The first submission Essay Example for Free

The first submission Essay A1 â€Å"I gave an introduction discussing what capital structure is and how it relates to debt vs. equity financing and what maximizes shareholder return and what the goal of the company is in choosing a capital structure approach. I then made my recommendation discussing all approaches for all years using a table with earnings per share in each year for each approach and totaling them up to make my recommendation. (This was discussed and told to us in the webinar as the method so I am just repeating what was said). I then made my recommendation referencing the table, explaining why it maximizes shareholder return *****always refer to actual numbers.† A1aâ€Å"I justified my recommendation by talking about how the other approaches were not maximizing shareholder return and why, referencing the outcomes and what was causing their earnings per share to be lower Talk about all of the other approaches and reference the actual numbers. I repeated my recommendation at the end to sum it up.† A2 â€Å"I gave an introduction describing capital budgeting, net present value, and internal rate of return, and referenced things from the Storyline that were applicable to this section in a paragraph describing the background of the scenario (what was going on with company). I then discussed NPV and IRR in individual sections where I referenced all of the numbers and told what they meant about whether or not the company should pursue the project. I gave brief explanation of how the numbers were calculated. At the end of each section for both IRR and NPV I made a recommendation about whether or not to pursue the project based on the NPV and IRR results in the spreadsheet.† A3 â€Å"I began by discussing the background from the storyline (why they need  working capital, how much they need) I then gave 3 ways the firm can obtain working capital. I then discussed 3 ways to properly manage working capital.I was told in the webinar to think about the accounts that make up working capital. I then discussed Lease vs. Buy. I started by giving the background from the storyline. It is supposed to be approached from the standpoint of which one BEST preserves working capital (on the task directions) I explained how they arrived at the numbers on the spreadsheet (A good resource to understand where all the numbers came from and how they were calculated is Buy or Lease? Commercial Property Decisions from recenter.tamu.edu website. I then told which one they should do based on which one better preserves working capital (from task directions). If you are confused just think about how WC is calculated.. I referenced numbers, years, etc all steps of the way.† A4 â€Å"I told what a merger is what earnings per share means and what the merger was saying about EPS and how it would affect shareholder returns. I told what an acquisition is what the NPV of the acquisition is and what that means. Always referencing the numbers. I then made a recommendation based on EPS in the merger before and after and NPV of the acquisition. This information comes from the webinar I am just repeating it.† â€Å"I hope my explanation of my method and tips from the webinar help, Timothy.† Timothy Minyard, Student, July 2014. A1 and A2 – Low and Moderate Sales and Calculations â€Å"Hello, when completing the first two task prompts, is it necessary to analyze both the low and the moderate outcomes? For example, on the Capital Structure tab it gives you the moderate EBIT to use, are we expected to enter the low as well? Also, on the Capital Budgeting tab, do we discuss both scenarios of low and moderate planning?† â€Å"Task 3 A1, use only the moderate demand. A2, Capital Budget analyze both low and moderate demands.† Dr. Cherry, CM, July 2014 A2 – Internal Rate of Return as listed on Spreadsheet â€Å"On the spreadsheet (Task 3 Capital Budgeting Tab) the Internal Rate of  Return projections are listed for both low and moderate sales and then below is a IRR percentage. Yours could be different but my percentages are 8.7% and 10.1%. Are these percentages directly tied to the numbers above them or are they thresholds? If they are NOT thresholds, where do I find good suggestions for an appropriate threshold for IRR?† â€Å"10%. It is listed in the storyline.† Dr. Cherry, CM, August 2014 A3 â€Å"I am unable to find information or chapters on Lease vs. Buy. Any assistance would be appreciated.† â€Å"There is a SkillSoft titled Managerial Decisions and Capital Budgeting that has a section on Lease or Buy Decisions and Make or Buy Decisions. You can find it under the Financial Analysis Course Materials for The Best Structure and Use of Capital section.† Adrian Thompson, Student, June 2014. A3Question I find this part of Task 3 to be misleading. The task states: Discuss how working capital can be properly obtained and managed for the Canadian expansion. The discussion should consider the lease-versus-buy analysis (Spreadsheet tab: Task 3_Lease vs Buy). This, to me, is asking how can we obtain working capital for the Canadian expansion? Then when I look at the Task 3 Lease vs Buy spreadsheet, it says The $200,000 in working capital and $50,000 down payment would have to be internally funded. This I feel is telling me that the working capital has to be internally funded. Therefore, for the question A3, I answered how the company can internally fund working capital in order to expand into Canada. I got it returned to me for However, other ways to obtain working capital, besides internal generation, should also be discussed. Sorry, I just needed to vent. This is the 2nd time Ive had this task returned and this one frustrated me. I am really struggling with understanding the lease vs buy option. I  submitted my task and received the following response from the Grader The submission provides a good discussion of how to properly obtain and mange working capital for the Canadian Expansion. The recommendation to lease is presented; however, to fully support the decision an evaluation of the PV of outflows should be considered. What am I missing and what should I focus on. Should I be discussing that one yielding the higher NPV should be selected? Any thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated.† â€Å"In the lease vs buy scenario, we discussing cash outflows, so you would want to select the option that will cost the company the least amount of working capital.† Dr. Cherry, CM, august 2014 A3 Lease vs Buy â€Å"I have a question on the financial information tab for Lease vs. Buy. The after tax cash flows for the lease option are $58,500 each year and Im wondering how we would arrive at this number? The storyline states that the five-year lease would entail payments of $90,000 each year for 5 years. It seems a stretch that the after tax cash flows would go all the way down to $58,500 from $90,000. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Thanks!† â€Å"$90,000 * (1 tax rate) = $90,000 * .65† Dr. Cherry, CM, August 2014 A4Allocation of Overhead As we consider the merit of opening or acquiring a Canadian operation, should we be concerned with the allocation of overhead and shared services, such as Executive Comp and some aspects of shared services such as A/P and A/R salary costs? Without these allocations, the US operations will carry the whole burden. James Crowe, July 2014 â€Å"When considering the merger vs acquisition, first analyze the two projects to determine if both are financial viable. If so, then continue on with qualitative pros and cons.† Dr. Cherry, CM, July 2014

History of enlightenment Essay Example for Free

History of enlightenment Essay (1) Newtonian theory vs. Einstein and Heisenberg The Newtonian theory refers to the work of one of the earliest scientists known as Isaac Newton who stated that, the laws of nature (gravity) controlled the stable movements of objects and also maintained the delicate balance that holds things firmly to the ground. However, since then this theory has been subjected to many conflicting philosophical views and opinions that have either challenged or supported it. The emergence of Albert Einstein and his genius in physics, for instance, gave way for heated debates about the credibility of the Newtonian theory of natural law and gravity. Albert Einstein in his proposed theory of relativism helped to extend Newtonian dynamics to include motion at speeds of approaching than that of light. This new additional clause on the initial theories of gravity saw the revolutionary perception of the effect of motion on gravity. The new findings led to the disputation of the absoluteness of Newtonian theory in that, Einstein discovered some faults that made the Newtonian theory incomplete and questionable. Einstein was able to learn that some elements such as time, mass, energy, space, and even matter are not necessarily absolute in themselves, they can therefore be measured or altered by a person depending on the nature of his/her study variables. [Nick Strobel, 2001] Warner Heisenberg later emerged to add his findings on what he called â€Å"quantum† mechanics that described motion on a subatomic scale. In his findings Heisenberg, asserted that the universe was full of uncertainties that made it not an obvious phenomenon to ever understand. â€Å"The more precisely the position is determined the, the less precisely the momentum is known at this instant, and vice versa† The work of these two scientists heralded the genesis of new studies that sought to provide insights on initially abstract theories, the Newtonian one included. [Mr. Edmondson, 2000] (2) Social Darwinism and Hitler The theories of social Darwinism, provided for a healthy competition among individuals, groups, nations, and the global world as a whole for purposes of achieving social evolution amongst human societies. Social Darwinism is a derivative from the Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Natural selection according to Darwin is the process of speciation in populace that is brought about by competition between individual mortals for limited resources a phenomenon called, â€Å"survival for the fittest†.   [Johnson, D. Paul, 2008] In his book, â€Å"Main Krampf† Hitler expresses acknowledgement of both the principals of social Darwinism and natural selection, this he exhibits by asserting that the world should be classified to people’s ancestry, a classification that will involve with some people being placed on higher classes than others, he quoted the example of Germany Aryans as more superior than the blacks, Jews, and gypsies as belonging to a lesser class. Again, Hitler is seen as acting beyond the dictates of social Darwinism or even the principal of natural selection with his racial attitude towards the Jews whom he accuse of abetting racial dilution tactics in order to bring about equality. His perception of social Darwinism and natural law was about the political, social, and economic struggle between the mainstream Aryans and the minority Jews. His racialism attitudes led him to the gassing and brutal murdering of millions of Jews as a way of satisfying his own â€Å"social Darwinistâ €  theory. [Mein Kampf, 1939] (3) Sigmund Freud vs. John Locke According to john Locke, â€Å"self† is the conscious thinking thing which is in itself reasonable or conscious of pleasure and pain and proficient of cheerfulness or melancholy, and so is concerned for itself, as far as that awareness extends. In other words to him self is a character awareness and self thoughtful awareness that is fixed in the body.   [Locke, Essay, 1997] In his work â€Å"some thoughts concerning Education† he indicates it is education that fills the rather â€Å"empty human mind†, by asserting that out of the ten men he meets with nine of them are what they are, morally upright or morally rotten, useful or not, good or evil, chiefly due to their education. [Locke, Some Thoughts, 1996] Further he argued that little and almost insensible impressions we make when we are young having lasting impacts to ourselves simply due to the fact that they were the foundations of the self. [Locke, Some Thoughts, 1996] On the other hand Sigmund Freud differed vehemently with Lockean theory in that he argued that human beings behavior is controlled largely by their unconscious minds. He argued that the understanding of conscious thoughts and behavior is determined by revisiting the unconscious mind. He developed â€Å"repression† as key factor that determined unconscious, out of belief that far many people repress painful memories into their unconscious minds. He further clarified that the very process of repression took place within an individual’s conscious mind but rather in the unconscious one, and therefore many people are unaware that is happening on them. [Barlow DW, Durand VM, 2005] Finally Freud stubborn stance on the unimportance of both education and treatment to the alleviation of violence or suffering can be attributed to his changing of the system of unconsciousness and modeling it into the concept of Ego, super-ego, and id.   Super ego is ability to psyche ones morals and not taking in to account circumstantial morals situations, while Id was derived from William James early works. It is in light of this that Freud vehemently disputed the notion that the success of the population relied on education.   [Barlow DW, Durand VM, 2005] Freud model of mind has been a great challenge to the enlightenment model of rational agency which then was a core element in modern philosophy.

Technique to Facilitate Treatment of Urethral Strictures

Technique to Facilitate Treatment of Urethral Strictures Title:  A simple technique to facilitate treatment of urethral strictures with optical internal urethrotomy Konstantinos Stamatiou MD,PhD,Consultant Urologist, Urology Dpt, General Hospital Tzanio, Piraeus, Greece Aggeliki Papadatou MD, Radiology Resident, Radiology Interventional Radiology Dpt, General Hospital Tzanio, Piraeus, Greece Hippocrates Moschouris MD, Consultant Radiologist, Radiology Interventional Radiology Dpt, General Hospital Tzanio, Piraeus, Greece Corresponding author: Aggeliki Papadatou, General Hospital Tzanio, Zanni Afentouli 1 str, 18536, Piraeus, Greece Key words: urethral stricture, optical internal urethrotomy Introduction An urethral stricture is a narrowing of a section of the urethra. It causes a blocked or reduced flow of urine which can result in a range of manifestations, from asymptomatic to severe discomfort. Moreover, it can lead to serious complications such as urinary infections and renal insufficiency secondary to urinary retention. Blunt perineal trauma, urological instrumentation, chronic inflammatory disorders such as lichen sclerosus et atrophicus and sexually transmitted diseases are the most frequent causes of strictures; a large proportion are iatrogenic . Currently, three different interventions are used to treat urethral strictures: dilations, optical internal urethrotomy and open urethroplasty(1). Dilations are easy to perform in every day clinical practice, however they show the highest recurrence rates while their outcomes are the less satisfying to the patients. On the other hand, open urethroplasty shows the lowest recurrence rates and its outcomes are the most satisfying to the patients (2). Although it is the current gold standard against which the traditional treatments are compared, this technique requires skills, expertise and equipment, often not available in the resource limited settings. For the above reasons, most patients with urethral stricture are offered optical internal urethrotomy . This procedure is preferred as the first treatment option by many urologists, as it is performed within short operative times, under either spinal, or local anaesthesia. It can be also done as an outpatient procedure for the treatment of short urethral strictures . Optical internal urethrotomy is performed by a rigid urethrotome or a flexible cystoscope/urethrotome combination. The instrument is inserted and guided to the face of the stricture and a small blade at the tip of the instrument is deployed using a trigger mechanism to cut the stricture at locations determined by the surgeon. Upon completion of the internal incision(s), the instrument is withdrawn and an appropriately sized Foley catheter is inserted through the repair and into the urinary bladder. Hospitalization lasts 2 days and the patient keeps the catheter a few days . However, technical difficulties associated with poor visualization of the stenosis or of the urethral lumen may increase procedural time and substantially increase the failure rates of internal urethrotomy. In this report we describe a technique for urethral catheterization via a suprapubic, percutaneous approach through the urinary bladder. Case Report A 35-year-old male patient, presented to our urology department with a severe (> 5 cm), tortuous stricture of the penile urethra, previously diagnosed by descending cystourethrogram (Figure 1). A suprapubic catheter was in place. Technique The urinary bladder was filled with 300 millilitres of diluted iodinated contrast (contrast/normal saline: 1/3) via the suprapubic catheter. A 0035†, J-tip standard angiographic guidewire was inserted into the urinary bladder through the suprapubic catheter. The latter was removed and exchanged with a short (11 cm), 5-French angiographic sheath. The angiographic guidewire was subsequently withdrawn and a Cobra-1 angiographic catheter (5 Fr, 65 cm) loaded with a 0035, hydrophilic, J-tip guide-wire was inserted into the bladder. Under fluoroscopy, the catheter-guidewire combination was guided towards the internal urethral orifice and urethra was catheterized. The hydrophilic guidewire was used to negotiate the stricture and was finally advanced through the external urethral orifice (Figure 2). The angiographic catheter was subsequently advanced through the stenosis, over the guidewire (Figure 3). The hub of the catheter was cut off and the vascular sheath was removed. The posteri or part of the catheter is stabilized on the abdominal wall with a suture. The patient was then taken to the operating room and placed in lithotomy position, under spinal anaesthesia. By keeping the angiographic catheter stretched, the rigid urethrotome was inserted in the urethra (Figure 4) and directed to the face of the stricture. The blade at the tip of the instrument was deployed using a trigger mechanism to cut the stricture at the 12 o clock location along the entire length of the stenosis. Upon completion of the internal incision, the instrument was withdrawn and a Foley catheter was inserted through the repaired stricture and into the urinary bladder. Results Antegrade catheterization of the urethral stricture and subsequent treatment of the stricture by using the angiographic catheter as a guide for the urethrotome proved feasible. No urethral injury, false passage or development of fistula were observed. The fluoroscopically guided antegrade catheterization of the stricture lasted 11 minutes. The patient remains free of recurrence 7 months post-operation. Discussion Internal urethrotomy has advantages of ease, simplicity, speed and short convalescence. However, success rates vary and long term results are generally low. In the short-term (less than 6 months), success rates are 70 to 80 percent. After one year, however, recurrence rates approach 50 to 60 percent and by five years, recurrence falls in the range of 74 to 86 percent(4). Although different studies have proposed different etiologies as poor responders to optical internal urethrotomy, technical and anatomical factors such as reduced visibility during the operation and stricture length are uniformly recognised as predictors of recurrence . Other factors associated with treatment failure are the perioperative urinary infection, the presence of periurethral fibrosis (spongiofibrosis) and stricture etiology(5). In cases of severe urethral stenosis or excessive urethral tortuosity the actual site of the stricture may not be visible at all4. Intraprocedural bleeding, presence of blood clots, inflammatory or injured tissues add extra difficulty in localization of the stenosis and in safe advancement of the urethrotome. Retrograde instillation of methylene blue through the suprapubic catheter and/or antegrade advancement forwarding of an ureteral stent are usually used in order to visualise narrowed urethral lumen, or to guide the urethrotome through a tortuous urethra respectively. However both manoeuvres are of questionable effectiveness. In several cases the procedure is concluded in two sessions; in other cases a scar appears after urethrotomy (probably as a result of a false route of the urethrotome) and this causes a new stricture. The above may explain surgical success rates as low as 20% . To overcome these problems, we devised a technique which is based on percutaneous, trans-cystic catheterization of the urethra. The technique requires low-cost, widely available materials of interventional radiology and a fluoroscopy unit. The procedure is brief, well-tolerated and requires no anesthesia. Our initial experience showed that even a long and severe stenosis could be negotiated with rotational and gentle probing movements of the hydrophilic guidewire. Of note, we preferred to utilize the angiographic catheter instead of the guidewire as a guide for the urethrotome; compared to the guidewire, the angiographic catheter proved more stable, more efficient for straightening of the urethra and more easily visible endoscopically. References 1. Tritschler S, Roosen A, Fà ¼llhase C, Stief CG, Rà ¼bben H. Urethral stricture: etiology, investigation and treatments. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2013;110:220-6 2. Wani BN, Jajoo SN, Bhole AM. Outcome of urethral strictures managed by general surgeons in a rural setting of India. Indian J Surg. 2011;73:336-40. 3. Kreder KJ, Stack R, Thrasher JB, Donatucci CF. Direct vision internal urethrotomy using topical anesthesia. Urology. 1993;42:548-50. 4. Jordan GH, Schlossberg SM, Devine CJ. Surgery of the penis and urethra. In: Walsh PC, Vaughan ED, Retik AB, Wein AJ, editors. Campbells Urology. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1998. pp. 3316–3394. 5. Wong SS, Aboumarzouk OM, Narahari R, ORiordan A, Pickard R. Simple urethral dilatation, endoscopic urethrotomy, and urethroplasty for urethral stricture disease in adult men. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;12:CD006934. Legends Figure 1 Descending cystourethrogram showing severe stenosis of the penile urethra (arrow). Figure 2 Demonstration of the technique after the replacement of the suprapubic catheter with the angiographic sheath (arrow). The angiographic catheter (dotted arrow) and the guidewire (arrowhead) have been inserted through the angiographic sheath into the bladder. The guidewire has negotiated the stenosis and has been externalized through the external urethral orifice. Figure 3 The angiographic catheter (dotted arrow) has been advanced across the stenosis over the guidewire. Figure 4 Endoscopic view of the angiographic catheter which served as a guide for the urethrotome.

architecture :: essays research papers

1. Introduction. Northlands rapidly increasing growth in population over the last few years has put huge pressure on the building industry. Many of the building companies and businesses simply cannot find enough staff in order to meet the demand from the ever increasing client base the region is seeing. Due to this, the demand for civil engineers in Northland is very high thus there are a large number of small privately owned companies set up in the area. Richardson Stevens Consultants Ltd. is a privately owned company which is run by three directors. They specialise in structural engineering and their main cliental are a number of home building franchises. They employ structural engineers who have studied civil engineering at university and also draftsmen. Working as an engineer for such a company gives the employee a whole understanding of how the company is run and managed, how problems are dealt with and the rewards of finishing major assignments on time and to a professional standard. 2. Company Structure / Products and Services Richardson Stevens Consultants Ltd. (RSC) was founded in 1997, originally they had one director and employed three structural engineers and a draftsman. It now employs nine engineers, three draftsmen, two secretaries and is run by three directors. The company is based in Whangarei and their work comes from throughout the Northland region. 2.1 Products and Services The majority of the work that RSC perform is structural engineering, however they also do a small amount of geotechnical engineering. As there is no specialist geotech engineer in the office, they have to hand on a lot of their work to offices such as Tonkin Taylor who do have geotechnical engineers. The company does a lot of domestic work for home building franchises such as GJ Gardener homes and Golden homes. Typically this would involve a site investigation first to determine the ground conditions and then make calculations based on these conditions as to what foundations are required. The housing companies all have plans pre-drawn and they sell these to the client. However the clients always want to change something around a bit, so before the housing company can go ahead and build, they come to RSC who do structural calculations in order to determine if the change is ok. RSC also do a lot of work with subdivisions. These involve the civil engineers in the office rather than the structural engineers. Before building consent can be granted to a sub-divider, RSC has to design the roading, sewer, storm-water and the surface drainage.

The Happiness of Others :: Happiness Essays

Written by Dr. Sam Vaknin Is there any necessary connection between our actions and the happiness of others? Disregarding for a moment the murkiness of the definitions of "actions" in philosophical literature - two types of answers were hitherto provided. Sentient Beings (referred to, in this essay, as "Humans" or "persons") seem either to limit each other - or to enhance each other's actions. Mutual limitation is, for instance, evident in game theory. It deals with decision outcomes when all the rational "players" are fully aware of both the outcomes of their actions and of what they prefer these outcomes to be. They are also fully informed about the other players: they know that they are rational, too, for instance. This, of course, is a very farfetched idealization. A state of unbounded information is nowhere and never to be found. Still, in most cases, the players settle down to one of the Nash equilibria solutions. Their actions are constrained by the existence of the others. The "Hidden Hand" of Adam Smith (which, among other things, benignly and optimally regulates the market and the price mechanisms) - is also a "mutually limiting" model. Numerous single participants strive to maximize their (economic and financial) outcomes - and end up merely optimizing them. The reason lies in the existence of others within the "market". Again, they are constrained by other people’s motivations, priorities ands, above all, actions. All the consequentialist theories of ethics deal with mutual enhancement. This is especially true of the Utilitarian variety. Acts (whether judged individually or in conformity to a set of rules) are moral, if their outcome increases utility (also known as happiness or pleasure). They are morally obligatory if they maximize utility and no alternative course of action can do so. Other versions talk about an "increase" in utility rather than its maximization. Still, the principle is simple: for an act to be judged "moral, ethical, virtuous, or good" - it must influence others in a way which will "enhance" and increase their happiness. The flaws in all the above answers are evident and have been explored at length in the literature. The assumptions are dubious (fully informed participants, rationality in decision making and in prioritizing the outcomes, etc.). All the answers are instrumental and quantitative: they strive to offer a moral measuring rod. An "increase" entails the measurement of two states: before and after the act. Moreover, it demands full knowledge of the world and a type of knowledge so intimate, so private - that it is not even sure that the players themselves have conscious access to it.

Essay --

1. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON THE SYSTEM This project is to develop a web-based service application for The Malaysian Association of Practicing Opticians (MAPO) with database system. The project is focused to solve client problem, generally to convert the file-based system into a web-based service with database. Title of this system is â€Å"MAPO Membership Loyalty System† that performed as web-based application, allows the organization to manage their clients and solve other matter arise. 1.1 COMPANY BACKGROUND The Malaysian Association of Practicing Opticians (MAPO) is the professional body that represents optometrists in Malaysia. Optometrists are graduates with at least a Bachelor of Optometry degree from a recognized university. Some optometrists also possess other entry-level qualifications such as the professional masters and doctoral degrees in optometry. Optometrists are the primary eye care professionals who provide comprehensive eye examination and vision care services which include: prescription of glasses and contact lenses, rehabilitation of the visual system in lazy eyes and in cases of binocular vision difficulties, and the detection of common eye diseases. MAPO was born in 1985 and this year they are celebrating its 28th Successful Year. The association has been greatly active throughout these years, organizing fairs and educations to help their members upgrading their knowledge, hence provide a better service in the market. Consists of a large group of professionals, the association was formed with the following objectives: 1. To raise or improve the standard of practice in order to project an image of professionalism. 2. To protect the overall interest of MAPO members. 3. Strive to provide the best primary eyecare to t... ...on each request are imposed to fully dependence to the application service / server as its responsibility. This is to ensure that there are no sniffing to potentially leaked data management to the very complex details such variable names, row / column / tuple name of database and even exposed unsecure port. However, as using three tier client server architecture with asp.net services, too much security might overly restrict the end user thus denying the actual service that should be able available for them. Developer could be blamed if this matter are arise especially during their essential works. Thus using unique cached ID together with RBAC trained services and sessions, it’s like digging a secured tunnel for the respective user for them to work without any interruption as every path are measured and assigned with the suitable permission and access validation.

Artificial Intelligence, Are the Machines Taking over Essay

While a machine is just a machine made of metal, plastic, silicone and computer chips, it is only as smart as the human that programmed it right? The strides made thus far are only be the beginning of the huge impact and achievements of the computer revolution , and technological advances are creating machines, usually computers that are able to make seemingly intelligent decisions, or act as if possessing intelligence of a human scale. It is only a matter of time before we live in a world of robots that serve humans as portrayed in the 20th Century Fox movie â€Å"I Robot†, because researchers are creating systems which can mimic human thought, understand speech and even play games with us. As our minds evolve, so does our imagination and the creations we come up with. Artificial intelligence may have been first imagined as an attempt at replicating our own intelligence, but the possibilities of achieving true artificial intelligence is closer than any of us have imagined. Computers, when first invented were fast at computing data, but now they communicate and calculate data much faster than most human beings, but still have difficult fulfilling certain functions such as pattern recognition. Today, research in artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, and many people feel threatened by the possibility of a robot taking over their job, leaving human beings without work. When computers were first developed in the 1950’s, the hype about how machines could think like human beings took the scientific world by storm, but the truth of the matter was that computers were very slow, and not capable of what inventors thought they could be. A few years later, an IBM computer defeated world chess champion Gary Kasparov at a game of chess and the hype was reborn. People immediately believed that computers would take over the world and robots would be here to stay. When thinking of Artificial  Intelligence (AI), we have to look at what is considered both strong AI and weak AI. Strong AI makes the bold claim that computers can be made to think on a level at least equal to humans; that they are capable of cognitive mental states. This is the kind of AI that is portrayed in movies like â€Å"I Robot†. What this means is that the computer thinks and reasons like a human being. This then becomes the human-like AI. Also a form of strong AI is the non-human like AI in which computer program develops a totally non-human sentience, and a non-human way of thinking and reasoning. Weak AI simply states that some â€Å"thinking-like† features can be added to computers to make them more useful tools; that machines can simulate human cognition, in other words act as if they are intelligent. This has already started to happen, for example, speech recognition software. Much of the focus during the development of AI research draws from an experimental approach to psychology, looking at things such as mood and personality and emphasizes what may be called linguistic intelligence. In an article from the University of Zurich titled â€Å"Experimental Standards in Research on AI and Humor when Considering Psychology† Laughter is a significant feature of human communication, and machines acting in roles like companions or tutors should not be blind to it. So far, the progress has been limited that allows computer-based applications to deal with laughter and its recognition in the human user. In consequence, only few interactive multimodal systems exist that utilizes laughter in interaction† (Platt et Al 2012). Laughter is partly a contribution to moods in human beings and in research this is just one element that is being attempted to be recreated in AI. â€Å"Understanding the psychological impact of the interface between computer and human allows for the evaluation of the AI’s success† (Platt et Al 2012). Linguistic intelligence is best explained or shown in the Turing test. Named for Alan Turing who in 1937, being one of the â€Å"first people to consider the philosophical implications of intelligent machines† (Bowles 2010), the Turning test was designed to â€Å"prove whether or not a computer was intelligent† (Bowles 2010). The test consisted of a judge having a conversation with both a person and a computer, both hidden behind curtains to determine the difference between the person and the computer. If the determination could not be made then the computer was considered to be intelligent. â€Å"The Turing Test became a founding concept in the philosophy of artificial intelligence â€Å"(Bowles 2010). AI development also draws information and theories from animal studies, specifically with insects. By studying insects, it has been shown that insect movements are easier to emulate with robots that those movements of humans. It has also been argued that animals, also simpler than humans should be easy to mimic as well, however insect study has proven to be more productive. Practical applications of such computers with artificial intelligence could really be endless in the world. One such application was presented in 1997 with the creation of Deep Blue a chess playing computer by IBM. In that same year, â€Å"Deep Blue was able to beat Garry Kasparov, the world’s highest ranking chess player, in a series of six matches† (Bowles 2010). Deep Blue was a highly powerful computer that was programmed to solve the complex, strategic game of chess. But IBM’s goal behind Deep Blue was a much grander challenge. Other applications include optical character recognition such as that in a license plate reader that is used on police cars. License Plate Reading (LPR) Technology uses specialized cameras and computers to quickly capture large numbers of photographs of license plates, convert them to text and compare them quickly to a large list of plates of interest. LPR systems can identify a target plate within seconds of contact with it, allowing law enforcement to identify target vehicles that might otherwise be overlooked. This technology is not only used for locating violators of registration and licensing laws but also for the use of Amber Alerts when children are abducted and the vehicle plate that the perpetrator is operating is known. Another widely known practical application that many people of the world know and use is speech recognition such as â€Å"siri† of the Apple IPhone fame. This type of software is designed to learn how the operator speaks and from listening to a sample of the operator’s voice can determine whether to call â€Å"home† or â€Å"work† just by saying the command. Despite the conflicting opinions on the whether human beings will be successful in creating an artificial intelligence, the possibility is very real and must be considered from both ethical and philosophical perspectives. Substantial thought must be given not only to if human beings can create an AI, but if they should create an AI. Certainly we have crossed over the question of â€Å"if we should create AI† and in some forms it does exist today. Isaac Asimov wrote, in his book â€Å"I Robot† in 1923 the â€Å"Three Rules of Robotics† which are as follows: â€Å"1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws† (Bowles 2010). The legal and ethical dimensions of AI are strongly linked. Scientists and researchers argue that ethical considerations, such as making sure AI is programmed to act in an ethical way, making sure the ethics of people who design and use AI technology are sound, and ensuring people treat AI agents (robots) in an ethical manner are increasingly being seen in terms of legal responsibilities. If self-aware AI agents do indeed become more ubiquitous in the future, legal theory provides the framework for considering responsibility and agency. There are those who argue that these agents will need to have legal rights, the more they become advanced. Questions are being asked such as, should AI agents be given partial responsibility for their actions? Another consideration is how responsibility is transferred between humans and AI agents. This thought process consists of us considering how to prevent humans from unjustly attributing responsibility for their actions onto AI agents or deciding whether to charge an AI agent’s programmer or owner with negligence if an AI agent causes damage or breaks the law. Most of us have seen the movie, â€Å"I Robot† from 20th Century Fox. The lead robot in the movie â€Å"Sonny† was designed to look and move like a human. Will Smith’s character even asks then question â€Å"why do you give them faces†. There have already been great strides in producing a computer that is faster than the human brain and for that matter much more accurate as well. There are robots that exist today, not that they could walk down the street and not be noticed or pointed out as a robot because of their movements, but they do exist and they do function based on their programming. In conclusion, we are seeing more and more technology that is making our lives easier. From our cell phone assistants such as â€Å"Siri†, to our Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAV’s) that are not only saving pilots but also saving the need to put boots on the ground. These machines or agents are just that, machines right? They are made of metal, plastic, silicone and computer chips. If I tell a UAV to turn left it will listen, right? I don’t believe that the machines are taking over just yet, but with computers such as â€Å"Deep Blue† being the founding father of AI, and human curiosity to see if true AI can be created the possibility exists.