Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems Dissertation

Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems - Dissertation Example 2 Introduction The telecommunication engineering is considered as the most specific and high technology service industry. The constricted integration and Information technology applications related to the business procedures are its main characteristics. Moreover, in order to promote competition in this industry, the telecommunication industry is constantly deploying Information technology applications. The telecommunication environment is determined Due to its unique characteristics such as, distribution, continuous enlargement in network size and specific fault tolerance techniques. The application procedures are defined by the above characteristics. However, in telecommunication, the software systems need to overcome with a new variety of telecommunication protocols and a number of hardware platforms and network architectures. In fact, these systems consist of other characteristics for example, high cost, concurrency, high reliability needs, diversity and complexity (Patel 2002). The telecommunication operations are facing different challenges nowadays, for instance globalization and creative technology procedures. Thus, the industry would become more competitive in order to endure global market along with other competitors. Thus, in order to enhance the quality of services we need to increase cost. The developing economics and state-owned operators are basically privatized. This will help to provide improved and better services to the customers. On the contrary, several larger operators fortunately grab the best opportunities that are offered by the global telecommunication providers. For example, BT and Vodafone, this is due to the economies of scale factor present in the telecommunication networks. However, the technologies that are related with the Internet has been developing immensely thus contributing towards growing future of Internet and IP services and applications. In modern days, the clients are allowed to choose their own vendor and service prov iders according to their needs and can assemble their personal solutions. The new technologies such as 3G and mobile Internet speed up the production of new services. Therefore, the unchanging market has been converted into an increasingly user-driven market place. This change in telecommunication depends upon the operator’s capability to generate services and applications that are demanded by the customers. There is a vast range of software platforms, innovative variety of services and an increased customer based operations are available in order to manage an effective telecommunication infrastructure basics. The telecom operators must have the capability in order to develop themselves promptly, to implement and to maintain services for the customers demand anytime and anywhere. In addition, the artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are initially implemented to the telecommunication industry ages ago. During 1988, the artificial intelligence technique (IA) was first implem ented in telecommunication industry. Moreover, it was initially explained by the Macleish who describes the relationship between the two rapidly evolving technologies i.e. artificial intelligence (AI) and telecommunications. During that time, the major utilization related to the artificial intelligence (AI) in telecommunications was considered as the initial system that is designed for diagnosing complex equipment in all off-line modes. Currently, the DSS are integrated with artificial neural networks. The ANN is defined

Redemption in the Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

Redemption in the Kite Runner Essay Throughout â€Å"The Kite Runner† Amir is portrayed as a boy who is always trying to make up or redeem himself for the mistakes he couldn’t control, or made. By Amir winning the tournament he tries to redeem himself since he believes he caused his mother’s death, but by redeeming himself for that he witnessed the mistake for not standing up for Hassan. After winning the tournament with the help of Hassan he redeems himself for his father. Amir is weak in Baba’s eyes, and thinks everything his son does is incorrect. Amir wants to be Baba’s favourite and for Baba to give him all of his attention, due to their expectations in one another. Baba is redeemed to his son after he wins and beats the record in the kite tournament. Amir risked his life by going back to Afghanistan. After leaving Afghanistan at the age of eighteen. Escaping inside the tank of a gas trunk, after the attack of Russians on Afghanistan. Amir had no reason to go back, until one day when Rahim Khan tells him about Hassan’s death. However the most shocking part of the letter concerns Hassan’s real father, which is Baba. Amir stands up for Sohrab by fighting Assef for him. When Amir returns to Afghanistan to find Sohrab proves to be the solution to his quilt towards Hassan, it also is the source of the redemption he so desperately wants to seek. He chose to find Sohrab and tries his hardest to give him a better life even if that does mean sacrificing his own safety. Therefor throughout â€Å"The Kite Runner† Amir is portrayed as a boy who is always trying to make up or redeem himself for the mistakes he made, but does redeem himself towards his father, Sohrab and especially Hassan. As Hassan’s and Amir’s father would say â€Å"a boy who can’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything† but Amir indicates he can stand up for himself.

Effect of Morning Shows in Pakistan

Effect of Morning Shows in Pakistan Impact of Morning Shows on Housewife Abstract: The research is aiming to find the impact of Morning Shows on Housewife. The researcher has found association between viewership and influence of Morning shows on Housewife. The Researcher choose this topic as Morning shows are getting popular in our society and considering the importance of Morning shows and females attachment with the characters of different celebrities. The researcher used survey method to measure the influence and impact of Morning shows on housewives. As survey technique is an effective way to find out people’s behavior. There has been noticed a heavy viewership of Morning Shows and a greater influence over housewife’s. Excessive influence of Morning Shows on Housewife of middle is also seen. Influence in culture, language, relationship and religious practices is seen. Housewife’s watch these Morning Shows and are getting influenced by the artist according to their mental understanding. Housewives are the ones who bring up the society and play a role in nation building. There is an excessive viewership of Morning Shows and greater change on Housewife’s in Pakistani Society Introduction: Television shows is a major element of media. Media has been considered to be a change agent of socialization. Media reflects the society and Society has to depend on media for the fulfillment of its various needs. As major collective sources of information and images, the media perform many functions and server numerous personal needs. Media provide a link to the larger society. Mass media and society relation refers to the knowledge we all have from our own long experine4nces with media which enables us to understand what is going on, how a medium might fit into our daily lives, how its content is intended to be â€Å"study† genres and examples of contents and much more. Tim O’ Sulligvan, Brian Dutton and Philip Rayner write say’s â€Å"Media collectively act to provide their audience with windows on the world or with definitions of social reality†. Implicit in this kind of claim is the idea that the media act as a powerful agencies capable of shaping and directing public and private understandings of the world and awareness of its social, economics, moral, cultural, technological and political affairs. (1) Rational Nowadays Morning Shows are playing a vital role in the society, Theses shows are encouraging women to stick before TV sets ignoring the educative role. Morning Show are playing a prominent role in capitalizing and the ignorance of family values and genuine rights and responsibilities of people on individual and collective level as a family. Everywhere in these shows there are family politics, issues, and victimization stories, often daughter in law is targeted either positively or negatively. Youngsters see people in shows that are beautiful, fancy luxuries life style live in magnificent homes, wear best clothes and live every imaginable life styles in full autonomy and frequency without condemnation for any behaviors. They perceive them in different terms according to their mental level and derive different meanings from those shows. Rational for Selecting Housewife’s The researcher is targeting Lahore City Housewife’s because almost are educated, cohort and have greater viewer ship of Morning shows. On the other hand Husbands are supposed to watch TV at home on weekend or holidays in an irregular manner. Statement of the Problem This study is an attempt to find out the impact of Morning shows on Lahori housewife’s and the influence they are getting in their daily lives and mutual relationships. Research Objectives To find out the effect of Morning Shows on Lahori Housewife’s. To analyze the influence of Morning Show on the life style of Lahori Housewife’s. To investigate whether the Morning shows are affecting the relationships of Lahoris Housewife’s. To study that affect of religious practices shown in the Morning Shows over Islamic religious practices To find out whether the Morning Show are affecting or changing the lahories housewife’s cultural practices or not. Morning Shows are portraying useful message to housewife’s or not. Research Question Research question are considered very important in any scientific study, No research can be conducted unless the research question is chosen and accurately and clearly defined- it deserves some serious consideration. â€Å"A research question is a formally stated question intended to provide indication about something, and it is not limited to investigating relationship between variables.† (wimmer, 1994). This research has been conducted under the light of theses research questions: Are Housewife’s following the same fashion such a makeup and jewelry shows in Morning shows? Is Morning shows affecting the language of Housewife’s? Is it justified to have extra-marital relationship in an unhappy married life? Are family affairs in Morning shows affecting the relationship between family members? Are religious practices shown in their Morning shows our religious practices? Significance The significance of selecting this topic is that females have to play a role of a mother and houses wife. They watch these shows and perceiving them according to their mental levels and then also derive different meanings from those shows. Morning shows are densely watched and the reason of studying this topic is that it has a heave viewership as compared with other shows. Females of Lahore stand at the age of having idealistic thinking or fantasy about the futures. Our family setup is completely different from those shows in the Morning shows. Female watched these Morning shows regularly. They have unconsciously started applying those roles in their homes. Females of Lahore by these show and expect that they will also spend that kind of lifestyle. History of Morning shows Breakfast television (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and United Kingdom) or morning show (Canada, Indonesia and United States), is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning (typically scheduled between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m.). Often hosted by a small team of hosts, morning shows typically target the combined demographic of people getting ready for work and school, and stay-at-home adults and parents. The worlds first breakfast / morning show on national television is Today, which set the tone for the television genre and began broadcasting on January 14, 1952, on the U.S. television network NBC. For the next 60 years, the Today show was number one in the morning ratings for the vast majority of its run and since its start many other stations around the world followed NBCs lead and copied their successful format. Moring Shows History in Pakistan Golden times were those when we have only one channel PTV. People waited desperately for their favorite shows that were broadcasted once in a week. At that time one thing that we had was Standard. Standard content was displayed on TV and yes you can enjoy it with your family, with the course of time PTV introduced its morning transmission that was Pakistan’s first morning show. So, today we will discuss the Morning Shows in Pakistan. Morning shows in Pakistan are aggravating their standards day by day. The basic purpose of this show was information with entertainment and grooming of both kids and their mothers. These shows were intellectual ones and hosted by Mentally Groomed anchors those people knew the ethics and etiquette. Most crucial thing is that they knew that they are broadcasting their selves on a national television. Literature Review Literature Review is considered as one of the most important step in any research process as it helps to extract the main points, issues, findings and research methods of previous studies. Literature review serves as a springboard for any research. It is a systematic research and analysis of published information that accredited scholars and research have written on a topic. It is organized according to the research objective, thesis or the problem/issue that a researcher wishes to address. The purposed of literature review is to know what type of research has been done in the area and what has been found in previous studies. According to Wimmer and Dominick (1994), it not only allows to learn from (and eventually add to) pervious research but also saves time, effort and money. The review of relevant literature in a study accomplishes several purposes: It helps the researchers to have a better understanding of his/her own study by identifying what knowledge and ideas have been established on the topic. It grants you the knowledge in your area of focus and reduces the chances of the duplication of ideas. It helps to indicate the direction of your research scope to maximize the reward of your research efforts. It helps to indicate the direction of your research scope to maximize the reward of your research efforts. It shares with the readers, the result of other studies that are closely related to the study being reported and provides a framework for comparing the results of a study with other findings. It also provides an opportunity to the researcher to rephrase the problem into analytical and operational term clearly, sharply and free from ambiguities. The researcher has reviewed the studies related to Television for this chapter. In order to capture the audience our morning shows have evolved into something more like a drama or a game show. Popular TV drama actress come, are hosting a morning show! The hosts are jumping around and the stage is full of celebrities and at times we do not hear what any of them is saying except that Research have found someone sitting and talking. One show had a girl in a box with lots of snakes being injected in the box and the girl dared to sing and she kept of singing not my idea of a good morning! Researcher read article online Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Qurat ul ain Haider days on PTV when words had meanings and wisdom, when conversation used to take place between people with etiquettes, when we used to learn from the anchors and when morning show reflected our culture and values and we used to respect them! The morning shows era which followed the PTV days with Marina Khan, Nadia Khan and Farah Hussain was still better. They talked about health, children issues, mental health, cooking, exercise and a lot more but still informative. Now it seems like these shows are from some other country, hosts ( girls) do not wear dopattas (they NEVER do) and men look like they also come out of a beauty parlour. Even when they are talking about various social issues we do not seem to relate with them. Researcher does not mean to say that we should have stayed in 80†²s and 90†²s but we could have matured and nourished our morning show into something more engaging without making it so commercial like a fake product with hosts wrapped in expensive clothes, loaded with makeup in this heat, wedding parties and mango parties when a middle class family cannot afford any of the above. Watching morning shows for a week was a disappointment. Saleem, Noshina in 1994 conducted a research on â€Å"cultural Imperialism. A case study of the impact of Dish Antennas on Pakistani society† used survey method concluded that majority watch Dish antenna viewers, because of cultural and linguistic harmony with Indian. Almost all the respondents are of the view that Hindi and English words have started penetrating in their spoken languages. Majority of the women are of the opinion that the dresses, hairstyles, jewelry and the styles of Indian and western models and actresses are attracting their attention. Therefore, new trends and fashion are making way in our society. Butt, Naveeda in 19997 conduct a study on the â€Å"Impact of PTV pop music programs and drams on the student of Punjab University† applied survey method and shows that Pop Music in popular among student of Punjab University due to fashion, dances, songs and pop singers. Male and female are influenced from romantic seenes which are being shown. Yousaf, Ayesha in 1998 carried out a research on â€Å"A Comparative Study of the difference between reading and T.V viewing of Punjab University Students†. She used questionnaire in her research and found that consciously or unconsciously people do absurd language from both type of media. T.V does involve a person’s own choice to a large degree and they read books of their own choice. As far as in depth analysis is concerned, results show that both media can prove to be useful depending upon the viewer and nature of issue. As far as the criticism that books hinder a person’s socializing ability is concerned, results do not support it. It cannot be categorically said that books always make a person reserved. Other factors also need to be considered. The use of this medium is not the one and the only factor involved. Lala Rukh, Nas in 1999 carried out a research on â€Å"Analytical study of PTV drama serial carrying social issue (1995-1998)†. She used content analysis in her research and found that this is not the contribution of PTV but drama writers have played an important role to reflect the social issues of Pakistani society through their creation drama script. Aftab Butt, Saher in 2000 conducted a research on â€Å"An analytical study of the role of PTV dramas in educating the masses about women problems (July 2001-June 2002). She did qualitative analysis of dramas of Pakistan Television, in which she has critically analyzed dramas of Khawateen Time and Prime Time from July 2001 to June 2002 and shows that TV dramas are highlighting the women problems but they are not educating the people nor creating awareness among them the way a drama should do. Viewers more readily see Prime Time transmission of PTV as the time is suitable to all the people. However, it has been observed by the researcher that the topics of PTV dramas lacks diversity and the same subjects appear in every drama. The cable network channels have also diverted the people’s attention away from Pakistan Television PTV. Viewer’s habits and perceptions have changed over the period of time due to their exposure to other channels. Arif, Muhammad 2002 carried out a research on â€Å"Analysis of behavior of college students towards Mass Media† used a survey method and indicator that the students like to watch TV drams, movies and comedy programs. They also like to watch Indian programs as well as Pakistani programs. Shahid, Muhammad, in 2001 conducted a research on â€Å"The role of private productions in changing the contents of T.V dramas† concluded that the role of private productions in drams has played positive and negative aspects and changes. As far as positive role is concerned it is less. There is no doubt that private productions have played a vital role but only those people are successful who has money. It is not compulsory that people who have talent and positive thinking are successful. Private productions have less positive role than negative role. Bukari, Bushra in 2002 conducted a research on â€Å"The Effect of Television programs on youth† shows that youth of the Punjab University has modern views about different issues such as co-education, women liberation and parental authority etc. It is difficult to say whether these modern views are due to television programs or due to some other factor. Tamkeen, Zahra in 2004 conducted a research on â€Å"Nuclearization of family system and role of TV dramas used survey method and concluded that a majority of the people watch television on daily bases in their leisure time. They have an extent to the exposure of Television. The results conclude that majority of the audience watch PTV, Geo and Star plus as their favorite channels and people are more interested watching television drama on these channels. Dramas have greater exposure in this society and majority of the viewers have large media habits of exploring television dramas. N. Ahmed Kiran and T. Haroon Uzma wrote an article on â€Å"Proliferation of TV channels in Pakistan† concluded that the proliferation of private television channels has had a positive impact in three important dimensions. It has led to the creation of a niche for alternative dramas and has broken the rigidity of religious shows; it has played a major role in opening up of the political debate in Pakistan’s electronic media; and it has benefited both the electronic media and advertising industry through revenue generation. There are disparate views on the future impact of television proliferation in the country. At the moment, PTV authorities are not too concerned about competition from the cable television. This optimism is not misplaced. While cable is available in limited regions, PTV is terrestrial with its own transmitters covering a wide area. PTV still has its stronghold and covers a wide-ranging area. For instant, PTV-1, which is also claimed to be the family ch annel, covers 38% of the area catering to 86% of the population. PTV world, that transmits news and current affairs programs, cover 29% of the areas and catering to 75% of the population. Its news channel service covers some 8% of the areas with 40% of the population. From June 2003, PTV has introduced another channel, PTV National that transmits regional programs. Prime TV telecasts PTV drams and documentaries for the peoples, especially Pakistanis living in Europe. Channel-3 aims to provide ‘homely atmosphere to all family viewers’. PTV World beams its programs to viewers in South Asia and the Middle East. Theoretical Framework It is crucial for every social research to be supported by some theory. Theoretical framework can be roughly defined as a select setup within which any research operates. A primary aim of science is to discover explanations for observed phenomena. To explain communication, the researcher must move from description to a theoretical analysis, seeking to develop theories that offer satisfactory answers to the question why?† Thus, a research’s aim in the discovery phase is to generate theoretical explanations for observed patterns of human communication (Smit 1998). The research will relate the Use and Gratification, Cultivation Theory and Self Perception Theory with her study. Research Methodology Population Sample and Sampling Techniques Research Design Survey Method Research Instrument Closed-Ended Question Pre-Testing Data Collection Quantification of data Data Preparations Data Processing Delimitations References: Tim O’ Sulligvan, Brian Dutton and Philip Rayner: : Study the Media, London, Amold. 1998, p.19 Roger D. Wimmer, Josheph, R. Dominick (1994) – Mass Media Research: An Introduction (4th Ed) Belmont, California: Wordsworth. www.pemara.gov.pk/ (citied 27th March 2014) www.desironak.com (citied at

The Effect of Music on Psychology and Behavior Essay -- A Level Essays

The Effect of Music on Psychology and Behavior There have always been discussions of the effects music has on ones behavior, and how it’s related to Psychology. The truth has never really been verified among common knowledge, but it’s usually something that intrigues people. They say heavy metal and rap can make teenagers violent, sad and depressing music can make teenagers sad and depressed, and some say it’s best to listen to classical music when doing schoolwork because it makes your brain more active. There have been many people that reported how music has effects on their behavior. It can lift their mood, â€Å"fuel the fire† when they’re angry, or even make it easier for them to fall asleep. People never really get the chance to research the actual science of music, and how it changes people attitudes. It’s also interesting to think about how music plays a role in someone’s identity. Many articles found discuss the Social Identity Theory, and the people who conduct these experiments always keep this in mind, â€Å"Social identity theory (SIT; Tajfel, 1978; Tajfel & Turner, 1979) maintains that individuals gain a social identity from the groups to which they belong. The theorists claim that members have a desire to evaluate their own group positively and that they achieve positive evaluations through social comparisons with relevant other groups along valued dimensions. One maintains positive social identity and self-esteem through in-group favoritism, positive distinction from the out-group, and, occasionally, out-group derogation (e.g., Noel, Wann, & Branscombe, 1995)† (Tarrant, North, Hargreaves, 2001). Towson’s online database is an excellent place to research what has been found on music’s effects on psychology, and ... ... also determines their place in society. Ones place in society can then determine how their life will develop because you associate with the people and characteristics of that group. If one were to listen to rap and become associated with the people in that group, it’s likely that they will become sexually active and become involved in illicit drug use. This could then determine their education (whether or not they drop out of school) and eventually what they end up doing for a living. Music has a very strong influence on the lives of adolescents. It seems almost as if music has a stronger role than things like religion and politics. People usually think that music just determines how adolescents act, but after researching in depth you find that music determines much more than that. Music can be a determining factor in their education, social status, and their future.

industrial revolution Essay -- essays research papers

What factors helped to promote America’s huge industrial growth during the period from 1860-1900? America had a huge industrial revolution in the late 1800†s. Many changes happened to our great nation, which factored into this. The evidence clearly shows that advancements in new technology, a large wave of immigrants into our country and new views of our government, helped to promote America’s huge industrial growth from the period of 1860-1900. Advancements in new technology clearly promoted the industrial growth of the United States. The new technologies allowed business owners to reduce labor in the movement of materials from one point to the other. This occurred by using the new technology of railroads and machinery. Business owners used the railroads to transport their finished product and raw materials around the country more efficiently, which enabled businesses to expand. The business owners were now able to use machines for lifting materials from one floor to another and to use conveyer belts to move materials around on an assembly line. The use of machines is evident because the graph in document 5 clearly shows that American industrial and agricultural power sources between 1850 and 1900 changed. This is evident because in 1850, only 13% human power and 35% water and coal power was used, but in 1900 a mere 5% human power and a whopping 73% water and coal power was used. The use of machines more than doubled over t he course from 1850-1900, and the human output de...

Cell Phone

Tia Jeffries English 101 Mrs. Baker 17 March 2013 Positive Effects of Cellular Phones in Society The cellular phone is perhaps one of the greatest innovations known to man. The cellular phone coupled with technological advancements has influenced the lives of people from all lifestyles globally. However, the cellular phone has undergone massive evolution over time from the bulky hand-held telephone at its beginning to the hand-held mobile devices it is today. Through evolution the cellular phone has a positive effect on society. The cellular phone started essentially as a communication device.However, it has evolved into a personal organizer, a mobile office, an instrument of distribution of culture and knowledge among other utilities. The society has seemingly evolved alongside the cellular phone. Notable, is the effect the cellular phone has had on the manner the society communicates, engages in business, entertains itself, and generates popular culture (Hanson 213). The present so ciety is so reliable on the cellular phone that it cannot imagine a day without it. In essence, the cellular phone has helped today’s society to be what it is by influencing literary every aspect of living in the twenty-first century.This includes being interconnected, more knowledgeable, innovative, and globalized. What follows are a few aspects of the society that have benefitted from the cellular phone. Communication is perhaps the single biggest gain for the society because of cellular phones. Although this was the original intention of the cellular phones during their inception, advancements in this area has seen increased benefits to the society (Murray 59). To begin with, people may easily keep in touch globally through voice services and short messaging services (sms) also known as texting (Baldwin, n. d. . In addition, advanced models of cellular phones allow sending of electronic mail and sharing of photos and videos (Pandey, 2012). Major advancements in the increas e of frequencies of cellular communication and broadening of data transfer bandwidths allow exchange of large contents of information. One of such advancements that come with improved cellular phone models is video calls that allow regular phone voice calls to be accompanied by videos of the caller and the receiver (Katz 212). This gives a near realistic effect to communication that resembles face-to-face communication.Increased accessibility to mobile devises has also contributed greatly to the number of people able to communicate using cellular phones (Pandey, 2012). Cellular phones have also drastically reduced the cost of communication. This has been occasioned by the low costs of calling as compare to the previous models of using fixed line telephones, which cost more especially for long distance calls. In addition, the cost of the cellular phones themselves has drastically reduced due to increased competition among manufactures and improved manufacturing technologies. The fact that cellular phones are hand-held devices makes communication convenient.One can communicate while engaging in other activities like walking, queuing at a bank or supermarket, and riding in a bus, train, or car. This allows people to multitask which saves time (Pandey, 2012). Cellular phones have increased the level of safety and the feeling of security in the society. This is because a cell phone is a mobile device that is carried by people everywhere they are. Therefore, the cell phone becomes useful in times of emergency. For instance, one may call for help in cases of motor accidents, sudden sickness, robbery, elevator failure, and other similar events (Stewart, 2008).In fact, cell phones are coded at the manufacturing factory, with emergency call numbers that one can use, even if one does not have calling units; what is referred to as emergency service. These include 911, police line numbers, ambulance numbers, customer care numbers for calling the cell phone service provider s among others. There are also other service numbers that may be used on emergencies where the receiver of the call absorbs the calling charge also known as 0-800- service. The cellular phone, through GPS may be used to track individuals and determine the location of a cell phone carrier.For example, parents can keep track of their children through this service (Goggin 136). This is especially useful when dealing with teenage children who may sometimes involve themselves in deviant behavior if not well supervised by the parents. In addition, if one is lost, one can determine the location by using the GPS service in the cellular phone (Stewart, 2008). In fact, this service may also be used to track vehicles in case of a car robbery. This works by fitting a vehicle with a SIM card, which the vehicle owner can communicate with to determine the vehicle’s location.The cellular phone acts as a transmitter, which makes this kind of tracking possible (Unhelkar 36). This application h as also gained prominence in the tracking of lost cellular phones even if they are switched off. The Samsung Corporation presently has phone tracking as a standard feature in its cellular phone models, which makes it possible for a person to track a lost or stolen phone. Cellular phones have greatly reduced in size since their inception. This has made them become known as mobile devices meaning they can be easily be carried along, fitting in confined spaces like in the pocket of an individual.The miniaturization of this device has gained much from advancement in technology. One of these gains is from the increase in range that the device can be used. Cellular phones can now be used over longer ranges than before (Baldwin, n. d. ). Secondly, the cellular phone incorporates multiple devices, all compressed into a mobile device. Thirdly, with the use of accessories like hands free, the cellular phone may allow increased mobility of the user (Unhelkar 98). Fourthly, the present cellular phone has almost similar capabilities as a laptop computer, only smaller.For instance, the Iphone by Apple Inc. is able to do anything, similar to a regular laptop (Goggin 77). However, the Iphone has the advantage is being smaller thus enhancing mobility of the user. Cellular phones have gained tremendously from major technological advancements to the benefit of the society. Originally, cellular phones only provided voice call services. However, cellular phones now provide a varied bouquet of services, which include messaging, video calls and video conferencing, chatting, and sharing of photos (Stewart, 2008).Major innovations in cellular phones have seen them become more that communication devises due to incorporation of other functionalities. Firstly, one of these functionalities includes calculators, alarms, and reminders, which assist in personal organization (Easton 291). Secondly, the cellular phone has incorporated entertainment applications, which include games, music, and video playing capabilities (Goggin 130). Thirdly, the cellular phone has also incorporated traditional mass communication devises like the television and radio (Hanson 73).Finally, the cellular phone now includes cameras, voice and video recorders and flashlights (Hanson 91). All this make the cellular phone a compact tool with multiple functions for the convenience of the user. The cellular phones have contributed to enhancement of economic productivity in various ways. Firstly, cell phones have removed the necessity of physical meetings by offering video conferencing services and other services where more than two people can speech to each other at the same time (Baldwin, n. d. ). Secondly, business transactions can take place faster and remotely.For instance, one can pay for goods using mobile money transfers via cell phones without having to send the money physically (Easton 19). Thirdly, cellular phones now have several applications like calendars, reminders, voice recorders, alarms, and note keepers that help in the organization of the activities of an individual (Admin, 2010). Lastly, businesses can now advertise their products through the cellular phone. Such advertisements come in form of text messages and picture messages and may sometimes be accompanied with prize rewards (Easton 121).This phenomenon is proliferated by the low cost of using cellular phones as opposed to the traditional advertisement that uses commercials and posters to get the attention of probable customers. All this applications have improved efficiency and convenience of doing business while keeping the cost low thus enhancing productivity. The cellular phone has immensely increased the access to internet and its related services. It is now possible to obtain an internet-enabled cellular phone at a low price depending of the connectivity technology used.There are several technologies in use for accessing internet via cellular phones and these include GPRS, EDGE, 2G, WAP, 3G, 3. 5G, UTMS, and HSPDA among others (Hanson 42). These technologies differ in speed, range, and volume transfer capabilities. Access to internet opens up a world of other possibilities of applications of the cellular phone, which include modes of communication, commerce, knowledge acquisition, health and other social issues. For instance, increased internet access increases the proliferation of online communities where individuals can discuss and share their interests through social media (Katz 78).Secondly, increased access to internet facilitates commerce. This includes online business transactions, marketing, and product improvement through customer feedback among others (Hanson 59). Thirdly, it broadens and even transforms the ways of doing business by offering low cost alternatives suitable for small business startups, which may have a positive effect in the society’s wellbeing (Unhelkar 41). Lastly, increased internet access facilitates globalization (Katz 33). This is due to the increased sharing of culture and broadening of economies without the confines of geographical borders.It is evident that the cellular phone has had profound effect on the society, which is largely positive. These include enhanced communication speeds and quality, increased feeling of security among individuals, increased mobility of the user and advancement in technology, which has brought many devices and functionalities into the cellular phone. In addition, the cellular phone has contributed immensely to increased productivity and increased internet access. From these aspects, the society has gained much from the cell phone. Works Cited Admin. â€Å"Cell Phones and Their Positive Effects in the Society. Cell Phone Brands and News for Cell Phone Fans. N. P. , 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. They have played an important and positive role when it comes to the operation of different businesses. Baldwin, Anya. â€Å"Positive Effects of Cellphone Technology in the Workplace. † Small Business. n. d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Multiple Lines, More Direct Line of Communication, On-Call Availability, and Texting, is all available when using a cell phone. Easton, Jaclyn. Going Wireless: Transform Your Business with Mobile Technology. New York: Harper Business, 2002. Print.In this journalist story, Jaclyn Easton talks about the advantages of wirelessly fortifying your mobile workforce of itinerant executive, sales personnel, also field service technicians as well as how wireless is dramatically redefining customer service, marketing advertising. Goggin, Gerard. Cell Phone Culture: Mobile Technology in Everyday Life. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Drawing on a range of national, regional, and international examples, this text explores the new forms of consumption and use of communication and media technology that the phenomenon of mobiles represents.Hanson, Jarice. 24/7: How Cell Phones and the Internet Change the Way We Live, Work, and Play. Westport, Conn: P raeger, 2007. Print. The revolution in online services and mobile phone use changed our lives at the turn of the 21st century. This book demonstrates that these technologies enable us to work and play 24/7 Katz, James. Magic in the Air: Mobile Communication and the Transformation of Social Life. New Brunswick, N. J: Transaction Publishers, 2006. Print. In this volume, James E. Katz, a leading authority on social consequences of communication technology, nalyzes the way new mobile telecommunications affect daily life both in the United States and around the world. Murray, James. Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution in America. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub. , 2001. Print. Wireless Nation details how the genesis of the cell phone business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. But this colorful, engaging account of cellular's strange history is much more than a business narrative. Pandey, Kundan. Advantages of mobile phones. 3 December 2012. Web. 15 March 2013. It is hard to im agine a world without cell phones now. Stewart, Douglas. How Cell Phones Have Changed Our Lives. † Articlesbase. com. 28 May 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Cell phones made multitasking a brand new meaning. You can talk to family members that far away, if you are lost you have GPS or can call for help. Many more advantages come from cell phones. Cell phones are a great asset in aiding in our everyday lives. Unhelkar, Bhuvan. Handbook of Research in Mobile Business: Technical, Methodological, and Social Perspectives. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2009. Print. This book collects the latest research advances in the rapidly evolving field of mobile business Cell Phone Tia Jeffries English 101 Mrs. Baker 17 March 2013 Positive Effects of Cellular Phones in Society The cellular phone is perhaps one of the greatest innovations known to man. The cellular phone coupled with technological advancements has influenced the lives of people from all lifestyles globally. However, the cellular phone has undergone massive evolution over time from the bulky hand-held telephone at its beginning to the hand-held mobile devices it is today. Through evolution the cellular phone has a positive effect on society. The cellular phone started essentially as a communication device.However, it has evolved into a personal organizer, a mobile office, an instrument of distribution of culture and knowledge among other utilities. The society has seemingly evolved alongside the cellular phone. Notable, is the effect the cellular phone has had on the manner the society communicates, engages in business, entertains itself, and generates popular culture (Hanson 213). The present so ciety is so reliable on the cellular phone that it cannot imagine a day without it. In essence, the cellular phone has helped today’s society to be what it is by influencing literary every aspect of living in the twenty-first century.This includes being interconnected, more knowledgeable, innovative, and globalized. What follows are a few aspects of the society that have benefitted from the cellular phone. Communication is perhaps the single biggest gain for the society because of cellular phones. Although this was the original intention of the cellular phones during their inception, advancements in this area has seen increased benefits to the society (Murray 59). To begin with, people may easily keep in touch globally through voice services and short messaging services (sms) also known as texting (Baldwin, n. d. . In addition, advanced models of cellular phones allow sending of electronic mail and sharing of photos and videos (Pandey, 2012). Major advancements in the increas e of frequencies of cellular communication and broadening of data transfer bandwidths allow exchange of large contents of information. One of such advancements that come with improved cellular phone models is video calls that allow regular phone voice calls to be accompanied by videos of the caller and the receiver (Katz 212). This gives a near realistic effect to communication that resembles face-to-face communication.Increased accessibility to mobile devises has also contributed greatly to the number of people able to communicate using cellular phones (Pandey, 2012). Cellular phones have also drastically reduced the cost of communication. This has been occasioned by the low costs of calling as compare to the previous models of using fixed line telephones, which cost more especially for long distance calls. In addition, the cost of the cellular phones themselves has drastically reduced due to increased competition among manufactures and improved manufacturing technologies. The fact that cellular phones are hand-held devices makes communication convenient.One can communicate while engaging in other activities like walking, queuing at a bank or supermarket, and riding in a bus, train, or car. This allows people to multitask which saves time (Pandey, 2012). Cellular phones have increased the level of safety and the feeling of security in the society. This is because a cell phone is a mobile device that is carried by people everywhere they are. Therefore, the cell phone becomes useful in times of emergency. For instance, one may call for help in cases of motor accidents, sudden sickness, robbery, elevator failure, and other similar events (Stewart, 2008).In fact, cell phones are coded at the manufacturing factory, with emergency call numbers that one can use, even if one does not have calling units; what is referred to as emergency service. These include 911, police line numbers, ambulance numbers, customer care numbers for calling the cell phone service provider s among others. There are also other service numbers that may be used on emergencies where the receiver of the call absorbs the calling charge also known as 0-800- service. The cellular phone, through GPS may be used to track individuals and determine the location of a cell phone carrier.For example, parents can keep track of their children through this service (Goggin 136). This is especially useful when dealing with teenage children who may sometimes involve themselves in deviant behavior if not well supervised by the parents. In addition, if one is lost, one can determine the location by using the GPS service in the cellular phone (Stewart, 2008). In fact, this service may also be used to track vehicles in case of a car robbery. This works by fitting a vehicle with a SIM card, which the vehicle owner can communicate with to determine the vehicle’s location.The cellular phone acts as a transmitter, which makes this kind of tracking possible (Unhelkar 36). This application h as also gained prominence in the tracking of lost cellular phones even if they are switched off. The Samsung Corporation presently has phone tracking as a standard feature in its cellular phone models, which makes it possible for a person to track a lost or stolen phone. Cellular phones have greatly reduced in size since their inception. This has made them become known as mobile devices meaning they can be easily be carried along, fitting in confined spaces like in the pocket of an individual.The miniaturization of this device has gained much from advancement in technology. One of these gains is from the increase in range that the device can be used. Cellular phones can now be used over longer ranges than before (Baldwin, n. d. ). Secondly, the cellular phone incorporates multiple devices, all compressed into a mobile device. Thirdly, with the use of accessories like hands free, the cellular phone may allow increased mobility of the user (Unhelkar 98). Fourthly, the present cellular phone has almost similar capabilities as a laptop computer, only smaller.For instance, the Iphone by Apple Inc. is able to do anything, similar to a regular laptop (Goggin 77). However, the Iphone has the advantage is being smaller thus enhancing mobility of the user. Cellular phones have gained tremendously from major technological advancements to the benefit of the society. Originally, cellular phones only provided voice call services. However, cellular phones now provide a varied bouquet of services, which include messaging, video calls and video conferencing, chatting, and sharing of photos (Stewart, 2008).Major innovations in cellular phones have seen them become more that communication devises due to incorporation of other functionalities. Firstly, one of these functionalities includes calculators, alarms, and reminders, which assist in personal organization (Easton 291). Secondly, the cellular phone has incorporated entertainment applications, which include games, music, and video playing capabilities (Goggin 130). Thirdly, the cellular phone has also incorporated traditional mass communication devises like the television and radio (Hanson 73).Finally, the cellular phone now includes cameras, voice and video recorders and flashlights (Hanson 91). All this make the cellular phone a compact tool with multiple functions for the convenience of the user. The cellular phones have contributed to enhancement of economic productivity in various ways. Firstly, cell phones have removed the necessity of physical meetings by offering video conferencing services and other services where more than two people can speech to each other at the same time (Baldwin, n. d. ). Secondly, business transactions can take place faster and remotely.For instance, one can pay for goods using mobile money transfers via cell phones without having to send the money physically (Easton 19). Thirdly, cellular phones now have several applications like calendars, reminders, voice recorders, alarms, and note keepers that help in the organization of the activities of an individual (Admin, 2010). Lastly, businesses can now advertise their products through the cellular phone. Such advertisements come in form of text messages and picture messages and may sometimes be accompanied with prize rewards (Easton 121).This phenomenon is proliferated by the low cost of using cellular phones as opposed to the traditional advertisement that uses commercials and posters to get the attention of probable customers. All this applications have improved efficiency and convenience of doing business while keeping the cost low thus enhancing productivity. The cellular phone has immensely increased the access to internet and its related services. It is now possible to obtain an internet-enabled cellular phone at a low price depending of the connectivity technology used.There are several technologies in use for accessing internet via cellular phones and these include GPRS, EDGE, 2G, WAP, 3G, 3. 5G, UTMS, and HSPDA among others (Hanson 42). These technologies differ in speed, range, and volume transfer capabilities. Access to internet opens up a world of other possibilities of applications of the cellular phone, which include modes of communication, commerce, knowledge acquisition, health and other social issues. For instance, increased internet access increases the proliferation of online communities where individuals can discuss and share their interests through social media (Katz 78).Secondly, increased access to internet facilitates commerce. This includes online business transactions, marketing, and product improvement through customer feedback among others (Hanson 59). Thirdly, it broadens and even transforms the ways of doing business by offering low cost alternatives suitable for small business startups, which may have a positive effect in the society’s wellbeing (Unhelkar 41). Lastly, increased internet access facilitates globalization (Katz 33). This is due to the increased sharing of culture and broadening of economies without the confines of geographical borders.It is evident that the cellular phone has had profound effect on the society, which is largely positive. These include enhanced communication speeds and quality, increased feeling of security among individuals, increased mobility of the user and advancement in technology, which has brought many devices and functionalities into the cellular phone. In addition, the cellular phone has contributed immensely to increased productivity and increased internet access. From these aspects, the society has gained much from the cell phone. Works Cited Admin. â€Å"Cell Phones and Their Positive Effects in the Society. Cell Phone Brands and News for Cell Phone Fans. N. P. , 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. They have played an important and positive role when it comes to the operation of different businesses. Baldwin, Anya. â€Å"Positive Effects of Cellphone Technology in the Workplace. † Small Business. n. d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Multiple Lines, More Direct Line of Communication, On-Call Availability, and Texting, is all available when using a cell phone. Easton, Jaclyn. Going Wireless: Transform Your Business with Mobile Technology. New York: Harper Business, 2002. Print.In this journalist story, Jaclyn Easton talks about the advantages of wirelessly fortifying your mobile workforce of itinerant executive, sales personnel, also field service technicians as well as how wireless is dramatically redefining customer service, marketing advertising. Goggin, Gerard. Cell Phone Culture: Mobile Technology in Everyday Life. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Drawing on a range of national, regional, and international examples, this text explores the new forms of consumption and use of communication and media technology that the phenomenon of mobiles represents.Hanson, Jarice. 24/7: How Cell Phones and the Internet Change the Way We Live, Work, and Play. Westport, Conn: P raeger, 2007. Print. The revolution in online services and mobile phone use changed our lives at the turn of the 21st century. This book demonstrates that these technologies enable us to work and play 24/7 Katz, James. Magic in the Air: Mobile Communication and the Transformation of Social Life. New Brunswick, N. J: Transaction Publishers, 2006. Print. In this volume, James E. Katz, a leading authority on social consequences of communication technology, nalyzes the way new mobile telecommunications affect daily life both in the United States and around the world. Murray, James. Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution in America. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub. , 2001. Print. Wireless Nation details how the genesis of the cell phone business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. But this colorful, engaging account of cellular's strange history is much more than a business narrative. Pandey, Kundan. Advantages of mobile phones. 3 December 2012. Web. 15 March 2013. It is hard to im agine a world without cell phones now. Stewart, Douglas. How Cell Phones Have Changed Our Lives. † Articlesbase. com. 28 May 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Cell phones made multitasking a brand new meaning. You can talk to family members that far away, if you are lost you have GPS or can call for help. Many more advantages come from cell phones. Cell phones are a great asset in aiding in our everyday lives. Unhelkar, Bhuvan. Handbook of Research in Mobile Business: Technical, Methodological, and Social Perspectives. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2009. Print. This book collects the latest research advances in the rapidly evolving field of mobile business Cell Phone Tia Jeffries English 101 Mrs. Baker 17 March 2013 Positive Effects of Cellular Phones in Society The cellular phone is perhaps one of the greatest innovations known to man. The cellular phone coupled with technological advancements has influenced the lives of people from all lifestyles globally. However, the cellular phone has undergone massive evolution over time from the bulky hand-held telephone at its beginning to the hand-held mobile devices it is today. Through evolution the cellular phone has a positive effect on society. The cellular phone started essentially as a communication device.However, it has evolved into a personal organizer, a mobile office, an instrument of distribution of culture and knowledge among other utilities. The society has seemingly evolved alongside the cellular phone. Notable, is the effect the cellular phone has had on the manner the society communicates, engages in business, entertains itself, and generates popular culture (Hanson 213). The present so ciety is so reliable on the cellular phone that it cannot imagine a day without it. In essence, the cellular phone has helped today’s society to be what it is by influencing literary every aspect of living in the twenty-first century.This includes being interconnected, more knowledgeable, innovative, and globalized. What follows are a few aspects of the society that have benefitted from the cellular phone. Communication is perhaps the single biggest gain for the society because of cellular phones. Although this was the original intention of the cellular phones during their inception, advancements in this area has seen increased benefits to the society (Murray 59). To begin with, people may easily keep in touch globally through voice services and short messaging services (sms) also known as texting (Baldwin, n. d. . In addition, advanced models of cellular phones allow sending of electronic mail and sharing of photos and videos (Pandey, 2012). Major advancements in the increas e of frequencies of cellular communication and broadening of data transfer bandwidths allow exchange of large contents of information. One of such advancements that come with improved cellular phone models is video calls that allow regular phone voice calls to be accompanied by videos of the caller and the receiver (Katz 212). This gives a near realistic effect to communication that resembles face-to-face communication.Increased accessibility to mobile devises has also contributed greatly to the number of people able to communicate using cellular phones (Pandey, 2012). Cellular phones have also drastically reduced the cost of communication. This has been occasioned by the low costs of calling as compare to the previous models of using fixed line telephones, which cost more especially for long distance calls. In addition, the cost of the cellular phones themselves has drastically reduced due to increased competition among manufactures and improved manufacturing technologies. The fact that cellular phones are hand-held devices makes communication convenient.One can communicate while engaging in other activities like walking, queuing at a bank or supermarket, and riding in a bus, train, or car. This allows people to multitask which saves time (Pandey, 2012). Cellular phones have increased the level of safety and the feeling of security in the society. This is because a cell phone is a mobile device that is carried by people everywhere they are. Therefore, the cell phone becomes useful in times of emergency. For instance, one may call for help in cases of motor accidents, sudden sickness, robbery, elevator failure, and other similar events (Stewart, 2008).In fact, cell phones are coded at the manufacturing factory, with emergency call numbers that one can use, even if one does not have calling units; what is referred to as emergency service. These include 911, police line numbers, ambulance numbers, customer care numbers for calling the cell phone service provider s among others. There are also other service numbers that may be used on emergencies where the receiver of the call absorbs the calling charge also known as 0-800- service. The cellular phone, through GPS may be used to track individuals and determine the location of a cell phone carrier.For example, parents can keep track of their children through this service (Goggin 136). This is especially useful when dealing with teenage children who may sometimes involve themselves in deviant behavior if not well supervised by the parents. In addition, if one is lost, one can determine the location by using the GPS service in the cellular phone (Stewart, 2008). In fact, this service may also be used to track vehicles in case of a car robbery. This works by fitting a vehicle with a SIM card, which the vehicle owner can communicate with to determine the vehicle’s location.The cellular phone acts as a transmitter, which makes this kind of tracking possible (Unhelkar 36). This application h as also gained prominence in the tracking of lost cellular phones even if they are switched off. The Samsung Corporation presently has phone tracking as a standard feature in its cellular phone models, which makes it possible for a person to track a lost or stolen phone. Cellular phones have greatly reduced in size since their inception. This has made them become known as mobile devices meaning they can be easily be carried along, fitting in confined spaces like in the pocket of an individual.The miniaturization of this device has gained much from advancement in technology. One of these gains is from the increase in range that the device can be used. Cellular phones can now be used over longer ranges than before (Baldwin, n. d. ). Secondly, the cellular phone incorporates multiple devices, all compressed into a mobile device. Thirdly, with the use of accessories like hands free, the cellular phone may allow increased mobility of the user (Unhelkar 98). Fourthly, the present cellular phone has almost similar capabilities as a laptop computer, only smaller.For instance, the Iphone by Apple Inc. is able to do anything, similar to a regular laptop (Goggin 77). However, the Iphone has the advantage is being smaller thus enhancing mobility of the user. Cellular phones have gained tremendously from major technological advancements to the benefit of the society. Originally, cellular phones only provided voice call services. However, cellular phones now provide a varied bouquet of services, which include messaging, video calls and video conferencing, chatting, and sharing of photos (Stewart, 2008).Major innovations in cellular phones have seen them become more that communication devises due to incorporation of other functionalities. Firstly, one of these functionalities includes calculators, alarms, and reminders, which assist in personal organization (Easton 291). Secondly, the cellular phone has incorporated entertainment applications, which include games, music, and video playing capabilities (Goggin 130). Thirdly, the cellular phone has also incorporated traditional mass communication devises like the television and radio (Hanson 73).Finally, the cellular phone now includes cameras, voice and video recorders and flashlights (Hanson 91). All this make the cellular phone a compact tool with multiple functions for the convenience of the user. The cellular phones have contributed to enhancement of economic productivity in various ways. Firstly, cell phones have removed the necessity of physical meetings by offering video conferencing services and other services where more than two people can speech to each other at the same time (Baldwin, n. d. ). Secondly, business transactions can take place faster and remotely.For instance, one can pay for goods using mobile money transfers via cell phones without having to send the money physically (Easton 19). Thirdly, cellular phones now have several applications like calendars, reminders, voice recorders, alarms, and note keepers that help in the organization of the activities of an individual (Admin, 2010). Lastly, businesses can now advertise their products through the cellular phone. Such advertisements come in form of text messages and picture messages and may sometimes be accompanied with prize rewards (Easton 121).This phenomenon is proliferated by the low cost of using cellular phones as opposed to the traditional advertisement that uses commercials and posters to get the attention of probable customers. All this applications have improved efficiency and convenience of doing business while keeping the cost low thus enhancing productivity. The cellular phone has immensely increased the access to internet and its related services. It is now possible to obtain an internet-enabled cellular phone at a low price depending of the connectivity technology used.There are several technologies in use for accessing internet via cellular phones and these include GPRS, EDGE, 2G, WAP, 3G, 3. 5G, UTMS, and HSPDA among others (Hanson 42). These technologies differ in speed, range, and volume transfer capabilities. Access to internet opens up a world of other possibilities of applications of the cellular phone, which include modes of communication, commerce, knowledge acquisition, health and other social issues. For instance, increased internet access increases the proliferation of online communities where individuals can discuss and share their interests through social media (Katz 78).Secondly, increased access to internet facilitates commerce. This includes online business transactions, marketing, and product improvement through customer feedback among others (Hanson 59). Thirdly, it broadens and even transforms the ways of doing business by offering low cost alternatives suitable for small business startups, which may have a positive effect in the society’s wellbeing (Unhelkar 41). Lastly, increased internet access facilitates globalization (Katz 33). This is due to the increased sharing of culture and broadening of economies without the confines of geographical borders.It is evident that the cellular phone has had profound effect on the society, which is largely positive. These include enhanced communication speeds and quality, increased feeling of security among individuals, increased mobility of the user and advancement in technology, which has brought many devices and functionalities into the cellular phone. In addition, the cellular phone has contributed immensely to increased productivity and increased internet access. From these aspects, the society has gained much from the cell phone. Works Cited Admin. â€Å"Cell Phones and Their Positive Effects in the Society. Cell Phone Brands and News for Cell Phone Fans. N. P. , 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. They have played an important and positive role when it comes to the operation of different businesses. Baldwin, Anya. â€Å"Positive Effects of Cellphone Technology in the Workplace. † Small Business. n. d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Multiple Lines, More Direct Line of Communication, On-Call Availability, and Texting, is all available when using a cell phone. Easton, Jaclyn. Going Wireless: Transform Your Business with Mobile Technology. New York: Harper Business, 2002. Print.In this journalist story, Jaclyn Easton talks about the advantages of wirelessly fortifying your mobile workforce of itinerant executive, sales personnel, also field service technicians as well as how wireless is dramatically redefining customer service, marketing advertising. Goggin, Gerard. Cell Phone Culture: Mobile Technology in Everyday Life. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Drawing on a range of national, regional, and international examples, this text explores the new forms of consumption and use of communication and media technology that the phenomenon of mobiles represents.Hanson, Jarice. 24/7: How Cell Phones and the Internet Change the Way We Live, Work, and Play. Westport, Conn: P raeger, 2007. Print. The revolution in online services and mobile phone use changed our lives at the turn of the 21st century. This book demonstrates that these technologies enable us to work and play 24/7 Katz, James. Magic in the Air: Mobile Communication and the Transformation of Social Life. New Brunswick, N. J: Transaction Publishers, 2006. Print. In this volume, James E. Katz, a leading authority on social consequences of communication technology, nalyzes the way new mobile telecommunications affect daily life both in the United States and around the world. Murray, James. Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution in America. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub. , 2001. Print. Wireless Nation details how the genesis of the cell phone business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. But this colorful, engaging account of cellular's strange history is much more than a business narrative. Pandey, Kundan. Advantages of mobile phones. 3 December 2012. Web. 15 March 2013. It is hard to im agine a world without cell phones now. Stewart, Douglas. How Cell Phones Have Changed Our Lives. † Articlesbase. com. 28 May 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Cell phones made multitasking a brand new meaning. You can talk to family members that far away, if you are lost you have GPS or can call for help. Many more advantages come from cell phones. Cell phones are a great asset in aiding in our everyday lives. Unhelkar, Bhuvan. Handbook of Research in Mobile Business: Technical, Methodological, and Social Perspectives. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2009. Print. This book collects the latest research advances in the rapidly evolving field of mobile business

Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven

I BRACED MYSELF, EXPECTING TO see the Dashkov brothers appear again with some last minute â€Å"advice.' Instead I saw– â€Å"Adrian!' I ran across the garden I'd appeared in and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back just as tightly and lifted me off the ground. â€Å"Little dhampir,' he said, once he put me down again. His arms stayed around my waist. â€Å"I've missed you.' â€Å"I've missed you too.' And I meant it. The last couple days and their bizarre events had completely unhinged my life, and being with him–even in a dream–was comforting. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, enjoying a small moment of warmth and peace as our lips met. â€Å"Are you okay?' he asked when I broke away. â€Å"No one'll tell me much about you. Your old man says you're safe and that the Alchemist would let him know if anything went wrong.' I didn't bother telling Adrian that that probably wasn't true, seeing as Abe didn't know we'd gone freelancing with some backwoods vampires. â€Å"I'm fine,' I assured Adrian. â€Å"Mostly bored. We're holed up in this dive of a town. I don't think anyone will come looking for us. I don't think they'd want to.' A look of relief spread over his handsome face, and it occurred to me just how worried he was. â€Å"I'm glad. Rose, you can't imagine what it's like. They aren't just questioning people who might have been involved. The guardians are making all sorts of plans to hunt you down. There's all this talk about â€Å"deadly force.† â€Å"Well, they won't find me. I'm somewhere pretty remote.' Very remote. â€Å"I wish I could have gone with you.' He still looked concerned, and I pressed a finger to his lips. â€Å"No. Don't say that. You're better off where you are–and better not to be associated with me any more than you already are. Have you been questioned?' â€Å"Yeah, they didn't get anything useful out of me. Too tight an alibi. They brought me in when I went to find Mikhail because we talked to–‘ â€Å"I know. Joe.' Adrian's surprise was brief. â€Å"Little dhampir, you've been spying.' â€Å"It's hard not to.' â€Å"You know, as much as I like the idea of having someone always know when you're in trouble, I'm still kind of glad I don't have anyone bound to me. Not sure I'd want them looking in my head.' â€Å"I don't think anyone would want to look in your head either. One person living Adrian Ivashkov's life is hard enough.' Amusement flickered in his eyes, but it faded when I switched back to business. â€Å"Anyway, yeah. I overheard Lissa's †¦ um, interrogation of Joe. That's serious stuff. What did Mikhail say? If Joe lied, that clears half the evidence against me.' It also theoretically killed Adrian's alibi. â€Å"Well, not quite half. It would have been better if Joe said you were in your room during the murder instead of admitting he's a flake who doesn't remember anything. It also would have been better if he hadn't said all this under Lissa's compulsion. Mikhail can't report that.' I sighed. Hanging out with spirit users, I'd started to take compulsion for granted. It was easy to forget that among Moroi, it was taboo, the kind of thing you'd get in serious trouble for. In fact, Lissa wouldn't just get in trouble for illicitly using it. She could also be accused of simply making Joe say whatever she wanted. Anything he said in my favor would be suspect. No one would believe it. â€Å"Also,' added Adrian, looking dismayed, â€Å"if what Joe said gets out, the world would learn about my mother's misguided acts of love.' â€Å"Im sorry,' I said, putting my arms around him. He complained about his parents all the time but really did care about his mother. Finding out about her bribery had to be tough for him, and I knew Tatiana's death still pained him. It seemed I was around a lot of men in anguish lately. â€Å"Although, I really am glad she cleared you of any connection.' â€Å"It was stupid of her. If anyone finds out, she'll be in serious trouble.' â€Å"What's Mikhail's advice then?' â€Å"He's going to find Joe and question him privately. Go from there. For now, there's not much more we can do with the info. It's useful for us †¦ but not for the legal system.' â€Å"Yeah,' I said, trying not to feel disheartened. â€Å"I guess it's better than nothing.' Adrian nodded and then brushed away his dark mood in that easy way of his. Still keeping his arms around me, he pulled back slightly, smiling as he looked down at me. â€Å"Nice dress, by the way.' The topic change caught me by surprise, though I should have been used to it with him by now. Following his gaze, I noticed I was wearing an old dress of mine, the sexy black dress I'd had on when Victor had unleashed a lust charm on Dimitri and me. Since Adrian hadn't dressed me for the dream, my subconscious had dictated my appearance. I was kind of astonished it had chosen this. â€Å"Oh †¦' I suddenly felt embarrassed but didn't know why. â€Å"My own clothes are kind of beat up. I guess I wanted something to counteract that.' â€Å"Well, it looks good on you.' Adrian's fingers slid along the strap. â€Å"Really good.' Even in a dream, the touch of his finger made my skin tingle. â€Å"Watch it, Ivashkov. We've got no time for this.' â€Å"We're asleep. What else are we going to do?' My protests were muffled in a kiss. I sank into it. One of his hands slid down the side of my thigh, near the dress's edge, and it took a lot of mental energy to convince myself that him pulling the dress up was probably not going to clear my name. I reluctantly moved back. â€Å"We're going to figure out who killed Tatiana,' I said, trying to catch my breath. â€Å"There's no â€Å"we,† he said, echoing the line I'd just used on Victor. â€Å"There's me. And Lissa. And Christian. And the rest of our misfit friends.' He stroked my hair and then drew me close again, brushing a kiss against my cheek. â€Å"Don't worry, little dhampir. You take care of yourself. Just stay where you are.' â€Å"I can't,' I said. â€Å"Don't you get it? I can't just do nothing.' The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was one thing to protest my inactivity with Dimitri, but with Adrian, I needed to make him and everyone else at Court think I was doing the â€Å"right thing.' â€Å"You have to. We'll take care of you.' He didn't get it, I realized. He didn't understand how badly I needed to do something to help. To his credit, his intentions were good. He thought taking care of me was a big deal. He wanted to keep me safe. But he didn't truly get how agonizing inaction was for me. â€Å"We'll find this person and stop them from doing whatever it is †¦ they want to do. It might take a long time, but we'll fix it.' â€Å"Time †¦' I murmured against his chest, letting the argument go. I'd get nowhere convincing him I needed to help my friends, and anyway, I had my own quest now. So much to do, so little time. I stared off into the landscape he'd created. I'd noticed trees and flowers earlier but only now realized we were in the Church's courtyard–the way it had been before Abe's assault. The statue of Queen Alexandra stood intact, her long hair and kind eyes immortalized in stone. The murder investigation really was in my friends' hands for now, but Adrian had been right: it might take a while. I sighed. â€Å"Time. We need more time.' Adrian pulled away slightly. â€Å"Hmm? What'd you say?' I stared up at him, biting my lower lip as a million thoughts spun through my mind. I looked again at Alexandra and made my decision, wondering if I was about to set new records in foolishness. I turned back to Adrian and squeezed his hand. â€Å"I said we need more time. And I know how we can get it †¦ but †¦ well, there's something you have to do for me. And you, uh, probably shouldn't mention it to Lissa yet †¦' I had just enough time to deliver my instructions to Adrian–who was as shocked as I'd expected–before Dimitri woke me up for my shift. We switched off with little conversation. He had his usual tough face on, but I could see the lines of fatigue etched upon his features. I didn't want to bother him–yet–with my Victor and Robert encounter. Not to mention what I'd just told Adrian to do. There'd be plenty of time for a recap later. Dimitri fell asleep in that easy way of his, and Sydney never stirred the entire time. I envied her for a full night's sleep but couldn't help a smile as the room grew lighter and lighter. She'd been inadvertently put on a vampire schedule after our all-night adventures. Of course, Lissa was on the same schedule, which meant I couldn't visit her during my watch. Just as well. I needed to keep an eye on this creepy collective we'd stumbled into. These Keepers might not want to turn us in, but that didn't make them harmless either. I also hadn't forgotten Sydney's fears about surprise Alchemist visits. When late afternoon came for the rest of the world, I heard stirring inside the house. I gently touched Dimitri's shoulder, and he jerked awake instantly. â€Å"Easy,' I said, unable to hide a smile. â€Å"Just a wakeup call. Sounds like our redneck friends are getting up.' This time, our voices woke Sydney. She rolled over toward us, her eyes squinting at the light coming through the badly screened window. â€Å"What time is it?' she asked, stretching her limbs. â€Å"Not sure.' I had no watch. â€Å"Probably past midday. Three? Four?' She sat up almost as quickly as Dimitri had. â€Å"In the afternoon? † The sunlight gave her the answer. â€Å"Damn you guys and your unholy schedule.' â€Å"Did you just say â€Å"damn'? Isn't that against Alchemist rules?' I teased. â€Å"Sometimes it's necessary.' She rubbed her eyes and glanced toward the door. The faint noises I'd heard in the rest of the house were louder now, audible even to her ears. â€Å"I guess we need a plan.' â€Å"We have one,' I said. â€Å"Find Lissa's sibling.' â€Å"I never entirely agreed to that,' she reminded me. â€Å"And you guys keep thinking I can just magically type away like some movie hacker to find all your answers.' â€Å"Well, at least it's a place to–‘ A thought occurred to me, one that could seriously mess things up. â€Å"Crap. Your laptop won't even work out here.' â€Å"It's got a satellite modem, but it's the battery we have to worry about.' Sydney sighed and stood up, smoothing her rumpled clothes with dismay. â€Å"I need a coffee shop or something.' â€Å"I think I saw one in a cave down the road,' I said. That almost got a smile from her. â€Å"There's got to be some town close by where I could use my laptop.' â€Å"But it's probably not a good idea to take the car out anywhere in this state,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Just in case someone at the motel got your license plate number.' â€Å"I know,' she said grimly. â€Å"I was thinking about that too.' Our brilliant scheming was interrupted by a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Sarah stuck her head inside and smiled. â€Å"Oh, good. You're all awake. We're getting breakfast ready if you want to join us.' Through the doorway, scents of what seemed like a normal breakfast drifted in: bacon, eggs †¦ The bread had gotten me through the night, but I was ready for real food and willing to roll the dice on whatever Raymond's family had to offer. In the house's main section, we found a flurry of domestic activity. Raymond appeared to be cooking something over the fireplace while Paulette set the long table. It already had a platter of perfectly ordinary scrambled eggs and more slices of yesterday's bread. Raymond rose from the fireplace, holding a large metal sheet covered in crisp bacon. A smile split his bearded face when he spotted us. The more of these Keepers I saw, the more I kept noticing something. They made no attempts to hide their fangs. From childhood, my Moroi were taught to smile and speak in a way that minimized fang exposure, in case they were out in human cities. There was nothing like that here. â€Å"Good morning,' said Raymond, carefully pushing the bacon onto another platter on the table. â€Å"I hope you're all hungry.' â€Å"Do you think that's, like, real bacon?' I whispered to Sydney and Dimitri. â€Å"And not like squirrel or something?' â€Å"Looks real to me,' said Dimitri. â€Å"I'd say so too,' said Sydney. â€Å"Though, I guarantee it's from their own pigs and not a grocery store.' Dimitri laughed at whatever expression crossed my face. â€Å"I always love seeing what worries you. Strigoi? No. Questionable food? Yes.' â€Å"What about Strigoi?' Joshua and Angeline entered the house. He had a bowl of blackberries, and she was pushing the little kids along. From their squirming and dirty faces, they clearly wanted to go back outside. It was Angeline who had asked the question. Dimitri covered for my squeamishness. â€Å"Just talking about some of Rose's Strigoi kills.' Joshua came to a standstill and stared at me, those pretty blue eyes wide with amazement. â€Å"You've killed the Lost? Er–Strigoi?' I admired his attempt to use â€Å"our' term. â€Å"How many?' I shrugged. â€Å"I don't really know anymore.' â€Å"Don't you use the marks?' Raymond scolded. â€Å"I didn't think the Tainted had abandoned those.' â€Å"The marks–oh. Yeah. Our tattoos? We do.' I turned around and lifted up my hair. I heard a scuffling of feet and then felt a finger touching my skin. I flinched and whipped back around, just in time to see Joshua lowering his hand sheepishly. â€Å"Sorry,' he said. â€Å"I've just never seen some of these. Only the molnija marks. That's how we count our Strigoi kills. You've got †¦ a lot.' â€Å"The S-shaped mark is unique to them,' said Raymond disapprovingly. That look was quickly replaced by admiration. â€Å"The other's the zvezda.' This earned gasps from Joshua and Angeline and a â€Å"What?' from me. â€Å"The battle mark,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Not many people call it zvezda anymore. It means â€Å"star.† â€Å"Huh. Makes sense,' I said. The tattoo was, in fact, kind of shaped like a star and was given when someone had fought in a big enough battle to lose count of Strigoi kills. After all, there were only so many molnija marks you could cram on your neck. Joshua smiled at me in a way that made my stomach flutter just a little. Maybe he was part of a pseudo-Amish cult, but that didn't change the fact that he was still good- looking. â€Å"Now I understand how you could have killed the Tainted queen.' â€Å"It's probably fake,' said Angeline. I'd been about to protest the queen-killing part, but her comment derailed me. â€Å"It is not! I earned it when Strigoi attacked our school. And then there were plenty more I took down after that.' â€Å"The mark can't be that uncommon,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Your people must have big Strigoi fights every once in a while.' â€Å"Not really,' said Joshua, his eyes still on me. â€Å"Most of us have never fought or even seen the Lost. They don't really bother us.' That was surprising. If ever there was a Strigoi target, a group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans out in the middle of nowhere would be it. â€Å"Why not?' I asked. Raymond winked at me. â€Å"Because we fight back.' I pondered his enigmatic statement as the family sat down to eat. Again, I thought about the entire community's willingness to fight when we'd first arrived. Was it really enough to scare off Strigoi? Not much scared them, but maybe certain things were too much of an inconvenience to deal with. I wondered what Dimitri's opinion would be on that. His own family had come from a community that separated itself somewhat from mainstream Moroi life, but it was nothing like this. All of this spun in my mind while we ate and talked. The Keepers still had a lot more questions about us and Tatiana. The only one not participating was Angeline. She ate as little as Sydney and kept watching me with a scowl. â€Å"We need some supplies,' said Sydney abruptly, interrupting me in the middle of a gruesome story. I didn't mind, but the others looked disappointed. â€Å"Where's the nearest town that would have a coffee shop †¦ or any restaurant?' â€Å"Well,' said Paulette. â€Å"Rubysville is a little over an hour north. But we have plenty of food here for you.' â€Å"Its not about food,' I said quickly. â€Å"Yours has been great.' I glanced at Sydney. â€Å"An hour's not so bad, right?' She nodded and then glanced hesitantly at Raymond. â€Å"Is there any way †¦ is there any way we could borrow a car? Ill †¦' The next words clearly caused her pain. â€Å"I'll leave the keys to mine until we get back.' He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You've got a nice car.' Sydney shrugged. â€Å"The less we drive it around here, the better.' He told us we could take his truck and that he â€Å"probably' wouldn't even need to use the CR-V. Sydney gave him a tight smile of thanks, but I knew images of vampires joyriding in her car were dancing through her head. We set out soon after that, wanting to be back before the sun went down. People were out and about in the commune, doing chores or whatever else it was they did with their lives. A group of children sat around a dhampir reading a book to them, making me wonder what sort of education process they had here. All of the Keepers stopped whatever they were doing as we passed, giving us either curious looks or outright smiles. I smiled back occasionally but mostly kept my eyes ahead. Joshua was escorting us back to the â€Å"parking lot' and managed to walk beside me when we reached the narrow path. â€Å"I hope you won't be gone long,' he said. â€Å"I'd wanted us to talk more.' â€Å"Sure,' I said. â€Å"That'd be fun.' He brightened and chivalrously pushed aside a low-hanging branch. â€Å"Maybe I can show you my cave.' â€Å"Your–wait. What? Don't you live with your dad?' â€Å"For now. But I'm getting my own place.' There was pride in his voice. â€Å"It's not as big as his, of course, but it's a good start. It's almost cleaned out.' â€Å"That's really, um, great. Definitely show me when we're back.' The words came easily to my lips, but my mind was pondering the fact that Raymond's house was apparently â€Å"big.' Joshua parted ways from us when we reached Raymond's truck, a big red pickup with a seat that could just barely hold the three of us. Considering the Keepers didn't leave the woods much, the truck seemed like it had seen a lot of miles. Or maybe just a lot of years of disuse. â€Å"You shouldn't lead him on like that,' Dimitri said, when we'd been on the road for about ten minutes. Surprisingly, Sydney had let him drive. I guessed she figured a manly truck deserved a manly driver. Now that we were moving, my mind had focused back on the task at hand: finding the other Dragomir. â€Å"Huh?' â€Å"Joshua. You were flirting with him.' â€Å"I was not! We were just talking.' â€Å"Aren't you with Adrian?' â€Å"Yes!' I exclaimed, glaring at Dimitri. His eyes were fixed on the road. â€Å"And that's why I wasn't flirting. How can you read so much into that? Joshua doesn't even like me that way.' â€Å"Actually,' said Sydney, sitting between us, â€Å"he does.' I turned my incredulity on her. â€Å"How do you know? Did he pass you a note in class or something?' She rolled her eyes. â€Å"No. But you and Dimitri are like gods back at camp.' â€Å"We're outsiders,' I reminded her. â€Å"Tainted.' â€Å"No. You're renegade Strigoi – and queen-killers. It might have all been southern charm and hospitality back there, but those people can be savage. They put a big premium on being able to beat people up. And, considering how scruffy most of them are, you guys are †¦ well †¦ let's just say you two are the hottest things to walk through there in a while.' â€Å"You're not hot?' I asked. â€Å"It's irrelevant,' she said, flustered by the comment. â€Å"Alchemists aren't even on their radar. We don't fight. They think we're weak.' I thought back to the enraptured faces and had to admit that a lot of the people there did have a weathered, worn-out look. Almost. â€Å"Raymond's family was pretty good- looking,' I pointed out. I heard a grunt from Dimitri who no doubt read this as evidence of me flirting with Joshua. â€Å"Yeah,' she said. â€Å"Because they're probably the most important family in town. They eat better, probably don't have to work in the sun as much. That kind of stuff makes a difference.' There was no more talk of flirting as we continued the drive. We made good time to Rubysville, which looked eerily similar to the first town we'd stayed in. When we stopped at what appeared to be the Rubysville's only gas station, Sydney ran inside to ask a few questions. She came back, reporting that there was indeed a cafe of sorts where she could plug in her laptop and try to look up what we needed. She ordered coffee, and we sat there with her, too full from breakfast to order anything substantial. After a couple dirty looks from a waitress who seemed to regard us as loiterers, Dimitri and I decided to take a walk around town. Sydney looked almost as pleased as the waitress about this. I don't think she liked having us hover around. I'd given Sydney a hard time about West Virginia, but I had to admit the scenery was beautiful. Soaring trees, full of summer leaves, surrounded the town like an embrace. Beyond them, mountains loomed, very different from the ones I'd grown up with near St. Vladimir's. These were rolling and green, covered in more trees. Most of the mountains surrounding St. Vladimir's had been stony and jagged, often with snowy peaks. A strange sense of nostalgia came over me, thinking back to Montana. There was a good possibility I'd never see it again. If I spent the rest of my life on the run, St. Vladimir's was the last place I could go. If I was caught, well †¦ then I'd definitely never get to see Montana again. â€Å"Or any place,'I murmured, speaking out loud before I could catch myself. â€Å"Hmm?' asked Dimitri. â€Å"I was just thinking about if the guardians find us. I never realized how much there was I wanted to do and see. Suddenly, that's all at stake, you know?' We moved off to the side of the road as an orange pickup came driving by. Children out of school for the summer screeched and laughed in the back of it. â€Å"Okay, suppose my name isn't cleared and we never find the real murderer. What's the next-best-case scenario? Me: always running, always hiding. That'll be my life. For all I know, I will have to go live with the Keepers.' â€Å"I don't think it'll come to that,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Abe and Sydney would help you find some place safe.' â€Å"Is there a safe place? For real? Adrian said the guardians are increasing their efforts to find us. They've got the Alchemists and probably human authorities looking for us too. No matter where we go, we'll run the risk of being spotted. Then we'll have to move on. It'll be like that forever.' â€Å"You'll be alive,' he pointed out. â€Å"That's what matters. Enjoy what you have, every little detail of wherever you are. Don't focus on where you aren't.' â€Å"Yeah,' I admitted, trying to follow his advice. The sky seemed a little bluer, the birds a little louder. â€Å"I suppose I shouldn't whine over the dream places I won't get to see. I should be grateful I get to see anything at all. And that I'm not living in a cave.' He glanced over at me and smiled, something unreadable in his eyes. â€Å"Where do you want to go?' â€Å"What, right now?' I glanced around, sizing up our options. There was a bait and tackle store, a drugstore, and an ice cream parlor. I had a feeling that last one would be a necessary trip before leaving town. â€Å"No, in the world.' I eyed him warily. â€Å"Sydney's going to be pissed if we take off for Istanbul or something.' This got me full-fledged laughter. â€Å"Not what I had in mind. Come on.' I followed him toward what looked like the bait and tackle store and then noticed a small building tucked behind it. Naturally, his sharp eyes had seen what I missed– probably because I'd been fixated on the ice cream. RUBYSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. â€Å"Whoa, hey,' I said. â€Å"One of the few perks of graduating was avoiding places like this.' â€Å"Its probably air conditioned,' he pointed out. I looked down at my sweat-soaked tank top and noticed a faint pink tinge to my skin. With my tanned complexion, I rarely burned, but this was some serious sun–even so late in the day. â€Å"Lead on,' I told him. The library was mercifully cool, though even smaller than the one at St. Vladimir's. With some uncanny sense (or maybe just a knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System), Dimitri led us over to the travel section–which consisted of about ten books, three of which were about West Virginia. He frowned. â€Å"Not quite what I expected.' He scanned the shelf twice and then pulled out a large, bright-colored one entitled 100 Best Places to Visit in the World. We sat down cross-legged on the floor, and he handed me the book. â€Å"No way, comrade,' I said. â€Å"I know books are a journey of the imagination, but I don't think I'm up for that today.' â€Å"Just take it,' he said. â€Å"Close your eyes, and flip randomly to a page.' It seemed silly, considering everything else going on in our life, but his face said he was serious. Indulging him, I closed my eyes and selected a page in the middle. I opened to it. â€Å"Mitchell, South Dakota?' I exclaimed. Remembering I was in a library, I lowered my voice. â€Å"Out of all the places in the world, that makes the top hundred?' He was smiling again, and I'd forgotten how much I'd missed that. â€Å"Read it.' â€Å"†Located ninety minutes outside of Sioux Falls, Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace.† I looked up at him in disbelief. â€Å"Corn Palace?' He scooted over next to me, leaning close to look at the pictures. â€Å"I figured it'd be made of corn husks,' he noted. The pictures actually showed what looked like a Middle Eastern–or even Russian–style building, with turrets and onion domes. â€Å"Me too.' Reluctantly, I added, â€Å"I'd visit it. I bet they have great T-shirts.' â€Å"And,' he said, a sly look in his eyes, â€Å"I bet no guardians would look for us there.' I made no attempts to conceal my laughter, imagining us living as fugitives in the Corn Palace for the rest of our lives. My amusement brought us a scolding from a librarian, and we quieted as Dimitri took his turn. Sao Paolo, Brazil. Then my turn: Honolulu, Hawaii. Back and forth we passed the book, and before long, we were both lying on the floor, side by side, sharing mixed reactions as we continued our â€Å"global tour of the imagination.' Our arms and legs just barely touched. If anyone had told me forty-eight hours ago that I'd be lying in a library with Dimitri, reading a travel book, I would have said they were crazy. Almost as crazy was the realization that I was doing something perfectly ordinary and casual with him. Since the moment we'd met, our lives had been about secrecy and danger. And really, those were still the dominant themes in our lives. But in those quiet couple of hours, time seemed to stand still. We were at peace. We were friends. â€Å"Florence, Italy,' I read. Pictures of elaborate churches and galleries filled the page. â€Å"Sydney wants to go there. She wanted to study there, actually. If Abe could have managed that, I think she would have served him for life.' â€Å"She's still pretty obedient,' Dimitri remarked. â€Å"I don't know her well, but I'm pretty sure Abe's got something on her.' â€Å"He got her out of Russia, back to the U.S.' He shook his head. â€Å"It's got to be more than that. Alchemists are loyal to their order. They don't like us. She hides it–they're trained to–but every minute with the Keepers is agony. For her to help us and betray her superiors, she owes him for some serious reason.' We both paused a moment, wondering what mysterious arrangement my father had with her. â€Å"Its irrelevant, though. She's helping us, which is what matters †¦ and we should probably get back to her.' I knew he was right but hated to go. I wanted to stay here, in this illusion of tranquility and safety, letting myself believe I might really make it to the Parthenon or even the Corn Palace someday. I handed the book back to him. â€Å"One more.' He picked his random page and opened the book. His smile fell. â€Å"Saint Petersburg.' A weird mix of feelings entangled themselves in my chest. Nostalgia–because the city was beautiful. Sorrow–because my visit had been tainted by the awful task I'd gone there to do. Dimitri stared at the page for a long time, wistfulness on his face. It occurred to me then that, despite his earlier pep talk, he had to be experiencing what I did for Montana: our old, favorite places were lost to us now. I nudged him gently. â€Å"Hey, enjoy where you're at, remember? Not where you can't go.' He reluctantly shut the book and dragged his eyes away from it. â€Å"How'd you get so wise?' he teased. â€Å"I had a good teacher.' We smiled at each other. Something occurred to me. All this time, I'd figured he'd helped break me out because of Lissa's orders. Maybe there was more to it. â€Å"Is that why you escaped with me?' I asked. â€Å"To see what parts of the world you could?' His surprise was brief. â€Å"You don't need me to be wise, Rose. You're doing fine on your own. Yes, that was part of it. Maybe I would have been welcomed back eventually, but there was the risk I wouldn't. After †¦ after being Strigoi †¦' He stumbled over the words a little. â€Å"I gained a new appreciation for life. It took a while. I'm still not there. We're talking about focusing on the present, not the future–but it's my past that haunts me. Faces. Nightmares. But the farther I get from that world of death, the more I want to embrace life. The smell of these books and the perfume you wear. The way the light bends through that window. Even the taste of breakfast with the Keepers.' â€Å"You're a poet now.' â€Å"No, just starting to realize the truth. I respect the law and the way our society runs, but there was no way I could risk losing life in some cell after only just finding it again. I wanted to run too. That's why I helped you. That and–‘ â€Å"What?' I studied him, desperately wishing he wasn't so good at keeping emotions off his face. I knew him well; I understood him. But he could still hide things from me. He sat up, not meeting my eyes. â€Å"It doesn't matter. Let's go back to Sydney and see if she found out anything †¦ although, as much as I hate to say it, I think it's unlikely.' â€Å"I know.' I stood with him, still wondering what else he would have said. â€Å"She probably gave up and started playing Minesweeper.' We headed back toward the cafe, stopping briefly for ice cream. Eating it while we walked proved quite the challenge. The sun was nearing the horizon, painting everything orange and red, but the heat lingered. Enjoy it, Rose, I told myself. The colors. The taste of chocolate. Of course, I'd always loved chocolate. My life didn't need to be on the line for me to enjoy dessert. We reached the cafe and found Sydney bent over her laptop, with a barely eaten Danish and what was probably her fourth cup of coffee. We slid into seats beside her. â€Å"Hows it–hey! You are playing Minesweeper!' I tried to peer closer at her screen, but she turned it from me. â€Å"You're supposed to be finding a connection to Eric's mistress.' â€Å"I already did,' she said simply. Dimitri and I exchanged astonished looks. â€Å"But I don't know how useful it'll be.' â€Å"Anything'll be useful,' I proclaimed. â€Å"What did you find?' â€Å"After trying to track down all those bank records and transactions–and let me tell you, that is not fun at all–I finally found a small piece of info. The bank account we have now is a newer one. It was moved from another bank about five years ago. The old account was still a Jane Doe, but it did have a next-of-kin reference in the event something happened to the account holder.' I could hardly breathe. Financial transactions were lost on me, but we were about to get something solid. â€Å"A real name?' Sydney nodded. â€Å"Sonya Karp.'