Matrix Paper essays

Matrix Paper essays Every human being is born into a society whereas they are taught specific actions. For example, a young child is taught to read a book, he does not know how to read from birth. It is a part of the learning process he must endure in order to grow. Everyday actions or rituals, as in a job or even brushing your teeth become imbedded in peoples minds. Man by nature is a subject, to his family, job, and world. Laws that must be followed govern humans. Basically, each individual fits somewhere on the Totem Pole. In the film The Matrix, Neo, the main protagonist, is subjected from birth to normal everyday actions of life. He is born into his parents idealistic society-the normal earth. To Neo this is the norm. What each person does daily is just part of life. He works for a computer company as a slave in the Matrix. His idealistic society is normal; he does not think of himself as a slave in bondage. At one point a character contacts him named Morphios. Morphios shows Neo through the use of a pill just what the real world is like. Every thought that Neo has been subjected to becomes a fantasy or just a front. Neo awakes in a vat of gunk attached to many chords. His matrix world no longer exists, just a memory in his new growing mind. He is reborn into the real world. Same as before, he is subjected to a new learning process. Still this man has not escaped subjection. In this world the humans are subjected to the artificial intelligence life forms; they control the board. The humans are still interpolating class structure and everyday (for the characters) actions. Neos escape into a better world in reality is only a bad change of scenery from the matrix. His life for the most part is still under subjection; however, just in different forms. The film The Matrix places a thought in each viewers mind: are we really being subjected to an i...

Personal Flags Ice Breaker Activity

Personal Flags Ice Breaker Activity Flags have a way of making everybody feel good, especially when they’re waving in the breeze. Ask your students to make their own personal flag and present it to the class for this ice breaker. What does their personal flag say to the world? Ideal Size Any size works. Break into small groups if desired. Uses Introductions in the classroom or at a meeting, especially if your gathering is international. Time Needed 30 to 60 minutes. Materials Needed Depending on how elaborate you want to get, and how much time you have, you can have students draw on a regular piece of paper, or you can provide different colored construction paper, scissors, glue, etc. Either way, you’ll need colored markers. Although not necessary, if your topic is history or anything that involves flags of any kind, having examples available would be helpful, and colorful. It’s important to realize, though, that the flags being created are imaginative. The sky’s the limit. Instructions Provide your students with whatever materials you chose, and explain that you would like them to introduce themselves via their own personal flag. They will have 30 minutes (or so) to make their flag. Then ask students to introduce themselves, presenting their flag and explaining the symbolism in it. Debriefing If your topic is one that involves flags or symbolism, ask students to share how they responded to specific flags. What was it about the flag? Color? Shape? Did it elicit a certain feeling? How could this be used to influence?

Fuzzy Logic system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fuzzy Logic system - Essay Example The results of the analysis for different input and output conditions are compared and finally the best conditions are derived for the best performance of the machine. The given control system is a manufacturing machinery whose reliability can be analysed through the performance of three parts namely part A, part B and part C present in that machine. In order to diagnose faults in the components there are three sensors associated with them namely sensor 1, sensor 2 and sensor 3. A fault in any one of the three components may require either a cheap or expensive repair. The recovery time, the time that it takes the machine to return to full working order after repair, is either quick or slow or takes an intermediate amount of time. The output values of the sensors are to be controlled in a specific manner to evaluate the condition on the three parts on a scale 0 ( representing good condition – okay ) to 1( representing faulty condition). The given machinery can be represented and analysed using the Fuzzy Logic Tool Box available in MATLAB. Fuzzy logic starts with the concept of a fuzzy set. A fuzzy set is a set without a crisp, clearly defined boundary. It can contain elements with only a partial degree of membership. For the given system fuzzy variables are defined for each sensor and each part. The fuzzy variables for each sensor contain three equally sized, linear shaped, overlapping fuzzy sets comprising high, medium and low. The fuzzy variable for each machine part also contains three equally sized, linear shaped, overlapping fuzzy sets comprising of faulty, unreliable and okay. To construct the default system, the Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System in MATLAB GUI has been used. Mamdanis method was among the first control systems built using fuzzy set theory. It was proposed in 1975 by Ebrahim Mamdani (Sabeghi and Naghibzadeh , 2006,). In the FIS editor the default methods for AND , OR, implication, aggregation and defuzzification have been used. Three

Role in Criminal Procedure of US Constitution Essay

Role in Criminal Procedure of US Constitution - Essay Example In the US Constitution itself, there is an Article that includes provision for both pre-trial and trial rights. Article III, Section. 2, Clause 3 indicates that â€Å"[t]he Trial of all Crimes [†¦] shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed [†¦]† (National Archives, â€Å"Constitution of the United States, Art.III,  §.2, cl.3†, 1787) This passage determines two important elements of criminal procedure, namely the jury and venue. These are crucial while they describe the place and method of criminal procedure.As for the Bill of Rights, there are several Amendments that are relevant to the current research question. To be more specific, Amendments Fifth, Sixth and Eight seem to be the most important to determining criminal procedure. Within the Fifth Amendment, there are several crucial points to understand in regard to criminal procedure. First, this Amendment rejects punishment for capital or i nfamous crimes except for specific cases. Similarly, in the Eight Amendment, it is stated that â€Å"[e]xcessive bail shall not be required†, nor â€Å"excessive fines, nor cruel and unusual punishments.† (National Archive, â€Å"Bill of Rights, Amendment VIII†, 1789) Second, Amendment V also indicates that one person will not be answering twice for the same crime. Third, any person has the right not to witness against oneself. Finally, the Amendment does not allow the punishment of a person without due juridical process. (National Archive, â€Å"Bill of Rights, Amendment V†, 1789).

Effects of gambling Essay Example for Free

Effects of gambling Essay What are the Odds? With flashy lights, cheap buffets, and free hotel rooms; owners of casinos use these things as a ruse to pull people in. In a study by Dr. Weinstock, it was found that when gambling, the odds are stacked against the player. The odds of a college athlete becoming a pro football player are 3,000 to 1, the odds of being struck by lightning are 280,000 to 1, the odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 140,000,000 to 1 (Weinstock). Gambling is a complex and intriguing human activity. It has been in existence for several thousand years. Casinos are now located everywhere and gambling has become a recreational activity for all kinds of people. Gambling can be destructive to people and communities; however gambling can be a positive pastime because it provides entertainment and relaxation. It is a popular activity because people find it so pleasurable. The United States History of Gambling board did a study shows that thirty-eight percent of Americans will go to Las Vegas in their lifetime (History of Gambling in the United States). People go on vacations to places like Las Vegas or Reno Nevada, which are two major cities for gambling, to gamble for fun. It’s an enjoyable activity. People can participate in many different types of gambling; those with instantaneous prizes or scratch cards, slot machines, betting on sporting events, betting on special events, televised lotteries and traditional lotteries. Gambling can be positive and negative for these reasons: economy, addiction, harmful to the youth, and scholarships. Gambling preys on people who are poor, luring them with the promise of a life free from financial worries and burdens. In a physiological study, sixty percent of casino revenue comes from gamblers making less than $25,000 per year (Nance-Nash). As a result, bankruptcy rates are 100 percent higher in counties with casinos than in counties without casinos. While casinos may bring in tax revenue, this is perhaps the worst form of regressive taxation imaginable (Nance-Nash). The poorest of the population are the ones funding this tax revenue. On a more positive note, the regulation of the economy is a positive in favor of gambling. Wherever there is a casino, there is people spending money. When people win money, they use it to purchase items, thus putting the money back into the economy. Through regulation of the economy, new schools and hospitals can be constructed because of the increased funds caused by gambling taxes. With the creation of new casinos, other businesses in the area are often forced to shut down. Although gambling establishments may give tourism a boost, there may also be an increase in crime rates, which clearly isn’t a positive change. With more people passing through a town or city, there are more opportunities to commit crimes without getting caught. Gambling addicts can turn to thefts, robbery, fraud and embezzlement just to get more gambling money. The benefits to local businesses may be overstated, since many tourists will confine their activities to casinos and may not even spend their money elsewhere. Casinos are bad, because when people become addicted, it takes away from the economy by providing rehab, food, and housing assistance. As some people view gambling establishments as providing jobs, the activity also takes jobs away. People who become problematic gamblers become so addicted that they feel like that can’t do anything else besides betting. In turn, this causes people to lose their job in result of this addiction. 50% of college students were either problem or probable pathological gamblers (Weinstock). Looking at gambling from a different angle; when these establishments are built, other real estate such as hotels and restaurants are added to the community. These businesses provide more jobs. . Casinos are a positive because of the jobs they provide. Such jobs include: dealers, security staff, janitors, and entertainers. By providing more jobs, casinos help increase the population in an area. Jobs in the casino industry are often well paid jobs. Casinos make a great addition to a city with rundown areas because they encourage visitors and tourists. Gambling addicts not only do damage to themselves but to their families. Gambling addicts take a whole lot of time away from their families and friends. Whats worse is that they may even be spending not just their money but money for their familys daily expenses or for their kids education. Addicted gamblers fail to recognize this and are only focused in getting more cash when in reality, theyre just losing more. Gambling badly affects family life. Divorce, child neglect and suicides are products of gambling addictions. The legalization of gambling is not a problem, people who become addicted bring the problems and suffering upon themselves. A lack of self-discipline can lead to financial problems. Americas gambling addiction isn’t too far behind the nation’s drug problem, and it’s growing (Nance-Nash). In the United States there are 15 million Americans addicted to gambling and 23 million addicted to drugs or alcohol so the problem of people being addicted to gambling is not as bad as it may look. Also, there is a simple cure to gambling and that is to just stop going to casinos. Drugs have harmful effects and are much harder to break that addiction. The key for society is to find the right balance of it. Furthermore, people should be aware of the downsides of gambling so they participate in moderation. Gambling is fun and rewarding but destructive too, if one doesnt know how to handle it. As a youth, the rates of being at-risk for problem gambling can be two to three times higher than an adult. Gambling has become a problem because young kids, not yet old enough to gamble are now participating in this harmful activity, illegally. Huang found through research that students who gamble are at risk of obtaining other addictions such as binge drinking, marijuana use, cigarette use, and unsafe sex. (Huang) Living in the constantly changing times of today, technology has made placing bets easier than ever before. Students are liable to take part in gambling because it is deemed socially acceptable. As is it glamorized by advertising, and promoted as a sport, more and more people have found it okay to throw their money away on a nonsense game of luck. Although, for students gambling creates money for scholarships like the Arkansas Lottery scholarship. The Arkansas Lottery Commission is responsible for providing entertainment to the public and maximizing the revenue generated. Though gambling is looked at both negatively and positively everyone has their own opinion. They are all opinions; by giving supporting facts for both looks I have shown that gambling does have its ups and downs. Neither out ways is the other gambling something that will more than likely always be around. The gambling industry only exists because there are people willing to risk their money on a game of chance in the hope that they will make a profit. Usually, the only people who profit are the owners of casinos and other gambling establishments, but there are some people who are convinced that their day will come. Is it worth the risk to gamble your life away? While doing research supporting gambling it was found that gambling is beneficial because it stimulates the brain and strengthens decision making skills. (Campbell) People gamble, whether it is legal or not, because it helps them face the world more successfully than they could without the spark which it gives. Gambling is just an extension of entertainment like going to the movies or out to a sporting event. Casinos and gambling are harmless in moderation. They are beneficial to the community and the people who live there. Legalized gambling is a national sensation. The gaming industry is prosperous and should continue expanding.

A Review of Job Satisfaction, the Influencing Factors and Consequences

A Review of Job Satisfaction, the Influencing Factors and Consequences of Job Satisfaction Introduction Job satisfaction has been gaining attention from both researchers and managers, especially due to the contemporary proliferation of the idea recognising the significance of people in terms of achieving competitive advantage and sustainability in organisations. The purpose of the essay is to review factors influencing job satisfaction and consequences attributing to job satisfaction after reviewing some understanding of the meaning of the term and the reasons why job satisfaction is widely studied. Literature Review ï  ¬ The meaning of job satisfaction and the attractiveness for studies It is relevant that the meaning of job satisfaction is reviewed. Job satisfaction can be simply defined as the level at which employees have a positive feeling to their jobs (Agho et al. 1993, p. 1007). Another definition by spector (1997, p. 2) emphasises that the term â€Å"job satisfaction† should include both positive and negative sides (Spector, 1997, p. 2). In this case, the term â€Å"job satisfaction† explicitly points out that the job satisfaction is a continuum with entirely satisfied and not satisfied at all at the two extremes. Importantly, job satisfaction can be the outcome of the employees’ general perception of the job as a whole or specific feeling towards different aspects of the job. And the overall job satisfaction cannot be regarded as the result of calculation of satisfaction levels concerning different aspects of the jobs Among different job attitudes elements, job satisfaction is of outstanding importance and even viewed as the central element (Saari & Judge, 2004, p. 396). As other elements of attitudes, the nature of job satisf... ...atisfaction and individual performance’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 712-721 Saari, L. M. & Judge, T. A. 2004, ‘Employee attitudes and job satisfaction’, Human Resource Management, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 395-407 Seashore, S. E. & Taber, T. D. 1975, ‘Job satisfaction and their correlates’, American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 333-368 Spector, P. E. 1997, Job satisfaction: application, assessment, causes and consequences, Sage Publications, Inc, California Spencer, D. G. & Steers, R. M. 1981, ‘Performance as a moderator of the job satisfaction-turnover relationship’, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 511-514 Tett, R. P. & Meyer, J. P. 1993, ‘Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and turnover: path analyses based on meta-analytic findings’, Personnel Psychology, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 259-293

Redbox Essay

I. Executive Summary Redbox Automated Retail LLC was started in 2002. It started out being an experiment, funded by McDonalds, with grocery style kiosks and DVD rental kiosks. Within the first year Redbox dropped the grocery side and capitalized fully on the automated DVD vending machine rental. In 2009, Redbox became a fully owned subsidiary of Coinstar. A strategic evaluation of Redbox’s internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and potential threats are the bases of this marketing plan. While Redbox exhibits non-traditional marketing venues, they have proved to be successful marketing channels. A strong focus is put upon Redbox in contracting with Verizon for the implementation of streaming movies, maintaining the low price for rentals, and the convenience of the kiosks for the busy consumer. II. Environmental Analysis Since Redbox was originally tried as a grocery and DVD rental kiosk, the transition into only the DVD rental market was relatively easy. Redbox is not only its business name; it is also its aesthetic view. It is a fully automated video and gaming rental venue that is all contained within a 12 foot square red box, hence the name. Redbox positions its kiosks in high-traffic areas like gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies. These are strategically placed for their intended target markets to have a one-stop shop on their way home from work. The idea behind it was to entice the customer to rent a movie at a store that they are frequently shopping at, without having to make another stop. A. The Marketing Environment 1. Competitive forces. Redbox is in a highly competitive market. They face competitors such as Netflix and Blockbuster. Redbox leads in a competitive stand out by offering quick, convenient and affordable movie rentals. A Blu-Ray movie rents for $1.50 per day and a regular DVD movie rental is $1.20 per day. The Redbox network is nationwide and offers more than 30,000 convenient locations. (4) Blockbuster Express recently joined the kiosk movie rental market which led them to be a direct competitor to Redbox. They also have a leg up on Netflix as Redbox doesn’t require monthly contracts, which is highly appealing to the casual movie viewer. 2. Economic forces. With the present state of the economy, Redbox flourished when the demand for cheaper movie rentals increased. When the Blockbuster brick-and-mortar stores were forced to close, Redbox rentals jumped up 28% from 2010 to 2011. (1) 3. Political forces. There are no foreseen political forces that can alter Redbox’s operations. 4. Legal and regulatory forces. There are several laws and regulations that Redbox should abide by. But with Redbox being in a self-serve kiosk, it can make some of these laws and regulations harder to enforce. The Motion Picture Association of America sets the ratings on movies, and no one under the age of 17 can rent a rated R movie. Redbox does require age verification before renting the R-rated movie(s). The Federal Copyright Act â€Å"governs how the copyrighted material, such as movies, may be used†. (2) A rented or purchased movie doesn’t issue the right to show the movie outside one’s home unless that site carries a license for public exhibition. The Video Privacy Protection Act â€Å"prevents disclosure of personally identifiable rental records† without the written consent of the consumer. (3) The Entertainment Merchants Association regulates the industry for renting DVD’s and/or video games. â€Å"They protect the right to sell, rent, and /or promote the sale and rental of entertainment products and content†. (5) 5. Technological forces. With technology always increasing and new products are always being introduced, Redbox will undoubtedly be affected by technological advances. Consumers’ interest in renting physical movies will be on a decline with companies like XFinity offering the ability to stream movies online and watch them on any screen. Hollywood studios are also putting tighter reigns on places like Redbox. They are trying to delay the rental time frame from when DVDs are released to when they are available for rental. By trying to do so, they believe that it allows the consumer a chance to buy the movie before it becomes available for rent. And the studios receive a higher cut off of sales verses rentals. 6. Sociocultural forces. Today’s fast-paced society allows for less leisure time. Consumers are looking for convenience and easy to use products. Redbox offers a convenient service that allows renters to be able to rent-and-return anywhere at any kiosk. Customers can also reserve a movie online or via mobile apps and pick up at the nearest Redbox location (4). B. Target Market(s) Redbox has three main target market segments, the casual viewer, the family viewer, and the non-web savvy person. For first target market segment, Redbox markets towards the casual viewer. They have a policy of no monthly contract fees unlike their competitor, Netflix, who enforces a monthly fee. The casual viewer doesn’t rent enough movies or games to justify the fee. The casual viewer appreciates the ease and convenience of the locations of the Redbox. While Blockbuster also targets the casual viewer, Redbox is more appealing due to the inexpensive cost to rent a movie. The second target segment is the family viewer. Redbox positions itself in convenient locations for the ease of renting for the busy mom or dad. They can stop off at the grocery store or gas station on the way home from work and also pick up entertainment for the whole family, without having to make another stop. And the third target segment is the non-web savvy person. Netflix requires the use of the Internet to be able to rent movies. For those who either don’t have the technology available or those who are insecure of using a bank account or credit card number online, Netflix is not appealing. And with the focus Netflix on streaming movies online, they are pushing aside the lower income bracket who can’t afford the technology or those who don’t understand the technological lingo required for the streaming usage. That is where Redbox steps in and will capitalize on such consumers. Consumers are being forced to move from the brick-and-mortar stores to another venue of renting movies. With Redbox’s kiosks being user friendly and convenient, many of those consumers are trending towards the use of kiosks. Also the opportunity is becoming available for Redbox to take those valued consumers who are technologically savvy and offer them the option to stream videos online. C. Current Marketing Objectives and Performance Redbox’s current marketing objectives are to drive performance. They want to continue to drive customer loyalty, continue to engage their customers and grow profitability. By engaging their customers, Redbox is always looking to make the rental process more efficient and effective. They have installed several technology upgrades into the kiosks that will shorten the rental time frame by 20-30 seconds. They are continuously working on the most convenient locations and placements of the kiosks to drive their performance and grow profitability. Since 2002, Redbox has at least doubled, if not tripled, their revenue for seven years in a row. They distribute over 37 million disks to their field employees to install in the kiosks per year. Thousands of kiosks are installed every year. They have been able to build the infrastructure of the business to grow with the changing times, to keep up with the customer demands, and to grow their customer base into loyal customers. III. SWOT Analysis A. Strengths 1. Over 30,000 convenient locations nationwide 2. No monthly membership fees 3. Rent-and-return anywhere policy 4. Offers cheaper rental prices, $1.20/night, than its competitors 5. Largest DVD-rental kiosks operator B. Weaknesses 1. Limited access to titles, mostly new releases, and the schedule of release date depends upon the studio, not Redbox 2. Increased costs for DVD acquisitions due to Warner’s discontinued relationship with Redbox (9) 3. Marketing communication channels rarely used 4. Only accepts Debit or Credit Cards for methods of payment 5. Lacking web management in monitoring code sharing websites that allows for free rentals C. Opportunities 1. Tap into the market of streaming movies online 2. Now offers video game rentals at a relatively cheap price, $2/night 3. Mobile applications for IPhone and Droid for yet another ease of renting 4. $7 billion industry, in 2011, according to IBIS World D. Threats 1. Stiff competition with Netflix, Blockbuster Express, and Amazon 2. Websites like Hulu offering movies free of charge via the internet 3. Strained relationship with Warner Brothers by not accepting their terms of a 56 day waiting period to release new releases, resulting in increased costs for Redbox acquiring Warner Brother films (9) 4. Movie studio lawsuits stating they were only making 60 cents on new release movie rentals from Redbox, whereas they make $17 per sale of DVD at Wal-Mart. (9) IV. Marketing Objectives Unlike their major competitor Netflix, Redbox is not a big advertiser. Redbox mainly uses its internet website, in store cross-promotions, and their strategic placement of their red kiosks. On www.redbox.com, they showcase their movie and video game inventory and all their locations of their kiosks. One can also reserve the movies or games on the website and pick it up at the nearest kiosk location. It is a very simple, yet effective website. Redbox uses the placement of their eye-catching, red colored box as part of their marketing campaigns. They are strategically placed in high traffic areas and four wall stores. CFO Scott Di Valerio states that â€Å"Coinstar wants to be the leader of automated retail†. (14) Redbox also uses in store cross-promotions. Take the Orville Redenbacher’s promo, for example, on special marked popcorn boxes; there is a promo code for two free Redbox rentals, a coupon for a free 2-liter bottle of soda and a coupon for Orville’s poppycock popcorn. (15) Everyone associates movies and popcorn together so by running this cross-promotion, it brings new customers to Redbox and be able to experience the ease and convenience of usage. It has made family movie night just a little better. V. Marketing Strategies A. Target Market(s) Redbox uses the strategy â€Å"Think big, start small, scale fast.† All of the opportunities that Redbox reviews and pursues are in big spaces. They also look at new ventures who can realistically reach $100million in revenue in an allotted time frame. But before those big opportunities can be obtained, they need to start small. They believe in the right environment, which includes a small team, a few resources and time to hash over the details, so they can get to a point to accurately scale each venture. When that point is reached, Gregg Kaplan, Constar’s COO, says â€Å"It’s like unleashing the wonderful benefit that Redbox and Coinstar teams and the full organization can take against these opportunities.† (6) Redbox are placing more kiosks in more convenient places in hoping to increase more brand awareness, which is especially critical since they don’t spend much on advertising means. Mobile applications for iPhone and Droid are becoming intensely popular. The application will display a map of all the kiosks available in the area and also allows the viewing of what DVDs that kiosk has available. One can also reserve the movie via the mobile application and pick up at the nearest kiosk. B. Marketing Mix 1. Product. Redbox is the leader in DVD rentals, renting more than 1.5 billion discs to date, in over 30,000 locations. They boast on the fact that Redbox kiosks are available, within a five minute drive, to more than 68% of Americans. (4) And their rent-and-return anywhere policy makes Redbox an undisputable convenient place to rent moves. It is also possible to purchase the DVD at the kiosks or online at Redbox.com. 2. Price. The price to rent a DVD from a Redbox kiosk is astronomically cheap. It costs $1.20 to rent movies, including new releases, and $2.00 for video games. The rental period lasts until 9pm the night following the rental purchase. For each additional day you keep the movie, you are charged the rental fee plus tax per day. If you happen to hold the DVD for 20 days, you are charged $24 plus tax, $34.50 for Blu-Rays, or $60 for video games and the disc becomes yours. (4) These cheap prices have caused a strained relationship with the movie studios in Hollywood. They only earn $.60 per movie rental, where as they earn $17 per DVD sale, no matter the selling price. 3. Distribution. Redbox installs their kiosks in convenient, easy to access places, such as grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and large retailers like Wal-Mart. According to Coinstar’s 2011 10-K report, they have 35,400 kiosks available nationwide, each holding about 630 disks. (11) They are available in every state, including Puerto Rico. The kiosk is like the traditional brick-and-mortar video rental store, but only occupies up 12 square feet. Consumers access the movie database via a touch screen, make their selection(s), swipe their credit/debit card, and receive the DVD or video game(s). It is meant to be a quick, efficient and fully automated rental process. The kiosk scans the bar codes of the movies or games to keep track of its inventory. Bar code scanning allows them to track the rentals and the returns easily, especially when they offer the rent-and-return anywhere policy. 4. Promotion. Redbox sends promo codes to individuals who have signed up to receive emails. They also send promo codes via text messages. Those test messages results in a free rental once per month. Another promo Redbox offers are gift cards via email that gives the recipient a code for a free rental. In 2009, Redbox added a free mobile application for iPhone users and in 2011 they made the application available for Android users. The application allows users to sort through the available titles, find a kiosk location, and reserve a movie all from a smartphone.