Digital Fortress Chapter 5

â€Å"Where is everyone?† Susan wondered as she crossed the deserted Crypto floor. Some emergency. Although most NSA departments were fully staffed seven days a week, Crypto was generally quiet on Saturdays. Cryptographic mathematicians were by nature high-strung workaholics, and there existed an unwritten rule that they take Saturdays off except in emergencies. Code-breakers were too valuable a commodity at the NSA to risk losing them to burnout. As Susan traversed the floor, TRANSLTR loomed to her right. The sound of the generators eight stories below sounded oddly ominous today. Susan never liked being in Crypto during off hours. It was like being trapped alone in a cage with some grand, futuristic beast. She quickly made her way toward the commander's office. Strathmore's glass-walled workstation, nicknamed â€Å"the fishbowl† for its appearance when the drapes were open, stood high atop a set of catwalk stairs on the back wall of Crypto. As Susan climbed the grated steps, she gazed upward at Strathmore's thick, oak door. It bore the NSA seal-a bald eagle fiercely clutching an ancient skeleton key. Behind that door sat one of the greatest men she'd ever met. Commander Strathmore, the fifty-six-year-old deputy director of operations, was like a father to Susan. He was the one who'd hired her, and he was the one who'd made the NSA her home. When Susan joined the NSA over a decade ago, Strathmore was heading the Crypto Development Division-a training ground for new cryptographers-new male cryptographers. Although Strathmore never tolerated the hazing of anyone, he was especially protective of his sole female staff member. When accused of favoritism, he simply replied with the truth: Susan Fletcher was one of the brightest young recruits he'd ever seen, and he had no intention of losing her to sexual harassment. One of the cryptographers foolishly decided to test Strathmore's resolve. One morning during her first year, Susan dropped by the new cryptographers' lounge to get some paperwork. As she left, she noticed a picture of herself on the bulletin board. She almost fainted in embarrassment. There she was, reclining on a bed and wearing only panties. As it turned out, one of the cryptographers had digitally scanned a photo from a pornographic magazine and edited Susan's head onto someone else's body. The effect had been quite convincing. Unfortunately for the cryptographer responsible, Commander Strathmore did not find the stunt even remotely amusing. Two hours later, a landmark memo went out: EMPLOYEE CARL AUSTIN TERMINATED FOR INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT. From that day on, nobody messed with her; Susan Fletcher was Commander Strathmore's golden girl. But Strathmore's young cryptographers were not the only ones who learned to respect him; early in his career Strathmore made his presence known to his superiors by proposing a number of unorthodox and highly successful intelligence operations. As he moved up the ranks, Trevor Strathmore became known for his cogent, reductive analyses of highly complex situations. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to see past the moral perplexities surrounding the NSA's difficult decisions and to act without remorse in the interest of the common good. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Strathmore loved his country. He was known to his colleagues as a patriot and a visionary†¦ a decent man in a world of lies. In the years since Susan's arrival at the NSA, Strathmore had skyrocketed from head of Crypto Development to second-in-command of the entire NSA. Now only one man outranked Commander Strathmore there-Director Leland Fontaine, the mythical overlord of the Puzzle Palace-never seen, occasionally heard, and eternally feared. He and Strathmore seldom saw eye to eye, and when they met, it was like the clash of the titans. Fontaine was a giant among giants, but Strathmore didn't seem to care. He argued his ideas to the director with all the restraint of an impassioned boxer. Not even the President of the United States dared challenge Fontaine the way Strathmore did. One needed political immunity to do that-or, in Strathmore's case, political indifference. Susan arrived at the top of the stairs. Before she could knock, Strathmore's electronic door lock buzzed. The door swung open, and the commander waved her in. â€Å"Thanks for coming, Susan. I owe you one.† â€Å"Not at all.† She smiled as she sat opposite his desk. Strathmore was a rangy, thick-fleshed man whose muted features somehow disguised his hard-nosed efficiency and demand for perfection. His gray eyes usually suggested a confidence and discretion born from experience, but today they looked wild and unsettled. â€Å"You look beat,† Susan said. â€Å"I've been better.† Strathmore sighed. I'll say, she thought. Strathmore looked as bad as Susan had ever seen him. His thinning gray hair was disheveled, and even in the room's crisp air-conditioning, his forehead was beaded with sweat. He looked like he'd slept in his suit. He was sitting behind a modern desk with two recessed keypads and a computer monitor at one end. It was strewn with computer printouts and looked like some sort of alien cockpit propped there in the center of his curtained chamber. â€Å"Tough week?† she inquired. Strathmore shrugged. â€Å"The usual. The EFF's all over me about civilian privacy rights again.† Susan chuckled. The EFF, or Electronics Frontier Foundation, was a worldwide coalition of computer users who had founded a powerful civil liberties coalition aimed at supporting free speech on-line and educating others to the realities and dangers of living in an electronic world. They were constantly lobbying against what they called â€Å"the Orwellian eavesdropping capabilities of government agencies†-particularly the NSA. The EFF was a perpetual thorn in Strathmore's side. â€Å"Sounds like business as usual,† she said. â€Å"So what's this big emergency you got me out of the tub for?† Strathmore sat a moment, absently fingering the computer trackball embedded in his desktop. After a long silence, he caught Susan's gaze and held it. â€Å"What's the longest you've ever seen TRANSLTR take to break a code?† The question caught Susan entirely off guard. It seemed meaningless. This is what he called me in for? â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She hesitated. â€Å"We hit a COMINT intercept a few months ago that took about an hour, but it had a ridiculously long key-ten thousand bits or something like that.† Strathmore grunted. â€Å"An hour, huh? What about some of the boundary probes we've run?† Susan shrugged. â€Å"Well, if you include diagnostics, it's obviously longer.† â€Å"How much longer?† Susan couldn't imagine what Strathmore was getting at. â€Å"Well, sir, I tried an algorithm last March with a segmented million-bit key. Illegal looping functions, cellular automata, the works. TRANSLTR still broke it.† â€Å"How long?† â€Å"Three hours.† Strathmore arched his eyebrows. â€Å"Three hours? That long?† Susan frowned, mildly offended. Her job for the last three years had been to fine-tune the most secret computer in the world; most of the programming that made TRANSLTR so fast was hers. A million-bit key was hardly a realistic scenario. â€Å"Okay,† Strathmore said. â€Å"So even in extreme conditions, the longest a code has ever survived inside TRANSLTR is about three hours?† Susan nodded. â€Å"Yeah. More or less.† Strathmore paused as if afraid to say something he might regret. Finally he looked up. â€Å"TRANSLTR's hit something†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped. Susan waited. â€Å"More than three hours?† Strathmore nodded. She looked unconcerned. â€Å"A new diagnostic? Something from the Sys-Sec Department?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"It's an outside file.† Susan waited for the punch line, but it never came. â€Å"An outside file? You're joking, right?† â€Å"I wish. I queued it last night around eleven thirty. It hasn't broken yet.† Susan's jaw dropped. She looked at her watch and then back at Strathmore. â€Å"It's still going? Over fifteen hours?† Strathmore leaned forward and rotated his monitor toward Susan. The screen was black except for a small, yellow text box blinking in the middle. TIME ELAPSED: 15:09:33 AWAITING KEY: ________ Susan stared in amazement. It appeared TRANSLTR had been working on one code for over fifteen hours. She knew the computer's processors auditioned thirty million keys per second-one hundred billion per hour. If TRANSLTR was still counting, that meant the key had to be enormous-over ten billion digits long. It was absolute insanity. â€Å"It's impossible!† she declared. â€Å"Have you checked for error flags? Maybe TRANSLTR hit a glitch and-â€Å" â€Å"The run's clean.† â€Å"But the pass-key must be huge!† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"Standard commercial algorithm. I'm guessing a sixty-four-bit key.† Mystified, Susan looked out the window at TRANSLTR below. She knew from experience that it could locate a sixty-four-bit key in under ten minutes. â€Å"There's got to be some explanation.† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"There is. You're not going to like it.† Susan looked uneasy. â€Å"Is TRANSLTR malfunctioning?† â€Å"TRANSLTR's fine.† â€Å"Have we got a virus?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"No virus. Just hear me out.† Susan was flabbergasted. TRANSLTR had never hit a code it couldn't break in under an hour. Usually the cleartext was delivered to Strathmore's printout module within minutes. She glanced at the high-speed printer behind his desk. It was empty. â€Å"Susan,† Strathmore said quietly. â€Å"This is going to be hard to accept at first, but just listen a minute.† He chewed his lip. â€Å"This code that TRANSLTR's working on-it's unique. It's like nothing we've ever seen before.† Strathmore paused, as if the words were hard for him to say. â€Å"This code is unbreakable.† Susan stared at him and almost laughed. Unbreakable? What was THAT supposed to mean? There was no such thing as an unbreakable code-some took longer than others, but every code was breakable. It was mathematically guaranteed that sooner or later TRANSLTR would guess the right key. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"The code's unbreakable,† he repeated flatly. Unbreakable? Susan couldn't believe the word had been uttered by a man with twenty-seven years of code analysis experience. â€Å"Unbreakable, sir?† she said uneasily. â€Å"What about the Bergofsky Principle?† Susan had learned about the Bergofsky Principle early in her career. It was a cornerstone of brute-force technology. It was also Strathmore's inspiration for building TRANSLTR. The principle clearly stated that if a computer tried enough keys, it was mathematically guaranteed to find the right one. A code's security was not that its pass-key was unfindable but rather that most people didn't have the time or equipment to try. Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"This code's different.† â€Å"Different?† Susan eyed him askance. An unbreakable code is a mathematical impossibility! He knows that! Strathmore ran a hand across his sweaty scalp. â€Å"This code is the product of a brand-new encryption algorithm-one we've never seen before.† Now Susan was even more doubtful. Encryption algorithms were just mathematical formulas, recipes for scrambling text into code. Mathematicians and programmers created new algorithms every day. There were hundreds of them on the market-PGP, Diffie-Hellman, ZIP, IDEA, El Gamal. TRANSLTR broke all of their codes every day, no problem. To TRANSLTR all codes looked identical, regardless of which algorithm wrote them. â€Å"I don't understand,† she argued. â€Å"We're not talking about reverse-engineering some complex function, we're talking brute force. PGP, Lucifer, DSA-it doesn't matter. The algorithm generates a key it thinks is secure, and TRANSLTR keeps guessing until it finds it.† Strathmore's reply had the controlled patience of a good teacher. â€Å"Yes, Susan, TRANSLTR will always find the key-even if it's huge.† He paused a long moment. â€Å"Unless†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan wanted to speak, but it was clear Strathmore was about to drop his bomb. Unless what? â€Å"Unless the computer doesn't know when it's broken the code.† Susan almost fell out of her chair. â€Å"What!† â€Å"Unless the computer guesses the correct key but just keeps guessing because it doesn't realize it found the right key.† Strathmore looked bleak. â€Å"I think this algorithm has got a rotating cleartext.† Susan gaped. The notion of a rotating cleartext function was first put forth in an obscure, 1987 paper by a Hungarian mathematician, Josef Harne. Because brute-force computers broke codes by examining cleartext for identifiable word patterns, Harne proposed an encryption algorithm that, in addition to encrypting, shifted decrypted cleartext over a time variant. In theory, the perpetual mutation would ensure that the attacking computer would never locate recognizable word patterns and thus never know when it had found the proper key. The concept was somewhat like the idea of colonizing Mars-fathomable on an intellectual level, but, at present, well beyond human ability. â€Å"Where did you get this thing?† she demanded. The commander's response was slow. â€Å"A public sector programmer wrote it.† â€Å"What?† Susan collapsed back in her chair. â€Å"We've got the best programmers in the world downstairs! All of us working together have never even come close to writing a rotating cleartext function. Are you trying to tell me some punk with a PC figured out how to do it?† Strathmore lowered his voice in an apparent effort to calm her. â€Å"I wouldn't call this guy a punk.† Susan wasn't listening. She was convinced there had to be some other explanation: A glitch. A virus. Anything was more likely than an unbreakable code. Strathmore eyed her sternly. â€Å"One of the most brilliant cryptographic minds of all time wrote this algorithm.† Susan was more doubtful than ever; the most brilliant cryptographic minds of all time were in her department, and she certainly would have heard about an algorithm like this. â€Å"Who?† she demanded. â€Å"I'm sure you can guess.† Strathmore said. â€Å"He's not too fond of the NSA.† â€Å"Well, that narrows it down!† she snapped sarcastically. â€Å"He worked on the TRANSLTR project. He broke the rules. Almost caused an intelligence nightmare. I deported him.† Susan's face was blank only an instant before going white. â€Å"Oh my God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Strathmore nodded. â€Å"He's been bragging all year about his work on a brute-force-resistant algorithm.† â€Å"B-but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan stammered. â€Å"I thought he was bluffing. He actually did it?† â€Å"He did. The ultimate unbreakable code-writer.† Susan was silent a long moment. â€Å"But†¦ that means†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Strathmore looked her dead in the eye. â€Å"Yes. Ensei Tankado just made TRANSLTR obsolete.†

Free Essays on Adhd

ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a major problem among the youth of America today. ADHD is treated with Ritalin, stratera, or adderall. These drugs calm the person to make then function at a normal level. Many famous individuals had ADHD. Einstein was one. Would Einstein be what he was if he took medication? Einstein, like many other did not take medication for their disorder. Could he have had more success or less with treatment? Many individuals think that having ADHD is a gift. Tomas Edison, Salvador Dail, and Winston Churchill are other famous people who were diagnosed with ADHD. As many as 12% of children today have bin diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD in pre schools is up to 49%. ADHD could greatly increase creativity in the youth of the world. A student in a chem. Lab will think more creatively with ADHD. David Neeleman, CEO Of jet blue airways never took his prescription for his ADHD. David claims that because of not taking medication that he was able to think a lot more unconventionally. David is now the CEO of one of the hottest airlines around. Jet Blue is a revolution in air travel because of the way it is set up. More leg room and also a personal TV in the back of every chair. David claims that having ADHD was one of the reasons that he was able to come up with such elaborate ideas. Studies are starting to advance in seeing what other types of medication could be used to treat ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in 6th grade. I was medicated for about a year and then the doctor said that I had such a slight case that I would be fine with out medication. Some people live on their medication. My little cousin has a sever case of ADHD. Before he was on medication he was uncontrollable. You can tell if you’re around him if he is on of off his medication. When it wears off he is like a time bomb waiting to explode. This research is going to be very valuable informa... Free Essays on ADHD Free Essays on ADHD There are at least two million children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the United States (Moragne 24). All around us, ADHD causes clever children and adults to under function at school or work. ADHD needs to be taken seriously. People need to be aware of what ADHD is, what some of the characteristics and symptoms are, what some of the probable causes are, and some ways it can be treated. ADHD is one of the most common childhood behaviors. The prognosis for ADHD can be alarming if not treated. ADHD must be recognized and treated properly. If this does not happen, it will continue to severely disadvantage children and adults. The best time to diagnose and give support is early. Poorly managed ADHD can lead to serious long-term problems such as feeling dumb, low self-esteem, academic failure and more. There are different types of ADHD with a variety of characteristics. No one has all the same symptoms or displays the disorder in the exact same way. ADHD is diagnosed ten times more frequently in boys than girls (Discovery). Many girls have the predominantly inattentive type of the disorder and are likely not being identified and diagnosed (Green 6). ADHD is a developmental disorder characterized by inappropriate degrees of inattention, overactivity, and impulsivity. It is a disorder causing excessive activity level, excessive distractibility, and excessive responsiveness and emotional reactions. ADHD is also a lifelong disorder. It generally continues into adolescence, and sometimes even into adulthood. However, the symptoms may change as the person matures. The challenging behaviors that are exhibited by children with ADHD stem from their physiological, neurobiological disorder. The inappropriate and dangerous behaviors they may display are generally not willful or deliberate (Mor agne 26). The diagnosis of ADHD is complex. There are a number of other medical, learning, psychiatric, and s... Free Essays on Adhd Attention Deficit Disorder in Today's Society Attention deficit disorder is the subject of two widely challenged debates in medicinal practice and theory. One, the argument for ADD being a clinical and mental â€Å"disorder†, is in favor of medical treatment, claiming the diagnosis is attributable to brain damage or neurological defects. The second gives an alternative idea behind ADD, stating that people showing traits of the disorder often exemplify characteristics such as creativity, inventiveness, and even giftedness. As a rising percentage of children are being diagnosed with the disorder, more and more research has been called for, in an attempt to find an actual cause. ADD is classified as multi-factorial, meaning that multiple reasons are generally attributed to its development and diagnosis. A diagnostic criterion includes hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. The intent of this paper is to provide arguments and evidence on both sides of the issue, followed by standard and alternative methods for dealing with ADD. The history of attention deficit disorder goes back to World War 1, when a number of soldiers who experienced head injuries demonstrated hyperactivity as a side effect. It was then that ADD was classified as a disorder related to either brain damage or a defect of some kind. It has been proven, however, that this is false. ADD or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) can also be attributed to giftedness. Studies show that ADD is genetic and it runs in families. Years ago, children exhibiting severe affects of hyperactivity were primarily diagnosed, mostly because they suffered brain damage or trauma. Today, the diagnostic criterion has been expanded so that any underachiever or inattentive child fits the bill. Subsequently, millions of kids in America are getting labeled as ADD. Most studies show that 3 to 5 percent of the population possesses attention deficit disorder. Symptoms related to the... Free Essays on ADHD ADHD is attention deficit disorder accompanied by impassivity and over activity. Medical scientists think ADHD is caused by a chemical problem in the brain. The front part of the brain helps you pay attention, concentrate, organize things, and put breaks on impulsive or unacceptable behavior. People’s brains with ADHD may not be able to use the brain’s main signal senders, neurotransmitters, the way it is suppose to. The front part of the brain has very little to do with intelligence, so it is possible to be very smart and still have ADHD. â€Å" 3-5% of school-age children are affected by ADHD. Hyperactivity is easy to spot, and more boys than girls tend to be hyperactivity. If one person in a family has ADHD, there is a good chance that someone else in the family had or has it too.† (Beal 10) It is best to get evaluated for ADHD as early as possible. In most cases, someone at school, a teacher, counselor, or principal suggest a student be tested for ADHD. The evaluations usually take time and are done in two parts. First a student takes one or more of the following tests: Intelligence – to help evaluate the students IQ and reasoning abilities. Achievement – to find the actual grade level the student is working at. Fine motor skills – to see if there are problems with the student’s hand-eye coordination and/or writing skills. Then the student is evaluated. Parents are asked to describe their child’s behavior over a long period of time. The student’s teachers are asked to rate the student’s behavior using standardized forms, and to give their personal opinion of the student’s schoolwork and behavior. The student is asked what they think their problem is what their thoughts and feelings are and, what they do at home and school. When all the information from the test, evaluations, and observations has been combined, a medical diagnosis is made. â€Å"A diagnosis of ADHD is given only if the child has a life long ... Free Essays on Adhd ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a major problem among the youth of America today. ADHD is treated with Ritalin, stratera, or adderall. These drugs calm the person to make then function at a normal level. Many famous individuals had ADHD. Einstein was one. Would Einstein be what he was if he took medication? Einstein, like many other did not take medication for their disorder. Could he have had more success or less with treatment? Many individuals think that having ADHD is a gift. Tomas Edison, Salvador Dail, and Winston Churchill are other famous people who were diagnosed with ADHD. As many as 12% of children today have bin diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD in pre schools is up to 49%. ADHD could greatly increase creativity in the youth of the world. A student in a chem. Lab will think more creatively with ADHD. David Neeleman, CEO Of jet blue airways never took his prescription for his ADHD. David claims that because of not taking medication that he was able to think a lot more unconventionally. David is now the CEO of one of the hottest airlines around. Jet Blue is a revolution in air travel because of the way it is set up. More leg room and also a personal TV in the back of every chair. David claims that having ADHD was one of the reasons that he was able to come up with such elaborate ideas. Studies are starting to advance in seeing what other types of medication could be used to treat ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in 6th grade. I was medicated for about a year and then the doctor said that I had such a slight case that I would be fine with out medication. Some people live on their medication. My little cousin has a sever case of ADHD. Before he was on medication he was uncontrollable. You can tell if you’re around him if he is on of off his medication. When it wears off he is like a time bomb waiting to explode. This research is going to be very valuable informa...

The eNotes Blog Alice Munro Wins the 2013 Nobel Prize inLiterature

Alice Munro Wins the 2013 Nobel Prize inLiterature â€Å"A story is not like a road to follow†¦its more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling where you like and discovering how the room and corridors relate to each other, how the world outside is altered by being viewed from these windows. Canadian writer Alice Munro has been awarded 2013s Nobel Prize in Literature.   Often heralded as one of our greatest contemporary writers of fiction, Munro is best known for her short stories which are accessible yet complex narratives about the human condition.   Her best-known works include Lives of Girls and Women (1973), The Love of a Good Woman (1998) and Runaway (2004). A collection of her work, Too Much Happiness: Stories, was published in 2009. 2009 is also the year in which Munro was award the coveted Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work.   Additionally, she has been awarded Canadas literary honor, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, twice.   She might have won a third but she removed her name from the contenders in 2009 saying that she wanted to give younger, less-established authors an opportunity. Munro, now 82, has been writing her entire adult life.   In an interview with The Paris Review, she tells interviewers Jeanne McCulloch and  Mona Simpson how she seized whatever time she had available as a young wife and  mother: When the kids were little, my time was as soon as they left for school. So I worked very hard in those years. My husband and I owned a bookstore, and even when I was working there, I stayed at home until noon. I was supposed to be doing housework, and I would also do my writing then. Later on, when I wasn’t working everyday in the store, I would write until everybody came home for lunch and then after they went back, probably till about two-thirty, and then I would have a quick cup of coffee and start doing the housework, trying to get it all done before late afternoon. INTERVIEWER What about before the girls were old enough to go to school? MUNRO Their naps. INTERVIEWER You wrote when they had naps? MUNRO Yes. From one to three in the afternoon. I wrote a lot of stuff that wasn’t any good, but I was fairly productive. While she has  always  worked steadily and hard, in the same interview, Munro admits that, some sixty years later, the writing process is often difficult and fraught with frustration: MUNRO I have stacks of notebooks that contain this terribly clumsy writing, which is just getting anything down. I often wonder, when I look at these first drafts, if there was any point in doing this at all. I’m the opposite of a writer with a quick gift, you know, someone who gets it piped in. I don’t grasp it very readily at all, the â€Å"it† being whatever I’m trying to do. I often get on the wrong track and have to haul myself back. INTERVIEWER How do you realize you’re on the wrong track? MUNRO I could be writing away one day and think I’ve done very well; I’ve done more pages than I usually do. Then I get up the next morning and realize I don’t want to work on it anymore. When I have a terrible reluctance to go near it, when I would have to push myself to continue, I generally know that something is badly wrong. Often, in about three quarters of what I do, I reach a point somewhere, fairly early on, when I think I’m going to abandon this story. I get myself through a day or two of bad depression, grouching around. And I think of something else I can write. It’s sort of like a love affair: you’re getting out of all the disappointment and misery by going out with some new man you don’t really like at all, but you haven’t noticed that yet. Then, I will suddenly come up with something about the story that I abandoned; I will see how to do it. But that only seems to happen after I’ve said, No, this isn’t goin g to work, forget it.

When Two Stars Orbit Together

When Two Stars Orbit Together Since our solar system  has a single  star  at its heart, its logical to assume that all stars form independently and travel the galaxy alone. However,  it turns out that about a third (or possibly even more) of all stars are born in our galaxy (and in other galaxies) exist in multiple-star systems. There can be two stars (called a binary), three stars, or even more.   The Mechanics of a Binary Star Binaries (two stars orbiting around a common center of mass) are very common in the sky.  The larger of the two stars in such a system is called the primary star, while the smaller one is the companion or secondary star. One of the best-known binaries in the sky is the bright star Sirius, which has a very dim companion. Another favorite is Albireo, part of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Both are easy to spot, but it requires telescope or binoculars to see the components of each binary system.   The term binary star system should not be confused with the term double star. Such  systems are usually defined as two stars that appear to be interacting, but actually are very distant from each other and have no physical connection. It can be confusing to tell them apart, especially from a distance.   It can also be quite difficult to identify the individual stars of a binary system, as one or both of the stars may be non-optical  (in other words, not especially bright in visible light).  When such systems are found though, they usually fall into one of four following categories. Visual Binaries As the name suggests, visual binaries are systems in which the stars can be identified individually. Interestingly, in order to do so, it is necessary for the stars to be not too bright. (Of course, distance to the objects is also a determining factor if they will be individually resolved or not.) If one of the stars is of high luminosity, then its brightness will drown out the view of the companion. That makes it difficult to see. Visual binaries are detected with telescopes, or sometimes with binoculars. In many cases, other binaries, like those listed below, could be determined to be visual binaries when observed with powerful enough instruments. So the list of systems in this class is continually growing as more observations are made with more powerful telescopes. Spectroscopic Binaries Spectroscopy is a powerful tool in astronomy. It allows astronomers to determine various properties of stars simply by studying their light in minute detail. However, in the case of binaries, spectroscopy can also reveal that a star system may, in fact, be composed of two or more stars. How does this work? As two stars orbit each other they will at times be moving towards us, and away from us at others. This will cause their light to be blueshifted then redshifted  repeatedly.  By measuring the frequency of these shifts we can calculate information about their orbital parameters. Because spectroscopic binaries are often very close to each other (so close that even a good telescope cant split them apart, they are rarely also visual binaries. In the odd instances that they are, these systems are usually very close to Earth and have very long periods (the farther apart that they are, the longer it takes them to orbit their common axis). Closeness and long periods make the partners of each system easier to spot. Astrometric Binaries Astrometric binaries are stars that appear to be in orbit under the influence of an unseen gravitational force.  Often enough, the second star is a very dim source of electromagnetic radiation, either a small brown dwarf or perhaps a very old neutron star that has spun down below the death line. Information about the missing star can be ascertained by measuring the orbital characteristics of the optical star. The methodology for finding astrometric binaries is also used to find exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) by looking for wobbles in a star. Based on this motion the masses and orbital distances of the planets can be determined. Eclipsing Binaries In eclipsing binary systems the orbital plane of the stars is directly in our line of sight. Therefore the stars pass in front of each other as they orbit. When the dimmer star passes in front of the brighter star there is a significant dip in the observed brightness of the system. Then when the dimmer star moves behind the other, there is a smaller, but still measurable dip in brightness. Based on the time scale and magnitudes of these dips, the orbital characteristics, as well as information about the stars relative sizes and masses, can be determined. Eclipsing binaries can also be good candidates for spectroscopic binaries, though, like those systems they are rarely if ever found to be visual binary systems. Binary stars can teach astronomers a lot about their individual systems.They can also give clues to their formation, and the conditions under which they were born, since there had to be enough material in the birth nebula for both to form and not disrupt each other. In addition, there werent likely large sibling stars nearby, since those would have eaten up the material needed for the formation of the binaries.   The science of binaries is still very much an active topic in astronomy research.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Coaching and Mentoring Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Coaching and Mentoring Skills - Assignment Example That is, instead of following the performance management process from the manager’s perspective alone, other employees and stakeholders within and outside the organization also get the opportunity to be part of the process (Schraeder & Jordan, 2011). This provision really fits my personality because I am a person who is open to ideas and a manager who prefers the democratic leadership style. In other to use the 360 degree appraisal effectively, there are a number of skills that are very important for achieving success. The first of these is mentorship and coaching. Mentorship and coaching are necessary for the 360 degree appraisal as it is the only way by which other stakeholders who make input to the system can make meaningful contributions (Grote, 2000). Secondly, the skill of evaluation is highly relevant in ensuring that while using this appraisal system, the most accurate evaluation outcomes can be rendered to employees. Last but not least, the skill of corrective training is very relevant if the outcome of the appraisal can be used as a basis for shaping employees to become useful contributors to the

Commercialism in schools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Commercialism in schools - Research Paper Example However, a business can only assist a school by giving in a sustainable manner and this means that the ways in which businesses interact with schools ought to be creative, beneficial and useful for everyone. A business must earn, involve people in activities, try to expand economic activity and try to fulfill needs. Commercialism is the way of life in the United States of America and the world, but it is important to carry on with commercialism in a responsible manner to create and not to damage all those who are involved. Thus, despite the flawed schemes of the past, it is likely that business involvement in schools will continue in the future, with more creative and constructive schemes for interaction evolving with time. This study presents a critical discussion about commercialism in schools from a historical perspective and utilizes a process of examining reports presented over the years past about the commercialism in schools phenomenon. The 2002 Alex Molnar and Joseph Reeves Article presenting Systematic Data related to Growth of Schoolhouse Commercialism and the Assault on Educative Experience in Journal of Curriculum and Supervision 7 The Ninth Annual Report on Commercialism in Schools by Alex Molnar, Published by Arizona State University Commercialism in Education Research Unit on November 2006 12 Article Moving from Theory to Practice: One Teacher’s Journey towards a Commercial-Free Classroom by Cathy Hart, Published in Canadian Teachers Federation Newsletter, Volume 6, No. 3, 2006 19 The March 24, 2003 Article on Commercialism in Schools: A Moral Imperative for School Leaders by Tom Goodney, Published on March 24, 2003 by Miami University Initiative Anthology 20 Figure 3: Combined total Hits for Media

Textual Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Textual Analysis - Essay Example However, Stone would be the first to insist the film is not a documentary. There are several places in the historical record that are unclear or that Stone obviously had a difficult time believing, which he has filled with conjecture, hearsay and sometimes flimsy evidence. Several key characters portrayed in the story never actually existed either, but Stone created them out of composite elements of a number of people who were a part of the historic record. By doing this, he also opens the film up for an exploration of a number of the major conspiracy theories regarding the assassination including examining time lines, actions, events and connections between characters. The consistent build up of evidentiary material creates a sense of sustained suspense that has qualified the film for placement in the political horror genre in some circles, especially when one considers the opening sequence in more detail. Despite his insistence that the film is not an attempt to portray a historica lly factual documentary regarding Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Stone employs several real-life players in the film to help depict his version of events. The most prominent character is the assassinated President himself as he appears in this opening montage sequence. By refusing to recast the president, Stone proves his talent working with limited available footage. He also immediately injects a sense of reality into the story because everyone knows the former President was killed on that day and therefore could not have been available to shoot the new scenes Stone might have wanted in the film. The most impactful video clip used in this montage is the significant portion of the Zapruder film in which President Kennedy goes from being a happy smiling President waving to the crowds through the horrifying few seconds it takes for him to be fatally wounded. With this film, Stone immediately creates a somber mood of reflection as audiences realize this is the actual event and not a staged recreation. The events seen in that small, grainy film, which Stone did nothing significant to improve, actually happened in real life and changed the course of a nation. As the open-topped limousine speeds off toward the hospital, the audience is aware that the President is already dead. The video montage of the first section of the film establishes its link with reality through its almost exclusive use of actual news footage taken of the President and his family throughout his term in office and family footage that has become a part of the national archives. Other footage provides other important information about events of the time such as Eisenhower’s farewell address to the nation, Kennedy’s narrow margin of victory in winning the election, details of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam situation. Mixed with this authentic footage are several created scenes such as the footage of Jerry Belknap. Within the later body of the film, Belknap is said to h ave been an unidentified man who suffered an epileptic seizure moments before the shooting and drew away some of the attention of the security officers on duty that day. These scenes are integrated so smoothly that they seem to be as authentic as the news footage scenes that have been shown to this point. When it