ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Research on the ways technology impacts human lives, surprisingly for many, is not a 21st-century invention. Even in the 1980s, it was already clear that technological advances are gaining faster pace daily, and that adaptation is the only way to deal with all the sudden changes and to not get left out. Even though the impact of new technologies was recognized, it was only recently that it became transparent that those had a tremendous impact on new generations and intergenerational communication. Hence, social relations became the main focus of the analysis of technological impact. As youth is the social group, mostly affected by technological shifts, it is also them who quickly adapt to the results of those shifts. Antonucci, Ajrouch, and Manalel (2017), in their work “Social Relations and Technology: Continuity, Context, and Change,” are very clear about the fact that technology changed the nature of social interaction itself. Many new methods of communication appeared, transforming human relations tremendously, and directly affecting social experiences and well-being in general. Facebook, Snapchat, or Skype appear to be means of the same communication processes. Still, the truth is that those shape new rules of interaction and sets of values, and, consequently, new communication systems. However, there are many benefits brought around by technology the society enjoys. For instance, increased mobility led to the establishment of more complex family structures and intergenerational ties, that are maintained through technological advances (Antonucci et al., 2017). So, people, in general, are less attached to each other geographically, and the importance of remaining close to the family in order to remain contact diminished. The increased longevity of life spans provides more opportunities for older adults “to build relationships with younger generations,” contributing to the reduction of the generation gap (Antonucci et al., 2017, para. 15). Though social relations experiences are different, depending on age, status, and relationship type, the benefits of introducing technology are clear. While sometimes technology helps build up ties, it does often degrade the quality of human interactions. As Antonucci et al. (2017) state, it is widespread that “more technologically proficient may feel frustrated with friends and relatives who struggle to communicate with newer technologies” (para. 18). Thus, it is also true that technology contributes to the expansion of the generation gap and the erosion of human relations. Moreover, these experiences are shared by most people, as online communication is gradually replacing personal communication, and it is becoming more challenging to maintain a balance between these two types of interaction. The erosion of social relations and the fact that people can use technology to build connections or destroy them is not the only problem that has arisen with it becoming an integral part of human life. Many tra
Scriptural hermeneutics refers to the art of science of scriptural study and interpretation. It is specifically necessary where a certain concept is not obviously clear. Therefore, there is a possibility of ambiguity in the interpretation as one seeks to understand its meaning. This case often arises when a several authors of biblical scriptures discuss a certain concept, but their explanation of it appears to conflict with that of other authors (Ricoeur 56). For instance, in the New Testament, the gospels’ account of Christ’s life and teachings can be contradictory, with Mark’s Gospel being the most nonconforming. As a result, such matters and multiple interpretations to similar scriptures result, confusing many Christians in the process. Scriptural hermeneutics offers a solution to these paradoxical accounts, as it clarifies the inferred meaning through a general study of all scriptures that address a certain issue and by integrating the scriptural inferences that relate to the matter at hand to give it context. Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005) specialized in philosophy and of relevance to this paper are his thoughts on the effect of the past on the present. He posits that society, or one’s surroundings and historical time largely influence human actions and discourse, or language. This means for instance that whatever the ancient authors of the bible wrote borrowed a lot from their day and age, as well as their relations with their respective environments. Ricoeur also points out how one requires a comprehensive understanding of self, first to be in a position of making a correct interpretation of any records. Such an understanding prevents him / her from the text in light of what he/she believes in (Villaverde 481). Instead, he/she is able to interpret independently of inherent beliefs, attitudes and values, which is the correct interpretation required. Modern readers face a multiplicity of resources that recount the past. It is thus challenging to harmonize the differences represented in these different accounts and glean the true position that their authors wished to portray (Doran 9). Hermeneutics and Ricoeur’s thought process provides a way of doing just that without the bias or prejudicial attitudes that are bound to influence readers. Examples of differing authors are Paul Lonergan and St. Thomas Aquinas whose works contradicted though similar in some aspects. Both Lonergan and Aquinas speak of a natural desire within every rational human being to gain an understanding of matters or concepts that are only comprehensible when in the presence of God (Lonergan 56). However, whereas both theologians attempt to explain the nature of God’s understanding, Thomas Aquinas in, “Summa Theologia” approaches this issue with his starting principle as pure actuality, while Lonergan in trying to simplify this concept by incorporating the human way of understanding concepts uses ‘unrestricted infinity’ to explain divine understanding. Lonergan expresses this concept is in his publication, “The Triune God”. Secondly, Lonergan believes that an analogical understanding of God’s nature as a man that is su
Twentieth-century Europe underwent a series of significant events that were bound to alter the continent. Hence, on the eve of the millennium, Europe was quite different from what it had looked like at the beginning of the 20 th century. Numerous wars, revolutions, changes in political and economic spheres – these and other circumstances were decisive factors for many nations’ future. The end of the century was marked by more positive happenings, such as the collapse of the communist regime and gaining of independence by many countries. However, it is crucial to view these occurrences through the prism of the century’s start. Generally, historians tend to take sides when talking about the level of importance of 1900s-1990s events. As Paxton and Hessler note, the “incommensurability of the century’s two halves” is the main obstacle to interpreting the 20 th -century Europe in unity. 1 Between 1914 and 1945, Europeans participated in two of the cruelest wars in the world’s history. Also, they had to survive the cases of political extremism and economic volatility. Furthermore, the German nation initiated a systematic genocide of the Jewish people. All of these aspects were bound to undermine the stability of the countries situated in Europe. Meanwhile, the second part of the century was quite different. Europeans were forced to give up dominance in world affairs. However, at the same time, they were able to set up the grounds for economic growth, democracy, social welfare, and peaceful relationships with neighbors. 2 While the events of the two parts of the century were disparate, it is not possible to view them separately since there was a causative-consecutive relation between them. The most prominent characteristics at the 20 th century’s start were militarism, imperialism, and nationalism. The first and second World Wars involved the majority of European countries, which led to considerable financial and human losses. The aftermath of World War I was the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919. 3 After the Paris Peace Settlement, where the treaty was endorsed, the military and imperialistic ideas of several European countries became considerably limited. As a result, nationalistic ideas of such states as Italy, Germany, and some others emerged. These views evolved into fascism, which became the predecessor of World War II. Further, the aftermath of this war caused major misunderstanding between the opposite fighting parties, and the Cold War broke out between the Soviet Union and the USA, involving their allies. Since the development of contemporary European institutions was influenced by the events happening throughout the 20 th century to a great extent, it is necessary to analyze the aftermath of the Cold War keeping this fact in mind. One of the prominent occurrences of the late 1980s–early 1990s was the striving for unity and cultural expansion among European states. First of all. It is relevant to note that these events became possible due to the dissolution of the Soviet U
Executive Summary Project Oxygen was labeled a success after recording significant improvements in the scores and performance of low-scoring managers. However, concerns were raised regarding the impact and real value of the Oxygen 8 initiative. Doubters expressed concern as to the realistic impact of the project. Many wondered if the results were short term improvements in the overall performance of the managers involved in the testing and training process. Nevertheless, after considering Google’s culture and the result of a People Ops study regarding the type of workers that performed well under Google’s work environment, it was discovered that Google employees thrive in an open and collaborative atmosphere (Cross, Rebele, & Grant, 2016). Thus, the managers fared well not because of the imposition of a “rewards and punishment” mechanism (Ganta, 2014). However, it is important to verify the outcome of the project by applying statistical measures to the correlation between high-scoring managers and parameters like retention, job satisfaction, and team performance. It is also imperative to test the sustainability of the project through a two-year data collection and testing process in order to determine if the members of the target group aspire to become better managers. This rigorous data collection process must examine the motivation behind certain behavior patterns and figure out if the actions were influenced by a perceived threat of punishment. Nevertheless, there was enough evidence supporting the creation of an effective training program for the development of exceptional and “truly amazing managers.” At the turn of the 21 st century, Google executives had the foresight to collect job related data in the hopes of improving the business operations of the relatively new company. Surveys were made and feedback loops were created in order to generate relevant data. Prasad Setty, the vice-president for people analytics and compensation, recalled a critical point in the company’s history. Looking back at the process, he revealed that one of the top recurring questions was framed to find out the
The Blind Man’s Meal is a 1901 painting by Pablo Picasso, which can be found in the online museums and other public museums in the nation. The painting shows a lonely man, in a solitary room with no one else to keep him company. The painting is set in a corner with nothing else in the room except the man and his meal. This meal includes a piece of bread, a bowl and a jug. The man is holding one piece of bread with his left hand stretching out to grasp something to drink. The most notable artistic technique used in the painting is the use of color, which is used a symbol of solitude. Color is also used to show different components of the artwork. Particularly, blue color is used as a symbol of sadness and solitude. This dull color is combined with the black color, which is also dull in order to reinforce the main theme of solitude. Light color is used in contrast with the black color to show important parts in the picture. For example, it is used to show the blind man’s face and hands. White color is also used to bring awareness of the white piece of cloth on the table. Brown color is used on the bread and on the jar of wine at the left hand side of the man. Color shading is also used on the painting for various purposes. For example, the title denotes that the individual is blind. To confirm this, a dark shadow is used on the blind man’s eye. Another technique used by the artist is the use of lines where lines make the blind man’s arms to be long, which is similar to his fingers that are also long. It is clear from the use of line that the man would be tall if he were standing. In the background, the artist use lines to show the sadness in this room. The artist also uses line to show that there is only one table in the room. The other property used by the artist is texture, which is used on the blind man’s arms, neck and his clothing. It is also used on the table, the piece of bread, the jar of wine and on the wall to give the painting some form of beauty. The piece of cloth on the table seems to be of different texture from the texture of everything else in the room. The artist also uses space in this painting to show how different things including the man are situated. Empty space is used to show the feeling of emptiness. In addition, the artist uses little or no repetition where unity and balance is seen to create some form of unity. This helps in bringing out the aesthetic beauty of this picture. One notable thing is that the painting represents not only a blind man, but a lonely and desperate individual. In conclusion, The Blind Man’s Meal is a painting of a solitary man in the corner of an almost dark room. The artist uses various artistry methods such as line, color, texture and space to bring out the theme of solitude in this picture. However, color seems to play a huge role in this picture since it is the dominant feature.
Zara is one of the internationally operating manufacturers and retailers of clothing and accessories. It has several lines of apparel. Nevertheless, because the primary group of products is clothing, special attention will be paid to developing the process flow map of these commodities. To begin with, it is essential to understand the steps of the manufacturing and distribution process, developed by Zara. The initial stage of the manufacturing process is the design of clothing and the choice of needed garments. The next step is contacting raw materials suppliers with the aim of ordering needed textiles. Another phase is delivering fabrics to manufacturing facilities and the manufacturing process itself. Manufacturing facilities are located in Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam (Hansen 2012). They are automated, which makes the process more cost-effective and faster (Petro 2012). Here, it is critical to mention that all clothing is delivered to the central distribution department in Spain and processed there. After the goods are processed and inspected, the next step of the whole process is the distribution of ready-to-wear apparel to stores around the globe. In most cases, delivery of manufactured goods to the stores takes around ten to fifteen days. In this case, it is essential to note that finished goods are delivered to stores two times a week (Sowray 2015). More than that, each store has an option of contacting manufacturers directly and ordering necessary design series. Finally, goods are sold either online or in stores. It is as well imperative to note that shipping services are available. For the better understanding of the process flow, see Figures 1 and 2 below. Figure 1. Zara’s process flow map Figure 2. Simplified Zara’s process flow map Based on the process flow chart and the description of the manufacturing and distribution processes provided above, it is evident that regardless of the relatively high effectiveness of the process, there are still ways to improve it. For instance, opening distribution centers around the globe would decrease transportation costs and reduce time necessary for the delivery of finished goods to the stores. It might be especially critical in the case of manufacturing goods in Asian countries, which are distant from Spain. Opening distribution centers in nearby countries (Turkey, Morocco, and Portugal) might not be cost-effective. However, doing it in Asian countries is advisable. In this way, distribution center in Spain should remain the major decision-making body, specializing in designing new collections and making orders for garments. However, the further process should be changed: Asian manufacturers are recommended to cooperate with Asian distribution centers, while European manufacturers should continue working with the distribution center located in Spain. Moreover, Asian distribution centers should dispatch clothing to Asian stores, while Spanish distributor should focus on the nearby stores. Modified process flow map is provided below (see
The growth of towns had a particular influence on all domains of medieval life: economic, politic, religious, etc. The three discussed documents all focus on the relationships between religion and money, i.e. how individuals directly linked to Christianity (monks, pilgrims, hermits, for example) perceived money and engaged it in their everyday life. St. Francis and Thomas Aquinas have very different views on money and their role in the life of “the brothers”. According to St. Francis, “the brothers [are forbidden] to receive money in any form either directly or through an intermediary” (1). With the rise of the market economy in the medieval towns, the church had to provide its own regulations with money and the new form of economics. The followers of St. Francis called the Franciscans sought “voluntary poverty”; they rejected all belongings and wealth and became traveling preachers (Caraher). The emergence of such a “brotherhood” was only possible due to the new economics of medieval towns. Unlike St. Francis, Thomas Aquinas does not see lending as sinful (14). Considering that lending was one of the most widespread forms of monetary loans during the medieval times, it is clear why Thomas Aquinas defends usury. Furthermore, he also quotes both the Bible and the civil law to express his point of view: “Now civil law allows usury to be taken. Therefore it seems to be lawful” (Aquinas 14). A somewhat similar approach to what St. Francis preached appears in the third document, where Reginald of Durham describes the life of St. Godric. Godric was a merchant who “made great profit in all his bargains, and gathered much wealth in the sweat of his brow” (Reginald of Durham 9). However, like St. Francis, Godric eventually gave up all his possessions and “took the cross as a pilgrim to Jerusalem” (Reginald of Durham 10). Thus, Godric also became a pilgrim and a hermit because he believed that earthly belongings and Christianity could not be combined, and the spirit could only be clean when it abandoned everything one earned. According to Cone, in the Medieval society, those who had the power would “force [those who do not] to pay for all kinds of goods, institutions and developments” (9). As it can be seen, the Christian monks and pilgrims who abandoned their previous life and everything they had did not correspond with the existing hierarchy of power in the medieval society. Of course, each of the members had the chance to abandon his or her status for a while (during holiday festivals), but it was only temporary (Cone 117). The Franciscan order and St. Godric significantly transformed the scheme, whereby they were not applicable to any of the existing statuses since they were able to trespass the line between the two statuses: a wealthy individual and an ascetic hermit. I agree with student A that it was a break in the traditional societal structure. This bre
Rolling Stones were in the shadow of the Beatles from the very beginning, and this fact disturbed them a lot. On the other hand, most of the fame went to the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones constantly felt their superiority. To be different, they tried to become the anti-Beatles. The legendary Beatles were a pioneer of hard rock: the musical influence of the song Helter Skelter led to the emergence of heavy metal (Covach and Bell 28). The influence of The Rolling Stones on the formation and development of rock music cannot be overestimated. It was significant not only in music, like the Beatles but also in artistic and visual, image and mass media terms. In songwriting development, the Rolling Stones tried hard to keep up with their competitors, but it was not easy, and they seemed to be one step behind. A lot of what they did was a reaction to what the Beatles had already done. For example, when a sitar began to sound in the Beatles’ composition, it immediately appeared in the Rolling Stones. The Beatles, with their working-class origins in provincial Liverpool, sought to maintain an elegant image (Covach and Bell 28). They dressed in decent suits, cut their hair neatly and short, and communicated politely with everyone. The Rolling Stones did the opposite: they wore black leather clothes and looked and behaved provocatively. In 1964, when The Beatles first came to the US, it was called the British invasion (Covach and Bell 28). The Beatles took all five first places in the Billboard singles chart at once and became the only ones who were able to set such a record (Covach and Bell 28). The Rolling Stones also achieved success in the US, mainly through shocking exposure, but they did not shake the Beatles’ position. Many of the rock bands of the 60s, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, are seen as irreconcilable rivals. The reasons to think so are quite weighty: they played different music and had different images. However, both groups have influenced music around the world and have become one of the most recognizable – this is their main similarity. Work Cited Covach, John, and Andy Flory. What’s That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History . W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.