Thursday, April 05, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Fascinating Facts About Japanese Video Games
by Emma Boyes
Konami have a special "Konami code" that reveals hidden features in their games. In the "Start" screen of any Konami game, press "up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A".
In the original Space Invaders, the fact that the aliens started moving faster the more of them you shot was actually a bug. On the monitor, the screen refresh rate was linked directly to how many graphics were on the screen at the time - so the fewer aliens there were, the faster it was to draw them, and the faster they moved.
A man called Eric Furrer holds the record for non-stop Space Invaders play. He managed 38 hours and 37 minutes, and ended up with a total score of 1,114,000 points.
Space Invaders was so popular in Japan when it first came out that it caused a coin shortage until the country's yen coinage supply was quadrupled.
Nintendo's mascot, Mario, was named after Nintendo America's Italian landlord, Mario Segali.
Mario has starred in over 100 games since his first appearance in Donkey Kong in 1981.
Donkey Kong was originally called Jumpman.
Atari is a Japanese word that comes from the traditional board game "Go": its meaning is similar to that of "check" in chess. However, Atari is not a Japanese company: they started off in the US and are now owned by the French Infogrames Entertainment.
In fact, Atari was not their first choice of name. The founders, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, originally wanted to call the company Syzygy, which means "the straight line configuration of three celestial bodies". Unfortunately - and rather bizarrely - the name was already taken by a roofing company, so they had to go with their second choice.
The pre-launch adverts for the Sony Playstation baffled everyone with their strange slogan, "ENOS lives". To this day, nobody knows for sure what it means. Popular theories include that it stood for "entering ninth of September" - the original launch date - or that it is Sony written backwards by marketing people who can't spell.
Akira Yasuda (better known as Akiman), the Street Fighter artist who created kick-ass character Chun Li, based her on his wife.
Over 25% of all Dance Dance Revolution coin-ops in the world are in the diet- and fitness-crazy US state of California.
Pac-Man was originally called Puck-Man, from the Japanese word "paku", which means to open and close one's mouth. The name was changed for fear that when the game was released in the US, pesky teenagers would find it entertaining to amend one of the letters and create a more amusing name. Can you guess what that word was, kids?
The final level in the original Pac-Man is apparently impossible to finish.
The Marufuku Company were founded in 1889, and made Hanfuda, Japanese playing cards. They changed their name in 1951 to Nintendo, which means "leave luck to heaven".
Capcom stands for Japanese Capsule Computers. It is also a term used by NASA, which means "Capsule Communicators".
The release of the Nintendo N64 console reportedly caused riots among fans eager to get their hands on it when it first came out in Japan.
The immensely popular Xenosaga's full name is Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht, which comes from German philosopher Nietzsche's view that the survival instinct is the base drive of all human existence. Who'd have thought?
In the cult classic shooter Xevious, a secret screen can be revealed by immediately moving to the bottom right hand corner and shooting continuously.
The first-ever female video game lead was Ms Pac Man, released by Midway (the American division of Namco) in 1981.
SEGA (Service Games of Japan) was originally created by three Americans, to import game machines for the amusement of bored American servicemen living in Japan. Originally the company imported photo booths into Japan - which are still to this day hugely successful - and then branched out into other coin-ops.
Many of the games in the Final Fantasy series have characters called Biggs and Wedge. This is a reference to two characters in Star Wars who help Luke Skywalker to destroy the Death Star.
The first video game death was in 1981, when 19-year-old Jeff Dailey died of a heart attack while playing Berzerk. This isn't the only death to have occurred while playing this game, either: 18-year-old gamer Peter Burkowski managed to get himself in the high score table twice in 15 minutes and then promptly collapsed.
On October 10th 2002, a man from Kwangju, South Korea died in an internet cafe after playing computer games for 86 hours solid, without stopping for food or sleep. Apparently, he collapsed at the terminal, but carried on playing when he regained consciousness. He died while taking a toilet break.
© Carter Witt Media 2006
Konami have a special "Konami code" that reveals hidden features in their games. In the "Start" screen of any Konami game, press "up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A".
In the original Space Invaders, the fact that the aliens started moving faster the more of them you shot was actually a bug. On the monitor, the screen refresh rate was linked directly to how many graphics were on the screen at the time - so the fewer aliens there were, the faster it was to draw them, and the faster they moved.
A man called Eric Furrer holds the record for non-stop Space Invaders play. He managed 38 hours and 37 minutes, and ended up with a total score of 1,114,000 points.
Space Invaders was so popular in Japan when it first came out that it caused a coin shortage until the country's yen coinage supply was quadrupled.
Nintendo's mascot, Mario, was named after Nintendo America's Italian landlord, Mario Segali.
Mario has starred in over 100 games since his first appearance in Donkey Kong in 1981.
Donkey Kong was originally called Jumpman.
Atari is a Japanese word that comes from the traditional board game "Go": its meaning is similar to that of "check" in chess. However, Atari is not a Japanese company: they started off in the US and are now owned by the French Infogrames Entertainment.
In fact, Atari was not their first choice of name. The founders, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, originally wanted to call the company Syzygy, which means "the straight line configuration of three celestial bodies". Unfortunately - and rather bizarrely - the name was already taken by a roofing company, so they had to go with their second choice.
The pre-launch adverts for the Sony Playstation baffled everyone with their strange slogan, "ENOS lives". To this day, nobody knows for sure what it means. Popular theories include that it stood for "entering ninth of September" - the original launch date - or that it is Sony written backwards by marketing people who can't spell.
Akira Yasuda (better known as Akiman), the Street Fighter artist who created kick-ass character Chun Li, based her on his wife.
Over 25% of all Dance Dance Revolution coin-ops in the world are in the diet- and fitness-crazy US state of California.
Pac-Man was originally called Puck-Man, from the Japanese word "paku", which means to open and close one's mouth. The name was changed for fear that when the game was released in the US, pesky teenagers would find it entertaining to amend one of the letters and create a more amusing name. Can you guess what that word was, kids?
The final level in the original Pac-Man is apparently impossible to finish.
The Marufuku Company were founded in 1889, and made Hanfuda, Japanese playing cards. They changed their name in 1951 to Nintendo, which means "leave luck to heaven".
Capcom stands for Japanese Capsule Computers. It is also a term used by NASA, which means "Capsule Communicators".
The release of the Nintendo N64 console reportedly caused riots among fans eager to get their hands on it when it first came out in Japan.
The immensely popular Xenosaga's full name is Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht, which comes from German philosopher Nietzsche's view that the survival instinct is the base drive of all human existence. Who'd have thought?
In the cult classic shooter Xevious, a secret screen can be revealed by immediately moving to the bottom right hand corner and shooting continuously.
The first-ever female video game lead was Ms Pac Man, released by Midway (the American division of Namco) in 1981.
SEGA (Service Games of Japan) was originally created by three Americans, to import game machines for the amusement of bored American servicemen living in Japan. Originally the company imported photo booths into Japan - which are still to this day hugely successful - and then branched out into other coin-ops.
Many of the games in the Final Fantasy series have characters called Biggs and Wedge. This is a reference to two characters in Star Wars who help Luke Skywalker to destroy the Death Star.
The first video game death was in 1981, when 19-year-old Jeff Dailey died of a heart attack while playing Berzerk. This isn't the only death to have occurred while playing this game, either: 18-year-old gamer Peter Burkowski managed to get himself in the high score table twice in 15 minutes and then promptly collapsed.
On October 10th 2002, a man from Kwangju, South Korea died in an internet cafe after playing computer games for 86 hours solid, without stopping for food or sleep. Apparently, he collapsed at the terminal, but carried on playing when he regained consciousness. He died while taking a toilet break.
© Carter Witt Media 2006
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Penafiel
Se há mais um noticiário abrir com a notícia de que a criança raptada vai ser ou não entregue aos pais hoje, amanhã ou daqui a um mês, eu vou lá e rapto a criança outra vez!
Mas que raio de país que está sem notícias e qualquer coisa é notícia. Já alguém reparou bem na história da família da criança? 7 filhos? vivem em condições muito difíceis e nem sequer vivem com os filhos todos já que alguns já foram retirados pela segurança social. Por isso é que ontem o preseidente da segurança social disse que deveria haver um tempo para avaliar as condições da família, ele desculpou-se dizendo mesmo as do bébé.
Aposto que o bébé não fica em casa até ao final do ano
Mas que raio de país que está sem notícias e qualquer coisa é notícia. Já alguém reparou bem na história da família da criança? 7 filhos? vivem em condições muito difíceis e nem sequer vivem com os filhos todos já que alguns já foram retirados pela segurança social. Por isso é que ontem o preseidente da segurança social disse que deveria haver um tempo para avaliar as condições da família, ele desculpou-se dizendo mesmo as do bébé.
Aposto que o bébé não fica em casa até ao final do ano
Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-Hours a Year
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 02.22.07
Take at look at Google, for instance, who gets about 200 million queries a day. Let's assume each query is displayed for about 10 seconds; that means Google is running for about 550,000 hours every day on some desktop. Assuming that users run Google in full screen mode, the shift to a black background will save a total of 15 (74-59) watts. Now take into account that about 25 percent of the monitors in the world are CRTs, and at 10 cents a kilowatt-hour, that's about $75,000/year, a goodly amount of energy and dollars for changing a few color codes.
Of course, you don't need to stick entirely with black; you can try EMERGY-C, a low wattage palette that gives you a bit more flexibility, and only costs about 4 watts more than an all black page. Low wattage web design? It's the future. [We'll keep that low-power palette in mind for the next time we redesign the site! -Ed.]
Saturday, March 10, 2007
small potatoes...
Assumptions: The Three Gorges Dam is rated at its full design capacity of 18 gigawatts. A nuclear power plant is postulated to be the equivalent of a 1.1-GW unit at the Diablo Canyon plant in California. A coal plant is one rated at 500 megawatts. A wind turbine is one with a 100‑meter blade span, and rated at 1.65 MW. A solar panel is a 2.1‑kilowatt system made for home roofs. In comparing categories, bear in mind that the average amount of time that power is produced varies among them, so that total energy obtained is not a simple function of power rating.
src: Joules, BTUs, Quads—Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, IEEE Spectrum, January 2007
Illustration: bryan christie design. Click to enlarge.
Leaving aside some errors (the coal and nuclear numbers are off by about 10% to each other, and the capacity factor of wind turbines should be closer to 30%) the most essential oversight in that equation is elephantine:
Compared to that, the rest is small potatoes.
in http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2320
Friday, March 09, 2007
Pérola do jornalismos desportivo.. isto sim é um furo
O Benfica nunca recua Paris — O diário francês L'Équipe não demorou a descobrir um dos segredos do Benfica: com os jogadores lá dentro, o autocarro não anda de marcha atrás. Os jornalistas portugueses já conheciam essa velha superstição do clube, mas, agora, a mania tornou-se internacional. Daí, a curiosa diferença na chegada das equipas. O autocarro do Benfica apareceu primeiro, de frente. Os jogadores saíram e só depois o motorista fez a manobra, com marcha-atrás, para entrar no estacionamento. Menos supersticiosos, os franceses chegaram em marcha-atrás... e saíram mesmo à porta.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Regras dos Homens
The Guys' Rules
Finally , the guys' side of the story.
We always hear " the rules " From the female side.
Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules!
Please note.. These are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!!!!
**********
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
************
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
************
1. Crying is blackmail.
************
1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
************
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
************
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
************
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a Problem. See a doctor.
************
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
************
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria 'S Secret girls, don't Expect us to act like soap opera guys.
************
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
************
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
************
1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done. Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
************
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
************
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
************
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
************
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
************
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.
************
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really .
************
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf.
************
1. You have enough clothes.
************
1. You have too many shoes.
************
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
************
1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
Finally , the guys' side of the story.
We always hear " the rules " From the female side.
Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules!
Please note.. These are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!!!!
**********
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
************
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
************
1. Crying is blackmail.
************
1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
************
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
************
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
************
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a Problem. See a doctor.
************
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
************
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria 'S Secret girls, don't Expect us to act like soap opera guys.
************
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
************
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
************
1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done. Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
************
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
************
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
************
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
************
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
************
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.
************
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really .
************
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf.
************
1. You have enough clothes.
************
1. You have too many shoes.
************
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
************
1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
Thursday, February 22, 2007
NÃO
Eu não acredito que o rei da madeira se demitiu e se voltou a recandidatar!!
Ele se fosse um gajo esperto tinha pedido que se fizesse um referendo para a independência da Madeira. De certeza que ganhava.. nós já pagámos demais para os ter connosco!
Eu sou pelo apoio inequívoco à independência da Madeira..
Ele se fosse um gajo esperto tinha pedido que se fizesse um referendo para a independência da Madeira. De certeza que ganhava.. nós já pagámos demais para os ter connosco!
Eu sou pelo apoio inequívoco à independência da Madeira..
Thursday, February 01, 2007
SIM
Eu voto SIM.
É preciso descriminalizar.
Ninguém vai liberalizar.
Eu voto SIM porque quem decide fazê-lo já tomou a decisão mais difícil.
Eu voto SIM porque nem todos tem os €400 para ir a Espanha ou os €1500 para o fazer numa clínica privada em Lisboa.
Eu voto SIM porque SIM
Argumentar com os meus impostos, que eu pago desde que tenho 18 anos, é que não.Quanto é que sai dos meus impostos para pagar cuidados de saúde a indigentes, imigrantes ilegais e ciganos? É que estes mal tem dores acorrem dos serviços do SNS sem qualquer problema e quem paga? Não vi ninguém a argumentar com os meus impostos quando se criaram as salas de chuto patrocinadas com os meus impostos.
Eu quero ver as mãezinhas queques que aparecem na Tv a dizer que votam não, quando as suas filhas aparecerem em casa com 13 anos a dizer que estão grávidas. Provavelmente voam logo até Londres ou Madrid e fazem-no por lá e aparecem numa qualquer revista do socialite a dizer que foram para retemperar forças.
Vamos acabar com a pouca vergonha.
Vamos acabar com os vãos de escada.
Não fiquem em casa. Vamos todos votar.
Vamos VOTAR SIM À DESPENALIZAÇÃO DO ABORTO
É preciso descriminalizar.
Ninguém vai liberalizar.
Eu voto SIM porque quem decide fazê-lo já tomou a decisão mais difícil.
Eu voto SIM porque nem todos tem os €400 para ir a Espanha ou os €1500 para o fazer numa clínica privada em Lisboa.
Eu voto SIM porque SIM
Argumentar com os meus impostos, que eu pago desde que tenho 18 anos, é que não.Quanto é que sai dos meus impostos para pagar cuidados de saúde a indigentes, imigrantes ilegais e ciganos? É que estes mal tem dores acorrem dos serviços do SNS sem qualquer problema e quem paga? Não vi ninguém a argumentar com os meus impostos quando se criaram as salas de chuto patrocinadas com os meus impostos.
Eu quero ver as mãezinhas queques que aparecem na Tv a dizer que votam não, quando as suas filhas aparecerem em casa com 13 anos a dizer que estão grávidas. Provavelmente voam logo até Londres ou Madrid e fazem-no por lá e aparecem numa qualquer revista do socialite a dizer que foram para retemperar forças.
Vamos acabar com a pouca vergonha.
Vamos acabar com os vãos de escada.
Não fiquem em casa. Vamos todos votar.
Vamos VOTAR SIM À DESPENALIZAÇÃO DO ABORTO
Concorda com a despenalização da interrupção voluntária da gravidez, se realizada, por opção da mulher, nas primeiras 10 semanas, em estabelecimento de saúde legalmente autorizado?
SIM
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Upgrading to Vista? Think Mac
It's time to get a Mac. If you're thinking of upgrading to Vista, you'll probably need a new computer. Why not get a Mac? It's simpler, more secure, and way more fun. And it works with the stuff you already have, like printers and cameras. So before you upgrade anything, you owe it to yourself to check out a Mac.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Novo Eos na BT-GNR
Serei só eu ou estes agentes vão a desrespeitar o Código da Estrada? onde estão as mãos no volante? onde anda esse cinto de segurança?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Carlos Sousa no podium...
Serei só eu a ver ou o navegador deu as indicações erradas ao Carlos Sousa e ele quase falhava a rampa? vejam o pneu direito da frente...
Monday, January 15, 2007
Top Ten WORST Domain Names
The titles says it all. These are the least thought out, dumbest, just plain old rediculous domain names registered to very serious websites and businesses…enjoy!
1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net
4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com
5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company… www.powergenitalia.com
6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com
7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com
8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church . Their website is
www.cummingfirst.com
9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com
10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe ? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com
Saturday, January 06, 2007
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