Thursday, November 28, 2019

Get Started With WordPress SEO - 13 Things to Do Today

Why get started with WordPress SEO? Well, we all love WordPress It is the best and easiest CMS, and it is also the most SEO-friendly. However, it is a huge fail if you think that all you have to do is publish some blog posts, and SEO will just magically happen. Tinker Bell is not sprinkling fairy dust.This is a guest contribution by Nicole Boyer.Using WordPress by itself will give you some optimization, but its not enough. You need to make it much better and more powerful. Hence, here are 13 ways to do that:How to get started with WordPress SEO:1. Use custom URLs / permalinksDefault URLs in WordPress are filled with characters and numbers that have nothing to do with your content. (e.g., YOURSITE.com/?p=143). What you really want are your post titles in those URLs, because they contain the SEO keywords that search engines seek.This is an easy fix. We have a separate guide on that. It only takes a minute, by the way.2. Convert to AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)Google has come to love content that is mobile-friendly, and you will have a privileged position if you conform to its desires. What AMP does is lighten your pages and cause them to load faster on mobile. Faster loads mean happy consumers and a happier Google you will get a higher ranking.What you have to do here to get started with WordPress SEO is convert your HTML/JS to AMP HTML/JS, and there are two ways to do this:Install the AMP plugin. It will generate AMP posts from that  point forward, but it will not change any of your older pages. AMP Author(s): AMP Project ContributorsCurrent Version: 1.3.0Last Updated: October 14, 2019amp.1.3.0.zip 72%Ratings 3,841,784Downloads WP 4.9+Requires Hire a developer to do it. Its not a horribly complex task, and there are instructions to use. This may be the better option, because the plugin is relatively new, and there will be tweaks to get it up to speed.3. Get Yoast SEO Yoast SEO Author(s): Team YoastCurrent Version: 12.3Last Updated: October 15, 20 19wordpress-seo.12.3.zip 98%Ratings 200,063,756Downloads WP 4.9+Requires What a great tool. This plugin  will let you write titles and descriptions and will prompt you to write these so that they are SEO optimized. It will give you an analysis of how you are positioned for SEO. This plugin is constantly updated based upon new algorithms.Dont think that you can just add Yoast and sit back. You cant. For every blog post you write, you need to go through each optimization section and analyze what comes up (example visible in the screenshot below). You will be shown where there are issues, along with suggestions for fixing them.4. Add captions and alt tags to imagesYou have to put images in your blog posts. No one wants to read large chunks of text without something to pique their interest. This function is already built into WordPress. All you have to do is access the admin area and choose Media. Choose the images and begin to add alt tags, titles, and captions.Make sure that th e text you add has your target keywords, but do add context around these keywords rather than stuffing them. Doing this will make Google unhappy! You should also know what to do with the other image fields WordPress offers.5. Those snippetsO.K. So, there are those basic snippets that appear anytime a Google search is performed a small amount of text that appears along with the site.I recently had a problem with gnats in a houseplant, for example. Here is a result from my Google search about these little buggers:The snippet is the text that follows the URL address.Then, there are rich snippets. These are little pieces that appear just below the URL, but before the standard snippet. These little pieces give Google the ability to give better results to a searcher to be more meaningful in some way. Rich snippets can come in a few different forms, but most often they are images or tidbits of information about ratings (by stars) or number of views, etc.Here is a page from a Google searc h on recipes for jamon:Notice that the first three results have an image or star ratings. These are the rich snippets that give Google more information. These rich snippets appear because they are programmed in to appear.So, how do you get started with WordPress SEO in the rich snippets department? Here is what you can do:There is a rich snippets plugin you can install, and no coding will be required. Schema All In One Schema Rich Snippets Author(s): Brainstorm ForceCurrent Version: 1.5.6Last Updated: March 12, 2019all-in-one-schemaorg-rich-snippets.1.5.6.zip 82%Ratings 954,422Downloads WP 3.7+Requires Hire someone to build these into your code.  Hiring someone may be preferable if you dont want to get your hands dirty, so that you can specify the snippets you want images, reviews, etc., and there wont be bugs that may gum up the works.6. Security   protect yourself from hackers and malwareWordPress is vulnerable because it is such a popular platform and is used by so many – this makes it a popular target. You need to take steps to secure your theme, your plugins, your file permissions and your databases. This is important for SEO, because search engines like sites that are secure and rank them higher.This is a simple act. Just install WordFence you will get monitoring and automatic security upgrades: Wordfence Security Firewall Malware Scan Author(s): WordfenceCurrent Version: 7.4.0Last Updated: August 22, 2019wordfence.7.4.0.zip 96%Ratings 135,846,747Downloads WP 3.9+Requires 7. Add a  cache pluginWhen people access websites they request information, and that information is then retrieved by the site so that the user can read it. This can be a slow process on the retrieval side if information/data is not cached, or stored.Using cache plugins allows information to be served up quickly reducing load time, which is always a good thing as far as SEO is concerned. Search engines do not like sites that have slow load times and wil l penalize them on SERPs. You can install W3 Total Cache for WordPress and resolve this issue pretty permanently. Or, check out our in-depth guide on this (link).8. Get rid of spam commentsWe have all had this experience. We are reading a blog post and then start to review the comments. All of a sudden there is a comment that has nothing to do with the topic but that is basically touting something else with a link. This is comment spam. You are vulnerable to it if you have conversation capability installed on your blog (and you should). Sometimes, especially if these spam comments provide links back to questionable sites, search engines will notice and penalize you.Again, the fix is easy and simple. Install something like Akismet or some other comment blocker. You want your blocker to check comments, identify those that are spam, and then report them. Most important, they wont show up on your conversation threads. Akismet Anti-Spam Author(s): AutomatticCurrent Version: 4.1.2Last Updated: May 14, 2019akismet.4.1.2.zip 94%Ratings 143,374,346Downloads WP 4.0+Requires Akismet is not free for business blogs you will have to buy a key.9. Engage your usersTheres no better way to get started with WordPress SEO than by focusing on how long people hang out on your site or  blog. No plugin can do this for you. You are the one who must create great content, so that visitors want to stay and read/view. The longer you can get visitors to stay, the better search engines view you.Everything you post on your site or your blog must be considered a type of content marketing you want visitors to find your stuff interesting, unique, and sometimes entertaining and humorous. This means you have engaging ways to present information, lots of visuals and perhaps a video or two.DollarShaveClub.com has this nailed. The site opens with an explainer video that shows the value and benefit of subscribing to their razor club in a hilarious way. This video has received millions of views.The site also has a great blog, title, Bathroom Minutes, which keeps visitors coming back for more.Now one thing you can do with WordPress is set up an automatic display of other posts that are related to one a visitor is reading. So, if there is interest, that individual can access other posts on your blog and thus stay even longer a good thing. For this you just install the Contextual Related Posts plugin. Contextual Related Posts Author(s): WebberZoneCurrent Version: 2.7.0Last Updated: June 16, 2019contextual-related-posts.zip 96%Ratings 972,874Downloads WP 4.7+Requires Here is what you want to check:10. Add social sharingYou have probably already provided for social sharing of your content, but, if by chance you have not, install the Social Media Share Buttons plugin now. The more your content is shared on social media, the more visitors you will get, and the more visitors you get, the better your SEO rankings are. Social Media Share Buttons | MashShare Author( s): Renà © HermenauCurrent Version: 3.6.9Last Updated: August 31, 2019mashsharer.3.6.9.zip 96%Ratings 1,848,849Downloads WP 3.6+Requires 11. Back it all upWhile this is not directly related to SEO, you can lose everything if your site crashes or disappears. All of your hard work is gone. Dont let this happen install a good backup plugin.12. Clean up your databaseEvery time you edit a post, WordPress creates another copy of it. And that includes all comments and other stuff that has collected with it. All of this takes placed in your database. Eventually, it slows everything down. You can prevent this and keep your load time up to par by installing the WP-Optimizer its free, and it will regularly clean up your database. WP-Optimize Clean, Compress, Cache. Author(s): David Anderson, Ruhani Rabin, Team UpdraftCurrent Version: 3.0.12Last Updated: September 24, 2019wp-optimize.3.0.12.zip 98%Ratings 11,586,621Downloads WP 3.8+Requires 13. Tell search engines where they ca n goUnless you put some restrictions in place, search engines will send their spiders through all of your pages for indexing. This is silly you dont need them in your admin area or in your CSS files. So, you can create a robots.txt file that directs them properly. You can use Virtual Robots.txt plugin to create that file and then upload it to your root folder. Virtual Robots.txt Author(s): Marios AlexandrouCurrent Version: 1.9Last Updated: March 28, 2019pc-robotstxt.zip 80%Ratings 261,249Downloads WP 4.0+Requires Final wordMost of these tips to get started with WordPress SEO are quite technical, and they are important. But understand this: while they may enhance SEO, they will never take the place of your content quality. You have to have amazing content, engaging content, compelling content, content that people want to share. The technical fixes are easy. Crafting exceptional content takes work get at it.Whats your no.1 struggle when it comes to how to get started with Wo rdPress SEO right now?About the author:  Nicole Boyer is a  web designer, traveller, and blogger for several websites. Nicole is passionate about self-improvement, healthy lifestyle, and obviously, web design! Talk to her on Facebook: Nicole Boyer, Twitter @nicoleboyernr, or visit her blog at GrabMyEssay.com.Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Chasing The Grant

Chasing The Grant Most major cities offer artist grants for those of us involved in the arts. In my town there’s an annual drive for locals to apply, and back in 2014, I gave it a go. According to the rules, anyone in the arts field, including literary arts, was eligible. â€Å"Hot dog, I’m going for it!† I said. I followed the guidelines, crossed my Ts, and dotted my I’s. I was rejected. I applied again in 2015 and was rejected, 2016 rejected, 2017 rejected. If you’re reading this, you are a writer. Rejections are commonplace. You’re told â€Å"don’t take it personal because this is a subjective business.† Applying for grants might fall into that â€Å"subjective business† category, but Looking back it never dawned on me the lesson I’d learn from all this. The more you work at something the better you become. I received a phone call. I already had the grant organization in my contacts so the name popped up. I thought â€Å"Wow they’ve never called me about a rejection. This is a first.† Reluctantly, I answered. â€Å"Rod?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I’m calling to personally congratulate you. You won the grant.† â€Å"Don’t play with me,† I said. â€Å"This isn’t funny.† â€Å"No, seriously, you won. And I know how long you’ve pursued this. Congrats.† Honestly I don’t remember how many times I heard the word congratulations in that phone call, but that day was a turning point. As a writer you crave recognition. You yearn to hear that all this work you put in hasn’t gone in vain. We may never amass the riches of JK Rowling, but we do seek readership and acceptance. I felt vindicated. Then I researched, eager to learn how many writers had won this grant. Most grants are required to list all past winners, and I went back to when the records were first kept online in 2012. The only writers awarded grants were journalists, poets, a screenwriter, and a children’s picture book artist. No fiction author had ever won. Wow, right? What had I done differently? I had tired of rejections and attended a couple of webinars on grant writing, learning it’s more than filling in blocks on an application. You pursue a grant with the same serious mentality you infuse into your writing. You make the judges believe in you wherever you can. Where do you find grants? Online sources like FundsforWriters, state arts commissions, and local arts councils, for starters. Join one of many writer’s organization like AWP, SCBWI or Author’s Guild. Writer’s Digest, The Writer, and Poets and Writers magazines also list them. When you see a grant opportunity in FundsforWriters or anywhere online or in print, go for it. Maybe it won’t take you the five years it took me but consider a grant in your destiny. You are worthy, and writers are not quitters.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Emerging Political Tensions between Israel and Palestine Research Paper

Emerging Political Tensions between Israel and Palestine - Research Paper Example Palestine is controlled by two governing bodies i.e. Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank. The division of governance has resulted in suspension of peace making attempts between Israel and Palestine. The recent war occurred in 2014, is a result of political tensions between the two states. This research paper focuses on the major political issues due to which peace-making attempts have been failing between the states. The conflicts between Israel and Palestine have become sensitive at present due to several issues. In the year 2006, the Palestinian Authority held elections in Gaza and the West Bank on the request of George W. Bush’s administration and Israeli support. Despite making attempts, Hamas won the majority of seats. The United States responded by cutting off aid to Palestinian Authority, on the other hand the Israelis withheld tax revenues they collected on Palestinian’s behalf. The Bush’s administration encouraged Abbas to go against Hamas with the help of Fatah and its chief Mohammad Dahlan (Brownlee 113). The circumstances were severe during the period and Fatah was defeated by Hamas in the battle. Finally Hamas took charge in Gaza. These situations became even worse when United States did not make any attempt to talk to the new formed government. The Israelis started to block exports from Gaza, which led to drop of per capita income to 17 percent in the year 2011, compared to 2005. The Israelis even banned exports to the West Bank, which made the life of people worse in Gaza. The people of Gaza were suffering from unemployment and malnutrition on a very high scale. The circumstances forced Hamas to attack Israelis, for the benefit of their people and save his government. The attacks disturbed the life of people and most of the citizens were exposed to threat. The occurrence of cold-war was merely due to the political issues that happened in the year 2006.  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Article from Marketing Journals Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

From Marketing Journals - Article Example The process adds to the product's final cost, convenience, and customer acceptance. A process may be streamlined to reduce costs and diminish consumer options, or the product may be customized, which adds to the total cost of the product but offers the consumer a greater number of alternatives. The article contended that the two major measurable and manageable characteristics of any process are complexity and divergence. It is the challenge of the manager to find the most effective balance of these important components of the process. Complexity refers to the "number and intricacy of the steps required" to perform the process (35). A laboratory that performs DNA testing could be said to be more complex than checking the air pressure in a tire. Divergence is the "degree of freedom allowed or inherent in a process step or sequence" (35). Processes that require analyzation, assimilating data, and judgment are said to be highly divergent, such as a doctor performing surgery. By blueprinting a service into a schematically represented diagram, or flow chart, the degree of complexity and divergence can be readily and visually available. The complexity and divergence can then be adjusted to fit a marketing, cost, manufacturing, or consumer need. Altering the complexity and divergence of the service process can have a significant impa... For example, a gasoline outlet may decide to offer only 2 grades of gasoline instead of 4. This will save costs by reducing inventory requirements and overhead costs. However, the customer has been offered fewer options. Alternatively, the station may decide to carry 6 grades of gasoline and add kerosene and diesel fuel. This strategy can result in a niche market with lower volume and greater margins, as it increases the divergence and positions the station differently in the market. Complexity also dictates the market position as well as consumer perception. A mechanic's garage may opt to reduce their complexity and limit their work to muffler and brake systems. This specialization strategy can be risky when competing with more broad based and full service alternatives (38). However, increasing complexity runs the risk of poor quality or customer confusion. Customers may be unaware that a garage that offers automobile detailing, inspections, body and paint, and mechanical work, also does quality brake work. The manager must look for the market position that will maximize the opportunities with the least risk. In conclusion, visualizing the complexity and divergence of the service processes can help to understand the current market position and help plan for repositioning. The process that goods or services are subjected to is a raw material that can be manipulated and formed. This structured approach can reveal the characteristics that "not only affect market position, but also can be deliberately and strategically managed for positioning purposes" (42). Blueprinting and diagramming gives the manager a greater understanding and more control over the processes that affect cost, quality, deliverability, and consumer perception. Works Cited Shostack, G L.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Porters Diamond Theory Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Porters Diamond Theory Application - Essay Example The purpose of this report is to discuss the contribution of Porters diamond model to the success of Apple Incorporated. Various aspects of this model such as firm strategy, demand and factor conditions, as well as supporting and related industries will be considered in determining their contribution to Apple’s international success. However, this company has also ventured into other technology related businesses among them the production of personal computers and computer software. In addition to these investments, it is also involved in the business of providing online services; hence, it has a healthy range of products for its target market. However, Apple is not on itself in the production of computer electronics. It faces a lot of competition from other equally well-established international companies such as Samsung from South Korea and China’s Hawaii. Their main points of competition besides the usual superiority of their respective products also border around other aspects such as product pricing and market appeal. In coming up with the Diamond strategy, Michael Porter recognized the fact that the strategies invoked by a firm play a crucial role in determining its market performance (Reinhert 2013, p.15). Hence, for multinational companies such as Apple, strategy is of the essence as it helps direct their approach towards the market. A primary strategy that is the hallmark of this corporation is differentiation. In the world of technology whereby consumer tastes and preferences tend to revolve around similar product attributes, differentiation is of the essence. The unique designs of Apple products and their high quality have greatly served to set them apart from the products of other competitors such as Nokia. Another vital strategy is value creation. This company has outsourced manufacturing functions to third parties as a way of focusing on product design and creation of user interfaces.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Fundamentals of block coding

Fundamentals of block coding ABSTRACT In this essay the basic fundamentals of block coding as a type of forward error correction code, as well as an example of such a code, are examined, in order to highlight the importance of error correction in digital communication systems. In the first part, the theory around error correction codes and types is presented with special emphasis on the block codes, their properties and the problems they encounter. In the second part the most popular block code, Reed-Solomon code, is discussed along with its mathematical formulation and the most common applications that implement it. INTRODUCTION Over the past years, there has been an extraordinary development in digital communications especially in the areas of mobile phones, personal computers, satellites, and computer communication. In these digital communication systems, data is represented as a sequence of 0s and 1s. These binary bits are expressed as analog signal waveforms and then transmitted over a communication channel. Communication channels, though, induce interference and noise to the transmitted signal and corrupt it. At the receiver, the corrupted transmitted signal is modulated back to binary bits. The received binary data is an evaluation of the binary data being transmitted. Bit errors may occur because of the transmission and that number of errors depends on the communication channels interference and noise amount. Channel coding is used in digital communications to protect the digital data and reduce the number of bit errors caused by noise and interference. Channel coding is mostly achieved by adding redundant bits into the transmitted data. These additional bits allow the detection and correction of the bit errors in the received information, thus providing a much more reliable transmission. The cost of using channel coding to protect the transmitted information is a reduction in data transfer rate or an increase in bandwidth. 1. FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION BLOCK CODES 1.1 ERROR DETECTION CORRECTION Error detection and correction are methods to make sure that information is transmitted error free, even across unreliable networks or media. Error detection is the ability to detect errors due to noise, interference or other problems to the communication channel during transmission from the transmitter to the receiver. Error correction is the ability to, furthermore, recreate the initial, error-free information. There are two basic protocols of channel coding for an error detection-correction system: Automatic Repeat-reQuest (ARQ): In this protocol, the transmitter, along with the data, sends an error detection code, that the receiver then uses to check if there are errors present and requests retransmission of erroneous data, if found. Usually, this request is implicit. The receiver sends back an acknowledgement of data received correctly, and the transmitter sends again anything not acknowledged by the receiver, as fast as possible. Forward Error Correction (FEC): In this protocol, the transmitter implements an error-correcting code to the data and sends the coded information. The receiver never sends any messages or requests back to the transmitter. It just decodes what it receives into the most likely data. The codes are constructed in a way that it would take a great amount of noise to trick the receiver interpreting the data wrongly. 1.2 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) As mentioned above, forward error correction is a system of controlling the errors that occur in data transmission, where the sender adds additional information to its messages, also known as error correction code. This gives the receiver the power to detect and correct errors (partially) without requesting additional data from the transmitter. This means that the receiver has no real-time communication with the sender, thus cannot verify whether a block of data was received correctly or not. So, the receiver must decide about the received transmission and try to either repair it or report an alarm. The advantage of forward error correction is that a channel back to the sender is not needed and retransmission of data is usually avoided (at the expense, of course, of higher bandwidth requirements). Therefore, forward error correction is used in cases where retransmissions are rather costly or even impossible to be made. Specifically, FEC data is usually implemented to mass storage devices, in order to be protected against corruption to the stored data. However, forward error connection techniques add a heavy burden on the channel by adding redundant data and delay. Also, many forward error correction methods do not quite respond to the actual environment and the burden is there whether needed or not. Another great disadvantage is the lower data transfer rate. However, FEC methods reduce the requirements for power variety. For the same amount of power, a lower error rate can be achieved. The communication in this situation remains simple and the receiver alone has the responsibility of error detection and correction. The sender complexity is avoided and is now entirely assigned to the receiver. Forward error correction devices are usually placed close to the receiver, in the first step of digital processing of an analog signal that has been received. In other words, forward error correction systems are often a necessary part of the analog to digital signal conversion operation that also contain digital mapping and demapping, or line coding and decoding. Many forward error correction coders can also produce a bit-error rate (BER) signal that can be used as feedback to optimize the received analog circuits. Software controlled algorithms, such as the Viterbi decoder, can receive analog data, and output digital data. The maximum number of errors a forward error correction system can correct is initially defined by the design of the code, so different FEC codes are suitable for different situations. The three main types of forward error correction codes are: Block codes that work on fixed length blocks (packets) of symbols or bits with a predefined size. Block codes can often be decoded in polynomial time to their block size. Convolutional codes that work on symbol or bit streams of indeterminate size. They are usually decoded with the Viterbi algorithm, though other algorithms are often used as well. Viterbi algorithm allows infinite optimal decoding efficiency by increasing limited length of the convolutional code, but at the cost of greatly increasing complexity. A convolutional code can be transformed into a block code, if needed. Interleaving codes that have alleviating properties for fading channels and work well combined with the other two types of forward error correction coding. 1.3 BLOCK CODING 1.3.1 OVERVIEW Block coding was the first type of channel coding implemented in early mobile communication systems. There are many types of block coding, but among the most used ones the most important is Reed-Solomon code, that is presented in the second part of the coursework, because of its extensive use in famous applications. Hamming, Golay, Multidimensional parity and BCH codes are other well-known examples of classical block coding. The main feature of block coding is that it is a fixed size channel code (in contrary to source coding schemes such as Huffman coders, and channel coding techniques as convolutional coding). Using a preset algorithm, block coders take a k-digit information word, S and transform it into an n-digit codeword, C(s). The block size of such a code will be n. This block is examined at the receiver, which then decides about the validity of the sequence it received. 1.3.2 FORMAL TYPE As mentioned above, block codes encode strings taken from an alphabet set S into codewords by encoding each letter of S independently. Suppose (k1, k2,, km) is a sequence of natural numbers that each one less than |S| . If S=s1,s2,,sn and a specific word W is written as W = sk1 sk2 skn , then the codeword that represents W, that is to say C(W), is: C(W) = C(sk1) C(sk2) C (skm) 1.3.3 HAMMING DISTANCE Hamming Distance is a rather significant parameter in block coding. In continuous variables, distance is measured as length, angle or vector. In the binary field, distance between two binary words, is measured by the Hamming distance. Hamming distance is the number of different bits between two binary sequences with the same size. It, basically, is a measure of how apart binary objects are. For example, the Hamming distance between the sequences: 101 and 001 is 1 and between the sequences: 1010100 and 0011001 is 4. Hamming distance is a variable of great importance and usefulness in block coding. The knowledge of Hamming distance can determine the capability of a block code to detect and correct errors. The maximum number of errors a block code can detect is: t = dmin 1, where dmin is the Hamming distance of the codewords. A code with dmin = 3, can detect 1 or 2 bit errors. So the Hamming distance of a block code is preferred to be as high as possible since it directly effects the codes ability to detect bit errors. This also means that in order to have a big Hamming distance, codewords need to be larger, which leads to additional overhead and reduced data bit rate. After detection, the number of errors that a block code can correct is given by: t(int) = (dmin 1)/2 1.3.4 PROBLEMS IN BLOCK CODING Block codes are constrained by the sphere packing problem that has been quite significant in the last years. This is easy to picture in two dimensions. For example, if someone takes some pennies flat on the table and push them together, the result will be a hexagon pattern like a bees nest. Block coding, though, relies on more dimensions which cannot be visualized so easily. The famous Golay code, for instance, applied in deep space communications uses 24 dimensions. If used as a binary code (which very often it is,) the dimensions refer to the size of the codeword as specified above. The theory of block coding uses the N-dimensional sphere model. For instance, what number of pennies can be packed into a circle on a tabletop or in 3-dimensional model, what number of marbles can be packed into a globe. Its all about the codes choice. Hexagon packing, for example, in a rectangular box will leave the four corners empty. Greater number of dimensions means smaller percentage of empty spaces, until eventually at a certain number the packing uses all the available space. These codes are called perfect codes and there are very few of them. The number of a single codewords neighbors is another detail which is usually overlooked in block coding. Back to the pennies example again, first pennies are packed in a rectangular grid. Each single penny will have four direct neighbors (and another four at the four corners that are farther away). In the hexagon formation, each single penny will have six direct neighbors. In the same way, in three and four dimensions there will be twelve and twenty-four neighbors, respectively. Thus, increasing the number of dimensions, the close neighbors increase rapidly. This results in that noise finds numerous ways to make the receiver choose a neighbor, hence an error. This is a fundamental constraint of block coding, and coding in general. It may be more difficult to cause an error to one neighbor, but the number of neighbors can be so big that the probability of total error actually suffers.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Mistreatment of Women in the Works of Zora Neale Hurston :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Mistreatment of Women in the Works of Zora Neale Hurston Society is suffering from a number of serious social problems related to women, and to the interaction between the two sexes. Male domination and patriarchy have been under challenge by feminists and the women's movement. The economic, social and political subjection of women around the world, the violence brought against women and their confinement has been brought to the forefront in recent years. Zora Neale Hurston's stories speak out against the uncivil and unjust treatment of women especially in their marriages. Hurston's stories reveal the disturbing situation for women about mistreatment abuse in the 1930s, when speaking out was unheard of. This was the time period for the setting of Hurston's stories, and her stories reflect violence against women that occurred during that era. "Zora Neale Hurston's works are brilliant glimpses into the mind of a woman who lived life for what it was, who wanted nothing more then to have"...a busy life, a just mind and timely death." "She lived as she wrote, to the fullest, she wasn't just a writer, but also an anthropologist who brought to the light the folklore, and culture of nations that before there had been little study of. She brought new, exciting views of the world through her poetic words, and is a shining example of what it is to be a woman. Intelligent, driven, and confidant" (Walker 8). At only thirteen years old Hurston was thrown out of her father's house because her stepmother didn't approve of her or her siblings. At an early age Huston knew about struggling and making a way for herself (Ford 7-9). In Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography she said, "There is something about poverty that smells like death. Dead dreams dropping off the heart like leaves in a dry season and rotting around the feet, impulses smothered too long in the fetid air of underground caves. The soul lived in a sickly air. People can be slave ships in shoes (Hurston 37). Hurston was mistreated as a child, and in her story "Drenched in Light" it reveals some of her background of child abandonment. She also focused on women's rights and fights in marriages.