The phenomenon of games [part one]

Modern societies experience more and more media exposure, furthermore new media have become part of everyday life. It allows for not only more effective working environment but also provides with great entertainment.

In the past decade capabilities of personal computers have increased tremendously. Better equipment changed the way people play video games.

Games have become more realistic, complicated and interesting. Interaction, realism of surroundings as well as the sound effects made video games much more fun and entertaining.

Video games Just like movies?

So what is it about video games that makes us sit in front of a screen for many hours, making us forget about not only our duties but sometimes eating and sleeping? What’s the pleasure that we feel: so different from the one gained from literature, radio or movies? It is worth having a closer look.

First thing that comes to my mind is that we like games because they provide us with good entertainment.

But why would video games provide us with better entertainment?

In my opinion video games have one feature that distinguishes them from other media, it is interactive.

Q. What is your opinion, are games more fun than movies?

Below there is an interesting video I’ve found on YT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1DuBesGYM

I encourage you to comment on it

User isn’t inactive anymore, he becomes more involved. Players love online games because competing with other people is more fun than with “artificial intelligence”.

Q What are your favorites online games?

Mysteries of Venus Part I

In the ancient Babylon Venus was known as "Ishtar", Mayans called it, "Chak ek" which means "great star".Venus is the brightest celestial body in our sky except the Sun and Moon. It can be seen both day and night. Ancient Greeks thought it was two different objects and called it "Morning Star" and the "Evening Star". Except Moon and Sun it is still a brightest object in the sky.

This second planet from the Sun has fascinated astronomers for centuries, that’s why all of the scientists wanted to examine scrupulously the surface of the Earth’s twin.
First images were taken during the Magellan’s mission.

In November 2005 Europe’s Venus Express flew to Venus.

The main point of mission to Venus was to explore the atmosphere and plasma environment from orbit. But they also wanted to know how similar geology and physics surface of Venus are to the Earth’s one.

The exploration aims at presenting all mysteries and answers about this world: how could it be that planet which is so similar to our own in size, substance and composition has evolved differently over just about 5 billion years.

Venus has passed process of greenhouse warming, where stopped solar radiation has overheated the planet's surface to an enormous temperature of 467 C (872 F) – quite hot. It’s almost enough to melt aluminum. Dense atmosphere contains mostly carbon dioxide (CO2), generates a pressure nearly 90 times greater than on the Earth.

Earth can certainly take a very uncomfortable step towards Venus, though it's not likely to go all the way. Prof Fred Taylor, Oxford University.

According to Venus Express mission, scientists tried to better understand the mechanics of our own climate change.

"Earth can certainly take a very uncomfortable step towards Venus, though it's not likely to go all the way," comments Fred Taylor, Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, UK. (Source http://news.bbc.co.uk)

“The point is, we're moving in that direction and many of the constituents and mechanisms involved are the same. Even a few degrees change in temperature can be a disaster on Earth." (Source http://news.bbc.co.uk)

The main advantage of studding our neighboring planet can help us create and understand models of climate changes affecting the Earth.

"Venus provides an extreme test for the atmospheric physics models that we have for Earth," says Andrew Coates of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London, UK.

"Even though Venus is closer to the Sun, its cloud cover is very shiny and reflective," Fred Taylor explains.

"If you work out the energy balance, Venus is actually absorbing less heat from the Sun than the Earth is. By-and-large, you might expect surface conditions to be the same."

Venus has a 25km-thick layer of dim cloud which covering the planet's area from a view. That allow science fiction writers to create different abstract visions of planet contains lush jungles, marshlands and seas. That took a long time unless space probes were sent to investigate the planet. A close view finally crashed a romantic image of that planet.

From 1961 to 1989 Venus was bombarded by more than 30 spacecrafts sent from US and USSR. Only some of them reached their destination. The first successful flyby was made by the American Mariner 2 probe in 1962 – mission confirmed high surface temperatures.

Further missions sent back updates about the consistency and chemical density of the cloud layers and surface conditions. The USSR's made a further step. Their Venera 7 was the first successfully landed probe, survived for 20 minutes before being destroyed by high pressure and adverse temperature. Next flight made by Venera 9 in June 1975 showed us the first pictures of the Venus.

Second great achievement was putted NASA’s Magellan probe on the orbit, circling and making surveys about clouds density and surface condition. From 1990 to 1994 Magellan circled planet eight times per day.

Magellan's images reveal an ominous landscape where volcanic eruption covered up most of the planet. Everywhere up to horizon volcanoes. Different sizes and shapes are spread out across the planet's surface forming enormous lava’s oceans.

Scientists asked the question: Has the planet’s landscape been ever touched by running water?

Questions:

1) According to climate changes do you belief that after hundreds of years Earth could look the same as Venus now?

2) Is there any chance to find a similar planet where life could exist?

Have you ever meet Matt?

I finally had.

Few years ago I sow first ‘stupid’ movie about dancing across the world guy.

Silly not a specially talented guy. Making movies about himself performing some pathetic moves and called it dancing.

In those days I said ‘hee?!’ and went further.

~~~

Few days ago I accidentally found his web page over the Internet… and I stack there for hours. The idea is simple but impressive – and I REALLY ENJOY that very much.

Programmer form USA was traveling abroad and decided to do something different. Most of tourists take photos of themselves with a postcards, souvenirs and monuments. He decided to dance. After the trip he putted his vacation movie on the Internet web page. After that his friends started to ask a question: hey… where the hell is Matt now?

That’s the story about the guy who started the business just traveling.

If you enjoy above you can easily find more information on his web page: WWW.WHERETHEHELLISMATT.COM

GMO

Hi guys,

I would like to present the short movie about the biggest company, involved in GMO (genetic modified) production - Monsanto. It shows the negative sides of genetic interference in food production and huge political lobbing that persuade governments and farmers around the world to introduce and further more to generalize this solution to the global food production.



To get to know more about this topic I recommend the movie FOOD INC directed by Robert Kenner.

It is commonly known that genetic engineering of plants could offer some health benefits to consumers such as improving nutritional quality and using less pesticide in cultivation. On the other hand the lack of evidence of negative effects leads to high risk and possibilities of long-term side effects such as a cancer or immunological disease...

In my opinion we ought to start to take care more about what we eat and be more interested where the food products, that we buy in our markets, come from!!!! I am against eating GMO food and I am for cultivate our domestic products from local farmers and butchers.

Now, close your eyes, please... And try to remind the taste of ham that your grandparents served you on fresh baked bread from local bakery..., taste and smell of real Polish tomatoes with natural color (not so red and same size like those that you can by in supermarket:(...

To calm down a bit, watch the video clip bellow;)



GMO - what do you think about it?
Have you ever realized the rising problem of food production?
Do you take care about what exactly do you eat?
Are you sure what in Polish food there is not any GMO?