How wearable technology affect developer of web content Essay

How wearable technology affect developer of web content - Essay Example The paper tells that the latest change in technology is causing everyone in the technology industry to notice and use wearables. In technology, the term wearable refers to a range of technological devices. According to Ruiz and Goransson, â€Å"it fits everything from iPod controls embedded in the sleeve of your ski jacket to intelligent shoes that tell you which direction to turn when you reach an intersection†. Rather than just holding technological devices, people today are comfortable wearing them on. Google glass is a perfect example of wearable technology. It is a technological gadget mounted on the head in a similar way as eye glasses, which acts more like a computer with voice activated and capabilities to perform google searches, take videos and photos, look for directions, and a range of other functionalities. The emergence of wearable technology has come with a number of impacts. Among them is a huge impact on web content developers and the world of web design in ge neral. This is especially due to the fact that when it comes to web surfing, modern web visitors are highly dependent on wearable mobile devices. As innovations continue to be made, new technologies emerge from time to time. The emerging and new technologies bring a range of opportunities for them and for the different fields they are applied in. Web application development is an area in computer technology that has been impacted by emerging technologies and where opportunities have grown.

American films Essay Example for Free

American films Essay be at work making sure he works his ass off to get us where we are now. Although I don’t see him most of the time during my childhood, and he missed almost every one of my birthday’s I can never be mad at him for it. Something I most admire my father for is the fact he gave up his family and life he had back in the islands to support his daughter and pregnant wife, which changed all our lives. As soon as he joined the military he flew us 2 kids and my mother out to America to see our new house in Hawaii. The day we all came to America was the day we left behind the poverty and worries back in Samoa. Since that day, I have always respected my father. Even though I sometimes abhor is actions towards discipline, I constantly think back to the days we had it rough and who it was that became our hero from there on out. Without his decisions on coming to America and toward his responsibilities, I wouldn’t have had hope in finding a future for myself back in the islands. Because of my father’s life changing choices, I am living a life of a lifetime; a humble lifestyle.

Telemedicine for Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Telemedicine for Type II Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Mellitus is a common chronic disease that requires lifelong medical care and control as well as constant patient self-management, education and support to prevent severe complications and to reduce the incidence of long-term complication70. Type II diabetes mellitus is increasingly common, mainly because of increase in the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle and obesity1. This study evaluates and compares whether an intervention using SMS and telephone call would improve plasma blood glucoses levels (HbA1c, FBS, PPBS) for three months in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Similar study was conducted by Piette et al. (2001) in which patients in a telephone disease management group had a reduction of HbA1c during the one year study period79. Hanauer et al. (2009) used email and SMS reminders to support diabetes management and noted a decrease in SMS use after two to three months74. Mahwi et al. (2013) reported that in their study pharmaceutical care provided by pharmacist to type II diabetes mellitus patients yielded a statistically significant reduction in the glycemic level83. Soriano Marcolino et al. (2013) concluded in their findings that in clinical practice, positive motivation and contact through telemedicine should be intensified over time to increase the impact on glycemia75. This study was conducted at the hospital. A total of 135 type II diabetic patients who visited the outpatient diabetic department of the hospital were included in the study. Out of which 40 patients were assigned into the SMS group, 45 patients into the telephone group and 50 patients into the control group. After duration of 3 months, 27 patients from SMS group, 30 patients from telephone group and 24 patients from control group came for review. The demographic details among the subjects reveals that 29 (34.6%) were males and 52 (65.4%) were females. The percentage of males in SMS, telephone and control group was 37.1, 36.7 and 33.3 respectively and the percentage of females in each of the groups was 62.9, 63.3 and 66.7{Table 1; Figure 1}. The mean age of male among the study population was 50.28Â ±9.05 and that of female was 49.98Â ±10.67 {Table 2; Figure 2}. In SMS group the mean age was found to be 48.85Â ±13.95, the mean age in telephone group was found to be 50.16Â ±8.21 and in control group it was 51.29Â ±11.46 {Table 3; Figure 3}. From a study conducted in Pune, India, it was found that the prevalence of type II diabetes was 4.6% with equal prevalence in both the sex. Greater prevalence in male was found in the age group of > 60 years while in females it was 51-60 years (Patil et al., 2013)30. Valliyot et al. (2013) reported that those above 50 years of age have five times more chance to get diabetes when compare d with those in the 20-30 age groups. Gender did not show any statistical significant relationship with diabetes31. A study done by Deepthi et al. (2013) showed an increase in the prevalence of diabetes with increase in age irrespective of the gender73. From the literacy distribution 53.0% of the patients are in the primary level, 23.5% of the patients are in the secondary level, 21.0% have degree and 2.5% are post graduate {Table 4; Figure 4}. Some studies reported that there is a relationship between literacy and health outcomes. For example DeWalt et al. (2004) confirmed that low literacy is linked with a series of adverse health outcomes61. Agardh et al. (2011) reported that educational level was most consistently associated with increased possibility of type II diabetes62. From all the three groups 50.6% of the patients were housewives, 16.0% of the patients were doing business, 13.6% were professionals, 10.0% were labour, 4.9% were retired and 4.9% were jobless {Table 5; Figure 5}. In women, high job stress and low work social support had a higher risk of type II diabetes compared to those not exposed to work stress, according to (Heraclides et al., 2009)44. It was also found that work stress and shift work contributed to the development of type II diabetes in women. In men, the risk was decreased by high work demands, high strain, and an active job (Eriksson et al., 2013)45. Patient’s data were collected for their smoking habits and 13.6% were found to be smokers. Alcohol history of the study population was collected, out of this 1.2% were found to be alcoholics and 6.2% were found to have both the habits {Table 6; Figure 6}. Majgi et al. (2012) in their study reported that there is no relationship between smoking and alcohol consumption with diabetes38. Kokiwar et al. (2007) concluded that abnormal glucose tolerance was more prevalent among males, physically inactive persons and alcohol consumers39. Distribution of patients with activity and those without activity were 30.9% and 69.1% respectively {Table 7; Figure 7}. Jeon et al. (2007) in their findings stated that those who are regularly engaged in physical activity of moderate intensity had 30% lower risk of type II diabetes as compared with inactive individuals. They also stated that physical activities such as brisk walking can considerably reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes55. Bacchi et al. (2013) did a systemic review and concluded that regular work out improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control in individuals with type 2 diabetes and is considered a chief factor in the management of this situation54. Concerned with the duration of diabetes, 7 (8.6%) had an experience of >1 year, 50 (61.7%) had 1-5 years, 20 (24.7%) had 6-10 years, 2 (2.5%) had 11-16 years and 2 (2.5%) had more than 16 years of experience {Table 8; Figure 8}. On considering the complications 17.2% had heart related problems, 20.9% had thyroid disorders, 18.5% had other problems and 44.0% had no complications {Table 9; Figure 9}. Duration of diabetes is often known to be associated with complications of diabetes. Song (2008) reported that type II diabetes may be an aggressive disease phenotype to develop cardiovascular complications37. Several studies had found that in cardiovascular disease, adherence to medications is low. Over 50% of patients do not take medications as prescribed. Similar study was reported by Granger et al. (2011)34. There was no significant difference in age, gender, duration of diabetes, activity, literacy, occupation and social habits between the three groups. The mean difference between the baseline and review values of HbA1c, FBS and PPBS in each group of the study population i.e. SMS, telephone and control were measured and the significant difference produced were compared by paired student t test. HbA1c reflects the average blood glucose levels of the previous six weeks. Glycosylated haemoglobin has developed into a standard measurement of glycaemia and a standard component of diabetes supervision20. The baseline value of HbA1c in these three study group were found to be respectively 8.25Â ±1.84, 7.84Â ±1.68 and 7.87Â ±1.85. The review values of HbA1c in these three groups were found to be 7.70Â ±1.50, 7.16Â ±1.01 and 7.35Â ±1.48 {Table 10; Figure 10}. There was a significant percentage change in HbA1c for the SMS (p = 0.023) and telephone group (p = 0.001). But no significant percentage change in HbA1c for the control group (p = 0.130) was found {Table 15}. In this study, HbA1C levels decreased 6.7% in SMS group, 8.7 % in telephone group and 6.6% in the control group after twelve weeks compared with baseline {Table 15}. HbA1C did differ significantly with telephone and control group (p = 0.037) {Table 19}. Previous studies showed the following results: Zolfaghari et al. (2012) reported that after the three month follow up examination, HbA1c level in diabetic patients in SMS and nurse led telephone groups decrease to 1.01% points and 0.93% points respectively20. Seung Kim et al. (2006) in their study revealed that SMS and telephone intervention by a nurse improved HbA1c in type II diabetes patients after twelve weeks, with a decrease of 1.1% and 1.2% respectively6. Goodzari et al. (2012) concluded that HbA1c levels decreased in experimental group greater than control group after three months compared with two baseline (p = 0/24)19. Seung Kim et al. (2007) revealed that internet based intervention by a nurse in patients with type 2 diabet es resulted in a decline of 1.15% points of HbA1c at three months and 1.05% points at six months33. The baseline value of fasting blood sugar in three groups of patients was found to be 154.29Â ±59.00, 129.73Â ±52.20 and 131.80Â ±49.02. The review values in each group of patients were found to be131.59Â ±44.26, 111.60Â ±25.69 and 121.20Â ±39.24 {Table 11; Figure 11}. Fasting blood sugar did differ significantly with telephone and control group (p = 0.011) as well as SMS and telephone group (p = 0.040) {Table 19}. There was a significant percentage change in FBS for the SMS (p = 0.016) and telephone group (p = 0.017). However, there was no significant percentage change found in the control group (p = 0.078). In the telephone, SMS and control group a decrease of 14.7%, 14.0% and 8.0% points were noted respectively, at three months compared with baseline {Table 16}. Ferror Roca et al. (2004) in their experiment recommended that SMS may provide a easy, quick and efficient accessory to manage diabetes76. The present study adds that an educational interventional program using telep hone call and SMS improves levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting blood sugar for three months in patients with type II diabetes. The baseline values of PPBS in the three groups of patients were found to be 222.03Â ±93.20, 226.56Â ±99.90 and 219.09Â ±85.84. The review values in each study group were found to be 206.10Â ±77.00, 187.86Â ±34.30 and 199.18Â ±63.50 {Table 12; Figure 12}. Patients in the telephone group had a decrease of post prandial blood sugar of 17.5% mg/dl at three months compared with baseline in this study. In the SMS group it decreased 6.9% mg/dl and 9.0% mg/dl in the control group {Table 17}. Although PPBS level of the telephone group decreased after intervention, it was still above the target PPBS level. Ilknur Cinar et al. (2010) revealed that a nurse led telephone intervention may improve glycaemic parameters including HbA1c, FBS, PPBS, diet, exercise, medication adherence in patients with type II diabetes mellitus after twelve weeks64. In this study, PPBS did differ significantly with telephone and control group (p = 0.047) but did not differ significantly with SMS and telephone gr oup (p = 0.245) as well as SMS and control group (p = 0.480) {Table 19}. There was no significant mean change in PPBS for the SMS group (p = 0.337) and control group (p = 0.704) but a significant percentage change in telephone group was found (p = 0.030) {Table 17}. This study evaluated patients medication adherence behaviour and satisfaction with and demand for SMS and telephone call service after the intervention. The effect of intervention on medication adherence in the three groups found that there was significant difference between the baseline and review values of the SMS (p = 0.005) and telephone groups (p = 0.002). However, the control group was not found to be significant (p = 0.119). It was observed that there was a mean percentage change of medication adherence in SMS, telephone and control groups and found 5.8, 11.2, 2.5% increase after three months from baseline {Table 18}. It was suggested that beside telephone follow-up, increased disease awareness, positive lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise and drug) could be the reason for improvements in glycaemic parameters35. In several studies like Ling Huang et al. (2013) 88.1% of diabetic patients according to the pre-test reported as frequent missing of medication in the control group, compared with 88.5% of patients in the intervention group. The percentage of patients who earlier missed a dose was 43.7% in the control group and 46.1% in the intervention group, respectively29. Samir Patel et al. (2013) reported that a mobile phone based automated medication reminder system shows promise in improving medication adherence and blood pressure in high cardiovascular risk individuals46. Fenerty et al. (2012) in their study reported that reminder based interventions improved adherence to daily medications. Meta analysis showed a statistically significant rise in adherence in the intervention groups receiving a reminder compared to controls78. In a study about 85% of patients reported that they were pleased with the ATDM intervention and 76% of patient’s reported that they would prefer to receive such calls in the future (Piette et al., 2000)84. According to the questionnaire determining the patient satisfaction in this study, it was found that all patients in the SMS group were satisfied with short service message and 93.3% of the patients in the telephone group were satisfied with telephone call {Table 14}. Ramachandran et al. (2013) stated that their study showed mobile phone messaging is acceptable to the recipients, potentially scalable, could be delivered at low cost and is a part of an alternative strategy7. Samith Shetty et al. (2011) concluded that frequent communication for one year through SMS was satisfactory to patients with diabetes and it helped to improve the health outcome43. At the end of the study, a statistically significant reduction was observed in the HbA1c and FBS levels of patients in the telephone and SMS group while a small reduction, which is statistically not significant, was detected in the control group. This result confirms that the use of telemedicine approaches has a positive impact on patient’s glycemic control.

Admissions Essay - I Will Practice Medicine :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay - I Will Practice Medicine From the time I was 10 years old, I spent my summers at overnight camp. While baseball and canoeing were fun, I spent my free time in the camp radio station. Sitting at the microphone, my imagination ran wild as I made stories come alive, weaving characters in and out of danger, delivering punch lines, injecting irony. My fingers flew over the controls, pushing buttons, pulling levers at just the right times. I thrived on the creativity and precision it took to sound good on the air. Â   As I grew older, my exposure to the media expanded. My first job out of college was with CNN's Larry King Live, where I spent three exciting years. While the job had its thrills, it became an unsatisfying way to make a living for someone who was taught to work hard for the under-served, think carefully about life's priorities, and live by them everyday. I longed to feed my intellectual curiosity. I wanted to work with my hands and remain involved with people. I was mature enough to work hard for what I wanted. Â   I quit my job at CNN and began taking Pre-Med courses and volunteering in a hospital. I moved from my two-bedroom apartment to a small efficiency. Black-tie affairs with celebrities became TV dinners over a chemistry book. My life was changed. One year later, I continue to donate my time as an Emergency Medical Technician in the Georgetown Emergency Room, and I play my guitar and sing with sick kids in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Â   Volunteering has confirmed what I thought - that medicine is where I belong. Even in my limited capacity as a volunteer, bringing a cold patient a blanket or putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder is deeply rewarding. Watching a child smile as we sing Old McDonald, and knowing that, even for a moment, he is thinking about something besides his sick body, keeps me coming back every week. And learning about why our bodies work the way they do has even greater rewards, for a slightly different reason. Â   When I was 13 years old, my mother died after battling liver cancer for a year and a half. I remember very well the first few months after the disease took hold. We tried different drugs and therapies in various doses.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 19~20

CHAPTER NINETEEN Scooter Don't Meep The whale tossed like a roller coaster moving through tomato soup – great gut-flopping waves of muscular motion. Quinn rolled to his hands and knees and urped his breakfast into a splatter pattern across the rubbery gray floor, then heaved in time with the rhythm of the whale's swimming until he was empty and exhausted. â€Å"Hurl patrol,† came a voice out of the dark. â€Å"Flush and gush, boys, the doc blew ballast back here,† came another voice. Quinn rolled onto his bottom and scooted away from the voices until he came against a bulkhead, which was warm and moist and gave at his touch. He felt huge muscles moving behind the skin and nearly jumped. He scooted away, then sat balled up near where he'd been sick. Cold seawater rolled down from the front of the whale and over his feet, taking his recently vacated breakfast with it. His ears popped with a pressure increase, and in a second the water was gone. The interior of the whale looked like a bad van conversion done by a latex freak: damp, rubbery skin over everything, lit by a light blue haze coming from the eyes up front, the rest dimly lit by bioluminescent strips of green that ran over the top of the teardrop-shaped chamber. At the front of the chamber, on either side by the eyes, two things sat in seats that wrapped around their bodies. Quinn didn't know what they were, and his mind felt as if it were ripping open trying to grasp the whole of the situation. Details like nonhuman humanoids decked out in gray skin couldn't register enough space in his consciousness to be examined or analyzed. In fact, he could keep his eyes open for only a few seconds before the nausea returned. Inside the whale smelled like fish. Standing, or sort of standing – riding was a more appropriate term, as everything inside the whale was moving – behind the seated creatures were two men, one about forty, the other twenty-five, both barefoot but wearing military khakis without insignias or any badges of rank, but the older man was obviously in command. Quinn had tried for five minutes to ask them the questions coming into his mind, but each time he opened his mouth, he had to stop himself from throwing up. He'd always considered himself pretty seaworthy until now. â€Å"What†¦?† he managed to get out before his gorge rose again. â€Å"It really helps with the incredulity if you accept that you're dead,† said the older man. â€Å"I'm dead?† â€Å"I didn't say that, but if you accept that you are, it sort of quells the anxiety.† â€Å"Yeah, if you're already dead, what bad can really happen?† said the younger guy. â€Å"Then I am dead?† â€Å"Nope. Breathe and go with the motion,† said the older guy. â€Å"It's not going to stop, so if you fight it, you'll lose.† â€Å"Your lunch,† added the young guy, and then he let loose a giggle at his own joke. â€Å"There's less motion toward the front. The head tracks close to level. But you knew that.† Quinn hadn't been able to apply any of his analytical powers to the situation because he flat couldn't accept it. Yes, in another world he realized that he knew that the whale's head would have less motion than the tail, but he'd never even considered that he might be thinking about it from the perspective of an internal organ. â€Å"I'm inside a whale?† â€Å"Ding, ding, ding, he's gotten the bonus answer.† The young guy leaned back against the back of the seat where one of the gray creatures was sitting, and a chairlike protrusion rose out of the floor to catch him. â€Å"Tell him what he's won, Captain.† â€Å"Hospitality, Poe. Help the doctor up to the front so we can talk without him tossing his cookies.† The younger guy helped Quinn to his feet and across the undulating floor to the chair thing that had risen behind one of the gray creatures facing the back of the ship. Once close to the creatures, Quinn couldn't take his eyes off them. They were humanoid, in that they had two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head, but their heads were like that of a pilot whale, with a large melon in the front – for transmitting and receiving sound underwater, Quinn guessed – and their eyes were set wide to the side, so the creatures would see with binocular vision. Their hands were inserted into consoles that rose out of the floor and appeared to have no instrumentation whatsoever except for some bioluminescent nodules that looked like cloudy eyeballs and emitted different colors of light. The creatures appeared as if they had become part of the whale. â€Å"We call them the whaley boys,† the older man said. â€Å"They pilot the whale.† â€Å"The one directly behind you is Scooter, the other one is Skippy. Say hi, guys.† The creatures turned as far as the chairs would allow them and made clicking and squeaking noises, then seemed to smile at Quinn. While smiling they showed mouthfuls of sharp, peglike teeth. With the teeth set against their dark gray skins and the melon above, the whaley boys put Quinn in mind of more cheerful versions of the creature from the Alien movies. Scooter saluted Nate with a hand consisting of four very long webbed fingers and only the suggestion of a thumb. â€Å"They say hi,† said Poe. â€Å"I'm Poe. This is Captain Poynter.† Poynter, the older man, tipped his hat and offered a hand to shake. Quinn took it and waggled it limply. â€Å"The whaley boys don't speak English as we know it,† Poe said, â€Å"although they have a few squeaks that come out like words. They're tapped directly in to the whale's nervous system. They steer it, control all the processes at any given time. We can't do much on the whales without them. Certainly could never drive one. The whales and the whaley boys are made for each other.† Poe pushed against the back of Skippy's seat, and another seat formed out of the floor to cradle him as he leaned back into it. â€Å"I love that,† Poe said. Poynter backed up to a rubbery bulkhead, and a seat formed out of the wall to catch him as well. â€Å"If they're paying attention, they'll never let you fall.† Poe grinned. â€Å"Of course, almost everything in here is soft – child safe, don't you know – except the spine, which runs over the top, so you wouldn't be hurt if you did fall. But just the same, we're secured when they're doing maneuvers. You think you're sick now – wait until we go for a breach. Don't freak out.† Poe turned to the whaley boys. â€Å"Secure the doc, boys.† The arms of the seat shape wrapped over Quinn's lap. Parts came over his shoulders and fused across his chest, then around his hips and over his lap. Quinn freaked out. â€Å"Get it off me! Get it off me! I can't breathe!† â€Å"Prepare for breach,† said Poynter. Scooter chirped. Skippy grinned. Similar restraints extruded from all their seats, securing them. The attitude of the whale changed, going up at a nearly sixty-degree angle – and then the angle went sharper as they moved. Quinn was looking backward at the tail section of the teardrop interior. The lurching movement of the luminescent strips was starting to nauseate him. He could feel his internal organs shifting with the acceleration, and then the whale ship went vertical and airborne. At the apex of the motion, Quinn's stomach tried to escape through his diaphragm, then shifted as they fell sideways. There was an enormous concussion as the ship hit the water. Slowly the whale came back around, and they were horizontal again. The whaley boys chirped and clicked gleefully, grinning back at Quinn, then at each other, then back at Quinn, nodding as if to say, Was that cool, or what? Their necks were nearly as wide as their shoulders, and Quinn could see heavy muscles moving under the skin. â€Å"They love that,† said Poynter. â€Å"I kind of like it, too,† said Poe. â€Å"Except when they go overboard and do twenty or thirty breaches in a row. Even I get sick when they do that. And the noise†¦ well, you heard it.† Quinn shook his head, closed his eyes, then opened them again. The only way to deal with this experience was to accept it at face value: He was in a whale, one that was somehow being used as a submarine by human and nonhuman sentient creatures. Everything he knew no longer applied, but then again, maybe it did. What put him on the less loopy side of sanity was noticing the whaley boys' thick necks. â€Å"They're amphibious, right?† Quinn asked Poynter. â€Å"Their necks are thick to take the stress of swimming at high speeds?† Quinn rose in his chair as far as the restraints would allow and saw that Scooter did indeed have a blowhole just behind his melon. He was a humanoid whale, or a dolphin creature. Scooter was impossible. All of this was impossible. The details, not the big picture, Quinn reminded himself. In the big picture there be madness. â€Å"They're like a whale/human hybrid, aren't they?† â€Å"Which would be why we call them the whaley boys,† said Poynter. â€Å"Wait, are you accusing us of something?† asked Poe. â€Å"Because these guys are not the love children of us and some whales. We don't do that kind of thing.† â€Å"Well, there was that one time,† said Poynter. â€Å"Okay, yeah, just that one time,† said Poe. But Quinn was studying Scooter, and Scooter was eyeing him right back. â€Å"Although they appear to be able to turn their heads, like beluga whales. Their neck vertebrae probably aren't fused like most whales'.† The scientist rising, Quinn was comfortable now, his fear taken away by curiosity. He was focused on finding out things, which was his home turf, even in this completely unreal situation. If he focused on the details, the big picture wouldn't throw him over the edge into drooling lunacy. â€Å"Let's ask them,† said Poe. â€Å"Scooter, are your vertebrae fused together, or are you just a big, no-necked gray thug?† Scooter turned his head to Poe and made a loud raspberry sound, spraying whaley spit all down the front of Poe's khakis and increasing the odor of decaying fish in the cabin by a factor of ten. â€Å"We don't know what they are, Dr. Quinn,† said Captain Poynter. â€Å"They were here when we got here, and we got here just like you did. We've all been on this ride.† â€Å"Meep,† said Skippy. â€Å"I taught him that,† said Poe. â€Å"That's from a Warner Brothers' cartoon,† Quinn said. â€Å"Road Runner.† â€Å"No, that would be two meeps. Skippy only does one. Therefore, it's original. Isn't that right, Skippy?† â€Å"Meep.† For some reason the meep did it. Some minds, particularly those with a scientific bent, a love of truth and certainty, have limits to how much absurdity they can handle. And here Quinn found himself well over the limit. â€Å"Skippy and Scooter and Poynter and Poe – I can't handle it!† he screamed. He felt as if his mind were a rubber band being stretched to breaking, and the meep had tweaked it. He screamed until he could feel veins pulsing in his forehead. â€Å"You let it out now,† said Captain Poynter. â€Å"Just go with it.† Then, to Poe, â€Å"You know, I wouldn't have thought the alliteration would have done it. You ever hear of that?† â€Å"Nope, I had an uncle who used to get nauseated at Reader's Digest article titles – you know, ‘Terrible Truths of Toxic Toe Jam' – but I thought it was more because he read them in the doctor's office than the alliteration. You sure it wasn't the meep that did it?† â€Å"This can't be happening. This can't be happening,† Quinn chanted. He was hyperventilating, and his vision had gone to a blur, his heart pounding like he'd been running a sprint across an electrified floor. â€Å"Anxiety attack,† said Poynter. He put his hand on Quinn's forehead and spoke softly. â€Å"Okay, Doc, here's the skinny. You are in a living ship that resembles a whale but is not a whale. There are two other guys aboard who have lived through this, so you can live through this. In addition, there are two guys who are not strictly human, but they won't hurt you. You are going to live and deal with this. This is real. You are not insane. Now, calm the fuck down.† And it was then that Poynter stepped back and Poe threw the bucket of cold seawater in Quinn's face. â€Å"Hey,† Quinn said. He sputtered and blinked seawater out of his eyes. â€Å"I told you to go with the dead thing, but you didn't listen,† Poe said. Nothing had changed, but things, his heart, slowed down, and Quinn looked around. â€Å"Where did that bucket come from? There was no bucket in here. There was nothing but us. And where did you get the water?† Poe held the bucket at ready. â€Å"You're sure you're okay? I don't want to freak you out again.† â€Å"Yeah. I'm okay,† said Quinn. And actually, he was. He'd decided to go with the idea that he was already dead, and that seemed to make everything fall into perspective. â€Å"I'm dead.† â€Å"That's the spirit,† said Poe. He held the bucket against a wall, and a small portal opened and sucked the bucket in. Quinn would have sworn there hadn't been any seams in the wall to indicate there'd been an opening there. â€Å"Hey,† said Poynter, taking on the tone of the deeply offended, â€Å"now that you're dead, I've got a bone to pick with you about not bringing me my sandwich.† Quinn looked at the sharp features and narrowed eyes of the captain – who now seemed genuinely angry – and a shiver ran through his body that had nothing to do with the cold seawater running out of his hair. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, shrugging as much as he could in the restraints. â€Å"Damn it, how hard could that have been? You've got a Ph.D. for Christ's sake – you can't get a fucking pastrami on rye? I've got a good mind to chuck you out the anus.† â€Å"Shhhhhhhh, Cap,† Poe said. â€Å"That was gonna be a surprise.† â€Å"Meep,† said Skippy. CHAPTER TWENTY Missing Biscuit, Flopping Tuna â€Å"Bwana Clay, you seen the Snowy Biscuit?† Clay and Clair sat on the lanai of Clay's bungalow drinking mai-tais and watching smoke roll out the vents of a Weber kettle barbecue. Kona had his long board tucked underneath his arm and was heading for his Maui cruiser, a lime Krylon-over-rust 1975 BMW 2002, with no windows and seats that were covered in ratty blankets. Clay was two mai-tais south of lucid, but he could still talk, â€Å"She took Nate's truck into town this morning. Haven't seen her since.† â€Å"Sistah wanted me to teach her some surfing. Got some easy sets rolling on West Shore, good for that.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Clay. â€Å"We're smoking a big hunk of ahi tuna if you'd like to join us.† â€Å"No,† said Clair. â€Å"Tanks, but I'm going down to Lahaina town and see if I can find that Snowy Biscuit. We going to work tomorrow?† â€Å"Maybe,† said Clay, trying to think through a rum cloud. They'd pulled the Always Confused up out of the bottom of the harbor, and the boatyard had said it would be a week or so before it was ready to float again, although even then it would need some major cleaning. Still, they had Nate's boat. He looked at Clair. â€Å"You're not sitting home tomorrow whining to me about your hangover,† Clair said. â€Å"You get out there on the water and be sick like a proper man.† She'd revised her thoughts on Clay's staying off the water. He was who he was. â€Å"Yeah, plan on going out if it's not too windy,† Clay said. â€Å"Hey, we supposed to have wind?† It occurred to Clay that he hadn't checked the weather since Nate had disappeared. â€Å"Calm morning, trades in the afternoon,† Kona said. â€Å"We can work.† â€Å"Tell Amy when you see her, okay. Take my cell phone with you. Call me when you find her. You sure you won't have dinner with us?† â€Å"No,† said Clair. â€Å"No,† said Kona, grinning at Clair. â€Å"Auntie, you embarrassed that Kona seen you naked? You look fine, yeah.† Clair stood up. â€Å"You go ahead, call me ‘Auntie' again, see if I don't snatch out the rest of those dreads and use them to make cat toys.† â€Å"Ease up, I'm going to find the Biscuit.† And he loped to the Beemer, slid the long board in through the back window, hooked the skeg over the passenger seat to secure it, and then drove off to Lahaina to look for Amy. It was two in the morning when the phone in Clay's bungalow rang. â€Å"Tell me you're not in jail,† Clay said. â€Å"Not in jail, Bwana Clay, but maybe you need to sit down.† â€Å"I'm in bed sleeping, Kona. What?† â€Å"The truck, Bwana Nate's truck. It's here at the kayak rental in Lahaina. They say Amy rent a kayak this morning, about eleven.† â€Å"They're still there?† â€Å"I waked the guy up.† â€Å"They don't know where she went? They let her go alone? He didn't call us when it got dark?† â€Å"She said she was just using it to tow behind the boat, for research. He know she a whale researcher, so he didn't think nothing of it. Sometime they take kayaks two, three days.† â€Å"You checked? She's not on the boat?† â€Å"You mean the not sunk one?† â€Å"Yes, that would be the one.† â€Å"Yeah, I check. The boat in the slip. No kayak.† â€Å"Stay there. I'll be down in a few minutes. I have to get dressed and call the Coast Guard.† â€Å"This kayak guy says it not on him – she signed a wafer. That some kind of religious thing?† â€Å"Waiver, Kona, she signed a waiver. Are you high?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Of course. Sorry. Okay, I'll be right there.† Nate was three days inside the whale before he asked, â€Å"Your names aren't really Poynter and Poe, are they?† â€Å"What?† said Poynter. â€Å"You're eaten by a giant whale ship and you're worried that we might be traveling under assumed names? Go for it, Poe.† â€Å"Give us a flush, boys!† Poe said. Water came gushing down the floor of the whale from the front. Pantsless, Ensign Poe took three steps and went into a slide toward the tail like he was sliding into third base on a wet rain tarp. As he reached the end of the chamber, he spread his arms out to his sides at right angles. There was a sucking sound, and he sank up to his armpits into an orifice that only a second ago had appeared as just an impression in solid skin. â€Å"Wow, that's cold,† said Poe. â€Å"How deep are we?† Scooter clicked and whistled a couple of times. â€Å"Ninety feet,† said Poynter. â€Å"Can't be that bad.† â€Å"Feels colder. I think my ‘nads have crawled up inside my body.† Nate simply stared, gape-jawed, at the arms and head of the ensign, just above floor level. â€Å"You see, Doc,† said Poynter, â€Å"most of the time we call it the ‘back orifice' instead of the anus, you know, because otherwise, with us moving in and out of it, there's implications. His lower body is in the sea right now, at three atmospheres, yet the back orifice is sealed around him and it's not crushing his chest. It's not crushing your chest, is it, Poe?† â€Å"No, sir. It's snug for sure, but I can breathe.† â€Å"How is that possible?† asked Nate. â€Å"You're a diver. You've been down, what, a hundred and twenty, hundred and thirty feet?† â€Å"A hundred and fifty, by accident, but what does that have to do with this?† â€Å"You never had sphincter failure at that depth, did you? Blow up like a puffer fish?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, there you go, Nate. This here is just advanced poop-chute technology. We don't even understand it ourselves, but it's the key to sanitation on these small ships, and it's how we get in and out. Normally the mouth on these humpback ships doesn't even open, which gives us a lot more room, but this one was made specially to retrieve ‘Dirts. That's you people.† â€Å"Made? By whom?† Of course they were made. Nothing like this could have evolved. â€Å"Later,† said Poynter. â€Å"Poe, you done?† â€Å"Aye, aye, Captain.† â€Å"Get back in here.† â€Å"Mighty cold out here, sir. I'm telling you, my tackle's going to look like I'm posing for a baby picture.† â€Å"I'm sure the doc will take that into account, Poe.† Nate could feel a slight change in pressure in his ears, and Poe oozed back into the whale. The orifice sealed behind him, leaving almost no water on the floor. The ensign sidled, crablike, to the front of the ship, shielding his privates with his hands. He retrieved his pants from a storage nook that opened with a flap of skin like the blowhole on a killer whale. The whale's interior was lined with the storage nooks, but you couldn't even see the seams by the dim bioluminescence when they were closed. â€Å"You're going to learn how to do that, Nate. It's just the civilized thing to do until we transfer you to the blue. Can't have you doing your business in the ship.† When he'd had to go to the bathroom, they'd sent Nate to the back of the whale, where he'd gone on the floor. Seconds later the whaley boys had let a bit of water in through a crack in the mouth, which washed across the floor and effectively flushed the mess out the back orifice. â€Å"The blue?† Nate asked. â€Å"Yeah, we can't take you where they want you in this little thing. We'll transfer you to a blue and send you on. You'll have to go through the poop chutes.† â€Å"So there's a blue-whale ship as well?† â€Å"Ships,† Poynter corrected. â€Å"Yeah, and other species, too.† â€Å"Right whales are my favorites,† Poe said. â€Å"Slower than hell, but really wide. Plenty of room. You'll see.† â€Å"So they – the whaley boys – can regulate the pressure that precisely? They can let in water, expel it, keep the pressure in here from giving us the bends? Allow us to transfer from one of these ships to another?† â€Å"Yep, they're tapped in to the whale directly. They're like his cerebral cortex, I guess. The whale ships have a brain, but that only takes care of autonomic functions. Allows it to act like a whale for hours on end – diving, breathing, stuff like that. But without one of the whaley boys tapped in, they're just dumb machines, limited function. The pilots control higher functions – navigation and such. They really show off their stuff in these humpbacks – the breaching, the singing, you know.† â€Å"This thing sings?† Nate couldn't help himself. He wanted to hear a whale sing from the inside. â€Å"Of course it sings. You heard it sing.† Since Nate had been on, the only sound the whale ship had made was the beating of its enormous flukes and the explosive blow every ten minutes or so. â€Å"I hate it when they sing,† said Poe. â€Å"What's the purpose of the song?† Nate asked. He didn't care who these guys were or what they were doing. He now had the opportunity to get the answer to a question he'd pursued for most of his adult life. â€Å"Why do they sing?† â€Å"Because we tell them to,† said Poynter. â€Å"Why'd you think?† â€Å"No. It's not right.† Nate buried his face in his hands. â€Å"Kidnapped by morons.† Scooter let loose with a series of frantic chirps. The whaley boy was staring out the eye into the blue Pacific. â€Å"School of tuna outside,† said Poe. â€Å"Go, Scooter,† said Poynter. â€Å"Go get some.† The restraints retracted from around Scooter's waist, and the creature stood up for the first time since Nate had come on board. He was taller than Nate, maybe six-six, with lean gray legs that looked like those of a giant bullfrog crossbred with a fullback and terminated in long, webbed feet that resembled the rear flippers of a walrus. Scooter took three quick steps and dove at the floor in the back of the whale. There was a whooshing sound, and he disappeared, headfirst, through the back orifice, which sealed behind him with a distinct pop. Poe stepped into the seat that Scooter had vacated and looked out through the eye. â€Å"Nate, check this out. Watch how these guys hunt.† Nate looked out the whale's eye and saw Scooter's lithe form swim by at incredible speed, darting back and forth with astounding agility in pursuit of a twenty-pound tuna. In the water the whaley boy's eyes no longer bugged out as they did inside the whale. Like whales and dolphins, Nate realized, whaley boys possessed muscles that could actually change the shape of the eye for focusing in either air or water. Scooter did a rapid turn and snatched the tuna in his jaws not ten feet from the eye of the whale. Nate could hear the snap and saw blood in the water around Scooter's mouth. â€Å"Yes!† said Poe. â€Å"It's sashimi tonight.† Nate had eaten nothing but raw fish since he'd been on board the whale ship, but this was the first time he'd seen it caught. Still, he couldn't quite share Poe's enthusiasm. â€Å"Is this all you eat? Raw fish?† â€Å"It beats the alternatives,† said Poe. â€Å"The whale carries a nutrient paste that's like krill puree.† â€Å"Oh, my God,† said Nate. Poynter leaned in close to Nate, so he was only inches from the scientist's ear. â€Å"Thus the somewhat substantial demand for culinary variety, as in – oh, I don't know – a pastrami on rye!† â€Å"I said I was sorry,† Nate muttered. â€Å"Yeah, right.† â€Å"Drop me off anywhere. I'll go get you one.† â€Å"We don't land these things on shore.† â€Å"You don't?† â€Å"Except to paint ‘bite me' on the flukes,† said Poe. â€Å"Yeah, except for that,† said Poynter. Skippy meeped as Scooter scooted in through the poop chute with tuna in hand. Upon seeing the pilot's entrance, Nate started thinking, for the first time since he'd been eaten, about how to escape. This is just stupid, Amy thought. She'd been paddling like a madwoman for four hours and was still barely halfway to Molokai. She'd been past the channel wind line for two of those four hours and so battled four-foot swells and a crosswind that threatened to take her out to sea. â€Å"Who gives GPS coordinates for a meeting? Who does business like that?† She'd been shouting into the wind on and off for an hour, then checking the little liquid-crystal map on the display of the GPS receiver. The â€Å"you are here† dot never seemed to move. Well, that wasn't true. If she paused from paddling to take a drink of water or apply some sunscreen, the dot seemed to jump off course a mile at a time. â€Å"Are you guys on drugs?† she screamed into the wind. Her shoulders ached, and she'd drunk nearly all of the two-liter bottle of water she'd brought with her. She started to regret not having brought along some kind of snack. â€Å"An easy paddle. ‘Just rent a kayak. You won't need a power boat. I'm adrift on a piece of Tupperware, you nitwits!† She leaned back on the kayak to catch her breath and watched the direction and speed indicators change on the GPS. She could rest maybe five minutes without drifting too far. She closed her eyes and let the swells rock her into a light doze. It was quiet, just the white noise of wind and water, not even a slap of waves on the kayak – she was so light that it rode high in the water and over the tops of the waves without a sound. She thought about Nate, about how frightened he must have been in those last moments, about how much she'd started to enjoy working with him. Action nerd. She smiled to herself, a melancholy smile as she dozed off, but then the sound of a fusillade of bubbles breaking the surface near the kayak jolted her to alertness. It was a huge expulsion of air, as if someone had set off an explosion deep under the water. She started paddling away from the eruptions of bubbles, but even as she moved, the sea began to darken around her, the crystal blue turning to shadow in a huge pool under the kayak. Then something hit the little boat, tossing Amy into the air twenty feet before she hit the water and the darkness surrounded her.

Online Shopping Essay

It won’t be a wrong thing to say that the present world is a digital world where the world is shrinking day by day on the screen of the Smartphone. People spend a lot more time on internet for fun and work and even now prefer to shop online. But there is a group which prefers to shop from the physical stores. What is your view? Is shopping online a better idea in today’s world? Read more:  Online Shopping Disadvantages Yes:- †¢ It is a boon for working people who hardly find any time from the busy schedule to go out and visit the physical outlets for shopping. †¢ It is just not about buying the luxuries online but now it is a platform where people look to order for groceries and other essential products required in daily life. †¢ There is a great flexibility to compare the prices when you shop online. You can visit the different websites and can then choose the best deal. †¢ There is no time restriction when it comes to shopping online. No matter where you are at the home or in office, you can buy from anywhere and anytime. †¢ When you shop online you can go through the customer reviews to get the idea about the utility and quality of the product. †¢ There is no headache to deal with the sales people who stay after you and pressurize you to buy products in the physical stores. †¢ With the help of online shopping it has becomes easier for the people to buy gifts and flowers and send them to their loved ones on special occasions. No :- †¢ The first problem definitely is of quality. You cannot touch and see the products before you buy them. †¢ Online shopping always comes with the risk of insecure online payment and the fraudulent sites claiming to sell genuine products. †¢ When you buy anything online then there is the compulsion to wait for the products for some days. You cannot get the delivery at the same time. †¢ The greatest headache in online shopping is of return policies. The return policies are not at all buyer’s friendly. Moreover it is a long and complex procedure. †¢ People are getting addicted to internet for their each and every need. If they won’t step out of the home for the simple thing like shopping also then they are at a higher risk of confining themselves to the virtual world. †¢ When you shop online then you have to pay extra as shipping costs. Sometimes the cost of the product is less than the shipping costs. Conclusion:- The coin has two sides head and tail, life has two phases good and bad, everything has its own sets of advantages and disadvantages. The only thing is that be sensible in whatever mode of shopping you use. If you do then online or physical, all are fine.