Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Implementation Of Incremental Development Process

incremental development process makes it the opposite to the rigid requirement needs of the Waterfall method. Agile methodologies are open to change as the project starts and progresses. The contrasting requirements need of the two methodologies, is one of the main contrast points in today’s project life cycle processes. There is a constant struggle between the two processes even in today’s business landscape. I have worked at Google as a program manager - mobile and after Google, I worked at a satellite manufacturing company called Space Systems Loral. The former is a software company and latter is a hardware company. At Google, they have embraced agile methodologies for software development, as the company is very progressive in nature. They are also very open to feedback from their users, and therefore agile allows them to take in product suggestions and address users’ needs with no predetermined rigid requirements from clients or users for initial requ irements. Work is done in mini project or sprints format and when there is a need to shift directions, everything already worked on is scrapped if not necessary, and then a complete reset occurs. Since the project’s initial framework is not known at the time the project starts, the final product can deviate drastically from what was initially envisioned. At Space Systems Loral, being that it is a hardware satellite manufacturing company, they inherently have to adopt the waterfall methodology for their needs.Show MoreRelatedSystem Development Life Cycle ( Sdlc ) Methodologies1448 Words   |  6 Pagesmanagers are now using to make and implement decisions (Alter, 1976). In today’s businesses, systems development is a process of examining a business situation to analyze better procedures and methods to stay competitive. System development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies are promoted as means of improving the management and control of the software development process , structuring and simplifying the process by specifying activities to be done and techniques to be used (Russo, 1995). Every businessesRead MoreProject Pluto Will Adopt The Incremental Build Model Essay1725 Words   |  7 Pagesadopt the Incremental-build model to deliver the required objectives. It is a build-test-demonstrate model of iterative development in which frequent demonstrations of progress and verification and validation of work to date are emphasized. Business requirements are allocated to various elements of the software architecture, and the architecture is partitioned into a prioritized sequence of builds. Each build adds new capabilities to the incrementally growing product. The Incremental-build modelRead MoreNotes. Water Fall Model:. Introduction:. In 1985, The United1196 Words   |  5 PagesDefense captured this approach in DOD-STD-2167A, their parameter for working with software development agents, which stated that the agent shall apply a software devel opment cycle that includes the 6 phases: Requirement Engineering, Analysis Design, Implementation, Integration and Testing, Deployment, Maintenance. Steps of Water Fall Model: REQUIREMENT ENGINEERING: DEFINITION: Requirement engineering is the process of determining user’s need for a new modified product. These features, called requirementsRead MoreManagement Of Incremental Software Development Across Cross Functional Teams1158 Words   |  5 Pagesof incremental software development across cross functional teams. Learned from years of successes and failures, the agile philosophy centers on software development with an importance with self-organization, motivation, in addition to daily team interaction. It means being able to present working software instead of slides and documentation. Agile encourages customer collaboration throughout the entire process to allow developers to respond to change in a timely manner. The agile development processRead MoreSoftware Engineering1599 Words   |  7 PagesEngineering, Kasetsart University Email: sk@nontri.ku.ac.th URL: http://www.cpe.ku.ac.th/~sk Somnuk Keretho/Kasetsart University Outline of this presentation †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Scope of Software Engineering Object-Oriented Software Development Software Process Software Life-Cycle Models Object Orientation Software Quality Assessment Reference to Chapter 1/2/3 of â€Å"Software Engineering with JAVA†, S.R. Schach, McGraw-Hill, 1997. Somnuk Keretho/Kasetsart University 2 Scope of SoftwareRead MoreFrequent Shopper Program, Part I Essay1537 Words   |  7 Pagesboth parties (Iterative and Incremental Development Testing, 2008). This paper discusses the methods that can be used in the development of the Frequent Shopper Program by Smith Systems Consulting. Waterfall model Waterfall Model operates in a waterfall process tree. It has various phases such as requirement, design, implementation, verification, and maintenance that provide a successful execution to any system development. This model can be used in the development of frequent shopper program (NichollsRead MoreRadical Vs Incremental Innovation : Banning The Cultural Stereotypes1741 Words   |  7 Pages Irine Surmanidze 09.11.2017 1 Radical vs Incremental Innovation Banning the Cultural stereotypes Introduction The objective of this paper is to examine two particular forms of innovation – Radical and Incremental, find relevance and discrepancy in-between and observe an impact triggered by one or two particular forms of innovation. The first part of the paper further elaborates on radical and incremental forms of innovation, draws parallels and emphasizes Its impact on the nature ofRead MoreRadical Vs Incremental Innovation : Banning The Cultural Stereotypes1725 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Radical vs Incremental Innovation† Banning the Cultural stereotypes Introduction The objective of this paper is to examine two particular forms of innovation – â€Å"Radical† and â€Å"Incremental†, find relevance and discrepancy in-between and observe an impact triggered by one or two particular forms of innovation. The first part of the paper further elaborates on radical and incremental forms of innovation, draws parallels and emphasizes Its impact on the nature of innovation. Second part of the paperRead MoreSoftware Houses Use Agile Development1431 Words   |  6 Pagessoftware houses use agile development methodologies such as XP and scrum to enhance its product quality, increase communication between teams, release products in short time and to participate its clients in software development life cycle. There are many problems usually occur, first problem the time spent between development of the software and to make it operational. Second problem is the difference between environments. There are two different environments; developmen t environment is the firstRead MoreHow Radical Change Is More Effective Than Incremental Change1371 Words   |  6 PagesRadical change is more effective than incremental change in several conditions. Geographical location, vulnerable populations, marginal productivity, and any combination of these causing some regions and resource systems naturally exposed to climate change (Adger and Barnett, 2009). For instance, coastal regions are vulnerable to sea level rise, in which some regions have faced the consequence of resettlement (De Sherbinin, 2011) or water shortage in the Colorado River basin and beach erosion in

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Automotive Industry Logistics and Supply

Question: Discuss about theAutomotive Industry for Logistics and Supply. Answer: Introduction: Logistics Supply Lexus has taken a more centralized approach to handle the inbound logistics network so that they can influence the carmakers purchasing decisions. The company tries to focus on the smooth production flow. The management has implemented Just-in-Time approach in all the manufacturing plants in order to make strict scheduling of all the deliveries. The company has also implemented low inventory pull system to boost up demand for high frequency small lot deliveries. It has been found that the supply chain of the company Lexus varies by region. The American logistics design of Lexus follows this pattern. It has dedicated, flexible and direct trucking system. As You et al. (2012) mentioned, In many markets, such as the U.S., the dealership network is a distinct organization from corporate headquarters, with separately owned and operated Lexus showrooms.By contrast, in Japan all 143 dealerships in the country are owned and operated by Lexus. Several markets have a designated, third partyregional distributor; for example, in the United Arab Emirates, sales operations are managed by Al-Futtaim Motors LLC, and in Costa Rica, Lexus vehicles are sold via regional distributor Purdy Motors S.A. Other officially sanctioned regional distributors have sold Lexus models prior to the launch of, or in absence of, a dedicated dealership network. A chart has been given below to describe assembly sites of Lexus. Toyota Production System According to the former Executive President of Toyota Taiichi Ono, The Toyota Production System (TPS) is a management concept based on the Just-in-Time system and jidokawhich can be loosely translated as automation with a human wisdom. Carlsson (2012) stated that, the development of TPS began during 1982. According to the founder Kiichiro Toyoda the best way to gather automotive parts is just in time. On the other hand, jidoka was developed form the pratices and enthusiasm of Sakichi Toyoda for automatic loom development. These two processes are combined by Taiichi Ono to develop TPS. At the end of 80s the TPS was adopted by various culture along with globalization of Toyota. Cichocki et al. (2012) stated, During this period of time various innovations being introduced to address long local parts procurement times. It continues to address new issues in the form of Toyota way. Presently the company has introduced some new features in the TPS. Their aim is to provide customers the best quality cars at lowest possible price. They also try to provide employees high level of job satisfaction. The main objective is to increase profitability with the help of cost reduction approach. Monden (2012) mentioned, Kaizen is the heart of the Toyota Production System. Kaizen means Continuous Improvement. It helps the company to ensure eliminate waste, maximum quality and enhance efficiency. Monden (2012) also stated, The day-to-day improvements that Members and their Team Leaders make to their working practices and equipment are known as kaizen. In addition, just-in-time manufacturing process is applied by the natural laws of demand and supply. Lexus needs to take lesson from Toyota and apply Kaizen (continuous improvement) and Just-in-time to improve its production system. Mass Customization Lexus needs to implement the universally accepted approach of production Just-in-Time. As Shimokawa et al. (2012) mentioned that this manufacturing process allows the entire production system to operate according to the natural law of supply and demand. It has been found that demand of consumers can stimulate vehicle production. In addition, production of car can stimulate the production and delivery of other parts. Lexus needs to understand that the ultimate arbiter in JIT approach is the customers. The implementation of JIT approach can help Lexus production system to be pulled by the customers demand rather than pushed by the capabilities or needs of production itself. It will help to improve the production efficiency of Lexus. Dai et al. (2012) mentioned that, Just-in-time manufacturing can dissolve inventories at parts suppliers just as readily and effectively as it does at Toyota's assembly plants. It will also help to improve Product quality of any organization. The company needs to apply Jidoka in its operating procedure. In Japanse Jidoka means automation. It means Lexus should develop cars with little human touch. The company should apply the principle originated by Henry Ford. They have to break down all complex tasks into simple steps and then all these steps need to be distributed among employees. The employees have to provide the opportunity to make improvements and implement them into the operation procedure. Lexus also can adopt Toyota Production System as it can help to improve relation between employees and management. Monden (2012) stated that, TPS can help to bring management and employee together in order to improve working condition quality and productivity. Manufacturing Simulation Software Lexus can implement manufacturing simulation software such as SIMUL8 to develop powerful simulation within 2 days or less. It runs 10 times faster than other simulation software. It can help to take appropriate decisions in day-to-day what-if scenarios for continuous improvement. It can help to improve throughput/jobs per hour, system cycle time, operator utilization and staffing requirements. It can reduce Current Delays, Storage Needs and Travel Times for a company. It is compatible with other software packages that can help to develop the simulation. They are such as AutoCAD, Visio, Minitab, ERP Systems, xml and VBA. It can be connected with any data set such as Excel, Access, Oracle, Sybase. There is another manufacturing simulation software named as SIMIO is used by various industries that includes metal and plastics, automobile, consumer packaged goods. As Davis et al. (2012) stated that implementation of SIMIO can improve process by implementing lean manufacturing and six sigma. This simulation software can help to combine production facility that reduced production cost. Nee et al. (2012) mentioned, This Simulation provides an inexpensive, risk-free way to test changes ranging from a "simple" revision to an existing production line to emulation of a new control system or redesign of an entire supply chain. Implementation of SIMIO can help Lexus to determine the absence of important data. It can help to explore alternative solution for the company. Bhasin (2012) stated that Development of a simulation helps participants better understand the system. Modern 3D animation and other tools promote communication and understanding across a wide audience. Lean Manufacturing According to Vinodh Joy (2012), Lean manufacturing is defined as a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement, flowing the product at the pull of the customer in pursuit of perfection. It is a performance-based process that can be utilized in automobile company like Lotus to improve competitive advantage. Bhasin (2012) mentioned that there are five major principles of lean manufacturing that can guide the action of management toward success. They are mentioned below in a table: Value It will help a company to understand the factors for which customers are willing to pay. Stream of value Helps to recognize and eliminate all non-value activities within an organization. Flow Helps to remove all the obstacles and improve the stream flow. Pull Helps to streamline process and products from concept through customer usage Perfection With the help of continuous improvement efforts lean management system provides the ability to do things right at the first time. Four major thrusts that Lexus can get by lean management system are like enhanced leadership style, development of team based cultures, enhanced communication channel and effort for continuous improvement (Vinodh Joy, 2012). However, lean manufacturing system has some issues related with it as well. Bhasin (2012) argued that, Many of the companies that report initial gains from lean implementation often find that improvements remain localized, and the companies are unable to have continuous improvements going on. One of the reasons, we believe, is that many companies or individual managers who adopted lean approach have incomplete understanding and, as a result, could not be able to gain all the benefits as Toyota enjoys. Reference List Bhasin, S. (2012). An appropriate change strategy for lean success.Management Decision,50(3), 439-458. Carlsson, B. (Ed.). (2012).Technological systems and economic performance: the case of factory automation(Vol. 5). Springer Science Business Media. Cichocki, A., Ansari, H. A., Rusinkiewicz, M., Woelk, D. (2012).Workflow and process automation: concepts and technology(Vol. 432). Springer Science Business Media. Dai, Q., Zhong, R., Huang, G. Q., Qu, T., Zhang, T., Luo, T. Y. (2012). Radio frequency identification-enabled real-time manufacturing execution system: a case study in an automotive part manufacturer.International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing,25(1), 51-65. Davis, J., Edgar, T., Porter, J., Bernaden, J., Sarli, M. (2012). Smart manufacturing, manufacturing intelligence and demand-dynamic performance.Computers Chemical Engineering,47, 145-156. Monden, Y. (2012).Toyota production system: an integrated approach to just-in-time. CRC Press. Nee, A. Y. C., Ong, S. K., Chryssolouris, G., Mourtzis, D. (2012). Augmented reality applications in design and manufacturing.CIRP Annals-Manufacturing Technology,61(2), 657-679. Shimokawa, K., Jrgens, U., Fujimoto, T. (Eds.). (2012).Transforming automobile assembly: experience in automation and work organization. Springer Science Business Media. Vinodh, S., Joy, D. (2012). Structural equation modelling of lean manufacturing practices.International Journal of Production Research,50(6), 1598-1607. You, Y., Liu, D., Yu, W., Chen, F., Pan, F. (2012). Technology and its trends of active distribution network.Dianli Xitong Zidonghua(Automation of Electric Power Systems),36(18), 10-16.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Blair Witch Project An Analytical Essay Essays - Blair Witch

Blair Witch Project An Analytical Essay Blair Witch Project An Analytical Essay Anita Maiezza Power of film David Grey December 5, 2000 The Blair Witch Project is a mock documentary on three film students: Heather, Mike and Shaun, who go out and shoot their own documentary on the Blair Witch. This Blair Witch apparently haunts a forest in Burkittsville Maryland and these students are going to find out firsthand if this rumor is true. Unfortunately this rumor turns out to be fact and all three characters are eventually hunted and killed by the Blair witch. The scene which I have chosen to analyze is a short ten second scene near the very end of the movie. In this scene we see a close up of Mike, from a diagonal angle. Mike is rocking back and forth and then yawns. This scene is key point were the viewer realizes that there is no hope for MIke and Heather. The woods are just too vast for these inexperienced students. In this scene, Mike is wearing his backpack that is bigger than him indicating the the burden he has to carry. Besides the burden it can also represent all the pressure he is under at this particular point. The backpack, being larger than he is can be a metaphor for how small and insignificant he is in comparison to the colossal trees around him. The fact that the straps are so big and that they wrap around Mike can show how he is completely engulfed by this pressure, just like he is surrounded by the trees. The backpack and trees completely overpower Mike, causing him to feel helpless and miniscule, like a child. The second image chosen is Mike rocking back and forth, followed by the yawn. In most scenarios children rock themselves when they are nervous. This clearly hints that Mike, an average sound technician is no longer himself but rather someone else who is overtaken by the immensity of the forest. The yawn gives Mike the innocent look that only a child possesses so the viewer is led to think that Mike is a mere child in comparison to the forest. A closer look at Mike exposes his beard, contradicting the childlike innocence, so the element of confusion is a predominant one. (seeing as how Mike and Heather are lost and confused.) The rocking can also depict an autistic person. In this case it is evident that Mike has lost his mind and rocking back and forth will bring him serenity. The trees not only surround Mike in every direction but in this scene they are shot diagonally. This is definitely not natural, normal and not something that a completely sane person would see. Evidently Mike is not sane anymore. His world has been turned upside down. The trees add a sense of confusion and disorientation that Mike, as well as the audience feels. By looking at the trees in the background the viewer has a chance to look into Mike's mind and see the current situation through his eyes. Mike has no sense of judgment left and cannot correctly perceive what is going on around him. From the moment all three characters enter the woods, they are small compared to the immensity of the trees and inexperienced, just like children. They have no power over what is going on and what is going to happen. They, like children do not know where they are going and lose themselves very quickly as the story proceeds. At the end of the movie Mike and Heather go on a very confusing and insane search for their partner Shaun. At the very end Mike and Heather are murdered by the ?Blair Witch?. This witch made Mike face the wall while Heather was being murdered, just like the children . Bibliography blair witch project Movies and Television

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Universal and Diagnostic Screening in Setting SLO Goals

Universal and Diagnostic Screening in Setting SLO Goals Teacher evaluation programs require that teachers set student learning objectives (SLOs) using data that can help target instruction for the academic school year. Teachers should use multiple sources of data in developing their SLOs in order to demonstrate student growth over an academic school year. One source of data for teachers can be found in the data that is collected from screening in Response to Intervention (RTI) programs. RTI is a multi-tier approach that allows educators to   identify and then support students with specific learning and behavior needs. The RTI process begins with the use of a universal screen   of all students.   A  universal screen  is an assessment which has already been determined to be a reliable assessment of a specific skill. Universal screens are designated as those assessments that are: Accessible to all studentsGiven to all studentsSkill and concept specific  Easy to administer and scoreQuick turn-around time (1-3 days) of aggregated and disaggregated data to classroom teachersRepeatableReliable (Note: A â€Å"teacher-made† assessment cannot be referred to as reliable if it has not been analyzed by a psychometrician) Source: State of CT, Department of Education, SERC Examples of universal screens used in education at the secondary level are:  Acuity,  AIMSweb, Classworks, FAST, IOWAs, and STAR; some states, such as NY, use the DRP as well. Once the data has been reviewed from universal screening, educators may want to use a  diagnostic screen  to measure students understanding of a subject area or skills base  after a universal screen has revealed specific areas of strength or weakness for a student.   The characteristics of diagnostic assessments are that they are: Given to selected students  Reliable   Valid  (Note: A â€Å"teacher-made† assessment cannot be referred to as reliable or valid if it has not been analyzed by a psychometrician) Source: State of CT, Department of Education, SERC Examples of diagnostic assessments include  Behavior Assessment Scale for Children (BASC-2); Childrens Depression Inventory, Connors Rating Scales. NOTE: Some results may not be shared for the purposes of developing SLOs for the classroom teachers, but may be used for education specialists such as school social worker or psychologist. The data from universal screens and diagnostic screens are critical components of the RTI programs in schools, and this data, when available, can help in refining developing teacher SLOs. Of course, teachers may create their own benchmark assessments to act as a baseline. These benchmark assessments are used frequently, but because they are often teacher created they should be cross-referenced with universal and diagnostic screens if available. Teacher created materials are imperfect or may even be invalid if students underperform or if skills are incorrectly accessed. At the secondary level, teachers may look at quantitative  data  (expressed in numbers, measurable)  from prior years: Standardized test results (State, SAT, ACT, NAEP);Report card grades (letter value or percentage);Attendance records. There may be qualitative  data  (expressed in description, observable)  also in the form of recorded observations by teacher(s) and  support staff or in prior report card comments.This form of comparison through multiple measures that are qualitative and quantitative is called triangulation: Triangulation  is the process of using multiple data sources to address a particular question or problem and using evidence from each source to illuminate or temper evidence from the other sources. In triangulating data to develop a SLO, a teacher make an informed decision on the student learning objectives that to help improve either an individual student or group of students performance.     All of these forms of assessment including those from the prior year, which may include universal or diagnostic screens, can provide teachers with the data to begin to develop well-informed SLO goals at the beginning of the school year in order to target instruction for multi-tiered student improvement for the entire academic year.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Women Liberation Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women Liberation Movement - Essay Example This study outlines that this movement became very powerful and a clear change was observed regarding women’s place in society, meanwhile a serious hatred by men was seen especially for women liberation movement. An interesting fact is that in 1970 there were three television shows that played an important role through out this movement. These programs were the Charles angel, the Mary Tyler Moore show and bionic women. The two different approaches can be explained through following diagram: The reason behind this hatred was that lot of men hated the idea of women working, especially in jobs outside the traditional service and clerical fields and who hate the wider changes of which working women are a part. As the paper highlights the feminist movement affected change in Western society especially, including womens suffrage; the right to make divorce proceedings and "no fault" divorce; and the women’s right to make individual decisions regarding pregnancy (including access to contraceptives and abortion); and the right to own any land or property. If we see around us we will find that the issues that were raised by women liberation movement still exist in our society. Women had to face sexual harassment in job places; they are still used as sex symbols in media, women still had to face abortion complication, gender discrimination is still part of our society and last but not the least women is still considered as less capable then men. This movement was one of the most popular and power full movement of its time. The historical argument that â€Å"it is a series of campaigns on issues such as reproductive rights (sometimes including abortion), domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, sexual harassment, and sexual violence.†

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Personal Professional Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Professional Ethics - Assignment Example The nursing profession is run under a set of predefined ethical code of conduct and this explains my ethnic statement. According to Canadian registered nurses code of ethics, the nursing profession has distinct responsibilities and ethics explains the code of conduct by practicing nurses that would be acceptable (â€Å"Canadian Nurses Association†, 2008). From the nursing values, I singled out the three responsibilities to form my ethics statement. This is informed by the great passion that explains my choice for a career in nursing. Through studies, I have come to learn that a nurse is ethically required to ensure that his/her patients are safe through ensuring that safety comes before any other thing in practice. Safety can be observed by ensuring right prescriptions of medicine as well as observing healthy living conditions. On the other hand, it is almost sure that patients would seek nursing care for such chronic diseases as cancer and HIV and Aid, which necessitate that compassion, be part of the nurse. Ethically, compassion may improve the quality and value of life for many patients even without treatment hence the commitment to observing compassion. Finally, excellence is a virtue and every person in any field pursues to realize. It is unethical to practice nursing without observing the nursing principles and the knowledge learned while studying. It is, therefore, an ethical expectation that practicing nurses would be competitive and hence this forms part of my ethical statement.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Prose Coursework Essay Example for Free

Prose Coursework Essay One of my favourite short stories is The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. This story is set on a farm on the Cornish coast. The story is based on the main character, Nat Hocken and his wife, and their two children, Johnny and Jill. This is all set in the mid 1900s, at the start of December. It all starts on the 3rd of December. The birds were behaving in a strange manner. Their formations were abnormal, and they looked as if they were planning a liberation or attack. Nat notices all of these activities but does not pay any attention. Later that night the birds started to attack the windows. Nat opened the window and lots of birds flew in and started to assault and harm him. Nat thought that it would be the end of the aggression attacks but he was wrong. Day after day the birds begin to attack more and more aggressively very often. Nat starts concluding that the weather definitely has a lot to do with the birds actions. He now realises that all the common children that he had formerly told to run home are probably0 dead. From now on Nats duty was to protect his family only. When the birds finally broke into the childrens bedroom, Nat then began to pitch and hurl punches towards the birds. He then grabs one of the bed sheets and chucks it over the birds. Then he started to hurl a bed sheet around the room bouncing and hitting it off and into the walls until the birds were either severely injured or dead. Nat is very protective because he takes the risk of attack by boarding up the house and getting the supplies from the now deceased neighbours up the road. At the end they have realised that these sequences of events are happening all over the world. Nat theorized on the millions of years of repressed feeling that the birds had towards the human race and other species on planet earth. After realising that the wireless has no unique or any predicament transmissions to the public or even the world about these attacks, the silence was tensile. Nat had now given up any hope of survival from these anarchists who which represented a race in the animal kingdom that we believed was harmless. My next story is A message from the Pig-Man by John Wain. This story is set in early 1900s in what seems to be the city of London. This story is about a young boy called Eric of around the age of six. His parents are separated and he lives with his Mum and her boyfriend, Donald. Eric always imagines that the Pig-Man is almost like a character from a horror story. When he first heard about the Pig-Man, he started to ponder what the Pig-Man would look like. He concentrates various prospectives about the image of the Pig-Man, The Pig-Mans bucket had a handle; so he must carry it in the ordinary way, in his hand-unless, of course, and he walked on all fours and carried it in his mouth. But that wasnt very likely, because if he walked on all fours what difference would there be between him and an ordinary pig? Eric is very imaginative in his quest to find out what the Pig-Man really is. He realises it is better to confront your problems he asks his mum why dad cant live at home. When she cant answer he gets angry and claims that he hates all adults. The main characters are Eric, Donald, Mum, Dad and the Pig Man. In this story Eric is the pushy character. He keeps considering his theories about the Pig Man and is anxious to find out which one is correct. Donald has a small part in this story, but does get caught in the middle of one of Erics interferences where he asks his Mum why cant his Dad and Donald live together in the house. I believe that Donald must have felt very uncomfortable at that moment in time. The Pig Man is the one at the centre of attention in this story. He causes Eric to behave in a ridiculous way but not for a child. At the start the Pig Mans character is almost mysterious, as the adults do not tell us what his image is like; we only hear Erics knowledge of the Pig Man that is at the minimum. Erics dad is the one who confuses Eric about buying the train set and then leaving which leads to Eric questioning why him and Donald cant stay with Eric and his mum. The vernacular in this short story is evocative towards what perceptions you can have about someone or something when at a young age or unaware of the purpose or the appearance of an individual. What is interesting about these two stories is that they deal with problems that the characters must face for themselves and overcome; one the boy doesnt understand why the dad and the mums boyfriend (Donald) cant live together and he doesnt understand the term Pig Man. And the other is that Nat doesnt understand why the birds are attacking the Village and the world. He finds out when they time their attacks when he realises it had something to do with the tides.