TrackMania

TrackMania is a series of racing games for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo DS and Wii developed by Nadeo and Firebrand Games. Instead of following the usual trend of choosing a set car and track to play the game, in "TrackMania" the players can create their own tracks using a "building block" process similar to that of the 1984 game "Excitebike", the 1985 game "Racing Destruction Set", and the 1990 game "Stunts".
"TrackMania" games typically have a time trial format, with medals awarded for beating set times in single-player mode, as well as the ability to submit times to online rankings. Players may choose to respawn at any time if they land upside down, leave the track or get off to a poor start. Multiplayer races operate as concurrent time trials; players' cars are visible on the same track at the same time, but cannot physically interact with one another.
History.
There are currently nine games in the series.
There is also a small, promotional Macromedia Flash online game called "Mini TrackMania" and the 2020 variant "TrackMania Blitz."
Games.
"TrackMania Nations".
On January 27, 2006, Nadeo released TrackMania Nations, also called TrackMania Nations ESWC partly as a promotion for the Electronic Sports World Cup, and also for "TrackMania" itself. This free, stand-alone game had one new environment, "Stadium", and many of the "Sunrise" edition features, including the advertisement panels, which show ads from sponsors streamed from the internet. The game contains 100 single player tracks, the earlier ones relatively simple in both design and gameplay, but it is largely pitched as an online game. One of the main attractions is the leader board, where players compete for the best times and points. The top five players can be seen on the game's homepage. "Nations" quickly became popular with almost 1 million registered online players within weeks of its launch), largely due to the wide availability of the freeware game.
"TrackMania United".
On June 30, 2006, "TrackMania United" was announced, a version that amalgamated all previous "TrackMania" editions into a single game that includes all the environments from the earlier games, and subsequently future installments of the series. "TrackMania United" features a peer-to-peer networking system allowing players to share custom content more easily, and a unified ranking system. The updated graphics engine includes a shadow mapping acceleration system, which is used in the most recent "Stadium" version. The new engine allows for more realistic shadows on high end systems while the "Stadium" environment has double the number of blocks featured in the free version, including dirt paths, water, and indoor sections.
Focus announced on November 9, 2006, that 10,000 copies of "TrackMania United" could be bought and pre-loaded online then activated from November 16, 2006 onwards. The game became available in retail outlets in France, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the French-speaking part of Switzerland and Russia later in 2006, then on February 23, 2007 in Germany, then on March 9, 2007 and later in other regions.
The game is available in the UK and was made available in the US via download for $49.99 on March 23, 2007 and $39.99 on April 17, 2007. As of September 7, 2007, the game is available for $29.95. It was made available for pre-order and pre-load on Steam on June 7, 2007 and unlocked on June 14, 2007.
Players who previously purchased "TrackMania" or "TrackMania: Sunrise" can earn a daily copper bonus in "TrackMania United" by registering their product keys through the game.
"Trackmania United Forever" is an updated version of "Trackmania United" featuring seven environments and an all-new mediatracker. It was published by Focus Home Interactive and developed by Nadeo and has a similar layout to "Trackmania Nations Forever". Four main modes are available: "Race", "Stunt", "Platform", and "Puzzle" as well as all the tracks from "Trackmania Nations".
"TrackMania United Forever & Nations Forever".
On October 7, 2007, Nadeo announced that they were working on updated versions of "TrackMania United" and "TrackMania Nations". Both new versions have "Forever" added to their name, and are network compatible. "TrackMania Nations Forever" includes the new stadium blocks and physics system introduced in "TrackMania United", which allow "TrackMania United Forever" and "TrackMania Nations Forever" players to compete on the same (Stadium) servers.
Nadeo has stated that because they want the game to have a long lifespan, they are working on the engine and user interface rather than adding new content. "TrackMania United Forever", for instance, no longer requires the CD to be in the drive due to different copy protection and anti-cheat systems. They also warn players that some features may not be the final versions.
"TrackMania United Forever" was released on April 15, 2008, with the free-to-play variant "TrackMania Nations Forever" released the following day.
As of 9 December 2010, following the closure of the company used for providing in-game advertising, Nadeo introduced the "FreeZone" system to the game. This meant that Nations Forever players could only play on specific FreeZone servers or normal servers that they manually added to their in-game favourites list. Additionally, Nations Forever players were forced to spectate every one in five races. These changes were made as an incentive for players to upgrade to the paid "TrackMania United Forever" as Nadeo could no longer make money from in-game advertising.
There were also plans to add additional environments Toy and Moon, but they were scrapped.
"TrackMania: Build to Race".
On June 30, 2009, a "TrackMania" game for the Wii, titled "TrackMania Wii" was announced by jeuxvideo.com in an interview with one of the developers. The game features all the environments from "TrackMania United" apart from "Bay", due to the complexity of its scenery. The game was supposed to be released in North America under the title TrackMania: Build to Race on July 20, 2010 but on July 19, 2010, Michael Mota of Dreamcatcher Interactive, TrackMania Wii's publisher, told the Examiner "We made the announcement to the major retailers about the TrackMania delay; I’m not sure why that hasn’t been changed. The game has been delayed until December." The game eventually came out in North America on March 24, 2011. It has a more primitive online play system than the PC line of games and also uniquely features a special "F" class of tracks unlocked after a certain amount of medals are accrued.
An updated Wii release date on the Nintendo website for the UK version published by Focus Home Interactive has been given as September 23, 2010.
"TrackMania2".
"TrackMania2: Canyon".
Like previous "TrackMania" games, players can race on tracks while doing various stunts as well as build their own tracks. The game features a new environment, Canyon, as well as two modes, Race and Platform. Platform mode is featured in the free extension pack, TrackMania2: Platform.
Besides the new environment, the game also includes a split-screen mode, and a new "ManiaScript" is being worked on which should help players add their own new features to the game.
"TrackMania2: Stadium".
"TrackMania2: Stadium" was announced on November 2, 2012. This environment was opened to the public with an open beta on February 27, 2013. The game features the classic Stadium environment that was introduced in "TrackMania Nations". There have been some improvements to the graphics, and it uses ManiaPlanet's client and interface. The game was released on June 20, 2013.
"TrackMania2: Valley".
"TrackMania2: Valley" was announced on November 2, 2012. This environment became available on ManiaPlanet on July 4, 2013.
"TrackMania2: Lagoon".
"TrackMania2: Lagoon" was announced on May 9, 2017. This environment became available on ManiaPlanet on May 23, 2017. With this environment ported from TrackMania Turbo (2016), ManiaPlanet was given a large update called "ManiaPlanet 4".
"TrackMania Turbo" (2016).
Announced at Ubisoft's E3 2015 conference, "TrackMania Turbo" is a spin-off heavily inspired by 90s arcade racers. The game has been released in North America on March 22, 2016 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and on March 24, 2016 for Microsoft Windows.
"Trackmania" (2020).
A remake of "Trackmania Nations" was announced for Microsoft Windows on February 29, 2020, and was due to be released on May 5, 2020, but was delayed until July 1, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The base game is free-to-play, with additional content available with a paid subscription model, including an in-game track editor, online events and car customization.
Environments.
The game's featured environments are "Desert" (aka Speed in TMO), "Rally", "Snow" (aka Alpine in TMO), "Bay", "Coast", "Island", "Stadium", "Canyon", "Valley", and "Lagoon".
Reception.
Due to the success of the "TrackMania" series, Guinness World Records awarded the games six world records in the "Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008". These include "Biggest Online Race", "Most Popular Online Racing Sim" and "Largest Content Base of Any Racing Game", with hundreds of thousands of user-created tracks and hundreds of unique cars available for download.
Copy protection system.
The PC games in the "TrackMania" series used a copy protection system called StarForce, which silently installed a driver with all versions of "TrackMania Original", "TrackMania Sunrise" and the original "TrackMania Nations". Many sources falsely reported that "TrackMania Nations" updated the StarForce drivers only if they were already installed, although versions released after May 28, 2007, installed the StarForce drivers on all computers even though "TrackMania Nations" is freeware. The original "TrackMania United" features StarForce restrictions built into the executable to check the software's key, but it does not install the driver.
Although Valve originally included it in the system, on June 29, 2007, the company announced that the version of "TrackMania United" distributed via their Steam digital distribution platform would no longer include StarForce.
"TrackMania United Forever" and "TrackMania Nations Forever" do not include StarForce. If they are applied as upgrades to version of "TrackMania United" or "TrackMania Nations" which include StarForce, they attempt to remove it.
Spin-offs.
As the TrackMania games have grown in popularity, Nadeo started plans for two completely new games; namely, they began work on RPG and First Person Shooter games. These were first announced in 2009 through TrackMania United Forever, where the player's loading screen was replaced with images announcing either "Shootmania" or "Questmania". On 19 February 2012, Nadeo officially announced "Shootmania". On 10 April 2013, Nadeo released "Shootmania" on Maniaplanet. Questmania however was never released to this day.


Urban Runner

Urban Runner (originally subtitled "Lost In Town") is a French produced computer game developed by Coktel Vision and published by Sierra On-line.
The game is an interactive movie spanning four CD-ROMs. The plot follows an American journalist in Paris who has been framed for murder during the course of an investigation.
"Urban Runner" was not very popular at the time of its release, due to high graphics and monitor resolution requirements. The minimum requirement was 640×480, with 256 colors. For the best quality, 640×480, 32-bit color was needed. Few reviews have been published concerning the game.
The lead is played by "Brandon Massey", who also played the lead in the Sierra title (1993), making this his second and final appearance in a Sierra game.
Plot.
You are Max Gardner ("Brandon Massey"), an American journalist in Paris, investigating a story about a big drug dealer who is covered by some influential politician. To get the dealer talking, you offer him incriminating photographs in exchange for some information. When Max arrives at the meeting point, the drug lord is dead and Max is mistaken for the killer.
While evading the authorities, Max continues his investigation and finds an ally in Adda - the murdered drug dealer's lover - and the two of them work to uncover the conspiracy behind the murders.
Gameplay.
The game itself is an interactive movie controlled with a mouse. As with many games of this type the player progresses by collecting items, talking to characters and solving puzzles. The player will also accumulate Clues - pieces of information which are essential to solving the mystery - which are separate from the inventory and cannot be given away or lost.
Should the player be having difficulty in progressing, they begin the game with three Jokers to use, which act as a hint system.
The player's viewpoint switches from Max to Adda at certain points in the game and sometimes gives the player a choice of which character to control. However, both characters must have the puzzles in their respective areas solved to progress.
Gameplay can be divided into Clue and Action sections. Clue sections are puzzle-based with no time limit; players may have to explore an environment, talk to characters or interact with objects to progress. Action sections give the player a short amount of time to make a decision - making the wrong choice usually results in your character's death.
Compatibility.
"Urban Runner" was developed to run under DOS and Windows 3.1, making it incompatible with modern Windows computers. However, it is fully playable using the game engine recreation software ScummVM, as part of its support for the "Gob" engine (which is used for games developed by Coktel Vision).
Development.
According to the French newspaper "Les Échos", "Urban Runner" was created by a team of 50 people. By December 1995, it had been in development for one-and-a-half years and its budget had risen to 15 F million. Three months were spent on the game's live-action film shoots. "Les Échos" reported that "Urban Runner"s budget had climbed high enough that it would need to sell 500,000 units to break even.


Sock Shop

SOCKSHOP is a British-based specialist retailer of socks and hosiery. Founded in 1983 by Sophie Mirman and Richard P. Ross, SOCKSHOP became part of the Ruia Group in 2006, and is now based mainly online, with stores in the Manchester Arndale and The Lowry Outlet, as well as concessions across the United Kingdom.
Business history.
Founding.
SOCKSHOP was founded by husband-and-wife team Sophie Mirman (daughter of milliner Simone Mirman) and Richard P. Ross, a former colleague of Mirman's at speciality retailer Tie Rack; both Ross and Mirman had acted as retail directors before leaving to launch SOCKSHOP. Mirman envisioned a range of small shops selling only women's tights, stockings and socks, with the aim of customers being able to purchase socks and hosiery "as easily as they buy newspapers". Mirman, through her experience as a junior secretary at Marks & Spencer and then later through its management training program, had identified a need to buy stylish hosiery without having to hunt through large department stores to find it, which at the time dominated the British hosiery market. Mirman identified there was a need to buy stylish hosiery without hunting through large department stores, which at the time, dominated the British hosiery market. With the assistance of a Government loan guarantee programme for capital-short entrepreneurs, Mirman and Ross launched SockShop in 1983.
SOCKSHOP outlets were purchased, many placed for their convenience on busy city streets, in train stations, subway stations and airport, and for their small size, with most having a floor space of between and no visible doors. Their stock featured bold colours, dramatic patterns and novelty designs in hundreds of styles. Prices were considered moderate at £0.99 to £24.99 per pair in 1987, with the priciest designs including gold-lace tights.
Early years.
The first SockShop store was opened on the concourse of the Knightsbridge tube station. Though the business' original ambitions were modest, exceeding no more than four or six retail outlets, by 1987, there were 52 stores in the SOCKSHOP chain, with the business having become one of the fastest-growing speciality retailing businesses in Europe. Mirman had become the 188th richest person in Britain, and its youngest millionaire.
In November 1987, SockShop (recently renamed as a company to "Sock Shop International P.L.C") opened three stores in Manhattan, aiming (as in London) towards walk-by traffic. One of these outlets was at the 42nd Street entrance to Grand Central Station, the same principle as behind the first British store's placement.
Administration to present day.
A couple of years later, when recession struck, Mirman and Ross discovered that their equity (worth £50 million in 1988) had become valueless, and were overwhelmed by debts. In 1990, the business entered administration and BDO Binder Hamlyn took over. 58 shops, including 17 outlets in the United States (14 in New York City alone) were closed down, and discussions were entered with interested parties to try to get new funding capital for financing expansion in Europe. Despite the closures, administrators recommended Mirman to be retained in a key role, praising her business acumen.
In August 1990, the business, 85 shops, and the French subsidiary were purchased for £3.25 million (plus an injection of £3.75 million working capital) by a consortium backed by Scottish fund manager Murray Johnstone. The company was renamed "SockShop Holdings". Unsecured creditors and shareholders in "SockShop International" received no money from the sale. The chairman for Murray Johnstone Developments, Fred Dalgarno, blamed the expense of the US operation and over-expansion for Sock Shop's problems. Having shed the burden of their debts, it was planned that "SockShop Holdings" be expanded more cautiously.
"SockShop Holdings" fell back into the administrator's hands a second time after becoming part of the Facia Group, a retail conglomerate of 850 shops and 80,000 employees that collapsed in 1996 with debts of £70m due to the fraudulent actions of its owner, Stephen Hinchliffe. It was subsequently acquired by the Tulchan Group.
In 2003, SockShop (by then reduced to 13 stores across the UK) was bought for £3.9 million by the Birmingham-based firm of Harris Watson Holdings. The firm collapsed a third time in 2006. The administrators, Poppleton & Appleby, were brought in on 25 January 2006 to try and salvage the dramatically reduced company. This third collapse was attributed to substantial losses as a result of a slowdown in consumer spending and a rise in running costs. In February 2006, following administration, it was bought by Osan Ltd which is a subsidiary of Ruia Group.
Online shop.
Following the 2006 purchase, SOCKSHOP became primarily an internet retailer, and is based at Dove Mill in Bolton. The online store, www.sockshop.co.uk, houses SOCKSHOP's largest collection, including socks, tights, hosiery, underwear and accessories from more than 90 brands - among them Falke, Pantherella, Calvin Klein, Sloggi, Happy Socks and Stance, as well as several of their own brands, including Pringle, ELLE, Heat Holders, Glenmuir, Jeep, Workforce and Wild Feet. SOCKSHOP.co.uk boasts a wide and growing range of bamboo products, including socks and underwear.
Physical stores.
SOCKSHOP has 2 main stores, as well as a number of concessions across the UK.
The Lowry Outlet.
SOCKSHOP opened a store in The Lowry Outlet in 2014, selling a selection of socks from the company's own brands, as well as items from other companies within the Ruia Group.
Manchester Arndale.
In 2015, SOCKSHOP opened a store in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre in Manchester city centre. Located on the ground floor of the centre, the store sells a range of products from SOCKSHOP's own brands.
Charity work.
Socks for a Cause.
In 2018, SOCKSHOP launched its "Socks For A Cause" campaign, donating 20,000 pairs of socks to various homelessness charities in an effort to combat the growing problem of trenchfoot amongst homeless people, and to help tackle the homelessness problem in Greater Manchester. SOCKSHOP continues to donate socks, underwear and accessories to homeless charities across the country.
Pride socks.
SOCKSHOP designed and launched a range of Pride socks in 2017, donating 20% from the sale of each pair sold to the LGBT Foundation, a Manchester-based charity which provides help and support for members of the LGBT+ community.


Takeo Takei

 was a Japanese painter best known for his illustrations for children.
Takeo Takei is among Japan's most influential children's illustrators of the twentieth century. He was one of the first to create high-quality illustrations for children and was an early advocate of making artwork that respected and nurtured a child's imagination. Nearly one hundred years after his work was first published, his influence in illustration, manga, animation, graphic design, computer game character and even advertising is as strong as ever.
Life.
Takeo Takei was born the first son and the only child of Kei-ichiro and Sachi Takei on 25 June 1894, in Hirano-village (now Okaya-city), Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Takei was a very artistic child, he drew his first illustration three years old. He spent many hours alone at home (in his case due to weak constitution). When he was in the 2nd grade of primary school, he went to school two weeks in total, because of frequent illness. In these days, he immersed himself in drawing and writing, he imagined a fairy named "Mito" in his fantasy, and he played with it. This aspect of his childhood would later inform his deep respect for the artistic mind of the child.
Although originally discouraged by his father (the mayor of Hirano village) from becoming an artist, Takei ultimately attended the Tokyo Art School (known today as the Tokyo University of the Arts, the leading art school in the country and the alma mater of many renowned artists in Japan) with his blessing. There, he studied Western-style art and painting and graduated in 1919.
In 1922, Takei's artwork was on the first cover of the groundbreaking children's magazine "Kodomo no kuni (Children's Land)", which published artwork, songs, craft projects, and stories for children until 1944. It embodied a democratic and individualistic approach to children's education that emerged during the Taisho democracy in Japan (1912-1926), and that mirrored Takei's personal philosophy.
His output was prodigious in the 1920s: He wrote and illustrated his own stories, as well as Japanese folktales and other original fairy tales by Japanese writers such as Kenji Miyazawa. He also illustrated non-Japanese stories such as "The Thousand and One Nights" and in 1928, the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.
In 1927, Takei helped found the Nihon Doga Kyokai (Japan Association of Illustration for Children). At various times in his career, he also had a role as reviewer and selector of illustrations for various magazines. Sadly, much of Takeo's original artwork was destroyed by fire in Tokyo during World War II.
Works.
The works of Takeo Takei are classified in three. The first one is the illustrations for children, "Doga" in Japanese. The second is the woodblock prints,"Hanga". The other is the making books of various materials,"Kanpon".
Illustrations For Children (Doga).
Takei's mediums of choice for his fantastical, surreal, but always accessible drawings were watercolors, crayon, and pen and ink.
In 1926, Takei published one of his most famous books, "Ramu-Ramu O" (King Ramu-Ramu). In 1928, he published "Dōbutsu no Mura" (The Animal Village).
Books of various materials (Kanpon).
"Kanpon" literally means "published book." Takei used this term and employed it to his own exploration of the expressive potential of the medium of the book.
http://www.rarebook.com/takei/takei.html
Childhood house.
The house which Takeo Takei had lived until he was 19 years old is still standing in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It was built in 1698 or 1699, over 300 years ago, so it is one of the oldest houses in Japan. It was a samurai residence, of which there very few, as they are usually made of wood and paper. Okaya-city municipal office, the owner of this house since 2008, decided to destroy. Many people have been against it and work for a social movement in which people maintain the house as a cultural asset for preservation.
Museum.
There is a memorial museum dedicated to Takeo Takei: "The ILF Doga Museum" (イルフ童画館・長野県岡谷市, located in Okaya, Nagano, since 1998) . It collects and exhibits original illustrations of children's books by Takeo Takei, Maurice Sendak and other artists.


Giuseppe Mariani

Giuseppe Mariani was an Italian art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film "The Taming of the Shrew".


Rob Bell (Virginia politician)

Robert Bernard Bell III (born April 23, 1967) is an American politician. He has been a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2002. In 2013, Bell ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Attorney General of Virginia.
Early life and education.
Bell was born in Palo Alto, California on April 23, 1967.
Game designer.
Bell worked as a convention volunteer and part-time intern for Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) while attending classes at the University of Virginia, and began working for ICE full-time as an editor in 1988. Bell expanded and unified the "Hero System" from Hero Games, licensed by ICE. The fourth edition of the role-playing game "Champions" (1989) was largely the work of Bell; aside from writing the book, he had also coordinated a volunteer effort with dozens of gaming groups to give input and feedback on the "Hero System". Bell left ICE in 1990, and later entered politics.
Virginia House of Delegates.
Election.
Bell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2001, representing the 58th district in the Virginia Piedmont, including Greene County and parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Rockingham Counties. Bell's seat was previously held by Thomas Jefferson.
Abortion.
In 2012, Bell voted in favor of a bill requiring all women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound prior to having an abortion, except in cases of rape and incest, wherein police reports must be presented. While hundreds of people participated in a silent protest outside the Virginia state capitol, Bell, as the bill's patron, postponed a vote on the bill, which passed the next day. On March 1, 2012, Bell voted in favor of an amended version of the bill requiring women to undergo a transabdominal ultrasound prior to an abortion if written consent for a transvaginal ultrasound is not obtained, and no ultrasound at all if the physician deems it impossible to determine fetal age through the prescribed means.
In 2020, Bell voted against the House Bill 552 on the definition of birth control "for the purposes of the regulation of medicine, as contraceptive methods that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and provides that birth control shall not be considered abortion for the purposes of Title 18.2 (Crimes and Offenses Generally)."
Citizenship inquiries.
During the 2012 legislative session, Bell was the primary sponsor of a bill requiring police to inquire into the citizenship of anyone arrested, regardless of criminal charges. The bill was widely criticized by civil rights organizations and failed to pass.
Education.
In 2012 and 2013, Bell patroned the "Tebow Bill", named for Tim Tebow, which would allow homeschooled students meeting academic standards the opportunity to participate in public school sports teams and other extracurricular activities.
In 2020, Bell voted against HB-1355 which authorized the development of community schools where parents and children can receive aid from social services.
In 2021, Bell voted against HB-1980 that establishes scholarships and support for descendants of enslaved people to empower them out of the cycle of generational poverty.
Employment.
In 2020, Bell voted against HB-984 that allows civil action against an employer that knowingly misclassified an employee often as an independent contractor to avoid properly paying for labor.
In 2020, Bell voted against HB-582 that authorizes local government employees to form unions and bargain collectively.
LGBT Community.
In 2020, Rob Bell voted against the HB-1663 which "prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity"
In 2020, Bell voted against HB-1041 that provided the opportunity for individuals to issue a new certificate to show a change of sex after their transition of their sex and verification from their healthcare provider to prove that the individual underwent the appropriate gender transition procedures.
In 2021, during a special session, Bell voted against HB-2132 which outlined that a person's sexual orientation and identity does not provide a proper defense to any charge of capital murder.
Public safety.
As of 2013, Bell serves as the chairman of the Virginia State Crime Commission.
In 2006, Bell proposed legislation to bar violent sex offenders from school property, following public outrage over a convicted sex offender serving as a Santa Claus at an elementary school. In 2012, he proposed a bill expanding this ban to cover school buses and school-affiliated events.
In 2008, Bell proposed legislation to require school superintendents to screen job applicants for a history of child abuse convictions in Virginia and other states, as well as criminalize the misrepresentation of an applicant's offender status.
Property rights.
Bell sponsored a legislatively referred constitutional amendment seeking to reform eminent domain in Virginia. The effort was initiated in part as a reaction to a 2005 US Supreme Court decision upholding the right of the government to seize property for economic development. The Virginia General Assembly approved the amendment in 2011, and then-Governor Bob McDonnell endorsed it. The proposed amendment was placed on the November 6, 2012, ballot as a statewide referendum, where it was approved.
Attorney General campaigns.
On December 6, 2011, Bell announced that he was a candidate for the 2013 Republican nomination for Attorney General of Virginia. State Senator Mark Obenshain won the nomination over Bell by a 55%–45% margin at a statewide convention in Richmond on May 18, 2013.
On December 3, 2015, Bell announced he would run again for the Republican nomination for Attorney General in the 2017 election, and vowed to oust incumbent Mark Herring, whom he cast as a liberal crusader with no regard for the law. However, on November 21, 2016, Bell abruptly announced that he was ending his campaign because his children, one of whom has special needs, were facing "new challenges" and stated, "Despite my best efforts, it has become clear to me that I can’t possibly fulfill my responsibilities as a father while making a statewide run." He announced that he would return donations made to his attorney general campaign, and would run for re-election to his House seat.


Hans Baldung

Hans Baldung (1484 or 1485 – September 1545), called Hans Baldung Grien, (being an early nickname, because of his predilection for the colour green), was an artist in painting and printmaking, engraver, draftsman, and stained glass artist, who was considered the most gifted student of Albrecht Dürer, whose art belongs to both German Renaissance and Mannerism. Throughout his lifetime, he developed a distinctive style, full of colour, expression and imagination. His talents were varied, and he produced a great and extensive variety of work including portraits, woodcuts, drawings, tapestries, altarpieces, stained glass, allegories and mythological motifs.
Baldung was born and raised in Schwäbisch Gmünd (Swabian Gmuend), East Wuerttemberg. At the age of 26, he married Margaretha Härlerin (née Herlin), with whom he had one child: Margarethe Baldungin.
Life.
Early life, 1484–1500.
Hans Baldung was the son of Johann Baldung, a university-educated jurist, having since 1492 the office of legal adviser to the bishop of Strasbourg (Albert of Bavaria), and Margarethe Herlin, daughter of Arbogast Herlin, he was not propertyless, but with unknown occupation, and his family living in this city, Hans made his apprenticeship there, with an artist remained unknown. His exact date of birth is unknown. Hans was born in the small free city of Schwäbisch Gmünd (formerly Gmünd in Germany), a free city of the Empire, part of the East Württemberg region in former Swabia, Germany, in the year 1484 or 1485, into a family of intellectuals, academics and professionals, where his father was from and died in Strasbourg in September 1545. His uncle, Hieronymus Baldung, was a doctor in medicine, he had a son, Pius Hieronymus, that can be seen as Hans' cousin, who taught law at Freiburg, and became by 1527 chancellor of the Tyrol. In fact, Baldung was the first male in his family not to attend university, but was one of the first German artists to come from an academic family. His earliest training as an artist began around 1500 in the Upper Rhineland by an artist from Strasbourg. He perfected his art in Albrecht Dürer's studio in Nuremberg between 1503 and 1507.
At the age of 26, Baldung married Margaretha (née Herlin), with whom he had one child: Margarethe Baldungin.
Life as a student of Dürer.
Beginning in 1503, during the "Wanderjahre" ("Hiking years") required of artists of the time, Baldung became an assistant to Albrecht Dürer. Here, he may have been given his nickname "Grien". This name is thought to have come foremost from a preference to the color green: he seems to have worn green clothing. He probably also got this nickname to distinguish him from at least two other Hanses in Dürer's shop, Hans Schäufelein and Hans Suess von Kulmbach. He later included the name "Grien" in his monogram, and it has also been suggested that the name came from, or consciously echoed, "grienhals", a German word for witch—one of his signature themes. Hans quickly picked up Dürer's influence and style, and they became friends: Baldung seems to have managed Dürer's workshop during the latter's second sojourn in Venice. In a later trip to the Netherlands in 1521 Dürer's account book records that he took with him and sold prints by Baldung. On Dürer's death Baldung was sent a lock of his hair, which suggests a close friendship. Near the end of his Nuremberg years, Grien oversaw the production by Dürer of stained glass, woodcuts and engravings, and therefore developed an affinity for these media and for the Nuremberg master's handing of them.
Strasbourg.
In 1509, when Baldung's time in Nuremberg was complete, he moved back to Strasbourg and became a citizen there. He became a celebrity of the town, and received many important commissions. The following year he married Margarethe Herlin, a local merchant's daughter, joined the guild "Zur Steltz", opened a workshop, and began signing his works with the HGB monogram that he used for the rest of his career. His style became much more deliberately individual—a tendency art historians used to term "mannerist." He stayed in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1513–1516 where he made, among other things, the .
Witchcraft and religious imagery.
In addition to traditional religious subjects, Baldung was concerned during these years with the profane theme of the imminence of death and with scenes of sorcery and witchcraft. He helped introduce supernatural and erotic themes into German art, although these were already amply present in Dürer's work. Most famously, he depicted witches, also a local interest: Strasbourg's humanists studied witchcraft and its bishop was charged with finding and prosecuting witches. His most characteristic works in this area are small in scale and mostly in the medium of drawing; these include a series of puzzling, often erotic allegories and mythological works executed in quill pen and ink and white body color on primed paper. The number of Hans Baldung's religious works diminished with the Protestant Reformation, which generally repudiated church art as either wasteful or idolatrous. But earlier, around the same time that he produced an important chiaroscuro woodcut of Adam and Eve, the artist became interested in themes related to death, the supernatural, witchcraft, sorcery, and the relation between the sexes. Baldung's fascination with witchcraft began early, with his first chiaroscuro print (1510) lasted to the end of his career.
Hans Baldung Grien's work depicting witches was produced in the first half of the 16th century, before witch hunting became a widespread cultural phenomenon in Europe. According to one view, Baldung's work did not represent widespread cultural beliefs at the time of creation but reflected largely individual choices. On the other hand, through his family, Baldung stood as closer to the leading intellectuals of the day than any of his contemporaries, and could draw on a burgeoning literature on witchcraft, as well as on developing juridical and forensic strategies for witch-hunting. Baldung never worked directly with any Reformation leaders to spread religious ideals through his artwork, although living in fervently religious Strasbourg, although he was a supporter of the movement, working on the high altar in the city of Münster, Germany.
Baldung was the first artist to heavily incorporate witches and witchcraft into his artwork (his mentor Albrecht Dürer had sporadically included them but not as prominently as Baldung would). During his lifetime there were few witch trials, therefore, some believe Baldung's depictions of witchcraft to be based on folklore rather than the cultural beliefs of his time. By contrast, throughout the early sixteenth century, humanism became very popular, and within this movement, Latin literature was valorized, particularly poetry and satire, some of which included views on witches that could be combined with witch lore massively accumulated in works such as the Malleus Maleficarum. Baldung partook in this culture, producing not only many works depicting Strasbourg humanists and scenes from ancient art and literature, but what an earlier literature on the artist described as his satirical take on his depiction of witches. Gert von der Osten comments on this aspect of "Baldung [treating] his witches humorously, an attitude that reflects the dominant viewpoint of the humanists in Strasbourg at this time who viewed witchcraft as 'lustig,' a matter that was more amusing than serious". However, the separation of a satirical tone from deadly serious vilifying intent proves difficult to maintain for Baldung as it is for many other artists, including his rough contemporary Hieronymus Bosch. Baldung's art simultaneously represents ideals presented in ancient Greek and Roman poetry, such as the pre-16th century notion that witches could control the weather, which Baldung is believed to have alluded to in his 1523 oil painting "Weather Witches", which showcases two attractive and naked witches in front of a stormy sky.
Baldung also regularly incorporated scenes of witches flying in his art, a characteristic that had been contested centuries before his artwork came into being. Flying was inherently attributed to witches by those who believed in the myth of the Sabbath (without their ability to fly, the myth fragmented), such as Baldung, which he depicted in works like "Witches Preparing for the Sabbath Flight" (1514).
Work.
Painting.
Throughout his life, Baldung painted numerous portraits, known for their sharp characterizations. While Dürer rigorously details his models, Baldung's style differs by focusing more on the personality of the represented character, an abstract conception of the model's state of mind. Baldung settled eventually in Strasbourg and then to Freiburg im Breisgau, where he executed what is held to be his masterpiece. Here in painted an eleven-panel altarpiece for the Freiburg Cathedral, still intact today, depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin, including, The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Flight into Egypt, The Crucifixion, Four Saints and The Donators. These depictions were a large part of the artist's greater body of work containing several renowned pieces of the Virgin.
The earliest pictures assigned to him by some are altar-pieces with the monogram H. B. interlaced, and the date of 1496, in the monastery chapel of Lichtenthal near Baden-Baden. Another early work is a portrait of the emperor Maximilian, drawn in 1501 on a leaf of a sketch-book now in the print-room at Karlsruhe. "The Martyrdom of St Sebastian and the Epiphany" (now Berlin, 1507), were painted for the market-church of Halle in Saxony.
Baldung's prints, though Düreresque, are very individual in style, and often in subject. They show little direct Italian influence. His paintings are less important than his prints. He worked mainly in woodcut, although he made six engravings, one very fine. He joined in the fashion for chiaroscuro woodcuts, adding a tone block to a woodcut of 1510. Most of his hundreds of woodcuts were commissioned for books, as was usual at the time; his "single-leaf" woodcuts (i.e. prints not for book illustration) are fewer than 100, though no two catalogues agree as to the exact number.
Unconventional as a draughtsman, his treatment of human form is often exaggerated and eccentric (hence his linkage, in the art historical literature, with European Mannerism), whilst his ornamental style—profuse, eclectic, and akin to the self-consciously "German" strain of contemporary limewood sculptors—is equally distinctive. Though Baldung has been commonly called the Correggio of the north, his compositions are a curious medley of glaring and heterogeneous colours, in which pure black is contrasted with pale yellow, dirty grey, impure red and glowing green. Flesh is a mere glaze under which the features are indicated by lines.
His works are notable for their individualistic departure from the Renaissance composure of his model, Dürer, for the wild and fantastic strength that some of them display, and for their remarkable themes. In the field of painting, his "Eve, the Serpent and Death" (National Gallery of Canada) shows his strengths well. There is special force in the "Death and the Maiden" panel of 1517 (Basel), in the "Weather Witches" (Frankfurt), in the monumental panels of "Adam" and "Eve" (Madrid), and in his many powerful portraits. Baldung's most sustained effort is the altarpiece of Freiburg, where the Coronation of the Virgin, and the Twelve Apostles, the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity and Flight into Egypt, and the Crucifixion, with portraits of donors, are executed with some of that fanciful power that Martin Schongauer bequeathed to the Swabian school.
He is well known as a portrait painter, his works include historical pictures and portraits; among the latter may be named those of Maximilian I. and Charles V. His bust of Margrave Philip in the Munich Gallery tells us that he was connected with the reigning family of Baden as early as 1514. At a later period he had sittings with Margrave Christopher of Baden, Ottilia his wife, and all their children, and the picture containing these portraits is still in the gallery at Karlsruhe. Like Dürer and Cranach, Baldung supported the Protestant Reformation. He was present at the diet of Augsburg in 1518, and one of his woodcuts represents Luther in quasi-saintly guise, under the protection of (or being inspired by) the Holy Spirit, which hovers over him in the shape of a dove.
References.
Citations.
Attribution:


RedOctane X-Plorer Controller

Publishers Activision and RedOctane released the RedOctane X-Plorer Controller bundled with Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360, some bundles of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, or available separately. This same controller was also bundled with for the personal computer (PC) and Macintosh. The Xbox 360 controller works with the PC using a driver with Windows (XP SP2 or Vista only). The case for the game disc and manual of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the PC called the controller the "Guitar Hero 3 Official PC Guitar Controller".
The RedOctane X-Plorer Controller for these games is based on the Gibson Explorer, a type of electric guitar. It is also the only guitar controller officially supported by Aspyr Media (developer of the PC and Macintosh releases). The guitar controller plugs into the Xbox 360 via the USB ports. The PC and Macintosh releases have the same software limitation of two local players at a time. The guitar's cord uses the break away cord connection, like controllers of the original Xbox console.
The controller includes two input connections:
The insides of the guitar show a few interesting things:
When the controller is connected to a Windows Vista or Windows XP PC, it shows up as a game controller. This allows you to see button presses and the tilt sensors. Currently, only one tilt sensor is used by the Guitar Hero games.


Satinet

Satinet is a finely woven fabric with a finish resembling satin, but made partly or wholly from cotton or synthetic fiber. The fibers may be natural (as with cotton, woolens or cashmere wool) or synthetic.
In the United States of America.
The process of manufacturing satinets in the United States of America began c. 1820 at the Capron Mill in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.
The Hockanum Mill in Rockville / Vernon CT was originally constructed in 1814 by Bingham & Nash. They became a leading manufacturer of satinet. The Hockum Mills in Connecticut was formed in 1836 and constructed a larger mill to produce satinet, a finely woven fabric that resembles satin but is made from wool. They continued to produce satinet until 1869. Satinet was also an important commodity for the people of West Tisbury, MA, on the island of Martha's Vineyard Ma. The Old Mill Pond property in that town was purchased by David Look in 1809 and he converted what was once a grain mill to textile mill. He installed a carding machine to produce woolen yarn and looms for weaving that wool into fabrics called kersey and Satinet. Needing more power than the river itself could provide, Look installed a dam to raise the pond’s water level. His mill produced Satinet; a waterproof fabric used in whaling and sea-going outerwear. Thomas Bradley bought the property in 1845 and erected a new textile mill which prospered until the 1860s, largely due to the popularity of Satinet’s use in waterproofing Civil War military uniforms. That mill building, now headquarters for the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, still stands today.


Tabi

 are traditional Japanese socks worn with thonged footwear dating back to the 15th century.
Use.
 are worn by both men and women, with traditional formal footwear such as , and sometimes the less-formal . are typically worn with clothing such as kimono. are sewn with a divided toe, in order to be worn with thonged footwear.
Historically, most people in Japan wore , as most Japanese footwear was thonged; however, some, such as upper-class courtesans and the geisha of Fukagawa did not wear them, as the bare foot was considered to be erotic in Japanese culture. Others, such as lower-working class members of society who could not afford , either did not wear them or wore boots such as instead.
In traditional Japanese spaces and buildings, such as Noh theatres, teahouses and for traditional stage performances, must be worn, and shoes are not worn inside or on stage.
Styles.
The most common color of is white. White are worn in formal situations such as tea ceremonies. Men sometimes will wear blue or black for traveling. Colored are also available, and are sometimes used in kabuki theatre as part of a character's costume, or are worn with more casual outfits as fashion.
Traditionally, are sewn from cloth cut to form. They are open at the back to be slipped on and have fasteners along the opening so they can be closed. sewn from stretch material without fasteners are also available.
One distinctive style of are . Made of heavier, tougher material and often having rubber soles, resemble boots and are outer footwear rather than socks. Like other , are toe-divided.
Modern versions.
Contemporary socks—socks with a separation between the big toe and the rest of the toes—are also available. This reflects the number of people who still prefer to wear and , especially during Japan's hot, humid summers.
Modern occasionally have elastic openings instead of fasteners.
Belgian fashion house Maison Margiela has released modern boots with a separated big toe since the late 1980s-early 1990s.
A related item are toe socks, which have five separate compartments; these are known as in Japanese.


QuakeWorld

QuakeWorld (abbreviated QW) is an update to id Software's seminal multiplayer deathmatch game, "Quake", that enhances the game's multiplayer features (namely UDP support) to allow people with dial-up modems to achieve greatly improved responsiveness when playing on Internet game servers. Modern broadband connections such as cable and DSL can use the QW network handling and game physics as well. Official id Software development stopped with the test release of QuakeWorld 2.33 on December 21, 1998. The last official stable release was 2.30. QuakeWorld has been described by IGN as the first popular online first-person shooter.
Gameplay.
Other than the networking improvements, QuakeWorld's gameplay is identical to Quake's multiplayer mode.
Development.
"Quake" network code, the part of the software that handles multiplayer gaming over a network, was designed for low-latency play over a local area network (LAN). The original "Quake" did not address the fact that Internet connections have generally much higher latency and packet loss compared to a LAN connection, and over some connections, performance of this model did not provide an optimal experience. Therefore, QuakeWorld introduced "client-side prediction" (CSP).
After months of private beta testing, QuakeWorld, written by John Carmack with help from John Cash and Christian Antkow, was released on December 13, 1996. Further development was later taken over by David Kirsch and Jack Mathews. It included a useful program called QuakeSpy, written by Mathews, which later evolved into GameSpy.
Legacy.
After the GameSpy shutdown, the QuakeWorld community host up a server and a website under the URL quakeworld.nu


Miranda Camera Company

The Miranda Camera Company, originally named the Orion Camera Company, manufactured cameras in Japan between 1955 and 1978. Their first camera was the Miranda T. Many of their products were single-lens reflex cameras for 135 film (35 mm). Unlike many Japanese made cameras, Miranda did not make their own lenses and had to rely on other manufacturers to supply them.
All their SLR cameras, except the dx-3, had interchangeable pentaprisms (released by moving a button or twisting the base of the film rewind knob), and a unique dual lens mount; an external bayonet mount or a 44mm thread mount within the mirror box.
Unable to keep up with the increasing manufacturing automation of the larger manufacturers, and the increasingly sophisticated electronics of competing cameras, Miranda ceased producing cameras.
Miranda cameras were a line of quality 35mm single lens reflexes, a range of over 30 models between first prototypes in 1953 through to the last production model in 1978. Many had advanced or sophisticated features for their day. Almost all Miranda SLR's shared the same basic lens mount, but the mount complexity increased over the years to accommodate more aperture and metering controls.
Later use of brand by Dixons.
In the early 1980s, the British electrical and photographic retailer Dixons acquired the rights to the "Miranda" brand and used it on a range of photographic equipment. This included badge-engineered versions of Cosina cameras which were distributed in several European countries.
, Dixons Retail still had the rights to the brand in several countries but no longer used it and planned to sell the brand off.


Giovanni (crossword compiler)


Turkish Five

The Turkish Five () is a name used by some authors to identify five pioneers of western classical music in Turkey. They were all born in the first decade of the 20th century and composed their best music in the early years of the Republic of Turkey, especially during the presidencies of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet İnönü. They all shared contacts with the two presidents and were highly encouraged as such, both on a personal level and also through the general drive towards westernization in Turkey.
The Turkish Five composers are:
These composers set out the direction of classic music in the newly established Turkish Republic. The use of Turkish folk music and traditional/modal elements in an entirely western symphonic style characterised the music of these composers.
References.
Notes
Sources
Further Reading


Matsubara Naoko

 is a Japanese-Canadian artist.
Life and work.
Matsubara graduated from the Kyoto University of Applied Arts in 1960. She then pursued an MFA in the School of Fine Arts at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on a Fulbright Travel Grant, and since then has traveled extensively and taught at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn—a rare distinction for a Japanese woman. She also studied one year at the Royal College of Art, London. Currently she lives and works in Oakville, Canada.
Naoko Matsubara’s father was the chief priest in a Shinto shrine in Kyoto. Shrines and temples became one of the major themes of Matsubara’s works. Naoko Matsubara’s style is influenced by her teacher Munakata Shiko (1903–1975), who worked in the mingei (folk art) tradition. Her works are part of the collections of many museums around the world such as the Portland Art Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Art, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Albertina in Vienna, the British Museum in London, the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress in Washington, the Hamburg Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Haifa Museum in Israel and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. She was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Naoko Matsubara's sister is the novelist Hisako Matsubara, they collaborated on the publication of Japanese tale "Taketori Monogatari" in German. Naoko did the illustrations, while her sister did the actual translation and the commentary.


Artout project

Artout Project, a.k.a. Artout Escort Agency - an experimental art project created in 2006 by Anton Koslov Mayr with an international group of artists, including theater critic and director of Black Box Theater in Oslo Jon Refsdal Moe, artists Per Platou, Kate Pendry, Ira Waldron, Georgy Ostretsov, Mike Rimbaud, Alexander Kosolapov , Eric Poujeau , Dana Wise, Elena Kovylina, Sena Yoon, Leban and Kleindienst , opera singer Evgeny Nikitin , and others. The project is a part of the Institutional Critique mouvement, but also relies on relational art practices. The ideas behind the project were formulated by Anton Koslov Mayr in his essay "On Art and Domination", Jon Refsdal Moe's "Staging Cultural Prosperity" and Sueli Rolni's "The Geopolitics of Pimping".
Artout Project was set up as a service company offering as a product artists' time, rather than any material work. Any interested party can hire an artist to spend time with and this in itself constitutes a creative act. The project was conceived as a meditation on the relationship between art collectors and art producers, exploring new territories of intersubjectivity and institutional control.
2009 Bridge Art Fair.
In 2009 the Artout Project was invited as a special feature of Bridge Art Fair in New York. New York Post art critic Dan Avery hailed Artout as "the most inventive in adapting to new economic realities".
References.
Artout official website
Review of the project by the Moscow's magazine Afisha
Snob magazine on Artout


Peter Wooley

Peter Wesley Wooley (December 26, 1934 – November 15, 2017) was an American film producer, author, director, and production designer with 85 films and television series to his credit, including the Mel Brooks' films "Blazing Saddles" and "High Anxiety". He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Production Design of the movie "The Day After".
Wooley was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, and entered the navy immediately upon graduating from high school. He studied architecture at Kent State.
He married to Linda Lane, a singer who studied at the Pasadena Playhouse and performed at the Copacabana, and they had two children, Stephanie Wilson and musician Christopher Wooley.
Wooley began a career in architecture. He went to work in the movie industry in 1966 as a draftsman on the boards at Warner Brothers. He worked as a Set Designer at Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures. Wooley worked as an Assistant Art Director on several television series including "Mod Squad". His first series as an Art Director was on the series "My World and Welcome to It". Several television series followed and then a move into feature films. Wooley began a long-lasting working relationship with Mel Brooks and was the Production designer on "Blazing Saddles" and "High Anxiety" as well as the Brooks-produced film "Fatso".
He was the author of the book "What! And Give Up Show Business?" and a novel called "You Only Go 'Round Once".


3-D Ultra Pinball

3-D Ultra Pinball is a series of pinball computer games developed by Sierra Entertainment's Dynamix.
The games try to escape from the traditional, arcade pinball and feature animation, more than one table at once,
and "temporary targets" (such as spaceships, goblins and dinosaurs appearing throughout the table).
3-D Ultra Pinball.
The original 3-D Ultra Pinball game was released in 1995. This game is based on the space simulation game, Outpost. There are three tables named Colony, Command Post, and Mine. Each table holds a set of five challenges. Smaller "mini-tables" are featured with their own set of flippers. The goal is to build and launch a Starship completing the game's entire course.
3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night.
The second game, Creep Night (1996) had a horror film set, and 3 different tables (and after finishing all challenges in a table, the player could travel to the other ones):
After finishing all the 3 tables, comes a changed Castle table, with 5 new challenges.
This was also released with several demos of other software titles also by Sierra Online.
"3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night" received a score of 3 out of 5 from "MacUser".
3-D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent.
Lost Continent (1997) had a Jurassic Park-like set. It followed a storyline, in which a plane falls on an island where an evil genius, Heckla, has created dinosaurs of other animals and the cavemen who live there. Professor Spector, his assistant Mary, and adventurer Rex Hunter try to escape back to the modern world, rescue Neeka (a tribal woman) and stop Heckla and his army of robots.
It has no challenges but features 16 tables, divided in 3 "sectors": Jungle, Temple and Chambers (Heckla's Lab).
3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball.
As the title reads, it is a NASCAR-themed pinball, released in 1998.
The game only has 3 fields: garage, track and pitstop.
It features several famous NASCAR drivers like Dale Earnhart and Bobby Labonte as playable characters, but the choice affects only audio commentaries and field decorations.
3-D Ultra Pinball Power.
Power (1999) was a compilation released in 1999, featuring the first game, "Creep Night" and "Lost Continent", and as a bonus, "The Incredible Machine" and a demo of "3-D Ultra Golf".
3-D Ultra Pinball: Thrill Ride.
The final title of the series, Thrill Ride (1999) also received a Game Boy Color version, which was developed by Left Field Productions and released by Sierra in December 2000.
The PC version was included in Sierra's Game Room for the PC in 2004. It is set in Hersheypark with rides and theme park elements as puzzles and table features.
Thrill Ride has one primary table, which doubles as a region for Fun Zone puzzles, and a secondary Thrill Zone table to one side. There are two multiball ramps, one a roller coaster (the Wildcat) and one a water ride (the Coal Cracker). Two of the Fun Zone puzzles send the players to secondary tables, a River Rafting table and a Lightning Racer Virtual Coaster.
General play proceeds as the player completes the six trials—completing 5 Fun Zone puzzles, completing 5 Thrill Zone puzzles, getting Thrill points (the letters spelling THRILLRIDE) in order to activate and complete the Nighttime Fantasy puzzle. Going on all the rides (activating all 10 zone puzzles), activating both multiballs, and frequently visiting the Snack Bar sinker are also needed to complete General play. Completing all six trials activates a "Lights Out" puzzle, breaking light bulbs with the ball; when this is done the table goes into Nighttime Fantasy Multiball mode before resetting the table (play continues, and multiple Lights Out are possible).
In addition, there are a number of other minor tasks and rewards (hitting markers to activate the Fun Zone sinker, etc.) and a Hershey's Hide and Seek for hitting the Snack Bar 50 times, in which a number of animated treats hide around the primary table and must be caught with the ball.


Bill English (computer engineer)

William Kirk English (January 27, 1929July 26, 2020) was an American computer engineer who contributed to the development of the computer mouse while working for Douglas Engelbart at SRI International's Augmentation Research Center. He would later work for Xerox PARC and Sun Microsystems.
Early life.
English was born on January 27, 1929, in Lexington, Kentucky. The only son of Harry English and Caroline (Gray) English, he had two half-brothers from his father's previous marriage. Harry English was an electrical engineer who managed coal mines and Caroline was a homemaker. William, or Bill as he was known, attended a boarding school in Arizona and then studied electrical engineering at the University of Kentucky.
Career.
English served in the US Navy until the late 1950s, including postings in northern California and Japan. He then joined the Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s to work on magnets, and built one of the first all-magnetic arithmetic units with Hewitt Crane. In 1964, he was the first person to join Douglas Engelbart's lab, the Augmentation Research Center.
He and Douglas Engelbart share credit for creating the first computer mouse in 1963; English built the initial prototype, and was its first user, based on Engelbart's notes. English led a 1965 project, sponsored by NASA, which evaluated the best way to select a point on a computer display; the mouse was the winner. English was also instrumental at The Mother of All Demos in 1968, which showcased the mouse and other technologies developed as part of their NLS (oN-Line System). In particular, English figured out how to connect a terminal in the San Francisco Civic Auditorium to the host computer at SRI away, and also transmitted audio and video between the locations.
He left SRI in 1971 and went to Xerox PARC, where he managed the Office Systems Research Group. While working at PARC, English developed a ball mouse, in which a ball replaced the original set of wheels. It worked similarly to a moveable ball-based mouse device called Rollkugel, which had been developed by Telefunken, Germany, and was offered since 1968 as input device for their computers.
In 1989, he went to work for Sun Microsystems on internationalization efforts.
English died of respiratory failure in San Rafael, California, on July 26, 2020, aged 91.


Hussein Zedan

Hussein S. M. Zedan (1 July 1953 – 23 February 2019) was a computer scientist of Egyptian descent, mainly based in the United Kingdom.
Hussein Zedan was born in 1953. He received his PhD degree in 1981 at the University of Bristol, studying under John Derwent Pryce and Hubert Schwetlick for a thesis entitled "Modified Rosenbrock-Wanner methods for solving systems of stiff ordinary differential equations".
Zedan was an academic in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York. Prof. Zedan then headed the Software Technology Research Laboratory (STRL) as Technical Director at De Montfort University. He was also Head of Computing Research. Later STRL was headed by Zedan's PhD student and subsequently colleague François Siewe. Zedan was subsequently appointed Assistant Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Development at the Applied Science University in Manama, Bahrain, until 2017.
Hussein Zedan died on 23 February 2019. He was married with two daughters.


Tim Denvir

Tim Denvir (born 1939) is a British software engineer, specialising in formal methods.
Denvir studied for a Mathematics degree at Trinity College, Cambridge during 1959–1962.
Before his degree, during 1958–1959, Tim Denvir was an engineering assistant at Texas Instruments, designing, building and testing electronic circuits using discrete semiconductors. After his degree, during 1962–1965, he was a systems programmer with Elliott Brothers, programming operating systems and device drivers. During 1965–1969, he was a systems programmer at the University of London Atlas Computing Service, undertaking systems programming for the Atlas computer and compiler design. During 1969–1971, he was a project manager with RADICS, working on ALGOL 60 compilers.
During 1971–1972, Denvir was a principal technical officer at International Computers Limited (ICL), working on unifying compiler design for the ICL 2900 Series of mainframe computers. During 1972–1986, he was a department manager and then from 1980 chief research engineer at the Standard Telecommunication Laboratories (STL), working on project management, technical education, and research. He won the STL Creativity Award. During 1986–1991, he was a senior/principal consultant at Praxis Systems plc, seconded for part of the time to the Information Technology Division of the UK Government Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). During 1991–2003, he was Director of Translimina Ltd.
Academically, during 1988–1989, Denvir was an Associate Reader at Brunel University, teaching formal methods. During 1992–1994, he was Honorary Visiting Professor at City University in London, where he developed and delivered a course on denotational semantics.
Denvir has been a member of the editorial board for the "Formal Aspects of Computing" journal (1989-2003) and the Springer FACIT book series. He was a member of the BSI IST/51-119 Vienna Development Method (VDM) Standardisation Committee. He was the Secretary of VDM Europe (1986–88 & 1991) and Chairman of the FACS Specialist Group (1993–1995). More recently he has been editor of the associated "FACS FACTS".
Tim Denvir has authored/edited/translated a number of books, including:
Interests.
Tim has been a keen hill-walker and "compleated" (in the parlance of the Scottish Mountaineering Club) all of the 282 Munros, the Scottish hills over 3,000 feet, in 2011, becoming Munroist number 4,855.


Jeffrey Sebelia

Jeffrey Sebelia is an American fashion designer and founder of the clothing label Cosa Nostra, which he headed from a loft on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. He is best known as the winner of the third season of American reality show "Project Runway".
Early career.
In the early 1990s, along with Mike Coulter and John Rozas Sebelia was a member of the band Lifter, which was signed by Interscope Records. They had a minor radio hit with the song "402," but they disbanded. Lifter's song "Swing" was featured in Jeffrey's runway show at Olympus Fashion Week.
After a successful drug rehabilitation at the age of 31, Sebelia enrolled in sewing classes at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. It was there that he immediately fell in love with design, and shortly after he started the clothing line Cosa Nostra. Among the label's celebrity clients were Dave Navarro, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson, Elton John, Madonna, and Tommy Lee. The Cosa Nostra label was available in about twenty stores worldwide.
Project Runway.
In the spring of 2006, Sebelia auditioned for the Bravo series "Project Runway" after seeing the success his friend, former contestant Santino Rice, had enjoyed. Jeffrey was selected to compete, was one of the final four contestants to display their collections at Fashion Week, and was chosen the winner. He had been portrayed as the third season's "villain," notorious for his explicit language and making fellow contestant Angela Keslar's mother cry when he worked with her as a client for a challenge.
Sebelia's final winning collection was filled with bright colors, flowing dresses, and smart separates, his collection was strikingly different from the trademark grunge, punk, and rock 'n' roll-style outfits he had created throughout the season. His winnings included $100,000 to develop his own clothing line, a 2007 Saturn Sky Roadster, a year's representation by Designer's Management Agency, and a 15-page spread - featuring Marilinda Rivera, the model with whom he was paired during most of the "Project Runway" challenges - in "ELLE" magazine.
Post-Project Runway Career.
Sebelia put his 100,000 prize into his brand Cosa Nostra. In 2007, he was hired to design a live-action film featuring the Bratz cartoon characters. He lost the gig after calling the characters "slutty" in an interview. In 2009, Cosa Nostra failed. Sebelia then put out an eponymous collection, but that too appears to have ended.
In 2010 Sebelia was named head designer of a brand called Fluxus. He left that job to launch edgy kids line La Miniatura with friend, Melissa Bochco.
In 2013, Sebelia became a contestant on "", where he ranked 7th out of 11 contestants.
Personal life.
Sebelia shared a violent relationship with his father, who divorced his mother when Jeffrey was 8. Later, Jeffrey, who felt responsible for the divorce, began using cocaine and marijuana. By the time he was 16, he was a heroin addict living in a friend's garage. The following 15 years were filled with numerous, yet failed, attempts to get sober at a number of West Coast drug treatment centers. He has never been far from the spotlight and has been friends with Dave Navarro since they were teens. Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, who was also an avid client, loved the Cosa Nostra line and knew Sebelia for years.
Before the show, Sebelia had lived with his girlfriend and their young son, Harrison. However, after completing "Project Runway" Sebelia separated from his girlfriend. It was Harrison, Sebelia's son, who inspired his trademark neck tattoo which took more than eight hours to complete. The tattoo reads "Harrison Detroit l’amor de la mia vita." It is his son's name, along with the phrase "the love of my life," in Italian. But the tattoo contains a mistake; the correct diction is "l'amore della mia vita".


Emma Schlangenhausen

Emma Schlangenhausen (1882-1947) was an Austrian painter and graphic artist.
Biography.
Schlangenhausen was born on March 9, 1882 in Tyrol, Austria. She studied at the School of Graphic and Experimental Art and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Her teachers included Kolo Moser and Alfred Roller. She exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair where she won a silver medal. She was a member of Wiener Frauenkunst (Viennese Women's Art) and the Association of Visual Artists of Austria and "Der Wassermann".
Schlangenhausen died on March 11, 1947 in Salzburg, Austria.
Her work was included in the 2019 exhibition "City Of Women: Female artists in Vienna from 1900 to 1938" at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.


Ratteen

Ratteen (Ratine) was a thick napped twilled woolen material. Ratteen was produced in France, Italy and Holand.
Varieties.
There were several varieties of Ratteen for example Drugget, Baize and Frieze were coarser varieties. It was produced in various options; for instance, similar to broadcloth, without shearing the Pile and, another one was with friezed nap surface. There was also a mix of wool and linen in 50% ratio.
Rattinet.
Rattinet (Ratinet) was a thinner variety of Ratteen.
See also.
Frieze (textile)


Jam Factory

Jam Factory () is a South Korean music publisher which sources song tunes and lyrics for K-Pop, J-Pop and Mandopop artists from songwriters predominantly based in the USA. Writers of the tunes are often songwriters for American companies, such as Brandon Fraley, a well known provider of tunes to South Korean girl and boy bands, who is a songwriter for Sony Music Publishing in Los Angeles. Korean, Japanese and Chinese language lyrics are usually provided by Jam Factory's own lyricists based in Seoul.
As with the songwriters of America's Motown era Jam Factory's songwriters and lyricists may support a band's development over many years. For example, Girls' Generation songwriter team has included Korean lyricists Jo Yungyeong and Kim Hee-jeong for over 8 years, their lyrics growing with the band.
Personnel.
American Song Writers
British Song Writers
Canadian Song Writers
German Song Writers
Korean Song Writers
L Diary.
In January 2013, Jam Factory established L Diary Lyrics & Toplining Academy, where aspiring Korean songwriters could learn to write song lyrics and vocal melodies. Since then, L Diary has produced around 100 professional songwriters through over 40 songwriting camps where students are given the opportunity to write lyrics and toplines for prominent K-Pop artists.
L Diary Instructors
L Diary songwriters


Sandeep Kurissery

Sandeep Kurissery (sometimes credited Sandeep Madhavam) (born 29 March 1982) is an Indian film sound designer, sound editor and location sound recordist. He, along with Jiji P Joseph won the first ever award for location sound recording for the film Oraalppokkam in the 2014 Kerala State Film Awards. The duo won the award again in 2015 with Ozhivudivasathe Kali. Sandeep has worked with some of the leading filmmakers in South India like Girish Kasaravalli, Shaji N Karun, Vipin Vijay and Shyamaprasad.
Early life.
He was born to Mohan Kurissery and Retnakala in Vanchiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He is the grandson of author and scholar Kurissery Gopala Pillai (paternal) and Ayurvedic physician Dr. R.P Chittezham (maternal).
After completing his schooling in SMV High School, Thiruvananthapuram, Sandeep graduated from Govt. Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram. Realising his passion for audio, he took a diploma in audio engineering from SAE Technology College, Chennai where G V Prakash Kumar was his classmate. He also has a diploma in Journalism and Communication from the University of Kerala.
Career.
Sandeep's career as an audio engineer started in Kairali TV in 2003. His recording work in shows like "Thaaraattu" and "Kottayam Nazeer Show" were particularly noteworthy. Since 2006, he is working with Manorama News.
Interested in music and sounds from an early age, he has been associated with documentaries and short films as musician, sound recordist and sound designer. He has also been involved in "Kaathoram", an initiative to bring out free audiobooks in Malayalam. His work in the short film "Amguleechaalitham" led to director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan inviting him to join the crew of Oraalppokkam.
Personal life.
Sandeep is married to Ramya, who is a journalist. They have a son, Madhav.
External links.
[[Category:Film musicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Musicians from Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Indian sound designers]]
[[Category:Kerala State Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]


Andrea Crisanti

Andrea Crisanti (12 June 1936, in Rome – 7 May 2012) was an Italian production designer and art director.
Crisanti studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. He began his film career as assistant set designer to Mario Garbuglia by working on the set of "The Great War" (1959) with Mario Monicelli. His independent debut came with "Maciste in Hell" (1962) by Riccardo Freda.
In 1970, Crisanti met Francesco Rosi, which proved crucial to the success of his career.
He later worked on "Cinema Paradiso" (1988) and "A Pure Formality" (1994) by Giuseppe Tornatore, which won a David di Donatello Award. Sicily was one of his favourite places, and he recalled the pomp of the 17-century Bourbon period for the set of "The Council of Egypt" (2002) by Emidio Greco. Crisanti worked on Michelangelo Antonioni's "Identification of a Woman" (1982), Franzo Zeffirelli's "Young Toscanini" (1988), Gianni Amelio's "The Stolen Children" (1992), and Andrei Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia" (1983).
He taught art at Rome's Experimental Cinematography Centre from 1995 until his death, and was president of A.S.C., the Set and Costume Designers Association.
Awards and recognition.
BAFTA Awards
David di Donatello Awards
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists


Gautami (typeface)

Gautami is a Microsoft Windows typeface used to display Telugu script. Versions of it have been supplied in Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
It contains Unicode support for the following ranges:
The name "Gautami" was given by Radhika Mamidi, a resource person for Telugu, from National Centre for Software Technology itself, working with R_K_Joshi's team. It refers to the tributary "Gautami" of Godavari River. Gautami and Godavari rivers have a deep emotional connection with Telugu speaking community. Hence, the name of this typeface seems apt.


Boby John

Boby John (born 31 August 1970) is an Indian film sound designer and mixing engineer. He has worked in various Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam and Assamese feature films, documentary films, short films and television advertisements. He is one of India's best sync sound editors. He owns a mixing studio, Prathibha, at Mumbai.
Early life.
Boby John was born on 31 August 1970 in Vazhakulam, a small town near Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district of Kerala state. He completed his schooling from Thekkummala St. Rita's LP School and Vazhakulam Infant Jesus High School. He then joined at Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha for his pre-degree course and later completed B.Sc in Physics in 1991. In 1992, he joined at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, for the three year postgraduate diploma course in sound recording and sound design.


Andy Jones (game designer)

Andy Jones is a game designer who has worked primarily on wargames and board games.
Career.
Under the guidance of "Warhammer" experts Rick Priestley and Andy Jones and "Fighting Fantasy" and fiction author Marc Gascoigne, an idea evolved under Games Workshop's Black Library division to create a book full of short stories and comics in a format like an Annual publication; the result was "Inferno!", a new magazine previewed in "White Dwarf" #210 (June 1997) and then published the next month (July 1997).
Jones has also worked on "Warhammer 40,000" comics for the Black Library, including "The Redeemer" (with Pat Mills, Wayne Reynolds, and Debbie Gallagher, 4-issue mini-series, tpb, 96 pages, 2000, , tpb with 8-page bonus strip, 104 pages, 2003, ) and with Mark Gascoigne edited "Flames of Damnation" (various creators, 224 pages, 2005, ).


Eurocrat (typeface)

Eurocrat is a sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Williams in 1986 for Club Type.
Name and Design.
Eurocrat was inspired by the work of Members of the European Parliament of the European Economic Community. It attempts to combine various aspects of different European nationalities such that no one has dominance.


Song Wencong

Song Wencong (; 26 March 1930 – 22 March 2016) was a Chinese aircraft designer, who was responsible for the development of the single seat version of the Chengdu J-10. He was a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Biography.
Song was born on 26 March 1930, in Kunming, Yunnan, with his ancestral home in Dali, Yunnan. He joined a youth organization of the Communist Party of China by the end of 1948. He enlisted in the Yunnan-Guangxi-Guizhou border region column of PLA in July 1949 as a scout. In May 1951, he joined the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to fight against the American-led United Nations forces in the Korean War. In August 1954, he was accepted to Harbin Institute of Military Engineering (now Harbin Engineering University), where he majored in aircraft engine at the Air Force Engineering Department. After graduating in July 1960 he was assigned to Shenyang 601 Design District as a designer. He was a designer of Chengdu 611 Design District from 1970 to 1974, and he was elected deputy chief designer for 1977 and chief designer for 1980.
At the age of 56, he was appointed chief designer of the Chengdu J-10.
In 2003, he was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
He was honored as one of the top ten people touching China in 2009.
On 22 March 2016, Song died at 301 Military Hospital in Beijing, aged 85.


Mark Kern

Mark E. Kern is a Taiwanese-American video game designer best known for being a team lead on the video game "World of Warcraft" and a founder of Red 5 Studios.
Creation of Red 5 Studios.
Kern left Blizzard in 2006 to co-found the development company Red 5 Studios. There he worked on the title "Firefall" before eventually leaving the company after being voted out as CEO by the Red 5's board of directors.
League For Gamers.
In 2012, Kern started the League For Gamers in response to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act. Kern said that the League For Gamers would stand as an advocacy group for the gaming community. He intended it to rival the Entertainment Software Association which focused more on publisher rights, in light of its support of SOPA. Red 5 Studios' website went offline on January 18 to draw attention to the legislation.
EM-8ER.
In 2016, Kern started a project on demand of fans, called "EM-8ER" (pronunciation: /ˈɛm.bəː/, Em-ber), a spiritual successor to his previous game "Firefall". He created a company, called Crixa Labs LLC, that will release anything related to "EM-8ER", like his tabletop role-playing game "Gatestriders", set within the same universe. "EM-8ER" is a mini massively multiplayer online game set on the planet of the same name, where players control Gatestriders, humans with technological advancements such as their MEK suits and Thumper MEK/As. They fight against an ancient alien race called Tsi-hu and their giant Kaiju. The goal of the game is to build bases, terraform, mine for resources and fight invasions. The game is in its early stages, with some demo builds shown to backers, however, his team of developers are actively working on the game and the approximate time of alpha release will be known after Kickstarter.


NAM (video game)

NAM, sold under the name Napalm in Walmart retail outlets, is a commercial Build engine first-person shooter video game set during the Vietnam War, developed by TNT Team and published by GT Interactive Software.
"NAM" was later re-released on Steam on November 6, 2014, with Retroism and Night Dive Studios as the publishers. It was released on GOG.com on March 20, 2020.
The direct sequel, "World War II GI", was released in 1999, again developed by TNT Team and published by GT Interactive Software.
Gameplay.
The game is very similar to "Duke Nukem 3D". The game consists of 34 levels divided into four episodes; there are two single player episodes with fifteen levels and two multiplayer episodes with nineteen levels. Very little was changed in regards to controls, movement rate, physics, and CON (control file) language. The only immediately noticeable change in the game code was the removal of the remote detonator for weapon 6, the grenade, which was a pipebomb in "Duke Nukem 3D". In the game, there are AI marines which will help the player in some levels, each with different classes and specialties. Mines are present in most levels, requiring players to activate his mine detector.
Plot.
The player assumes the role of Alan "The Bear" Westmoreland, a United States Marine Corps Sergeant. The story begins with a deadly Viet Cong raid, where Westmoreland is left to survive of his own accord. The player must deal with various firefights, ambushes, booby traps, snipers, air strikes, anti-personnel mines, and more in order to finish their way to the end of each level.
The player is placed in the center of the Vietnam War in 1966, playing as Westmoreland, who is a very deadly and highly trained U.S. Marine. Westmoreland is under the command of the Central Intelligence Agency and has undergone genetic engineering to become a super human war machine. He is given standard military orders, and is usually placed alone or with small teams, pitted against overwhelming odds. To prove himself a successful experiment, he must survive several tours of duty in order to show that the side effects of the serum can be overcome.
Development.
"NAM" originated from the creation of TNT Team's 1997 total conversion mod for "Duke Nukem 3D" titled "Platoon". It was picked up by Infogrames, who put them to work on a remake with more professional art and some custom source code modifications by Matt Saettler, product manager for "Blood", which resulted in "NAM". The game was released on July 31, 1998. U.S. Marine Sergeant Dan Snyder, who helped pioneer computer simulation training for American troops with a "Doom" army mod, was a consultant on the project.
Reception.
The game received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. "Next Generation" said: "This horrendous "Duke Nukem 3D" conversion should have stayed on the Net as freeware. The GT logo on the box certainly doesn't warrant its $20 price tag, nor does the game's heavily hyped claim to fame: 'Created with the developer of the "Doom" conversion for the Marine Corps'. We certainly feel sorry for the Marines".


Jakarta EE application

A Jakarta EE application (formerly also called Java EE or J2EE application) is any deployable unit of Jakarta EE functionality. This can be a single Jakarta EE module or a group of modules packaged into an EAR file along with a Jakarta EE application deployment descriptor. Jakarta EE applications are typically engineered to be distributed across multiple computing tiers.
Enterprise applications can consist of combinations of the following:


Alistair Ferguson Ritchie

Alistair Ferguson Ritchie (1890–1954) was a crossword compiler, under the pseudonym Afrit. The son of a post office clerk, he was born in 1890 and brought up in King’s Lynn. He was head boy at King Edward VII Grammar School there and graduated from Queens' College, Cambridge in 1911.
He trained for Holy Orders at Bishop’s Hostel, Liverpool and was ordained deacon in 1912, and priest in 1913 . From 1912 to 1918 he was curate at St Paul’s church, Southport and from 1918 to 1924 he was St Mary’s church, Waterloo and also an assistant master at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby. From there he went to Wells as Head of the Cathedral School and also as a priest vicar at the cathedral. He resigned as Priest Vicar in 1935 as the growing school needed his full attention.
In 1946 he was made a prebendary (honorary canon) of Wells Cathedral in recognition of his service to Wells and the diocese. In 1920 he married, Violet Minett who also taught at Merchant Taylor’s, Crosby, and they had four children. He died in harness on 8 April 1954, aged 63, prompting a letter to "The Times".
He was an excellent sportsman in his youth and besides crosswords, his interests included book-binding and bee-keeping. He was a demon at croquet and the Wells Cathedral School still maintains his croquet lawn. At the school he kept bees in what had been the ‘laundry garden’. When the bees took the garden over he persuaded gangs of volunteers to help take care of them. It seemed to the pupils that the volunteers emerged unscathed, whereas the headmaster, despite cloaking himself in hats and veils, always managed to get stung.
Recalling the headmaster’s crossword expertise, one student related the headmaster saying to him, “Congratulations, you won the "Observer" crossword prize last week. Would you be good enough to let me have it some time?” Ritchie, who could no longer enter under his own name, had exhausted all the names of the members of staff and was now using those of members of the sixth form.
The puzzles of Afrit (his nom de plume, a powerful demon of Arabian mythology, which happened to be hidden in his initials and surname) first appeared in "The Sketch" and "The Listener". For "the Listener" he compiled 127 crosswords from 1932 to 1948. These were usually impossibly difficult, often securing no correct entries. At "The Listener" he created several enduring formats of variety puzzle, including the popular Playfair and Printer's Devilry types. Later he composed easier puzzles for the "Sphere" and a collection of his "Armchair Crosswords" was published in 1949, considered a classic in the crossword world.
Afrit's book "Armchair Crosswords" was republished in 2009 by Rendezvous Press.


Pete Oswald

Pete Oswald (born July 8, 1980) is a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and an Annie Award-nominated animation production designer best known for "The Angry Birds Movie" film series and Oscar Nominated "ParaNorman", in addition to multiple animated studio films. He is also known for his work as a children's book author and illustrator, and painter. Pete's work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, both written by Jory John.
Early life and education.
Oswald was raised in Bountiful, Utah. His mother, also an artist, encouraged him to begin painting and drawing from an early age. He attended Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After graduating high school, he relocated to Los Angeles where he enrolled in Loyola Marymount University and earned a degree in animation arts. He then began working in Los Angeles in film and television animation.
He cites his artistic influences as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt, Miroslav Šašek, Charles and Ray Eames, Mary Blair, Ronald Searle, and Al Hirschfeld.
Career.
Oswald has served in production design and the art department on multiple animated family studio films and television shows. He is best known for his work on the 2016 film "The Angry Birds Movie", for which he transformed the characters, lighting, and set design from the popular mobile game into an animated feature film series over four years. He was noted for his work on "The Angry Birds Movie" in Vice's "The Creator's Project", which stated: "Pete Oswald's fingerprints are all over the cutting edge of animated feature films, marked by a bright, colorful, slightly angular style." In 2016, he appeared at Comic-Con in San Diego, California. In 2017, he began working on "The Angry Birds Movie 2".
He served as a visual artist on the popular animated films "", "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2", "ParaNorman", "Hotel Transylvania", and "The Lego Ninjago Movie".
Oswald illustrated the children's book series "Did You Know?" by Simon & Schuster, and created and illustrated the children's books "Mingo the Flamingo" and "The Bad Seed". "The Bad Seed" was described by The New York Times as "kid-book humor at its best, both warmhearted and frisky — the kind that leaves adults, too, cracking up and grateful".
He also paints with acrylics, in addition to his animation and illustration work, and debuted his painting series "Pacific Abstract", inspired by the California coast, at a pop-up art gallery show at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California, in 2016.