Accelerated Culture: Exploring Time and Space in Cinema, Television and New Media in the Digital Age

This dissertation seeks to understand the impact of speed on the interrelation and the overlapping of the production and consumption of cinematic and televisual texts. It explores the immediacy of digital media and new economic processes, and how they are informing structures of perception, as well as lending themselves to new and different ways of seeing the moving image in the digital age. These visual expressions are evident in the changing perception of the long take; the increasing use of video gaming aesthetics and database narratives; new and variant forms of narrative and visual styles in television; and the speed of new media technology on new voices and avant-garde expressions in independent and DIY cinema (such as the Internet, personal camcorder, mobile screens, and desktop editing). Conversely, VCR, DVD, DVR devices (as well as online streaming and DVD and Blu-Ray rental sites) have transformed the consumption of the moving image. Time-shifting devices allow for halting and controlling the flow of passing time, permitting for greater textual analysis. And, reciprocally, these new perceptions of the moving image inform expressions of filmic time and space. The speed of digital media and new economic formations raise concerns about lived reality and the attenuation of time, place, and community. It brings forth questions of the waning of pastness and memory, the diminishing of critical distance, and the vanishing of slow time. I argue, however, these shifts that are occurring in cinema and television illustrate that processes of speed are not the prime determinant in the production and consumption of moving images. Rather, they are based on a contingent and open-ended model of articulation--sites where disparate elements are temporary combined, unified, and thus, practiced and lived under the ever-changing conditions of existence

A Secure Behavior Modification Sensor System for Physical Activity Improvement

Today, advances in wireless sensor networks are making it possible to capture large amounts of information about a person and their interaction within their home environment. However, what is missing is how to ensure the security of the collected data and its use to alter human behavior for positive benefit. In this research, exploration was conducted involving the infrastructure and intelligence aspects of a wireless sensor network through a Behavior Modification Sensor System. First was to understand how a secure wireless sensor network could be established through the symmetric distribution of keys (the securing of the infrastructure), and it involves the mathematical analysis of a novel key pre-distribution scheme. Second explores via field testing the intelligence level of the system. This was meant to support the generation of persuasive messages built from the integration of a person\u27s physiological and living pattern data in persuading physical activity behavior change associated with daily walking steps. This system was used by an elderly female in a three-month study. Findings regarding the infrastructure or the novel key pre-distribution scheme in comparison to three popular key distribution methods indicates that it offers greater network resiliency to security threats (i.e., 1/2^32 times lower), better memory utilization (i.e., 53.9% less), but higher energy consumption (i.e., 2% higher) than its comparison group. Findings from the intelligence level of the research posit that using a person\u27s physiological and living pattern data may allow for more information rich and stronger persuasive messages. Findings indicate that the study participant was able to change and improve her average daily walking steps by 61% over a pre-treatment period. As the study participant increased her physical activity, changes in her living pattern were also observed (e.g., time spent watching television decreased while time spent engaged in walking increased by an average of 15 minutes per day). Reinforcement of these findings were noted between a pre and post-study survey that indicated the study participant moved from a contemplation stage of change where physical activity engagement was intended but not acted upon to an action stage of change where physical activity engagement dominated the new behavior

Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction towards E-shopping in Malaysia

Online shopping or e-shopping has changed the world of business and quite a few people have decided to work with these features. What their primary concerns precisely and the responses from the globalisation are the competency of incorporation while doing their businesses. E-shopping has also increased substantially in Malaysia in recent years. The rapid increase in the e-commerce industry in Malaysia has created the demand to emphasize on how to increase customer satisfaction while operating in the e-retailing environment. It is very important that customers are satisfied with the website, or else, they would not return. Therefore, a crucial fact to look into is that companies must ensure that their customers are satisfied with their purchases that are really essential from the ecommerce’s point of view. With is in mind, this study aimed at investigating customer satisfaction towards e-shopping in Malaysia. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed among students randomly selected from various public and private universities located within Klang valley area. Total 369 questionnaires were returned, out of which 341 questionnaires were found usable for further analysis. Finally, SEM was employed to test the hypotheses. This study found that customer satisfaction towards e-shopping in Malaysia is to a great extent influenced by ease of use, trust, design of the website, online security and e-service quality. Finally, recommendations and future study direction is provided. Keywords: E-shopping, Customer satisfaction, Trust, Online security, E-service quality, Malaysia

Massachusetts Domestic and Foreign Corporations Subject to an Excise: For the Use of Assessors (2004)

International audienc

Bowdoin Orient v.131, no.1-24 (1999-2000)

https://digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu/bowdoinorient-2000s/1000/thumbnail.jp

Bowdoin Orient v.88, no.1-21 (1958-1959)

https://digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu/bowdoinorient-1950s/1009/thumbnail.jp