Thursday 26 December 2013

Author Neil Gaiman Defends Children’s Literature From Adult ‘Snobbery’

52-year-old British author Neil Gaiman has spoken out against ‘snobbish’ adult judgements being placed upon children’s literature.

The author, who delivered the second annual Reading Agency lecture in central London this week, chose to use this time, at least in part, to speak out against what he feels is a damaging trend in modern literary criticism.

“I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad book for children,” began the author, addressing a crowd that included many leading figures from the arts and entertainment world, as well as several representatives from educational institutions.

“Every now and again it becomes fashionable among some adults to point at a subset of children’s books, a genre, perhaps, or an author, and to declare them bad books, books that children should be stopped from reading,”

“I’ve seen it happen over and over; Enid Blyton was declared a bad author, so was (‘Goosebumps’ author) RL Stine, so were dozens of others. Comics have been decried as fostering illiteracy”.

“It’s tosh, it’s snobbery and it’s foolishness”, he continued.

Mr Gaiman, who’s works include children’s books (Odd & The Frost Giants), comic books (Sandman, 1602) and prize winning novels (The Graveyard Book, Coraline, American Gods), has seen his works adapted into popular films (Stardust, Coraline), and has written for several TV shows (Babylon 5, Dr. Who, Neverwhere). He is generally considered to be one of the most prolific and celebrated authors of his generation, so it is likely that his criticisms will carry some weight.

Gaiman continued, saying that, “There are no bad authors for children, that children like and want to read and seek out, because every child is different. They can find the stories they need to, and they bring themselves to stories”.

“A hackneyed, worn-out idea isn’t hackneyed and worn out to them. This is the first time the child has encountered it. Do not discourage children from reading because you feel they are reading the wrong thing. Fiction you do not like is the gateway drug to other books you may prefer. And not everyone has the same taste as you.

He continued with a warning to parents, teachers and even older siblings, when he said that,

“Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child’s love of reading: stop them reading what they enjoy, or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like, the 21st Century equivalents of Victorian ‘improving’ literature. You’ll wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and worse, unpleasant.”

Gaiman’s own book, ‘Neverwhere’ was recently removed from a High School reading list in New Mexico after a parent complained that it was inappropriate.

Gaiman’s response to this was wry and well-considered, as he told a BBC reporter, “I tend to take books of mine being challenged and occasionally being banned – and very occasionally being burned – as a kind of badge of honour. You know you are doing something right.”

Mr. Gaiman’s concerns were echoed by a number of the lecture’s attendees.



SOURCES:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24521225



Wednesday 25 December 2013

Thursday 19 December 2013

Iceman’s Living Relatives Discovered

A team of Austrian scientists has identified living relatives of Oetzi the Iceman, the 5,300-year-old body discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991.

The research highlights 19 Tyrolean men, all of whom bear distinct genetic similarities to samples taken from the body of Oetzi (so named because he was discovered in the valley of Oetz).

It is thought that the same genetic mutation that was found in Oetzi’s ancient DNA will also be discovered in the nearby Swiss region of Engadine.

The men have not been informed about their famous heritage and their connection to the Iceman is known only from analysis of their blood after donation. Women were not included in this particular study, as a different procedure would be required to match their samples to Oetzi’s.

The Austrian team has announced that it will be working with Swiss and Italian partners in order to further their research.

Since hikers discovered the body in 1991, Oetzi has been a source of constant fascination to historians, geneticists, archaeologists and interested media outlets. A high level of research has uncovered how Oetzi died, what his last meal consisted of and even what his face might very well have looked like (he had brown eyes). In addition, the Iceman’s entire genome was mapped and published last February.

In life, Oetzi stood at about 5ft 2in, lived to be approximately 46 years old and suffered from (amongst other things) arthritis and a whipworm infestation.

However, the discovery of living relatives to the 5,300-year-old corpse definitely represents a milestone in a case that has been called ‘the world’s oldest murder mystery’ by some.

Since Oetzi’s discovery in 1991, debates have raged about the Iceman’s final moments, there has even been some speculation that he was buried, but why and by whom remains a mystery.

In addition, a court case raged for years between the body’s discoverers and the local authorities, regarding a 25% finders fee that the authorities declined to pay in full. The court case was eventually settled in 2008.

The Iceman has made news in other areas as well; seven people involved in the discovery of Oetzi have died under allegedly ‘mysterious’ circumstances, leading some to speculate as to the existence of a curse.

Last year, Oetzi made the news yet again, as Italian scientists determined that there were red blood cells around Oetzi’s wounds. This was remarkable news as previously no blood was found within the body. These findings made Oetzi’s blood the oldest in the world, but, amazingly, his bloodline continues to this day.

SOURCES:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17909396

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17909396

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7643286.stm



Tuesday 17 December 2013

Pioneering Rock Musician Lou Reed Dies at 71

Rock n Roll poet Lou Reed, a founding member and principal songwriter of the massively influential band ‘The Velvet Underground’ – as well as a globally recognized recording artist in his own right, has died of liver failure, he was 71 years old.

Reed’s songs were groundbreaking in that they openly discussed issues like outsider sexuality and hard drug use and then married these lyrics to alternative, sometimes avant-garde music.

Reed was a recording artist in every sense of the word. Throughout his life and career, his work was challenging, powerful and often divisive. However, he was also no stranger to a catchy, crowd-pleasing pop chorus, as famous hits like ‘Perfect Day’, Satellite of Love’ and ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ will attest. Lou Reed’s work was the ultimate meeting point between the urban culture of the New York City streets and the highbrow insouciance of the uptown art galleries.

Supremely influential to the development of Pop, Glam, Indie, Punk and lots more besides, Reed was considered to be a godfather of alternative sounds.

Lou Reed was born in Brooklyn in 1942, when World War 2 was still raging around the world. He studied at Syracuse University and, around this time, became a disciple of the poet Delmore Schwartz. Upon graduation, he worked for Pickwick records as a songwriter, generating at least one minor hit. Eventually, he met Welsh violinist John Cale and, together with drummer Maureen Tucker and guitarist Sterling Morrison, formed The Velvet Underground.

The Velvet Underground were an instant hit on the New York music scene, so much so that pop artist Andy Warhol became a fan and incorporated them into his various projects. Warhol would eventually be credited as the producer of the band’s 1967 debut album, for which he also provided the artwork. The band were white hot creatively for three years, until their last album ‘Loaded’ was released in 1970.

Commercially, however, the Velvet Underground were completely ignored at the time. It was only later that they would be considered by a new generation of musicians as a seminal, trailblazing band.

Reed’s first solo album (where he was backed by the progressive rock band ‘Yes’) wasn’t a hit, but his glam-inflexed, David Bowie produced follow up, ‘Transformer’ became a worldwide smash and yielded several enduring pop classics.

For the rest of the decade, Reed refused to be pigeon holed as simply a ‘Rock’ or ‘Pop’ performer, instead producing albums like the tragic, story-based ‘Berlin’ or the savagely experimental ‘Metal Machine Music’. ‘Coney Island Baby’ was perhaps his most accessible record after ‘Transformer’, it was a hard-edged song-set that featured a collection of radio friendly alternative rock tunes and it was well received by the majority of fans.

Over the decades, Reed’s rebellious music continued to divide and delight in equal measure. Albums that had some fans and critics cheering had others scratching their heads. He was wholly capable of being supremely heartfelt and candid one minute and yet totally aloof and incomprehensible the next. He was, however, never less than 100% true to his incomparable artistic spirit.

In the 2000’s, Reed became a devoted practitioner of Tai Chi; he based an album on the works of Edgar Allen Poe and he worked as a photographer (which had been a side passion of his for many years). He also became even more heavily involved in social and environmental activism. His most recent record was released in 2011; it was produced in collaboration with Thrash Metal giants ‘Metallica’.

To say that Lou Reed made a huge impact on popular music would be an absolute understatement; to say that Lou Reed is one of the founding fathers of alternative music/culture would be doing the man something of a disservice. In truth, Lou Reed wrote the book on Rock n Roll, before summarily burning it and doing whatever he felt like doing, whenever he felt like doing it. He will be missed.

Saturday 14 December 2013

The PD782, PD785 & PD702 Hytera Radios are starting to take some of the digital market from Motorola, what makes them so good?

The PD782, PD785 and PD702 Hytera radios are affordable, as well as being easy to use and providing high quality audio. This is a good combination when it comes to two-way radios, a technology that, by definition, needs to be durable, easily replaceable and effortlessly useable in case of emergency.

The parent company, Hytera, have been operating since 1993 and in that time they have developed a strong reputation as an industry leader. In short, they are in the process of cultivating a trusted international brand. Hytera are an emerging brand with a considerable track record for producing quality technology at premium prices.

Another likely source of Hytera’s recent success is the effectiveness of the Hytera earpiece. The Hytera multi-pin earpiece is designed for use with the PD702 and PD782 radio models. It features excellent playback, as well as being solid and durable. This Hytera earpiece is available for around £40.00 and is a professional level model, proving highly effective for many modern surveillance exercises.

Returning to the two-way radio discussion, Hytera radios include a number of advanced features, including a robust design, as well as a full colour LCD display, something that is a rarity in today’s market. There are also a high number of messaging options.

The PD785 is IP57 rated. This means that it can even be completely submerged for up to 30 minutes without obtaining any significant damage. It can also switch between analogue and digital mode and features full digital encryption.

Hytera have received a boost in sales because they have created a series of products that are up-to-date, hardwearing and professional. Two-way radios need to be reliable as a matter of fact, which is why these products are selling so well. 


Friday 13 December 2013

Fun, Games And The Letter ‘X’

The aim of this site is to keep you updated on the latest releases, innovations and general news from the black-and-green neon world of the Xbox.

Here at best xbox game, we love the damn things. Can’t get enough of them, in fact. But the console itself is nothing without the rocket fuel that takes your imagination into the stratosphere with each new adventure. By which, of course, we mean the games.

Without great games, a console is nothing at all. Less than nothing. At best xbox game, we really feel that the Xbox has the best game library ever assembled, a roster of undeniably brilliant stories, characters and experiences. best xbox game aims to grow up to be the definitive Xbox site. With your support, we just might.

We like Playstation, we like Wii but that’s as far as it goes here at best xbox game. If you want the advice of our ‘X-perts’ regarding the best and brightest this console has to offer, all you have to do is stay on best xbox game and have a look around. We just might have what you’re looking for, the missing piece of the existential puzzle on your life. Then again, we may have overshot ourselves on that last part. Whatever.

best xbox game is committed to providing the ultimate guide to the ultimate games for the ultimate console. So there.



Tuesday 10 December 2013

Buy Kinect: The Next Movement

Wondering where to Buy kinect? Look no further, squire. Our site gives you what you need.

January, the month that begins with scraping vomit off the walls and ends with broken resolutions. Reading the classics and working out tends to flow inexorably back to re-reading old comics and putting on weight. The other thing January is good for is getting out and spending someone else’s money.

Of course, I mean Christmas money, money set aside by friends and relatives that you can spend selfishly. Auntie Gladys sent you £20, great! But who the hell is Auntie Gladys?. Uncle Joseph and Auntie Beryl have given you 50 quid. You promise to say ‘thank you’ but you never get round to it, its not like Auntie Gladys has Facebook.

So its time to plunder the wintry wonderland of the January sales. You scrape the puke from the walls, grab your coat from Uncle Bertram and hit the electronics stores.  Upon arrival, you can’t help but feel vaguely cheated. Its really not all that cheap. You usually end up staring is dismay at copy after copy of the tenth game on your list, the one you only kind of want.

So you come home, muttering under your breath and wondering where the best place is to Buy kinect, you put those exact terms into Google and now here we are having a nice chat, like old friends. Let me reiterate that this is the best site for you. Now you can order your Kinect and sit back with a warm cup of tea, or better yet start spring cleaning early.

Well, you did a crap job of cleaning up that sick, check the wall behind you. It’s right there on the Paisley pattern, also, Paisley? What were you thinking? You’re lucky I wasn’t sick too!


Saturday 7 December 2013

When NASCAR needed a faster, more efficient communications system, they turned to Motorola.

The Talladega Superspeedway covers 3,000 acres, and is a Super Bowl®-sized NASCAR event that attracts 150,000 on-site spectators and millions more watching at home.

NASCAR manages over 1,200 races every year on 200 race tracks in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and each location poses its own challenges in terms of radio traffic and interference. These challenges are magnified when systems must be deployed quickly, every week, over a wide geographic area. Pit crews, drivers, officials, and all other members of the internal and external organization must have a communications system that supports flawless connections, every time. When seconds count, there is no room for missed or delayed communications; speed and voice clarity are everything. NASCAR recently realized that their older system was just not keeping up, and there’s no doubt that providing secure and reliable communications for an event like this can seem overwhelming. Each NASCAR event involves up to 40,000 people, with approximately 80 officials presiding over two races, each with 43 cars, and each with teams of up to 30 people. In addition to NASCAR drivers, maintenance personnel, and pit crews, each race requires spotters, timing and scoring groups, as well as fire and rescue units. Also working on-site are emergency personnel, food vendors, ticketing and parking attendants, television and radio crews, and public relations representatives. Because NASCAR stages many regional events, several outside organizations need to be integrated into the communications loop. The sheer number of radios and talk groups that have to be moved and set up very quickly is enough to tax any radio system, and NASCAR’s old system was clearly over-taxed. NASCAR examined all options during a six-month intensive study. Digital radio seemed to be the best route to achieving the key requirements surfaced in this study, which included NASCAR’s need to:

• Coordinate large numbers of radios

• Ensure absolute audio clarity

• Maintain consistent, reliable communications

• Have a radio that was durable enough to withstand a rough environment

After assessing all the options, NASCAR determined that Motorola’s MOTOTRBO professional digital two-way radio was the right system for their needs.MOTOTRBO digital radio precisely met each of

NASCAR’s four requirements.

To coordinate large numbers of radios, the MOTOTRBO system is engineered to maximize use of the radio spectrum. The power of MOTOTRBO is leveraged by NASCAR to bring together multiple talk groups who work all over the property and need to be in full communication at all times. MOTOTRBO is also used to connect spotters, emergency medical technicians, crews in the garage and pit areas, as well as security and all other service and support personnel required to help each race run smoothly.

MOTOTRBO’s ability to work in either digital or analog mode makes it possible to seamlessly integrate older radio systems that may not yet have migrated to digital. To ensure absolute audio clarity, MOTOTRBO’s noise-canceling technology enables headsets for racing officials to perform at higher levels. Added to inherently clearer digital communications, the noise-canceling capabilities of MOTOTRBO technology supports sharp and clean communications in even the harshest environments. If MOTOTRBO users can communicate clearly at a noisy racetrack, it’s easy to see how well these digital two-way radios would perform in most workplace environments. “ We have to make sure we’re communicating quickly and concisely. Through MOTOTRBO, we’re able to do our jobs a whole lot better

than we have in the past.”

To maintain consistent, reliable communications, MOTOTRBO’s digital technology makes possible  extended battery life so that all users can easily connect throughout an 8-to-12-hour workday and then keep communicating, even when races run longer than scheduled. The MOTOTRBO system is

also less susceptible to static and interference, and when second-by-second communication is demanded, digital provides the proven reliability NASCAR needs. Durability is ensured with MOTOTRBO radios that deliver the highest quality of communications, even in harsh environments where they’re frequently dropped and exposed to dust, rain, grease, oil, and solvents. MOTOTRBO is designed to meet U.S. Military Standards C, D, E, and F, as well as IP57 for submersibility in water. When properly equipped with a Motorola FM-approved battery, MOTOTRBO radios have been certified by FM Approvals in accordance with Canada and U.S. codes to be intrinsically safe.

Source – http://www.motorolasolutions.com/web/Business/Product%20Lines/MOTOTrbo/_Documents/Case_Studies/Static_Files/Events_Nascar_car_racing.pdf


Are Playstation 4 games getting better or is it just me?

Lets find out what the latest ps4 games are like.

College mate Bob.

“Well, with a little trepidation I’ve finally done it” the update read “I’ve bought my own detached house. It has all appliances I could need and a beautiful thatched roof”

I was surprised and impressed by this news, Bob is only a little older than me. I didn’t know he’d had that much success, however. It was nice to see him doing well. Which allowed him to chat to people allday. We had fun.  After a while, he moved on and we parted ways, eventually randomly meeting a few years later on a train. Working as writers. I was about to post a long message congratulating Bob on his newfound success when I noticed the final two words to his status. Yes, Bob has the perfect place and yes, it has appliances and a thatched roof…On Skyrim. I groaned and joined the legion of talking heads telling him what a nerd.

The point is that its not just Bob who had a good time with his PS4 games last year. Skyrim launched into stores at the tail end of 2011 and, like a blazing comet burning brilliantly in the winter sky, signalled the sudden death of any/all social life for about half of my friends. Awesome graphics, Skyrim was quite rightly lauded as one of the best games of 2012. Each. Saw him.

Fell victim to this little number, is FIFA12. Even though you don’t see the word ‘football’ anywhere in the title, meaning that it’s no longer FIFA INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT 2012, or whatever, the punters. Might annoy F1 fans who get confused and buy it by mistake. The game itself does exactly what it (almost doesn’t) say on the tin, and is a basic upgrade of the previous release. Its not a massive improvement.

Another big seller of 2011. Maybe the game is dangerous. I find Dragonball Z really irritating. Sit through There’s like, three frames of animation per episode, most of which is either recapping the last. More pissed off and angrier. Finally, once all the major characters have died AGAIN. The end. hours of my life I’m not getting back any time soon to get there. What’s that? Oh, the game? {I have no idea, I got sidetracked|Distracted|Taken off on a tangent…Madder.




Sunday 1 December 2013

(Probable) Explanation Offered for ‘After Death’ Experiences

The latest scientific research has recommended that dying rats experience an odd rush of extreme brain activity throughout their last moments of life. This increased brain function might be in line with (and thusly describe) Human accounts of near or after death experiences, as reported by some people around the world.

Approximately a 5th of all folks who have survived a cardiac arrest have reported having an ‘After Death Experience’ or ADE.  This is sort of an alarming stat, principally as the ADE tends to have a very profound effect within the life of that survivor. Having an ADE is seen by many as irrefutable proof of an spirit world or a continuance of the person’s soul after death.

Likewise, a ‘Near Death Experience’ (or NDE) is thought to be parallel to an ADE, but clearly occurs while the patient continues to be technically living. Most people who experience NDE’s report a floating sensation or ‘Out of Body Experience’ (OBE), as well as encounters with angels, deceased members of the family and loved ones. Both NDE and ADE survivors frequently explain traversing a long tunnel in direction of an intense light.

Deliberations of life after death appear in early scriptures, archaeological sites and many following works of philosophy and possess fascinated (and frightened) Persons, regardless of creed, ethnic group or culture, since time immemorial.

After recuperating from surgery in 1979, Jazmyne Cidavia-DeRepentigny of Hull, Georgia, USA, reported a stereotypical NDE tale which was ultimately published in the book ‘Beyond The Light’ by P.M.H Atwater in 1994. Like many, Jazmyne recounts particulars of her surgery that would be very hard to obtain were she lying.

Jazmyne says that “I was perched over my body.  I could see and hear everything which was being said and done.  I left the room for a short while and came back to where my corpse lay.  I knew why I died.  It was because I could not breathe.  I had a tube along my throat and the medical staff didn’t have an oxygen mask on my nostril.  I’d also been provided excessive sedative”.

She went to illustrate her attempts to remove the tube from her throat from a rather harrowing account.

Prior to the aforementioned study, it is established proven fact that neural activity ceases once the heart stops. This has now been demonstrated as being untrue, at the least so far as rats are concerned. It’s also the strongest premise thus far regarding the reasons of ADEs, OBEs and NDEs.

One of those scientists responsible for these results, Dr. George Mashour of the University of Ann Arbour, Michigan, USA said the team was “surprised by the high levels of motion” in the rodents. “In fact, at near-death lots of known electrical signatures of consciousness exceeded levels found in the waking condition, signifying the brain is able of well-organized electric activity throughout the early phase of clinical death.” He said.

The team’s lead scientist, Dr. Jimo Borjigin added that “This report tells us that drop of oxygen or equally oxygen and glucose during cardiac arrest can stimulate neural activity which is characteristic of conscious processing,”

However, Dr. Martin Coath from the University of Plymouth, United kingdom was a little critical of the team’s findings.

Dr. Coath said that, as the rats were anaesthetized, the findings better demonstrated the unconscious brain’s reaction to the critical lack of blood flow and oxygen. He also said the study had not essentially showed that any ‘sensitive conscious processing’ had actually taken place, suggesting that the wording of that conclusion was “a bit of a stretch”. He commented that, while the consequences were “genuinely interesting” they were also “hardly surprising”.

The results of this report will little doubt be of great curiosity to numerous within the scientific kinship, also as religious groups, those engrossed in the mystic and people who have experienced an ADE or NDE.

SOURCES:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/paranormal-death-experiences-explained-204403437.html#7mbMENa

http://www.iands.org/nde-stories/17-nde-accounts-from-beyond-the-light.html