Defying the ‘Magic Circle’: Unethical Acts in Virtual Worlds

Overview: This article investigates the complex and controversial exclusion of real world law from virtual worlds. By including examples of several documented unethical acts that have occurred in virtual worlds, this article suggests that real world law should be carried into virtual spaces in order to protect users. Some forms of protection discussed within this essay include the transfer of property rights and consequences of legal prosecution in order to deter unethical behaviors. Finally, this article includes benefits of adopting these strategies, while also acknowledging the potential negatives. Imagine a world where you can be perfect; a world where you can be whoever you want, whenever you want. Imagine a space you can retreat to in order to escape the pressures of the real world, achieve a new identity, and interact with a whole new population. Virtual worlds provide all of these ideal opportunities to their users. In fact, over 300 million users had registered accounts for a virtual world, according to data reported in 2008 (Waterburn 2009, 2.) As we move even further into a technological era, one can assume that this number has most likely increased as well. With such a large user base, it would be ideal for virtual worlds to be safe, enjoyable places where users can enjoy and be immersed in their experience. However, users can have their experience spoiled by others. Much like the real world, virtual worlds serve as a place where many unethical practices occur. Some of the most well-known unethical occurrences demonstrated in virtual worlds are basic harassment, extramarital affairs, sexual harassment, and virtual theft. Although many doubt the seriousness of these practices because they are not committed in the real world, their impact is felt, and has a serious influence on other users. However, the topic of unethical events occurring within virtual worlds has generated some debate in terms of liability and punishment. Some believe that if these unethical practices are not occurring in the real world, then they are not a real world problem. Others argue that the users that witness and are sometimes victims of these practices are real people, and therefore the acts should receive real consequences

FREEDOM AND CONSTRUCTION: NEW CONCEPTS OF FORM IN THE IMPROVISATIONS AND COMPOSITIONS OF KING CRIMSON

This thesis constructs a coherent system of analysis for the improvised and non-improvised music of the progressive rock band King Crimson, with the intention that the methodologies presented here for discussing collective improvisation should be applied to the music of other rock, jazz, and avant-garde groups. Borrowing methodology from the study of free and postmodern jazz, the thesis develops an analytical system that combines the use of intensity graphs (as developed by John Litweiler and Ingrid Monson) with traditional transcriptions and prose explanations. The intensity graphs are more complex than those created by Monson and Litweiler, as they chart the intensity of multiple instruments that are improvising simultaneously. The thesis compares the results of the intensity-graph analyses of King Crimson's improvisations with more conventional study of their pre-composed material dating from the years 1969-1974. Over the course of these five years, King Crimson's recordings reveal a growing understanding of the relationship between improvisation and composition, a significant emphasis on rhythm as a unifying factor in both composed and improvised music, and the development of several identifiable post-tonal harmonic styles (associated, respectively, with different members of the band). The recordings also expose the contributions of the band's various short-term members, most notably pianist Keith Tippett and percussionist Jamie Muir. The analyses in chapters VI and VII clearly link the harmonic language of King Crimson's compositions and that of their improvisations. They also reveal the presence of a leading instrument in most of the band's improvised pieces; as well as demonstrating that most such pieces can be analyzed as a struggle or negotiation between the players, beginning in apparent discord and ending with agreement upon a particular key and tempo. The final chapter then establishes the broad viability of the analytical method by applying it to the music of Sonic Youth, a more recent group from a considerably different musical tradition than King Crimson

Predicting Purchase Timing, Brand Choice and Purchase Amount of Firm Adoption of Radically Innovative Information Technology: A Business to Business Empirical Analysis

Knowing what to sell, when to sell, and to whom to sell is essential buyer behavior insight to allocate scarce marketing resources efficiently and effectively. Applying the theory of relationship marketing (Morgan and Hunt 1994), this study seeks to investigate the link between commitment and trust and firm adoption of radically innovative information technology (IT). The construct of radical innovation is operationalized through the use of cloud computing. A review of the vast scholarly literature on radical innovation diffusion and adoption, and modeling techniques used to analyze buyer behavior is followed by empirical estimation of each of the radical innovation adoption questions of purchase timing, brand choice, and purchase amount. Then, the inefficiencies in the independent model process are highlighted, suggesting the need for an integrated model. Next, an integrated model is developed to link the purchase timing, brand choice, and purchase amount decisions. The essay concludes with insight for marketing practitioners on the strength of the factors of commitment and trust on adoption of radical innovation, an improved methodology for the business-to-business marketing literature, and potential further research paths

The exportation of flour with special reference to Kansas

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Kansas, Economics, 1930

The role of teratogen exposure on neural crest cells in the pathogenesis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Maternal consumption of ethanol during pregnancy contributes to a set of pathologies, grouped together as the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, affecting as many as 5% of live births in the United States annually. Ethanol acts widely in the developing embryo, affecting many tissues, but causing deficits in neuronal and neural crest populations particularly. These deleterious effects cause archetypical craniofacial expression and neurological deficits, including microcephaly and neuronal dysfunction. Severity of symptoms is linked to frequency of maternal alcohol consumption as well as the maximum blood alcohol concentration reached by the mother. The teratology of ethanol has been widely researched over the last four decades, with the link between the neural crest pathology and the fetal alcohol spectrum phenotype becoming clearer. Animal model studies have managed to replicate many of the symptoms seen in humans afflicted with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and have allowed us to elucidate the biochemical mechanisms behind the disease. There is no singular pathway responsible for the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: over half a dozen models of dysfunction have been identified, and ethanol’s ability to react with a series of targets means that more pathways are likely to be discovered. Current theories regarding the effects of ethanol on the neural crest have implicated apoptosis of the cephalic neural crest, mediated by G-protein coupled receptors, activation of a phospholipase C pathway, and subsequent release of intracellular calcium; perturbations of the actin cytoskeleton leading to migration dysfunction of neural crest cells in the developing neural tube; lack of functional trophic molecules, specifically Shh, likely due to dysfunction of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway; lack of retinoic acid production; oxidative stress, production of reactive oxygen species, and iron dysregulation; and genetics, which seems to confer greater susceptibility and resistance to ethanol in certain individuals. Ultimately, a global model for ethanol’s actions on the developing fetus eludes researchers, as do any potential treatments, and more research is required to further elucidate ethanol’s teratogenic mechanism

Client Request Scheduling to Reduce Server Load Spikes

Popular mobile apps have hundreds of millions of users. Consequently, servers that support such apps can receive as many as hundreds of thousands of user requests every second. Certain applications submit requests from a large number of devices such that the requests arrive at the server at nearly the same time. This causes a sharp spike in the number of user requests to be processed by the server and congestion throughout the network stack that can result in errors and dropped user requests. This disclosure presents techniques that schedule incoming user requests such that the histogram of load-versus-time is relatively flat and smooth. A flatter load-versus-time curve thus obtained results in higher system availability, lower errorrates, less strain on load-balancers, and enables a greater level of user satisfaction