Postmodernist Art Movement and Its Connection to Painting

Post-modernism is a very interesting art movement. Actually it is more of a way of seeing art, texts, and actions. For example, a post-modernist artist could paint their own body, and appear on stage waving see through vials, while a projector shows their paintings on a white wall behind the artist, or on the artist themselves.Post-modernists have taken painting to a whole new level, and as a result, their art isn’t very durable. For example, a painting of a plate of shrimp that has real shrimp glued to it will spoil quickly.Post-modernists see all painters as equal. They do not agree that masters such as Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo are better than the rest. To them all the artists are one group, not individuals. This view is not liked by many.Some people may have certain post-modernist aspects in their work, but they don’t have to agree with everything this movement believes in. Actually, most post-modernist artists don’t even know that they belong to such a movement, they simply enjoy experimenting with various techniques and styles.One very popular post-modernist technique is to include the artist as part of the “item” that is presented. Of course, an artist can have more than one person be part of their art work. For example, Leonardo da Vinci’sMona Lisa will be presented in a post-modernist view like this – a white wall on which the background of the famous painting is copied, and a real woman dressed as Mona Lisa standing in front of it. Another post-modern representation of the Mona Lisa would be a painting that represents the wall in the Louvre where theMona Lisa is displayed. However, Mona Lisa is desperately trying to get out, well aware that she is in a painting.Part of the PO-MO view is to make fun of art. Allan Graham is a very popular American post-modernist. One of his paintings is simply the words “you are here” on a white canvas. The words are painted in black color.Modernism and post-modernism are similar in many ways. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate just by looking at two paintings which movement they belong to. Only very extreme paintings can be classified within only one genre. Part of the beauty of art is that it doesn’t need to be logical or labeled.Some artists enjoy mixing things up and surprising their audience. Others want to discover the classics, and they strive to reach the masters’ precision and calculations. Art is meant to be enjoyed, discussed, critiqued, and speculated. Unlike spelling, there is no right or wrong way to create art or to appreciate it. Art enthusiasts can hang anything they want on their walls as long as it makes them happy.Post-modernism is a little bit of everything – Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Literature, Modernism, Acrylic Paintings, Music, Photography, and Architecture. According to POMOs everything goes good with paints, and if something can’t be put on a canvas, then it can be painted over. This makes the world of the fine arts even more exciting, unpredictable, and extreme.

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Furniture Stores: As Varied As the Merchandise

If you are like most people, you don’t place furniture stores anywhere near the top of your ten favorite places to browse. When you enter a store, you usually have an idea of what you want to buy. From that idea, you generally narrow your options to the room for which the furniture is intended and the decorating style or look you want to project.Both full-service retail furniture stores and rent-to-own stores usually offer a variety of couches, chairs, tables, beds, dressers and accessories for every room in your house. You could choose to coordinate color, material and style, lending continuity from your living room to your dining room to the bedrooms. You could individualize each room, giving each a unique appearance, feel and personality.Specialty furniture stores provide a selection of specific furniture and nothing else. Futon stores, for instance, offer different types and styles of futons, but you probably won’t find an elegant dining room table there. Bedding stores supply a great selection of bedroom furniture and often in several different materials and styles, but they usually don’t offer any couches or stuffed chairs.Antique furniture stores specialize in furniture usually older than 25 years. Some stores, however, offer antique-looking furniture. Selections can be quite limited, and if you have any doubt if a piece in question is truly an antique, the proprietor should have on hand verification of its authenticity. When you find an original piece by a known master, you have reason to celebrate. The value of those pieces usually only increase over time-diametrically opposed to normal used-furniture values.If you want to carry a theme or a look throughout your house, you might consider shopping at a full-service furniture store for continuity. You may be able to complete the look you want by finding individual pieces at different stores, but with the convenience of all the room furniture under one roof, you can easily coordinate and confirm similar styles and shades as well as the uniform furniture material-oak, pine or maple, for instance-much more easily.Some people like the lower prices of furniture assembled at home instead of the fully assembled options in stores. Self-assembled furniture is rarely of the same material quality, but the convenience and cost savings are high incentives for their selection. Some stores provide self-assembled furniture and display a complete model on the showroom floor. Office supply stores, discount department stores and specialty furniture stores are the top merchant types to offer these lower cost items.You can order furniture online as well as from a brick-and-mortar store. Be sure to note the merchant’s damage policy and return policies before ordering, though. Delivery costs are often fairly high due to the weight of the furniture and sometimes the distance between the shipping and delivery points.Consider cost, furniture type and decorating needs when choose what furniture you choose as you decorate or redecorate your home. Consider possible assembly difficulties, time and effort, as well as delivery costs if included, before you automatically choose the lower price tags over well-made, fully assembled furniture. Whichever you choose, buy the best you can afford: Sturdy, attractive furniture can last a lifetime.

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The Agile Software Revolution – Information Technology in US Manufacturing Today

A global market economy – what is means for U.S. manufacturers and IT providersGlobal competition is making it more difficult for American manufacturing companies to make a profit. Manufacturers need to become more agile to compete globally with economies where the cost of labor is an almost insignificant part of the cost of goods and they have access to the same high tech manufacturing equipment. It is time for forward thinking, competitively focused comanies to move to the next generation of IT tools, and strengthen their manufacturing and management information systems. Technology providers need to provide manufacturers with cost effective, highly mobile, highly adaptable, thin-client competitive capabilities. These capabilities will come in the form of software which is web-based (or web-native), object-oriented, model-driven, thin-client, configurable and offered as a service (SaaS).
Old ERP technology – the first generation
The truth is that first generation ERP applications lack the flexibility to add or change functionality and they just aren’t capable of full web funtionality. Because of their age and code foundations, most existing ERP vendors just can’t provide the full range of functionality made possible by the internet-native technologies. The ability of the native browser-based applications to interact with any device that can run a browser i.e. PDAs, cell phones and various data capture devices makes them intrinsically more valuable than the old ERP systems. These old legacy systems are difficult to expand and modify to make use of these wireless devices, or to change and add any new functionality to the system. It is also costly and laborious. Some vendors try to present the old systems in a browser and call the applications “web-enabled”, using a technique known as “screen-scraping”. But don’t be fooled. Web-enabled does not mean web-browser native. These applications lack all of the abilities and advantages of a truly browser-native application. These first generation ERP vendors are racing to convert their aging, first generation offerings to the new, object-oriented, browser- based model of software. This is a difficult task, since the internal source code for these older packages is fundamentally unsuited for the web and cannot make use of the native functionality of the web browser. The total cost of owernship (TCO) for first generation systems is high, due to the legacy code burden, thick-client server setup and heavy support infrastructure. Much more IT workforce is needed to support a first generation ERP application.
A new vision for information technology – next generation software
The ultimate goal for any manufacturing organization is graphic, actionable, timely information when ever and where ever it’s needed to support performance. Next generation software makes that goal attainable. Every manufacturer wants supply side and finished goods inventory reductions, energy use reductions, operational efficiency improvements and increased overall efficiency. Browser-based software applications which are easily configured are allowing manufacturers to become lean. A lean organization is one which can quickly and effectively adapt and make changes which lead to better productivity. The success of any software implementation needs to be measured by the achievement of benefits such as a reduction in manufacturing operational costs, a reduction of administrative costs, improved complete and on-time shipments, improved customer satisfaction and improved manufacturing schedule compliance. Next generation software, which is fundamentally different in design, function and form from legacy applications, is the beginning of the software revolution. Although the first generation systems have had their place and time, business practices of the new millennia, wireless technology, and the need for flexible systems is more than these aging systems were designed to deliver. The time has come to move on to a new generation of browser-based, object-oriented, model-driven toolsets which have the flexibility and functionality needed to carry us to the next level. The ultimate goal, real-time availability of information, is now attainable.How does next generation software technology make an organization better able to adapt?Adding functionality to software systems is a historical problem for first generation ERP vendors. This is because of the legacy code it is built upon. A next generation ERP provider does not have that problem, due to the use of an object-oriented software architecture. Making changes to or even adding functionality to an existing software system already in use is more easily and quickly done. Tuppas has also developed a set of rapid application development tools to which make modifications even faster. An application which might take a man year to develop using traditional methods such as asp.net, would take a matter of weeks with our development tools. Due to the relative ease with which they can be configured and changed, object-oriented software tools have brought drastic price reductions to normally high priced integrated management support software. Now not only can the largest organizations afford these software applications, small and medium sized businesses can too. The ease with which these applications can be reconfigured allows a vendor to collaborate with clients to quickly build customized software. This is extremely beneficial to corporations with a number of diverse plants. Tuppas can even help the customer learn to use their development tools so that they can modify the software themselves at their discretion. New business practices can be readily incorporated into an existing system. Our toolset gives us the kind of flexibility which allows us to create highly configured solutions for the corporate level and the plant level. Having the ability to modify the software that helps run the company as their needs change is a huge advantage in a highly competitive market. The system becomes more that just a software purchase. It is an adaptable tool to help them grow and innovate now and in the future.
Wireless adaptability accelerates decision making with real-time or just-in-time information
The faster that mission critical information can be recognized and made available, the faster the reaction time can be. The wireless capabilities of next generation software are providing unprecedented opportunities to accelerate the decision making process due to the decrease in time to acquire critical information. Wireless technology can be used to connect corporate entities, mobilize a sales force, track warehouse inventory, trace products and jobs, empower field personnel and more. The applications are really limitless. Having the ability to collect and organize timely information in a global environment, whether it be a field service technician, a sales person or a CXO, extends the power of any organization.
SaaS-Software-as-a-Service
The idea of software delivered over the web and hosted by a vendor has been around for a while, but it is just now beginning to come into it’s own as a viable option for software buyers. The benefits are numerous. Making monthly or quarterly payments for a system allows many more buyers into the market for high end software applications than traditional licensing purchases. Other benefits include lwer cost of entry, quicker start up, faster return on investment, decreased internal support costs, reduced risk (initial investment is small), and better service and support since customers must be happy to be retained. Typically, the vendor or a third party host provide the maintenance, upgrades and security for the system relieving the customer of these burdens too. The absence of on-site servers, software, security and IT professionals means significantly lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for buyers.
The advantages of the thin-client system
A thin client strategy allows for the use of inexpensive work stations along with various other devices, such as palm computers, cell phones and more. It means anywhere, anytime access to information within the system from any browser capable device. It has made complete connectivity very cost effective. Thin-client software is browser-based software which resides on a dedicated server. The server may belong to the client, the vendor or a host. Users have full access the system via “thin client terminals”, which really only require access through a browser to the dedicated server. This differs from traditional software installations, which require that a copy of the application be installed locally on each computer where it is to be used. This makes software upgrades infinitely easier, since only the program on the dedicated server needs to be upgraded, and not numerous client computers. This also saves time and disruption of work flow. Another advantage is the reduction in hardware needed at individual work stations to operate the software.
Model-driven design makes integration and upgrades easierIn conclusion
When you combine all of the features of the next generation software applications, what you end up with is a new class of software. Together, model driven development tools, object-oriented design, browser-based development, rapid development tools and wireless possibilities have created a revolution in software design and development. These applications mean greater flexibility at a significantly lower cost than first generation systems offered. U.S. manufacturers need to become more able to quickly react, move and respond to changing markets, regulations, finances and the competition in order to survive. This adaptability will soon become a necessary trait for any manufacturer who wants to survive in our new global marketplace.Model-driven software applications allow users to focus on functionality and core business processes without having to worry about technology platforms, technology upgrades and integration issues. Model-driven applications separate the business, or application logic from the underlying platform. It means that the software is created with two layers, so that one can change and upgrade the user side independently of the technical under-layer, and vice-versa. Software based on model-driven development eases platform integration issues and is a wise IT investment in the uncertain world of changing platform technology. It means reduced cost of ownership, reduced development time for new applications, rapid inclusion of emerging technology into systems and an increased return on technology investments. Model-driven design provides the framework which frees users to evolve their software and practices independently of the underlying technology or platform. It enables better, faster and less expensive system integration.

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