Sunday 12 December 2010
Saturday 11 December 2010
Classic Old Nintendo Games
Two revolutionary fictional characters, Mario and Luigi made an impact on almost every childhood across the world. Whether it was the Mario Brothers that you were interested it, or if it were sports games like Techmo Super Bowl, there was a Nintendo game that everyone loved in the house. Techmo Super Bowl, or the Mario Brothers, who hasn't played Duck Hunt?
Despite all of the classic old Nintendo games,Mario Brother's might have been the most classic of all old Nintendo games. Although Mario Brothers was the most popular in terms of units sold, there were several other video games that we all enjoyed - and still do. No matter how good the graphics look on PlayStation 3, or the new Xbox 360, or how fun it is to play the Nintendo Wii,
The top selling old Nintendo games in order of units sold (in millions):
* 40.23 - Super Mario Brothers
* 18 - Super Mario Brothers 3
* 10 - Super Mario Brothers 2
* 6.51 - The Legend of Zelda
* 4.38 - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
* 4 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
* 3.8 - Dragon Warrior III
* 3.1 - Dragon Warrior IV
* 2.46 - Golf
* 2.4 - Dragon Warrior II
* 2.35 - Baseball
* 2.13 - Mahjong
* 2.05 - Family Stadium
* 1.81 - Tetris
* 1.67 - Duck Tales
This extensive list does not include titles created by Konami. Some of the more popular Konami games are: the Contra and Castlevania Series. There are also several other titles that did not have their sales figures recorded. It is up for debate if later titles like, "101 Nintendo Games" contributed to the total number of units sold, it would be interesting to see how many old games the Wii arcade has sold. Our next article will discuss the popularity of the Wii, and how it has changed future gaming.
Final Fantasy 13 Review
For most games I review, to be honest, I play them for the bare minimum I can to give it an honest rating. But there's something about Final Fantasy that makes me want to play it a little bit longer, because in the past it has been proven that the story and gameplay could change considerably near the end of the game. Therefore I've played this game for 70 hours and I'm just now ready to give my educated view.
Story
Final Fantasy 13 follows the story of main character Lighting. She lives in Cacoon with her sister but one day finds herself and her sister marked I'Cie, enemy of the state. And all enemies will some day fulfill their focus and turn into crystal. To change this faith Lighting and her friends, also marked l'Cie, turns against the government in bid to save Cocoon and more importantly rescue the ones she loves.
Battle system
Ever since the Final Fantasy franchise moved away from its turn-based roots, a search has commenced for the successor of the famous battle system. Question is have they finally found it with Final Fantasy 13?
Well it depends on the gamer. In final Fantasy 13 manual control is possible but discouraged, instead you can set "strategies" and change them dynamically during the fight. Strategies are formed, by giving your three party members curtain roles like: medic, sentinel, saboteur, commander, ravager etc. This way you can for example make a strategy with in mind staying alive, or a strategy to give the enemy all it can take, in the battle you can then change back and forth as the fighting progresses.
Another strategic aspect emerges later in the game when you can decide which three characters out of six you want to use. The game tries to emphasis each character's specific qualities and does so to some extend, but most gamers will probably settle for three to successfully use them the whole game through.
It's a nice system for the passive gamer but a far cry from the manual control of past Final Fantasy titles. Nevertheless I liked this new approach.
Gameplay
The game reminds me of a mice cage with the many plastic tubes, because most of the time you will be going walking on a 1-way path to your objective. At times you will meet an obstacle, go past it, and continue on your way. But then, just when you're about to give up, you're presented with a huge area called Grand Pulse.
In Grand Pulse the gameplay becomes more dynamic and allows for secret treasure hunting and missions. The 64 missions are pretty straightforward, just walk to a mission, hunt down the mark, and receive a reward. Still there's a feeling of surprise when you complete the missions and accept your mysterious price, and this will definitely keep you going for hours.
On your adventure to helping society, many items and CP points will cross your path. The items can be sold in the shops, approachable from every save point, and used to upgrade your weapons.
And CP points can be spent developing your character in Final Fantast 13's revamped development system. Now your characters won't level up automatically but you must decide where you make the gains with your character.
Because unlike developments like more HP, spells and techniques you learn will only be available when your character is in that specific role. So if character Snow learns Fira in the ravager role, he can only use that spell when he's a ravager, he win't have access to it when he's playing a medic.
This probably sounds very flexible and difficult but it isn't, because all you can decide is which roles you develop. The benefits and the order are already determined by the game. All in all I don't like this system much as the game only gives you access to so much upgrades, meaning that you can't be completely overpowered until the very end.
More user-friendly
With the new battle system in mind you've probably figured that fighting new mysterious enemies can be quite difficult as you struggle to change your strategy accordingly. Luckily Square Enix has compensated for this by implementing a more user-friendly system compared to previous games. Now you'll find a save game every 5 minutes and after a battle your health restores back to 100%. On top of that if you die you can simply re-do the battle without having to redo the game from your last save.
This makes the game far less frustrating and perfect for new gamers. And it's a far better system than before, where at times you had to face three forms of a boss without the possibility of saving in-between.
Presentation
Final Fantasy 13 is based on Square Enix's new White engine and boy does it look good. The graphics are very crisp and in Grand Pulse I literally stopped for a second to admire the surroundings and all the monsters and mystical creatures walking around me.
The same goes for sound. The soundtrack is great and the sound of Lightning's sword hitting its target is a joy to behold. But the music can become really repetitive. Some of the larger pathways and areas all feature the same music which is looped, and sticking around for an hour will actually cause the same song to be re-run for 20-times.
Conclusion
Final Fantasy 13 is a great game with a few really big shortcomings. The graphics and sound quality are amazing, and the battle system and new approach to dying are a breath of fresh air. But it comes at the expense of a very linear experience and a story I couldn't care less about. And it masks the feeling of just having experienced the adventure of your life and replaces it by a feeling of feeling somewhat underwhelmed.
Friday 10 December 2010
Three Mysteries Solved by Seneca Archaeological Findings
Seneca nation, the largest tribe in the Iroquois Confederacy, has deep historical roots that have been the subject of many archaeological discoveries in the last century. The movement of the tribe followed the geographical pattern running from Canada into New York as many factions of the nation set up camps throughout New York in the seventeenth century. This tribe, though, is one shrouded in mystery. Perhaps these three are the most commonly addressed:
1. Why have more Seneca cemeteries been found than any other tribe of the Five Nations?
2. How did the Iroquois become known for their entrepreneurial spirit?
3. Why did the Iroquois choose the longhouse structure as the most suitable for their living arrangements?
Why have more Seneca cemeteries been found than any other tribe of the Five Nations?
The Seneca tribe, unlike the other tribes in the Five, and then Six, Nations (also called the Iroquois League or Iroquois Confederacy) was found to have at least one cemetery at each living site. While other tribes of the nation (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and later the sixth, Tuscarora) have a few known cemeteries scattered throughout the region, none are more numerous or resemble the highly structured and complex burial traditions that have been found within the Seneca tribal practices.
The Seneca tribe had a more elaborate burial ritual than the other tribes in the Iroquois Confederacy; they buried their dead in precise positions with the body flexed. Artifacts and belongings were buried with the dead within the grave. These relics were often scissors, gun flints, gun parts, pottery, and glass and shell beads. This ceremonial practice could also have factored in the cemeteries being located closer to the community center.
The Seneca communities were located farther geographically than the other tribal villages from any European settlements. All the tribes, having an innate fear of catching a disease, or an Evil Spirit, from outsiders, wanted to be as far as possible from any foreign elements. They wanted to trade with the Europeans, but they didn't want to live with them. Most tribes tended to locate their cemeteries far from the central living areas as well, but the Seneca cemeteries were located closer to the community. This fact could also lead to the reason why Seneca cemeteries were more accessible to archaeologists and easier to find.
The Cayuga, as did many of the other tribes, it must be noted, have had some possible burial sites destroyed by vandalism; therefore, it is not possible to reconstruct them in their entirety to more closely scrutinize the Iroquois burial tradition. The New York Rochester Museum is currently analyzing excavation findings to continue learning about the burial habits of the Seneca tribe. The Rochester Museum and some of its top archaeologists, including Charles Wray and Harry Schoff, are also credited with saving many Seneca burial artifacts and gathering written history to document the Seneca burial customs and patterns.
How did the Iroquois become known for their entrepreneurial spirit?
The Iroquois traded with Dutch settlers from the beginning of their cohabitation. This fact was pieced together through archaeological evidence. The Iroquois, utilizing the Three Sisters successful method of agriculture, growing corn, beans, and squash together, used fertile land in the best possible manner. They would trade or sell extra crops to supplement their economy and lifestyle. Archaeological evidence tells a story of how far ranging their trade networks were.
Successful entrepreneurs, the Iroquois busied about trading furs (raccoon and beaver) and selling off pieces of their land. From these trades, the Native Americans received beads, ribbon, brass kettles, and men's ruffled shirts. When they ran out of land to sell, they needed to come up with something else to sell in the market place as a means of support. Iroquois tribal members, beginning in the mid-1800s, began making and selling different kinds of craft items such as beadwork, paintings and baskets to tourists who were beginning to visit the areas of Niagara Falls, New York and Montreal, Canada. Yet others saw the benefit in performing Native American dances at some of the festivals and gatherings as they would occur.
Why did the Iroquois choose the longhouse structure as the most suitable for their living arrangements?
The longhouse, whose very name is part of the Iroquois language, Haudenosaunee, which means People of the Longhouse, tells us much about the social organization of the Seneca people. From archaeological finds, we know that the longhouse could be built from 25 to 400 feet long but typically were built between 180 and 220 feet long. Longhouses are long, as their name implies, narrow, and rectangular in shape. The longhouse was built as a home with extended families in mind. This lends itself to the sense of community this nation shared. Each family had a personal interior space of about six feet by nine feet, divided as compartments, with a general "hall" running the length of the structure.
This mode of housing was designed to hold not only parents and their children, but grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as well. In the Iroquois tribe, 20 or more families could reside in a longhouse, typically all the relatives from the mother's side of the clan. Women were important in Iroquois society and each member of a "clan" was a descendant from one person, following the mother's bloodline. Each clan had its own longhouse and was named after an animal or a bird. The animal or bird was inscribed as a logo on the longhouse and it was depicted on many decorative items contained within the longhouse. The longhouse, however, was more than a home to each clan to the Iroquois; the Five Nations considered each branch a part of their overall society's home.
Classic RPG Games Review - Final Fantasy 8
The story of FF 8 is not too complicated like others RPG games such as Xenogears and Chrono Cross. You play as Squall Leonheart, a group leader of future mercenaries who has mission to stop an ancient sorceress and save the world from destruction. Unfortunately, the story doesn't develop well.
It's all about love
The love story between Squall and Rhinoa is very famous, it could be the main story of FF 8.
FF 8 Characters
*Squall Leonheart
A very handsome 17 years old boy. He is antisocial person and only cares about himself.
*Rhinoa Heartily
If Rhinoa was a real person, she could be the prettiest girl ever!!
*Quistis Trepe
She is a complicated girl and it seems that she also loves Squall.
*Zell Dincht
Squall's very best friend. Unfortunately, he is an impatient person.
*Selphie Tilmitt
A transferred student who always looks happy. She has a cute face and funny weird hair.
*Irvine Kinneas
A cool cowboy with cool weapon. But the truth, he is weaker than he looks.
Gameplay
*The battle system of this game is very unique. Unlike FF 7, you no longer can get money after defeating monster, but you can get it from your job. The most interesting of this game is you can summon some big creatures called Guardian Force (GF). They will help you a lot in defeating monsters and bosses in this game. There are so much GF in FF 8 world, it takes hours if you want to collect all of the Guardian Force.
*No armor you can find along the game. And you must upgrade your weapon periodically.
*Each character has no special magic since magic is an item in this game. But you can get magic by stealing it from the enemies.
*Junction system
You can add certain magics to your weapon (such as firaga). It is much easier to beat the game if you know how to master this system.
*The strongest boss in previous series, Ultima Weapon, also appears in this game. Make sure you have reached level 100 if you want to fight this boss.
Graphics
Unlike FF 7 and FF 9, the characters in FF 8 look realistic and very detailed. The game backgrounds also look so cool and amazing. And the best part is the opening FMV. (it could be the best opening FMV in the playstation console)
If you are a classic RPG games collector, you should add FF 8 to your list.
Werewolf Mythology
A werewolf is usually a creature that is half-man, half-wolf. Each culture's mythology is very different on the specifics. Sometimes the man can change into a wolf voluntarily by wearing a magic belt or drinking water from the footprint of a wolf. Other times, he can be put under a curse by a god or a witch. Sometimes, a man might turn into a werewolf because he fell asleep under a full moon. Often, a scratch or a bite from another werewolf can cause someone to become a werewolf themselves.
A werewolf generally has heightened senses and strength which is beyond that displayed by either a man or a wolf.
Werewolves do usually have vulnerabilities, however. One of the most common is a severe aversion to silver. Often, werewolves can only be killed by shooting them with a silver bullet. Sometimes, silver knives or silver-tipped canes can also be employed to inflict damage upon a werewolf. In some variations, werewolves are so sensitive to silver that even touching it can cause burns, and even the sight of it can cause nausea.
Perhaps the earliest werewolf myth comes from classic Greek Mythology. Lycaon was a cruel king who tried to play a trick on Zeus by serving him food which contained the remains of a small child. When Zeus found out about this, he became extremely angry and turned Lycaon into a wolf. He then proceeded to kill all 50 of Lycaon's sons.
Werewolf stories were even more common throughout medieval Europe, and they were often associated with vampire stories. Serial murders were often explained as being the work of vampires or werewolves. Many cultures believed that werewolves were the forerunners of vampires, and that when a werewolf died; his corpse came back as a vampire. For this reason, most people who were suspected to be werewolves were cremated rather than buried.
Werewolves continue to enjoy popularity even to this day in books and movies. Werewolf in London, The Wolf Man, and Wolf are a few films that achieved widespread success. Teen Wolf was a film from the 80's that took a lighter look at werewolves. The blockbuster Twilight series which is so popular today also features werewolves. In earlier movies, the trend was to make the werewolves appear extremely anthropomorphic, but more recent films portray them as huge wolves.
Titanic Survivor Lived Another 97 Years
Way back in 1912, Frances Taylor was a shy, curly haired 3 year old. And she was coming to America. Her Scottish Dad was already here, making a new start. Things were looking up - he had rented a new home for the family and he had saved some money. So he booked tickets for his wife and five children to join him. That passage was on the Titanic.
Frances knew this story by heart. A bit from memory, and a bit from her own parents' telling of the tale. Much later, from her home in Lake Forrest, Orange County, California, she told it many times to her children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, who never tired of hearing it.
Gamrie, Scotland, is a small town on the North Sea coast, some 40 miles north of Aberdeen. It had been many months since Frances' father had left. Now in the States, he was looking forward to being reunited with his brood. He had a lot to tell them. And he would have woken early as usual on the morning of April 15, 1912 then washed and dressed for work. He probably would not have bought a newspaper - he was Scottish after all - and he needed his money for other things. But he would have heard the news:
TITANIC DISASTER - GREAT LOSS OF LIFE
To Frances' family, the dramatic events of 1912 as they impacted the family were indeed a headline - a personal headline. Watching articles and documentaries over the years about the terrible event, they thought that their Frances deserved a documentary. Her story warranted a proper telling and a permanent record - like the other survivors of the Titanic.
Actually, 3 year old Frances and her family did not make it on board the Titanic. Booked steerage, their Titanic tickets were still a hot property. And, as the family story has it, the family was bumped off the passenger list at the last minute in favor of some higher status travelers. They would travel to the New World on another ship.
Is the shock of great loss any the less because the news later turns out to have been mistaken? Frances' father was crushed by reports of the Titanic going down. His work, his sacrifice - it was for nothing. Only later did he learn that his family was safe. He would have collapsed a second time - this time from relief. It became the stuff of family legend.
Frances survived the Titanic. Boy, did she survive it. She survived her near miss on the Titanic by 97 years. Talk about making the gods of fate pay.
Frances Taylor died on October 6, last year at her daughter's home in Lake Forest. Just before that she was honored at Disneyland in Anaheim and drew local headlines which said "Woman who avoids Titanic disaster celebrates 100th at Disneyland". And Frances took one more boat ride - this time on one of those small skiffs sedately ferrying passengers through the "It's a Small World" attraction. She was 100 years old and had survived the sinking of the Titanic by a whopping 97 years.
Before she passed, daughter Maggie Winn helped put together a custom-made video biography documentary for her mother - just like "A&E". Speaking later she said, "She went peacefully. We played her video at her memorial and got so many wonderful compliments on it. It was so touching, beautiful and humorous."
Frances' family thrived after they all arrived safely in America. And her story of surviving the Titanic made successive generations even more appreciative of the opportunities they were given by that first lonely Scotsman who thought he has lost it all.
And Frances' story finally got the attention it deserved - at least as far as her grateful family were concerned.
Musashi Elite Samurai Sword
There is at least one swordsman whose life and skill have become legend, and who's name will never be forgotten. Miyamoto Musashi. Arguably, he was the greatest swordsman in Japanese history, perhaps even in the world. He lost one duel in his early life, and vowed never to lose again, a promise he kept. He fought over 60 duels and never lost, though he once came to a tie.
His dueling style was unlike anything that the Samurai of his time had seen before. Being taller than most in his day, Miyamoto likewise required a longer sword than most. He did not fight with this sword alone, however. A Samurai typically carried two swords worn on the waist at any given time, a practice put into law by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The two swords were the long sword, or katana, and the short sword, or wakazashi. Miyamoto fought with both swords, one in each hand, simultaneously. To be able to do this adequately takes a great deal of skill, let alone doing it with the proficiency that has earned Musashi's place in the annals of history.
Musashi himself actually fought against Tokugawa and his army at the Battle of Sekigahara, choosing instead to side with the army of Ishida Mitsunari. Though Musashi's personal achievements during this battle were great, the Ishida Army lost, resulting in the establishment of the Tokugawa regime.
Years later, Miyamoto Musashi defeated another legendary swordsman of the era named Sasaki Kojiro. What's more, Miyamoto used only one sword in this duel; a sword he carved out of a boat oar while on his way to the island where the duel was to be held. The fight lasted mere moments and resulted in Kojiro's death.
It is said that Musashi became somewhat disgusted with killing men in duels, and would do whatever it took to avoid being challenged in the first place. It is rumored that he actually stopped bathing and wore the same dirty clothes for weeks or months at a time, resulting in a stomach-churning stench that would keep would-be challengers from even wanting to approach him, let alone fight him.
Every sword should tell a story. This one tells a legend.
Led Zeppelin's Beginnings
Even though the Beatles had paved the way for rock and roll music to be appreciated by English listeners, pop culture was still the dominant music that Britons mostly listens.
For a starting band like Led Zeppelin they were facing insurmountable odds. Forming a band was hard enough they needed a lot of patience to perform countless gigs in order to get noticed by a music company.
Finally, the band was given their chance. In 1968 the band managed to get the attention of the music industry. There album was finally was set to be released. In 1969 when the album was released it was a hit.
It was not surprising because their song offers so much influence. Their music was a blend of blues, pop, rock and many more.
They captured the heart of not only Britons but also Americans as well. There concert tours was a sure hit that was why Atlantics Records investment did not go to waste. They had a signing of 200,000 dollars which was at that time the biggest ever made in history in the music industry.
The record company did expect that the band would be popular but not to this extent. Concert auditoriums were always full and tickets were always sold out.
Queen - The Beginning of a Legend
In the year 1969, Smile signed a contract with Mercury Records and they launched their first disc which had a song composed by May and another one composed by May and Staffer. In North America it was a huge failure. In 1970, Staffel decided to leave the band so Mercury Record ended their contract. When Staffel left, Freddie Bulsara joined the group. He later changed his family name into Mercury and named the band Queen. The one thing that was missing was a bassist. In the year that followed, Queen changes 3 different bassists. In 1971, Jon Deacon auditions for this position and joined the group definitely. Queen had the chance to rehearse in the studios De Lea Lane in exchange for testing their new recording equipment. They first recording, Queen, was launched in 1973, while in 1974, they already launched their second album.
By now, Queen had already become a famous band and they launched their third album, Sheer Heart Attack. The band went in their first solo tournament throughout the United States where they had to add new concerts because the public demanded to hear them more and more. In the first months of 1975, the group had concerts even in Canada and Japan. Their next album was called Night at the Opera and their song Bohemian Rhapsody was 5 minutes and 55 seconds long. While some people believed it was too long, other cheered it and it was such a smashing success that it even brought them an award.
Biography and History of Bill Gates
At Microsoft, Bill gates worked as a CEO and a chief software architect. To date, Bill is the largest individual shareholder with more than 8 percent of the common stock. The business entrepreneur gave away the position of the CEO in January 2000. However, he continued to act as a non executive chairman for the company. He held part time responsibilities with Microsoft and took over full time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in June 2006.
If Bill Gates knew how to earn money, he also knew how to use that money well. The man opted for a philanthropist character and donated huge sums of money. He gave away money to various charitable and research organizations.
Bill's successful stint as a businessman earned him worldwide recognition. He was recognized as one of the most influential people of the twentieth century by the Times magazine. He was also recognized as the most influential people for the year 2004, 2005 and 2006. He also stood at the eighth rank in the 'Heroes of our time' in the year 2006.
If business entrepreneurs have to look up to some one then it has to be Bill Gates undoubtedly.
An Overview of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity
The theory of general relativity basically states that the energy and momentum of matter causes the distortion of the space-time continuum that it is associated with and that it is the gravity acting upon an object that makes it follow a path that it does not logically follow. The equations that Albert Einstein formulated out of this theory to relate matter to the space versus time continuum are called the Einsteinian field equations.
Many things are predicted through the theory of general relativity. Among these predictions or consequences are gravitational time dilation, light bending, and orbital precess. These predictions are not just theoretical so that they still need to be tested and confirmed. These predictions have been proven through credible research and they have been confirmed through various phenomena such as the solar eclipse in 1919.
The theory of general relativity is one of the fundamental principles that had been an aid to unravel other things. It has helped astronomers and scientists discover new things and study them analytically. It is not a surprise why this is so because Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is one of the most confirmed theories in the history of theoretical physics and what is more is that it had won him a Nobel Prize!
My name is Darren and I love all things scientific. I own the http://www.physicsschool.co.uk website. On it you can find a more detailed General Theory of Relativity and information on his works and that of other famous scientists.
The Life and Times of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879. His father Hermann Einstein was an engineer and his mother was Pauline Einstein. He spent his elementary days in a Catholic school when his family moved to Munich. His curiosity about how some kind of force is deflecting the needles of a compass has in some way led him to be a known scientist today.
When his family moved to Italy, he continued to study in Switzerland and there he had high quality physics teacher and facilities. And when he got employed in a Swiss patent office in Bern, he spent his spare time doing his own works and publications about theoretical physics without any kind of help from anybody.
His works earned him his doctorate degree in Zurich and then a Privatdozent in Berne. It did not take him long to obtain a regular appointment afterwards until he became a director.
He was married twice. And he died on April 18, 1955 leaving a remnant of his great works which until now is still considered as a fundamental concept in the area of theoretical physics. Albert Einstein achieved so much in a short span of time and he contributed a lot through his works throughout his entire life.
What Is Avi Video (also Audio Video Interleaved) ?
AVI is a derivative of the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF), which divides a file's data into blocks, or "chunks." Each "chunk" is identified by a FourCC tag. An AVI file takes the form of a single chunk in a RIFF formatted file, which is then subdivided into two mandatory "chunks" and one optional "chunk".
The first sub-chunk is identified by the "hdrl" tag. This sub-chunk is the file header and contains metadata about the video, such as its width, height and frame rate. The second sub-chunk is identified by the "movi" tag. This chunk contains the actual audio/visual data that make up the AVI movie. The third optional sub-chunk is identified by the "idx1" tag which indexes the offsets of the data chunks within the file.
By way of the RIFF format, the audio/visual data contained in the "movi" chunk can be encoded or decoded by software called a codec, which is an abbreviation for (en)coder/decoder. Upon creation of the file, the codec translates between raw data and the (compressed) data format used inside the chunk. An AVI file may carry audio/visual data inside the chunks in virtually any compression scheme, including Full Frame (Uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Editable MPEG, VDOWave, ClearVideo / RealVideo, QPEG, and MPEG-4 Video.
All About Windows 7
Windows 7 is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, and media center PCs.
Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009,less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time.
Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware which Windows Vista was not at the time.
Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows shell with a new taskbar, referred to as the Superbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements.
Some standard applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in Windows 7 most are instead offered separately at no charge as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite.
Originally, a version of Windows codenamed Blackcomb was planned as the successor to Windows XP (codename Whistler) and Windows Server 2003. Major features were planned for Blackcomb, including an emphasis on searching and querying data and an advanced storage system named WinFS to enable such scenarios.
However, an interim, minor release, codenamed "Longhorn," was announced for 2003, delaying the development of Blackcomb.By the middle of 2003, however, Longhorn had acquired some of the features originally intended for Blackcomb. After three major viruses exploited flaws in Windows operating systems within a short time period in 2003, Microsoft changed its development priorities, putting some of Longhorn's major development work on hold while developing new service packs for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Development of Longhorn (Windows Vista) was also restarted, and thus delayed, in August 2004. A number of features were cut from Longhorn.
Blackcomb was renamed Vienna in early 2006 and again Windows 7 in 2007. In 2008, it was announced that Windows 7 would also be the official name of the operating system.There has been some confusion over naming the product Windows 7, while versioning it as 6.1 to indicate its similar build to Vista and increase compatibility with applications that only check major version numbers, similar to Windows 2000 and Windows XP both having 5.x version numbers.
Dracula Game ( CASTLEVANIA ) Publisher ; Konami Entertainment
Dracula , whose full name is Dracula Vlad Tepes, is a fictional vampire from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series. He is the main villain of the series and the final boss of almost every installment, the only exceptions being the first and last games in the series' chronology.
The Dracula of Castlevania is based on Bram Stoker's character in the novel of the same name, which was in turn very similar to the infamous Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The Castlevania Dracula draws some history from both, but instead of preying on maidens this one threatens whole realms with his armies at the least, and at worst is presented as the very embodiment of evil.
He is, however, capable of loving relationships (his evil nature is partly fuelled by the loss of two women he loved) and despite their differences is fond of his son Alucard.
Dracula's appearance is very inconsistent throughout the series' history. It has been subtly revealed in Castlevania Aria of Sorrow that this is because of Dracula's physical body dying when he is defeated, and thus he is reborn with a new one which is then summoned, unbeknownst to the new host (Soma Cruz) itself, into Castlevania.
In just about every game, he wears very aristocratic clothing, whether it be a tuxedo (a la Bela Lugosi) or some sort of royal garb (complete with medals and medallions). His face has evolved into many different forms. Initially, his face resembled that of Bela Lugosi's Dracula in the first few games (this appearance was reused in Castlevania Portrait of Ruin). Every few games, his appearance changed from one sort to another.
In Akumajou Dracula X Chi no Rondo and the beginning of Castlevania Symphony of the Night, he had the form of an anime character with medium length, dull purple hair. He has a more demonic look in Castlevania Dracula X and Castlevania Bloodlines. The more recent look of Dracula, starting with Symphony of the Night, gives him a beard or goatee of some sort and longer hair. His hair color still changes between a dark brown or black and a gray color.
His facial proportions also change. He has a very heavyset and muscular looking face in the Nintendo 64 Castlevania games, whereas he has a more thin and elegant face in Symphony of the Night and the first two hand held games. In Curse of Darkness, Dracula wears a long robe of some sort, with a more realistic version of the Symphony of the Night face.
His most common form of attack is to teleport from one part of the screen to another, then opening his cape to fire a spread of three small fireballs at the player, whereas in later games he can also fire larger, meteor-like fireballs these attacks are called "HellFire" and "Dark Inferno" respectively. Usually, he can only be damaged with strikes to the head or neck area. After being defeated in his humanoid form, Dracula usually morphs into a larger, more powerful demonic form.
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (Count Dracula)
Historically, Vlad is best known for his resistance against the Ottoman Empire and its expansion and for the cruel punishments he imposed on his enemies.
Vlad III is occasionally thought to have inspired the association of his name to that of the vampire Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.
His Romanian surname Drakyula (also spelled "Draculea", "Dracula"), by which Vlad was referred to in several documents, means "son of the dragon", in reference to his father, Vlad Dracul, who received that moniker from his subjects because he had joined the Order of the Dragon. Dracul, from the Latin word Draco, meaning "dragon", is derived from the Greek word (Dracon).
Showing 1 to 2 of 2 Articles matching 'Vlad III the Impaler' in related articles.
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1. Discover the terrifying secret when playing the Dracula PC game
July 19, 2010
This Dracula PC game is a sequel to Bram Stokers novel and for those of you who do not know who the real prince of darkness is the character that became the inspiration for the novel has now been resurrected in this game. Yes Count Dracula did exist and was Prince Vlad III and was also known as Vlad Tepes which means Vlad the impaler. He was born in 1431 in Transylvania and was the son of Vlad the II who was known as Dracul as he belonged to a secret fraternal the Order of the Dragon and hence the name Dracul which means Dragon. The members of this secret order wore special attire that w... (read more)
Author: Barry Basil
2. Roll on Romania: Tripping in Transylvania
December 13, 2007
Transylvania, a region situated in central and western Romania is most famous for its mysterious and spooky fictional resident: Dracula. Though Dracula is a work of fiction, written by the Irishman Bram Stoker, its lead character was based in part on a real life figure: the Transylvanian-born Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. Vlad ruled parts of Romania during the 1400s and remains a heroic historical character for Romanians due to his defence of the common people against foreign aggressors. However, amongst the English speaking nations of the world, Vlad is most famed for his exceedingly..
Dracula Novel
The novel is mainly composed of journal entries and letters written by several narrators who also serve as the novel's main protagonists; Stoker supplemented the story with occasional newspaper clippings to relate events not directly witnessed by the story's characters.
The tale begins with Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, journeying by train and carriage from England to Count Dracula's crumbling, remote castle (situated in the Carpathian Mountains on the border of Transylvania, Bukovina and Moldavia). The purpose of his mission is to provide legal support to Dracula for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker's employer, Peter Hawkins, of Exeter in England.
At first enticed by Dracula's gracious manner, Harker soon discovers that he has become a prisoner in the castle. He also begins to see disquieting facets of Dracula's nocturnal life. One night while searching for a way out of the castle, and against Dracula's strict admonition not to venture outside his room at night, Harker falls under the spell of three wanton female vampires, the Brides of Dracula.
He is saved at the last second by the Count, because he wants to keep Harker alive just long enough to obtain needed legal advice and teachings about England and London (Dracula's planned travel destination was to be among the "teeming millions"). Harker barely escapes from the castle with his life. Not long afterward, a Russian ship, the Demeter, having weighed anchor at Varna, runs aground on the shores of Whitby, England, during a fierce tempest.
All of the crew are missing and presumed dead, and only one body is found, that of the captain tied to the ship's helm. The captain's log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship's journey. These events led to the gradual disappearance of the entire crew apparently owing to a malevolent presence on board the ill-fated ship. An animal described as a large dog is seen on the ship leaping ashore. The ship's cargo is described as silver sand and boxes of "mould", or earth, from Transylvania.
Soon Dracula is tracking Harker's devoted fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy receives three marriage proposals in one day, from Dr. John Seward; Quincey Morris; and the Hon. Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming). Lucy accepts Holmwood's proposal while turning down Seward and Morris, but all remain friends.
There is a notable encounter between Dracula and Seward's patient Renfield, an insane man who means to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures — in ascending order of size — in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acts as a motion sensor, detecting Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly.
Lucy begins to waste away suspiciously. All her suitors fret, and Seward calls in his old teacher, Professor Abraham Van Helsing from Amsterdam. Van Helsing immediately determines the cause of Lucy's condition but refuses to disclose it, knowing that Seward's faith in him will be shaken if he starts to speak of vampires.
Van Helsing tries multiple blood transfusions, but they are clearly losing ground. On a night when Van Helsing must return to Amsterdam (and his message to Seward asking him to watch the Westenra household is accidentally sent to the wrong address), Lucy and her mother are attacked by a wolf. Mrs Westenra, who has a heart condition, dies of fright, and Lucy apparently dies soon after.
Twilight Saga Novel
That same year, Twilight was named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2005. The novel was also the biggest selling book of 2008 and, to date, has sold 17 million copies worldwide, spent over 91 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, and been translated into 37 different languages.
It is the first book of the Twilight series, and introduces seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan, who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen.
The novel is followed by New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. A film adaptation of Twilight was released in 2008. It was a commercial success, grossing more than $392 million worldwide and an additional $157 million from North American DVD sales, as of July 2009.
When Bella is seated next to Edward Cullen in class on her first day of school, Edward seems utterly repulsed by her. He disappears for a few days, but warms up to Bella upon his return; their newfound relationship reaches a climax when Bella is nearly run over by a fellow classmate's van in the school parking lot. Edward saves her life when he instantaneously appears next to her and stops the van with his bare hands.
Bella becomes determined to find out how Edward saved her life, and constantly pesters him with questions. After a family friend, Jacob Black, tells her the local tribal legends, Bella concludes that Edward and his family are vampires who drink animal blood rather than human. Edward confesses that he initially avoided Bella because the scent of her blood was too desirable to him. Over time, Edward and Bella fall in love.
harry Potter Novel Series
Since the June 30, 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide.
The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2008, the book series has sold more than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.
A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age, it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death, which has led to much criticism, as it is primarily considered to be a work of children's literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as love and prejudice.
English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Raincoast Books in Canada. Through 2010, the first six books have been made into films by Warner Brothers; it is the highest grossing film series of all time so far.
The seventh book is being made into two movies which are currently scheduled to be released nearly eight months apart Part I on November 19, 2010 and the series finale on July 15, 2011.
The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth £15&_160;billion.
Ferari
In 1941, Alfa Romeo was confiscated by the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini as part of the Axis Powers' war effort. Enzo Ferrari's division was small enough to be unaffected by this. Because he was prohibited by contract from racing for four years, the Scuderia briefly became Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari, which ostensibly produced machine tools and aircraft accessories. Also known as SEFAC (Scuderia Enzo Ferrari Auto Corse), Ferrari did in fact produce one race car, the Tipo 815, in the non-competition period. It was the first actual Ferrari car (it debuted at the 1940 Mille Miglia), but due to World War II it saw little competition. In 1943 the Ferrari factory moved to Maranello, where it has remained ever since. The factory was bombed by the Allies in 1944 and rebuilt in 1946, after the war ended, and included a works for road car production. Until Il Commendatore's death, this would remain little more than a source of funding for his first love, racing.
The first Ferrari road car was the 1947 125 S, powered by a 1.5&_160;L V12 engine; Enzo Ferrari reluctantly built and sold his automobiles to fund Scuderia Ferrari.] While his beautiful and fast cars quickly gained a reputation for excellence, Enzo maintained a famous distaste for his customers.[citation needed]
Jeet Kune Do
Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, and is a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It was named for the concept of interception, or attacking your opponent while he is about to attack. However the name Jeet Kune Do was often said by Bruce Lee to be just a name.
He himself often referred to it as "The art of expressing the human body" in his writings and in interviews. Through his studies Bruce came to see that styles had become too rigid, and unrealistic. He called martial art competitions of the day "Dry land swimming". He believed that combat was spontaneous, and that a martial artist cannot predict it, only react to it, and that a good martial artist should "Be like water" and move fluidly without hesitation.
In 2004, the Bruce Lee Foundation decided to use the name Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do (?????) to refer to the martial arts system that Lee founded. "Jun Fan" was Lee's Chinese given name, so the literal translation is "Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist."
Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is the name Bruce Lee gave to his combat system and philosophy in 1967. Originally, when Lee began researching various fighting styles, he gave his martial art his own name of Jun Fan Gung Fu. However not wanting to create another style that would share the limitations that all styles have, he instead described the process that he used to create it
I have not invented a "new style," composite, modified or otherwise that is set within distinct form as apart from "this" method or "that" method. On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or molds.
Remember that Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which to see "ourselves". . . Jeet Kune Do is not an organized institution that one can be a member of. Either you understand or you don't, and that is that. There is no mystery about my style. My movements are simple, direct and non-classical. The extraordinary part of it lies in its simplicity.
Every movement in Jeet Kune-Do is being so of itself. There is nothing artificial about it. I always believe that the easy way is the right way. Jeet Kune-Do is simply the direct expression of one's feelings with the minimum of movements and energy. The closer to the true way of Kung Fu, the less wastage of expression there is.
Finally, a Jeet Kune Do man who says Jeet Kune Do is exclusively Jeet Kune Do is simply not with it. He is still hung up on his self-closing resistance, in this case anchored down to reactionary pattern, and naturally is still bound by another modified pattern and can move within its limits.
He has not digested the simple fact that truth exists outside all molds; pattern and awareness is never exclusive. Again let me remind you Jeet Kune Do is just a name used, a boat to get one across, and once across it is to be discarded and not to be carried on one's back.
Bruce Lee Biography
Lee was born in San Francisco, California in the United States, to parents of Hong Kong heritage but raised in Hong Kong until his late teens. Upon reaching the age of 18, Lee emigrated to the United States to claim his U.S. Citizenship[6] and receive his higher education. It was during this time he began teaching martial arts, which soon led to film and television roles.
His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked a major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world as well. He is noted for his roles in five feature-length films, Lo Wei's The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972); Way of the Dragon (1972), directed and written by Lee; Warner Brothers' Enter the Dragon (1973), directed by Robert Clouse; and The Game of Death (1978), directed by Lee.
Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world and remains very popular among Asian audience and in particular among the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese nationalism through his films.[7] While Lee initially trained in Wing Chun, he later rejected well-defined martial art styles, favouring instead to utilise useful techniques from various sources in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy he dubbed Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist).
Console Game
Game multimedia usually comes in the form of a disc, which can be inserted into the game console. Recent advances have allowed games and game demos to be downloaded directly to the console via the Internet. Simpler consoles, however, may only have a fixed selection of built-in games.
The different consoles each use different controllers. Controllers are input devices used to interact with the game. So, for example, if you had a game in which you must control a character in order to obtain a red apple, you would be able to use an analog stick or directional pad ("D Pad") to move your character towards the apple to collect it. Video games, of course, are usually much more complicated than this. In the game Pikmin for the Nintendo GameCube, the player uses the analog stick to control his character, the "C" analog stick to tell his Pikmin what to do or where to go, and the "A" button to throw the Pikmin.
Games require a screen of some sort. In the case of normal consoles, a television is the most common form of screen used. The screen is used as a source of visual output. As the player pushes buttons and moves analogs on the controller, the screen responds to the actions and changes take place on the screen, simulating actual movement.
Resident Evil Series
Developed by Capcom and created by Shinji Mikami, the series has sold almost 40 million games as of May 2009.
Despite earlier announcements that the next game in the series would be released for the PlayStation 2, which resulted in the creation of an unrelated game titled Devil May Cry, series' creator and producer Shinji Mikami decided to make the series exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube.
The next three games in the series—a remake of the original Resident Evil and the prequel Resident Evil Zero, both released in 2002, as well as Resident Evil 4—were all released initially as GameCube exclusives. Resident Evil 4 was later released for Windows, PS2 and Wii. In addition, the GameCube received ports of the previous Resident Evil sequels. Despite this exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo, Capcom released several Resident Evil titles for the PS2 that were not considered direct sequels.
A trilogy of GunCon-compatible light gun games known as the Gun Survivor series featured first person gameplay. The first, Resident Evil Survivor, was released in 2000 for the PlayStation and PC, but received mediocre reviews.
The subsequent games, Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code Veronica and Resident Evil Dead Aim, fared somewhat better.
Dead Aim is actually the fourth Gun Survivor game in Japan, with Gun Survivor 3 being the Dino Crisis spin-off Dino Stalker. In a similar vein, the Chronicles series features first person gameplay, albeit on an on-rails path. Resident Evil The Umbrella Chronicles was released in 2007 for the Wii, with a follow up, Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles released in 2009.
At E3 2010, Keiji Inafune stated that the franchise will be heading to the Nintendo 3DS "in a totally new way", while announcing the title Resident Evil Revelations.
The PlayStation Portable 2
Though not officially confirmed by Sony Computer Entertainment, several reliable sites such as Kotaku, VG247 and IGN as well as the CEO of major video game publisher Electronic Arts have confirmed that the handheld exists. Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, had admitted in an interview that they are indeed developing new hardware in the PlayStation family of gaming devices. Development kits for the handheld have reportedly already been shipped to numerous video game developers including both first-party and third-party developers.
The current design of the device has not been finalized with two form factors being considered by Sony, one resembling the original PlayStation Portable with a second resembling the more recent PSP Go. However, the recent leaked shots of the PlayStation Portable 2 development kit shows a PSP Go-like design, which has overheating issues though VG247 says that Sony has changed the design to one resembling the original PlayStation Portable, IGN begs to differ claiming that the device still uses a slider design. The device will feature a high-definition touchscreen which is approximately an inch larger than the current PlayStation Portable screen, making it approximately 5.3&_160;inches (diagonal). Major new hardware features of the device include, two analog sticks which have concave indentations, a rear mounted touch panel, a microphone and both front- and rear-facing cameras. Internally, the device is said to feature a 1&_160;GB RAM in comparison with the current PSP's 64&_160;MB and the Xbox 360's 512&_160;MB while its processing power is said to be more than half as powerful as the PlayStation 3. Sony is also currently in talks with Japanese mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo, to add 3G network connections to it.[10] As the device is still in prototype stages, the final specification of the device have not yet been finalized by Sony.
Currently no games have been seen, or speculated for the system though several first-party and third-party studios are currently developing games for the device in order to prepare the handheld for a "significant launch window line-up". Games on the system are said to resemble early PlayStation 3 titles graphically, this sentiment has been suggested by EA CEO, John Riccitiello, and echoed by IGN. Games will also not use the current UMD format, instead they will be released on Memory Sticks and Digital Distribution.
The Super Mario Bros Game
For over two decades, Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling video game of all time, before being outsold by Nintendo's own Wii Sports in 2009.
Excluding Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console sales, the game has sold 40.24 million copies worldwide. It was largely responsible for the initial success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as ending the two-year slump of console game sales in the United States after the video game crash of 1983. As one of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka's most influential early successes,
it has inspired many clones, sequels, and spin-offs. Its theme music by Koji Kondo is recognized worldwide, even by those who have not played the game, and has been considered a representation for video game music in general.
The game was succeeded by two separate sequels that were produced for different markets a Japanese sequel which features the same game format as the original and a Western sequel that was localized from an originally unrelated game titled Yume Kojo Doki Doki Panic. In both cases, the games are titled Super Mario Bros. 2, causing both games to be rereleased in different countries with different titles. There also have been many "alternate" versions of the game, such as All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros., which featured personalities from the Japanese radio show of the same name. The success of Super Mario Bros. has caused it to be ported to almost every one of Nintendo's major gaming consoles, as well as the NEC PC-8801 in the form of Super Mario Bros. Special.
In late 2010, Nintendo officially celebrated the game's 25th anniversary, and released special red variants of the Wii and Nintendo DSi XL in differently re-packaged, Mario-themed, and limited edition bundles in all regions, in addition to a re-packaged, limited edition SNES compilation released for the Wii known as Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition (Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition in the United States).
the world war 2
and which aimed to establish a dominance over East Asia and Southeast Asia, attacked the United States and European possessions in the Pacific Ocean, quickly conquering a significant part of the region.
The Axis advance was stopped in 1942 after the defeat of Japan in a series of naval battles and after devastating defeats of European Axis troops in North Africa and at Stalingrad. In 1943, with a series of German defeats in Eastern Europe, the Allied invasion of Fascist Italy, and American victories in the Pacific, the Axis had lost strategic initiative and passed to strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded France, whereas the Soviet Union regained all territorial losses and invaded the territory of Germany and its allies. The war in Europe ended with the capture of Berlin by Soviet troops and subsequent German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. By that time, the Japanese Navy was defeated by the United States, and invasion of the Japanese Archipelago ("Home Islands") became imminent.
The war ended with the total victory of the Allies over Germany and Japan in 1945. World War II left the political alignment and social structure of the world significantly altered. While the United Nations (UN) was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts (such as World War III), the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which would last for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline, while the decolonization of Asia and of Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been badly damaged began moving toward economic recovery and across the world political integration emerged in an effort to peacefully stabilise after-war relations.
the cure biography
After the release of Pornography (1982), the band's future was uncertain and Smith was keen to move past the gloomy reputation his band had acquired. With the 1982 single "Let's Go to Bed" Smith began to inject more of a pop sensibility into the band's music. The Cure's popularity increased as the decade wore on, especially in the United States where the songs "Just Like Heaven", "Lovesong" and "Friday I'm in Love" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart. By the start of the 1990s, The Cure were one of the most popular alternative rock bands in the world. The band is estimated to have sold 27 million albums as of 2004.[1] The Cure have released thirteen studio albums and over thirty singles during the course of their career.
The first incarnation of what became The Cure was The Obelisk, a band formed by students at Notre Dame Middle School in Crawley, Sussex. The band made their public debut in a one-off performance in April 1973, and featured Robert Smith (piano), Michael "Mick" Dempsey (guitar), Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (percussion), Marc Ceccagno (lead guitar) and Alan Hill (bass guitar).
The first real incarnation though came in January 1976 when Ceccagno formed Malice with Smith and Dempsey along with two other classmates from St. Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, with Ceccagno on lead, Smith now also on guitar and Dempsey switching to bass. Ceccagno soon left, however, to form a jazz-rock fusion band called Amulet. Increasingly influenced by the emergence of punk rock, Malice's remaining members became known as Easy Cure in January 1977.
By this time, Smith and Dempsey had been joined by Lol Tolhurst from The Obelisk on drums, and new lead guitarist Porl Thompson. Both Malice and Easy Cure also trialled several unsuccessful vocalists before Smith finally assumed the role of Easy Cure's frontman in September 1977.
That year, Easy Cure won a talent competition with German label Hansa Records, and received a recording contract. Although the band recorded tracks for the company, none were ever released.
Following disagreements in March 1978 over the direction the band should take, the contract with Hansa was dissolved. Smith later recalled, "We were very young. They just thought they could turn us into a teen group. They actually wanted us to do cover versions and we always refused.
Thompson was dropped from the band in May, and the remaining trio (Smith/Tolhurst/Dempsey) were soon renamed The Cure by Smith.
Later that month the band recorded their first sessions as a trio at Chestnut Studios in Sussex, which were distributed as a demo tape to a dozen major record labels.
The demo found its way to Polydor Records scout Chris Parry, who signed The Cure to his newly formed Fiction label—distributed by Polydor—in September 1978.
However, as a stopgap while Fiction finalised distribution arrangements with Polydor, in December 1978 The Cure released their debut single "Killing an Arab" on the Small Wonder label. "Killing an Arab" garnered both acclaim and controversy while the single's provocative title led to accusations of racism, the song is actually based on French existentialist Albert Camus' novel The Stranger.
The band placed a sticker label that denied the racist connotations on the single's 1979 reissue on Fiction. An early NME article on the band wrote that The Cure "are like a breath of fresh suburban air on the capital's smog-ridden pub and club circuit" and noted "With a John Peel session and more extensive London gigging on their immediate agenda, it remains to be seen whether or not The Cure can retain their refreshing joie de vivre.
Jailed Chinese Laureate to Receive Nobel Peace Prize
Liu is serving an 11-year prison sentence in China for subverting state power.
China has been pressing for a global boycott of Friday's ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Thusfar, at least 18 countries have turned down invitations. About 45 countries have agreed to attend the ceremony.
The United States said Thursday the U.S. Ambassador to Norway, Barry White, will attend. The White House also reiterated a demand that China release Liu.
The top United Nations human rights official, Navi Pillay, and prominent human rights groups are also calling for Liu's release.
But China said Thursday it will not acquiesce to international pressure to free him.
Liu Xiabao participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest in Beijing and is one of China's most prominent activists fighting for greater political freedom and human rights.
Late Thursday, Serbia reversed its decision not to send a representative to attend the ceremony. Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic told Serbian media that his country will send an envoy, Sasa Jankovic, to Oslo.
The European Union had criticized Serbia for its plans to boycott the ceremony, saying it did not expect such a decision from a country that aspires to join the bloc. China is one of Serbia's biggest trade partners.
Also Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu criticized U.S. lawmakers for urging China to release Liu, calling them "arrogant and rude." She said the resolution passed Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives congratulating Liu on winning the Nobel prize distorts the truth and is a "flagrant interference in China's internal affairs."
In Geneva, Navi Pillay accused Beijing Thursday of cracking down on an "ever-widening circle of associates" of Liu, including his wife, Liu Xia. Pillay said authorities have detained at least 20 activists and have subjected more than 120 people to house arrest or travel restrictions.
In Oslo, Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said Thursday awarding the peace prize to Liu is not a protest against
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