Wetware

Wetware Wetware Wetware By Maeve Maddox Computer-age coinages don’t usually strike me as â€Å"creepy,† but this one does. Formed on the model of software and hardware, wetware begins to soar into prominence on the Ngram Viewer in 1979. Both the OED and Merriam-Webster provide definitions of this new term. OED wetware noun: Chemical materials organized so as to perform arithmetic or logical operations; brain substance, as having this ability. M-W wetware noun: The human brain or a human being considered especially with respect to human logical and computational capabilities. Apparently the invention and continuing development of artificial intelligence (AI) has created the need for a retronym for human. In I, Robot, written between 1940 and 1950, Asimov referred to the brain of a robot as a â€Å"positronic brain.† In the dystopia of Terminator (1984), an intelligent computer is called â€Å"Neural Net CPU.† In the 2015 film Ex Machina, a substance made of a gel that causes artificial neural connections to form is called wetware. Here are examples of the usage of wetware I found on the Web: [Marleen Stikker] was director of multimedia art festival Zomerfestijn Amsterdam in 1990 and 1991 and organiser of the Wetware Conference (on hardware, software and physical interaction). Integrated IT Wetware/Software Solutions [headline on site of company offering digital services] Many, many teams just abandon this impossible wetware task and use each solution in isolation. [This is a consultant’s website. In the context, wetware seems to mean the aspect of online selling that involves human beings called â€Å"web customers† and â€Å"mobile customers† who are part of the â€Å"wetware task.†] The term wetware in its turn is spawning new meanings for the adjective wet. Dean Koontz uses (and defines) the expression wet intelligence in the following exchange between characters who are examining an alien creature: Linked up, maybe these hundreds of millions of nanocomputers functioned as this creatures brain or at least as the largest part of its brain, assuming there was also some wet intelligence in it. Wet intelligence? Biological brain matter. At first I thought that the term wet signature had a similar meaning, but several readers have informed me that the wetness of this term refers to ink and not to gray matter. For example: DocuSign is capable of keeping the entire transaction in the cloud. There are, however, rare occasions when a wet signature is necessary. Related post: What’s a Retronym? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?50 Tips on How to Write Good

Head Words

Head Words Head Words Head Words By Maeve Maddox English has several words that derive from caput, the Latin word for head. Here are just a few. The words cap, caparison, cape, and capuchin all trace their origin to a garment that was worn over the head. 1. cap Originally, the word referred to a hood. Unlike a hat, a cap does not have a brim. When a cap does not refer to something worn on a person’s head, it can mean something applied to the top of something. Bottles have caps, as do chimneys. 2. caparison A fancy covering for a horse is called a caparison. Medieval knights rode caparisoned horses in jousting tournaments. What’s the connection with head? The word comes from Medieval Latin caparo, which was a type of cape worn by old women; part of the cape covered the head. 3. cape Although now we think of a cape as fastening at the neck and hanging down around the shoulders, older capes included a part that covered the head, hence the name. 4. capuchin A Capuchin is a friar of the order of St. Francis. Capuchins got the name from the fact that they wore a cape called a capuchin; it included a hood. Capuchin monkeys are so-called because of black hair at the back of their heads; someone thought the patch of hair looks like a hood or cowl. 5. chaperon The Latin word caparo that gave us caparison also gives us our word chaperon. Originally the chaperon was a cap or hood worn by noblemen, but later it became a garment for women. I suppose that when the fashion was dropped by younger women, the older ones continued to wear them. In time chaperon came to mean an elderly woman who accompanies a young unmarried lady in public to protect her reputation. In current usage, a chaperon is any responsible person, man or woman, young or old, who accompanies younger people in a supervisory capacity. 6. per capita A legal term relating to inheritance, per capita is used generally to mean â€Å"on an individual basis†: The per capital GDP is a measure of the total output of a country that takes the gross domestic product (GDP) and divides it by the number of people in the country.   7. capital and Capitol As a noun, capital can mean â€Å"the head of a pillar or column,† or â€Å"the chief town in a region.† The first Capitol was the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. In general usage, the word could mean any citadel on the top of a hill. In American usage, â€Å"the Capitol† is the building occupied by the United States Congress in Washington D.C. Similar buildings occupied by state legislatures in the various states are also called Capitols. The state Capitol (building) is located in the state capital (city). As an adjective, capital means â€Å"very important.† In Roman law, â€Å"capital punishment† could be death, but it could also be exile and the loss of property and citizenship, things that made life worth living for a Roman. In current usage, a â€Å"capital offense† is a crime punishable by death. â€Å"Capital punishment† is â€Å"death by execution.† 8. capitate, decapitate, capitulate, chapter An adjective, capitate means â€Å"having a head.† In botany and zoology an organ or the long narrow part of an organ is said to be capitate if it has a distinct head-like knob at one end. Decapitate is a verb meaning to separate the head from the body. Chapter comes from the Latin word capitulum, â€Å"little head.† A chapter is the main division of a book. Capitulate looks as if it would have something to do with the Latin source of the word for capture, but it too is from caput. Agreements, including terms for a town’s surrender, were written out under headings. 9. capo, captain, chief, chef The leader of a branch of the Mafia is a capo, Italian for head. The Italian word comes from good old caput. A captain is the head of whatever group is being led. Both chief and chef also descend from caput; both words translate literally as head. In heraldry, the chief is the top of the shield. Among people, the chief occupies the head position. Chief entered English from French in the 14th century with the meaning head, as in leader; its cognate chef followed in the 19th century with the meaning, â€Å"head cook.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?What to Do When Words Appear Twice in a RowWhat the Heck are "Peeps"?

Employee Recruitment Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employee Recruitment Proposal - Assignment Example Considering the elaborate nature of activities of the company, this proposal seeks to request for hiring of more employees in order to boost efficiency and hence productivity of the company. The Need for Additional Employees There have been many complaints from employees about being assigned too many tasks. The employees are overworked and have a feeling that the company should employ more personnel to ease the current work burden. Employees have grown weary of putting too much effort on overtime. Besides, when critically evaluates the amount of money the company spends in paying dues for overtime performance, it is undisputable that the ultimate solution would be hiring additional staff, which will even help the company to cut down its operation costs. Hiring more employees is undoubtedly the best solution the problems facing the company. Hiring more workers would lower the present work burden on employees and increase their efficiency (Mathis & Jackson, 2011). By having a reasonabl e number of employees in the company, the output per work will greatly increase. The inefficiencies realized in the organization are as a result of strain by employees to get work done (Kleynhans, 2006). Because they are covering even for activities, which are supposed to be handled by other personnel who unfortunately have not been recruited, the workers have been complaining of stretching their efforts beyond reasonable limits to help attain organizational objectives. Coupled with the emphasize of meeting deadlines, it is quite challenging to achieve high standards in task performance when there is still a state of imbalance between the workforce of Beautiful & Handsome and its demanding tasks. From the company’s statistics, the average number of hours worked by employees in the past two financial periods is far much lower when compared with the first quarter of this fiscal year. For example, in the first six months of 2010/2011 financial period, the average hours worked by employees (200) was eight hours a day. This was the year when the company realized high production levels and hence high profits. When this is compared to the first six months of the trading period 2011/2012, the average working hours of employees is thirteen hours a day. This can indicate how strained the employees are and how they are overburdened with work. From the past performance records of the company, this is indeed the cause of high levels of inefficiency and low productivity in the company. Hiring new workers is crucial for the success of the organization. Besides easing off work burden from old employees, it will ensure inflow of new talents and skills into the company. Recruiting new employees will open avenues for hiring highly qualified personnel, who are crucial for the success of the organization. Hiring of new workers with adequate experience may reduced training costs and brings in innovative culture in the company thus providing a source of competitive advantage over rivals in the market. Employee Recruitment Budget The company should establish a recruitment program that contains budget estimates of money that is likely to be used in the recruitment process. The recruitment budget for twenty employees, it would cost around $ 2000 to $ 5500 per employee, factoring in all the expenses that are likely to

Contemporary issue in public health and health promotion Essay

Contemporary issue in public health and health promotion - Essay Example The most prevalent subtypes of the swine flu that were known were H1N1, H1N2, H2N1, and H3N1. Swine flu or the swine influenza virus is considered common in the world especially in places that have large pig populations. Since the virus originates in pigs, it is easy to get affected by the virus when a person is in constant contact with pigs. However, the virus transmission from the pigs to human is not common. Since the transmission of the virus from the pigs to humans is rare, there are minute chances of a human being suffering from human flu. This is due to the reaction of the body to the virus. With such a reaction, the virus will not result into human flu but will only release antibodies in the blood stream. Such a situation is commonly referred to as zoonotic swine flu. It is declared that people that are in constant contact with pigs are at a higher risk of contacting swine flu infection as compared to people that have rare contact with pigs. The first case of swine flu was reported in Scotland, shortly after a flight from Mexico on the 27th of April in 2009 (Gallagher, 2013:1). This case was diagnosed and reported to have strains of H1N1 virus (Gallagher, 2013:1). After this first cases, the infections spread across the world rapidly. By the 17th of May, more than a hundred cases of infection had been confirmed. This was a shocker to the whole world due to the way the cases were spreading in the whole world. Previously, it was considered that swine flu could only affect the people that are in constant contact with pigs. However, this was not the case after the confirmation of the first case of swine flu. In this situation, the swine flu infections were spreading from one person to another when there is close contact. This was a situation that led to outburst by many nations to ensure the spread of the swine flu was controlled and maintained at the lowest minimum (Great

2 Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2 Articles - Essay Example stories also differ in their thematic concerns, with Army Tan giving her account of learning English and Hughes talking of having lied (Tan 1; Hughes 1). Army recalls the efforts as she engaged in learning English as an immigrant in the US. Her account of how her mother spoke broken English and how often she found her easy to communicate with while other people could not. In her story, there are elements of justification of misconceptions about the Chinese. Army writes to justify that while many people thought the Chinese could not prosper in literature, she could break the traditions. She expresses her determination to prove people wrong (Tan 1). On the contrary, Hughes writes a confession and a mockery simultaneously. He confesses of having lied to her aunt and the congregation of having seen Jesus and receiving salvation. His autobiography satirizes the way the church conducted the service. The use of satire creates a mocking effect of the work and hints at uselessness of preachers and the congregation. Hughes’ work points at salvation of the children as being infatuations (Hughes

Types of Deposits and Bank Accounts

Types of Deposits and Bank Accounts Banks receive money from the public by way of deposits. The following types of deposits are usually received by banks: Current deposit Saving deposit Fixed deposit Recurring deposit Miscellaneous deposits Current Deposit Also called ‘demand deposit’, current deposit can be withdrawn by the depositor at any time by cheques. Businessmen generally open current accounts with banks. Current accounts do not carry any interest as the amount deposited in these accounts is repayable on demand without any restriction. Banks usually charge a small amount known as incidental charges on current deposit accounts depending on the number of transaction. HSBCs current account takes the hassle out of managing your daily finances. You wont need to rush around to pay your bills; simply arrange for direct debit payments or issue a cheque and mail it at your convenience. Whats more, youll have access to your account and a wide range of banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week with our ATM Cards. MCB make your everyday banking simple. It is also a perfect gateway to a world of products and services designed to meet your needs.MCB’s current account is like a swiss army knife: easily accessible, it comes with multiple features that are perfect for your daily banking needs like cheque books, overdraft facilities, credits cards, mobile banking and so on. Savings deposit/Savings Bank Accounts Savings deposit account is meant for individuals who wish to deposit small amounts out of their current income. A saving account can be opened with or without cheque book facility. There are restrictions on the withdrawls from this account. Savings account holders are also allowed to deposit cheques, drafts, dividend warrants, etc. drawn in their favour for collection by the bank. To open a savings account, it is necessary for the depositor to be introduced by a person having a current or savings account with the same bank. MCB ‘s retirement plan offer a comfortable retirement to old people. Start today by putting aside as little as Rs 1,000 each month in your Retirement Plan. This can help old person to better enjoy their lives peacefully without depending on others.MCB also offer educational plan by which it can offer a good future to your children. Education is key to your childrens future. But have you thought about the costs of higher studies? Start planning today by investing in our Education Plan. Planning your child’s future, with the Education Plan, you only have to contribute a monthly minimum amount of Rs500. Our financial experts will help you choose the investment funds that best suit your needs in our wide range of products. Barclays offer junior saving account. As a parent, you know its never too early for your child to learn to save. And it’s a better way to teach them with a fun, easy way – saving the junior way, enjoying high interest rates. Your child will be able to see his money grow faster, thanks to a higher interest rate than a normal savings account. Interest is calculated daily and credited half-yearly. Enjoy attractive interest rates as high as 1 months FD. Your Child is protected. MCB offers Junior 12-17. Teenagers have different expectations. Junior account 12-17 caters for their fast evolving needs while enabling you to save for their future and benefiting from: Fresh and rewarding Start saving with a minimum deposit of only Rs 500 Earn interest on your savings Let your child learn to manage money with a MCB Junior Card Register for MCB Refill and your child can reload mobile credits on the go (Emtel and Orange) Fixed deposit The term ‘Fixed deposit’ means deposit repayable after the expiry of a specified period. Since it is repayable only after a fixed period of time, which is to be determined at the time of opening of the account, it is also known as time deposit. Fixed deposits are most useful for a commercial bank. Since they are repayable only after a fixed period, the bank may invest these funds more profitably by lending at higher rates of interest and for relatively longer periods. The rate of interest on fixed deposits depends upon the period of deposits. The longer the period, the higher is the rate of interest offered. Barclays Bank- A Fixed Deposit Account can be a great way to save as it helps to remove the temptation to dig into your savings, all the while earning a higher rate of interest over a fixed term. As a Premier Banking customer you earn a significantly higher interest on your Fixed Deposits, with accounts available in both local and foreign currencies. With your Fixed Deposit Account you get: A fixed rate of return over an agreed period of 3 to 12 months calculated flat on the principal, Choice of account currency (SCR, GBP, EUR and USD) Minimal cost on breakage of the deposit before maturity You may apply for this account along with another applicant, where you may choose to have both parties be required to sign any instructions to debit the account or any of the parties sufficing for the transaction to be accepted. In addition, you may request for other parties to operate your Fixed Deposit Account on your behalf. We call such a nominated person an authorised signatory. To open a Fixed Deposit Account, you are required to have a current or savings account with us. Upon applying for your Fixed Deposit Account, you can provide us with instructions on how to manage the principal and interest in the account upon maturity of the deposit or provide the instructions when you receive your Renewal Notice. You may ask us to roll over the deposit plus interest at current rates, to roll over the deposit only and credit the interest your current or savings account, or to credit the principal plus interest to your current or savings account. While you are guaranteed a fixed interest on the principal, should you break your deposit prior to maturity, you will be charged a breakage fee and the pro-rated interest calculated based on the prevailing Instant Savings Account interest rate and the period over which the deposit was held. SBM Our term deposit gives you the option of placing your money for a fixed term, thereby earning a higher rate of interest. Features: Minimum deposit of Rs 50,000 Interest payable monthly, quarterly, half yearly or at maturity Interest paid to Current / Savings account (CASA) / by cheque Term Deposits offered for periods of 12, 24 and 36 month What happens if I want to withdraw the money prior to the maturity date? Floating Rate Deposit Encashment of deposit prior to maturity is at the discretion of the bank. Interest may be forfeited if funds are withdrawn within 3 months of date of deposit. A penalty of either 1% or the cost incurred by the Bank for replacement of the Deposit (whichever is higher) may be charged at the Bank’s discretion. Fixed Rate Deposit Encashment of deposit prior to maturity is at the discretion of the bank. In addition to 1% penalty, customer opting for fixed rate of interest will have to bear the cost of replacement of funds in case of premature encashment. The penalty to be levied for encashment of a fixed rate deposit will be determined at the time of encashment. The penalty will depend on the market rate prevailing on the date of encashment. Recurring Deposits Under this type of deposit, the depositor is required to deposit a fixed amount of money every month for a specific period of time. Each instalment may vary from Rs.5/- to Rs.500/- or more per month and the period of account may vary from 12 months to 10 years. After the completion of the specified period, the customer gets back all his deposits along with the cumulative interest accrued on the deposits. Miscellaneous Deposits Banks have introduced several deposit schemes to attract deposits from different types of people, like Home Construction deposit scheme, Sickness Benefit deposit scheme, Children Gift plan, Old age pension scheme, Mini deposit scheme, etc. ATM An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is a computerized machine that permits bank customers to gain access to their accounts with a magnetically encoded plastic card and a code number. It enables the customers to perform several banking operations without the help of a teller, such as to withdraw cash, make deposits, pay bills, obtain bank statements, effect cash transfers. Advantages of ATM in Mauritius Get 24 hour access to your money Free of charge to any HSBC accountholder Saves time since no need to queue up at the Bank counter Withdraw or Deposit Cash Transfer Funds Balance Enquiries Banks ATM points in Mauritius MCB Around 91 SBM Around 44 HSBC Around 16 BARCLAYS Around 33

Effective Use of Menace in The Merchants Tale :: Merchants Tale Essays

Effective Use of Menace in The Merchant's Tale Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Merchant's Tale" uses menace to reinforce many of the themes within the Tale and it is present in more areas than simply Januarie. There is menacing imagery adding tension to the Tale and the way in which the Tale is written often reiterates that. Menaces comes through more than plain threat, it is evident in such ideas as Januarie's inappropriate search for a wife. The way in which Januarie bases his search for a wife on concern for his own salvation and economic interests is menacing as it is a foreboding image for the rest of the marriage. His main interest lies in what he should do to ensure he experiences Paradise both alive and dead and thus highlighting his selfish nature. The economic concerns he shows for the match not only highlight this, but also his threatening lack of emotion that he is prepared to commit to the marriage. Rather than a child, he hopes for an heir, seeing only economic opportunity in any offspring. His fiancée can hope for little love for herself or any children. The suffocating nature of Januarie's so-called love for "fresshe May" means that he is unable to think of anyone else being with her. He would wish her to be "soul as the turtle that lost hath hire make". This extreme emotion only serves to heighten the irony of the affair that ensues and the previous Biblical references to women who cheated their husbands. The uncertainty caused by the fact that even the Church bids brides "be lyk Sarra and Rebekke" adds to air of uneasiness that little can be trusted. The dramatic irony that comes with the image of "warm wex" shows the hidden power of May, that Januarie knew nothing about. He is unaware that she has equal knowledge of the usefulness of warm wax and uses it to copy the key to the garden for Damyan. The deviousness of the wife is menacing as she is almost a champion of the image that has previously been so repulsive to the reader. The references that Januarie makes to images of being bound are as menacing as his private determination that on their wedding night he "wolde hire streyne". His plan to be such a physical power in the marriage is suffocating. Not only does he want to dominate physically, but his spiritual dominance in the relationship is unfair as May's views are not considered and she speaks very little.