ACM ICPC Regional Problem

ACM ICPC Regional Problem Siti Nazihah Binti Sarpin (L) Nurul Aini Binti Mohd Hisan Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Problem Description Problem Statistics Problem Details ACM ICPC Regional Problem Reason to Choose This Problem Preliminary Analysis Mathematical Modeling Test Case 1 (Sample input and output from the problem) Test Case 2 (New input and output) Possible Algorithm Design Technique Brute Force Dynamic Programming 0-1 Knapsacks References Introduction Problem Description Bessie has gone on a trip, and she’s riding a roller coaster! Bessie really likes riding the roller coaster, but unfortunately she often gets dizzy. The roller coaster has a number of distinct sections that Bessie rides in order. At the beginning of the ride, Bessies dizziness and fun levels are both at 0. For each section of the roller coaster, Bessie can either keep her eyes open or keep them closed (and must keep them that way for the whole section). If she keeps her eyes open for a section, her total fun increases by a Fun factor for that section, and her dizziness increases by a Dizziness factor for that section. However, if she keeps her eyes closed for the section, her total fun will not change, but her dizziness will decrease by a value that’s constant for the entire roller coaster. (Note that her dizziness can never go below 0.) If, at any point, Bessies dizziness is above a certain limit, Bessie will get sick. Write a program to find the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have without getting sick. Input There will be several test cases in the input. Each test case will begin with a line with three integers: N K L Where N (1 ≠¤ N ≠¤ 1,000) is the number of sections in this particular roller coaster, K (1 ≠¤ K ≠¤ 500) is the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will go down if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride, and L (1 ≠¤ L ≠¤ 300,000) is the limit of dizziness that Bessie can tolerate – if her dizziness ever becomes larger than L, Bessie will get sick, and that’s not fun! Each of the next N lines will describe a section of the roller coaster, and will have two integers: F D Where F (1 ≠¤ F ≠¤ 20) is the increase to Bessie’s total fun that she’ll get if she keeps her eyes open on that section, and D (1 ≠¤ D ≠¤ 500) is the increase to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section. The sections will be listed in order. The input will end with a line with three 0s. Output For each test case, output a single integer, representing the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have on that roller coaster without exceeding her dizziness limit. Print each integer on its own line with no spaces. Do not print any blank lines between answers. Sample Input 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 5 2 10 5 1 20 2 12 4 3 3 10 6 20 3 19 9 19 7 1 500 15 5 4 2 0 0 0 Sample Output 7 0 Problem Statistics According to ACM-ICPC archive website, the total submission of this problem is 2226. There are 183 users have solved this problem while 246 users that tried this problem (last update on 10 Dec 2014). This problem can be found at https://icpcarchive.ecs.baylor.edu/index.php?option=com_onlinejudgeItemid=8category=410page=show_problemproblem=2871. Problem Details ACM ICPC Regional Problem Region: ACM ICPC Regionals 2010 North America Southeast USA Year: 2010 Problem: H, 4870 – Roller Coaster [4.500 seconds] Link:https://icpcarchive.ecs.baylor.edu/index.php?option=com_onlinejudgeItemid=8category=410page=show_problemproblem=2871 Source Code: https://github.com/depstein/programming-competitions/blob/master/problems/04-10-14%20intro/4870%20(Roller%20Coaster)/rollercoaster.java Programmer: N/A. Reason to Choose This Problem This problem is chosen to fulfill a requirement of CSC750, Advance Algorithm and Analysis that needed the problem that can be solved using Dynamic Programming. This problem belongs to 0-1 Knapsack problem which require us to find the maximum amount of fun can Bessie have without making her sick. Preliminary Analysis This problem is to obtain the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have when riding a roller coaster without getting sick, in which case without exceeding her dizziness limit. The constraints of the problem include: The roller coaster has a distinct number of sections that Bessie rides in order. Bessie’s fun and dizziness levels are both at 0 at the beginning of the ride. For each section, Bessie has two options either to keeps her eyes open or close and she must keep them that way for the whole section. At any section, when Bessie keeps her eyes open, her total dizziness increases by a dizziness factor and her total fun also increases by a fun factor. * At any section, when Bessie keeps her eyes closed, her total dizziness will be subtracted by a value that is constant for the entire roller coaster, but her total fun is maintain. * Bessie’s dizziness can never go below 0. Bessie will get sick if her dizziness is above a given limit. * * Tricky constraint. The parameters for this problem are listed as below: N (1 ≠¤ N ≠¤ 1000), the number of sections in a particular roller coaster. K (1 ≠¤ K ≠¤ 500), the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride. L (1 ≠¤ L ≠¤ 300,000), limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand. F (1 ≠¤ F ≠¤ 20), the increases to Bessie’s total fun if she keeps her eyes open on that section. D (1 ≠¤ D ≠¤ 500), the increases to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section. 000, the c fixed command line for stopping the test cases. This problem belongs to 0-1 Knapsack problem. This is due to the same properties this problem had as with a Knapsack problem in which it contains; a set of items where each item consists of weight and value, the total weight must be less than or equal to the given limit, and a maximum total value (in which case it must consider the given limit of the sack can carry) [1]. Thus, for this Roller Coaster problem, the properties listed below have adapted the knapsack solution: The item in this problem consists of Bessie’s dizziness level (weight) and fun level (value). Her dizziness is how much she can carries in her sack (total weight of the items she carries in the sack). Her fun is what she would like to maximize (total value of the items she carries). Now, we want to get the maximum total fun she could have without making her too dizzy (maximum total fun = maximum total value in her sack) (limit of dizziness = weight limit for the sack). Furthermore, this problem is tied with another tricky constraints in which it affected the dizziness level and fun level at each distinct section, in which case Bessie has two options either to open or close her eyes during riding that roller coaster (in Knapsack problem, whether an item is in the sack or not). If she keeps her eyes open, both dizziness and fun level will increase. Meanwhile, if she keeps her eyes close, her fun level will remain the same as with the previous section, but her dizziness level will increase. In conjunction with these tricky constraints, it can be broken down into many sub-problems [2], hence the Knapsack solution to this problem does not have to perform backtracking or recursion. This is because the previously solved sub-problems are stored in tables and can be used again instead of re-computing the solution each time [2]. In summary, this Knapsack problem is more suitable if it is solve by using Dynamic Programming technique compare with brute force algorithm. Mathematical Modeling Input: The number of sections in a particular roller coaster. The amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride. The limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand. The increases to Bessie’s total fun if she keeps her eyes open on that section. The increases to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section. The fixed command line for stopping the test cases. Output: The maximum amount of fun Bessie can have on that roller coaster without exceeding her dizziness limit. Let, the number of sections in a particular roller coaster = N, where N ≠¥ 1 and N ≠¤ 1000, the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride = K, where K ≠¥ 1 and K ≠¤ 500, the limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand = L, where L ≠¥ 1 and L ≠¤ 300000, the increases to Bessie’s total fun if she keeps her eyes open on that section = F, where F ≠¥ 1 and F ≠¤ 20, the increases to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section = D, where D ≠¥ 1 and D ≠¤ 500, and the fixed command line for stopping the test cases = 000. To mathematically model this problem, it uses array tables to obtain the maximum total fun Bessie could have without getting sick [4]. It is important to make sure total dizziness (DTotal) can never go below zero and must not exceed the given limit. Hence, DTotal ≠¥ 0 and DTotal ≠¤ L. Moreover, depending on Bessie’s eyes’ condition (either open or close), it will affect each of the total fun and total dizziness. Hence, FOpen = F + F[fun at nth section], DOpen = D + D[dizzy at nth section], FClose = F[fun at nth section], DClose = D[dizzy at nth section] K, where FOpen, DOpen, FClose, DClose N. Thus a solution for the problem is to find the minimum dizziness Bessie could have with the maximum fun [4]. DP[N][F] is the minimum dizziness Bessie can have, with fun = F. DP[N][F] = max(DP[N 1][F (fun at the nth section)] + (dizziness at the nth section), DP[N 1][F] K). First table is to store the section’s number [N] and the other one is to store the total fun [F]. Note that both initial arrays of fun and dizziness level are set to 0.The track of the roller coaster must pass all section meaning to move to the next section both table will become [N-1] [F Fun[N]]. By using those tables, for each section, we can obtain the maximum fun Bessie can have. When move to the next section, it just retrieves the previously stored result in order to get the new result for the new section. Test Case 1 (Sample input and output from the problem) Sample input Sample output 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 5 2 7 Table 1 Sample input and output of test case 1 Table 2 illustrates the optimal solution for test case 1 from the sample input given by the Roller Coaster problem. This roller coaster track has a total of 3 sections, the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride is 1, and the limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand is 2. The maximum total fun Bessie could have without getting sick is 7 and her dizziness is 2. During riding that roller coaster, Bessie had her eyes open in section 1 and 3, and close her eyes in section 2. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 2 3 1 2 1 – 1 = 0 Open Section 3 5 2 5 + 2 = 7 0 + 2 = 2 Table 2Optimal solution for test case 1 from sample input Roller Coaster problem Test Case 2 (New input and output) Input Output 12 3 8 5 4 3 2 8 2 6 1 12 5 18 2 12 3 10 4 15 2 16 5 10 3 6 1 80 Table 3 input and output from test case 2 This roller coaster track has a total of 12 sections, the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride is 3, and the limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand is 8. The maximum total fun Bessie could have without getting sick is 80 and her dizziness is 6. During riding that roller coaster, Bessie had her eyes close in section 2 5, 8 and 10, and open her eyes in other sections. Meanwhile, Table 4 shows how the solution is achieved. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 5 4 0 + 5 = 5 0 + 4 = 4 Close Section 2 3 2 5 4 3 = 1 Open Section 3 8 2 5 + 8 = 13 1 + 2 = 3 Open Section 4 6 1 13 + 6 = 19 3 + 1 = 4 Close Section 5 12 5 19 4 – 3 = 1 Open Section 6 18 2 19 + 18 = 37 1 + 2 = 3 Open Section 7 12 3 37 + 12 = 49 3 + 3 = 6 Close Section 8 10 4 49 6 – 3 = 3 Open Section 9 15 2 49 + 15 = 64 3 + 2 = 5 Close Section 10 16 5 64 5 – 3 = 2 Open Section 11 10 3 64 + 10 = 74 2 + 3 = 5 Open Section 12 6 1 74 + 6 = 80 5 + 1 = 6 Table 4: An example of input for Roller Coaster problem Possible Algorithm Design Technique Roller coaster problem can be solved using brute force technique or dynamic programming. There is no doubt that this problem can be solved using brute force and it can produce the correct output but it will caused an exponential time to the program. Therefore, Dynamic Programming is the better approach to solve Roller Coaster problem. Brute Force Brute force technique is not recommended to solve this problem because it will result in an exponential solution [3] as we have to modify the condition (either Bessie’s eyes open or close) and compare each result every time in order to obtain the optimal solution. In addition, if the number of test cases is getting bigger, it is quite impossible to get a short period of time taken as to calculate every sub-problem. Since there is no limit on the test case, user can state their input as much as they want. Let’s take sample test case 1 as an example shown in Table 1. 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 5 2 3 1 2 N = 3, K = 1, and L = 2. 2 1, 3 1, and 5 2 F = 2, 3, 5 and D = 1, 1. Table 5: Sample test case 1 from the Roller Coaster problem Brute force algorithm will test all the possibilities of Bessie’s eyes condition, either she had her eyes opened or closed. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Open Section 2 3 1 2 + 3 = 5 1 + 2 = 3 Open Section 3 5 2 5 + 5 = 10 3 + 2 = 5 Table 6: First condition The first condition fails because Bessie’s dizziness level exceeds her limit even though she got so much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Open Section 2 3 1 0 + 3 = 3 0 + 1 = 1 Open Section 3 5 2 3 + 5 = 8 1 + 2 = 3 Table 7: Second condition The second condition also fails because her dizziness level exceeds her limit. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 2 3 1 2 1 – 1 = 0 Open Section 3 5 2 5 + 2 = 7 0 + 2 = 2 Table 8: Third condition The third condition is a success because of her dizziness level does not exceed her limit and she got so much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Open Section 2 3 1 2 + 3 = 5 1 + 1 = 2 Close Section 3 5 2 5 2 – 1 = 1 Table 9: Fourth condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because of Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but the fun she got is not much. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Close Section 2 3 1 0 0 Open Section 3 5 2 0 + 5 = 5 0 + 2 = 2 Table 10: Fifth condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because of Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but she does not have much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 2 3 1 2 1 – 1 = 0 Close Section 3 5 2 2 0 Table 11: Sixth condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because of Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but she does not have much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Open Section 2 3 1 0 + 3 = 3 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 3 5 2 3 1 – 1 = 0 Table 12: Seventh condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but she does not have much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Close Section 2 3 1 0 0 Close Section 3 5 2 0 0 Table 13: Eighth condition This condition fails because Bessie’s does not have fun at all. Therefore, Table 8 which illustrates the third condition is the most optimal solution where it satisfies as the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have when riding a roller coaster without getting sick. Dynamic Programming 0-1 Knapsacks The key idea to solve this problem is by adapting the Knapsack solution in which total amount of dizziness as the total weight she carries in her sack without exceeding the given limit and maximum fun as the maximum total value carries in that sack. To obtain the most optimal solution, we have to select the most maximum of total fun. However, in selecting the maximum total fun, we need to consider the total amount of dizziness because if it exceeds the limit, Bessie will get sick and thus we should avoid it. References [1] Knapsack Problem, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapsack_problem [2] Slide #4 in Dynamic Programming 1, CSC752 Advanced Algorithms Analysis, Syed Ahmad Aljunid. [3] Brute Force Search, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brute-force_search [4] Southeast Regionals 2010 – Solutions, https://sites.google.com/site/ubcprogrammingteam/news

Recurrence and Resolution in Preston Sturges Film The Lady Eve :: essays papers

Recurrence and Resolution in Preston Sturges Film The Lady Eve The first scene begins with a medium shot of the lover’s usual meeting place on deck, where a cheerful and whistling Charles (Hopsie) paces up and down waiting for Jean to appear. The camera focuses on Charles pacing and whistling while diagetic sound is heard from kids playing on the deck and a bell ringing in the background. There is a change of focus when two men walk right in front of Charles while he is pacing back and forth. Muggsy has finally obtained proof that the Harringtons are card sharks and while the camera still focusing in on Charles, he approaches with the purser, who carries an 8 x 10 envelope in his hand. As the purser decisively tells Charles to look at the contents, there is a medium close-up of Charles and the purser. The camera zooms in, there is ominous music playing in the background and then a close-up of a candid photograph showing Jean, her father, and Gerald descending a boat's gangplank - it identifies the Harringtons as crooks with multiple aliases: "'Handsome Harry' Harrington, his daughter Jean and third character known as Gerald. Professional card sharks; also bunko, oil wells, gold mines, and occasionally green goods.† The scene fades into Charles’ concerned face with diagetic sound in the background. The cheerless music gets louder and louder as a medium close-up of Charles’ face ends with him looking at the picture one more time and feeling hurt, puts the picture inside the envelope. When Charles learns her true identity from his protective bodyguard, he reacts with miserable distress. The camera follows him as he strides stoically to the bar and orders a stiff drink in a general shot. The background music is now very ominous and slow. Jean arrives from the left of him in the ship's bar; the camera goes into a medium shot of Jean and Charles at the bar. She is wondering why he looks so worried and crestfallen, and guesses that it's because he is "falling in love with a girl in the middle of an ocean." Truthful for once in her life, she admits her authentic love for him and her mistakes and puts her left arm around his shoulders. Midstream, she realizes that he's found out about her. The scene of Charles rejecting Jean is shot with a medium shot of both of them at the bar.

Computer Networks And Internet Protocol Television Essay

The advent of computer has changed the way the world moves. Distance factor is no longer a problem. The physical might appear a big place with things at far off places but the world in virtual form doesn’t believe in distance. Everything can be achieved within minutes if not seconds. The whole technology behind this mega change is based on computer and is termed as Information Technology. This technology has led to the creation of a cyber world or electronically generated world with the help of computers connected to each other through suitable wires. Now words like cybercafe, cyber chat, cyberspace, cyber shopping, etc. have started making rounds. People can send electronic mails to far off places within seconds. Details and information are getting transferred within few seconds. People in Shanghai and New York are just seconds away. Transferring data in electronic form is actually the fastest way to transfer things. It’s not only the message transfer that has been revolutionized but also the business world. There are virtual shopping malls with website offering you a range of products ranging from computer peripherals to groceries. Companies are now providing details of their product through their website and are accepting customers’ requests of information and now even orders for products are being accepted. Everything is available. Money transfer can easily be done through wire transfer techniques. People do not wait. This world is not ruled by armed soldiers or any nuclear weapon. It’s the information which rules. The physical world just has to react on the outcome. Its role is just for receiving and sending. This high performing virtual world has made significant change in the performance of the actual world (Tanenbaum, 2003). Things in real world are now easier to comprehend. Outsourcing has helped in accessing low cost labor in far off Asian nations like India and China. Multinational companies like Microsoft, IBM, GM. , GE etc. have offices in almost in each part of the world with performance of each of these units can be monitored from any of its offices. Their offices have been networked though LANs i. e. , Local Area Network and WANs i. e. , Wide Area Network. They have virtually made themselves available to their customers any time anywhere and just a click away (Tanenbaum, 2003). 2. Computer System & Network of computers A computer system and network of computers are actually two different but interrelated things. A computer system is just a normal computer including peripherals and software necessary for the functioning of the device (Webopedia). But if we talk of Computer Network, it can be defined in a very simple way as a network of computers (Princeton). But giving full importance to all factors getting into act when we talk about network, the definition which actually makes complete sense is none other than the two or more computers connected together to share hardware, software and data and has been implemented according to some topology (Tanenbaum, 2003). The network can have all peripherals located within an office or building. This arrangement is often termed as Local Area Network or LAN (Tech, 2006). If the same is achieved in a wide area i. e. , computers connected to the network are located at places as diverse as countries in different continents, we can call the same as Wide Area Network or WAN (Cisco, 2006). Calling all computers and other intelligent parts of it as nodes, the term network topology can be defined as patterns of links connecting a pair of nodes of a network. 3. Internet Protocol & IPTV Technology related television services which include uplink and transmission has seen some of very revolutionary inventions of modern science. The television delivery system has now moved from terrestrial transmission through analog signals to encrypted digital signals through internet as well as IPTV (Anderson, 2006). The entertainment world through television is now very much eager to move from TV being delivered through cable to Internet Protocol Television with content being viewed through technologies used for computer networks (Lu, 2006). The last decade of the 20th century witnessed the massive growth in Internet Protocol based services. Now with the fast development of hardware and software technologies, this internet world has now developed to accommodate services like VoIP and many other telecom products (Wikipedia, 2007). It is a system which delivers digital television services to registered subscribers in a managed network with address based technology. The unique IP address of a subscriber provides him a virtual address over a network and creates a connection between the service provider and the television (Wikipedia, 2007). 4. Television through IPTV: a new experience IPTV is going to give the most electrifying experience to its subscribers. It’s not just seamless TV viewing but also more interactive and personalized. Things like participation in a game show or any discussion board will only require the use of the remote while sitting on the couch. Now the user will not feel being bombarded with a long list of channels rather get a very creative option to receive them with a much richer experience (International Engineering Consortium, 2007). The two-way signal broadcasting system through the network over which IPTV depends, allows the viewers to make selection that too on demand with time shift option. The additional services which can also be incorporated with IPTV are the Web Browsing i. e. surfing the internet, gaming with a game console with the current system and finally the communication applications which can enable email, MMS, Chat, etc (Telecom Italia, 2006). Figure 1 (IPTV delivery Infrastructure) The Set-Top Box which has made this IPTV happen which at one end is connected to the TV set while the other end to an ADSL connection can easily be made to supply Broadcast TV services (BTV) as well as Video On Demand (VOD) services. This BTV facilitates the simultaneous reception by the users of a traditional TV channel. And using multicasting protocols IPTV can make available services which are similar to experiences of a traditional TV like Free-to-air or Pay TV or a Pay-Per-view service (Luarel Networks). The same IPTV can be used by service providers to provide the VOD service which is made available on request. The VOD service requires implementation through IP unicast protocols (Ericsson, 2006). The enhanced IPTV can also make Personal Video Recorder (PVR) services available. The local PVR makes way for video-recording on the STB hard-disk with another set of functions for live, pause and replay. Similarly the Network-based PVR stores the data on the operator’s server which is generally used for VOD (International Engineering Consortium, 2007). On technological point, the IPTV makes way for better utilization of available infrastructure like the bandwidth. Traditional transmission technology actually sends more than hundred channels simultaneously while the IPTV requires just one channel to be sent to the subscriber at a time. Every time the user selects a channel or a program, a new streaming takes place with data related to the newly selected channel (Anderson, 2006). 5. IPTV: More Advantages, More services & More Business The IPTV will lead to a very new level of interactivity among Internet and data mainly as voice and video. A cable based TV network beams data in form of video mostly in MPEG format through an explicit bandwidth portion while the internet which enables high speed data transfer works on an IP based network and the data transfer is based on packets rather than streams. Both the technologies are technically very different. This IPTV is an amalgam of both the successful technologies. Being a data-centric application, the packets over this network can deliver both video as well as data (International Engineering Consortium, 2007). Figure 2: Telecommunications IPTV system solution The traditional cable network is often overloaded with more than 100 channels being transmitted simultaneously. So there is a limitation of maximum number of channels that can be made available to the subscriber. IPTV has a very clear advantage (Times News Network, 2006). Theoretically this technology can make almost infinite number of channels at the customer’s disposal. The transmission line actually transmitted a single channel which has been demanded by the customer. So the infrastructure usage per customer is negligible while opening a new era of almost every channel on the planet being made available to the user. The IP technology being a packet based product requires an acknowledgement to be sent to the source for every packet. This ensures that every packet sent by the source should remain intact and any loss of data will require resending of the same packet. This feature ensures very high quality of the product which the subscriber will receive (Anderson, 2006). The advantages associated to IPTV is not just conventional entertainment and advertisement based business but the technology can have its usage in developing new products which can make way to many other forms of businesses. The web based training is one of the many other possibilities. The IPTV network can be used to run different courses by making the videos of the classes available to the registered students (International Engineering Consortium, 2007). IPTV is the next big thing after telecom and internet. The business possibilities associated with this technology is almost as broad as the human thought. Almost all telecom companies are putting big money in exploration and marketing of this product (Blau, 2005). The business network and the corporate LAN’s may be greatest beneficiary with the delivery of videos and television content. The customized content delivery and the extremely secure network will reduce the theft cases to negligible. Customization facility will help the advertisers to understand the behavior of consumers and then will go for personalized ads that will translate into significant business returns (Iyer, 2005). 6. Conclusion The IPTV is going to be the next big thing in communication and media industry. With money pouring inform all big telecom companies IPTV is going to be a very serious business with entertainment becoming more and more customizable. The subscriber will experience a very different medium of entertainment with highest level of interactivity and almost innumerable possible services that too very much on his own wishes. 7. Bibliography Anderson, N. (2006) An introduction to IPTV. Available from http://arstechnica. com/guides/other/iptv. ars [Accessed 10 October 2007] Blau, J. (2005) Internet TV: Still Fuzzy, but Promising. IDG News ServiceAvailable from http://www. pcworld. com/news/article/0,aid,122138,00. asp [Accessed 10 October 2007] Cisco Systems, 2006. Wide Area Network. http://www. cisco. com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/introwan. htm [Accessed 10 October 2007]

History of the Plymouth Colony

Established in December 1620 in what is now the U.S. State of Massachusetts, the Plymouth Colony was the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England and the second in North America, coming just 13 years after the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. While perhaps best known as the source of the tradition of Thanksgiving, the Plymouth Colony introduced the concept of self-government into America and serves as the source of important clues to what being an â€Å"American† really means. The Pilgrims Flee Religious Persecution In 1609, during the reign of King James I, members of the English Separatist Church — the Puritans — emigrated from the England to the town of Leiden in the Netherlands in a futile attempt to escape religious persecution. While they were accepted by the Dutch people and authorities, the Puritans continued to be persecuted by the British Crown. In 1618, English authorities came to Leiden to arrest congregation elder William Brewster for distributing flyers critical of King James and the Anglican Church. While Brewster escaped arrest, the Puritans decided to place the Atlantic Ocean between them and England. In 1619, the Puritans obtained a land patent to establish a settlement in North America near the mouth of the Hudson River. Using money loaned to them by the Dutch Merchant Adventurers, the Puritans — soon to be Pilgrims — obtained provisions and passage on two ships: the Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Voyage of the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock After the Speedwell was found to be unseaworthy, 102 Pilgrims, led by William Bradford, crowded aboard the 106-foot-long Mayflower and set sail for America on September 6, 1620. After two difficult months at sea, land was sighted on November 9 off the coast of Cape Cod. Prevented from reaching its initial Hudson River destination by storms, strong currents, and shallow seas, the Mayflower finally anchored off Cape Cod on November 21. After sending exploratory party ashore, the Mayflower docked near Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts on December 18, 1620. Having sailed from the port of Plymouth in England, the Pilgrims decided to name their settlement Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims Form a Government While still aboard the Mayflower, all of the adult male Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact. Similar to the U.S. Constitution ratified 169 years later, the Mayflower Compact described the form and function of Plymouth Colony’s government. Under the Compact, the Puritan Separatists, although a minority in the group, were to have total control over the colony’s government during its first 40 years of existence. As leader of the Puritans congregation, William Bradford was chosen to serve as Plymouth’s governor for 30 years after its founding. As governor, Bradford also kept a fascinating, detailed journal known as â€Å"Of Plymouth Plantation† chronicling the voyage of the Mayflower and the daily struggles of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony. A Grim First Year in the Plymouth Colony Over the next two storms forced many of the Pilgrims to stay aboard the Mayflower, ferrying back and forth to shore while building shelters to house their new settlement. In March 1621, they abandoned the safety of the ship and moved ashore permanently. During their first winter, more than half of the settlers died of a disease that afflicted the colony. In his journal, William Bradford referred to the first winter as the â€Å"Starving Time.† â€Å" †¦ being the depth of the winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases which this long voyage and their inaccommodate condition had brought upon them. So there died some times two or three of a day in the foresaid time, that of 100 and odd persons, scarce fifty remained.† In stark contrast to the tragic relationships that were to come during America’s western expansion, the Plymouth colonists benefited from a friendly alliance with local Native Americans. Shortly after coming ashore, the Pilgrims encountered a Native American man named Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe, who would come to live as a trusted member of the colony. Early explorer John Smith had kidnapped Squanto and taken him back to England where he was forced into slavery. He learned English before escaping and sailing back to his native land. Along with teaching the colonists how to grow the vitally-needed native food crop of maize, or corn, Squanto acted as an interpreter and peacekeeper between Plymouth’s leaders and local Native American leaders, including Chief Massasoit of the neighboring Pokanoket tribe. With the help of Squanto, William Bradford negotiated a peace treaty with Chief Massasoit which helped ensure the Plymouth Colony’s survival. Under the treaty, the colonists agreed to help protect the Pokanoket from invasion by warring tribes in return for the Pokanoket’s help â€Å"to grow food and catch enough fish to feed the colony. And help the Pilgrims grow and catch the Pokanoket did, to the point that in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket famously shared the first harvest feast now observed as the Thanksgiving holiday. The Legacy of the Pilgrims After playing a major role in King Philip’s War of 1675, one of several Indian Wars fought by Britain in North America, the Plymouth Colony and its residents prospered. In 1691, just 71 years after the Pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock, the colony was merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other territories to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Unlike the settlers of Jamestown who had come to North America seeking financial profit, most of the Plymouth colonists had come seeking the freedom of religion denied to them by England. Indeed, the first cherished right ensured to Americans by the Bill of Rights is the â€Å"free exercise† of every individual’s chosen religion. Since its founding in 1897, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants has confirmed more than 82,000 descendants of the Plymouth Pilgrims, including nine U.S. presidents and dozens of notable statespersons and celebrities. Besides Thanksgiving, the legacy of the relatively short-lived Plymouth Colony lies in the Pilgrims’ spirit of independence, self-government, volunteerism, and resistance to authority that have stood as the foundation of American culture throughout history.