Michelangelo is known for his painting, architect, poet and engineer, much like his fellow Italian Leonardo da Vinci. Some of Michelangelo's most famous work is his painting of St. Peter's Basilica and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His paintings and sculptures are noted for their realism and portrayed emotion.

Like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo also studied the human body in detail. He was allowed to examine the deceased bodies at Santa Maria del Santo Spirito's Hospital in which he studied how the body moved and what was below the surface. This helped Michelangelo to create life-like figures that he is known for today.

At the age of 26, Michelangelo was commissioned to take over the sculpting of a statue that was to be one of his most famous works of art. The block of stone that was later to become the figure of David originally was started by Donatello and his assistant Antionio Rossellino. Donatello died before the completion of the statue and for 25 years, nothing was done to the unfinished stone. Michelangelo was given the contract to finish working on the stone, and Michelangelo shaped it into the famous 14ft statue that the world knows today. Michelangelo was heralded as the most famous sculpture at the time.

It is with these paintings and sculpture, as well as numerous other works, that made Michelangelo a driving force in what is now referred to as the European Renaissance.

http://www.hlla.com/reference/mb-bio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo

There were many factors that shaped the Internet into what we know it as today. The first to look at is the invention of the World Wide Web.

Tim Berners-Lee created information pages called "Web pages" that allowed universities and research facilities to connect to each other to share information.

It wasn't long when these people at the universities and research facilities wanted a way to send specific information to individuals electronically, and thus the e-mail was quickly invented.

Companies like American Online (AOL) really helped millions of users to connect cheaply to a quickly expanding network of computers that were all connected to the Internet. It offered services like e-mail accessibility as well as a "search engine" that allowed users to "surf" the web to find content that was available all over the world. When users quickly discovered the amount of information that was rapidly becoming available on the internet, several companies quickly realized how to solve customer needs in this Industry.

Companies like Google created more advanced search engines that could search for hosted media, like pictures and movies as well as offering superior results to user search requests. Other companies like MSN, Netscape and Mozilla created applications called "browsers" to help aid people while browsing numerous websites.

With E-mail becoming a quickly forming norm, people wanted even faster forms of communication, thus Instant Messenger clients started appearing. Companies like ICQ, AIM, MSN Messanger, IRC, quickly became another social norm for people to quickly send brief messages to each other. Entirely new vocabulary evolved from the invention of the Instant Messengers as people tried to express emotions over this new medium. Phrases like LOL, ROLF, BRB, ATM and JAS became popular as people shortened phrases that were commonly used.

With all of the increased demand for Internet services, consumers quickly sought higher bandwidth and mobility to allow them to access things faster while on the move.

Entire virtual communities were created with the advent of services like MySpace or Facebook, which allowed users to create electronic identities online as well as find and talk to other users. Blogs quickly became popular which allowed users to create Web Logs, later shortened to blogs. These blogs let users write down ideas, thoughts and dreams for their own gratification as well as allowing people to share these with others.

And the business community has quickly realized the Internet's potential. Businesses like eBAY and Craigslist allowed users to post items for sale as well as giving people the ability to purchase items all over the world. Most businesses in today's age have some form of Internet offering, whether it is simply information on the company or giving potential customers the ability to purchase goods right there on the site.

As can be seen, the Internet has truly shaped the world we live in today. With users everywhere being able to access almost any form of information at any time, the Internet is at the heart of the Information Renaissance. It will be fascinating to see where the future will lead.

http://thewarp.org/blog/index.cfm/2007/5/4/TOP-25-Things-That-Shaped-the-Internet

In the early part of 2005, Adidas introduced a whole new kind of shoe. The adidas_1 was the first production shoe to have a microprocessor built into the shoe, this allowed for an automatic level of cushioning, adapting to its environment. The technology behind this is a 5 million calculations per second microprocessor that adjusts the compression characteristics for each stride. It has a replaceable battery that allows for 100 hours worth of running use.

Later that year on May the 2nd, Adidas announced the sale of their 8 year partner, Salomon Group. This included the related subsidiaries of Salomon Group including Salomon, Mavic, Bonfire, Arc’Teryx, and Cliché. The manufacturing company that originated in France was sold to Amer Sports Corporation of Finland for a grand total of 485 million euros (roughly 623 million dollars). Adidas decided to sell Solomon because Adidas wanted to focus on their core strength in athletic footwear, apparel, and golf.

In August of 2005 Adidas announced that they were buying long time rival Reebok for $3.8 billion. This was done because for the last several years, Reebok and Adidas competed against each other for 2nd and 3rd slots behind Nike. Eventually the two companies decided that it would be better for the two companies to join together to better compete with their rival Nike. This was seen by many investors as a great fit and the stock of Reebok and Adidas surged upward after the announcement. The acquisition of Reebok allowed Adidas to better compete with Nike in the US as well as abroad.

On November 25th 2005, Adidas released an improved version of their adidas_1, thus the adidas_1 intelligence 1.1 was born. The improvements allowed for an increased range of cushioning as well as being stronger and faster. It allows the shoe to become even more soft or firm than its predecessor, and the new motor provides 153% more torque thus quickening the speed of which the shoe adjusts to its environment.

In addition to developing the adidas_1, Adidas introduced several new types of shoes. The A3 (2005) was designed for NBA’s Kevin Garnett, which provided lightweight cushioning and durable support. Also developed was the new +Preadator Absolute (2005). This was a new version of the older Predator that included PowerPulse technology as well as being lighter than ever before.

http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/whatsnext/content/microsites/adidas_1/launch.asp?strCountry_adidascom=com&strBrand_adidascom=performance&CMP=&site=

Imagine if you will that you are an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. A call has just come in that you have to investigate. Upon arriving at the scene, you are confronted with a drunken, belligerent man waving a baseball bat at the surrounding officers. You tell the man to drop the bat and lay down on the ground. Instead of complying when he hears this, he rushes at you with his bat held high. What are you supposed to do?

This is a problem that policemen around the country have to face everyday, whether it is a drunk, belligerent man, or a suspect trying to avoid custody. Over the years, scientists have tried to come up with a way to aid police, providing them with tools that can give them choices. Among these tools is a product known as a Taser. A Taser delivers a 50,000-volt shock to the suspect using two metal barbs that are fired from a handheld device. The sheer power of a Taser renders the suspect incapacitated for a few seconds, allowing the officer to handcuff the person while avoiding danger himself. Taser International Inc., was founded in 1993, with the idea of developing a weapon that could incapacitate a person at range. With this idea, the Taser was born. Since 1993, over 250,000 Taser’s have been sold to civilians and police. Tasers are effective law-enforcement tools, but need guidelines on its uses to keep the amount of risk of injury as low as possible.

Are Tasers dangerous? The answer to that has been argued for the last several years since groups like Amnesty International, a human-rights group, has compiled a list of what it calls 129 “Taser-related” deaths. (Briscoe par. 2) These deaths were strongly refuted by Taser saying that “no medical examiner had ever listed their weapon as the primary cause of death.” (Briscoe par. 3) “What kills people when they’re tased is the cocaine or the PCP they’re on,” says Tom Copeland of the Victoria, Texas Police Department. (Fleming par. 8) However, within the last year, a coroner stated that a taser was the cause of death. CEO Tom Smith of Taser International argued that, “We’re not saying Taser’s are risk-free, but Taser’s are the safest alternative to the use of force”. (Briscoe par. 3) It seemed that the reports had little effect on the sales of Tasers. In 2004, Taser went on to become the best-performing stock in the US stock markets. (Hamilton par. 2) However, when the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and the Arizona Attorney General decided to investigate the company and the taser-related deaths, Taser’s stock plunged.
What does Taser International do because of this? Taser continues to produce their products and sells them to anyone that wants to buy them. The American Civil Liberties Union is trying to have the Taser declared as a “lethal weapon.” (Zap and Protect par. 5) As of now, the taser is considered a nonlethal weapon and is reported to have “a lower injury rate than other nonlethal weapons and has had no reported long-term, adverse aftereffects.” (Cusac par. 6) When the Taser is used, its suspect is subject to a condition called “electro-muscular disruption,” which basically means that the subject has no control over his/her muscles. The voltage from the device makes the subjects muscles contract and causes subject to curl into a fetal position on the ground. (Cusac par. 8) Taser did post on its website that “prolonged, extended, uninterrupted discharges” of Tasers should be avoided to minimize the “potential impairment of full ability to breathe over a protracted time period.” (Briscoe par. 4) In the 1980’s, there were similar charges of deaths with pepper-spray, and in the 1990’s with mace. Both of these are still considered “nonlethal” and are widely used today. Taser believes that with endorsements from police departments, such as “Tasers reduce injuries to officers and citizens,” from Matthew Tobias, a special-operations commander for the Chicago police, as well as further studies into the effects of Tasers on people, Taser will be exonerated of its charges and the company’s stock will soar again. (Hamilton par. 6-7)

Some people question, whether or not a Taser can be abused? The answer is yes, a Taser can be abused just like any other item or piece of equipment. Several reports stating that a Taser was improperly used have been brought against several police departments. An example of this might be a case that happened in South Carolina. A seventy-five-year-old lady was tasered when she refused to leave a nursing home, and as the police claim, tried to hit an officer. (Cusac par. 19) As of now, most police departments do not offer extensive training with the Taser, as well as not having certain restraints when they can or can’t use them. The case above might have been suited for the use of a Taser, but police departments need to set up guidelines as to when that level of force can be used. It’s not as much of a problem with the tool, but the use of the tool.

The Victoria Police Department have added some additional equipment to their Tasers, such as a “tattle tale” that provides information on the person who used it, and how many times they used it. (Fleming par. 7) Local governments are passing laws regarding Tasers, such as if a civilian should be able to own and operate one, or if they should be required to have a license to use it. For police however, and possibly the public, the Taser is an excellent tool that has helped many conflicts where it could have been ugly, to a manageable situation.

The Taser is a wonderful tool that provides an option to civilians and officers, to help manage certain situations with minimal risk of injury to both parties. It is a tool that is to be respected and not abused. There needs to be some guidelines set up on its uses and restrictions, as well as the enforcement of these guidelines. There is a huge amount of potential with the Taser for law enforcement agencies, and with products like the Taser, it allows police to perform better and be safe when doing their jobs. Everyone needs to see the potential good of equipment like the Taser and other non-lethal weapons. There should be further research in making non-lethal weapons even safer, as well as coming out with new ideas and products that will be able to aid the public and the police. A Taser might not be 100% safe, but it is definitely a step in the right direction for non-lethal equipment.

Works Cited
Hamilton, Anita, et al. “From Zap to Zzzzz.” Time 165.13 (2005) Academic Search
Premier. EBSCOhost. Nicholson Coll. Lib., Anderson.
“Zap and Protect?” Economist 375.8428 (2005): 36-37 Academic Search Premier.
EBSCOhost. Nicholson Coll. Lib., Anderson.
Fleming, Sibley “States consider stun gun guidelines.” American City & Country 120.8
Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Nicholson Coll. Lib., Anderson.
Cusac, Anne-Marie. “The Trouble with Tasers.” Progressive 69.4 (2005)
Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Nicholson Coll. Lib., Anderson.
Briscoe, Daren. “Ready, Aim, Fire—Again.” Newsweek 146.9/10 (2005) Academic
Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Nicholson Coll. Lib., Anderson.

When we think of today’s computer systems, we take many things for granted. No longer are computers the size of rooms, cost several hundred thousands of dollars, or weigh several thousand pounds. Instead we expect computers to only weigh a couple of pounds, have a reasonable price and for some to have the capability to fit in our briefcase, carry-on or pocket. Just the ability to have modern conveniences such as cell phones requires tiny microchips embedded inside the phone for it even to work. For these things to have come about, dedicated men and women from around the world sought tirelessly to improve on what many thought at the time, to be an oddity or a waste.

HISTORY
One of these dedicated individuals was named Robert Noyce. Born on December 12th, 1927 in Burlington, Iowa, (Noyce Wiki, 2007) Robert Noyce was born 17 years before the first computer, the Mark I, designed in 1944 (Mark I Wiki, 2007). Noyce was the son of a preacher, and ever since Noyce was a child, showed fascination in tinkering and figuring out how things worked (IEEEVM, 2007). Noyce enrolled at Grinnell College as a physics major. While there, Noyce always exhibited a high level of confidence, he was always the center of attention (PBS, 2007). Faculty at Grinnell quickly realized Noyce’s intellect, and offered Noyce a job to be a lab assistant, a position traditionally reserved for graduate students (Berlin, 2005). He soon was teaching a few classes, grading papers and explaining experiments to other students, all while he was still a freshman (Berlin, 2005). There was a famous story of Noyce stealing a pig from a local farmer for a college luau. This prank nearly got him expelled from college, however when Noyce personally confessed and offered to pay the farmer for the pig, the charges were dropped (PBS, 2007). While at Grinnell College, one of his professors showed Noyce two of the very first transistors ever to come out (Ideafinder, 2007). Noyce was immediately addicted and spent hours learning how transistors were made and used. Robert Noyce graduated top of his class at Grinnell College and continued to pursue his education. Later, when Noyce went to MIT for his Ph.D. in 1948, Noyce found that he knew more about transistors than many of his professors (PBS, 2007).

EARLY CAREER
Noyce then went on to marry Elizabeth Bottomley in 1953 upon receiving his Ph.D. (ecommerce, 2007). He began work for Philco, an electronic firm, producing transistors. This though, was soon to end. Noyce decided to work at Shockley Semiconductor, so in a single day in 1956, Noyce flew his family to California, bought a house, and went to talk to Shockley, a Nobel prizewinning physicist, to ask for a job (Ideafinder, 2007). Shockley agreed, and Robert Noyce began working with roughly twenty other young men. Most of the people that Shockley had hired were less than 30 years of age and had either just received their doctorates, or had worked exclusively for academic or government labs (Berlin, 2005). Almost no one there had ever worked with semiconductors, which was still considered to be extremely complex and restricted knowledge.

In mid-April, while Noyce was still moving his family’s belongings into their new house in California, Shockley arranged a welcoming party for all the new employees. Noyce was still in Philadelphia, but was determined to make it to the party, so with his car fully loaded, Noyce drove across country in pouring rain, only stopping for gas, and made it to the party only a few hours late. This impressed a fellow recruit so much that later, when he was asked about the incident, he said:

“He hadn’t shaved, he looked like he’d been living in his suit for a week – and he was thirsty. There was a big goddamn bowl of martinis on the table there. Noyce picks up the goddamn bowl, and starts drinking [from] it. Then he passes out. I said to myself, ‘This is going to be a whole lot of fun’ (Berlin, 2005).”

Working for Shockley though proved to be a disappointment. Shockley had a difficult personality and his strict adherence to ideas frustrated Noyce and several of the workers. So in 1957, Noyce and seven other employees, sometimes known as the Traitorous Eight, left Shockley Semiconductor and created their own company, Fairchild Semiconductor in Mountain View, California (IEEEVM, 2007).

Making silicon transistors was a painstakingly slow process as each processor had to be wired together by hand. Noyce and Fairchild’s co-founder Gordon Moore began to look for new ways to connect transistors. They came up with a way to combine transistors in a solid block of silicon, which is referred to now as an integrated circuit. Noyce and Moore however share this invention with another inventor, Jack Kilby, due to the fact that Kilby came up with the invention at virtually the same time (IEEEVM, 2007). The integrated circuit was one of Noyce’s steps to revolutionizing the semiconductor industry.

INTEL
In 1968, eleven years after founding Fairchild Semiconductor, Noyce and Moore left the company to found another company that specialized in developing integrated circuits solely for the computer industry. Thus, he and Moore founded Integrated Electronics or as it was later shortened, Intel. During the initial creation of the company, Noyce was the primary recruiter for the company. He looked for talent at Stanford as well as his network of associates and friends. One of his old friends from MIT and Philco, Jim Angell, who now taught at MIT in the engineering department, suggested that Noyce take a look at one of his postdoctoral students. This young man, Angell swore, was so gifted with computers, that he could tell a program was running properly just by the rhythm of the lights on the display (Berlin, 2005). This young man’s name was Ted Hoff, who soon would further revolutionize the computer industry in the coming years.

It was this student who launched Intel into the forefront of the computing world. Within a couple years, Ted Hoff, under Noyce’s leadership, created the first memory chip as well as the first microprocessor. The microchip that Intel’s engineers developed had the ability to store computer language which was hailed as the first, true CPU. Intel also created the first random access computer memory chip, otherwise known as RAM (IEEEVM, 2007). By 1974, Intel was so successful, that Noyce no longer managed day-to-day management and instead focused on industry wide concerns such as staving off foreign competition (Golden, 1999). Noyce had learned from Shockley’s mistakes, and gave all of Intel’s employee’s room to foster creative innovations and development. It was this style of management that helped shape Silicon Valley’s working style (PBS, 2007).

This company has grown from its humble beginnings, to one of the leading computer chip manufactures in the world. Intel was outperforming every competitor until 1983, when Japanese semiconductor manufactures had drastically reduced the profitability of Intel. It was then, that Intel decided to steer the company to only make microprocessors, and by the end of the 1980’s, this decision had proven successful and Intel embarked on a 10 year period of unprecedented growth as the most profitable hardware supplier in the PC industry (Intel Wiki, 2007). In 1988, Noyce was put in charge of Sematech, which was a consortium of semiconductor manufactories who worked together along with the U.S. Government to increase U.S. competitiveness in the world marketplace (Bookrags, 2007).

Intel still remains one of the leading chip manufacturers in the world. In 2006, Intel posted $37.32 billion dollars in revenue, with over $18 billion in profit (Yahoo, 2007). Intel currently employees over 48 thousand, and is ranked 49 in Fortune’s 500 magazine. Intel also is considered by Fortune to be one of the Best Companies to Work For in 2007 (CNN, 2007).

FINAL DAYS
As time went on, Robert Noyce began to allow others to run the company that he had helped start. He worked on keeping ahead of the foreign electronics industries through several venues such as his work with Sematech and the U.S. Government. As Noyce began to relinquish control of the company, he found interest in a variety of other activities. He enjoyed hang gliding, scuba diving as well as piloting several of his own private aircraft (Bookrags, 2007). Robert Noyce died at the age of 62 of a heart attack in July of 1990 at his home in Austin, Texas (Ideafinder, 2007).

AWARDS
Robert Noyce has been honored many times throughout the years. He won every major honor in his field, short of the Nobel Prize (ecommerce, 2007). He was awarded numerous medals: In 1974, he was awarded the AEA Medal of Achievement, in 1978, the IEEE Medal of Honor, in 1979 he was awarded the I.E.E. Faraday medal, in 1980, the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology in 1987 (ecommerce, 2007).

In addition to the medals, Noyce was inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1983 when Intel’s sales first reached one billion dollars, and in 1989, Noyce was inducted in the U.S. Business Hall of Fame. He was also dubbed the Mayor of Silicon Valley during the 1980’s for his role as a spokesperson as well as scientific contributions. Noyce was also awarded the AFIPS Harry Goode Award for leadership in computer science, the Ballantine Medal of the Franklin Institute, the IEEE Cledo Brunetti Award for the invention of the integrated circuit, and the National Academy of Engineering’s first Charles Stark Draper Prize (ecommerce, 2007).

CONCLUSION
As can be seen, Robert Noyce had a monumental effect on the computer industry. He helped shape what our world is today through his inventions and dedication. Because of his inventions and influence, almost everything that we use electronically today is a result of his work. His management style helped create a framework for many companies today like Google or 3M, where innovation and creativity is highly sought. These highly innovated and creative companies today are in the foreground of technology along with Intel because of their unique view of management and goals. Robert Noyce was always highly regarded by his peers for his technical brilliance and gracious personality (IEEEVM, 2007). He truly help guide us into the era of the Information Renaissance.

WORKS CITED

Berlin, (2007). The Man Behind the Microchip. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Themanbehindthemicrochip Web site: http://www.themanbehindthemicrochip.com/excerpts.html
Bookrags, (2007). Robert Noyce. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Bookrags Web site: http://www.bookrags.com/Robert_Noyce
CNN, (2007). Intel. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from CNN Web site: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/snapshots/672.html
ecommerce, (2007). Robert Noyce - Recognition of Achievements. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from ecommerce Web site: http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/808/Noyce-Robert-RECOGNITION-ACHIEVEMENTS.html
Golden, (1999). Robert Noyce: Microchip. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Time Web site: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,990601,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
Ideafinder, (2007). Inventor Robert Noyce Biography. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Ideafinder Web site: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/noyce.htm
IEEEEVM, IEEEVM: Robert Noyce. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from IEEE Virtual Museum Web site: http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/people.php?id=1234633&lid=1
PBS, (2007). Robert Noyce. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from PBS Web site: http://www.pbs.org/transistor/album1/addlbios/noyce.html
Wikipedia, (2007). Robert Noyce. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Noyce
Wikipedia, (2007). Mark I. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Mark_I
Wikipedia, (2007). Intel. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel
Yahoo, (2007). Key Statistics for Intel. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Yahoo Finance Web site: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=INTC

WiMAX is an exciting new technology that promises a lot of growth. With the demand of increased broadband, flexibility and QoS, the idea of WiMAX has captured the world. Initially thought by many to be a technology to replace traditional copper line deployment in developing markets, many soon realized the potential of what WiMAX had to offer the world.

While the idea was introduced in 2001 under the name of WirelessMAN (WiMAX Wiki, 2007), this fixed, line-of-sight technology quickly began to intrigue individuals to the potential of the technology they were developing. In 2004, at the WiMAX World USA event, 600 people looked at this intriguing new technology that was still undergoing changes (WiMAX World, 2007). In three short years, WiMAX progressed from a fixed, line-of-sight technology with few product applications, to a mobile/fixed non-line-of-sight technology with major interests from multi-billion dollar firms such as Sprint, Motorola and Intel. At the 2007 WiMAX World USA event, more than 10,000 visitors, 250 exhibitors and 350 corporate sponsors participated in this event (WiMAX World, 2007). On October 19th, 2007, the ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union Radio Communication Sector) selected WiMAX to be part of the IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications-2000) specifications (IMT-2000 Wiki, 2007). IMT-2000 is a global standard for third generation wireless communications. By adding WiMAX to the IMT-2000 specifications, this international organization has solidified WiMAX’s future in the computer industry.

WiMAX is not a U.S. limited technology. More than 56 countries around the world are working at testing and deploying WiMAX in their countries (Deployed WiMAX Wiki, 2007). While that might seem to be a large amount, many of these countries have yet to deploy a functional WiMAX network to consumers, but are still in the testing phase of the deployment. There are over 10 companies within the United States that are working on deploying WiMAX. The largest three WiMAX developers in the United States are Sprint Nextel, Clearwire and Towerstream. Both Sprint and Clearwire intend to deploy WiMAX installations over the entire continental United States, targeting mainly residential customers. Towerstream is another developer that is deploying in major cities around the United States with the intentions to offer service to small, medium, and large corporations.

The U.S. market though is not without its difficulties. Many operators are encountering holdups as they wait for the United States Government to auction more spectrum. Also, the major two corporations responsible to deploying WiMAX to residential users in the United States, Sprint and Clearwire, just announced the termination of their letter of intent to build a nationwide WiMAX network that was just signed in July (NetworkWorld, 2007). Sprint’s CEO Gary Forsee, who oversaw Sprints $5 billion investment in WiMAX technology was asked to step down from his position. While both Sprint and Clearwire are still intent on deploying a nationwide WiMAX network, it is not going to be able to reach the previously targeted deadline of 2008. Although this is can seem to be a step backwards in the development of WiMAX, many analysts think that at worst, it is just going to take longer than originally anticipated. Philip Solis, an analyst for ABI Research thinks that this might actually help the future of WiMAX in the United States because Sprint might be spinning off the WiMAX portion of the company. This would allow the new WiMAX portion of the company to focus on its own goals without having to worry about financial pressure from the parent company as well as gaining investments from forward-looking investors (NetworkWorld, 2007).

While initially, the idea of WiMAX was for fixed services only, the future applications have expanded far beyond this area. Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor company and maker of computer processors has developed a strong interest in the future of WiMAX. They have already begun manufacturing WiMAX Add-in Cards for laptops, and in 2008, Intel laptops will offer embedded WiMAX modules (Intel, 2007). Intel has seen the possible potential for WiMAX and with its standing in the world market, is helping push this new technology to become a new standard of mobile internet. Analysts expect a range of WiMAX services to result thanks to Intel’s support (BusinessWeek, 2007). With WiMAXX revolutionizing the mobile broadband industry, it will cause massive upgrades worldwide as a result. People that do not have WiMAX will want to buy hardware that supports it, and for new buyers, WiMAX will be a high selling point for new merchandise. As these emerging markets are yet to unfold, the investment possibilities are very lucrative.

Motorola is another industry leader that is investing heavily in WiMAX. Motorola recognized the demand for this new technology and is adding WiMAX capability into many of their new mobile PDA’s, handsets and PC cards. Another aspect that the company is promoting is WiMAX services that offer design, installation, optimization, management and customer service solutions for companies as well as residential households (Motorola, 2007). Motorola itself is manufacturing these devices in addition to offering the services that go along with their hardware. Motorola’s approach is the same as when Bluetooth was rolled out several years ago in that Motorola is designing the majority of their new hardware with WiMAX support already integrated into their systems.

Future developments of WiMAX consist of achieving even higher rates of speed for both fixed and mobile technologies. For mobile devices, the goal is 100 Mbit/s from the current 70 Mbit/s, and fixed WiMAX’s goal is 1,000 Mbit/s from the current 72Mbit/s (WiMAX Wiki, 2007). This will further increase demand for WiMAX because the amount of bandwidth is much farther ahead of any current mobile internet solutions. Many car manufactures are experimenting with WiMAX equipped cars. The manufactures are taking a unique approach to the use of WiMAX, instead of using wires to relay information on how the car is running, they are using WiMAX to send information from the sensor arrays right to the drivers display (Intel, 2007). Car manufactures are also exploring the possibility of using WiMAX to work with the built in computers inside the car to allow the users to listen to music, play movies or receive e-mails (WiMAX, 2007).

As can be seen, WiMAX is an incredibly useful technology that has tremendous potential in the coming years. With industry giants like Intel and Motorola making WiMAX a standard in their new equipment, the future of WiMAX is bright. No longer will people have to wait to find a local “hot-spot” to get online, but will have the ability to use it virtually anywhere, whether they are sitting in a restaurant, driving in their car, or sitting in their living room. With the industry as new as it is, this technology has tremendous potential for investors over the coming years.

Works Cited
BusinessWeek, Intel's WiMAX: Like Wi-Fi on Steroids. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from BusinessWeek Web site: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_17/b3930072_mz011.htm
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WiMAX, WiMAX for Cars?. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from WiMAX Web site: http://www.wimax.com/commentary/blog/blog-2006/blog11072006mw1
WiMAX World, WiMAX World USA. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from WiMAX World Web site: http://usa.wimaxworld.com/

Ever since the beginning of time, people have been managing other people. Throughout history, people have tried different strategies to manage people efficiently and to get the best results from their company. In today’s world, with fierce competition in almost every market, companies are looking for that extra edge to push their company into greatness. So how do companies achieve this status?

The book “In Search of Excellence”, written by Tom Peters & Robert Waterman Jr., published in 1982, explored the reasons that made the leading companies different from the rest of the industry. In the research of these companies, Peters and Waterman found that there were eight underlying themes of companies that they identified as excellent. These themes focused on people, both customers and employees, actions, and simplicity. Most of these themes seem to be common sense, but many companies seem not to utilize them.

There are several factors in this book that still apply to the 21st Century. It is important to have a simple organizational structure to minimize bureaucratic tendencies, this allows for maximum response within the organization. After you have a solid structure, it is then important focus on customer relations. The book shows that all great companies were customer driven. One point in the book was that the key to success was not trying to focus on gaining new customers, but retain existing customers. The excellent companies not only offered great quality in their work, but also offered superior customer service. By staying close to your customers, you learn what is important to your market and can then offer what they want.

Theme six in the book showed that companies need to stick with what they are best at. It isn’t good for companies to try to get into other markets if they are not strong in that market. Instead, the company should try to focus on the part that they are best at and make it better. It is important to foster innovation and to nurture champions within the company. Companies like 3M require their employees to work a certain percentage of their time on their own ideas to promote innovation.

http://www.businessballs.com/tompetersinsearchofexcellence.htm

“Good to Great”, was written by Jim Collins, published in 2001, and also tried to look at what set “Great” companies apart from the rest of the industry. This book is considered by many to replace “In Search of Excellence”, as the premiere management book. “Good to Great” seemed to take some of the principles of “In Search of Excellence” and change them a little to apply more to today’s economy. Collins and his team came up with eight steps of how to turn a “good” company into a truly “great” company. It shows how Level 5 leadership is required to push a company into greatness. Level 5 leaders are quite different from what most companies look for; Level 5 leaders are modest, humble, willful, and fearless. They are the type of people who put others ahead of themselves, and are willing to stick through things to make it right.

Another crucial part was to have the right people in the right place. The old saying “People are your most important asset” was wrong; it’s having the right people. Collins shows that great companies did not first decide what to do, but looked for the right people to have. It is important to make sure that you got the wrong people off the bus and the right people on the bus. After you have all the right people on the bus, and in the right seats, then you can decide where to go.

Throughout “Good to Great” as well as “In Search of Excellence”, it emphasizes over and over that companies are not made into great companies by a singular act, decision, lucky break or technological breakthrough; instead, it is only through several pushes in the right direction that can cause breakthrough into greatness. Collins adeptly compared it to a giant flywheel, where it would take turn after turn to build up momentum until a point where breakthrough happens.

Comparing the two books, “In Search of Excellence”, and “Good to Great”, I found several similarities in both concepts and ideas. Since I am interested in someday being a head executive of a Fortune 100 company, I found both of these books very useful. I will continuously strive to become a Level 5 leader throughout my career and to make sure that I have the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus. Also the fact that it takes a continuous effort, over a long period of time to produce something great will help guide me in making decisions for the future. And while I love technology, I need to make sure that every piece fits into my Hedgehog Concept and to not use technology as a creator of momentum, but an accelerator of it.

The Search, written by John Battelle, is about the idea of a system of a “Database of Intentions (Battelle, 2005),” which Battelle goes on to define as a sum total of all queries that pour into search engines daily. This in turn helps define our culture by revealing what our culture is interested in knowing about.

While the book is mainly about Google, and the processes it uses to find and locate these published ideas/information that is scattered all over the web, it also discusses the evolution of search engine technology, and how it’s gotten to where it is today.

The Search, also delves into the realm of contextual advertising. How searches can pinpoint a customer for a company’s product. While many companies would pay a fortune to reach their target audience, Google has taken the approach of non-evasive advertising as well as bid-per-click results. The product name is Adsense, and it has helped hundreds of businesses that normally couldn’t afford conventional advertising.

Battelle goes on in the final part of his book to lay out some of the potential future directions of Google and the products that they are going to offer. Battelle depicts a vision of Google becoming an overarching, centralized platform that individuals can use for every aspect of their lives.

http://www.amazon.com/Search-Rewrote-Business-Transformed-Culture/dp/1591840880

Generating Buy-In, written by Mark Walton, presents a language of leadership that is common to some of the most influential leaders in the United States. Walton shows stories and examples of U.S. Presidents, officers from the U.S. Army and several CEO’s from companies like Coca-Cola and GE.

Walton goes onto show leaders how they can take charge by recognizing situations that point to renewing commitment in employees, telling motivating stories, or times where hard work is just needed to get the job done. He poses that in order to get the results we desire, we must appeal to others in the way that our minds work with best: a story. Walton shows that if we use stories effectively, it can motivate others to action, which in turn, gets things done.

Generating Buy-In lays out a step-by-step guide to create effective stories. It starts out with setting goals, to determine what action you want your audience to take. Then the next step is to show the audience a vision, or big picture of what you want to happen. The next is to develop the story into three chapters that target your audience’s agenda such as needs, wants and goals. After you have done that, the last step is to call for action. This asks for a commitment on the audience’s part to take their first step into doing something about it.
This is a very valuable book that can help leaders communicate more effectively with employees and people they work with, simply by telling a story.

http://www.amazon.com/Generating-Buy-Mastering-Language-Leadership/dp/0814407889

China Inc., written by Ted Fishman, describes the impact of China on the rest of the world. Fishman poses that China, due to its size and stature is causing the rest of the world to react to it, and as such, is changing the world around it. Fishman goes into the effects of the Chinese job market, manufacturing, education, and the issue of outsourcing.

Fishman reports that China has the fastest growing economy in the history of the world (Fishman, 2006), and that its rapid growth is due to the incredibly low labor costs in manufacturing. The Chinese are able to produce goods and services at two-thirds the cost of anywhere else in the industrialized world which in turn is a distinct key competitive advantage for its domestic products.

China Inc. goes into the details of many different areas of Chinese philosophy. The book talks about how their society evolved from communism into the capitalistic nation it has become. Fishman points out the symbiotic relationship that the US has with China, in that the US economy relies heavily on Chinese goods and services, and that if the economy in China collapsed, that the world’s economy would greatly suffer.

Fishman takes a very complicated issue and breaks it down into simple parts that can be seen in everyday life. He shows how the cost of products and services worldwide is affected by what he calls “the largest migration in human history (Fishman, 2006)”. He shows this by telling stories of the hundreds of millions of people that are coming in from the rural areas to work in huge manufacturing plants that supply the world with products that we use every day.

http://www.amazon.com/China-Inc-Superpower-Challenges-America/dp/0743257529

There are literally hundreds of theories about Human Communication. Some break it down in levels, while others put it into steps. Each impose their own idea of what "Human Communication" is, and the scope to which it covers. My own theory coincides with Littlejohns own idea about communication. Littlejohn stated that "establishing a single definition has proved impossible and may not be fruitful (Littlejohn)."

I believe that this field will never be united by a unified theory because communication itself is entirely dynamic and changes in different situations. However, I am not stating that theories have no relevance, quite the opposite really. My own theory is that each of the hundred of preexisting theories are very useful in their own situation. After all, "a theory is not just an explanation; its a way of packaging reality, a way of understanding it (Littlejohn)."

Theories help guide our understanding as well as our actions, they help us identify patterns of events so we know what to expect. So this said, knowing and understanding as many theories as possible will only aid us in our search for meaning.

Models often help us understand complex ideas a great deal easier. Shannon-Weaver developed their own model to help people understand what happens when communication occurs. First, you have the source, which could be a person or a group of people. This can also be referred to as the transmission. Secondly, the source formulates what he is wanting to communicate and encodes the message. Next the source decides on a medium to communicate on, this could be analog (talking) or perhaps digital (e-mail). The medium is always subject to noise which could potentially break down the intended message. Next, the receiver must decode the received message to decipher what the source was intending to say. Finally, the receiver sends feedback to the source to help show that the message was received properly.

This model helps show the process that happens when communication occurs. While many people might look at this model and think that each step is so obvious it actually is important to realize each step. It helps us break down the act of communication and enables us to make theories on each portion of the process. Take decoding for an example. In order to decode something successfully, the act of listening becomes crucial. Tom Peters said it best, "Listening, like so many of these apparently simple ideas, turns out to be anything but simple (Peters)."

In order to decode the message with a high success rate, the receiver must be an active listener, where the receiver listens for meaning. The receiver actively checks with the source to see if statement has been correctly heard and understood. In my opinion, listening is one of the most important steps in Human Communication, even is the source makes an error transmitting, listening actively can provide a means of detecting the problem. Julie Flinn had the right idea when she said "we were made with two ears and one mouth, which means we have to listen twice as hard (Flinn)."

As for the source, it is very important to concentrate on the encoding of the message. "'Order it important put is to in' if you don't have the right syntax, it will not make sense (Kendell)." As Brandon Kendell showed, it is very important to have the right order of words (syntax) when you communicate to others.

As shown in the previous points, Communication is anything but simple. Littlejohn put it best when he said, "communication is one of those every day activities that is so intertwined with all human life, that we sometimes overlook its pervasiveness, importance, and complexity (Littlejohn)."

Human Communication is so complex, that there are several fields of study to understand how people communicate. Intrapersonal Communication deals with the language or thought internal to the communication. It deals with things such as day-dreaming, speaking aloud to oneself, writing or making gestures while thinking.

Interpersonal communication deals with the process of sending information between two or more people. This includes public speaking and small group communication. Group dynamics focus focuses closely on how groups interacts within each other, and how they relate to others. Organizational communication deals specifically with how people work together to achieve individual or collective goals.

One of the most important field of study in the 21st century is cross-cultural communication. Because the world is becoming "flatter" in the sense that companies and people interact with people all over the world every day, it is very important to find how to communicate effectively with other cultures. This goes beyond the idea of different languages and deals with cultural norms and expectations. It hones in on underlying mental constructs of different cultures so both cultures can engage in constractive communication.

This field is becoming more crucial for people everywhere because interactions with other cultures is a necessity in todays world. In dealing with cross-culture communication, it encompasses several other fields of studies such as anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, and communication. If communication was already complex, inside ones own culture, this is on a whole new level due to the fact that many things that sources take for granted while they encode their message will be completely different for the receiver.

Many scientists like Fons Tropenaars has developed theories on cross-culture communications. Fons broke it down into seven dimensions. Universalism vs particularism, individualistic vs collectivism, neutral vs affective, specific vs diffuse, etc... As can be seen, this model helps break down cultures so that individuals can communicate more effectively.

Another area of study is communication between couples. Gary Smalley created his own theory that through communication, every couple desires to become more intimate. The level of couple communication are as follows:
1. Cliches - typical, routine questions with no real forethought or genuine intent. "How are you", "Fine"
2. Facts - Information, talking about weather, work, news, etc... Requires no depth thinking or feeling.
3. Opinions - Includes concerns expectations, goals, dreams, etc.. Requires people to deal with differences
4. Feelings - Reaching th point where both feel comfortable to share deep emotions.
5. Needs - Ultimate level, where people feel safe to verbalize their unique needs.

As can be seen, this is one theory on how constractive communication occurs between couples. This goes back to the fact that every theory in Human Communication might be applicable for a certain situation.

In conclusion, it can be seen that communication is a very broad and dynamic discussion. People not only speak to one another, but can engage in communication through written correspondence or even non-verbal means (gestures). While I believe that there can not be only one theory to cover every approach, it is important to learn and study as many theories as possible to help you make a decision in a certain situation. These theories all have the common aspect in that they break down a situation or occurrence into smaller components so we can understand it better.

The most important aspect aspect in communication however is listening actively to what is being said or what is happening. If you truly listen and seek understanding, then constructive communication can occur in virtually every situation.

The first and what I believe is the best example of a Web 2.0 application would be Wikipedia.org. It is essentially an online encyclopedia that is entirely reliant on user input for topics. Anyone can add a topic, or modify a current topic and while this idea horrifies professors about the authenticity of the subject matter, Wikipedia has a way to handle it. Wikipedia has a huge volunteer base that monitor topics assigned to them. These moderators are experts in the industry and can see if any changes or additions have been made to posts.

Another application would be social networks such as Facebook and MySpace. These are free online communities where users have individual profiles that they can add pictures, information about themselves, or simply post material they have found to share with other users. These social networks sometimes have internal instant messengers or a place to post well wishes or communiqués between users. These communities also have a physical staff which moderate different areas, depending on the site. These communities are wonderful for people to internetwork and keep in contact with people that you do not see often.

Finally, there are many video sharing applications like YouTube that allow users to upload and share videos that people create or find. There are several categories of videos that people upload, from music videos, to funny homemade videos that people record on their camera phones.

www.wikipedia.org
www.myspace.com
www.facebook.com
www.youtube.com

Body Language
It is possible for humans to communicate with each other without the use of verbal or written communication. Using gestures, body movement, or facial expressions, people can communicate their attitudes, thoughts, or intentions.

Humor
Humor is a part of human communication in which evokes feelings of amusement or laughter in other people. Humor is important because it can help people focus on a subject, and often when humor is used with information, the audience may retain more of the information and also for a longer period of time. Also, the emotions that humor brings about can bring emotional stability to a person. The saying “laughter is the best medicine” is sometimes applied at hospitals to help people forget about their sufferings. Humor can incorporate several mediums to evoke these feelings, including verbal and non-verbal. Verbal forms include jokes, riddles or word play, whereas non-verbal forms include exaggerated movements, tickling, pictures/drawings, or practical jokes.

Pre-Babel
From a historical standpoint, I believe that when the world was created, there was one language, both written and spoken. Human communication was slightly less complicated in dealing with other cultures because of the universal language. When the world began to stray away from God, and tried to build a tower to reach heaven through Man’s own power, God confused the language of humanity. This made mankind separate and because of this, the foundation for modern languages was born.

Early Human Communication
Historians have found many examples in caves all around the world of pictures on walls to tell stories. In other places, men began to assign meaning to certain symbols and carve these symbols into the rocks to pass on their stories to future generations. This later evolved into an alphabet that each culture used. The Egyptians developed a system called hieroglyphs, which used pictures to represent a figure, or a word. The Egyptians also began to use papyruses to record information, which later the Chinese took the idea, and began to use wood pulp to form sheets of paper.
Later, with the invention of the printing press, written information was able to be mass produced and the public was able to afford books that previously were hand-written and not available to the common people, due to the cost of producing each book. Since the cost of written information was greatly reduced, the common man could now afford to buy books and as a result, the literacy rate went up dramatically.

Modern Human Communication
Today, we have invented new ways to communicate with each other. The invention of the telephone was groundbreaking in that people spread over long distances could now talk to each other instantly, instead of having to wait for written correspondence to be hand-delivered. This later evolved to mobile telephone services, where people could take these communication devices with them and call people across the world at any given time.
The invention of the Internet is the foundation I believe for our world today. We live in an electronic world, where everything can be done on the internet. E-mails have almost replaced written correspondence and can be delivered in the push of a button; Instant Messaging services such as AIM or GTalk allow people to “IM” each other in real time across any distance. VOIP are beginning to break into the mobile communication market share to provide people telephone services through the internet. Online social networks such as Orkut and Facebook provide ways for people to socialize around the world and share information.

However, few people realize that Leonardo was also a anatomist, which is a person who is an expert in anatomy, and in Leonardo's case, he was an expert both in human as well as animal anatomy. One of the reasons his paintings were so realistic, is that Leonardo didn't just copy what he saw, but desired to know what was below the surface.

Leonardo himself did over 30 human dissections as well as numerous animal dissections. He left us with over 800 anatomical drawings that are amazingly accurate, even by modern standards.

He was the first person to identify the heart as a muscle, that it had four chambers. He also discovered that there were sinus cavities inside the skull and that every muscle had another muscle working against it.

Leonardo was fascinated with anatomy. He understood the beauty of the human body, even when looking underneath the smooth skin. Leonardo said this,

"... you may perhaps be deterred by natural repugnance, and if this does not prevent you, you might be deterred by fear of passing the night hours in the company of these corpses, quartered and flayed and horrible to behold."

Leonardo drew hundreds of detailed sketches of the muscle groups, bones, internal organs as well as how the body worked in movement.

Because of his knowledge of what lay beneath the surface, Leonardo's paintings had a new level of realism that people today still fascinated by.

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi637.htm