Automated Library Management System Essay Example for Free

Automated Library Management System Essay The intuition for this system was the observations done in the libraries which had the old card and paper system. By considering the students’ opinions regarding the difficulties they face in order to search a book from their respective institutions libraries, as it takes plenty of time to do so. Also for the librarians, as it takes them a lot of time to properly manage the books, along with their details. So there was a system required which could replace the old paper and card system and could ease the students or anyone who wants to search for a book from their nearby library. Most importantly a database, that would be ideal for a library upgrading from a card or paper system where they have a card for each piece of book, a database that would also benefit a library where all students’ records are still on a paper basis. With this Library Management System, librarians will be able to monitor and manage library’s inventory more efficiently and will be able to perform all of the main library operations. Keywords_ _ Automated, ISBN, LINUX, Microsoft Visual Studio, OS and SDLC. Introduction The library is one of the oldest types of institutions in our society. It is in the midst of rapid change in recent times. The changes reflect those going on in other institutions and also in the society as a whole. Hence, they must move beyond their traditional role as custodians of books and integrate new methods of storage and transmission of information into an already existing structure. Modern libraries, have already adapted to this change, but countries like Pakistan, many of its great educational institutions still have old paper-card system 1|Page in their libraries. This automated system is designed in order to facilitate all those libraries with the old systems. Hopefully with all of the changes, it would make the libraries run much more smoothly. With less time spent filling out paperwork, more time can be devoted to serving the customers and maintaining the potentially vast amount of books held in the library. The next sections of the paper include; Literature review, Methodology and Conclusion. An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries Literature Review Library automation may be defined as the application of automatic and semi-automatic data processing machines (computers) to perform traditional library housekeeping activities such as acquisition, circulation, cataloguing and reference and serial control. Finally, library automation is the process of performing all information operations/ activities in library with the help of computers and related information technologies. The history of library automation in the world is not an old one. It dates back to 1950s and 1960s in America and Europe. Malik in [5] states that, in Pakistan, library automation was introduced in 1980s and a number of libraries have been computerized in or after 1987. Dilroshan in [6] says that automating a library is only the first step. Keeping up with new trends in information and communication technology is also of paramount importance. If the libraries fail to meet these challenges successfully the tremendous investment that universities have made in their library collections and facilities will be seriously undermined. Salma et al in [3] has conducted comparative research study on the management of University of the Western Cape library, South Africa and Dhaka University library, Bangladesh. Salma et al in [3] suggests that the two studied libraries can improve service delivery if they vigorously promote fund raising activities, improve salaries and allowances of the library staff, and speed up and complete the highly advanced computerization of delivered services. Qutab et al in [1] explored the fact that only 52 of the thousands of universities, colleges, and 2|Page schools in Pakistan have their library pages on parent organizations websites, only one public library website was functional, and only eight special library web sites were uploaded, is proof of the lack of interest or awareness of the importance of web-based services in the country. Tiwari in [4] sees automation in nineties as an increasingly divergent issue, in terms of resources, skills and abilities. Over the past few years, library automation has undergone a dramatic shift in direction. Library automation began with in-house processing of traditional task and grew to include the use of computing and telecommunication tools. Now there is a library without walls which uses technology to expand services, resources and relationship between libraries and resources around the world. This virtual library is a reality. A world of digital information is just a keystroke away claims IBM digital library. The future of library automation system will include information kiosks, where people with no computer experience can access information easily. Information scientists will create human computer interfaces and library scientists will manage the resources. Haider et al in [2] explains that barriers to the effective implementation in the libraries of Pakistan are: systematic planning for automation, software and hardware collection, nonexistence of standards, financial limitations, uncertainty and most important lack of willing and competent human resources. In order to resolve the situation, we stress that special attention needs to be paid to: formulation of information policy; creation An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries of popular awareness with regard to technology in library operation; training and development of staff; organization of users educational program for students and teachers; and emphasis on comprehensive planning by individual library to automate the library operations. ? Design and Architecture Flow Chart: Methodology After the thorough analysis of the problems, designing of Library Management System was initiated. SDLC phases were used for the development of this system. Requirements Engineering We decided to create a database that can help organize a library by performing the main functionalities of the normal library. It would be ideal for a library upgrading from a card number. It would also benefit a library where all employee records are still on a paper basis as well including all hire paperwork. There will be main modules of searching, registering and reserving that will be covered in the database in order to accomplish the targeted goal. Fig. 1 depicts one of the modules’, Searching, requirements. The system does not include the functionality of renewing books. Fig. 2 Above given diagram is the main description of the system that after the successful login, both of the users; librarian and student will have their different interfaces for the searching purpose, different but having same functionality. After selecting the subject category, users will be able to search the respective book by its author name and its title, corresponding details will be displayed on the screens. Fig. 3 depicts the original working for it: Fig. 1 Fig. 3 3|Page An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries ? Implementation The designed system was then implemented in Microsoft Visual Studio. Other than searching, main modules of Updating Books and Students information and registration of students are displayed in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. obtained after the Acceptance Testing, that the system was accepted widely by both of its user’s students and librarians and the results showed that they both found it very easy to use. 100% 80% 60% Students 40% 20% 0% Librarians Easy Moderate Difficult Fig. 6 Fig. 4 Fig. shows the results obtained after Automated Testing, the system designed is user friendly and is a desktop system; it will successfully run on any PC and Laptop, other than the ones with LINUX OS. 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% Acceptable Fig. 5 ? Testing After the successful formation of required and designed system, it went through different testing techniques. In Acceptance Testing readiness of system was checked wh ether it is acceptable by users or not, In Compatibility Testing performance of the system was tested in different working conditions and in Automated Testing it was checked whether it is well-matched with different OS or not. Fig. 6 shows the results 4|Page 20% Not Acceptable 0% PCs Laptops LINUX OS Fig. 7 Conclusion From the above discussion it is clear that Pakistan is on its way towards modernization of university libraries in all respect but still requires more efforts to quench the information thirst of their patrons. The system designed is beneficent An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries for all of those libraries, especially for university libraries which still have old paper-card system. This system will be a great initiative for all such libraries, which cannot afford high budget Automated Systems. With this low budget and easily used system, those libraries will be able to have an automated system which would be, for sure very advantageous for the users, either students or the librarians. The testing methods revealed that this system designed is user friendly and its users will be facing no such difficulties in order to operate it. Systematic utilization and categorization of this systems’ budget according to the needs of the respective libraries has also been kept as an important aspect for the achievement of betterment, which is the aim of the system. he University Western Cape Library and Dhaka University Library†. (PhD thesis), (2006). [4] Tiwari Aravind_ â€Å"Evaluation of electronic libraries. † New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation, (2002). [5] Malik Khalid Mahmood_ â€Å"Status of library automation in Pakistan. † PLBXXVI (1), pp. 24-25, (1995). [6] Dilroshan, T. L. Chrishantha_ â€Å"Identification of problems faced by university libraries in the process of automation: with special reference to the libraries of Moratuwa and Colombo Universities. † Sri Lanka Journal of Librarianship and Information Management vol. 1, no. 2. pp 82, (1992). Acknowledgements We acknowledge to every person who gave us something to light our pathway for completion of our desired goal; we truly thank them for believing in us. References [1] Qutab, Saima ; Khalid Mehmood_ â€Å"Library web sites in Pakistan: an analysis of the content†. Emerald, Vol. 43 No. 4 pp. 430-445, (2009). [2] Haider, Jala-ud-Din Syed_ â€Å"Library management scenario ; management problems in Pakistani libraries†. Library Administration ; Management, vol. 21, no. 4, Fall 2007. pp. 173-176, (2007). [3] Chaudry, Salma_ â€Å"The management of academic libraries: a comparative study of 5|Page

Explain how Charles Causley uses literary effects in his poem, The :: English Literature

Explain how Charles Causley uses literary effects in his poem, 'The Cowboy Song. How do they add to the reader's enjoyment? The poet, Charles Causley, and his poem, the Cowboy Song, is about a lonely ghost cowboy. Gradually the poet is telling the reader through the stanzas that the cowboy is died, at 20. The cowboy led a sad life with events like his sister and father fleeing. Charles Causley does this effectively, and this essay is going to explain how the poet uses literary effects like onomatopoeia, alliteration and metaphors, and how these effects add to the reader's enjoyment. To start with, I am going to tell you about the rhythm and rhyme of the poem. The rhythm and rhyme give the poem and sort of fell that makes it fell like a song. We can connect this with the title (Cowboy Song). There is a steady beat of 8,7,11,6 but this may vary slightly in some stanzas. Like in the last stanza it is 7,6,8,6. The rhythm and rhyme actually make the poem quite jolly, though it is a very sad poem!?! It is a big contrast. There is a strong difference and it is there to leave us with a moral. Which infact is the whole poem, and this is what the contrast does. The first stanza is set at nighttime. In this stanza we can see a verity of effects like alliteration, metaphors, similes and the effect you would find in any good poem, rhythm and rhyme. Setting the scene in Salem County, the poet is already hinting at the supernatural. Salem is a place where we associate with witchcraft, ghosts, and unnatural things. One way to back this theory up is a simile, "sweet as an angels feet". Here he is describing the wheat and the effect is that obviously no one can touch or taste an angel's foot, so it makes it odd, and supernatural. The metaphors are 'blue-bone orchard' and 'marmalade moon'. I believe the blue-bone orchard is a graveyard. This is because he is awakening from his grave and it would make sense for someone to get up at the introduction of a poem, and not at the end for example. Also we have 'marmalade moon'. This is possible when the moon is rising or setting. But it is not made of marmalade, however the use of this metaphor gives a jolly effect. Alliteration highlights the words the poet wants you to fell and take in, not just read them. For example, 'zithering zephyrs'. We take this in and think about it better than a simple phrase like 'wind making

Internet Addiction

Internet Addiction The use of the Internet on school campuses and in society has increased dramatically in recent years. Whereas the academic use of the Internet is primarily intended for learning and research, the Internet is primarily intended for learning and research. However, from time to time, cases of over involvement with the Internet have been observed on different campuses. The internet is not a habit. It’s an indelible feature of modern life. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) was originally proposed as a disorder in a satirical hoax by Ivan Goldberg, M. D. , in 1995. He took pathological gambling as diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- IV) as his model for the description of IAD. It is not however included in the current DSM as of 2009. IAD receives coverage in the press and possible future classification as a psychological disorder continues to be debated and researched. Online Activities which, if done in person, would normally be considered troublesome, such as compulsive gambling or shopping, are sometimes called net compulsions. Others, such as reading or playing computer games, are troubling only to the extent that these activities interfere with normal life. Supporters of disorder classification often divide IAD into subtypes by activity, such as excessive viewing of pornography, overwhelming and excessive gaming, inappropriate involvement in online social networking sites or blogging, and internet shopping addiction. One counter argument is that compulsive behaviors may not themselves be addictive (http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder). In some respects, addictive use of the Internet resembles other so-called â€Å"process† addictions, in which a person is addicted to an activity or behavior rather than a substance (mood-altering drugs, tobacco, food, etc). People who develop problems with their Internet use may start off using the Internet on a casual basis and then progress to using the technology in dysfunctional ways. Many people believe that spending large amounts of time on the Internet is a core feature of the disorder. The amount of time by itself, however, is not as important a factor as the ways in which the person’s Internet use is interfering with their daily functioning. Use of the Internet may interfere with the person’s social life, school work, or job-related tasks at work. In addition, cases have been reported of persons entering to be a patient with that disorder in order to get attention or sympathy. Treatment options often mirror those for other addictions. Although only a limited amount of research has been done on this disorder, the treatments that have been used appear to be effective (http://www. inddisorders. com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder. html). Dr. Goldberg pointed out two main characteristics of IA: using the Internet leads to constant distress; and damages physical, interpersonal, social status. People believe IA is just like the drug or cigarette addiction, but the psychiatrists believe it’s just like the gaming addiction. About 83 million Americ ans were connected to Internet in August 1999, by the year 2000 the number of those increased by 12 million. As the number of internet users’ increase, the number of internet addicts increases, and problems it causes. It is a disaster, because we only know a very few about the true nature of the internet addiction and treatment methods. According to statistic research every second internet user is an internet addict, they spend their lives at chats, forums, online games and other internet services. They cut their words and sentences to a couple of letters like AFK, BB, and MU, to save the time for internet searching. The majority of internet addicts are teenagers; people that are just have started their life, which need to stay outdoors as long as it is possible to grow up strong, smart and intelligent. But they spent their time sitting in front of the gleaming monitor, talking to virtual friends about the virtual problems of virtual people whom they have never even seen with their own eyes, and probably never will. They recognize the world through Internet information, written by faceless someone for faceless anyone. When they need a book they never go to library, instead they go to Yandex or Google, write the name of the author and the novel they need and here you go, the digital copy of eternal Dostoevsky’s â€Å"Idiot† minimized from a hundreds of pages to a couple of kilobytes. The glimmer of the monitor leads to the visual impairment, anorexia. Coffee, that helps internet users to keep their selves vigil, causes the stomach upset. It’s an irreversible process that changes the whole nature of human psychic and physic. As you can see the internet addiction is an extremely dangerous disease, and it’s very important to know how to recognize it, in order to help and save those you care about (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/index. html). According to Grohol (1999), si ce the aspects of the Internet where people are spending the greatest amount of time online has to do with social interactions, it would appear that socialization is what makes the Internet so â€Å"addicting†. That’s right—plain old hanging out with other people and talking with them. Whether it’s via e-mail, a discussion form, chat, or a game online (such as MUD), people are spending this time exchanging information, support, and chit-chat with other pe ople just like themselves. Would we ever characterize any time spent in the real world with friends as â€Å"addicting†? Of course not, teenagers talk on the phone for hours on end, with other people they see every day! Do we say they are addicted to the telephone? Of course not, people lose hours at a time, immersed in a book, ignoring friends and family, and often not even picking up the phone when it rings. Do we say they are addicted to the book? Of course not, if some clinicians and researchers are now going to start defining addiction as social interactions, then every real-world social relationship we have is an addictive one. Also, in potential explanations for pathological use, Young (1996) initiated telephone surveys to formally study pathological Internet use (PIU) based upon modified criteria of Pathological Gambling defined in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1995). Case studies showed that Dependents classified used the Internet an average of thirty-eight hours per week for non-academic or non-employment related purposes which caused detrimental effects such as poor grade performance among students, discord among couples, and reduce work performance among employees. This is compared to non-addicts in this study who used the Internet an average of eight hours per week with no significant consequences reported. Subsequent research on PIU based upon a self report determination of addiction was conducted utilizing online survey methods. Brenner (1996) received 185 responses in one month to his online survey regarding behavior patterns associated with the Internet. His survey showed that 17% used the Internet more than 40 hours per week, 58% said that others had complained about their excessive net usage, and 46% indicated getting less than 4 hours of sleep per night due to late night log ins. Egger (1996) received 450 responses to his online survey. Self-professed addicts in this study often looked forward their next net session, felt nervous when offline, lied about their online use, easily lost track of time, and felt the Internet caused problems on their jobs, finances, and socially. Steve Thompson (1996) developed the â€Å"McSurvey† which yielded 104 valid responses. Among respondents to his online survey, 72% felt addicted and 33% felt their internet usage had a negative effect on their lives. Surveys conducted on college campuses (Morhan-Martin, 1997; Scherer, 1997) also supported that students suffered significant academic and relationships impairment due to excessive and uncontrolled Internet usage. Formal Computer/Internet addiction treatment centers have been established at such clinical setting as Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Illinois and Harvard affiliate McLean Hospital in response to the serious impairment caused by PIU. The Internet itself is a term which represents different types of functions that are accessible online. Therefore, before discussing addictive nature of the Internet, one must examine the types of applications being used. When dependents were asked â€Å"What applications do you most utilize on the Internet? †, 35% indicated chat rooms, 28% MUDs, 15% News groups, 13% E-mail, 7% WWW, and 2% Information Protocols (e. g. gopher, ftp, etc. ). Upon examination, traditional information protocols and Web pages were the least utilized among Dependents compared to over 90% of respondents who became addicted to the two way communication functions: chat rooms, MUDs, news groups. Or e-mail. This makes the case that the database searches, while interesting and often times time-consuming are not actual reasons Dependents become addicted to the Internet. Chat rooms and MUDs were the two most utilized mediums which both allow multiple online users to simultaneously communicate in real time; similar to having a telephone conversation except in the form of typed messages. Over 1,000 users can occupy a single virtual area. Text scrolls quickly up the screen with answers, questions, or comments to one another. Privatized messages are another available option which allows only a single user to read message sent. Multi-user Dungeons, more commonly known as MUDs, differ from chat rooms as these are an electronic spin off the old Dungeon and Dragons games where players take on character roles. There are literally hundreds of different MUDs ranging in themes from space battles to medieval duels. In order to log into a MUD, a user maidens or buys weapons in a make believe role playing game (http://www. healthyplace. com/addictions/center-for-internet-addiction-recovery/what-makes-the-internet-addictive/menu-id-1105/page-2/). The initial idea behind the internet started in 1961. However, in 1993 the Internet experienced one of its largest growths and today is accessible and used by people everywhere in the world (http://www. teen-beauty-tips. com/internet-addiction. html). 21st century is distinguished with the high rate of business person. High rate of technical progress demands from us quick reaction on external changes of the world, economy and the way of life. Things that are urgent today become totally unnecessary tomorrow, so it takes much time and powers to keep in line. This constant wild race for new information, new welfare, and for being first leaves us no time for normal life, for going out with our friends, visiting the libraries, visiting our relatives, reading books, news papers, watching films, not only news. We have no time for all that, but we still have a desire to get it, so we’re looking for ways to get it with the minimal loss of time and maximal grant of pleasure. Modern science made it possible. Our dreams became true, we can buy books, films, cloth, visit different countries and our relatives, and reach our friend from the far away without leaving our flats, even without leaving our chairs. We have an Internet. With the help of internet we fill the emptiness inside us, we compensate the lack of communication and attention we need. Internet saves us from the loneliness we feel. We spend too much time working hardly so we have no strength for our pleasures. But we always have time and strength for internet, because it’s fun, informative and easy, it relaxes us. Therefore, it’s just a one side of the medal. With the lapse of time it becomes integral part of our life, you keep thinking about persons you met there, and you have no other connection with, and you’re dying to chat with them again. That’s how it starts. You may say its okay to care about someone, about your friends, and there’s nothing terrible they are just words at the contact list if behind them are real people, people you care about. Of course there’s nothing terrible, if it’s just like you say, but just for a minute try to think over, try to remember lust 6 months of your life. First you used internet to communicate with your friends because you were too exhausted to go out and had no time, but now, I bet, you missed a number of opportunities to go out with your friends in a favor of internet communication, don’t you? I also bet that first there were only those you know in real life at your contact list, and now the number of those hardly reaches 20%. Psychiatrists says that those who are not addict use internet only in order to find necessary information and keep in touch with their friends they knew before, but the addicts constantly surfing internet, without any important reason and multiplies the number of virtual friends they’ve never met in the real life, and never will. Thus, internet is very attractive for person as a way of escaping from the reality through the anonymous interactions, which gives an opportunity to express oneself without risk of being ridicule or misunderstood. It’s an opportunity to bring to life some fantasies and desires with a feedback, and, of course, unlimited access to the information, so called informational necrosadism (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/the_origin_of_internet_addiction. html). The term â€Å"addiction† is borrowed from psychologist’s lexicon, to stress that internet attachment is a problem; it’s not just a hobby or the way to spend time and communicate, and it’s a serious disorder of mind and psychic. Internet is very attractive for teenagers as it’s totally anonymous. Teenagers often have an inferiority complex because of their appearance or other criteria’s, and internet gives them an opportunity to find soul mates, someone to share their feelings and pain with. First it helps them not to feel lonely, but in time it turns them to hermit, and they lose their connection with real world, and may even become maniacs. Some scientists distinguish 5 types of Internet Addiction: Pornography Online games Online Gambling Online Shopping Chat rooms/Virtual dating addiction (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/types_of_internet_addiction. html). Over the past few decades, an immense industry for the production and consumption of pornography has grown, with the increasing use of the VCR, the DVD, and the Internet, as well as the emergence of social attitudes more tolerant of sexual portrayals. Performers in pornography are referred to as pornographic actors (or actresses), or the more commonly known title â€Å"porn star† and are generally seen as qualitatively different from their mainstream counterparts. Amateur pornography has become widely popular and generally distributed via the Internet for free (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pornography). The second addiction is online games. Online games is defined as a common cause if computer addiction. It is consist of multi-player games via the internet. This is where the player assumes a character in the game and plays against other people from all around the world. There are many internet games on the market and some of them have millions upon millions of players worldwide. The majority of the players involved enjoy just a casual game after school, work, or at weekends. A minority, however, have become so addicted, and alarmingly so, that they are spending upwards of 12 hours per day playing the game they are addicted to. Reports have come in that some people have been playing around the clock and not eating or sleeping for days and days because they do not want to leave the computer and the character they are pretending to be (http://ezinearticles. com/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). Moreover, the rising of Flash and Java led to an Internet revolution where websites could utilize streaming video, audio, and a whole new set of user interactivity. When Microsoft began packaging Flash as a pre-installed component of IE, the Internet began to shift from data/information spectrum to also offer on-demand entertainment. This revolution paved by the way for sites to offer games to web surfers. Some online multiplayer games like World of War craft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme. Many other sites relied on advertising revenues from on site sponsors, while others, like RuneScape, let people play for free while leaving the players the option of paying, unlocking new content for the members. After the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, many sites solely relying on advertising revenue dollars faced extreme adversity. Despite the decreasing profitability of online gaming websites, some sites have survived the fluctuating and market by offsetting the advertising revenue loss by using the content as a cross-promotion tool for driving web visitors to other websites that the company owns. The term online gaming in many circles is being strictly defined to describe games that do not involve wagering, although many still use the term online gaming synonymously with online gambling (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Online_game). The third one is, online Gambling. These are possibly the most damaging of all computer addictions. These millions of dollar a year businesses make their money by sucking addicts of their money. The thrill of possible winning by gambling is very real and has never been easier since the onset of online casinos and other forms of online gambling. Serious debts have been incurred by these computer addicts. Some have even lost everything, their family, homes, possessions, and even more extreme, their lives. There are organizations that specifically deal with this kind of computer addiction and they have helped many thousands of people to get rid of this damaging addiction and have been able to give advice on helping to pull their lives back together again (http://ezinearticles. com/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). There are 4 types of Online gambling, these are, online casinos, online sports betting, online bingo and mobile gambling. There are a large number of online casinos, in which people can play casino games such as roulette, blackjack, pachinko, baccarat and many others. These games are played against the â€Å"house†, which makes money due to the fact that the odds are in its favor. Online Sports Betting, bookmakers, spread betting firms and betting exchanges offer a variety of ways to wager over the Internet on the results of sporting events, the most popular being fixed-odds gambling. Online bingo is the game of bingo played on the Internet. Global betting and Gaming consultants estimates the global gross gaming yield of bingo was $0. billion USD in 2006; they forecast it will grow to $1. 0 billion USD by 2010. Unlike balls used in regular bingo halls, online bingo sites use a random number generator. The online bingo play works almost exactly like playing online poker or online casino games with everything being virtual. Most bingo halls also offer links to online poker and casino offerings. One notable feature of online bingo is the chat functionality. Successful online bingo sites foster a sense of community and interaction between players. And lastly, mobile gambling, it refers to gambling done on a remote wirelessly connected device. These devices can include wireless tablet PC’s, mobile phones and other non traditional mid-level networked computing devices. Some online casinos and online poker card rooms offer mobile options. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Online_gambling). The Fourth internet addiction is online shopping, in this kind of addiction comes in the form of many kinds. There is the person who is addicted to buying items from the many online shops. Then there is the person who is addicted to auction type buying. Either one could put a person in debt in a matter of seconds. Just one click the mouse could take money from their credit card and rack up enormous debts. This type of addiction usually starts with small purchases and paying with their credit card. Many small purchases of this kind then add up to many thousands of dollars. The thrill of bidding on an item in an online auction and then overbidding just to win the item (which they may not really want anyway) does cause addiction. Once the item has been bid on and won, a contract has been entered into. A very easy addiction to get into but very hard to get out once the debt has set in (http://ezinearticles. om/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). Furthermore, online shopping is the process of buying goods and services from merchants who sell on the Internet. Since the emergence of the World Wide Web, merchants have sought to sell their products to people who surf the Internet. Shoppers can visit web stores from the comfort of their homes and shop as they sit in front of the computer. Consumer s buy a variety of items from online stores. In fact, people can purchase just about anything from companies that provide their products online. Books, clothing, household appliances, toys, hardware, software, and health insurance are just some of the hundreds of products consumers can buy from an online store (http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-online-shopping. htm). (http://ezinearticles. com/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). Also, Virtual Dating Addiction is a disease of outsiders. One can’t find person with the same interests, passions or views in real life, among schoolmates, so he is looking for them at chats, forums, ICQ. On the one hand it’s normal, it helps not to become a self-contain hermit, but on the other hand person lose connection with the real life. He or she has no need in it anymore, one already have a true friends, who cares they’re just a letters and symbols if they are soul-mates, but in a few month we have the same problem – teenager becomes a hermit (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/types_of_internet_addiction. html). One symptom of Internet addiction is excessive time devoted to Internet use. A person might have difficulty cutting down on his or her online time when they are threatened with poor grades or loss of a job. There have been cases reported of college students failing courses because they would not take time off from Internet use to attend classes. Other symptoms of addiction may include lack of sleep, fatigue, declining grades or poor job performance, apathy, and racing thought. There may also be a decreased investment in social relationships and activities. A person may lie about how much time was spent online or deny that they have a problem. They may be irritable when offline, or angry toward anyone who questions their time on the Internet (http://www. minddisorders. com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder. html). Skipping meals. When you skip a meal just because you’re enjoying what you are doing in front of the computer, your body reacts with what I like to call â€Å"famine mode†. What I mean by that is that our internal workings tell us that we need food to survive, and if we don’t have it we must find it quickly. Even though we, ourselves, know that we can go at anytime of the day to get nutrients. Human nature hasn’t evolved in such a way that we don’t have primal human instincts and going too long without food makes us eat way too much at the next opportunity. Any food that we do eat, after skipping a meal, will be stored as fats so that in the even of another skipped meal (famine) we will be able to fall back on that stored fat for survival. The problem with this stored fat is that we never reach the point that we can burn it off, so it translates on the scales in excess weight. There are three major consequences of skipping a meal: Poor Performance, Foggy Head and Binging (calorie loading). However, stress is another contributor to people skipping meals. Stress hormones can actually stop the feeling of â€Å"hunger†. This doesn’t mean that your body isn’t starving for nutrients (http://www. inchesweightloss. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=85:skipping-meals-is-never-a-good-idea&catid=12:blog&Itemid=82). Working with computers can sometimes be stressful. And dealing with computer stress is really no different than dealing with any other type of stress in life. The more you understand and focus upon the underlying causes computer stress, the better you will fare in trying to cope with it. There are ten (10) common causes of computer related stress: Failing to Anticipate Problems Trying to Get by on the Cheap Failing to Ask for Help Failing to Relate to Stress as Feedback Trying to Cut Corners Unrealistic Expectations Beating Up On Yourself Unnecessarily Conflicts with Other People Failing to Do Your Homework and Compromising Your Own or Other’s Integrity http://stresscure. com/hrn/common. html). Stress symptoms commonly include a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a coping mechanism, and exhaustion, as well as irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physiological reactions such as headache and elevated heart rate (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Stress_(biology))) ). Backache is one of the most common ailments prevalent today. Sedentary living habits, hazardous work patterns and psychological conditions associated with emotional stress, which bring about spasm of the muscles, cause backaches. As the back bears the weight of the entire body, overweight persons feel the strain on the back when they have to carry an extra load. In most cases of backache, the pain is usually felt either in the middle of the back or lower down. It may spread to both sides of the waist and the hips. In a condition of acute pain, the patient is unable to move and is bedridden. About 90% of backache patients suffer from what is called cervical and lumbar spondylosis. It is a degenerative disorder in which the different vertebrae adhere to each other through bony unions. As a result of this, the spine loses its flexibility (http://www. ome-remedies-for-you. com/remedy/Backache. html). On the other hand, Internet Dependency is also one of the signs or symptoms of being an internet addict. Internet Dependency is a term for excessive use of the Internet to the detriment of one’s physical, psychological, social, or vocational well- being. The majority of Americans and virtually all college stud ents now use the Internet as a source of information and entertainment on at least an occasional basis. Most use it on a regular basis without becoming dependent upon it. However, for some, involvement on the internet begins to have serious, negative consequences. When such consequences are minimized or ignored while Internet use increases, Internet dependency is occurring. Excessive Internet use may revolve around chat rooms, pornography; database searches; blogging; gambling; gaming; shopping; or any number of other online activities. As of 2005, it is estimated that 6% of users are Internet dependent. Being too dependent on the internet may also lead us to Tolerance, Withdrawal and Compulsive Use of Internet that may harm ourselves (http://www. villanova. edu/studentlife/counselingcenter/infosheets/psych_topics. htm? page=internet_depend. tm). Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and/or alcohol or not in front of the computer. The individual feels very uncomfortable, obnoxious or irritable if not engaged in the behavior after sometime. Compulsi ve Use or Craving. The individual feels a strong compelling need or urge to engage in the behavior, and thereafter plans for the next opportunity to perform the behavior. About 25% of the people in the world are active Internet users. More than 100 million Facebook users log on at least once per day. Nine blogs are created each minute. As advancements in Internet technology continue to make the world smaller and smaller, new users are plugging into the Net at an unbelievable pace. But what happens when these users are logging too often? Where do you draw the line between harmless and harmful? Many experts today are asking these questions about Internet usage. The internet can be a valuable tool for accessing information, making connections, and maintaining relationships. People all over the world use their cell phones, laptops, and home computers to access the Internet and branch out in all directions on the information superhighway. But for some, one wrong turn changes the Internet from a mode of communication to a medium of compulsion. Of course, this process seems a little extreme for the everyday Internet user. But think about it: have you ever felt that nagging urge to check your email or Facebook on your iPhone right after you checked it on your laptop? Does receiving a new e-mail or stumbling upon a new website put a smile on your face? Sometimes simple daily pleasure like hese can slowly lead to serious compulsive behaviors (http://neuroanthropology. net/2009/05/28/caught-in-the-net-the-internet-compulsion/). Along with all the positive influence of the Internet, there will always be some negative effects on it. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or median neuropathy is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. Symptoms usually start gradually, with pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day, decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In some cases no direct cause of the syndrome can be identified. Most likely the disorder is due to a congenital predisposition – the carpal tunnel is simply smaller in some people than in others. However, the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome especially, common in those performing assembly line work (http://www. ninds. nih. gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tunnel. htm). Dry Eyes Syndrome is a chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture in the eye. Its consequences range from subtle but constant irritation to ocular inflammation of the anterior (front) tissues of the eye. Dry eyes also are described by the medical term, keratitis sicca, which generally means decreased quality or quantity of tears. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca refers to eye dryness affecting the cornea and conjunctiva (http://www. allaboutvision. com/conditions/dryeye. htm). Migraine Headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) that causes the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the large arteries of the brain. Enlargement of these blood vessels stretches the nerves that coil around them and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the arteries magnifies the pain. Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called â€Å"fight or flight† response, and this activation causes many of the symptoms Internet Addiction Internet Addiction The use of the Internet on school campuses and in society has increased dramatically in recent years. Whereas the academic use of the Internet is primarily intended for learning and research, the Internet is primarily intended for learning and research. However, from time to time, cases of over involvement with the Internet have been observed on different campuses. The internet is not a habit. It’s an indelible feature of modern life. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) was originally proposed as a disorder in a satirical hoax by Ivan Goldberg, M. D. , in 1995. He took pathological gambling as diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- IV) as his model for the description of IAD. It is not however included in the current DSM as of 2009. IAD receives coverage in the press and possible future classification as a psychological disorder continues to be debated and researched. Online Activities which, if done in person, would normally be considered troublesome, such as compulsive gambling or shopping, are sometimes called net compulsions. Others, such as reading or playing computer games, are troubling only to the extent that these activities interfere with normal life. Supporters of disorder classification often divide IAD into subtypes by activity, such as excessive viewing of pornography, overwhelming and excessive gaming, inappropriate involvement in online social networking sites or blogging, and internet shopping addiction. One counter argument is that compulsive behaviors may not themselves be addictive (http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder). In some respects, addictive use of the Internet resembles other so-called â€Å"process† addictions, in which a person is addicted to an activity or behavior rather than a substance (mood-altering drugs, tobacco, food, etc). People who develop problems with their Internet use may start off using the Internet on a casual basis and then progress to using the technology in dysfunctional ways. Many people believe that spending large amounts of time on the Internet is a core feature of the disorder. The amount of time by itself, however, is not as important a factor as the ways in which the person’s Internet use is interfering with their daily functioning. Use of the Internet may interfere with the person’s social life, school work, or job-related tasks at work. In addition, cases have been reported of persons entering to be a patient with that disorder in order to get attention or sympathy. Treatment options often mirror those for other addictions. Although only a limited amount of research has been done on this disorder, the treatments that have been used appear to be effective (http://www. inddisorders. com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder. html). Dr. Goldberg pointed out two main characteristics of IA: using the Internet leads to constant distress; and damages physical, interpersonal, social status. People believe IA is just like the drug or cigarette addiction, but the psychiatrists believe it’s just like the gaming addiction. About 83 million Americ ans were connected to Internet in August 1999, by the year 2000 the number of those increased by 12 million. As the number of internet users’ increase, the number of internet addicts increases, and problems it causes. It is a disaster, because we only know a very few about the true nature of the internet addiction and treatment methods. According to statistic research every second internet user is an internet addict, they spend their lives at chats, forums, online games and other internet services. They cut their words and sentences to a couple of letters like AFK, BB, and MU, to save the time for internet searching. The majority of internet addicts are teenagers; people that are just have started their life, which need to stay outdoors as long as it is possible to grow up strong, smart and intelligent. But they spent their time sitting in front of the gleaming monitor, talking to virtual friends about the virtual problems of virtual people whom they have never even seen with their own eyes, and probably never will. They recognize the world through Internet information, written by faceless someone for faceless anyone. When they need a book they never go to library, instead they go to Yandex or Google, write the name of the author and the novel they need and here you go, the digital copy of eternal Dostoevsky’s â€Å"Idiot† minimized from a hundreds of pages to a couple of kilobytes. The glimmer of the monitor leads to the visual impairment, anorexia. Coffee, that helps internet users to keep their selves vigil, causes the stomach upset. It’s an irreversible process that changes the whole nature of human psychic and physic. As you can see the internet addiction is an extremely dangerous disease, and it’s very important to know how to recognize it, in order to help and save those you care about (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/index. html). According to Grohol (1999), si ce the aspects of the Internet where people are spending the greatest amount of time online has to do with social interactions, it would appear that socialization is what makes the Internet so â€Å"addicting†. That’s right—plain old hanging out with other people and talking with them. Whether it’s via e-mail, a discussion form, chat, or a game online (such as MUD), people are spending this time exchanging information, support, and chit-chat with other pe ople just like themselves. Would we ever characterize any time spent in the real world with friends as â€Å"addicting†? Of course not, teenagers talk on the phone for hours on end, with other people they see every day! Do we say they are addicted to the telephone? Of course not, people lose hours at a time, immersed in a book, ignoring friends and family, and often not even picking up the phone when it rings. Do we say they are addicted to the book? Of course not, if some clinicians and researchers are now going to start defining addiction as social interactions, then every real-world social relationship we have is an addictive one. Also, in potential explanations for pathological use, Young (1996) initiated telephone surveys to formally study pathological Internet use (PIU) based upon modified criteria of Pathological Gambling defined in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1995). Case studies showed that Dependents classified used the Internet an average of thirty-eight hours per week for non-academic or non-employment related purposes which caused detrimental effects such as poor grade performance among students, discord among couples, and reduce work performance among employees. This is compared to non-addicts in this study who used the Internet an average of eight hours per week with no significant consequences reported. Subsequent research on PIU based upon a self report determination of addiction was conducted utilizing online survey methods. Brenner (1996) received 185 responses in one month to his online survey regarding behavior patterns associated with the Internet. His survey showed that 17% used the Internet more than 40 hours per week, 58% said that others had complained about their excessive net usage, and 46% indicated getting less than 4 hours of sleep per night due to late night log ins. Egger (1996) received 450 responses to his online survey. Self-professed addicts in this study often looked forward their next net session, felt nervous when offline, lied about their online use, easily lost track of time, and felt the Internet caused problems on their jobs, finances, and socially. Steve Thompson (1996) developed the â€Å"McSurvey† which yielded 104 valid responses. Among respondents to his online survey, 72% felt addicted and 33% felt their internet usage had a negative effect on their lives. Surveys conducted on college campuses (Morhan-Martin, 1997; Scherer, 1997) also supported that students suffered significant academic and relationships impairment due to excessive and uncontrolled Internet usage. Formal Computer/Internet addiction treatment centers have been established at such clinical setting as Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Illinois and Harvard affiliate McLean Hospital in response to the serious impairment caused by PIU. The Internet itself is a term which represents different types of functions that are accessible online. Therefore, before discussing addictive nature of the Internet, one must examine the types of applications being used. When dependents were asked â€Å"What applications do you most utilize on the Internet? †, 35% indicated chat rooms, 28% MUDs, 15% News groups, 13% E-mail, 7% WWW, and 2% Information Protocols (e. g. gopher, ftp, etc. ). Upon examination, traditional information protocols and Web pages were the least utilized among Dependents compared to over 90% of respondents who became addicted to the two way communication functions: chat rooms, MUDs, news groups. Or e-mail. This makes the case that the database searches, while interesting and often times time-consuming are not actual reasons Dependents become addicted to the Internet. Chat rooms and MUDs were the two most utilized mediums which both allow multiple online users to simultaneously communicate in real time; similar to having a telephone conversation except in the form of typed messages. Over 1,000 users can occupy a single virtual area. Text scrolls quickly up the screen with answers, questions, or comments to one another. Privatized messages are another available option which allows only a single user to read message sent. Multi-user Dungeons, more commonly known as MUDs, differ from chat rooms as these are an electronic spin off the old Dungeon and Dragons games where players take on character roles. There are literally hundreds of different MUDs ranging in themes from space battles to medieval duels. In order to log into a MUD, a user maidens or buys weapons in a make believe role playing game (http://www. healthyplace. com/addictions/center-for-internet-addiction-recovery/what-makes-the-internet-addictive/menu-id-1105/page-2/). The initial idea behind the internet started in 1961. However, in 1993 the Internet experienced one of its largest growths and today is accessible and used by people everywhere in the world (http://www. teen-beauty-tips. com/internet-addiction. html). 21st century is distinguished with the high rate of business person. High rate of technical progress demands from us quick reaction on external changes of the world, economy and the way of life. Things that are urgent today become totally unnecessary tomorrow, so it takes much time and powers to keep in line. This constant wild race for new information, new welfare, and for being first leaves us no time for normal life, for going out with our friends, visiting the libraries, visiting our relatives, reading books, news papers, watching films, not only news. We have no time for all that, but we still have a desire to get it, so we’re looking for ways to get it with the minimal loss of time and maximal grant of pleasure. Modern science made it possible. Our dreams became true, we can buy books, films, cloth, visit different countries and our relatives, and reach our friend from the far away without leaving our flats, even without leaving our chairs. We have an Internet. With the help of internet we fill the emptiness inside us, we compensate the lack of communication and attention we need. Internet saves us from the loneliness we feel. We spend too much time working hardly so we have no strength for our pleasures. But we always have time and strength for internet, because it’s fun, informative and easy, it relaxes us. Therefore, it’s just a one side of the medal. With the lapse of time it becomes integral part of our life, you keep thinking about persons you met there, and you have no other connection with, and you’re dying to chat with them again. That’s how it starts. You may say its okay to care about someone, about your friends, and there’s nothing terrible they are just words at the contact list if behind them are real people, people you care about. Of course there’s nothing terrible, if it’s just like you say, but just for a minute try to think over, try to remember lust 6 months of your life. First you used internet to communicate with your friends because you were too exhausted to go out and had no time, but now, I bet, you missed a number of opportunities to go out with your friends in a favor of internet communication, don’t you? I also bet that first there were only those you know in real life at your contact list, and now the number of those hardly reaches 20%. Psychiatrists says that those who are not addict use internet only in order to find necessary information and keep in touch with their friends they knew before, but the addicts constantly surfing internet, without any important reason and multiplies the number of virtual friends they’ve never met in the real life, and never will. Thus, internet is very attractive for person as a way of escaping from the reality through the anonymous interactions, which gives an opportunity to express oneself without risk of being ridicule or misunderstood. It’s an opportunity to bring to life some fantasies and desires with a feedback, and, of course, unlimited access to the information, so called informational necrosadism (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/the_origin_of_internet_addiction. html). The term â€Å"addiction† is borrowed from psychologist’s lexicon, to stress that internet attachment is a problem; it’s not just a hobby or the way to spend time and communicate, and it’s a serious disorder of mind and psychic. Internet is very attractive for teenagers as it’s totally anonymous. Teenagers often have an inferiority complex because of their appearance or other criteria’s, and internet gives them an opportunity to find soul mates, someone to share their feelings and pain with. First it helps them not to feel lonely, but in time it turns them to hermit, and they lose their connection with real world, and may even become maniacs. Some scientists distinguish 5 types of Internet Addiction: Pornography Online games Online Gambling Online Shopping Chat rooms/Virtual dating addiction (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/types_of_internet_addiction. html). Over the past few decades, an immense industry for the production and consumption of pornography has grown, with the increasing use of the VCR, the DVD, and the Internet, as well as the emergence of social attitudes more tolerant of sexual portrayals. Performers in pornography are referred to as pornographic actors (or actresses), or the more commonly known title â€Å"porn star† and are generally seen as qualitatively different from their mainstream counterparts. Amateur pornography has become widely popular and generally distributed via the Internet for free (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pornography). The second addiction is online games. Online games is defined as a common cause if computer addiction. It is consist of multi-player games via the internet. This is where the player assumes a character in the game and plays against other people from all around the world. There are many internet games on the market and some of them have millions upon millions of players worldwide. The majority of the players involved enjoy just a casual game after school, work, or at weekends. A minority, however, have become so addicted, and alarmingly so, that they are spending upwards of 12 hours per day playing the game they are addicted to. Reports have come in that some people have been playing around the clock and not eating or sleeping for days and days because they do not want to leave the computer and the character they are pretending to be (http://ezinearticles. com/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). Moreover, the rising of Flash and Java led to an Internet revolution where websites could utilize streaming video, audio, and a whole new set of user interactivity. When Microsoft began packaging Flash as a pre-installed component of IE, the Internet began to shift from data/information spectrum to also offer on-demand entertainment. This revolution paved by the way for sites to offer games to web surfers. Some online multiplayer games like World of War craft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme. Many other sites relied on advertising revenues from on site sponsors, while others, like RuneScape, let people play for free while leaving the players the option of paying, unlocking new content for the members. After the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, many sites solely relying on advertising revenue dollars faced extreme adversity. Despite the decreasing profitability of online gaming websites, some sites have survived the fluctuating and market by offsetting the advertising revenue loss by using the content as a cross-promotion tool for driving web visitors to other websites that the company owns. The term online gaming in many circles is being strictly defined to describe games that do not involve wagering, although many still use the term online gaming synonymously with online gambling (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Online_game). The third one is, online Gambling. These are possibly the most damaging of all computer addictions. These millions of dollar a year businesses make their money by sucking addicts of their money. The thrill of possible winning by gambling is very real and has never been easier since the onset of online casinos and other forms of online gambling. Serious debts have been incurred by these computer addicts. Some have even lost everything, their family, homes, possessions, and even more extreme, their lives. There are organizations that specifically deal with this kind of computer addiction and they have helped many thousands of people to get rid of this damaging addiction and have been able to give advice on helping to pull their lives back together again (http://ezinearticles. com/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). There are 4 types of Online gambling, these are, online casinos, online sports betting, online bingo and mobile gambling. There are a large number of online casinos, in which people can play casino games such as roulette, blackjack, pachinko, baccarat and many others. These games are played against the â€Å"house†, which makes money due to the fact that the odds are in its favor. Online Sports Betting, bookmakers, spread betting firms and betting exchanges offer a variety of ways to wager over the Internet on the results of sporting events, the most popular being fixed-odds gambling. Online bingo is the game of bingo played on the Internet. Global betting and Gaming consultants estimates the global gross gaming yield of bingo was $0. billion USD in 2006; they forecast it will grow to $1. 0 billion USD by 2010. Unlike balls used in regular bingo halls, online bingo sites use a random number generator. The online bingo play works almost exactly like playing online poker or online casino games with everything being virtual. Most bingo halls also offer links to online poker and casino offerings. One notable feature of online bingo is the chat functionality. Successful online bingo sites foster a sense of community and interaction between players. And lastly, mobile gambling, it refers to gambling done on a remote wirelessly connected device. These devices can include wireless tablet PC’s, mobile phones and other non traditional mid-level networked computing devices. Some online casinos and online poker card rooms offer mobile options. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Online_gambling). The Fourth internet addiction is online shopping, in this kind of addiction comes in the form of many kinds. There is the person who is addicted to buying items from the many online shops. Then there is the person who is addicted to auction type buying. Either one could put a person in debt in a matter of seconds. Just one click the mouse could take money from their credit card and rack up enormous debts. This type of addiction usually starts with small purchases and paying with their credit card. Many small purchases of this kind then add up to many thousands of dollars. The thrill of bidding on an item in an online auction and then overbidding just to win the item (which they may not really want anyway) does cause addiction. Once the item has been bid on and won, a contract has been entered into. A very easy addiction to get into but very hard to get out once the debt has set in (http://ezinearticles. om/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). Furthermore, online shopping is the process of buying goods and services from merchants who sell on the Internet. Since the emergence of the World Wide Web, merchants have sought to sell their products to people who surf the Internet. Shoppers can visit web stores from the comfort of their homes and shop as they sit in front of the computer. Consumer s buy a variety of items from online stores. In fact, people can purchase just about anything from companies that provide their products online. Books, clothing, household appliances, toys, hardware, software, and health insurance are just some of the hundreds of products consumers can buy from an online store (http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-online-shopping. htm). (http://ezinearticles. com/? Types-of-Computer-Addiction&id=551846). Also, Virtual Dating Addiction is a disease of outsiders. One can’t find person with the same interests, passions or views in real life, among schoolmates, so he is looking for them at chats, forums, ICQ. On the one hand it’s normal, it helps not to become a self-contain hermit, but on the other hand person lose connection with the real life. He or she has no need in it anymore, one already have a true friends, who cares they’re just a letters and symbols if they are soul-mates, but in a few month we have the same problem – teenager becomes a hermit (http://www. thelanaddiction. com/types_of_internet_addiction. html). One symptom of Internet addiction is excessive time devoted to Internet use. A person might have difficulty cutting down on his or her online time when they are threatened with poor grades or loss of a job. There have been cases reported of college students failing courses because they would not take time off from Internet use to attend classes. Other symptoms of addiction may include lack of sleep, fatigue, declining grades or poor job performance, apathy, and racing thought. There may also be a decreased investment in social relationships and activities. A person may lie about how much time was spent online or deny that they have a problem. They may be irritable when offline, or angry toward anyone who questions their time on the Internet (http://www. minddisorders. com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder. html). Skipping meals. When you skip a meal just because you’re enjoying what you are doing in front of the computer, your body reacts with what I like to call â€Å"famine mode†. What I mean by that is that our internal workings tell us that we need food to survive, and if we don’t have it we must find it quickly. Even though we, ourselves, know that we can go at anytime of the day to get nutrients. Human nature hasn’t evolved in such a way that we don’t have primal human instincts and going too long without food makes us eat way too much at the next opportunity. Any food that we do eat, after skipping a meal, will be stored as fats so that in the even of another skipped meal (famine) we will be able to fall back on that stored fat for survival. The problem with this stored fat is that we never reach the point that we can burn it off, so it translates on the scales in excess weight. There are three major consequences of skipping a meal: Poor Performance, Foggy Head and Binging (calorie loading). However, stress is another contributor to people skipping meals. Stress hormones can actually stop the feeling of â€Å"hunger†. This doesn’t mean that your body isn’t starving for nutrients (http://www. inchesweightloss. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=85:skipping-meals-is-never-a-good-idea&catid=12:blog&Itemid=82). Working with computers can sometimes be stressful. And dealing with computer stress is really no different than dealing with any other type of stress in life. The more you understand and focus upon the underlying causes computer stress, the better you will fare in trying to cope with it. There are ten (10) common causes of computer related stress: Failing to Anticipate Problems Trying to Get by on the Cheap Failing to Ask for Help Failing to Relate to Stress as Feedback Trying to Cut Corners Unrealistic Expectations Beating Up On Yourself Unnecessarily Conflicts with Other People Failing to Do Your Homework and Compromising Your Own or Other’s Integrity http://stresscure. com/hrn/common. html). Stress symptoms commonly include a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a coping mechanism, and exhaustion, as well as irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physiological reactions such as headache and elevated heart rate (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Stress_(biology))) ). Backache is one of the most common ailments prevalent today. Sedentary living habits, hazardous work patterns and psychological conditions associated with emotional stress, which bring about spasm of the muscles, cause backaches. As the back bears the weight of the entire body, overweight persons feel the strain on the back when they have to carry an extra load. In most cases of backache, the pain is usually felt either in the middle of the back or lower down. It may spread to both sides of the waist and the hips. In a condition of acute pain, the patient is unable to move and is bedridden. About 90% of backache patients suffer from what is called cervical and lumbar spondylosis. It is a degenerative disorder in which the different vertebrae adhere to each other through bony unions. As a result of this, the spine loses its flexibility (http://www. ome-remedies-for-you. com/remedy/Backache. html). On the other hand, Internet Dependency is also one of the signs or symptoms of being an internet addict. Internet Dependency is a term for excessive use of the Internet to the detriment of one’s physical, psychological, social, or vocational well- being. The majority of Americans and virtually all college stud ents now use the Internet as a source of information and entertainment on at least an occasional basis. Most use it on a regular basis without becoming dependent upon it. However, for some, involvement on the internet begins to have serious, negative consequences. When such consequences are minimized or ignored while Internet use increases, Internet dependency is occurring. Excessive Internet use may revolve around chat rooms, pornography; database searches; blogging; gambling; gaming; shopping; or any number of other online activities. As of 2005, it is estimated that 6% of users are Internet dependent. Being too dependent on the internet may also lead us to Tolerance, Withdrawal and Compulsive Use of Internet that may harm ourselves (http://www. villanova. edu/studentlife/counselingcenter/infosheets/psych_topics. htm? page=internet_depend. tm). Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and/or alcohol or not in front of the computer. The individual feels very uncomfortable, obnoxious or irritable if not engaged in the behavior after sometime. Compulsi ve Use or Craving. The individual feels a strong compelling need or urge to engage in the behavior, and thereafter plans for the next opportunity to perform the behavior. About 25% of the people in the world are active Internet users. More than 100 million Facebook users log on at least once per day. Nine blogs are created each minute. As advancements in Internet technology continue to make the world smaller and smaller, new users are plugging into the Net at an unbelievable pace. But what happens when these users are logging too often? Where do you draw the line between harmless and harmful? Many experts today are asking these questions about Internet usage. The internet can be a valuable tool for accessing information, making connections, and maintaining relationships. People all over the world use their cell phones, laptops, and home computers to access the Internet and branch out in all directions on the information superhighway. But for some, one wrong turn changes the Internet from a mode of communication to a medium of compulsion. Of course, this process seems a little extreme for the everyday Internet user. But think about it: have you ever felt that nagging urge to check your email or Facebook on your iPhone right after you checked it on your laptop? Does receiving a new e-mail or stumbling upon a new website put a smile on your face? Sometimes simple daily pleasure like hese can slowly lead to serious compulsive behaviors (http://neuroanthropology. net/2009/05/28/caught-in-the-net-the-internet-compulsion/). Along with all the positive influence of the Internet, there will always be some negative effects on it. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or median neuropathy is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. Symptoms usually start gradually, with pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day, decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In some cases no direct cause of the syndrome can be identified. Most likely the disorder is due to a congenital predisposition – the carpal tunnel is simply smaller in some people than in others. However, the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome especially, common in those performing assembly line work (http://www. ninds. nih. gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tunnel. htm). Dry Eyes Syndrome is a chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture in the eye. Its consequences range from subtle but constant irritation to ocular inflammation of the anterior (front) tissues of the eye. Dry eyes also are described by the medical term, keratitis sicca, which generally means decreased quality or quantity of tears. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca refers to eye dryness affecting the cornea and conjunctiva (http://www. allaboutvision. com/conditions/dryeye. htm). Migraine Headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) that causes the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the large arteries of the brain. Enlargement of these blood vessels stretches the nerves that coil around them and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the arteries magnifies the pain. Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called â€Å"fight or flight† response, and this activation causes many of the symptoms

Apple Continuing to Flourish in a Down Economy Essay...

The recent economic crisis has the world is shambles. The real estate market has seen the lowest values and large amount of foreclosures. Wall Street has fallen apart and many people have lost their life savings. Throughout this great ordeal Apple Inc. has stayed afloat. They have been able to hit record numbers in sales, both domestically and internationally. Apple’s upper management has been inventive and has been proactively trying to make sure Apple continues to grow. Steve Jobs, who is mostly known for Apples success, has been constantly working on being the best company out there. They not only try to rule their industry, they also strive to be known as the most inventive company with the sharpest staff. In these economic times†¦show more content†¦Apple is one who believes in education and that is proven by how much they invest in it. They not only hire right out of college but they also donate large amounts to the schools they believe, hold interest in their c ompany. Apple has believed that in order to have the newest technological innovations that they need to have the ripest, sharpest talent. Their biggest advocate is Harvard, where Steve jobs holds quarterly town hall meetings with the students. It is ironic that the students are the ones who are pouring the most into this company economically that is. In this back-to-school season, college kids are buying Macs in numbers never seen before. A recent survey by Student Monitor, a New Jersey outfit that tracks the buying habits of college students, found that 13% of all undergrads expect to buy a new notebook this fall. Of those, 43% say they plan to get a MacBook or MacBook Pro, nearly double those who said they expected to get a Dell notebook, and seven times as many as those who plan to buy from HP, says Eric Weil, the firms managing partner. While students prefer Dell for desktop a computer, that’s small consolation: Students favor notebooks over desktops by a factor of nearly 5 to 1† (Hesseldahl, 2008). The students support Apple and like the fact that they have the newest ideas and the most appealing notebooks. Apple has found numerous ways to innovate tangible things but that is not only it, they also take time to mold thoseShow MoreRelatedHow the Internet Changed the Music Industry Essay example1338 Words   |  6 Pages(Amazon.com, Inc., 2011). The Cloud Drive helps to ensure safety of purchases as well as the continued availability of the MP3 regardless of any hardware malfunction. By allowing access to the Cloud Drive in a native application for both Android and Apple products over 35 million Americans can buy new music and stream it anywhere there is an Internet connection. Amazon’s MP3 store also includes the ability for users to comment on albums and songs. 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