Chapter 7 - TFY

Evaluation

Evaluations make judgments about worth on the basis of standards that may be conscious or unconscious. It can help us react quickly to situation where our survival is a stake. Evaluations are not facts. Factual reports keep the distinction between facts and evaluations clear. Connotative words convey evaluations that can be used to sway our opinions. When we think critically, we recognize how these connotations affect our feelings so that we can choose or not choose to accept the opinions they contain.
Discovery Exercises - Evaluations: What's Judged?
Judge - determine the result of (a competition), a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice.
Appraise - to estimate the value of real estate.

Estimate - an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth; "an estimate of what it would cost"; "a rough idea how long it would take".
Value - a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed; the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable.
Evaluate - In this final stage of multimedia development, the focus is on evaluating the presentations effectiveness in light of its purpose and the assessment context.

CRCB - chapter 7

Chapter 7 is about Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas

In order to fully understand a reading assignment, you need to read the material and combine what is stated with the additional information you generate using inference as tool. While inference is a skill you practice every day, inferring meaning from textbooks and other college reading material requires you to use specific strategies such as detecting an author’s bias, nothing comparisons, and recognizing information gaps.

Chapter 6 - TFY

Opinion can be substantiated or not. They can be based either on reason or solely on whim, feeling, emotions, or prejudice. It should be not confuse with facts. Critical thinking requires that we recognize the difference between responsible and irresponsible opinion.

Quiz Opinions: What's Believed?


1. Expert opinion calculates the risk involved in spacing the gap between the known and the unknown for a particular situation. True

2. Giving advice is not a way of offering an opinion. False

3. The result of public opinion polls are equivalent to votes in elections.
False

4. Opinions in the forms of judgments state what is right and wrong, bed and good.
True

5. Some opinion are based on generalizations, such as stereotype, as in the statement " All Chinese look alike."
True

6. Responsible opinions are based on a careful examination of the evidence.
False

7. Opinion are the same as facts.
False

8. Gossip is opinion sharing without any requirement for substantiation.
True

9. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion because all opinion carry equal value. 
False

10. Prevailing sentiment refers to popular opinion that changes with the times.True

CRCB - chapter 6

Summary

Chapter 6 is about Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas

In order to understand a paragraph, you need to be able to pinpoint the topic and locate the main idea. The main idea is the "key concept" being expressed. Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many. Locating the topic, main idea, and supporting details helps you understand the point(s) the writer is attempting to express. Identifying the relationship between these will increase your comprehension.

Chapter 5 - TFY

Assumption

An assumption is something we take for granted, something we accept prematurely as being true, something we don’t check out carefully.It can be conscious or unconscious, warranted or unwarranted. Unconscious and unwarranted assumptions can lead to faulty reasoning, whereas conscious and warranted assumptions can be useful tools for problem solving.Another form of hidden assumption, where we try to fit new experience into old or prejudiced categories is the stereotype assumption.

Discovery Exercise
Assumptions: What's Taken for Granted?
 What Is an Assumption?

Assumptions-premise: a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn; "on the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not to play"; a hypothesis that is taken for granted; "any society is built upon certain assumptions" the act of taking possession of or power over something; "his assumption of office coincided with the trouble in Cuba"; "the Nazi assumption of power in 1934"; "he acquired all the company's assets for ten million dollars and the assumption of the company's debts"


CRCB - chapter 5

SUMMARY

Chapter 5 is about Locating Stated Main Ideas Being able to determine the main idea is like having the answer to a puzzle. In order to achieve this, you must first be able to tell the difference between the general topic and the more specific ones. A topic is the most general idea while a main idea is more specific in covering the idea of the piece of writing, such as food being a topic and fish being a main idea. Details are most specific and their job is to explain the main idea.Four things that help you accomplish this are question yourself (what is the meaning of what you’re reading?), locating clue words, searching in the usual places, and categorizing an author’s points. Doing these will help you find the main ideas more efficiently so the relationships between the topic, main idea, and details are more clear. Some main ideas are incredibly obvious, while others are more implied and need time to seek

Chapter 4 - TFY

Why we use Inference?

Inference: Is the act or process of deriving a conclusion based solving on what one already knows.Facts and inferences are linked together through generalizations. You will understand how observation helps determine facts imagination and reasoning to link the fact with explanation and how generalization ties all this information together into meaningful whole. Inference also can be use in addition as a strategy in planning and choosing alternative when it comes to solving problems.

TfY Chapter 4 Discovery Exercise

Inferences: What Follows?
Reasoning- act of using reason to derive a conclusion from certain premises.

There are two main methods to reach a conclusion. One is deductive reasoning, in which given true premises, the conclusion must follow (the conclusion cannot be false). This sort of reasoning is non-ampliative - it does not increase one's knowledge base, since the conclusion is self-contained in the premises. A classical example of deductive reasoning are syllogism.

Conclusion- decision: a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration; "a decision unfavorable to the opposition"; "his conclusion took the evidence into account"; "satisfied with the panel's determination"; an intuitive assumption; "jump to a conclusion".

Guess- think: expect, believe, or suppose; put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation.


Explanation- a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.


Imagine - form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case.

Infer -deduce: reason by deduction; establish by deduction.


Inference - the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation.


Interpret - make sense of; assign a meaning to; "What message do you see in this letter?"; "How do you interpret his behavior?"

CRCB - chapter 4

Summary Chapter 4- Critical Thinking for College and Beyond

Chapter 4 is about Managing Your Reading Time
When reading it’s more important to understand the material than to skim or attempt to read as fast as you can. There are several steps to better manage your reading time. First, develop a schedule that shows the times you study and the length it is better to choose times when you are more alert and have the length of study using your reading average for each different subject.Secondly, keep track of your reading rates so you can make a realistic daily reading plan. These steps will help you become a better reader in ways that allow you to manage your time most efficiently while reading.

Chapter 3 - TFY

Chapter 3 - What is a Fact?

Fact is something known with certain through experience, observation, or measurement. A Fact can be objectively demonstrated and verified. A couple characteristics that facts must express:-define their own limitations -objectively stated-use appropriately qualifies-state the obvious not inappropriately cautious-don’t include guesses or inferences-specific and offer their evidence for others to verify

Discovery Exercises p.75- Facts: What Real?

Definition: Know: be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about; know how to do or perform something.


Certain: certain(a): definite but not specified or identified;


certain(p): having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty;


certain(p): established beyond doubt or question; definitely known.

Verified: corroborated: supported or established by evidence or proof.

Existence: being: the state or fact of existing; is an ontological topic par excellence.


Real: being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory.

Fact: a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred.

CRCB - chapter 3

Chapter 3 is about Remembering What You Read.
Memory is the process of storing information, and as in any process, successive steps or stages is essential for it to work. To let new information permanently stored, you need to understand the main idea of the material you are been in contact with.

There are three primary stages in the memory process:

Sensory Memory (first stage of the memory process, enters by your sense, taste, smell touch, hearing)
Short-Term Memory (second stage of memory process, just for 20-30second)
Long-Term Memory (final stage. Information can’t be stored until it has passed the Sensory and the Short-Term Memory)

Some specific strategies examples to enhance the Sensory Memory are: visualizing information in your head, using your finger to point new words, read your text a loud, acting out a chapter in front of a mirror/ audience.

Moreover Thinking is an effective strategy, it works by condensing the amount of information you have to learn. That helps you to organize and remember new information so that it remains in your short-term memory long enough to transfer into your long-term memory. The most efficient way of storing information is to use such as organizing newly learned information, mastering difficult vocabulary, creating a memory matrix, connecting new information with information you already know, going beyond the textbook, reviewing, and teaching the new information to someone else. Mnemonic are recall techniques that can help you retrieve information once it has been learned and stored properly.

CRCB - chapter 2

Chapter 2 is about Developing Your College Vocabulary by learning new vocabulary you are building important reading strategies. Also by increasing your vocabulary, you increase your understanding of textbook information. In addition you will increase your ability to speak and write well- to communicate effectively.Developing Your Vocabulary; reading and listening comprehension will improve more words. You can use these important strategies to help you figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words: context clues and word part analysis, writing in your textbook, creating word maps, understanding denotation and connotation, journal writing, and the card review system (CRS). One of the best way of making word a part of your vocabulary is the use of it in your daily life.

Exercise 2a)

1. The child was able to assuage his irate father with a smile and a small kiss on this cheek. A grin slowly replaced the father's angry frown. Answer: b. Soothe

2. She was so overcome with joy by the birth of her baby that she was able to say nothing other than that the whole experience was simply ineffable.

Answer: c. Incapable of being expressed in words.

3. Most of us eventually reach our goals, but life's path to success is often a circuitous one. Answer: a. Straight and certain.

4. The preacher took a pedagogic approach with his sermon, hoping that those attending would learn something meaningful from it. Answer: a. Instructional

5. Although teaching is not a lucrative profession, I know that I wouldn't want to do anything else. Helping others learn is far more important to me than money. Answer: c. well paying

6. Buying a lottery ticket is a very capricious way to plan for your future. The chances of winning are 1 in 10,000,000. Answer: d. Unpredictable

Exercise 2b)1. Alcoholism exacts a horrible toll on the drinker and on the drinker family, but the damage doesn't stop there. Drunk driving, workplace losses, and overburdened health care systems are only some of the larger-scale loss issues related to alcohol abuse. The search of effective methods of interventions has never been more intense.Answer: b. Forces.

2. The natural circadian rhythm of most animals, including humans, is 25 to 26 hours, but our internal clocks easily adapt to the 24-hours rhythms (light, sounds, warmth) of the turning earth. When we are isolated from environmental cues, our sleep/wake cycles continue to be rather constant but slightly longer than 24 hours. Answer: b. Seasonal cycles.

3. When the Commissioner of Indian Affairs took office in 1933, he vowed to defend Indian rights. The conciliatory attitudes of the Commissioner and the Indian Office, regarding Indian rights, conformed to legal precedents established by state and federal courts. Answer: b. Agreeable, accommodating.

4. Our own daily rhythms can become desynchronized when we take a cross-country or transoceanic flight. If you fly from Los Angeles to New York and then go to bed at 11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, you may have trouble falling asleep because your body is still on West Coast time. Answer: broken or full apart

5. If my argument so far has been sound, neither our distance from a preventable evil nor the number of other people who, in respect to that evil, are in the same situation as we are, lessens our obligation to mitigate or prevent that evil. I shall therefore take as established the principle I asserted earlier. As I have already said, I need to assert it only in its qualified form: if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything else morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it. Answer: seize; stop

Exercise 2c)

Root: aqua Definition: water - Example: aquarium

Root: cur Definition: run - Example: current

Root: vis Definition: see - Example: vision

Root: sent Definition: feel - Example: sentimental

Exercise 2d)

Roots + Definition

1. equ equal equinox- time when the sun crosses equator, making night and day of equal length in all parts of earth

2. um circumscribe circumstance- a fact or event/ situation

3. pre predict present- girt

4. un untenable undue- excessive

5. cur current currency- money

6. ex extend expand- to make greater

7. ex extensible expensive- or great of high value

8. sc scribbles scribe- one who write or copies writing

9. re retentive retriever- recover10. re remit remind- remember

Exercise 2e)

Prefix: anti Definition: against Example: antitrust

Prefix: auto Definition: self Example: autobiography

Prefix: bi Definition: two Example: bisexual

Prefix: co Definition: together Example: cooperation

Prefix: de Definition: away from Example: deactivate

Prefix: dis Definition: apart Example: dismiss

Exercise 2f)

Prefix- Create a Word

1. A prefix that means 'good' or 'well' is bene - benefit, benediction

2. A prefix that means 'out' is ex - exit, exfoliate

3. A prefix that means 'skill' is techn - technology, technical

4.A prefix that means 'bad' is mal - malevolent, malicious

5. A prefix that means 'against' is anti - antibacterial, antivirus

6. A prefix that means 'half' is semi - semicolon, semisweet

7. A prefix that means 'after' is meta - metabolic, metallic

8. A prefix that means ' many' is multi - multiple, metallic

9. A prefix that means 'more than usual' is hyper - hyperactive, hyperventilate

10. A prefix that means 'before' is ante - antecedent, antemeridian

Exercise 2g)

Suffix: able Definition: able to be Example: exceptionable

Suffix: ful Definition: full of Example: beautiful

Suffix: ious Definition: characterized Example: fictitious

Suffix: less Definition: without Example: hopeless

Exercise 2h)

Create Words with Suffix1. One who professes knowledge 'professor'

2. Able to mend 'med able'

3. Full of spite 'spiteful'

4. Like a mother 'motherhood'

5. Characterized by harmony 'harmonious'

6. A beginning; start, a graduation 'preparation'

7. Sad at feeling alone 'sadness'

8. A scientist who specializes in chemistry 'chemist'

9. The act, practice, or profession of instructing 'instructor'

10. Unable to manage by oneself; dependent 'dependant'

Exercise 2i)

Identify the Roots

1. harmlessly - harm

2. controversially - controversy

3. commercialization - commercial

4. talkatively - talk

5. mindlessness - mind

6. simplistically - simple

7. neighborliness - neighbor

8. wakefulness - wake

9. peacefully - peace

10. sinfulness - sin

Exercise 2j)

Define the Following Words

1. maltreat: to treat badly; to abuse

2. autonomous: self worth

3. emit: to duke away

4. fidelity: to be faithful

5. convey: to agree to give6. equivocal: equal

7. posthumous: after

8. carnal: flash

9. misogynist: wrong

10. synchronized: with, together

CRCB - chapter 1

Summary Chapter 1- Critical Reading for College and Beyond

Chapter 1 it's about Reading in College.Reading is an active process that depends on both an author’s ability to convey meaning using words and ability to create meaning from them. You need to constantly connect what you already know about the information to the words the author has written.

Learning Journals is a technique that helps you to analyze reading strategies and assess your learning. Using a learning journal helps you remember 80-90% of what you read. It also helps you to

Concentration is a skill that can be learned with patience and perseverance. Like any reading strategy, concentration takes practice before it will kick in automatically every time you open a textbook.

Learning Styles, most of what we learn comes from what we hear (auditory learning) in lectures or on audiotapes; see visual learning) through reading or watching people, videotapes, or television; or touch and do (kinesthetic learning) by practicing techniques, drawing maps, creating outlines, or making models Concentration Blocks, to recognize what distracts you when you are reading is an important way to improve your concentration.

There are two kinds of distracters: Internal (comes from inside you) and external (comes from your environment).

Concentration Techniques, to improve your concentration there are five techniques:

1. Checkmark Monitor System; helps you monitor how many times you lose your concentration as you read.

2. Creating a Study Environment

3. Creating a Positive mental Attitude

4. Using your Journal as a Worry Pad or

5. Writing a Letter is especially helpful if you are distracted by internal or external distracters.

Exercise 1a)
Concentration Survey
1. I know that concentration is a skill that can be learned.- yes
2. I have a study area, complete with study supplies, and this area is used only for studying. - yes
3. I try to concentrate as I read, but my mind usually drifts to other things, such as bills I have to pay or people I have to call. - yes
4. If I get angry, I am unable to concentrate on my reading. - yes
5. I know how to minimize all distractions. - yes
6. I cannot read unless my house, or study environment, is immaculate. - no
7. I have a system to let others know when I'm reading and that I do not want to be disturbed.- no
8. I lose concentration easily when I'm bored with what I'm reading. - yes

Exercise 1b)Active and Passive Learning Strategies
1. Copying down everything your professor says. (P)
2. Revising lecture notes. (A)
3. Reviewing sections of your textbook by summarizing and reciting information. (A)
4. Reading each chapter straight through. (P)
5. Always begin reading by previewing each chapter and developing questions to help you focus. (A)
6. Testing yourself on the information in your notes. (A)

Exercise 1c) External Distracters: Come from our environment and can include television, loud radio music, constant phone calls, or unexpected visitors.
Internal Distracters:Preoccupation with boy or girlfriend, family problems, worry about rent and tuition bills for next semester, or excitement about an upcoming event....
Exercise 1d)Finding Your Concentration Baseline I read my International topic for 30 min. and lost concentration a lot of times. A lot of difficult and new definitions made me bored. The checkmark technique remind me how many time I lost my concentration as I read. And after I put my checkmark in my journal I began reading again.

Exercise 1e)Worry Pad ( Writing a Letter)This technique writing down my worries in a letter and than throw it away let me feel I throw my worries away. So I can focus on my study

Chapter 2 - TFY

SUMMARY

Clear thinking depends on a clear understanding of words we use. Words confusion leads to less consciousness, or disequilibrium, which can only be restored through word clarification.The test of our understanding of a word is our ability to define it. This ability is particularly important for words representing key ideas that we wish to explain or defend. Taking the time to define the words we use is an essential preliminary to genuine communication.

Discovery Exercises p.46 - Word Precision: How Do I describe It?
1. Dictionaries are like phone books; basically, they all offer the same information.
False
2. If a dictionary is named Webster's, that means it is one of the best.
False
3. Exports who decide how we should speak English write dictionaries.
False

4. Small, pocket dictionaries are the best kind to use for in-depth word study because they eliminate unnecessary, confusing information and make understanding easier.
False
5. Since a dictionary can confuse us with so many definitions for any single word, it is better to try to figure out a word's meaning from its context or are someone else.
False
6. Dictionaries are like cookbooks; a family needs to buy only one for the family's lifetime.
False
7. Dictionaries gives us information about spelling and definitions, but that is about all they offer. False

Chapter 1 - TFY

SUMMARY

Observation is a process of sensing, perceiving, and thinking.Careful observation can help us see details that conyain the key to unlocking problems or arriving at insights. It also help us discover new knowlege.it also requires us to stay awake, take out time, given full attention, suspend thinking in an attitude of listening.


TfY Chapter 1 Quiz p.38- Observation Skills: What's out There?

1. Observation skills are learned mainly through book learning. Support for Answers. On the contrary, observation is learned from participation, which is more active and spontaneous than reading. Samuel Scudder learned observing through the active coaching of his teacher Agassiz as well as from his own efforts, curiosity, and persistence in studying his fish.
False
2. The standard academic study of all the physical sciences requires observation skills, whether in the field or laboratory.
True
3. In thinking, the correctness of our conclusions usually depends on the clarity of our
perceptions.
True
4. Observation skills can be extended to observing how you observe.
True
5. An insight is an experience of understanding that can occur spontaneously after we observe something intently for a while. One illustration of this experience is the story of Archimedes, who, while in his bath, discovered the means of measuring the value of an irregular solid by the displacement of water.
True
6. Agassiz was simply too busy to give his student all the assistance he needed.
False
7. Perception and sensation are synonyms.
True
8. It is difficult to feel sensation and to think at the same time. If we want to feel whether a pair of new shoes fits properly, we have to pay attention.
True
9. Assimilation, according to Piaget, is an experience of easily understanding something that readily fits into our preexisting schemes or world view.
True
10. The word thinking, according to the dictionary, has only one meaning.
False

Mindmapping for E75 Critical thinking

Hiking for 24.05.07

Ok, summer is coming soon and I need to get back in some sort of shape (dream on) thus lets make it fun for everyone ...

Suggested point of visit:

Link

Waterfall Loop, Big Basin Redwoods State Park,
National Park Service, Santa Cruz County

In brief:
Redwoods, creeks, and waterfalls -- that's what this loop is all about.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 11 mile loop hike is strenuous, with considerable and constant elevation change, adding up to about 2000 feet overall.

Get comfortable boots with protection;

Exposure:
Mostly shaded; a good summer hike.

Sun lotion optional in other words;

Trail traffic:
Very heavy around park headquarters, otherwise moderate.

Trail surfaces:
Dirt trails, with one short, steep scramble downhill over rock steps at Silver Falls.

Hiking time:
6 hours (this is extremely variable -- many hike it in 4 hours or less, while others may take all day).

All of us are agile people (ready for "Iron Man/Woman" competition), consider 4 hours;
Camel bags and may be some power bars if you plan to have light breakfast;

Season:
Good all year -- waterfalls at peak in late winter and spring.

Getting there:
From I-280 in Santa Clara County, exit onto CA 85 south. After about 4.5 miles, exit #14 onto Saratoga Avenue. Drive west about 2 miles into Saratoga and the junction with Saratoga-Sunnyvale, then continue straight on Big Basin Way/CA 9. Drive uphill on 9 for about 7 miles to the Saratoga Gap intersection (junction of 9 and CA 35), then continue straight on CA 9. Drive downhill on 9 for 6 miles, then turn right onto CA 236. Proceed on this narrow winding road for 8.5 miles to the park headquarters (left) and parking lots (right).

Map

Gas, food, and lodging:
There is some food available in the park, including a seasonal snack bar. More options in nearby Boulder Creek, where you can also gas up. Big Basin has several campgrounds, tent cabins, and a few backpack camps.

Trailhead details:
Pay the $6 day use fee at the entrance station or park headquarters. Toilets and drinking water are available at the trailhead. The park map is available (for $2) at park headquarters.

Rules:
Most trails are open to hikers and equestrians. Bikes are only permitted on fire roads. Some trails are designated hiking only. Dogs are not permitted on trails (leashed dogs are allowed on paved park roads).

The Official Story:
CSP's Big Basin page.
Big Basin Info (recording) 831-338-8860

Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• The official Big Basin map (available at the park) is most helpful, particularly for the detail of the park headquarters, which helps to find the trails.


As promised, ice cream after party will be here:

Kicks Cookies and Ice Cream

(650) 424-0494

cookiesandicecream.com

898 Lincoln Ave, San Jose, CA 95126

Map


Now, plan is the following:
1. Meeting at 8 there (+/- 0:15), done by 12:00; leave early, its about 1:30-2:00 drive (depends on speed ;) );
2. Driving to Ice Cream place - 1:20;
3. Done with it by 13:00;
4. Around 14:00 back at home;

Brake down cost:
Fuel (4.00 per gal, est. 120 avrg.) - 24.00$
Park fee (6.00 per person) - 6.00$
IceCream(5.00 per person) -5.00$
______________________________
Total 35.00$

Weather

Suggestions and comments are welcome.

Oleks

Benefits of piracy for underdeveloped countries

Can our judgment be affected by the country where we live? I think, without any doubts, people will say “yes”. But here is laying another question with great importance. Whose judgment is more correct? One of the issues that are raised between developed and undeveloped countries is adherence to the patents and intellectual property. There are a lot of arguments going from both sides but I will focus only on one of them. Why undeveloped countries do not enforce intellectual property laws? Because piracy support in the long run is more economically profitable for developing a country.

With the fast pace of manufacturing revolution starting at the end of nineteenth century, differences in speed of advancing created need for intellectual property law defense. After about a century of constant development those laws guarantee that authors will get paid for the work that they did. Moreover, one of major requirements for import of intellectual property to undeveloped countries is existence of laws that will protect it from improper use.

Sadly enough there is a huge difference between existence of the law and implementation of the same law. For the countries with young democracy and without highly developed economy piracy, sometimes, is the only answer to the question how to be competitive. For example, Russian Federation, during nineties was the country with low to none respect to the intellectual property. At the same time, same period had the highest rate of engineers invited to developed countries to work. Reasons for that were good education, lower pay rate and familiarity and proficiency with wide variety of programming tools and products. In order to prepare trained specialist, company in developed country were entitled to buy expensive software, provide training and pay more for qualified specialist. People that have been invited to work from Russia were already trained and were asking for much less pay. Definitely this scheme hurts and raises anger from labor force back in developed country but it is more profitable for the given company. At the same time, specialists when they return back to their countries have valuable experience that helps business and economy back in their country. They are becoming middle and upper management familiar with work ethic and guidelines that can help their businesses.

On another hand, there is a huge social difference in income. Let’s consider, for example, cost of license of windows operating system. For developed countries, this is a cost that can be substituted from family budget within two months period without any sacrifices in food, cloth or other basic needs products. In underdeveloped countries, this amount of money for middle class family will be total income of the family for given two months. Moreover, in a lot of cases this might be a total income of the family for the calendar year. In such case, when given an option to buy a license for a full price or to buy a pirated version for a fraction of that, clear winner in this race will be pirated disk.

Nowadays, same examples of achieving success for the cost of others are shown by Republic of China and India. Is there a solution and light in the end of the tunnel? I think there is. Slowly but surely, straggling countries start to develop their own intellectual property and start to stand behind their own authors. But, until this process is wide spread in given countries I don’t think I will see any movements. Due to the fact, that is not beneficial neither to the population, not to the governments.

Comparison of pluses and minuses between free and paid software

There are two main categories of software that available for usual users on today’s market. They are free and proprietary software. Both of those categories include a huge variety of licenses that modifies user interaction with a company on legal field and ability of user to modify, change and distribute software. In order to simplify discussion, let me separate all available software into two general categories: paid one, where you pay immediately or after a period of time usually called “trial period”, and free one, where users have an option to do not pay anything regardless of timeframe of usage. Another important factor will be idea of alternatives, where software can or cannot easily be substituted for an alternative. Let me show some plusses and minuses of both categories in order to simplify decision of choosing software that user might prefer using in his/her life or, possibly, recommending to coworkers, top level managers and businesses.

First and most popular among users is paid category or, in other words, proprietary software. Plusses of this software category are the following:

1. Value. Users are expecting to get some value when they paying for something from their own pocket and in most cases they are.
2. Quality. Usually this is a stable, well developed product with support on basic features of the program.
3. Updates. Includes free updates within one version of the program with bug fixes and new features.
4. Easy of use. Have standard “windows like” interface that is familiar and easy to use or learn and have well written documentation. At the same time it is very easy to find help with this program outside developing company. For example, friends or tech forums on internet accessible with search engines. In most cases, user shouldn’t be tech savvy to install program.

Downsides of the proprietary software are the following:

1. Price. It could be anywhere from “free after mail-in rebates” for simple program to hundreds of thousands dollars for corporate level program.
2. No freedom. Once user choose his/her favorite program it is very hard to switch to alternatives in future when better program is discovered.
3. Features. In most cases of software making business models, whenever major convenient feature is introduced new version of the program is released. It means that users asked to pay one more time in order to get that particular feature. Very high Total Cost of Ownership. In some cases, use of new features requires transition to new data format that will make data incompatible with older versions of the same program.
4. Size and Speed. Common trend is that the higher number version of the program is, size of the program is bigger and speed of execution is slower.
5. High cost of upgrades.

Another category is free software. This largely sector of small program and utilities and, in fact, is alternative to paid category of programs. Main benefits of free software are:

1. Price. Very affordable for any social level of users.

2. Accessibility of developers. If users have any comment or suggestion, developers can easily be reached. In most cases convenient features implemented in reasonable time frame and users should not be large corporate customers to initiate that.

3. Freedom. Easy to switch to alternative program due to wide open data formats support.

4. Free upgrades for the life of the product.

5. Small size and usually high speed of execution even on outdated hardware.

On the other hand free software ahs its own minuses that can’t be ignored or avoided during process of consideration. Main flaws of this category are:

1. Free software comes with little or no support. Even though community around free software is very supportive, in case of rare or special purpose programs it is very hard to get question answered.
2. Quality of free software ranges from outstanding to subpar. Rule of thumb is that with more developers work and support product the better quality is.
3. Hard to use. In most cases users are required to spend time to get familiar with new interface and features in order to use software. Sometimes, this time could be very large.

I hope this description of main software parameters will help average user to make an educated decision. Important thing to keep in mind is that no matter if you get software for free or paid money for it, it should be convenient to use and solve problems effectively.

During my life I think I have seen plenty of them. New ones, old ones, rusty from the weather and time, fashionable designed for 2 people in coupe and cheapest ones where people had been packed like fish in cans. Fast ones for long distances and stripped to the bare bones for local communications. Couple of them were shaking and rumbling in such fashion that they could create serious competition to the rollercoaster’s nowadays. Some of them were cleaned better than military barracks while others included free trip to the “Insects in Our Life” for the price of a single ticket one. In my country people even developed a small language to describe them: “teplushka”, “electrichka”, “poezd”, “spal’nyi reis”, “tovarnyi”, to name a few. Right now trains are much different from what they were when I was a kid. Never the less, in my opinion one thing didn’t change at all. Trains are still a mirror that is reflecting, in a smaller scale, the world that we are living in and bringing with us on every trip.

My usual morning, probably as many other people, starts with shower and cup of coffee that I, as a rule, will be finishing in the car commuting to the nearest BART train station. Quick cigarette, on my way from free parking spot at one of the shopping plazas which surround station, calm down my senses after rush traffic on freeways and puts me in indifferent mood. Right now I can observe and care less about my next 43 minute travel. With light clicking noise terminal read my ticket and puts time stamp on it to charge me at destination station. Elevator, like gates in attraction where you patiently need to wait in order to receive your portion of attraction, slowly brings me to the platform. I feel irony and small touch of satisfaction glimpse deep inside of me when I look at the people who just passed me on elevator with their backpacks always hanging on the right shoulder and shirt matching ties and right now impatiently walking on the platform waiting for their train. My journey will begin shortly.

Platforms at each side have markings which show where door will be. I find that this guidance and separation is very convenient. From time to time I can see how lines start to form at the places where door will stop. For me, it is very unusual to see. In my mind lines always a sign of people trying to get something rare, desirable or high importance. Can a door of a train be such a thing? I would not say so. Although, from station to station, this picture changes. To me it looks like it has straightforward correlation with neighborhoods that train is passing. At some stations, with blocks of houses, which look exactly like twins on the picture, with same colored roofs and carefully trimmed grass which surround station and reach towards orange-paled hills, I see a kaleidoscope of people standing in multiple lines waiting for the train. On others, surrounded by blocks of simple houses and crazy mix of buildings that represents neither a typical city style, not a village style, a mob of people falls in faceless grey line while train moves past them. Separation in society for careful observer starts right there.

My train comes and journey begins. People rush through the door and first lucky winners in this little game start to look around with hungry eyes for best seats in this uniformal train where seats divided equally to front and back faced ones. Strange fact which mirrors our outside world of individuals – no one has a neighbor sitting next to them unless they, in my guess, in intimate relations of some sort. Even people, who seem to know each other and chatting, are taking different seats. More than ones I see people going from one wagon of the train to another in search of seats without other passengers. When most of the peoples are seated my attentions switches to the ones who is not. Those are running through the train and picking newspapers that are lying all over the floor, under seats and next to the passengers. This is the papers left by earlier commuters and has everything from financial news to sport and leisure. When they find the right one, sense of deep satisfaction and relief brings light from within on their faces. It doesn’t last long though. Faces quickly turns to serious business look mask and, minding only themselves, they finally settle down on the places that left unattended. Now technology and fashion show begins.

It is five to seven minutes before train will leave the platform and when it could be the better time to chat? Almost simultaneously, as someone invisible fired gun to start, people start to dig in their pockets, purses, briefcases and backpacks to get their cell phones. With serious look on their faces and, of course, discussing matters of life and death, show off starts. It seems to me that people are trying to impress each other and to show, that their presence on the train is just a mistake and unfortunate coincidence. They would rather drive in traffic in their convertibles and vans than be here. It’s not prestigious to take public transportation nowadays. Looks like having a car and sharing traffic experience in Bay Area, one of the top 10 busiest places in the USA, makes a statement about persons income and social status. It shows success in life. At the same time, if someone would be interested to make sociology survey about people in who is taking train, I have an idea that should be kept in mind during survey. In order not to make a mistake in calculations about success, judgment should be based on sum of jewelry and cell for a woman and rather phone itself for a man. Back in the wagon telephone conversations are going at increasing pace. As a rule, the better I can hear someone, the less informative conversation is taking place. Being raised on the principles that it is not polite to listen to others conversations, in most cases I don’t have any other choice, except to start my musical player and increase volume to the level where music effectively outperforms conversations. Actually, I think my player is a one of the signs of experienced rider. Because by the time train leaves the station, about third of the wagon have wires sticking from their ears in order to separate themselves from the world.

On the other hand wagon has plenty of people who do not participate in show. Instead of cell phones they reach for their books, working papers, laptops or organizers. It doesn’t matter what outfit they wear. They are working “bees” and just don’t have time for anything else. They have a goal and all wonders of the entire world can pass by unnoticed. They don’t care and don’t need it. They live in their own. From time to time, stroke of life goes through them when they pick their heads in windows to see what station is coming and in second or two they are back to the stance where they came from. I wonder if their entire life is like that. I hope not. However, average working hours in our society have increased and I have very slim chance that I am right.

Last, but not the least, people who just follow the stream. They are looking at the windows, glancing at people around them, sitting and thinking their own thoughts or trying to catch a nap while train leaves miles behind. Norms of society kept strict even at such closed space where, by nature, people tend to come closer to each other. No one looks at other person more than a quick glimpse. Sometimes it’s curious, sometimes evaluating, or, more often, blank. The same way as we look at things that surrounds us.

My trip is over and with, as I hear, sounds of satisfaction terminal charges my pass ticket on my way out. I am joining crowd of rushing people who is trying to be somewhere on time or already running late. Artificial lights at underground station slowly giving up their positions to the natural sunlight coming from above with every step I take towards the exit. I am leaving prepared from static mirrored image of life and ready for deep dive in real one.

Do people like suffering?

This post is about the topic which has been brought in class today. Popular idea is that people in order to create need to suffer so the author has something to tell about. I would agree with other idea that, in contrary, people might not like to suffer themselves but people definitely like to read, watch or hear about authors suffering experience. Not that many people do enjoy other peoples success or happiness in my personal experience. And, actually, I think that our everyday environment is a good proof of this concept. Lets take news programs for example. Just take a half an hour and count about how many good things are presented there. I am willing to bet my money that for all of them, not including sport and weather, just one hand would be more than enough. Blockbuster movies, top-seller books, anecdotes in everyday communications and popular theater plays are all have one in common. They are talking or playing around problems in someones else life. Popularity speaks for itself.