The Technological Disaster of the Titanic essays

The Technological Disaster of the Titanic essays The sinking of the Titanic was the first major technological disaster of the twentieth century. What went wrong? Could this tragedy have been avoided? Today, in the 21st century with ever-advancing technologies, we've been able to solve many of the mysteries of the sinking of the Titanic. With newly discovered information, we can explore the specifics of why the world's most famous "unsinkable" ship helplessly sank below the surface of the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean in April of 1912. Human neglect had to play a huge role in this event. And in that case, why? I will be analyzing these ideas about articles read in class throughout the paper. In the article, Technological Momentum, Hughes suggests that technology is shaped by society. I believe this stands true in the case of the Titanic. The fact that an inadequate number of lifeboats road on the Titanic because of the desire for glass-enclosed observation lounges, suites, and palm courts for wealthy travelers is an example of this. The technology for more lifeboats was there but was not used because of society's desire not to use them. The boat itself (technology) was designed to hold the riches people on the planet (society). Its grand facilities included a swimming pool, a squash court, and a Turkish bath, among other things. This shows how technology (Titanic) is shaped by society. Society was then shaped by technology when the technology failed. If anyone of the numerous actions that could've saved the ship would have taken place, then part of society wouldn't have perished that day, and the rest of society wouldn't have mourned that next morning and there on out. We would've then never learned the invaluable things we did because of this tragedy. In response to Berry's question, "even if we can build it, should we build it," in my opinion. Generally, the answer to this is yes. Granted, there are times when the consequences of creating something out-weigh the benef...

Kick the academic habit †academic writing vs business writing - Emphasis

Kick the academic habit – academic writing vs business writing Kick the academic habit – academic writing vs business writing Most students are familiar with that morning-after feeling. But academic life can leave you with another kind of hangover youll want to shake off before heading off to work: an academic writing style. When your key reader is more likely to be found in a boardroom than a staffroom, you need to change your approach. The focus should be less on displaying every last bit of knowledge and more on the results you want your document to produce. Plus, its pretty likely your new reader wont have the patience of your university lecturer. So save the flowery prose and make sure to leave these three typical habits behind, along with your lava lamp and Pink Floyd poster. Confusing transitions No, not the last few stops on the pub crawl. This is the careless use of linking words such as moreover, however, furthermore and nevertheless. Theres nothing inherently wrong with these words, but using them doesnt automatically make the connection between paragraphs clear, or even guarantee that what you write is connected to what went before. If you imply a link that is unclear or non-existent, youre going to end up with a confused reader or, worse, an ex-reader. Ask yourself if you can make the connection more explicit to help your reader follow your argument. A good way to do this is to bring a phrase or reference from the previous paragraph into the next. For example, if in one paragraph youve been describing the benefits for a certain department of using a particular system, you might follow with something like: However, the benefits for HR have been outweighed by problems elsewhere One too many Hey, were not here to judge what you do after you clock out. But in working hours, try to show a little restraint with how much you try to fit into one sentence, that is. The overeager student starry-eyed with newly acquired knowledge and an excess of Red Bull is often moved to squeeze every last thing they know about a topic into one paragraph, or even one very long sentence. Post-graduation, give your reader (and yourself) an easier time and a better chance of understanding and acting on your information by sticking to one idea per sentence. Be selective with your information, too. The goal is to give your reader the information they need to know, not a brief history of everything that could possibly be related to it. Short paragraphs can be helpful too, as huge blocks of text on a page can be overwhelming or offputting for the reader. But dont break at a random point just to accomplish this: it will be disorientating and disrupt the flow. Make sure that while every sentence contains only one idea, every paragraph contains just one theme. Sesquipedalian* show-offs * (adj.) pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words Your lecturer may have sighed rapturously at displays of a wide and poetic vocabulary, but the reader of your report may be less entranced. In fact, if you send them off to find a dictionary, they may never return. So make sure you swap unnecessarily long words and phrases for simpler alternatives. For example, is it really vital to write in close proximity to rather than near? Not only are shorter versions understood more readily, being more direct will help the connections youre making come across more clearly: a bold because is preferable to a detached due to the fact that. And avoid nominalisations (the use of a verb as a noun), as they attract unnecessary extra words and disguise the action in a sentence. Why say undertake the implementation of when you could simply say implement, or an even more everyday alternative such as put into place? Why, academia, why? And now, class, let us draw to a close with this question: would it be better if students werent encouraged to write in the academic style in the first place? Richard Dixon, a freelance journalist and commentator who was chief revise editor of The Times for nine years, would say a resounding yes. He recalls having to defend the clear, precise language in his PhD thesis to the external examiner: She criticised my thesis as having some paragraphs with only two ideas, as if this were a mortal sin, and being written in a simple (or maybe simplistic) style not usual in academic writing. I told her that those were the early benefits of training as a sub-editor on a properly edited research journal. And, having himself helped recovering academics grope towards a clear journalistic style, he notes: Very few of them have felt they needed to buy a Dixon voodoo doll and stick pins in it in retaliation. Some have even been grateful. Sadly, even with Richards input, we probably cant expect to change the entire university systems writing habits in the immediate future. But if you can take on board a few of these tips, at least we can help you graduate into the world of business writing with flying colours.