The Nintendo Virtual Boy was a mostly-portable (easily moved) game console which had two screens that showed only red and black graphics. To use the system, one had to put one's face close to the system so that each eye could see only one screen. By showing each eye a different image, the system could create a 3D effect.
The way the system displayed images was not by LCDs, as some would think. At the time, LCDs could not be used because they had two problems when they were first tested on the console: they would blur if anything moved on the screen, and users would see double instead of depth. Instead, a vertical line of 224 very bright, but very small, LEDs were used for each eye. These LEDs flashed on and off very fast in certain patterns. This line of LEDs was then magnified by a lens, and a vibrating mirror would reflect each line at a certain time into each eye, creating a full image due to the human eye's persistence of vision. Unfortunately, due to the quick flashing of the LEDs, many users felt sick, became dizzy, or had headaches after playing for a long time. To help this, an "automatic pause" feature was added, which stopped the game play every 30 minutes for the player to rest his or her eyes.
The Virtual Boy was first sold in 1995, but was not popular. Consumers did not like the console's high price, monochrome graphics, eye and neck strain, and need for a stand. Many were saving money for the soon-to-be-sold Nintendo 64. Nintendo lowered the price many times, but the system did not sell well and was discontinued (Nintendo stopped making them) in 1996. Only 22 games were released in Japan and North America.
Popular games for the system include "Mario Tennis" and "Virtual Boy Wario Land" (Known as "Wario Cruise" in Japan).
The Virtual Boy was made by Gunpei Yokoi, who also made the Game Boy and "Game & Watch".
People rumored that Gunpai Yakoi made the Virtual Boy as a parting gift, but unfortunately it failed.
There was a Japan version of the Virtual Boy, (Family Computer 3-D System) it played in color and indeed, played in 3-D.
Duke University
Duke University is a private university in Durham, North Carolina, founded in 1838. It was formed by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity. The school moved to Durham in 1892.
It has advanced research. Some famous people including former President of the United States, Richard Nixon went to the school. In its 2012 edition, "U.S. News & World Report" ranked the university's undergraduate program 10th among national universities.
Duke has good libraries, such as Bostock Library. It also has a famous medical school and law school. The school's colours are blue and white and its president is Richard Brodhead.
Duke University owns 220 buildings on of land. This includes the Duke Forest.
Duke has 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils. Duke's athletic programs are considered among the very best in the NCAA. Duke's teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Its Men's Basketball Team under coach Mike Krzyzewski has won the NCAA Tournament four times, and bought out the 2015 title as well. In football The Blue Devils have won seven ACC Football Championships. They have had ten players honored as ACC Player of the Year (the most in the ACC), Duke's teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Existentialism
Existentialism is a way of thinking that focuses on what it means for people to exist. It is a philosophical movement. It became well-known in books and movies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Existentialism is known for dealing with nihilistic problems, but is generally still a kind of . It says that humans have will and consciousness, but they live in a world that does not. The premise that people must make choices about their life while knowing they are mortal is what existentialism is all about.
It was started by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (18131855).
Kierkegaard was a very religious man, but existentialism in the 20th century became more and more atheistic. Most of its main thinkers and writers were in mainland Europe. For example, Jean-Paul Sartre spent most of the Second World War in a German prison camp, reading the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. When he came out he gave a lecture called "Existentialism and Humanism". This early lecture may be easier to read than his later work.
Many religions and philosophies (ways of thinking about the world) say that human life has a meaning (or a purpose). But people who believe in existentialism think that the world and human life have "no meaning unless people give them meaning": ‘existence precedes [is before] essence’. This means that we find ourselves existing in the world, and then we give ourselves meaning, or 'essence'. As Sartre said, "We are condemned to be free". This means that we have no choice but to choose, and that we have full responsibility for our choices. Another way to put it is that we are always making choices even if we don't realize it.
Existentialists believe that our human 'essence' or 'nature' (way of being in the world) is simply our 'existence' (being in the world). More simply put, the 'essence' of a human, or what makes a human a 'human', is not due to nature or uncontrollable circumstances; rather, human essence is really just what we choose to make it. This means that the only nature we as humans have is the nature we make for ourselves. As a result of this, existentialists think that the actions or choices that a person makes are very important. They believe that every person has to decide for themselves what is right and wrong, and what is good and bad.
People who believe in existentialism ask questions like ’what is it like to be a human (a person) in the world?’ and ’how can we understand human freedom (what it means for a person to be free)?’ Existentialism is often connected with negative emotions, such as anxiety (worrying), dread (a very strong fear), and mortality (awareness of our own death). Some existentialists, like Sartre and Heidegger, think that thinking about these emotions helps people to choose the way that they want to live their lives.
Existentialism is sometimes confused with nihilism. It is different from nihilism, but there is a similarity. Nihilists believe that human life "does not" have a meaning (or a purpose) at all; existentialism says that people must choose their own purpose.
Many of the main sources for existentialism were written in other languages and only later translated, mostly after the 1950s.
Ingmar Bergman made a movie called "The Seventh Seal" in 1957. It shows the doom and gloom of the late Middle Ages caused by the Black Plague, famine, the Hundred Years' War between France and England, and papal schism.
The movie "Taxi Driver" (which has the actor Robert De Niro) from 1976 has existential ideas in it. The main character feels sad and lonely, because he cannot understand the world.
Jean-Luc Godard's "Vivre sa vie (film)" and Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 are prime examples of the Existentialism fashion in the European early 50's that influenced American films such as Easy Rider or The Graduate in the 1960s.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill was an American animated cartoon that ran from 1997 to 2010 on FOX. It featured a husband, a wife, a son, and their live-in niece. FOX, the network running the series, would not be showing new episodes anymore after its 13th and final season. The final four episodes aired in May 2010.
Hairdresser
A hairdresser's job is to organise hair into a particular style or "look". They can cut hair, add colour to it or texture it. A hairdresser may be female or male. Qualified staff are usually called "stylists", who are supported by assistants. Most hairdressing businesses are unisex, that is, they serve both sexes, and have both sexes on their staff.
Male hairdressers who simply cut men's hair (and do not serve females) are often called barbers.