Saturday, August 22, 2020

Computer-Based Instruction Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

PC Based Instruction - Term Paper Example This CBI innovation was further developed from the one that was utilized at first being utilized in the military and was contained video circle players that had been consolidated with PCs. Multi decade later, the video plates were supplanted by the CD-ROM that prompted the presentation of a CBI innovation that empowered the creation of great video and sound portions that were profoundly convincing. CBI has demonstrated to be a powerful strategy for learning and educating in any event, during those bygone eras when the innovation was essential and utilizing videodisks. There have been different examinations that have been directed basically to determine the adequacy of this preparation procedures. Fletcher (1990) and Kulik (1994) examine contemplates are named to be among the most eminent investigations on this subject since they completed in various settings like military preparing and instruction focuses. As per the vast majority of these investigations, PC based guidance has been demonstrated to be increasingly powerful and less expensive contrasted with the regular preparing methods. Comparative discoveries were affirmed by an examination that was led by Kulik (1998) that included dissecting 97 investigations that were contrasting various classes whereby some were utilizing CBI with others applying the customary procedures of educating In any case, the main detailed utilization of the Computer Based Instruction was made in 9157with the principal effective utilization of PC based guidance and specifically mixed media conveyance gadget being presented in the mid 1980s (Shlechter, 1991).

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

21 Ways to Play with Words

21 Ways to Play with Words Have you heard how time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana? Or what about American Comedian George Carlins advice to Dont sweat the petty things and dont pet the sweaty things?Both are examples of what is known as recreational linguistics or logologyâ€"essentially, its playing with words for fun, and there are few things more enjoyable for writers. In Tom Stoppards absurdist and metatheatrical tragicomedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Rosencrantz asks, What are you playing at? To which, his companion replies, Words, words. Theyre all we have to go on.To that end, here are 21 ways to play with words when your writing calls for a bit of wit.Playing is fun, and there are few things more enjoyable for writers than playing with words. Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash.AmbigramsAn ambigram is a word or artistic representation that can be viewed or interpreted from a different direction, perspective, or orientation. This website shows over 40 ambigrams, including r otational ambigrams, mirror-image ambigrams, and chain style ambigrams.AnagramsTo create an anagram, youll need to rearrange the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase. For example, the letters in debit card can be rearranged to read bad credit. Iconic American singer Jim Morrison is an anagram for Mr. Mojo Risin. Anagrams were important elements in Dan Browns bestselling novel The DaVinci Code, when the main character discovers that O, Draconian devil! is an anagram for Leonardo Da Vinci, Oh, lame saint! is an anagram for The Mona Lisa, and So dark the con of Man is an anagram for Madonna of the Rocks.AptronymsWhen someone bears an aptronym, it means they have a name that is considered to be amusingly appropriate to their occupation. Some examples include William Headline, who was a bureau chief for CNN, and Amy Freeze, a meteorologist. There was also Stuart Fell, who was a BBC stunt coordinator and Thomas Crapper, who manufactured Victorian toilets.BackronymsB ackronyms are phrases that are constructed to spell out a certain word or acronym to create a reverse acronym. With an acronym, the phrase comes first. With a backronym, the word comes first. For example, when 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered in Texas in 1996, the call that went out was referred to as an Amber alert. Later, the program became known as Americas Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, making Amber a backronym.Blends/portmanteauA blend or portmanteau is created by merging the sounds and meanings of two or more words. Some common examples are brunch (a blend of breakfast and lunch), chocaholic (a blend of chocolate and alcoholic), and glamping (glamour and camping).ContronymsA contronym is a word that evokes contradictory or reverse meanings depending on the context. Specifically, a contronym is a word with a homonym (another word with the same spelling but different meaning) that is also an antonym (a word with the opposite meaning). For example, the word screen can have two different definitions that are opposite the other, depending on context. The first definition is to protect or conceal, as in sunscreen or wearing a hat to screen ones face from the sun. The second definition is to show or broadcast a movie or TV episode. In this definition, we might go to a theater downtown that will screen a new movie. The first definition insinuates hiding while the second insinuates showing, and they are therefore opposite.Double entendreA double entendre is the purposeful use of a word that involves a second meaning, which is usually indelicate, bawdy, or racy. For example, in the film Silence of the Lambs, the cannibalistic Hannibal Lecter said, I do wish we could chat longer, but… Im having an old friend for dinner. Bye. In this case, there are two meanings to having a friend over for dinnerâ€"one in which youre simply inviting a friend to join you for dinner, and the other being that your friend is your dinner (which is the meaning Dr. Lecter intended).EggcornAn eggcorn is a word or phrase that is mistakenly used for another word or phrase because it sounds similar and seems logical or plausible. Examples include old-timers disease instead of Alzheimers disease or lip singing instead of lip syncing.EponymsAn eponym is a person, place, or thing after whom or after which something is named, or believed to be named. The adjectives derived from eponym are eponymous and eponymic. For example, the Greek hero Achilles is the eponym for an Achilles heel. Ones signature is often referred to as a John Hancock, named after John Hancock, was one of the signers of the Declarations of Independence who had a unique signature.InaptronymsIf your name is in ironic opposition to what or who you are, then it is an inaptronym. For example, the only member who didnt have a beard in the American rock group ZZ Top was Frank Beard. Another example would be the infamous white supremacist named Don Black or Samuel Foote, an actor who l ost his leg in a horseback-riding accident.IsogramsAn isogram is a logological term for a word or phrase without a repeating letter. It can also mean a word phrase in which each letter appears the same number of times. Some examples of isograms include customizable, lexicography, unforgivable, and imprudently.LipogramsA lipogram is writing a word or phrase that purposefully excludes a letter of the alphabet. For example, The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog uses every letter of the alphabet except s. A longer example is Fate of Nassan, an anonymous poem written pre-1870, in which each stanza is a lipogrammatic pangram using every letter of the alphabet except e.Bold Nassan quits his caravan,A hazy mountain grot to scan;Climbs jaggy rocks to find his way,Doth tax his sight, but far doth stray.Not work of man, nor sport of childFinds Nassan on this mazy wild;Lax grow his joints, limbs toil in vainâ€"Poor wight! why didst thou quit that plain?Vainly for succour Nassan calls;Kno w, Zillah, that thy Nassan falls;But prowling wolf and fox may joyTo quarry on thy Arab boy.Fate of NassanMalaprop/MalapropismsA malaprop is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is when Former Texas Governor Rick Perry described states as lavatories of innovation and democracy instead of laboratories of innovation and democracy. Another example is saying for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes.MondegreenA mondegreen is a misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing of the lyrics of a song. A common example is when Jimi Hendrix sang, Scuse me while I kiss the sky, it was misheard by many as Scuse me while I kiss this guy. Another classic example is The Ramones, singing I wanna be sedated, which came across sounding like I wanna piece of bacon.OxymoronAn oxymoron is a figure of speech containing words that seem to contradict eac h other. Its often referred to as a contradiction in terms. Some examples are:Act naturallyAlone togetherAmazingly awfulBittersweetClearly confusedDark lightDeafening silenceDefinitely maybeFarewell receptionGrowing smallerJumbo shrimpOnly choiceOpen secretOriginal copyPainfully beautifulPassive aggressiveRandom orderSmall crowdSweet sorrowTrue mythWalking deadWeirdly normalPalindromesA palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of characters that reads the same backward as forward. Some examples include: dammit Im mad and do geese see god. Another example from literature is taken from Leigh Mercer, and reads: A Man, A Plan, A Canal â€" Panama!PangramsPangrams are words or sentences that contain every letter of the alphabet at least once. The most common example is A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.ParaprosdokianA paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the end of the sentence or phrase is not whats expected, causing the listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. Mostly, youll find that it is done for humorous effect, which is why comedians use it a lot.If I agreed with you, wed both be wrong.â€"Attributed to Sir Winston Churchill.Behind every great man theres a woman, rolling her eyes.â€"Jim Carreys character in the movie Bruce AlmightyWar does not determine who is right ... only who is left.â€"Often (and probably mistakenly) attributed to Bertrand Russell, the 20th century British philosopher and mathematician.PunA pun is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.Some example puns are:Santa Claus helpers are known as subordinate Clauses.She had a photographic memory but never developed it.The two pianists had a good marriage. They always were in a chord.I was struggling to figure out how lightning works, but then it struck me.The grammarian was very logical. He had a lot of comma sense.What do you call a person rabid with wordpl ay? An energizer punny.Ive been to the dentist many times so I know the drill.SemordnilapsA semordnilaps is a word that makes sense when spelled backwards but takes on a different meaning. An example is Oprah Winfreys Harpo Studios. Other examples are desserts and stressed or live and evil.SpoonerismsA spoonerism is a play on words in which letters or syllables get swapped. An example is the famous George Carlin quote, Dont sweat the petty things and dont pet the sweaty things, or the NOFX album Punk In Drublic, which is a spoonerism of the legal offense of being drunk in public.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Analysis Of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry By Ralph Waldo Emerson

When thinking of an American poet a person’s first thought will be of Walt Whitman. This is no accident or act of fate. Whitman purposely aimed to become a True Poet for America, as described by Ralph Waldo Emerson’sâ€Å"The Poet†. He did this through his elements and themes of his poetry which transformed him into an eternal man, and speaker of all people. Whitman’s poem â€Å"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry† not only portrays these aspects of him but also shows how he is a Transcendentalist through the themes of time, human connectivity, and beauty. In â€Å"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry† time is an important theme. Time is constantly moving forward and flowing like the river. Nothing can stop it and it is what divides people from the rest of their fellow humanity. The ferry represents Whitman in which it is the only thing that can go back and forth across the river to allow ideas to be shared and people to connect. Whitman recognizes that everyone is joined by certain ideas and ideals and because of this his work will remain everlasting since it will always be relevant to the human soul. In this poem Whitman tries to persuade the reader that there are more things that connect humans than divide them. He also wants to reassure the reader that they are not alone and that he is â€Å"...with you and know how/ it is† (Whitman 3.3) Even something as massive as time cannot severe human bonds because it is the universality of human experience and ideas that create them. The True Poet is also an eternal man,

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Creative Writing Mrs. Burnage Essay - 1090 Words

Until today, I remembered my visits to Mrs. Burnages house fondly. The neighborhood I lived in was small, with only ten houses on the whole street. Each house was placed far apart with everyone having at least three acres of property. Our house was at one end of the road, and Mrs. Burnages was at the other. Mrs. Burnage was a sweet lady, probably in her late 50s when my three sisters, Jason Adams (another younger kid in the neighborhood), and I would go visit her. I visited her from ages eight to thirteen. Mrs. Burnage didnt have children of her own; she wasnt able to, according to my mom. So she loved it when we would come over, and we did too. Even though she didnt have any of her own kids, her house was a childs dream. When you†¦show more content†¦We would shriek with laughter as we slid down and splashed into the pool. And even though Jason was six years younger than I was, we bonded by tormenting my sisters. Wed pretend that we were alligators and sneak up behind or even underneath my sisters, chomp on their legs with our arms, and make them squeal. Wed call after them as they swam away, Alligators always eat squealing pigs! and laugh our heads off. Mrs. Burnage would prepare us lemonade, sit on the poolside lounge, and often played The Beach Boys on her boom box. She was always watching us, smiling. When I was thirteen, Jason ran away from home. We had always talked about running away and had even made maps of where we would go. We built a fort in the woods out of fallen limbs and rocks. We even had made a roof using bark and moss for shingles in case it rained. When he finally did run away, he left a note telling his parents why (They didnt let him play Nintendo on weeknights). I was upset that he didnt invite me. When he ran away, he left with only his favorite red hoodie and blue jeans, his backpack, some granola bars, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had figured that he ran away to our fort, but when I went down to the fort, he wasnt there. He never came back home, and his parents never found him, nor did they ever find his body. They moved out of the neighborhood shortly thereafter. I dont think they could stand being where there were so many

Technology and Modern World Free Essays

Technology is currently taking over our modern world. Just a few years ago flying cars was something we only saw in a futuristic universe on a movie screen, but now, technology like this seems to be right around the corner for society. We are constantly advancing our technology to cater to our wants and needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Technology and Modern World or any similar topic only for you Order Now We are gaining more and more knowledge as we advance and move forward with technology. Even children are becoming smarter from this technology, but would anyone ever guess this could be because of video games? Studies show that video games could improve a person’s intelligence and possibly lead to the solving of some of the world’s problems. Of course, the world’s problems today are extremely drastic and complex in today’s society, but what if gaming could change all that? According to Jane McGonigal, a game developer, it is far less improbable than it may seem. She believes that gamers can use their creativity and ideas to change and possibly save the planet. McGonigal’s work was deemed as one of the â€Å"Top 20 Breakthrough Ideas† by HBR as well as â€Å"#1 Bright Idea of the Year† by Brandweek. She has worked hard on discovering ways in which to prove this topics importance. At the World Innovation Forum in 2012 she spoke of her innovative idea, she stated that there are one billion people that play games for at least an hour a day and gave valid statistics of the popularity of certain games. This shows the large amount of people with very creative capabilities in the world today, including young children. Gamers are proven to be capable of solving real world problems easier than those who neglect the hobby. Overall, gaming is deemed important and several studies show that gamers could lead to solving the world’s problems with their ideas and inventions in the future. The Book â€Å"Can Digital Games Help Seniors Improve their Quality of Life?† by Sauvà © L., Renaud L., Kaufman D. and Duplà  a E. provides information how not only children, but it is proven that already full-grown adults can learn and play digital games that could possibly influence both their health condition and their ability to carry on activities in their environment. The study that was provided with this idea consists of a goal to explore and define the user requirements for developing digital games of learning among older Europeans. This focused mainly on types of learning games, motivational and social aspects, and the preferences and views people may have on game controllers. An experiment was performed in the initial stage which included a qualitive focus group study of people in the countries of Spain, The Netherlands, and Greece. In this group games existing in the market and others that were developed and created as other European Commission projects were also included and presented to them. Both games were presented on video presentations and there was a possibility that some of these games were also provided to be able to be tested out as well. From this experiment, it was found that the causes or main keys to adults desiring to play these digital games was challenge, fun, escape from daily routine, socialization and the providing of learning opportunities. These learning opportunities and attractive qualities to these games could lead to better creative thinking and the more they are played due to their addictive qualities, the better thinkers these gamers become. These game users describe themselves with characteristics such as active and participating in many leisure activities. This level of activity the subjects describe appeared to be related with the contents which are proposed for videogames such as physical activity, culture, arts, history, geography, traveling, human sciences, daily life skills, etc. This knowledge and information gathered and interpreted from focus groups can and will be used as input for the design of a learning game that will be largely compatible with the needs and abilities of a wide range of the older Europeans. The New York Times wrote an article on the statements and questions of experts who have played the videogames that Americans have spent ten thousand hours playing by the age of twenty-one. Edward Castronova, a professor of telecommunications at Indiana University, provides information that, â€Å"Gamers are engaged, focused and happy. How many employers wish they could say that about even a tenth of their work force?† Castronova has also studied and designed games online and goes on to state that there are similarities between the activities in games and the activities done at the work place. He states, â€Å"Many activities in games are not very different from work activities. Look at information on a screen, discern immediate objectives, choose what to click and drag.† A well-known and credited game designer and researcher at the Institute for the Future, Jane McGonigal, sums up this new arisen argument in her book, â€Å"Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.† Her book basically provides the encouragement as well as the persuasion for designers to aim higher with games that could solve scientific problems and possibly promote happiness in daily life.In the way distant past even, the emperor Charlemagne called a scholar who then gathered puzzles and games to challenge the young minds of the century at the time. Even the British during the less distant past credited their victory over Napoleon to the intelligence games played on the fields of Eton. When the time eventually came to the age in which intellectual games went digital the activity was denounced as â€Å"escapism† and an â€Å"addiction.† This was due to the fact that industry’s revenues rivaled Hollywood’s at the time. This time was also when children and adults gradually started to become more and more absorbed in these games and soon they even forsook television. This caused for gaming’s unhealthy and troublesome reputation that has carried on over through the years, even up to present day. But meanwhile, at this time a group of researchers seemed to be more interested and occupied in understanding why players had become this focused and absorbed into the games they played in the first place. Gamers seemed to be achieving a certain state of â€Å"flow† that psychologists had used to describe championship athletes as well as master musicians. Except with gamers, this flow did not take years of training to accomplish. Nicole Lazzaro, game-design consultant and president of XEODesign, conducted an experiment or study in which she recorded the faces of those who were playing video games to take note of their facial expressions. She also planned to interview the gamer as well as their family and friends to find the important and crucial factors provided within a good game. â€Å"Hard fun† was a factor that was said to be important to be included in an entertaining game. â€Å"Hard fun† is described by Ms. Lazzaro as conquering and surpassing obstacles to reach an end goal. Even games and puzzles of older design had this attractive factor to them that gamers enjoyed. But the difference is that with video games, they now provide instant feedback and continual encouragement from the technology used, as well as fellow gamers. Most games provide video gamers with rewards using a steady and constant system throughout the entirety of the experience. As they progress in gaining more points and reaching higher levels, the challenges faced increase in difficulty as the players experience with the game as well as their skill with it increases. This causes for motivation and determination to defeat and progress the game despite the repetitive failing included in the experience. Dr. McGonigal has worked constantly on using this feeling and vibe from games for good in the real world. She has designed Cruel 2 B Kind. This is a game in which players advance by being nice and showing kindness to strangers located in public places. It has been played in more than 50 cities on four continents and has only had a positive impact overall. There are also other games and websites like Cruel 2 B Kind that improve peoples mood as well as actions and interactions with others. There is a massive number of positives to video gaming as well as this type of interaction that occurs between people. As we improve our technology further we are also improving the quality of video games and their positive influences and impacts on not only children, but adults as well. Hopefully as we continue to progress, the purposes of video games will contain more importance as well as unique and critical lessons and knowledge for all. But for now, video games are positively and greatly affecting our world and will hopefully continue doing so for generations to come. How to cite Technology and Modern World, Papers

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Marketing Myopia Essay Example

Marketing Myopia Paper Marketing Management I Assignment 1 Marketing Myopia Myopia refers to nearsightedness or shortsightedness. Marketing myopia refers to the myopia shrouding the vision of certain companies or industries. It occurs when the company/industry focuses mainly on selling its products and services, instead of paying attention to the needs of the consumers. They concentrate their efforts on selling, instead of marketing their product. They tend to ignore the adage, â€Å"the Customer is King†, which more often than not results in disastrous consequences. The concept of Marketing Myopia is applicable to Indian companies as well. Many Indian companies historically have failed to define their purpose from the consumers’ point of view. These firms have focused more on producing their goods and services and then finding customers to sell them to, instead of getting to know the consumers’ needs and then producing goods to meet those needs. The situation was made worse by the licensing era and closed Indian economy till 1991, which led to little competition for firms. This resulted in customers having to buy products of only those companies, which created a high demand for their products. One Indian company that suffered from marketing myopia and paid a heavy price for it is Hindustan Motors (HM). It was founded in 1942 by Mr. B. M. Birla, and was the producer of the Ambassador and the Contessa cars. Hindustan Motors: The History The Ambassador began production in 1958, and was based on the Morris Oxford, a British car. It was an extremely popular car in the Indian market for several decades. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Myopia specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Myopia specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Myopia specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It had a constantly growing market, initially due to the prestige associated with the car, and later due to the growing affluence of the population, and was helped by the fact that its only rival till 1983 was the Premier Padmini. There was a long waiting period to acquire an Ambassador, and the company was reaping huge profits, without having to focus on consumer needs. Also, Hindustan Motors did not invest money in RD and did not try to improve its cars’ features. . There was a ready market for their product, and they just had to produce their car for it to be sold. 983: Maruti Suzuki enters the market However, the situation changed n 1983, with the introduction of the Maruti 800 by Maruti Suzuki. Consumers now had another car to choose from, and the 800 was like a breath of fresh air in the Indian automobile industry. It ate into a huge chunk of the Ambassador’s market share, as Indians now preferred this feature-packed family car. Hindustan Motors did take some init iative to ward off the threat posed by the Maruti 800 by launching its own luxury car, the Contessa, in 1983. It included a number of high-end features, and was targeted at affluent buyers looking for a luxury option. In addition, HM were also helped by the fact that the Ambassador was the only Indian car with a Diesel variant. During that time, the difference between the price of Petrol and Diesel was significant, and a lot of price-sensitive consumers preferred it to the 800. Due to its spacious size, it also became a popular choice amongst taxi operators. Lastly, a very significant market for the Ambassador was the Government. It was the first choice for most bureaucrats, and the Government accounted for over 16% of the total sales. These factors combined to mitigate the effect of the introduction of the Maruti 800 in the Indian market. 1991: The beginning of the end In 1991, the Indian economy was liberalized, and the Indian markets were opened for Foreign Direct Investment. In due course, a number of new automobile companies entered the market, and the consumers had a lot of options to choose from. The pursuers now became the pursued, and foreign companies supplied better cars at cheaper prices. These cars were packed with features, and the parents companies put in efforts to market their products in a new market. All these factors were missing in the Ambassador and the Contessa, and the money-wielding consumers gladly shifted base to other brands. Where Hindustan Motors lost the plot As discussed by Theodore Levitt, Hindustan Motors made the grave error of taking its customers for granted. They were under the belief that their growth was assured by an expanding and more affluent population, and belief that there is no competitive substitute for the car industry. These conditions were coupled with the fact that the Indian economy pre-liberalization did not have major rivals for them within the industry, and that the Ambassador was the vehicle of choice for Government officials. Over the course of 5 decades, the Ambassador was never changed drastically. There were only cosmetic changes made to the car, and from 1958 till 2000, only 3 upgrades were made. The company never tried to keep up with the changing market environment by varying the looks of its cars, or offering better features that might attract customers by choice and not due to a lack of choice. Hindustan Motors also made the surprising decision of not varying their price to increase sales. Currently, the price of the Ambassador starts at Rs. 4. 2 lakhs, which is sufficient to buy a feature-packed and trendier sedan offered by other companies. There are also several hatchbacks being made available to the consumers at cheaper prices. Hence, even today, the company is not focusing on the needs of the Indian consumer, who are sensitive to price, mileage, features and status. Hindustan Motors has also been dealt a huge blow by the shifting of allegiance on the part of the taxi operators, and Government officials. Government officials started shifting to better and safer cars ever since Atal Bihari Vajpayee started using a BMW 7-Series Sedan as his official car as Prime Minister. HM has lost a huge chunk of its customers, since they failed to focus on their needs, and adapt accordingly. They could have leveraged on their history of being the unofficial car provider to the Indian Government by coming up with new models that would satisfy their needs. Taxi operators have also moved on to the Tata Indica and Toyota Innovas to provide better service to their consumers. They stopped production of the Contessa in 2002 following low demand, and it seems like the Ambassador will be going down the same path soon at this rate. The decision by HM to continue production of the Ambassador and not invest in RD to launch a new car has been a surprising one. That being said, one positive step that HM has taken has been to enter into a Joint Venture with Mitsubishi in 1998 in India. However, in our opinion, the Mitsubishi brand is more apparent to the consumers, and most people do not know about the JV. Hence, Hindustan Motors have failed to respond to the consumer needs and market changes. Globally, cars like the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Beetle, Buick Regal have been in the market for decades, and have adapted to the customer and industry demands to have strong sales figures even today. Closer to home, the Maruti 800 also managed to attract new customers over the years by keeping itself relevant in the market. Hindustan Motors have unfortunately been unable to capitalize on their brand value, and the automobile giant of yesteryears has now been reduced to a miserable entity in the current car market.