, exposing them and inverting them. Through the close-reading tools of Critical Code Studies, we can get to her inference and innuendo. However, we should not miss the central irony of the work, the data that is hidden, the notable lack of processing performed by this piece. Mez has hailed us into the system, and our compliance, begins the tremors that brings about this fifth world even as it lies in potential. N-tier is not the fifth world of interpretation. However, it is a tremor of recognition that literacy in information systems offers a critical awareness crucial in these emerging forms of literature. FUTURE PROJECTS Two new projects give the sense of the electronic literature to come. The authors of this paper have been collaborating to create systems that answer Hayles’ call at â€Å"The Future of Electronic Literature† in Maryland to create works that move beyond the desktop. The â€Å"Global Poetic System† and â€Å"The LA Flood Project† combine GPS, literary texts, and civic spaces to create art objects that rely on a complex relationship between various pieces of software and hardware, from mobile phones to PBX telephony to satellite technology. To fully discuss such works with the same approaches we apply to video games or Flash-based literary works is to miss this intricate interaction. However, n-tier provides a scalable framework for discussing the complex networking of systems to produce an artistic experience through software and hardware. These projects explore four types of interfaces (mobile phones, PDAs, desktop clients, and web applications) and three ways of reading (literary adaptative texts, literary classic texts, texts constructed from the interaction of the community). The central piece that glues together literary information is geolocation. When the interactor in the world is one of the input systems, critics need a framework that can handle complexity. Because of the heterogeneity of platforms in which these systems run, there are multiple presentation layers (e.g. phone, laptop, etc.), multiple parallel processing layers, and multiple sources of information (e.g. weather, traffic, literary content, user routes, etc.), thus requiring a n-tier approach for analysis and implementation. It is clear that as electronic literature becomes more complex, knowledge of the n-tier dilineations will be crucial not only to the reception but also the production of such works. Since the interaction of heterogenous systems is the state of our world, an n-tier approach will up critics to open up these works in ways that help identify patterns and systems in our lives. DISCUSSION Let us bring down the great walls of neologisms. Let us pause for reflection  in the race for newer new media. Let us collaborate on the n-tiers of information systems to create robust writing forms and the possibility of a extending the audiences that are literate in these systems. In this paper, we have described an analytical framework that is useful to divide works of electronic literature into their forming elements, in such a way that is coherent with advances in computer science and information technology, and at the same time using a language that could be easily adopted by the electronic literature community. This framework places creators, technicians, and critics on common ground. This field does not have a unified method to analyze creative works; this void is a result, perhaps, in the conviction that works of electronic literature require an element of newness and a reinvention of paradigms with every new piece. Critics are always looking for innovation. However, the unrestrained celebration of the new or novel has lead New Media to the aesthetic equivalent of an arms race. In this article we found common elements to all these pieces, bridging the gap between computer science and electronic literature with the hopes of encouraging the production of sustainable new forms, be they â€Å"stand alone† or composed of a conglomeration of media forms, software, and users. As works of electronic literature continue to become more complex, bringing together more heterogeneous digital forms, the n-tier model will prove scalable and nuanced to help describe each layer of the work without forcing it into a pre-set positions for the sake of theory. We have to ask at this point: how does this framework handle exceptions and increasing complexity? It is interesting to consider how the proposed n-tier model might be adapted to cope with dynamic data, which seems to be the most complex case. Current literary works tend to process a fixed set of data, generated by the author; it is the mode of traversing what changes. Several software solutions may be used to solve the issue of how this traversal is left in the hands of the user or mediated yet in some way by the author through the presentation system. The n-tier model provides a way of identifying three basic ingredients: the data to be traversed, the logic for deciding how to  traverse them, and the presentation which conveys to the user the selected portions at the selected moments. In this way, such systems give the impression that the reader is shaping the literary work by his/her actions. Yet this, in the simple configuration, is just an illusion. In following the labyrinth set out by the author, readers may feel that their journey through it is always being built anew. But the labyrinth itself is already fixed. Consider what would happen when these systems leave computer screens and move into the world of mobile devices and ubiquitous art as Hayles predicted they would at the 2007 ELO conference. How could the system cope with changing data, with a labyrinth that rebuilds itself differently each time based on the path of the user? In this endeavor, we would be shifting an increasing responsibility into the machine which is running the work. The data need not be modified by the system itself. A simple initial approach might be to allow a subset of the data to be drawn from the real environment outside the literary work. This would introduce a measure of uncertainty into the set of possible situations that the user and the system will be faced with. And it would force the author to consider a much wider range of alternative situations and/or means of solving them. Interesting initiatives along these lines might be found in the various systems that combine literary material with real-world information by using, for example, mobile hand-held devices, provided with means of geolocation and networking. With respect to the n-tier model, the changes introduced in the data layer would force additional changes in the other layers. The process layer would grow in complexity to acquire the ability to react to the different possible changes in the data layer. It could be possible for the process layer to absorb all the required changes, while retaining a version of the presentation layer similar to the one used when dealing with static data. However, this may put a heavy load on the process layer, which may result in a slightly clumsy presentation. The clumsiness would be perceived by the reader as a slight imbalance between the dynamic content being presented and the static means used for presenting it. The breaking point would be reached when readers become aware that the material they are receiving is being presented inadequately, and it is apparent that there might have been better  ways of presenting it. In these cases, a more complex presentation layer is also required. In all cases, to enable the computer to deal with the new type of situations would require the programmer to encode some means of appreciating the material that is being handled, and some means of automatically converting it into a adequate format for communicating it to the user. In these task, current research into knowledge representation, natural language understanding, and natural language generation may provide very interesting tools. But, again, these tools would exist in processing layers, and would be dependent on data layers, so the n-tier model would still apply. The n-tier information system approach remains valid even in the most marginal cases. It promises to provide a unified framework of analysis for the field of electronic literature. 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URL:  «http://www.brown.edu/Research/dichtung-digital/2005/1/Ryan/ » First accessed 4 October 2006 VERSHBOW, Ben.†Flight Paths a Networked Novel.† _IF: Future of the Book_. December 2007  «http://www.futureofthebook.org/blog/archives/2007/12/flight_paths_a_networked_novel.html » First Accessed 01/2008. WALLACE, Richard S. â€Å"Be Your Own Botmaster.† Alice AI Foundation Inc. 2nd ed. 2004. WARDRIP-FRUIN, Noah. _Expressive Processing: On Process-Intensive Literature and Digital Media_. Brown University. Providence, Rhode Island. May 2006. WARDRIP-FRUIN,Noah. Christopher Strachey: the first digital artist? _Grand Text Auto_. 1 August 2005.  «http://grandtextauto.gatech.edu/2005/08/01/christopher-strachey-first-digital-artist/ » First accessed 3 September 2006. ZWASS, Vladimir. _Foundations of Information Systems_. Mcgraw-Hill College, NY 1997.

Hotel Report

BM 0970 Introduction to Hospitality & Tourism Executive Summary Introduction Hotel Rendezvous, Singapore Products/Services: They offer worldwide hotel services in countries such as Singapore, Shanghai and many parts of Australia. They are from The Marque Group of Hotels and they have hotels by the name of both Marque and Rendezvous. Hotel Rendezvous in Singapore offers good location too. It is situated in the heart of the civic, cultural and commercial district; Bras Basah Road, just stones throw from the always-crowded Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. Without a doubt, this is the perfect place to rendezvous for business or pleasure. Competition: Hotels nearby includes the known Concorde Hotel, once known as Le Meridian Hotel, Hotel Fort Canning, Mandarin Orchard, which is a 5* Hotel and Hangout @ Mt. Emily, a themed budget hotel. Unique-selling points: Hotel Rendezvous Singapore has the â€Å"Telepresence† Room. This state-of-the-art facility connects users the world with unparalleled convenience and ease, while reducing corporate travel expenses and increasing productivity and environmental friendliness. The hotel is also the first to offer the facility, thus more business visitors will be attracted to stay in Rendezvous. Furthermore, those who book the facility will get discounts for rooms and also f/b services. Target Market: Business travellers Potential Opportunities & Challenges Of Hotel Rendezvous Challenges include: 1. Some hotels nearby in Orchard Road have better services An example will be Mandarin Orchard Hotel; they have: * Medical clinic in case of emergencies * Baby sitting services for customers who stays in the hotel with their families and need someone to mend their children when the parents are away * Postal services (Immediate mail from the hotel to Singapore Post) 2. Online guest reviews affect the competitiveness of Hotel Rendezvous Websites like Trip Advisor will have both negative and positive comments. While positive comments may encourage first-time travellers to visit Hotel rendezvous, negative comments will deter travellers to enter the hotel, especially the business travellers who want better services. Since, the negative comments will not be removed immediately, thus causing an influence to the choices made by first-time travellers. 3. Shopping centres are located far from hotel Major shopping malls like ION Orchard and Wisma Atria are located far from Bras Basah Road, where transportation is needed. 4. Due to IR, business and leisure tourists may prefer hotels such as Marina Bay Sands for stay in Singapore instead. 5. F1 Night Race The F1 night race occurs in the month of September each year and during this period, it is much more inaccessible to get to Hotel Rendezvous. Major road closures at locations such as Orchard Road and Stamford Road will make it harder for drivers to get to the hotel. Challenges: Since F1 will end in 2011, the hotels surround the F1 track race may experience a significant drop in hotel occupancy rate. Therefore, suggestions such as organising local Singapore track race are recommended. Key Developments & Opportunities 1. Zoukout An annual music, dance and art event hosted at Sentosa Island. Organised by Zouk Club. Tourists all over the world come to Singapore where â€Å"30- 35% of the total turnout come from the region, mainly from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong and also as far off as the United States. †   This year’s Zoukout has guests like David Guetta and Tiesto, who are known worldwide. . Christmas Light Ups The Christmas light ups are done annually on the stretch of Orchard Road, where many tourists can photograph their memories with wonderful lights on the background. 3. Great Singapore Sale Great Singapore Sale is an annual event with extensive discounts to attract global and Singapore shoppers to buy merchand ises from international brands such as Topshop, Nike, and River Island. Foreign shoppers may need an accommodation to stay when they come to Singapore and shop. Since Rendezvous hotel is located near major shopping district, it is an opportunity for the hotel to attract both leisure and business tourists. They can collaborate with GSS such as private sale for Rendezvous hotel’s patrons or discounted room rates if they purchase $500 with 3 combined receipts during this Sale period. Resources available 1. Transportation; Shuttle Services For easier travel, the Rendezvous Singapore Hotel offers an airport shuttle service for guest use. However, the international airport can be reached within minutes by guests driving their own vehicles and the MRT station nearby offers additional transportation options. Airport Airport is air transportation for international tourist to reach Singapore. With airport, it is 20 minutes away to reach hotel rendezvous which give tourists convenience to reach their accommodation faster. It increases the probability for business tourists to choose Rendezvous as their accommodation since it is not far from airport. The 20 minute distance allows better traffic to enter Hotel rendezvous. As such, it is a resource that Hotel Rendezvous can tap on to further establishes its status as a business tourist’s hotel. 2. Land; Minor expansion of the hotel grounds can be done at the fountain lounge (Ref 1. 4), where more space can be given to the Palong Bar, since its size is small. With the expansion, a dancing floor, with a disco theme can be built for guests to have parties or dinner and dance events in future. We have also found out that with the inclusion of a duty free shop in hotels may earn the hotel more revenue with the fees for rental and commissions. An example will be Royal Plaza on Scotts, where DFS Galleria is located in the hotel premises. Many foreigners love to shop at DFS because their products are much cheaper too. Thus, we recommend that Hotel Rendezvous should hire services from DFS Galleria for the land expansion, to cater to guests who ove shopping, at their convenience. 3. Relationship (Networking); The Cathay Cineplexes The Cathay Cineplexes are just stones throw away from Hotel Rendezvous. Guests at the hotel can go there for shopping paradise and movie galore. The Cathay Building has been a distinct landmark since 1939 when it first opened its doors to avid movie-goers. Now a shopping mall infused with fashion and trends, five storeys house retail and dining indulgences while two floors are dedicated to an eight-hall multiplex cinema, including The Picturehouse – Singapore's first arthouse theatre. Guests will be interested to watch movies there, and with winning movies from the Cannes Film Festival, it is a good place for guests to watch it first hand here in Singapore. Recommendation: The Cathay Cineplexes could collaborate together with Hotel Rendezvous to have priority seats for the guests by showing their hotel keys or vouchers issued from the hotel. There should also be a convenience service for advance booking of tickets which allows guests to get their tickets at the reception of Hotel Rendezvous This will allow them to get their tickets at ease, without having to rush between meetings and leisure. The Cathay will then receive better exposure via putting up advertisements such as pamphlets in the hotel to gain reputation among the travellers. Also, collaboration may bring higher revenue since the priority seats is an incentive for them to watch movie in The Cathay. Guests might even recommend the movie theatre to their colleagues who might come to Singapore in future. The Cathay could also provide Hotel Rendezvous complimentary movie passes to be given away to guests. When the guests visit The Cathay Building for the movie, there may be higher chances of them visiting the retail outlets as well. Therefore, it will increase revenue and in turn, they can increase the monthly rental of the shops. 4. Labour (Human Resources); When guests enter the hotel, the first people they are greeted by are the staffs at the hotel lobby. Porters/Bellmen are those who meet and greet customers upon their arrival. Hotel Rendezvous have about 4 porters and security officers on duty on a normal business day. Valet parking is also a special service the hotel offers for guests who drive. The porters also collect and deliver luggage to guests’ hotel rooms once they arrive. In Hotel Rendezvous, receptionists are better called as Guest Reception Officer. . Technology; The hotel needs a good room allocation system. We have researched for best technology supplies and one of which we recommend is Pelican E-Hotel Distribution System. This company provides services such as central reservation and also the Global Distribution System (GDS), which connects with over 600,000 travel agencies worldwide. T his will benefit the hotel through preventing confusions over room allocations. Different guests may want particular rooms such as: * Smoking/Non-smoking rooms * High/Low levels * Queen/2 Single Bed Rooms, etc. We have also found a company, First Data ®, which processes all major credit cards. They can also use the Payment Software solution to process debit/ATM cards, checks, stored value/gift cards, even private label cards and line-of-credit applications. Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), a Singapore-based payment method can also be used by the hotel to provide smooth transactions for guests. 6. Entrepreneurship; Capitalization through opportunities 1. Attractions and entertainment; Museums Singapore Arts Museum, National Museum, Asian Civilizations Museum are located near Rendezvous Hotel. These museums usually have different exhibitions shown at different periods of the year. An example will be Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town 79CE, at the National Museum of Singapore till January 23rd. Istana The Istana is the official residence of the President where he receives and entertains state guests. The entire domain occupies over 100 acres and is located along the busy Orchard Road. The grounds also contain: * Sri Temasek, also built in 1869, for the Colonial Secretary and was the official residence of the Prime Minister * The Annexe * The Istana Villa (1938) * The Lodge (1974) * The Japanese Gun, presented to Lord  Louis Mountbatten  after the Japanese * surrender in 1945 Marsh  Garden (1970) * Lily  ponds * A nine-hole  golf course * A  burial place  of the  Bencoolen  Muslims, who came to Singapore between 1825 and 1828, located on the southern slopes of the grounds close to the Orchard Road entrance The main purpose of guests to visit Istana is to see the architecture, the facilities, which is only unique to Singapore 2. Destinations; Peranak an Museum The museum explores the culture of Peranakan communities in the former Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang and their links with other communities in Southeast Asia (SEA). It is a boutique museum with one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Peranakan artefacts in the world. Three floors of permanent galleries illustrate important rituals, practices and the material culture of the Peranakans, as well as how the unique fusion culture is viewed today. The Peranakan Museum provides an enjoyable and educational experience for all, with intricate displays innovatively presented in ten galleries, children’s interactive and special merchandising in two shops. Two temporary exhibition galleries will present a programme of special exhibitions throughout the year. The Peranakan museum is a museum under the Asian Civilisations Museum. Recommendation: Due to the popularity of Mediacorp drama Little Nyonya, the museum may attract Chinese-indo to appreciate the historical artefacts from this museum. In addition, non-Nyonya tourists who want to experience Nyonya culture, they may want to visit this attraction. As such, the hotel may collaborate with the museum with promotional activities like 15% discount off the museum ticket price with any 2 night stay in the hotel. Also, Hotel Rendezvous may collaborate with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to showcase their promotions and activities regarding Peranakan Museum through STB website. With STB a reliable source for travellers, not only the collaboration will expose Hotel Rendezvous to leisure travellers, and also gain higher reputation among business travellers. For STB, this collaboration will fulfil their mission: We develop and champion tourism, so as to build the sector into a key driver of economic growth for Singapore by the increase in popularity of Hotel Rendezvous and the need to experience Peranakan culture. The Battle Box The Battle Box provides tours to tourists and also local residents of Singapore. For a price of S$5 for children and S$8 for adults, visitors can attend a guided tour of the location. It is the latest military operations complex in Singapore and was the hub of the Malaya Command Head quarters during World War II. They use the specially arranged audio and video effect, high quality animatronics and crafted figurines; they bring back February 15th 1942 to guests, when Singapore fell to the Japanese. So, this destination allows guests of Hotel Rendezvous to get to know the history of Singapore better while they are here. Killing two birds with one stone, they get to do work and know Singapore. In-hotel Resources Meeting rooms and Events Venues * Six functions rooms which can accommodate from 10 to 240 people and a Telepresence Suite * A total  880 square metres of banquet space * A superb selection of food ; beverage packages * The latest in audio visual ; web technology * Special accommodation rates Technical Equipment The latest in audio visual ; web technology is conveniently available upon request. We will be pleased to discuss with you any special presentation requirements you may have, whatever your requests, we will help make your event a success. Value Promise (Fig 1. 1) This service is available free of charge. The hotel promises value to their customers and thus, more of them will go back to the hotel more than once. Business Benefits (Fig 1. 2) This service costs less than a full breakfast meal; $29. 50 Lowest Price Guarantee (Fig 1. 3) Customers are assured that they get the lowest rate they can find in the nearest vicinity. They will even get claims if they find a lower room rate somewhere else with the equivalent facilities/services. Conclusion The top three resources that are significant to the success is labour, technology and travel agencies. Firstly, labour is important in the business. Workers like the receptionist might be the first person the customers will meet when they reach the hotel. If the workers do not treat their work seriously, customer might have a bad impression of the hotel. However, if the workers give a pleasant first impression to the customer, customer might visit the hotel again or recommend the hotel to their friends and family. This will increase the hotel revenue. Secondly, having better technology than other hotel will enable customer to enjoy better benefits that they can’t enjoy in other hotel. An example will be, customers will choose a hotel with wireless than a hotel which doesn’t have as wireless enable customer to surf the net easily. Better technology will also mean that the workers can serve the customer better as the waiting time will be shorter. An example will be customer checking-in to the hotel. Customer will than doesn’t have to wait for long queue to check-in to the hotel if the computer system is able to locate the customer room easily. Lastly, travel agencies play an important role in the hotel. If many travel agencies are willing to advertise to the customer the hotel, there will be huge increase of customers coming to the hotel, which result to more revenue. Working with travel agencies will greatly helps the hotel to earn more revenue. However, if no travel agency wants to help the hotel to their customers, hotel would have lesser customer than hotel with travel agencies helps.

Battle of Moscow - World War II - Operation Barbarossa

Battle of Moscow - World War II - Operation Barbarossa The Battle of Moscow was fought Oct. 2, 1941, to Jan. 7, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). After months of attacks and counterattacks as German forces attempted to overrun Moscow, Soviet reinforcements and a severe Russian winter took a toll on German forces, helping to thwart Germanys plans and leaving its forces exhausted and demoralized. Fast Facts: Battle of Moscow Dates: Oct. 2, 1941, to Jan. 7, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945)ï » ¿Soviet Union Armies and Commanders:Marshal Georgy ZhukovMarshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky1.25 million menGerman Armies and Commanders:Field Marshal Fedor von BockCol Gen. Heinz GuderianField Marshal Albert Kesselring1 million men Background On June 22, 1941, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union. The Germans had hoped to commence the operation in May but were delayed by the campaign in the Balkans and Greece. Opening the Eastern Front, they quickly overwhelmed Soviet forces and made large gains. Driving east, Field Marshal Fedor von Bocks Army Group Center won the Battle of BiaÅ‚ystok-Minsk in June, shattering the Soviet Western Front and killing or capturing over 340,000 Soviet troops. Crossing the Dnieper River, the Germans began a protracted battle for Smolensk. Despite encircling the defenders and crushing three Soviet armies, Bock was delayed into September before he could resume his advance. Though the road to Moscow was largely open, Bock was forced to order forces south to aid in the capture of Kiev. This was due to Adolf Hitlers unwillingness to continue fighting large battles of encirclement which, though successful, had failed to break the Soviet resistance. Instead, he sought to destroy the Soviet Unions economic base by capturing Leningrad and the Caucasus oil fields. Among those directed against Kiev was Col. Gen. Heinz Guderians Panzergruppe 2. Believing that Moscow was more important, Guderian protested the decision but was overruled. By supporting Army Group Souths Kiev operations, Bocks timetable was further delayed. It wasnt until Oct. 2, with the fall rains setting in, that Army Group Center was able to launch Operation Typhoon, the code name for Bocks Moscow offensive. The goal was to capture the Soviet capital before the harsh Russian winter began. Bocks Plan To accomplish this goal, Bock intended to employ the 2nd, 4th, and 9th armies, supported by Panzer Groups 2, 3, and 4. Air cover would be provided by the Luftwaffes Luftflotte 2. The combined force numbered just short of 2 million men, 1,700 tanks, and 14,000 artillery pieces. Plans for Operation Typhoon called for a double-pincer movement against the Soviet Western and Reserve fronts near Vyazma while a second force moved to capture Bryansk to the south. If these maneuvers were successful, German forces would encircle Moscow and compel Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to make peace. Though reasonably sound on paper, plans for Operation Typhoon failed to account for the fact that German forces were battered after several months of campaigning and their supply lines were having difficulty getting goods to the front. Guderian later noted that his forces were short on fuel from the outset of the campaign. Soviet Preparations Aware of the threat to Moscow, the Soviets began constructing a series of defensive lines in front of the city. The first of these stretched between Rzhev, Vyazma, and Bryansk, while a second, double-line was built between Kalinin and Kaluga dubbed the Mozhaisk defense line. To protect Moscow proper, the capitals citizens were drafted to construct three lines of fortifications around the city. While Soviet manpower was initially stretched thin, reinforcements were being brought west from the Far East as intelligence suggested that Japan didnt pose an immediate threat. The two nations had signed a neutrality back in April 1941. Early German Successes Storming forward, two German panzer groups (3rd and 4th) quickly made gains near Vyazma and encircled the 19th, 20th, 24th, and 32nd Soviet armies on Oct. 10. Rather than surrender, the four Soviet armies tenaciously continued the fight, slowing the German advance and forcing Bock to divert troops to aid in reducing the pocket. Ultimately the German commander had to commit 28 divisions to this fight, allowing the remnants of the Soviet Western and Reserve fronts to fall back to the Mozhaisk defense line and reinforcements to rush forward, largely to support the Soviet 5th, 16th, 43rd, and 49th armies. To the south, Guderians panzers (tanks) rapidly encircled the entire Bryansk Front. Linking with the German 2nd Army, they captured Orel and Bryansk by Oct. 6. The encircled Soviet forces, 3rd and 13th armies, continued the fight, eventually escaping east. The initial German operations, however, captured over 500,000 Soviet soldiers. On Oct. 7, the first snow of the season fell and soon melted, turning the roads to mud and severely hampering German operations. Grinding forward, Bocks troops turned back numerous Soviet counterattacks and reached the Mozhaisk defenses on Oct. 10. That same day, Stalin recalled Marshal Georgy Zhukov from the Siege of Leningrad and directed him to oversee the defense of Moscow. Assuming command, he focused Soviet manpower in the Mozhaisk line. Wearing Down the Germans Outnumbered, Zhukov deployed his men at key points in the line at Volokolamsk, Mozhaisk, Maloyaroslavets, and Kaluga. Resuming his advance on Oct. 13, Bock sought to avoid the bulk of the Soviet defenses by moving against Kalinin in the north and Kaluga and Tula in the south. While the first two fell quickly, the Soviets succeeded in holding Tula. After frontal attacks captured Mozhaisk and Maloyaroslavets on Oct. 18 and subsequent German advances, Zhukov was forced to fall back behind the Nara River. Though the Germans made gains, their forces were badly worn down and plagued by logistical issues. While German troops lacked appropriate winter clothing, they also took losses to the new T-34 tank, which was superior to their Panzer IVs. By Nov. 15, the ground had frozen and mud ceased to be an issue. Seeking to end the campaign, Bock directed the 3rd and 4th panzer armies to encircle Moscow from the north, while Guderian moved around the city from the south. The two forces were to link up at Noginsk, 20 miles east of Moscow. German forces were slowed by Soviet defenses but succeeded in taking Klin on Nov. 24 and four days later crossed the Moscow-Volga Canal before being pushed back. In the south, Guderian bypassed Tula and took Stalinogorsk on Nov. 22. His offensive was checked by the Soviets near Kashira a few days later. With both prongs of his pincer movement bogged down, Bock launched a frontal assault at Naro-Fominsk on Dec. 1. After four days of heavy fighting, it was defeated. On Dec. 2, a German reconnaissance unit reached Khimki, only five miles from Moscow. This marked the farthest German advance. With temperatures reaching -50 F and still lacking winter equipment, the Germans had to halt their offensives. Soviets Strike Back By Dec. 5, Zhukov had been heavily reinforced by divisions from Siberia and the Far East. Possessing a reserve of 58 divisions, he unleashed a counteroffensive to push the Germans back from Moscow. The beginning of the attack coincided with Hitler ordering German forces to assume a defensive stance. Unable to organize a solid defense in their advance positions, the Germans were forced from Kalinin on Dec. 7, and the Soviets moved to envelop the 3rd Panzer Army at Klin. This failed and the Soviets advanced on Rzhev. In the south, Soviet forces relieved pressure on Tula on Dec. 16. Two days later, Bock was sacked in favor of Field Marshal Gà ¼nther von Kluge, due largely to Hitlers anger over German troops conducting a strategic retreat against his wishes. The Russians were aided by extreme cold and poor weather that minimized the Luftwaffes operations. As the weather improved in late December and early January, the Luftwaffe began intensive bombing in support of German ground forces This slowed the enemy advances and by Jan. 7, the Soviet counteroffensive came to an end. Zhukov had pushed the Germans 60 to 160 miles from Moscow. Aftermath The failure of German forces at Moscow doomed Germany to fighting a prolonged struggle on the Eastern Front. This part of the war would consume the vast majority of Germanys manpower and resources for the remainder of the conflict. Casualties for the Battle of Moscow are debated, but estimates suggest German losses of 248,000 to 400,000 and Soviet losses of 650,000 to 1,280,000. Slowly building strength, the Soviets would turn the tide of the war at the Battle of Stalingrad in late 1942 and early 1943.