Top 10 Computer Games Produced in 2000s

Top 10 Computer Games Produced in 2000s The 2000s saw a drastic change in gaming consoles from low-resolution imagery of the 1990s to high-definition games. These new games featured detailed environments which were immersive and interactive and based around detailed storylines and characters. There was an improvement in the use of artificial intelligence as well as the use of more realistic physics.The console manufacturers that emerged strongly during this period were Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft with their individual systems. Sega, previously a key player in the industry, stepped out of the market in 2002 and returned to its roots as a third party company.For every entrepreneur it is important to understand how industries develop over time and how they can position themselves for winning this industry. © Shutterstock.com | g-stockstudioIn this article, we look at 1) the history of gaming in the 2000s, and 2) top 10 games from the 2000s.HISTORY OF GAMING IN THE 2000SA Decade for ConsolesAs improvement appeared in computer hardware and processing power, video games also became more complex and detailed. New technology allowed for better graphics, better ways of telling the story and substantially better gameplay. The entire decade was an important one for the gaming industry and gave it new direction.The decade began with two surprising events. One was the Sega exit from the market. Reasons cited were the less than expected success of Sega Dreamcast and Sega Saturn. The company went back to publishing games as a third party for the other consoles in the market. The other shakeup was Microsoft’s decision to enter the console market.The other major player at the time, Sony, released its PlayStation 2 early on in the decade. The system was the first to offer compatibility with games released for its predecessor, the PlayStation. Games were sold on CDs and DVDs but a memory card was required to save the progress. The PlayStation 2 was one of the highest selling consoles of all. By 2001, Microsoft entered the fray with its Xbox. With the release of the massively popular game Halo, Xbox managed to draw users away from its competition. At that point, no console offered integrated online support. This feature was part of the original Xbox design and laid the groundwork for its successor, the Xbox 360.2005 saw the release of the seventh generation console, the Xbox 360. The product sold out nearly all over the world but saw some production faults which led to extended warranties. Despite this setback, the console remained influential. The same time period saw IBM see the need to have game developers and manufacturers come together and work on common issues and hence the first virtual video game conference was held. The issues discussed included online gaming and its management and distribution. The following year, another key player entered the market with the launch of the Nintendo Wii as well as the PlayStation 3. All these seventh generation consoles have features unique to them. The PS3 had its multimedia capabilities including games on Blu-ray discs and a unified online gaming service. The first console to use motion detection  as the main form of input was the Wii. The technology needed some work but had implications for the future of gaming as well as for use in other arenas such as training and education.The decade progressed to see more and more features added to the consoles. The Blu-Ray vs HDH DVD wars meant a setback for Microsoft as the Xbox already featured HD DVD compatibility, a useless feature when Blu-ray emerged as the format of choice. Internet connectivity became a common feature while it took Microsoft and Sony another decade to match the motion control feature of the Wii.PC GamingPC gaming also continued to grow simultane ously, and the PC vs Console struggle continued. The release of the popular game Half-Life 2 drove PC gaming forward and remains a best-seller with better graphics and gameplay. With the launch of World of Warcraft, there was a shift towards cross platform collaboration where the original disc played on both PCs and MACs, eliminating the need for separate supply. The medium remained the first choice for many popular strategy, simulation and online games. Another extremely popular game of the time was The Sims, which brought in women and casual gamers to the male-dominated hardcore gaming market.Generally however, the medium was remained in overall decline as the consoles took over with more technically advanced graphics. The console could ensure a standardized visual experience while PC gaming depending on the capabilities of an individual’s hardware.ControversiesA rise in popularity also meant a rise in controversy. As games became more realistic visually, there was debate on the levels of profanity, violence, pornography and the possibility of gaming becoming an addiction. One controversial matter was the addition of an extra mini game or the Hot Coffee mod in the popular Grand Theft Auto. The game met with severe criticism and the hype led to the game to be re-rated Adults Only. The same game was also under scrutiny for extreme violence. Another controversial game was the Super Columbine Massacre RPG! In which the player could reenact the events in the school shooting at Columbine High School. The game was praised for a statement on free speech but criticized for being in very bad taste.A Rise in InfluenceAs video games became more popular and developed  more diversified themes, these games slowly became an integral part of popular culture. This influence meant an integration with other mainstream media such as film. One example of this integration was the release of Enter the Matrix, a video game that aimed to connect the events of popular films, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Films were often turned into video games but without too much success. This decade saw a rise in popularity of films based on video games such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider which remained the highest grossing video game adaptation for a decade following its 2001 release. Other popular adaptations included the Resident Evil series, Silent Hill, Max Payne, Hitman, House of Dead and Dungeon Siege.TOP 10 COMPUTER GAMES OF THE 2000SThe rising popularity of gaming in the 2000s went beyond the mode of playing to the release of extremely popular and influential games. Many of these games remain popular to this day. 10 of these games from the 2000s are discussed below in detail.1. The Sims © Wikimedia commons | Electronic Arts, Inc.MediumThe Sims was launched as a PC game but versions were later released for all consoles as well as handheld devices, smartphone and tabletsYear of IntroductionFebruary 2000Total Sales The total franchise sales till September 2013 were 175 million copiesFollow-up VersionsThe PC version saw the release of Sims 2, Sims 3 and Sims 4 in 2004, 2009 and 2013. Other Renditions of the game includes the Sims Online, Sims Stories, MySims, the Sims Carnival, the Sims Medieval and the Sims Social. Console and handheld versions included the Sims Era, the Sims 2 Era, the Sims 3 Era and the Sims FreePlay.BackgroundIt is a life simulation (sim) game that developed into an extensive series. It was developed by EA Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of the most successful PC games of all time. By late 2013, the game series had sold more than 175 million copies globally. The game deserves a place in this line up because of the way it drew in c asual and female gamers, extending the reach of video games beyond the traditional male dominated circle. The Sims series is what is known as a sandbox game, because there are no clearly defined goals to be achieved. Later expansion packs and console versions brought in some traditional gameplay however.GameplayThe player of the game creates virtual people who are called Sims. These Sims are placed into houses, where the player will direct their moods. Sims could be put into houses that had already been constructed or new houses could be built. Each new pack would build on what a player could do with their Sims.2. Halo © Flickr | ggalvan1800MediumThe game was originally launched on the Xbox, and is available to play on Windows, Xbox, OS X, Xbox 360, Windows Phone  and Xbox One.Year of IntroductionNovember 2001Total Sales The game and its follow-up versions have sold over 60 million copies globally and the games alone has brought in almost $3.4 billion.Follow-up VersionsThe original series included Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3. Change in management led to the reclaimer saga that included Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. Spin-off productions include Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: Spartan Strike. A new version will be  released in  2015 as well.BackgroundThis extremely popular game is a military science fiction first-person shooter franchise. Created by Bungie, it is now managed and developed by 343 Industries, itself a subsidiary of Microsoft Studios. The games were among the best first-person shooter games on consoles. Immersive marketing campaigns led to subsequent versions breaking many sales records. The game’s popularity led to the expansion into other mediums such as novels, graphic novels and other licensed products. The game’s sequel Halo Wars also took the game into a real-time strategy format whereas other versions have been traditional first person shooter ones. The game has had a cultural impact at par with that of Star Wars according to write Brian Bendis, with the collective group of fans for the series referred to as the Halo Nation.GameplayThe first-person shooter game is based on an interstellar war that is being waged the Convenant (an alliance of aliens) and the humans. The  focus of the franchise stems from the experiences of Master Chief John-117 who is part of a group of supersoldiers and his AI companion Cortana.3. Metroid Prime © Wikipedia commons | NintendoMediumMetroid Prime is available to play on the GameCube, Wii and Wii U.Year of IntroductionAugust 1986 (Franchise Release)November 2002 (Metroid Prime)Total Sales The series sold 17.44 million copies as of September 2012 while Metroid Prime sold more than a million units in the US alone.Follow-up VersionsDifferent games in this series include Metroid, Metroid: Other Mm Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid Fusion, Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime Hunters, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime Pinball and  Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.BackgroundMetroid is a series of science-fiction action adventure video game series by Nintendo. Metroid Prime was released in 2002 and made the shift to 3D and first-person adventure for the game series. It is the 5th installment in this series  and returned after an 8 year gap. The game received universal acclaim and commercial success and won a number of Game of the Year awards.Gameplay The game is the first of a three part story line and continues in the same universe as previous versions. The game involves solving puzzles to reveal secrets, platform jumping and shooting enemies with the help of a lock-on mechanism. This is the first game in the series to use the first-person view.4. World of Warcraft © Flickr | SobControllersMediumPCYear of IntroductionNovember 1994 (Warcraft Series)November 2004 (World of Warcraft)Total Sales This game has grossed over $10 billion as of 2002 and is the highest grossing video game of all time. There are over 100 million user accounts for this game.Follow-up VersionsExpansions available for the game include The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor.BackgroundThis game falls in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) and was created by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the 4th game in the series  and the most successful one to date. The game remains one of the most-subscribed MMORPG in the world and holds the Guinness World Record for the same.GameplayA player chooses an avatar to control within the game in a third or a first person view. Actions within the game include exploring, completing quests, fighting monsters and interactions with both non-player characters and other p layers. A subscription needs to be purchased in order to play.5. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas © Wikimedia commons | Rockstar Games / Take-Two InteractiveMediumThe game is available to play on PlayStation 2, MS Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, OS X, PlayStation 3, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Fire OS.Year of IntroductionOctober 1997 (Series Release)October 2004 (GTA: San Andreas)Total Sales The entire series has been critically and commercially acclaimed and has sold more than 150 million copies globally. San Andreas sold 27 million copies and is the highest selling PS2 game of all time.Follow-up VersionsThere are many titles in the entire series but the two follow-up versions for San Andreas include  Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.BackgroundThis is an open world action adventure game and is the 7th release in the series. the game has been recognized as having far reaching influence within the industry but has also been criticized for its violence and sexual content.GameplayThe game uses a third-person perspective and is an open worl d environment where the player can interact at leisure with the surrounding.6. League of Legends © Wikimedia commons | SpillikMediumPCYear of IntroductionOctober 2009Total Sales By January 2014, 67 million people play the game per month and 27 million per day.Follow-up VersionsNoneBackgroundThis is a multiplayer online battle arena video game and was published and created by Riot Games for Microsoft Windows as well as Mac OS X. The game remains free to play and is supported by micro-transactions. It was well received at launch and has grown in popularity since becoming the most played game in North America and Europe in terms of hours played. The game is also played within large competitions, one of which is a League of Legends Championship Series. 10 pro teams from each continent participate. Regional competitions are also held which culminate in the World Series.GameplayPlayers take on the role of a character or a champion with unique abilities to battle as a team against other players or computer controlled champions.7. Fallout 3 © Wikimedia commons | KJTEJMediumMicrosoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.Year of IntroductionOctober 2008Total Sales The game sold an estimated 610,000 units in the first month of release.Follow-up VersionsThe game is part of a series which includes Fallout: New Vegas,  Fallout, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, Fallout 2, and Fallout 3. Fallout 4 will also be released soon.BackgroundThis is an action role-playing open world game which received critical acclaim and several Game of the Year awards. It was praised for its open-ended gameplay as well as a flexible character leveling system.GameplayThe game is set in the future, 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse. The player is an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter. The player has to find their father who disappears and is assisted by human survivors in the battle against many different enemies.8. Resident Evil 4 © Wikimedia commons | CapcomMediumThe game is available on GameCube, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Wii Mobile, iOS, Zeebo, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.Year of IntroductionMarch 1996 (Series Release)January 2005 (Resident Evil 4)Total Sales The games has sold 5.9 million units across all platforms.Follow-up VersionsThe game series has seen many releases including Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil Survivor, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, Resident Evil Gaiden, Resident Evil Survivor Code 2: Veronica, Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil Outbreak, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Resident Evil 6 among others.BackgroundThis is a survival horror game and was released by multiple publishers. The game is known for popularizing a unique “over-the-shoulder” third person perspective. This game is available on iOS  and Android and has been critically acclaimed for its cross-platform success and influence over the genre of third person shooter games.GameplayThe game follows a US government special agent Leon S Kennedy on a mission to rescue the US President;s daughter from a sinister cult while fighting off violent villagers and mutated monsters.9. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask © Wikimedia commons | Nintendo, SonarpulseMediumThe game is available to play on Nintendo 64, GameCube and WiiYear of IntroductionFebruary 1986 (Series)April 2007 (Majora’s Mask)Total Sales The game sold 314,000 copies in Japan in the first week of sale and 3.36 million copies globally overall.Follow-up VersionsThe game series has seen many releases including The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Four Swords, The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and A Link Between World’s among others.BackgroundThe game is an action adventure game and the second one in the series to use 3D graphics. The game is considered darker than the others in the franchise. The game requires an expansion pack for enhanced graphics and more characters. The game has been acclaimed for its graphics and complexity of the story.GameplayThe game features dungeon cycles, ocarina songs, character transformations and a three day cycles. Multiple weapons are available with the primary version being a sword.10. Wii Sports © Wikimedia commons | NintendoMediumThe game is available on WiiYear of IntroductionNovember 2006Total Sales This remains the highest selling game on the Wii platform. The game sold 45.71 million copies worldwide by 2009. By 2011, the worldwide sales have reached 75.66 million and by 2014, 82.54 million.Follow-up VersionsWii Sports Resort and Wii Sports ClubBackgroundThis is a sports game and was included as a pack-in game everywhere but in Japan and South Korea. It is now available on its own. It is a collection of five sports simulations. These demonstrate the motion-sensing ability of the Wii remote, especially for new players. Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing are among the 5 games. The game has received critical acclaim and awards and is the second best-selling game of all time.GameplayThe Wii Remote allows players to mimic actions for real sports. The games have simplified rules to make it easy to play for new users. The game also has training and fitness modes.Image credit: Flickr | ggalvan1800 and Flickr | SobControllers under Attribution 2.0 Generic. Wikimedia commons | Electronic Arts, Inc., Wikipedia commons | Nintendo, Wikimedia commons | Rockstar Games / Take-Two Interactive,  Wikimedia commons | Spillik, Wikimedia commons | KJTEJ, Wikimedia commons | Nintendo, Wikimedia commons | Nintendo, Sonarpulse, Wikimedia commons | Capcom under public domain.

The Golden Age Of Capitalism - 1022 Words

The decades following the Second World War, often referred as the â€Å"Golden Age of Capitalism,† brought an immeasurable amount of prosperity to the United States economy. Real GDP per capita grew at 2.25 percent per year, along with a large number of American citizens entering the middle class with the ability to enjoy benefits from rising wages and home ownership (Palley 1). It seemed as though there would be no end to this post-war economic boom; however, the â€Å"Golden Age of Capitalism† would abruptly end at the onset of the seventies with a variety of factors contributing to economic downturn. The lengthy expansion during the sixties was brought to end due to rising inflation, with the annual consumer price inflation up to six percent†¦show more content†¦Inflation continued to remain as an issue, not falling nearly as advisers expected (Madrick 58). Martin was fired by President Nixon, after refusing to play with politics throughout his tenure as Fed eral Reserve Chairman. In November of 1970, Arthur F. Burns was appointed by Nixon to succeed Martin (Abrams 177). Although qualified, Burns would soon be subjected to orders from Nixon, who wanted to resolve the inflation issue and make the economy seem strong to voters in the upcoming re-election (Bresiger 1). In order to counter stagflation, Nixon began to implement a series of economic measures known as the Nixon shock. Nixon first suspended the convertibility of dollars to gold and officially closed the gold window. This would cause the American dollar to devalue, stimulating American exports as a result but further contributing to inflation with increase prices on imports. Nixon’s second measure was to impose a wage-price freeze over a period of ninety days, which restrained inflation and allowing most prices to remain constant (Madrick 59). With inflation temporarily under control, Nixon began implementing an expansionary policy to stimulate the economy out of a recession. Nixon began raising Social Security benefits, increasing business tax credits on business investment, and reducing personal tax rates for individuals. Burns pushed for a lower interest rate, decreasing from 5.5 percent to 3.25 percent (Madrick

Spirituality of Arab Heritage Review of Related Literature

Spirituality of Arab Heritage Review of Related Literature Understanding of spirituality of Arab heritage in the context of healthcare provision and nursing can be best understood from a trans-cultural perspective, wherein healthcare providers are not only knowledgeable about specific cultures that they would most likely interact with on a regular basis, but they must be also culturally competent to interact and provide care to people who could belong to these diverse cultural groups. Indeed, these characteristics have now become critical standards for Culturally Competent Nursing Care, as institutionalized by a joint initiative among nurses association worldwide, spearheaded by the United States (Douglas et al, 2011, p. 318). Thus, it is imperative then for the culturally competent nurse or healthcare practitioner to explore the dimensions surrounding a specific culture of interest. In the case of this research study, individuals with Arab descent that is, the Arab culture and communities will be explored and determined further through this literature, particularly in terms of their culture as linked with Islam and their spirituality. From a healthcare perspective, it must be understood that Arabs lives are governed by two important factors: Islam and family (community of families). Daw and Dau (2012) discussed the critical role that communities and families play in implementing an effective healthcare program in Arab-Muslim populations. Because Arabs tend to trustShow MoreRelatedAll About Peace Education13195 Words   |  53 Pagesenvironmental education. One problem which flows from this is whether a philosophy of peace education ought to constitute a philosophy of the expansive understanding of peace education and, if so, how the definitional boundaries ought to be drawn. 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The “Eleven” Story Free Essays

The story â€Å"eleven† is about a girl that is becoming eleven the setting of the story is inside one classroom including students and a teacher that the main character thinks hates her. Throughout the story, the teacher gives her a red jacket that does not belong to her. The story takes places in a classroom representing the way different people/students view things that happened and the way they act. We will write a custom essay sample on The â€Å"Eleven† Story or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are many themes given throughout the story when it comes to age, the purpose is to show the way people act no matter their age and people should have a voice, the tone in the story is different depending on the character. The story, â€Å"Eleven† is talking about a girl that just turned eleven, through the story this girl is self-aware of what’s going she knows that with age comes respects and grew. She knows the meaning of aging and what comes after it, in this story the girl states, â€Å"I wish I was one hundred and two†(1). Through the story, you get to see the characters first point of view the story is being told by the character itself. Through the whole story, you only see the point of view that one character showed instead of being presented with some various personas thinking if it comes to the red jacket. The purpose of the story is to create a different feeling of when people grow up and the way they react to the situations happening to them. The story purpose given is that people can have different emotions about age because adults can sometimes act like kids and some kids sometimes act older than their actual age is making, this makes people view what aging is and what goes with it. Sometimes we can see are grandparents act like children in many ways while I sometimes act as an adult. The books â€Å"eleven† whole setting is in a classroom full of students this class is a particular way of putting various children in community in a classroom, the way all the students act differently when the teacher shows them that jacket presents a way the society reacts when things happen and they always ended up placing the blame on one person rather than themselves. The setting given is very significant, because we get to see the way the character is feeling that way being put in a situation where her friends and maybe people that do not like her can make fun of her. One of the themes the story is talking about is superiority when the girl is not really allowed to speak out and say that the red jacket is not her, because she is talking to an adult. In the story, the girl says, â€Å"Because she’s older and the teacher she’s right and I’m not†(2). In the modern day, society kids want to be adults because they want to get out of school and they want to have voices in society and adults sometimes want to go back to when they were young. Throughout the story the character sets a tone that had different emotions involved the setting had different students though have different feelings about the jacket and about the many characters. The character’s description of the red jacket as ugly in many ways, special the many characters that hate the jacket throughout the whole story, because it is not hers. As the girl said, â€Å"It’s an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons†(2). The way she also talks about the teacher is set to maker look bad even though we do not know the teacher intentions when giving her the jacket. The tone used makes me feel as if I am a part of the classroom. The wording used when the girl is explaining that she wants to be a grown-up because we have all gone through the situation of wanting to grow fast that we end up regretting it. The story â€Å"eleven† is about a girl that is turning eleven and is in a classroom with students and teacher that she thinks hates her because the teacher gives her a red jacket that is not hers in the first places. The story takes places in a classroom representing the way different people/students view things that happened and the way they act. There are many themes given throughout the story when it comes to age, the goal is to prove the way people act no matter their age and people should have a voice, the tone in the story is complex depending on the character. Citations Cisneros, Sandra.Woman Hollering Creek and Other Storie(Eleven).New York, Random House,1991. How to cite The â€Å"Eleven† Story, Papers

Mind Games Sometimes a White Coat Isnt Just a White Coat Essays

Mind Games: Sometimes a White Coat Isnt Just a White Coat By SANDRA BLAKESLEEAPRIL 2, 2012 PERCEPTION Wearing a coat thought to be a doctors may improve attention. Credit Michael Temchine for The New York Times If you wear a white coat that you believe belongs to a doctor, your ability to pay attention increases sharply. But if you wear the same white coat believing it belongs to a painter, you will show no such improvement. So scientists report after studying a phenomenon they call enclothed cognition: the effects of clothing on cognitive processes. It is not enough to see a doctors coat hanging in your doorway, said Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, who led the study. The effect occurs only if you actually wear the coat and know its symbolic meaning that physicians tend to be careful, rigorous and good at paying attention. The findings, on the Web site of The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, are a twist on a growing scientific field called embodied cognition. We think not just with our brains but with our bodies, Dr. Galinsky said, and our thought processes are based on physical experiences that set off associated abstract concepts. Now it appears that those experiences include the clothes we wear. I love the idea of trying to figure out why, when we put on certain clothes, we might more readily take on a role and how that might affect our basic abilities, said Joshua I. Davis, an assistant professor of psychology at Barnard College and expert on embodied cognition who was not involved with the study. This study does not fully explain how this comes about, he said, but it does suggest that it will be worth exploring various ideas. There is a huge body of work on embodied cognition, Dr. Galinsky said. The experience of washing your hands is associated with moral purity and ethical judgments. People rate others personally warmer if they hold a hot drink in their hand, and colder if they hold an iced drink. If you carry a heavy clipboard, you will feel more important. It has long been known that clothing affects how other people perceive us as well as how we think about ourselves, Dr. Galinsky said. Other experiments have shown that women who dress in a masculine fashion during a job interview are more likely to be hired, and a teaching assistant who wears formal clothes is perceived as more intelligent than one who dresses more casually. But the deeper question, the researchers said, is whether the clothing you wear affects your psychological processes. Does your outfit alter how you approach and interact with the world? So Dr. Galinsky and his colleague Hajo Adam conducted three experiments in which the clothes did not vary but their symbolic meaning was manipulated. In the first, 58 undergraduates were randomly assigned to wear a white lab coat or street clothes. Then they were given a test for selective attention based on their ability to notice incongruities, as when the word red appears in the color green. Those who wore the white lab coats made about half as many errors on incongruent trials as those who wore regular clothes. In the second experiment, 74 students were randomly assigned to one of three options: wearing a doctors coat, wearing a painters coat or seeing a doctors coat. Then they were given a test for sustained attention. They had to look at two very similar pictures side by side on a screen and spot four minor differences, writing them down as quickly as possible. Those who wore the doctors coat, which was identical to the painters coat, found more differences. They had acquired heightened attention. Those who wore the painters coat or were primed with merely seeing the doctors coat found fewer differences between the images. The third experiment explored this priming effect more thoroughly. Does simply seeing a physical item, like the coat, affect behavior? Students either wore a doctors coat or a painters coat, or were told to notice a doctors lab coat displayed on the desk in front of them for a long period of time. All three groups wrote essays about their thoughts on the coats. Then they were tested

Why You Should Use Reusable Shopping Bags

Why You Should Use Reusable Shopping Bags The next time the clerk at your favorite grocery store asks whether you prefer â€Å"paper or plastic† for your purchases, consider giving the truly eco-friendly response and saying, â€Å"neither.† Plastic bags end up as litter that fouls the landscape and kill thousands of marine animals every year that mistake the floating bags for food. Plastic bags that get buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process, they separate into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. Furthermore, the production of plastic bags consume millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating. Is Paper Better Than Plastic? Paper bags, which many people consider a better alternative to plastic bags, carry their own set of environmental problems. For example, according to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, which adds up to a lot of trees, plus a lot of water and chemicals to process the paper. Reusable Bags Are a Better Option But if you decline both paper and plastic bags, then how do you get your groceries home? The answer, according to many environmentalists, is high-quality reusable shopping bags made of materials that don’t harm the environment during production and don’t need to be discarded after each use. You can find a good selection of high-quality reusable bags online, or at most grocery stores, department stores, and food co-operatives. Experts estimate that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed and discarded annually worldwide- more than a million per minute. Here are a few facts about plastic bags to help demonstrate the value of reusable bags to consumers and the environment: Plastic bags are not biodegradable. They actually go through a process called photodegradation- breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate both soil and water, and end up entering the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. Of those, approximately 100 billion are plastic shopping bags, which cost retailers about $4 billion annually.According to various estimates, Taiwan consumes 20 billion plastic bags annually (900 per person), Japan consumes 300 billion bags each year (300 per person), and Australia consumes 6.9 billion plastic bags annually (326 per person).Hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other marine mammals die every year after eating discarded plastic bags they mistake for food.Discarded plastic bags have become so common in Africa they have spawned a cottage industry. People there collec t the bags and use them to weave hats, bags, and other goods. According to the BBC, one such group routinely collects 30,000 bags every month. Plastic bags as litter have even become commonplace in Antarctica and other remote areas. According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone from being rare in the late 1980s and early 1990s to being almost everywhere in Antarctica. Some governments have recognized the severity of the problem and are taking action to help combat it. Strategic Taxes Can Cut Plastic Bag Use In 2001, for example, Ireland was using 1.2 billion plastic bags annually, about 316 per person. In 2002, the Irish government imposed a plastic bag consumption tax (called a PlasTax), which has reduced consumption by 90 percent. The tax of $.15 per bag is paid by consumers when they check out at the store. Besides cutting back on litter, Ireland’s tax has saved approximately 18 million liters of oil. Several other governments around the world are now considering a similar tax on plastic bags. Governments Use the Law to Limit Plastic Bags More recently, Japan passed a law that empowers the government to issue warnings to merchants that overuse plastic bags and don’t do enough to â€Å"reduce, reuse, or recycle.† In Japanese culture, it is common for stores to wrap each item in its own bag, which the Japanese consider a matter of both good hygiene and respect or politeness. Companies Making Tough Choices Meanwhile, some eco-friendly companies- such as Toronto’s Mountain Equipment Co-op- are voluntarily exploring ethical alternatives to plastic bags, turning to biodegradable bags made from corn. The corn-based bags cost several times more than plastic bags, but are produced using much less energy and will break down in landfills or composters in four to 12 weeks. Edited by Frederic Beaudry

The Italian Phonetic Alphabet - How to Spell

The Italian Phonetic Alphabet - How to Spell Bravissimo! You finally learned how to use the phone in Italy. Like many other Italians you pass on the street who have a cellphone attached to his ear, you can now discuss the most banal moments of the day. You quickly discover, though, that there are times when, no matter how clearly you pronounce Italian words, the person on the other end of the line cannot understand you. It could be static, it could be because youre skiing in the Dolomites or traveling by hydrofoil to the island of Stromboli and reception is poor. But you need to make yourself understood, otherwise youll miss out on those tickets to opening night at La Scala. Fortunately, theres the alfabeto fonetico- the Italian phonetic alphabet. Ancona, Bologna, CataniaMention the phonetic alphabet to a native-English speaker, and the first phrase that comes to mind is: Alpha Bravo Charlie. It stands for ABC, and is used in the military to avoid miscommunication. Its also frequently used by anyone speaking on the phone (to a customer service represenative, for instance) to spell out words (or portions of those words) to confirm the correct spelling. If its necessary to sound out the spelling of a word in Italian, by convention the following cities (typically provincial capital cities)- or alternate terms- are most commonly used to refer to each letter of the alphabet. The list of cities is not fixed, though, and even native-Italian speakers sometimes disagree about which cities to refer to. Therefore instead of Catania, one could also use Como, Capri or any other well known location. The only rule is to avoid a letter/town combination that could be mistaken for a different pair. Italian Phonetic AlphabetA come AnconaB come Bologna (or Bari or Brescia)C come Catania (or Como)D come DomodossolaE come Empoli (or Enna)F come FirenzeG come GenovaH come Hotel (acca)I come ImolaJ (gei or i lunga) come jolly (the joker in Italian card games) (or Jugoslavia)K (kappa) come KursaalL come LivornoM come MilanoN come NapoliO come OtrantoP come Palermo (or Padova or Pisa)Q come QuadernoR come RomaS come Savona (Sassari or Siena)T come Torino (Taranto)U come UdineV come Venezia (Verona)W (vi/vu doppio) come Washington (Wagner)X (ics) come Xanto (xilofono)Y come ipsilon (York or yacht)Z come Zara (Zurigo or zeta)