The history of video games Essay Example for Free

The history of video games Essay The world of video games has played a part in several generations and they have always been entertaining for everyone. They have consistently evolved over the years keeping up with the times always offering gamers the best quality that is available. What started as mainly being played on televisions now is being played in hand held versions in addition to cell phones. Video games are evolving again with the games allowing the chance for everyone to get involved with the fun. From little toddlers to grandparents, there is a game out there all genres. I will explain each next-gen platform and its differences. The first system is the Nintendo Wii, Wii standing for we meaning that this console was built for everybody to play. This is the smallest console to date weighing in at only less than three pounds, over six inches tall, and it plays 12† inch discs in addition to eight inch discs from its predecessor the Nintendo GameCube. This console is motion censored based meaning that you have to move your body with the controller. This is the only that requires a memory card since there is not a lot of internal memory. This console is for everybody and it became instant hit and sold millions of units in a few short months. Next console is the X-Box 360, the second system released by Microsoft offering a more detailed online experience. With the ability to play others online the 360 has a social networking feel where you interact through your game. This console is fairly heavy weighing in at almost six pounds and with the older models the hard drives are detachable offered in 60 and 120 GB. The current model now has a 250GB hard drive and it slimmer lighter model and now it affordable as opposed to release in 2006 and starting price at $400. Then there is the PlayStation 3 perhaps the best console out of three offers their gamers the ability to play blue-ray discs in addition to having web browser option to connect to your internet service through Ethernet connection. With other features like the PlayStation Store where you can purchase your games and download it to your console, and the PlayStation Home where you can interact with others through an avatar. It began with consoles 20 and 60 GB and now it is offered in 160 and 320 GB since its launch in 2006. Each of these video games is unique in their own way but yet it offers the level entertainment that gamers always come to expect. However, they have evolved to target more guys there are games for everybody now. It is amazing how far these video games have come.

The Army as a Profession of Arms Essay Example for Free

The Army as a Profession of Arms Essay As the Army transitions from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization is well served to take a long look in the mirror. After ten plus years of deployments, our combat tested warriors are sure to possess more than enough valuable knowledge to reinforce and improve upon our status as a profession. A Tracdoc  published paper explains â€Å"to be a professional is to understand, embrace, and competently practice the expertise of the profession. † I believe the profession of arms exists and there are many components that reinforce this argument. Among these components, initial entry training and institutional learning, shared values, and a monopoly on our mission are three of the most important tenants. All Soldiers must graduate from Basic Combat Training and all officers must graduate from a commissioning source. Similar to medical school or law school in other traditional professions, these schools set the foundation for years of practice that will lead to expert work. From the first day in these schools, Soldiers are taught the seven Army values and the Soldiers creed. Comparable to the Hippocratic Oath, these words set basic principles all Soldiers must live by. Last, no other organization has the knowledge, material, or will to ensure national defense and security. The Army’s unique and expert work ensures it is a profession in the truest sense of the word. First, the Army provides specialized training and qualifications for its members. This initial training starts with BCT and a commissioning sources and continues through Advanced Individual Training for enlisted and the branch specific Basic Officer Leader Courses. Starting at the beginning of IET Soldiers are basically apprentices. All share knowledge common to members but unique to our organization. NCO’s and Company grade officers could be looked at as Journeymen. Have proven skills and knowledge. Senior NCO’s and Field Grade and Senior Officers are Master’s. All are professions but on different training paths. Also, Soldiers continue to qualify in the form of Military Occupational Specialty training, Army Physical Fitness Tests, and weapon qualifications that demonstrate a members potential for service throughout a career. According to Tracdoc commander General Robert Cone, it takes â€Å"years of hard work to reemphasize training and doctrine and years of individuals seeking to professionally improve themselves and the profession† to reach the desired end state of masters in the profession of arms. Second, the Army is governed by two related ethos. On the first day of initial training Soldiers are taught the importance of the seven Army values and begin to memorize the Soldier’s Creed. Like doctors and lawyers, â€Å"the military is an expert group, charged by its client to conduct work governed by a professional ethic† according to Lieutenant General Robert Caslen. A recent study commissioned by the Army found that 93% of Soldiers share their personal with the one set by the Army. Again, according to Caslen â€Å"the Army Values have sustained our institution through some of our most difficult years and will continue to be the foundation of our profession. † Last, no one else can provide national level security. A monopoly on the expert work that is to be performed is true of all professions. Caslen states that the American people â€Å"expect us to stand in the gap between the evil that is out there and our Nation’s values and our citizens themselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This overwhelming charge is true to the profession of arms and can only be expected of experts in our given field. In conclusion, I believe the United States Army is a profession led by masters who are constantly training and mentoring expert replacements who execute their mission with the core values that have guided us for years. According to Brigadier General Sean MacFarland, â€Å"when we examine the key attributes of our profession, we can never lose sight of this underlying truth, because it sets us apart from all others. †

The Work Of Saul Bass Film Studies Essay

The Work Of Saul Bass Film Studies Essay Moving and animated sequence titles are common to us nowdays. When we go to the cinema, play DVD or watch a movie in TV, we always know that there will be some. But what we do not usually know is who stands behind this mini-genre. No doubt, the man who is responsible for invinting the opening credit sequences as a free-standing movie-before-a-movie (Thomas, 1996) is Saul Bass, an American graphic designer and director. This essay will decribe his life and his most important outputs. Saul Bass was born on eighth May in 1920. As a kid, he was growing up in Bronx in New York. (Thomas, 1996; Brown, 2002) After graduating from high school, he studied Graphic Art at Brooklin College. Afterwards, he left New York for Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles. (Nourmand, 2000; Thomas, 1996) Initially, he was producing print work for film ads. For instance he created posters The Moon is Blue or Love in the Afternoon. In 1954, Otto Preminger approched Saul Bass and asked him to create a poster for his movie Carmen Jones . Saul Bass designed the poster with a strinkingly simple flaming black and red rose. (Nourmand, 2000). Otto Preminger liked Bass s work so much and decided to collaborated with him on the title sequence as well. (Brown, 2002) This was an important moment of Saul Bass s career. He recognised that graphic design and film design are closely related. Movie s first moments are very important and they create identification for movies. Otto Preminger liked Bass s seque nce title and therefore, one year later (1995), he called him on again to create a visual identity for The Man with the Golden Arm which experienced a great success. (Lamster, 2000, 129) Working on this project, Saul Bass got an idea of the title sequence which would be moving. He created the famous jagged arm design, suggesting the jarring and disjoined existence of drug addict (Nourmand, 2000) Usually titles named only movie, artists, director etc. Suddendly, it turned into an animamated event. Afterwards, Bass said (Lamster, 2000, 130): there was a time when titles were very interesting, going back to the early 1930s or even the late 1920s. Then it bogged down and became bad lettering produced by firms that ground out titles. What I did was reinvent the whole notion of using a title to create a little atmosphere. The idea of titling movies through animation became a classic mini-genre (Thomas, 1996). It influenced many artists and Bass s film-within-a-film (Neef et al., 2006, 166) became very popular. Not only Otto Preminger saw Saul Bass s potencial, Alfred Hitchcock asked him to design stuff for his movies as well. (Nourmand, 2000) Titles for Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) and Psycho (1960) were all created by Saul Bass. (Kolner, 2004, 104; Thomas, 1996; Nourmand, 2000) Saul Bass s sequence titles spoke to the audience in a familiar language (Brown, 2002) Neverthless, it always reflected the true complexity of the movie and drew out the most important features of the other s work. (Woloski, 2005) In Vertigo, Bass summates Scorie Ferguson s descent into an obsessive hell with the austere and hypnotic image of a spiral (Woloski, 2005) and Bass s title sequence for Psycho was created by linear movement of the black-and-white, horizontal lines, the more phallic orientation of Psycho s particular brand of violence (Kolner, 2004, 108) In Bass s titles for Hitchcock, he presented the director as a star and as an attraction, which made the hidden presence of Hitchcock even more felt. (Neef et al, 2006, 173-174). Regarding Psycho, Saul Bass collaborated with Hitchcock as a directors as well. He drew some sketches for the Psycho s scenes (Kolner, 2004, 17-24). Moreover, Psycho s title music which was composed by Hermann was actually inspired by the Saul Bass s animation. (Tonks, 2001). Saul Bass s techniques were various. He employed visual imagery, hand-drawn type, pictographs, construction paper shapes, cotoun animation, montage, music and many others. Moreover, he used colors and movements precisely and very effectively (Taylor, 2005; Haskett, 2005, 64) With his title sequences which we can describe as a visual references, he developed a new part of the modern business and commercial world . (Brown, 2002) Therefore, he won sich a wide accleim that he was sometimes called the Picasso of commercial artists . (Thomas, 1996) Furthermore, Saul Bass worked also as a director. To his movies belong The Searching Eye (1964), From Here to There (1964), Grand Prix (1966) and probably the most popular one called Why Man Creates (1968) (Lamster; 2000, 134; Taylor, 2005). In 1968, the short movie Why Man Creates was awarded as a Oscar-winning short film. (Lamster, 2000, 134; Thomas, 1996) Besides creating design for movie and directing movies by his own, he was a very a famous graphic designer of logotypes. He devised trademarks and corporate identifications for firms such as ATT, United Airlines, Bell System, Minolta, Quker Oats, Warner Communications, General Food and many others (Haskett, 2005, 64; Thomas, 1996; Economist Books, 2003, 117). We can claim he was a corporate identities genius. His trademarks were extraordinary, clean, legible, readable and symbolic. In the 1960s he created logotyped for lot of the biggest American companies. (Nourmand, 2000) Regarding his personal life. He was married twice. First marriage ended by diverce. His second wife, Elaine Makatura was initially the first employee of his own studio (Thomas, 1996) This versatil and innovative graphic designer died at the age of 75 at Cedars-Sinai Medal Center in Los Angles. According to family, he died on non-Hodgkins lymphoma (Thomas, 1996; Taylor, 2005; Nourmand, 2000) Saul Bass s reputation as a designer of film is legendary. He has left his incredible signature on a number of pictures by Preminger, Hitchcock, Kurbick, Wyler among others. (Need, 2006, 166-168) We remeber his handwriting from title sequences for The Man with the Golden Arm , Psycho or for example from his Academy Award-winning short movie Why Man Creates. His output is so broad and large. He created many posters, title sequences, movies, visual identities, corporate logos etc. He brought a new innovative thinking and working to Hollywood. His innovation created an army of imitators, many of whom have carried his ideas beyond his original conception. (Thomas, 1996). Such was an impact of his work that his style became alsmost a clich of the mid-fifties through the sixties because of how often they were imitated. (Lamster, 2000, 133). In my opinion, the work of Saul Bass contributed to the modern art very significantly and left behind a great heritage not only for design but also for movies. His ideas and new style of creating posters and titles brought to the art industry a new broader dimension. He definitely influenced the contemporary art.

Feminism is for Everybody :: Free Essays Online

Feminism is for Everybody The following paragraphs are an excerpt from a paper written about the political and social theories of bell hooks. These sections focus specifically on her newest book, Feminism is for Everybody. Throughout her works, hooks maintains a firm belief in the accessibility of the theory she seeks to situate within society. To that end, hooks’ latest work, Feminism is for Everybody, is an accessible book that outlines the basic tenants of a radical feminist theory. More inclusive than many of her other works, this book attempts to address an audience that is completely unfamiliar with feminist thought. In the introduction, hooks discusses the rampant misconceptions surrounding the movement. In her encounters with people on a daily basis, she finds that: â€Å"When I ask these same folks about the feminist books or magazines they read, when I ask them about the feminist talks they have heard, about the feminist activists they know, they respond by letting me know that everything they know about feminism has come into their lives thirdhand [sic], that they really have not come close enough to the feminist movement to know what really happens, what it’s really about. Mostly they think feminism is a bunch of angry women who want to be like men. (vii). It is these misconceptions that hooks feels must be corrected. Only in this way will the everyday relevance of feminism become clear. Hooks goes on to explain that this book is an effort to answer the question â€Å"what is feminism† in a clear, concise way that is not reductive to her readers (viii). She stressed the failure of the feminist movement to produce a multitude of works that are accessible and useful in many arenas. Many of the chapters in Feminism is for Everybody recapitulate and simplify the arguments put forth in Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. Hooks attempts to diffuse common myths surrounding the feminist movement, and to that end, she suggests ways the movement may become all-inclusive. In the section entitled â€Å"Feminist Masculinity† hooks discusses the dichotomy perpetuated by Second Wave feminists who sought to classify the male as the â€Å"enemy†. The polarization of men as the â€Å"oppressor† and woman as the â€Å"oppressed† propelled the women’s movement initially, but it was not long before women were able to step back and realize that the system itself was flawed (68).

Cause Effect Essay - Consequences of Too Many Cats -- Expository Cause

Cause Effect Essay - Consequences of Too Many Cats We have five cats that live in our house. This was not our original plan, but it turned out that way. My family got two tortoiseshell-colored kittens, Kit-Fat and Minkie when I was nine and my sister was seven. Two years later, we were preparing to move to the country, and our pastor's daughter had three kittens to give away. Our pastor convinced us that we needed cats outside in the country. At that age, Risa and I were greatly in love with kittens. Subsequently, three tabby kittens named Duff, Muff, and Buff came to live with us. But alas, our move was delayed and these adorable fluff balls lived inside for the next six weeks. When we finally moved, the whole family was too attached to these kittens to out them outside and subject them to the dangerous world. Therefore, we became a household with five cats. To this day, we are still reaping the consequences of that choice. Occasionally, there is an article in the newspaper about a house where the people have many cats and do not care for them. The cats are allowed to take over the home and a severe mess results. This is obviously the extreme result of having too many inside cats. However, even in households where the cats are well taken care of, problems can result from a profusion of inside cats. The biggest problem with a multiple cat household is the interaction between the various cats. Many problems stem from this interaction. Cats can be very territorial creatures. In a multi-cat situation, there is also a pecking order and a dominant cat. We have four females and only one male, so our male naturally became the dominant cat. This caused a problem because before Duff came, our oldest female was dominant. Du... ...l, we love our cats, and they are an important part of our daily family life. There have been times alone the way that we have been tempted to get rid of them, but we knew that we could never do it. This is due to the positive effects that our cats have upon our home. Cats can be very affectionate and loving creatures. They constantly provide us with amusement as each one has his own personality. With several cats, each family member has a favorite or favorites, and everyone has a cat friend. Cats provide happiness, despite all the work required to care for them and manage them. Nevertheless, I still would not recommend that anyone have more than one or two cats in a house. Too many cats in one house causes too many problems and negative effects. We made a mistake, but we have dealt with the circumstances, and through it all have learned many important lessons.

Stories Told Halfway :: Personal Narrative Sleeping Papers

Stories Told Halfway When I was sick I slept all day, in the shifting patch of sun on my bed. I woke up after fourteen hours and I saw that I had taken Sleep into me. And I thought, I understand why they called Sleep a god, why they gave him a face. If you sleep long enough, you let him in. You can feel the way he lifts your limbs and lets them fall again till they learn to hang, loosely, just so. You can feel the way his hands push down on the back of your neck, gently, and the lazy halo he brushes over the crown of your head with his fingers. You can understand why today he likes Sun, who paints a quiet coat of warmth onto your faded yellow sheets. You can feel him blink and stretch and curl up softly and let Sun paint him golden. And you can also understand why mostly he likes Night, who comes more quietly, dressed in cool gowns, trailing her nets and nets of stars to trap him in. You can see through his eyes, when you have just woken. Things come into your understanding slowly and you are content t o know them only halfway. You do not struggle for meaning. You can see how he blurs shapes into roundness. You can see how he breathes out quiet through you where you go, and you know he is there in the sleepy tilt of your head. And the people around you, when you have just woken, will see Sleep smiling in the lazy lines of your walk. This is Nick's favorite dream: He was being chased. He was all fear. He ran until he started to run on four legs. He felt the spring and the power and the motion that is a wolf running. It was daytime, morning. He followed a rough trail that wove through the woods. He ran and it was not strange. He did not even stop to think, I am a wolf. Only he was. The trail turned cleaner, shafts of new white light urging him on to the east. He was not feeling afraid anymore. He hadn't for a long time. The chase fell away and he was just running, all motion and speed. He came to a place deep in the forest where the trees were narrow and dense.

How nature and nurture may affect the development Essay

The development of an individual can be down to different aspects such as physical, intellectual, emotional and social development; these effects can be due to nature or nurture or quite possibly both. ‘The nature versus nurture debate has been a classic controversy among experts for centuries’ (www.macalester.edu), even now there has been no clear conclusion as to who is right and who is wrong, just on-going hypotheses and opinions to add to the debate. Therefore the evaluation of how nature and nurture may affect a person’s development will be based on my own knowledge and some research. Physical Development Infancy is the most critical period for a child’s development. Physically a child overcomes many milestones very rapidly and it is said that they overcome the ‘norms’ meaning, every child accomplishes things at a similar pace. From birth to four years, physically, the child starts out unable to roll over and proceeds through crawling, walking to running; this is a major physical development. You are born with reflexes to potentially walk, however some may not due to a genetic disorder therefore it is in someone’s nature to walk but to be able to walk you have to learn it from your surroundings. This example applies to many other physical developments such as puberty, growing taller and going through the menopause. Physical development supports nature and nurture as genetics play a role in a child’s physical characteristics as you are born with the ability to do physical activity unless you are born with congenital abnormalities which can limit or enhance a child’s ability to learn. Using these abilities you are born with must be taught therefore throughout your life you learn to be physically able. Intellectual Development â€Å"Parents are the keys to intellectual development for almost all children in the care and education they provide† (www.etllearning.com), this supports the nurture debate. Activities, learning devices, time and attention a parent or caregiver gives to their child in infancy can have a dramatic impact on a child’s on-going development and intelligence. A persons intelligence increases in a lifetime through various stages; learning at home from parents, going to school and being taught subjects, going into the workplace and moving out from the family home. As well as the nurturing of a child, nature also plays a big role in a child’s intellectual development as they are born with the genetics of their mother and father and they will inherit the characteristics of their parents. You are born with the ability to, for example, speak, read and write however you must be taught how to use this ability. Depending on what your parents are capable of, there may be chanc e that a child may lack intelligence or excel in certain aspects of intellectual development. Emotional Development Specific hormones can affect a person’s emotional development. As a child reaches puberty, emotions develop rapidly as there are a lot of hormonal changes; increasing pressure at school, confusion, sexual relationships and many other events that can have an effect on emotions. Everyone has to go through physical stages of developmental milestones which are linked to a person’s emotional development and it is nature that plays a role in a person’s emotional development which is certainly increased as a child reaches puberty and as a woman goes through the menopause. A significant influence on a child’s emotional development is parents and other family members. Children who are cared for and loved by their parents or caregiver will treat their family, friends and peers in a similar way and will see them as people they can feel secure with later in life. Nurture the parents provide will determine the relationships the child has in the future with other people and how the child will react emotionally. Social Development I believe that nurture is a big influence on a person’s social development as it involved the development of new types of behaviour, a change in interests and the choice of new friends and peers. â€Å"One study that was done at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School was on the effects that depressed and non-depressed mothers had on their toddlers. Basically what was found was that the toddlers with depressed mothers tended to have less social skills than the ones with a normal maternal influence. It was concluded that the exposure to maternal depression may affect the child’s social development and his/her later relationship with his/her mother.† (mirandakalish.hubpages.com), this is evidence that nurture is the main influence on a child’s social development. From birth, a child is taught right from wrong and what is seen as socially acceptable, therefore social development must be learnt. However some aspects of social development may be inherited as your parents may have certain characteristics that can be passed down such as, being a good team worker, developing friends and have the desire to belong. In conclusion, both sides of the nature/nurture debate presents evidence which supports its impact on development. Whether or not we inherit a group of characteristics that make us who we are, or the environment having a more impacting role on who a person is, everyone’s input on the debate is valid and there is a lot of research and information to prove the validity.