How to Launch a New Product

How to Launch a New Product EVALUATE BEFORE LAUNCHIt is impossible to gauge exactly how the new product is going to be received â€" even the most experienced and large companies have had both wild success and epic failures with new product launches. Before sending out the press releases, spend some time doing a little introspective study.Evaluate the readiness of your company before starting to publicize your new product.Can your company support fast, overnight growth?If the launch is successful (and let’s face it â€" the reason you’re launching a new product is because you want it to be successful) then your company will need to be able to facilitate the increased demand.Do you have adequate staffing/supply lines/processes in place to handle the increased customer attention?Do you have protocol for handling customer inquiries and needs in a customer service department?If the answer to any of these questions is no, delay the product launch until you have sufficient resources available. At the very least, es tablish a plan for acquiring the needed resources as needed before going ahead with the product launch.Evaluate the product itselfWhen a company begins to prepare for launching a new product, there can be a tendency to sensationalize the product. Marketing personnel, ambitious sales personnel and even company executives can set their stakes on the wonderful new product they have. Taking a realistic evaluation of the product before releasing it to the public is vital to the launch success.Has the product been thoroughly tested?Does it deliver consistent results?Asking hard questions internally will not only help improve the product, but will help to ensure that the product is ready to be launched. Once you have done an internal evaluation of the product, study the answers â€" even the ones that aren’t what you want to hear. It may be tempting to overlook the negative responses, but doing so may be putting your product and your company in peril. Setting high expectations for a produ ct’s abilities can cause a swift backlash of angry customers when the product fails to deliver.Evaluate the marketMost likely, there has been market research performed in preparation for the launch. Take a close look at the results of the market research to make sure that there is a market for the product.If your product is a niche product, is there enough of a market to support the product?Does the available market have a place for your product?Conducting market research can be time consuming, but can lead to vital information that will help direct the launch of your product. Identify the feasibility of the market to accept your product, as well as the specific market that your product will appeal to. Market identification can help you to target that audience for your launch, increasing the chances for a successful launch.PLAN FOR LAUNCHOnce you start planning the actual launch, you need to look at your competition, your market, as well as your marketing strategy.Research the com petitionDuring your market research, be sure that you are evaluating not only the potential market for your product, but thoroughly investigating the competition. As you study the competition, look for some specific details that will help you not only shape your own product launch, but will give you essential information about the market that your product will be placed in. Listing the top market competitors will help you study both their products and their marketing techniques.Consider the market from your potential customer’s point of view:What service or product do they choose currently?What factors set your product apart from theirs?What are the key differences that would compel a customer to select your product over another company’s?The competition is an important source of information as you prepare to launch your product â€" don’t overlook this vital step.Identify your target marketIn addition to knowing the competition, your ideal customer must be identified as well. Finding the specific demographics of your target market will help you to tailor the launch strategy to the people most likely to purchase your product. It can be helpful to develop a target customer persona â€" complete with a “biographical sketch” and picture. Compile a list of the ideal customer’s characteristics. Use magazines, newspapers, etc. to find a picture of someone who represents the perfect customer, and post the picture in a central location. By personalizing the target market, you can gear your marketing materials to “your customer” and have greater success in making sure that your intended customers are getting the message.Develop your marketing strategyEssential to a successful product launch is the development of a well-planned marketing campaign. Using a variety of marketing channels is more likely to result in a successful launch. Use the information you’ve gathered in identifying your target customer, and then develop a multi-faceted approach to reach ing that customer. A combination of traditional advertising as well as the inclusion of social media tools will generate a wide range of interest in your product.Evaluate the potential advertising options that are best suited to your product and your market, and establish a strategy for using those tools.Would your product be best highlighted through television commercials?Does a print medium portray your product best?Are your target customers sending tweets all the time?Do they have boards filled with pins of ways to use your product?Target the people who not only use your product, but who use the tools that you’re marketing with.EXECUTING THE LAUNCHEverything is lined up, and you are ready to begin planning your launch. Even though your projected launch date is weeks away, there are still things to be done to ramp up for your launch. As the circled date on the calendar approaches, put these ‘pre-launch’ essentials into play to help create the perfect environment for your lau nch.Start promoting earlyDon’t wait until the actual launch date to start telling people about your new product. Start promoting the product several weeks before the actual launch â€" and start helping your target market recognize the name and/or product. Name recognition is key to getting customers to try your product â€" make sure that your product name is in front of the market place before the product is available.Pre-launch trials are importantBefore the launch of your product, let key people use (and subsequently, write about) your product. Offering your product to bloggers, editors, journalists and others who have a following and audience is a fantastic way to generate interest and excitement in your product. Having actual users give testimonials about the exciting new product about to be released will increase customer willingness to be on the lookout for your launch.Expert reviews have credencePut your product in front of experts in the field that your product belongs to. Releasing a new technology device? Let a programming expert put your product through its paces. Develop a new line of cookware? Ask a celebrity chef to cook with your product and write a review.  Expert users give credibility to the claims of your product as being new/revolutionary/improved, etc. By providing potential customers with a quote from experts who have used the product, you are solidifying the validity of your product claims. Even if you can’t arrange for ‘big name’ celebrities to try out your product, look for local personas that have a standing in the community where your product will be launched.Provide product information leaksBy using planned ‘leaks’ of information, you not only control the amount of information that is released to the public, you are generating a sense of drama which brings excitement and interest. Some of the largest product releases in recent years have successfully used the information leak technique to draw attention to their new pro duct. (Think about Apple’s last few product releases for examples of this.) A few well-placed pictures of the product â€" even a portion of the product â€" will begin to create a buzz of excitement. A set of launch campaign ads that feature ‘coming soon’ highlights will increase a customer’s interest in the product. Highlight a few unique features that set your product apart from the competition to get people talking about your product before the launch.Be creativeAny company can create a boring, traditional marketing campaign. If you truly want to launch your product into the marketplace with a bang, think outside the box. The more creative, the better. (Think about your favorite marketing campaigns or commercials you’ve seen. Most likely, you’ve talked about ‘that great new commercial’ with your friends or co-workers.) Generate that same type of hype about your product launch by maximizing your marketing materials with creativity.During the lead-in time to the prod uct launch, release videos or commercials that are unique in nature or that make people laugh.Take a poll of your target audience and correlate the responses into an infographic or survey response that lets potential customers see the need for your product.Consider an industry related release campaign to capitalize on the days leading up to your launch. For example, a new kitchen product may want to maximize on an up-coming holiday season by highlighting how much easier preparing large meals will be with the new product.Look for product tie-ins that will lend themselves to creative marketing for your product launch.Use people with a vested interestDistribute products to the investors who have committed funds to launching the new product. Let them use the product and begin to tell others about it. By having a vested interest in the success of the product, they will be highly motivated to promote the product to their circle of influence. Using investors to promote the product is a win -win: the product gets attention and generates excitement and the investors are helping to ensure that they get an ROI (return on investment).Be socialSocial media has forever changed the way that customers relate â€" to each other and to the global community. Harness the power of the social media by using it to generate conversations about the product launch. Explore connections that may exist solely in an online capacity â€" and develop meaningful interactions with new social circles that may be interested in your product. Instead of focusing on social media numbers, focus on the depth of interactions that you can generate. Provide compelling content about your product and then start conversations about it. As the social circle widens and expands, more and more people will begin to talk about the product, who will then in turn tell others, and so forth â€" starting a grass-roots movement to help launch your campaign.Don’t despairUnless your company is one of the massive organiza tions dominating the marketplace, your product launch may not even cause a ripple in the mainstream media. This does not spell doom for your product! Your launch date should simply be the date that your new product is available in the marketplace â€" fanfare is not necessary. In addition, not getting covered by every news media organization isn’t the end of your launch â€" so unless your new product is cutting edge and revolutionary, don’t set yourself up for frustration by expecting to be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Look for solid content from the smaller media outlets, and build your marketing strategy around other outlets.AFTER THE LAUNCH Launching a new product can be an exciting time for any company. Whether it is the first product the company has offered, or an addition to an already existing line, the enthusiasm and buzz in the air is contagious as dreams of instant success abound. Before presenting your product to the masses, however, there are a few things that every company needs to do to prepare for the big reveal. © Shutterstock.com | Faber14In this article, we look at 1) evaluations you must do before the launch, 2) the proper way to plan a launch, 3) successful execution of a product launch, and 4) things to keep in mind post-launch.EVALUATE BEFORE LAUNCHIt is impossible to gauge exactly how the new product is going to be received â€" even the most experienced and large companies have had both wild success and epic failures with new product launches. Before sending out the press releases, spend some time doing a little introspective study.Evaluate the readiness of your company before starting to publicize your new product.Can your company support fast, overnight growth?If the launch is successful (and let’s face it â€" the reason you’re launching a new product is because you want it to be successful) then your company will need to be able to facilitate the increased demand.Do you have adequate staffing/supply lines/processes in place to handle the increased customer attention?Do you hav e protocol for handling customer inquiries and needs in a customer service department?If the answer to any of these questions is no, delay the product launch until you have sufficient resources available. At the very least, establish a plan for acquiring the needed resources as needed before going ahead with the product launch.Evaluate the product itselfWhen a company begins to prepare for launching a new product, there can be a tendency to sensationalize the product. Marketing personnel, ambitious sales personnel and even company executives can set their stakes on the wonderful new product they have. Taking a realistic evaluation of the product before releasing it to the public is vital to the launch success.Has the product been thoroughly tested?Does it deliver consistent results?Asking hard questions internally will not only help improve the product, but will help to ensure that the product is ready to be launched. Once you have done an internal evaluation of the product, study t he answers â€" even the ones that aren’t what you want to hear. It may be tempting to overlook the negative responses, but doing so may be putting your product and your company in peril. Setting high expectations for a product’s abilities can cause a swift backlash of angry customers when the product fails to deliver.Evaluate the marketMost likely, there has been market research performed in preparation for the launch. Take a close look at the results of the market research to make sure that there is a market for the product.If your product is a niche product, is there enough of a market to support the product?Does the available market have a place for your product?Conducting market research can be time consuming, but can lead to vital information that will help direct the launch of your product. Identify the feasibility of the market to accept your product, as well as the specific market that your product will appeal to. Market identification can help you to target that audienc e for your launch, increasing the chances for a successful launch.PLAN FOR LAUNCHOnce you start planning the actual launch, you need to look at your competition, your market, as well as your marketing strategy.Research the competitionDuring your market research, be sure that you are evaluating not only the potential market for your product, but thoroughly investigating the competition. As you study the competition, look for some specific details that will help you not only shape your own product launch, but will give you essential information about the market that your product will be placed in. Listing the top market competitors will help you study both their products and their marketing techniques.Consider the market from your potential customer’s point of view:What service or product do they choose currently?What factors set your product apart from theirs?What are the key differences that would compel a customer to select your product over another company’s?The competition is an important source of information as you prepare to launch your product â€" don’t overlook this vital step.Identify your target marketIn addition to knowing the competition, your ideal customer must be identified as well. Finding the specific demographics of your target market will help you to tailor the launch strategy to the people most likely to purchase your product. It can be helpful to develop a target customer persona â€" complete with a “biographical sketch” and picture. Compile a list of the ideal customer’s characteristics. Use magazines, newspapers, etc. to find a picture of someone who represents the perfect customer, and post the picture in a central location. By personalizing the target market, you can gear your marketing materials to “your customer” and have greater success in making sure that your intended customers are getting the message.Develop your marketing strategyEssential to a successful product launch is the development of a well-planned market ing campaign. Using a variety of marketing channels is more likely to result in a successful launch. Use the information you’ve gathered in identifying your target customer, and then develop a multi-faceted approach to reaching that customer. A combination of traditional advertising as well as the inclusion of social media tools will generate a wide range of interest in your product.Evaluate the potential advertising options that are best suited to your product and your market, and establish a strategy for using those tools.Would your product be best highlighted through television commercials?Does a print medium portray your product best?Are your target customers sending tweets all the time?Do they have boards filled with pins of ways to use your product?Target the people who not only use your product, but who use the tools that you’re marketing with.EXECUTING THE LAUNCHEverything is lined up, and you are ready to begin planning your launch. Even though your projected launch dat e is weeks away, there are still things to be done to ramp up for your launch. As the circled date on the calendar approaches, put these ‘pre-launch’ essentials into play to help create the perfect environment for your launch.Start promoting earlyDon’t wait until the actual launch date to start telling people about your new product. Start promoting the product several weeks before the actual launch â€" and start helping your target market recognize the name and/or product. Name recognition is key to getting customers to try your product â€" make sure that your product name is in front of the market place before the product is available.Pre-launch trials are importantBefore the launch of your product, let key people use (and subsequently, write about) your product. Offering your product to bloggers, editors, journalists and others who have a following and audience is a fantastic way to generate interest and excitement in your product. Having actual users give testimonials about the exciting new product about to be released will increase customer willingness to be on the lookout for your launch.Expert reviews have credencePut your product in front of experts in the field that your product belongs to. Releasing a new technology device? Let a programming expert put your product through its paces. Develop a new line of cookware? Ask a celebrity chef to cook with your product and write a review.  Expert users give credibility to the claims of your product as being new/revolutionary/improved, etc. By providing potential customers with a quote from experts who have used the product, you are solidifying the validity of your product claims. Even if you can’t arrange for ‘big name’ celebrities to try out your product, look for local personas that have a standing in the community where your product will be launched.Provide product information leaksBy using planned ‘leaks’ of information, you not only control the amount of information that is released to t he public, you are generating a sense of drama which brings excitement and interest. Some of the largest product releases in recent years have successfully used the information leak technique to draw attention to their new product. (Think about Apple’s last few product releases for examples of this.) A few well-placed pictures of the product â€" even a portion of the product â€" will begin to create a buzz of excitement. A set of launch campaign ads that feature ‘coming soon’ highlights will increase a customer’s interest in the product. Highlight a few unique features that set your product apart from the competition to get people talking about your product before the launch.Be creativeAny company can create a boring, traditional marketing campaign. If you truly want to launch your product into the marketplace with a bang, think outside the box. The more creative, the better. (Think about your favorite marketing campaigns or commercials you’ve seen. Most likely, you’ve t alked about ‘that great new commercial’ with your friends or co-workers.) Generate that same type of hype about your product launch by maximizing your marketing materials with creativity.During the lead-in time to the product launch, release videos or commercials that are unique in nature or that make people laugh.Take a poll of your target audience and correlate the responses into an infographic or survey response that lets potential customers see the need for your product.Consider an industry related release campaign to capitalize on the days leading up to your launch. For example, a new kitchen product may want to maximize on an up-coming holiday season by highlighting how much easier preparing large meals will be with the new product.Look for product tie-ins that will lend themselves to creative marketing for your product launch.Use people with a vested interestDistribute products to the investors who have committed funds to launching the new product. Let them use the produc t and begin to tell others about it. By having a vested interest in the success of the product, they will be highly motivated to promote the product to their circle of influence. Using investors to promote the product is a win-win: the product gets attention and generates excitement and the investors are helping to ensure that they get an ROI (return on investment).Be socialSocial media has forever changed the way that customers relate â€" to each other and to the global community. Harness the power of the social media by using it to generate conversations about the product launch. Explore connections that may exist solely in an online capacity â€" and develop meaningful interactions with new social circles that may be interested in your product. Instead of focusing on social media numbers, focus on the depth of interactions that you can generate. Provide compelling content about your product and then start conversations about it. As the social circle widens and expands, more and mo re people will begin to talk about the product, who will then in turn tell others, and so forth â€" starting a grass-roots movement to help launch your campaign.Don’t despairUnless your company is one of the massive organizations dominating the marketplace, your product launch may not even cause a ripple in the mainstream media. This does not spell doom for your product! Your launch date should simply be the date that your new product is available in the marketplace â€" fanfare is not necessary. In addition, not getting covered by every news media organization isn’t the end of your launch â€" so unless your new product is cutting edge and revolutionary, don’t set yourself up for frustration by expecting to be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Look for solid content from the smaller media outlets, and build your marketing strategy around other outlets.AFTER THE LAUNCHOnce the launch date has passed, your efforts should not stop. Your launch promotion should continue to work.Maintain a steady supply of topics to reporters/journalists about the product itself.Detail customer uses of the product â€" including reports from some of the initial users of the product.Describe the changes that the product brings to the market.Write press releases about the just released product.Since you have no control over when a journalist may be able to write about your new product, keep them informed about the product through well-written content articles.As people become more aware of your product, make sure that they have easy access to not only your product, but to more information about the product as well. Offer free trials, videos, product demos â€" all specifically geared to inform the public about the new product offering. Don’t be afraid to ask customers to tell you about their experience with the new product â€" good or bad and then use those results in further advertising.Throughout the course of the marketing strategy, your campaign will need to be altered as ads become stale, sales become stagnant or customers seem to lose interest in the product. Be vigilant about keeping track of what efforts are starting to lose effectiveness so that you can make the appropriate changes. Monitoring the market conditions can also be an indicator of when a product has run its course and needs to either be revamped or pulled from the market completely.In the same manner, keeping track of which media tools were the most successful in converting potential customers into sales will give an indicator of where your efforts should be spent. Dropping the ineffectual methods and replacing them with renewed efforts in the productive methods will help not only generate income by identifying new customers; it will maximize the customer awareness.26 Product Launch Strategies[slideshare id=26669276doc=productlaunchstrategies10-130929121510-phpapp01w=710h=400]Preparing for a product launch can be both exhilarating and horrifying. The list of things to be d one seems endless â€" and the product hasn’t even been released yet! Don’t try to do everything on your own. Engage the help of professional writers, marketing strategists and other personnel who can help you initiate a successful launch. For an emerging company, it may seem frivolous and unnecessary to spend money on a pre-launch campaign, but investing in preparing the marketplace for the launch will be some of the best money spent on the product. Getting professional assistance will ensure that not only is the product being released to the target market, but that it is getting the exposure and support that it needs to be successful. Navigating the waters of a product launch requires planning and diligence, but can be accomplished â€" even by a complete novice.

The Ethical Case for and Against Censorship of Pornography

The Ethical Case for and Against Censorship of Pornography When we think about pornography, we generally imagine the movies that are extremely explicit in the scenes of sexual character. Another side of pornography one can think of is the magazines like Playboy and Hustler. Pornography, however, is much wider and can be evidenced in the art, such as paintings, photos and sculptures dating centuries and centuries back. Pornography is extremely controversial topic and there are several opinions as to its acceptability and the way it should be treated and perceived on both official and non-official level. Some of people support pornography and claim that this art is essential for open and civilized society as a proof of freedom of thought. The others, however, believe that pornography contradicts the values and norms of modern civil society. For better or worse, but pornography has always been a part of human society with the only difference that it was more or less restricted, depending on place and time. Ethical aspects of pornography are widely discussed in literature, political and social circles and received a lot of attention in previous researches. The purpose of this work is, however, to re-fresh the analysis and receive latest trend in opinions of wide public on the ethical elements of pornography. The study will be fully based on the oral survey performed on the selected sample among the population of one chosen city in the United States. Apart from the primary research question and objectives, the research group decided to widen the scope of the analysis and develop a secondary research question that will look specifically at the single-sex pornography and ethic concerns in regards of this phenomenon.

Article Review The Magic of the Placebo by David Bjerklie

Imagine going to the doctor and being given medication to heal your pain. Now how would you feel if after taking the medication and feeling better you came to find out you were given a placebo? This may sound upsetting to some, however, â€Å" a recent survey of U.S. internists and rheumatologists found that some 50% regular prescribe placebos.† A placebo is defined as a false treatment without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient. The use of placebos as a primary form of treatment with any pathology is not happening anytime soon, but their positive impact and usefulness in the medical field is becoming hard to deny. In the article, â€Å"The Magic of the Placebo†, author David Bjerklie attempts to explain the growing change in†¦show more content†¦The author continues to demonstrate how the placebo effect works by comparing it to the famous biological study by Ivan Pavlov. In Pavlov’s experiment, dogs are conditioned to respond to a specific stimulus and eventually begin to respond to the same stimulus in the same way all the time. Bjerklie explains that, â€Å"as far as the placebo effect is concerned, we may as well be those impressionable canines.† What Bjerklie means is that the human mind has the ability to be conditioned to expect certain outcomes. The placebo effect builds on the human minds ability to be conditioned and an individual’s faith in the healthcare providers it choses to visit. Overtime the human mind has come to believe that if given a medication that is suppose to have a positive effect on a specific pathology, it will in fact have an positive effect. In the last section of the article the author explains the many issues that have arisen with the discovery of the placebo effect and the many challenges that the placebo effect faces before it is accepted as a common medical practice. One major issue the author brings up is the fact that the placebo effect is not the same for everyone. The author explains that not everyone can take a placebo and expect positive results. In order to explain this variability in the article the author cites Robert Trivers, an evolutionary biologist, of Rutgers University. Trivers explains

Artificial Intelligence in Missile Technology Free Essays

string(48) " which will guide itself during its trajectory\." ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MISSILE TECHNOLOGY K. Manasa B-Tech III/IV Branch: EEE Shadan College of Engg Tech, Peerancheru, Hyderabad-08. konda_sowmya @yahoo. We will write a custom essay sample on Artificial Intelligence in Missile Technology or any similar topic only for you Order Now com Abstract: The development, strength, economy and progress depends on the status of the Defence, This paper deals with various generations of computer where the fifth generation computers use Artificial Intelligence. A few applications of Artificial Intelligence used in various technologies have also been discussed. The main focus of paper is on chaser missiles, which implements the missile technology using Artificial Intelligence. The Anupama processor designed in India can be used in chasers. This shows the development of Artificial Intelligence in Indian defence systems. The On-Board Computer department of RCI and ASL of DRDO are working on similar missile technology mostly on the guidance systems for Agni, Trishul, Akash and NAG along with which even the Chaser using the AI technology may replace the existing guidance system of the missiles. Keywords: IC, VLSI, Turing test, Chasers, OBCS, Seeker, IGMDP, DRDO, BDL, Anupama Processor, Deep Blue, Seed AI. 1. Introduction: Artificial Intelligence is a branch of Science that deals with helping machines finding solutions to complex problems in a more human-like fashion. It is intelligence exhibited by any manufactured system, which is often used in works of science fiction. The term is often applied to general-purpose computers and also in the field of scientific investigation into the theory and practical application. This generally involves borrowing characteristics from human intelligence, and applying them as algorithms in a computer friendly way. For more complex problems, things get more difficult. Unlike humans, computers have trouble understanding in specific situations and adapting to new situations. Artificial Intelligence aims to improve machine behavior in tackling such complex tasks. A more or less flexible or efficient approach can be taken depending on the requirements established, which influences how artificial the intelligent behavior appears. From AI we can learn something about how to make machines solve problems by observing other people or just by observing our own methods. On the other hand, most work in AI involves studying the problems the world presents to intelligence rather than studying people or animals. . Various Generations of a Computer: With the advent of computers there has been a vast proliferation in them. A computer is truly an amazing machine as it performs various functionalities. For generations, it has been the constant endeavor of man to get the better of his adversary by inventing more and more potent computers. Till today we got five gener ations of computers. The 1st generation computers used vacuum tubes. These computers occupied large space, liberated a large amount of heat and also lead to many uncontrolled operations. The 2nd generation computers used enormous number of transistors. After some years these transistors were fabricated on a single chip called ICs. Computers using these were called the 3rd generation computers. With the advancement of technology in VLSI, a large number of ICs were integrated on a single chip made of silicon, which is further used by the 4th generation computers. An attempt is being made to apply artificial intelligence on these computers, which constitutes the 5th generation computers. These computers are expected to be faster results and thus may influence international policies, strategy and tactics to an enormous extent. 3. Is AI different from Human Intelligence? Alan Turing’s article â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence† discussed some conditions where a machine can be used in an intelligent fashion. He argued that if a machine can perform successfully as a human can do, then the observer will certainly consider it as an intelligent device. This test called Turing test would satisfy many people but not all the philosophers. The observer can be able to interact with the machine but can’t differentiate it from the actual human works (actions voices) while interacting and thus it camouflages the observer. The Turing test is a one-sided test. A machine that passes this test should certainly be considered as intelligent, irrespective of having knowledge about human. There are many adversaries about this fact, that an excellent discussion on the Turing test is not supportive, with restrictions on the observer’s knowledge of AI and the subject matter of questioning. It turns out that some people are easily misinterpreted that, a rather dumb program is intelligent. When we set out to design an AI program, we should attempt to specify as well as possible the criteria for success for that particular program functioning in its restricted domain. . 1 Hardware for AI: In order to use AI in any system a few hardware specifications are required. The minimum requirements include a computing system containing an IC built processor, a control unit, memory devices, and a converter for external interfaces, floating-point unit, input-output ports and timers. These components work relatively with the computing system as per the AI o riented software. 4. 2 Software for AI Software is the intelligence that runs the hardware in a computer. Basically AI is in form of information fed to the processor through a programming language. The parameters acts as input that results into desired output. A fifth generation language use AI to create software based on our description of what the software should do. 5. Missile Technology and AI: Missile: It is an object or weapon that is fired, thrown, dropped, or projected at a target. Missiles play major role in warfare. The earlier versions of missiles were simple in design and operation. When the fighter plane first came into use the missiles used were of simple nature that involved only target mode and firing angle. The present day missiles are much complicated. The concept of employment of these missiles has also undergone a drastic change. Chasers: It is a type of missile that may be designed to chase the target until it hits or causes damage to the target. The Chaser contains an OBCS in its control unit, which contains AI as a backup, which will guide itself during its trajectory. You read "Artificial Intelligence in Missile Technology" in category "Essay examples" Chaser continuously emits either Laser light, Infrared rays or Radio waves continuously from its IR Dome. When the enemy unit comes in its path a part of these waves reflect back giving a signal to the Chaser. Then this missile automatically changes its position so as to knock down the enemy. [pic] [pic] [pic] Working: The main purpose of an OBCS is to obtain guidance and control. The OBCS mainly contains an IC built processor, a control unit, memory devices like flash memory, SRAM, NVRAM, communication devices like UART and a converter for external interfaces. It is the seeker that actually applies AI. Before missile is launched the target is fed to the OBC in the form of a signal or image, which is basically intelligence. The seeker continuously scans the image target and gives signal to the OBCS. The input is in the form of co-ordinates that allows the chaser to change the position of radar and direction of missile by changing the position of the fins, nozzle and wings such that the target is always at its center of view. This is done by the control unit by varying the altitudes of the missile i. e. Roll, Yaw and Pitch thus guiding the missile towards its target. [pic] The missile control operation follows a closed loop system. Characteristics: The following are the characteristics to be possessed by a Chaser: †¢ The chaser should be faster than sharp enemy. It should take the shortest path to reach the enemy. †¢ The Propellant composition should be such that it is able to effectively engage the target. †¢ The longitudinal, lateral and vertical axis of missile must be varied in a smooth fashion when enemy tries to dive or jump suddenly. Future Trends: With the application of AI the missiles may be capable of automatic target recognition and even be able to tell the condition of the terrain. It may be able to identify tanks and trucks as friendly or enemy vehicles. The missile, while in flight may have the ability to prioritize target on battlefield. If the missile thinks that it should go after a high priority target rather than trying to kill its original target, it will do so. Software programme will be so advanced that mission options will be decided by brains built into the missiles with the help of embedded real time computers. The ongoing developments and changes in this field may however cannot be forecasted. 6. Development of AI in India: India launched its missile development programme through IGMDP under the aegis of DRDO, the premier defence research agency. Under this programme five missile systems are currently under different stages of development and production. BDL, Hyderabad has also been established as a premier production agency for all missile systems. The following missiles form part of IGMDP: Prithvi – Introduced in 1996 Trishul – under development AKASH – under development NAG – under development AGNI – under development The most recent attempt made for the development of AI based technology in India is the design of Anupama Processor. It has been designed at Anurag Research Institute, Hyderabad. Anupama was first used in Mission Control system mounted on under water self propelled missile, Torpedo. It is a 32-bit processor based on RISC architecture. It mainly contains a 32-bit floating-point unit, 32-bit parallel input-output port and two 16-bit timers. It has a non-multiplexed bus structure with 32 data lines and 32 address lines. A bus interface unit supports Synchronous, Asynchronous and Burst data transverse. It also supports dynamic bus sizing. The same can also be used in OBCS of chasers. 7. Other Applications: 7. 1 Robotics: Robots are typically used to do tasks that are too dull, dirty, or dangerous for humans. Industrial robots used in manufacturing lines used to be the most common form of robots. Other applications of Robotics include toxic waste cleanup, underwater and space exploration, surgery, mining, search and rescue, and mine finding. Robots are also finding their way into entertainment and home health care. 7. 2 Medicine: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine allow computers to process and analyze three-dimensional images of the heart in much the same way an experienced human operator would. The program applies artificial intelligence techniques to the measurement of parameters critical to understanding the state and behavior of the human heart. This automated approach allows information to be obtained very quickly that is quantitatively accurate and does not suffer from intra-observer or inter-observer variability. The software and algorithms developed by the AIM program are widely considered to represent the gold standard in nuclear cardiology. 7. 3 Banking: AI systems are used to detect fraud and expenditure financial transactions, with daily transaction volumes in billions. These systems first use learning algorithms to construct profiles of consumer usage patterns, and then use the resulting profiles to detect unusual patterns and take appropriate action. Ex: To disable the credit card. 7. 4 Data Processing: Data Mining, the extraction of hidden predictive information from large databases, is a powerful new technology with great potential to help companies focus on most important information in the data warehouses. Data mining tools predict future trends and behaviors, allowing business to make proactive, knowledge-driven decisions. It answers business questions that traditionally were too time consuming to resolve. The past history in the form of records is taken as a backup, which is fed in the form of intelligence for data processing. 7. 5 Game playing: The AI based machines can be applied for playing games mainly through brute force computation using the entire game play as a backup in the form of AI. Advantage of using this type of machine is the players can have a practice session where they will have a tough opponent (machine) and then in a real match the players will not face much difficulty. Ex: Deep Blue computer for chess. 7. 6 Speech Recognition: The areas where continous interaction is required between the user and computer, the need not go for the commands using input devices. He can just dictate the commands while the system accepts it in the form of speech signal and achieves the task to be performed. Ex: In a highly protected zone where the security levels must be maintained high can make use of speech recognition system, where the password can be broken only by a particular official. 7. 7 Computer Vision: The human eye as well as TV cameras capture objects and give it as an input to the main system. But here the input given is two-dimensional; some programs may run with this input while the computers require partial three-dimensional information that can be possible by computer vision. Ex: The images taken from satellites can be of three-dimensional type. 7. 8 Machine Translation: It is a form of translation where a computer program analyses text in one language i. e. , â€Å"Source text† and attempts to produce another language called â€Å"Target text† without human intervention. Ex: In the fields having highly limited ranges of vocabulary and simple sentence structure like weather reports, machine translation can deliver useful results. 7. 9 Handwriting Recognition: Several attempts were made to produce ink pens that include digital components such that a person write on a paper and have the resulting text stored digitally. So the user need not write once in a paper and then enter it again as input in computer, thus saving time. 8. Friendly AI: Friendliness theory is a proposed solution to the dangers believed to stem from smarter-than-human artificial intelligence. According to the theory, the goals of future AIs will be more arbitrary and alien than commonly depicted in science fiction and earlier futurist speculation, in which AIs are often anthropomorphized and assumed to share universal human desires. Because AI is not guaranteed to see the â€Å"obvious† aspects of morality and goals that humans see so effortlessly, the theory goes, AIs with intelligences greater than our own may concern themselves with endeavors that humans would see as pointless or even laughably bizarre. One example is that of an AI initially designed to manufacture paperclips, which, upon becoming superhumanly intelligent, tries to develop molecular nanotechnology because it wants to convert all matter in the solar system into paperclips. Friendliness theory stresses less the danger of superhuman AIs that actively seek to harm humans, but more of AIs that are disastrously indifferent to them if steps are not taken to specifically design them to be benevolent. Doing so effectively is the primary goal of Friendly AI. This belief that human goals are so arbitrary derives heavily from modern advances in evolutionary psychology. Friendliness theory claims that most AI speculation is clouded by analogies between AIs and humans, and assumptions that all possible minds must exhibit characteristics that are actually psychological adaptations that exist in humans (and other animals) only because they were once beneficial and perpetuated by natural selection. Many supporters of FAI speculate that AI able to alter and improve itself, seed AI, is likely to create a huge power disparity between it and less intelligent human minds, that its ability to reprogram itself would very quickly outpace human ability to exercise any meaningful control over it. While many doubt such scenarios are likely, if they were to occur, it would be important for AI to act benevolently towards humans. One of the most recent significant advancements in Friendliness theory is the collective volition model. More concretely, the collective volition of humanity is the actions we would collectively take if we knew more, thought faster, etc Friendly AI should initially seek to determine the collective volition of humanity, with which it can then alter its goals accordingly. 9. Conclusion: Artificial intelligence has to be applied to the machines where the human involvement is not applicable. Keeping this in point of view, we have seen ample applications in real life so as to enhance the life of the human. These machines are very well suited for real time systems because of their fast response and computational efforts. In future people will witness a radical change in the cyber environment in the form of artificial intelligent oriented technologies. The country’s economical development depends on the strength of Defence. The chaser missile mentioned in this paper uses this reliable technology playing a prominent role in fortifying the defence. Further research on the lines of missile technology using AI may fetch more advanced and better technology in designing the missiles. From past so many years India was depending on other countries for its requirements in Defence. Now with this India will be self-dependant. Regarding the usage of AI even today there are so many comments on the threat towards humans from this intelligent so called machines. For this the friendly AI mentioned in this paper can be an answer. Finally we would like to conclude that the applications of Artificial Intelligence might be applied in real life making it no longer a fiction. 10. Acronyms: AI: Artificial Intelligence. IC: Integrated circuit. VLSI: Very Large Scale Integration. OBCS: Onboard Computer System SRAM: Static Random Access Memory NVRAM: Non Volatile RAM UART: Universal asynchronous receiver transmitter RISC: Reduced Instruction Set Computing IGMDP: Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. DRDO: Defence Research and Development Organisation. BDL: Bharat Dynamics Limited. RCI: Research Center Imarat ASL: Advanced Systems Lab 11. References: †¢ â€Å"Computing Machinery Artificial Intelligence† 3rd edition, by Alan Turing. †¢ Research paper on â€Å"Machine Intelligence† by Sankar Kumar Paul, Indian Stastical Institute, Kolkata. †¢ â€Å"Super Intelligent Machines† by Bill Hibbard. †¢ â€Å"Artificial Intelligence† 2nd edition 2004, by Elaine. Rich and Kevin Knight. †¢ â€Å"Applications of AI† by Richardson, IEEE paper, September 2004. How to cite Artificial Intelligence in Missile Technology, Essay examples

The Hundred Years War Essays (2360 words) - Anglo-French Wars

The Hundred Years War The Hundred Years War The definition of the Golden Rule is that those with the gold make the rules. In other words, those with the gold have the power as well as those with the power have the gold. History books will discuss the general reasons for war such as freedom from adversity or freedom from religion. But the real issue for any war is the thirst for power and control; and the means to finance them are the economic issues. Nations will endure years of fighting for power and control. France and England fought each other for more than a hundred years to have control of the Channel trade routes. 1 This century of warring was known as The Hundred Years' War and is the longest war in record history. It began in 1337 when King Edward III invaded Normandy and ended in 1453 when France won the Battle of Bordeaux. However, it was not a hundred years of constant battle; there were periods of truces in between. 2 One cause for the Hundred Years' War was the claim to the French throne. The conflict began when the direct line of succession died without a male heir and the nobles decided to pass the crown to a cousin, Philip of Valois. But this left two other male cousins equally deserving of the crown; Charles, King of Navarre and Edward III, King of England. 3 Edward III claimed that he himself was deserving of the throne because his mother was the sister of the late French king, while Philip VI was only a cousin. But according to French law, no women could inherit the throne, nor could the crown be inherited through a woman. 4 Philip of Valois chances of becoming King of France had been remote and he had not been brought up as the future lieutenant of God on Earth. Philip VI spent much of his resources on entertainment and finery with gay abandon. 5 This caused conflict with the king's subjects. Since the king was considered to be sacred and inviolable, neither cousin would challenge Philip VI. However, they would exploit the situation and King Edward III lost no time and invaded Normandy with an army of 10,000 men. 6 This leads to another cause for The Hundred Years' War. The land along the Channel and Atlantic coasts was England's first line of defense against an invasion. England held claim to this territory from the twelth century through the marriage of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. King Edward III was determined to gain control of the French coastline while providing himself with a bridgehead for future expeditions into France. 7 But the major cause of The Hundred Years' War was the economic interest - the revenues to be gotten from this rich territory. Wine was Gasgony's largest export product and major source of income to the vassal. Wool was England's largest export product and the source of its wealth. English pastures produced fleeces that were the envy of Europe which Flanders depended on for its wool and linen market. 8 English sheep growers sold their long fine wool to weavers in Flanders, across the English Channel. Flemish weavers as well as English sheep growers depended on this trade for their business. In 1336, Philip VI arrested all the English merchants in Flanders and took away all the privileges of the Flemish towns and the craft guilds. Resulting in the Flemings revolting against the French control and making an alliance with England. 9 Consequently, the flourishing market of the industrial cities of Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Ypres were naturally coveted by the Kings of France and England. Moreover, the Bordeaux harbor was within the borders of English Gascony and was the center of the shipping and trading industry. Commodities such as grains, dairy products, dyes and salt would be shipped into Bordeaux via the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers and the merchants were charged a customs fee for these products. Also, Bordeaux would receive duties on wine, whether shipped-in or grown on Gascon soil. Consequently, the profits from the tolls and customs made Bordeaux the economic capital of Gascony. Furthermore, control of neighboring areas such as Guyenne and Calais were

Cognitive psychology on driving and phone usage

Cognitive psychology on driving and phone usage Introduction Some people claim that multitasking is an inevitable part of a fast-changing world. They believe that the current workplace is full of interruptions that must be accommodated. It is almost impossible for them to focus on one task uninterruptedly.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cognitive psychology on driving and phone usage specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is why many end up using their phones when driving. However, research shows that making phone calls can reduce a driver’s ability to perform tasks well because of the cognitive challenges involved. Multitasking versus performing a single task Cognitive skills are those mental skills that facilitate learning. One of these skills includes attention, which can be selective, divided or sustained. Multitasking is recognized as divided attention because it involves retaining and attending to two or more things. People do not ‘multitaskâ₠¬â„¢ per say; they merely switch from one task to another at very quick rates. When multitasking, individuals find it difficult to give tasks adequate attention and this leads to superficial processing. As one carries out a certain activity, one is likely to develop attention based inertia, which makes it very difficult to distract such a person. Multitasking disrupts this state of inertia and thus minimizes a person’s ability to perform tasks well (Frith et al., 2001). Cell-phone use requires cognitive skills because it is not an automated task; additionally, the same thing can be said about driving. These skills become automatic when practiced continually. For example, one can typewrite or play instruments with relative ease after doing so for a long time. This means that active processing may no longer be necessary. However, safe driving involves continuous learning and so does telephone use so these activities cannot be automated. For this reason, it is quite difficult to multitask when the activities involved are driving and talking on the phone (Redelmeier Tibshirani, 1997). Different types of talking Talking to passengers differs from talking on the phone because the passengers can pin point threats on the road. Passengers are likely to keep quiet when the driver is in the middle of a heavy traffic jam or when he or she is driving in hazardous conditions. Consequently, such passengers make driving safer.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hands free calling and conventional calling Holding a phone when driving may cause the driver to use only one hand for the latter task and this compromises driving performance. Hands free calling can reduce this problem by giving a driver freedom to use both hands. However it would still not address the root cause of the problem, which is related to the processing of information from multiple sources. The mind would still be involved in receiving and processing information from the telephone conversation as well as the road. Eventually, this would lead to dangerous repercussions such as swerving or crushing. Researchers have shown that most television viewers cannot process information effectively when watching two TC sets (Frith et al., 2001). The same thing applies to people who try to listen to two conversations at the same time. People will not remember most of the things they see or hear when this information comes to them simultaneously, because the brain’s cortex cannot effectively distinguish between relevant and irrelevant distractions. A conventional phone call is not different from a hands-free phone call because both distract the mind with new audio information. The brain focuses more on the phone conversation than the visual information from the highway because the latter information does not change as fast as the conversation does. This also happens because word s disappear after they are spoken so the mind would want to capture them before they fade away. As a result, drivers are likely to ignore certain visual cues on the road and this could be unsafe. Driving is a complex task which requires one to react to incoming information very quickly. Sometimes a pedestrian may cross the road unexpectedly or another car may get onto the wrong lane; these changes require frequent and rapid responses. One cannot respond promptly when one’s attention is focused on a phone conversation (Anderson, 2010). Text messaging when driving Text messaging is by far the most complicated of all phone related tasks. It requires a great deal of visual scanning, decision making, information processing and attention. A text message involves greater visual scanning than a phone call because a sender needs to look at the message he or she is creating, and that would take his or her eyes off the road.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cogn itive psychology on driving and phone usage specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One also needs to make decisions on the kinds of words to use. This would be much harder because it involves the use of literacy skills, which are not required in phone conversations. Drivers would find information processing and concentration to be more difficult when text messaging than when talking on the phone. They need to ensure that they divide their attention between the road and the phone as they text. Some may miss visual cues when composing the message. All these additional task demands make text messaging more dangerous than talking on the phone. Conclusion Driving and talking on the phone simultaneously can be dangerous because both activities require cognitive skills. The brain focuses on the phone call at the expense of the most important task which is driving. One’s reaction time is severely impeded and this could be very hazardous. References Anderson, J. (2010). Cognitive psychology and its implications. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Frith, C., Rees, G., Fockert, J., lavie, N. De Fockert, J. (2001). Role of working memory in visual selective attention. Science journal, 291(5509), 1803-1806 Redelmeier, D. Tibshirani, R. (1997). Association between cellular telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions. New England Journal of Medicine, 336(7), 453-458

Guide to Present Tenses for ESL

Guide to Present Tenses for ESL The Basics: Present Tenses: There are two present tenses: The present simple and the present continuous. The two tenses are quite different. Generally, the present simple is used to refer to everyday habits that you have. Use the present simple to talk about activities or routines which take place on a regular basis. Tom takes the A train to work every day.Peter usually gets home at seven in the evening. The present continuous is usually used to refer to events happening at the present moment in time. Theyre doing their homework at the moment.Marys playing tennis with Tom at the club right now. Present Simple Structure: Positive Subject Verb Objects I, You, We, They - eat lunch at noon. Subject Verb s Objects He, She, It - works well in any situation. Negative S do not (dont) Verb Objects I, You, We, They - dont enjoy opera. S does not (doesnt) Verb Objects He, She, It - doesnt belong to the club. Questions (Why, What, etc.) do S Verb Objects? Do - I, you, we, they - work in this town? (Why, What, etc.) does S Verb Objects? Does - he, she, it - live in this city? Present Continuous Structure: Positive Subject conjugate the helping verb be verb -ing. Im, Youre, Hes, Shes, Were, Youre, Theyre - working today. Negative Subject conjugate the helping verb be not verb -ing. Im not, You arent, He isnt, She isnt, We arent, You arent, They arent - coming this evening. Questions Question word conjugate the helping verb be subject verb -ing What - are you, they - doing this afternoon?What - is he, she - doing this afternoon? Study Present Tenses in Depth: Here are detailed guides to the present simple and the present continuous tenses. Each guide provides situations, common time expressions used with the tense, as well as examples. These guides were prepared especially for beginners and include dialogues and a short quiz. Present Simple for Beginners Its also important to know how to use adverbs of frequency with the present simple. Adverbs of frequency such as usually, often, etc. are used to tell how often you do something. I often go out on Saturday nights.They usually take the bus to work. Test Your Knowledge of Present Tenses: Once youve studied the rules - or if you already know the rules - test your knowledge: Adverbs of Frequency Quiz Teach a Lesson about the Present Tenses: There are five absolute beginner lessons related to the present simple on the site: Lesson for the present simple positive formLesson for the present simple negative formLesson on present simple question formLesson on using adverbs of frequency with the present simpleLesson on talking about daily habits with the present simple These lessons are great for helping students learn by rote, rather than through grammar exercises and serve as a good introduction to the tenses for false beginners. For the present continuous, here is a descriptive activity helping learners use the present continuous. Activities Concerning Present Tenses: Here are some fun classroom games that you can use in class, or on your own which will help you with giving instructions. Simon SaysColored Lego Blocks Finally, this grammar chant will help you practice the present simple - especially the third person singular (he, she, it)